The God Thief

I didn't surprise me that I was the bait and the thief this time. I had hope before that I wasn't the bait at all, but in the minutes that I was running from the feral Werebear, I knew that if I survived this attack I wouldn't return to the Firm.

I couldn't run any faster in the half foot deep snow, it was more like a quickened hike. A weave between the large trees and piles of snow. I could hear the angry growls of the bear, only known as Bjorden, from afar. As a witchling thief, I was able to slip away from Bjorden's den unheard, at least until the mountain nymphs awoke.

I had told them to shut up or else I would burn them with a SoulFire. Stupid nymphs hissed at me, and went back into their slumber, at least until I was out of sight. I figured they would wake him up any ways after I fled at least a good mile. Then I heard a frustrated roar.

I muttered a bunch of unhelpful curses as I hastened through the snow holding Bjorden's treasure, a locked spherical chest. They hadn't told me why I needed to get it but I had it now and I was in imminent danger.

One of the many spells I knew was a scent weave. A scent confuser that was secreted whenever I was sweating out of fear. A bit cowardly but it came in handy in times like this especially for a thief.

Bjorden was having trouble sniffing out my scent but I could hear the way to friendly nymphs scouting out for him, their subtle whispers getting passed on from tree to zephyr.

I scowled and groaned as I heard the guttural cry of the bear getting closer.

"Shut up you nasty whores," I spat to a two headed ent who had appeared by my side. I lifted my cape and put the treasure into my black bag.

"He is coming now, thief," said the left head of a slender tree ent. "Thief," whispered the right head, I felt her ice cold tongue touch my ear as she followed me. In less than a second I stuck my hand out and a white fire burned in my palm.

"I control the fire of Gods, I would stop with this nonsense now before you and your sisters and brothers cower in front of Death." Both heads shrieked and the ent disappeared in a fit of cruel laughter. She knew the subliminal price I would pay if I killed her, Earth always held grudges towards beings who were not of it.

I grunted feeling the Werebear approaching along with his fae, I turned around, pulling out my shillelagh alighting the tip with a very bright SoulFire.

"Bjorden, I mean no harm. I know what I am doing is wrong but you must have mercy on me as I will on you." His inhuman growling stopped growing closer. Instead I heard a brusque voice.

"I do not bargain with filthy witchlings. Especially ones who steal from me! Thief! I hold you in contempt and show no mercy." Bjorden's human voice ended and I hear a frightening animal sound instead.

Oh Lord of Fire, protect the winner and the loser's soul.

I swing around the shillelagh attempting to make contact with the approaching bear. There is no bear in the vicinity nor was there any noise. The world had gone silent as if everything had died that second before.

I hear a whine and a large bear slumped from behind the largest tree to my left. Bjorden?!

"You will not tell any one of this matter, little Fox," said a voice I recognized.

I whipped around, my shillelagh's SoulFire burning out because I felt little danger. "Damn you, Scot!" I said under my breath to look into the ethereal eyes of my colleague, Ellar Magnus.

"He was going to kill you and the treasure would have never been brought back," he said calmly putting away his dagger. I rolled my eyes, catching a hint of movement behind Ellar.

"Don't worry about it, Fox, the sylphs of Lachnegn's forest will get over it in a millenia," said Ellar referring to the harem of nymphs the Bear had kept. He snapped his fingers and I heard a scream from a woodland spirit, specifically, the ent who threatened me.

I gasped. I had forgotten his extent of power. Death's descendant was a very unfair fighter. A coward, but no one dared to call him that straight to his face.

"Brutal, huh? She had threatened you, little Fox." Ellar now removed his hood to reveal his handsome face. I knew this trick all to well and I usually succumbed to it but the stench of Death was in the air.

"Lets get back to the Firm before I decide to quit. I did not sign up to be embarrassed by a death monger or a Were Bear, today."

"You're so cute when you are angry, Stella," he approached me and grabbed my waist. Within a second we had disappeared into the shadow of the night.

---

"Well?" Ellar was waiting outside of the the Firm's Grand Hall portal. My face was burnt from the embarrassment of the harsh berating I received from the Firm's head honchos.

"Even Mathias wasn't so kind to me this time, I really fucked up Ellar. They are gonna terminate my contract." I sighed and started walking down the hall.

"What? You killed Bjorden and got the treasure. What more do they want?" Ellar followed me in a slow stride because of my small status compared to his.

"It was empty. The item, some mirror was missing and in its place was a faulty one. As good as nothing, they said. Third mistake in a row."

"That's a load of shit, I think you're being set up." Ellar, the tall gentleman he was, opened the door to the outside of the building. It was just a regular office building in Downtown LA, not too crowded but highly protected against the regular folk wanting to come in and out. The building with no historical significance was placed on a highly sought magical demon haven aka the Firm.

"Yeah? Well I shouldn't be to bummed, I almost quit after that last incident with with the dwarves. They all got burnt to bits! And Bjorden's treasure was just ridiculous, the stupid mirror or whatever they wanted was fake! Just like the dwarves's sword...". I stopped myself at the bottom of the stairs.