Honor Among Thieves

Who exactly decides what a hero is? The heroes I have met have been smug, arrogant bastards who only wished to save their own damn hides. While those I have seen called rogues, thieves, bandits and murderers have been some of the most honorable people I have ever met. Honor and dishonor. Right and wrong. Truth and deception. Heroic and villainous. It would be so much easier if life were as simple as that.
Honor Among Thieves
Yet another pick breaks in my hand under the silvery moonlight and I curse under my breath. If I can't get this gods forsaken door open before the guards come...well it won't be very pretty. I pull another pick from inside my boot and start on the door again. After a moment that stretches like a droplet refusing to fall the door clicks and I sigh. Luckily the hinges on the silver door are oiled and it opens with nary a sound.
My unshod feet guide me silently into the room, sinking just a bit into the plush carpet. My tail twitches ever so slightly as I make my way through the room. The object I've been sent to acquire should be in here and if not...well it does no good to dwell on thoughts such as that. My gaze wanders over the dimly lit room, for some reason a candle still shines in the corner of the room yet the old codger who lives here must have gone to bed by now. I shake my head slightly and my eyes are drawn to a weapons rack in the corner, too bad he didn't leave the sword there. Would have made my job easier.
In the far corner of the room rests a red-wood chest inlaid with gold. I hiss softly to myself, damn royals always have to over do everything. Quietly I make my way to the chest and the lock springs easily. "Bingo." My voice is a bare whisper and I grin to myself. Inside lies the sword I was tasked to retrieve. It's truly a thing of beauty, the hilt has been made of silver and carved into the shape of a Draconian. It's amethyst eyes seem to wink at me, begging me to take it. Slowly my eyes wander along the blade itself. It's been cut in a way to appear like the Draconian is breathing black fire. Wonderful.
Cautiously I reach inside and pick up the sword, after a certain spell zapped me on another job I've been more careful. I hoist the sword and in my test swing discover it's much lighter than it appears. The damn thing flies out of my grasp and with a sickening crunch impales the stomach of a servant as he walks in. He has a look of utter confusion on his face before he touches around the blade, his scaled hand coming back sticky with blood. He collapses and awkwardly hits the ground.
In a moment I'm by the lizardmans side, my arm cradling his head. "Don't move. I'll help you but you can't move." One of his hands weakly claps mine.
"..Raven.." Raven, I'm assuming that's the mans name but for the moment I don't care. I have to help him first. I extricate my hand from his grasp and grab the hilt of the sword, in an effortless motion I rip the sword out and send healing Magick into him. Blocking the blood flow and knitting flesh back together. He arches his back and bares his fangs in pain, pupils narrowing to slits. Such long fangs..now that I think about it he is rather handsome. Stunning ebony scales, dusky grey claws, beautiful sapphire feathers like a Mohawk.. I shake my head. Now is not the time for that.
"I'm taking you with me. You need help." Before he can object I have a cloth over his nose and mouth. "Breathe. Just breathe." Once he's unconscious I pick him up and use my telekinetic powers to levitate the sword. With another spell I turn us invisible then slip out the door into the night. The Guild Masters in the slums won't be pleased. But I don't give a fuck, I'll never leave one of my kind behind.
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The man, Raven, rests fitfully in my bed. Luckily the Magick seems to be helping him, however slowly it may be going. He woke up once thrashing about trying to kill me so I tied his hands to the bed which I suppose would contribute to his restlessness.
"Jaag Sha'rak! What the hell is going on here?" I tense up then relax slightly when I hear who it is.
"Oh, Zareth. It's just you..look it's complicated alright."
"He better not be another...lover...of yours." Zareth never approved of the fact that I'm a lad, the more polite term here for men who like men.
"He's not a lover. Who he is isn't important."
"If you don't want me to know that makes it important." He snarls and crosses his arms. "Now who the hell is this man?" I growl right back at him, Zareth may be twice my size but I don't give a fuck.
"I told you, he's no one. Now get the fuck out before I kick your ass." I spring up and shove Zareth back a step. He snarls once more and turns on his heel, I narrowly avoid being hit by his tail. Unlike the catmen and dogmen lizard tails can do serious damage, anywhere from bruising to shattering bones. I take my place by the bed again, sunlight filters in through the dirty window. Everything in here is dirty unfortunately. It's the slums.
I always dreamed of escaping here. Running away to some lavish city, the only things standing in my way are the Arahas desert and the Guild. Once the Guild has its claws in you they aren't likely to relinquish their hold. The Guild helps me evade the guards and I steal or kill for them. I smile sadly and regard Raven. When he awakens he has two choices, join us...or die. No one sees a ShadowMan or Woman on a job and lives to tell about it. Though I would hate to have to kill him.
He stirs slightly, feathers and tail twitching. "Where...am I? Who are...you?" I smile and gently pat his face. Such a handsome voice, deep and scratchy.
"I'm Jaag. Jaag Sha'rak. You're Raven right?" He nods slowly.
"Raven-on-light-wings." The only people who have names like that are...ah that makes sense.
"You're a tribesman? Aren't you a bit far from home darling?" He stiffens slightly and turns his face away. "My apologies Raven-on-light-wings. Have I upset you?"
With face still turned away he replies slowly. "It's...complicated." He sighs. "You never said where we are."
"In the slums. My home."
"Great, saved by a gutter rat." I narrow my eyes slightly.
"I'm not a gutter rat. I'm a ShadowMan."
"Gutter rat, ShadowMan. Close enough." I growl softly, just my luck to have saved someone who hates my kind. I sigh softly and my tail twitches.
"We're not all bad you know. I saved you didn't I?" His feathers twitch faintly as does his tail.
"I suppose you did...thank you. For saving me." He turns his face back and smiles. "Hmm you're pretty cute..." I'm briefly startled, not many people think I'm cute. I glance to a nearby mirror and a slender lizardman stares back at me. My face is slightly thin but attractive I suppose. Deep dark blue scales cover me and twin horns rest on my head. Typically I adorn them with cheap silver rings. My eyes are nothing to notice really, plain purple. Unlike most of my kind I have a small head frill, reminiscent of Draconian's of old.
"I'm not that cute.." He grins showing off long white fangs.
"But you are. Beautiful blue scales, dark as the ocean. Lovely amethyst eyes. Amazing horns. Perfect black claws, and of course a sexy frill." I blush slightly and my frill twitches just a bit.
"You flatter me..."
"I'm merely pointing out the obvious." Finally it dawns on me.
"You're just trying to lower my guard. You probably don't even like men." He grins and shrugs.
"I swing both ways. I'm Ace." Ace. Meaning no interest in sex, yet...
"But you said you swing either way?"
"Biromantic." Well that explains that. I grin mischievously and lean close to his face, staring intently in his eyes. Such lovely emerald eyes...
"Have you ever kissed before darling? Or do Aces not do that sort of thing?" He looks a tad bit uncomfortable and I chuckle. "I won't hurt you ya know..."
"Aces...don't mind kissing..well I don't anyways. It's just what comes...after that bothers me.." I run a hand over his jawline slowly. Then put my hand on his neck, kissing him deeply. Surprisingly he doesn't recoil. Instead he kisses me back deeply, intimately. I break the kiss panting softly.
"Damn. You kiss better than any lover I've ever had haha." I grin and run my tongue over my fangs. "Too bad you're not interested in sex. That with you would be....lovely." When his eyes narrow briefly I pat his cheek then reach up to untie him. "You do know what I'll have to do right? No? Well you have to either join the Guild....or I kill you." I grimace at that thought. He tenses slightly and turns away again.
"I don't have a choice here do I? I can't go home.." He sounds so sad, so pitiful. Wish I could let him go.
"Well I have work to do.. Now if you were to...disappear before I returned that would be no ones fault yes?" I grin faintly and turn to leave, slightly hoping he might stick around for a while. The door creaks open slightly and I shut it quickly behind me. So long as no one discovers Raven all will be well. My home is unfortunately rather crushed next to other houses, it is the slums after all. With any luck Zareth will keep his trap shut and if anyone sees him they'll assume he's just another lover.
I sigh and begin my walk down the muddy road. The Guild Masters won't be too pleased with my disappearing for so long, luckily I have the sword. Hopefully that will cool them off just a bit. As per normal in this old city there's not a cloud in sight, what I wouldn't give for some rain. Or to be back in my homeland...the desert is no place for my kind. Well that's not true, some of my kind thrive here. I just prefer swampy marshlands to bone dry deserts. Why I followed that shemla I'll never know..
Speaking of which, the little shemla I followed saunters up to me now. "Well well look who decided to drag his hide out of bed today." The shemla are an....odd race. Shape-changers by nature, this particular one prefers the form of a desert lioness. Now I do have to say for a chick, she is pretty cute. White hair, dusky grey skin, blue eyes, now if only she was a man.
"Hello Zaynabi." I extend my hand in greeting and we clasp forearms, a warriors greeting if there ever was one. Shemla are typically warriors, even the women are feared in battle, or I should say especially the women. If Zaynabi came at me even without a weapon I would run for the hills. She flashes a grin showing teeth stained red.
"So who is it I smell on you?" I curse under my breath.
"No one. Just a friend." She raises a brow and smirks.
"Just a friend? No one special? Someone like a servant perhaps?" Curse her. Curse her and her ability to read me like a book.
"Just keep your trap shut alright? I'm in enough trouble as it is..." She laughs and pats my head.
"Don't worry. I won't tell. Now I have some work to do and so do you." She grins and skips down the road, gold bangles tinkling gently.

i like this. i dont know what it is exactly but i like it. lizard peoplesss