Shadows Bite My Ankles Ch. 01

Chapter 1

The streets of Nün were flooded with vendors, each more desperate for gold than the previous.

Cultures came and went, yet generations walked with their hands deep in their own pockets to prevent a scheming pickpocket in Nün. It was also common to tell that someone might be a local from their tan-lines around their hands. The Nünites' hands were always a few shades whiter, as they spent almost every second within their own pocket.

A man's head lay back on the bedframe as an open window carried the sounds of the city into the humid bedroom. Sweat ran down his back. He looked down to see pale hands stroking him off in between an occasional tongue lick.

This whorehouse always carried the best women. Leagues better than the stinking nests that were down the road at Farfirst.

With each motion of her mouth, he started to inch closer and closer to climax--

KNOCK KNOCK!

A woman's voice shouted, "Hey Katran, you in there?"

He sat up, alerted. Katran looked at the girl through wide eyes and mouthed, "Quiet!"

She stopped completely. Katran motioned for her to keep going.

"Katran," the voice from outside the door boomed again! "You've only got two places to hide out, and I heard they tossed you out of Farfirst an hour ago. I know you're in there!"

The girl looked up at Katran as if he had betrayed her. He shrugged, then grabbed a handful of her hair and pushed her head down further until she started sucking again.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

The girl took her lips off of his dick and then whispered, "I don't think she is leaving anytime."

"For fuck's sake!" Katran sat up and started to grab his clothes. "I didn't even finish, so I'm not paying for the finale!"

She crossed her arms. "I don't care what you do at the finish line. You pay me for what I did." Her hand reached out and remained open.

He sighed and reached over into his satchel and forked out the payment for her. A few silvers fell into her hands, and she happily winked at Katran as she pulled on her robes and dropped the coins into her own pocket. Katran's clothes were on, but his dick was still hard. He had no doubt that it was visible through his pants.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"I'm on my way," Katran shouted.

He reached for the door and opened it to see Josipa waiting impatiently in the hall. "Roman just sent out notes about a new job. We've got to get moving. The payout is big."

As Josipa said this, the girl stepped into view and traced a finger down my arm, "Too bad you're busy with work." She eyed Josipa, "I hope your colleague is just as fun as I was."

Josipa started to walk back down the hall, and Katran followed, but not before calling back, "She's not a colleague. She's my wife!"

---

Josipa's black hair was tied up high, and it bounced as she walked quickly through the streets of Nün. Katran trotted along, grabbing at his balls once to readjust.

"What's the rush," Katran shouted!

Josipa didn't slow down. Instead, she signed at me with her hands, "The Catchall."

"Shut the fuck up."

She turned and smirked.

Katran trotted a bit and caught up with Josipa. She explained, "The note was smudged and hard to read, but there was no mistaking it. This is the Catchall, Katran."

"Which means the Salttails are probably already at his doorstep."

Despite walking through the crowds of people, Josipa and Katran spoke openly and without fear of eavesdropping. The two continued north, away from the seaport. Nün's saltwater breeze flowed through the streets today, and it carried schemes along its fluttering paths. Josipa caught the final words, "...so we'll hit the place at dusk. Don't be late..." Katran noticed a set of hands sign, "Delivery around back. Payment under the barrels."

Josipa nodded, "Roman's on our side though. How many of his 'side-jobs' have we done for him over the last few years? Two dozen?"

"Yeah, probably that many. And how many times have we ever brought any unwanted eyes to Roman?"

Josipa smiled and held up a "zero" with her fingers curled to her thumb. Katran mimicked her, and bumped her knuckles against his own. "After he gives us the job, want to grab some seafood before we head out? I've heard the fishing boats came in today with mountains of cargo."

"Cargo?" Josipa said, "Are you asking me to dinner, or an extra job?"

"A dinner obviously! Poor words on my part."

"Is this how you make up for me walking into... whoever that was?"

Katran brushed it off, "Eh, she was nobody. Danica wasn't even there, so what did it matter?"

"What did it matter? If you're going to cheat on me, at least do it with a good-looking one. All I'm saying is, you could have done better."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me," Katran roped an arm around Josipa.

She met his eyes and looked at his lips. Josipa wanted to kiss him. She thought about that whore's lips on his, and her heart sank. Even in the depths of her heart, Josipa couldn't call it cheating. They had been cheated, and now they were dealing the cards Katran and her had been dealt. Yet, something about it had hurt her today. After seven years, why had it bothered her today?

The thought danced away, and she told herself to lean into Katran. She wanted to be pulled in closer to him. Instead, she felt them both get pulled apart by invisible strings.

So it goes.

"Do you think," Josipa asked, desperate to think about anything else, "Roman will be difficult today?"

Katran assured her, "Nothing we can't handle. We'll probably be in and out within a few minutes."

With a bolt of confidence, Katran pushed further into the crowds, leading the way toward the Catchall.

---

Nün was once like a delicious coat of caramel glazed atop a shining green apple. However, Nün was left out for too long; the apple quickly browned, and the caramel melted and transformed itself into a sticky mess.

The coast was so clear, the sand at the bottom of the bay could be counted as easily as the broken bottles buried underneath. Small tropical islands waved from across the horizon, and they invited people like sirens. Only delusional fools ignored the pirates tucked away from the safety of the coast.

Exotic imports flowed as freely as liquor. Taverns lined the streets, and cargo ships crowded the ports. Shops were open all night, just like the women that waited in the storerooms behind shops and taverns. Regularly, the women fucked their customers and faked an orgasm while they stared deep into the newest oil paintings from Belle's Hold in the north. The prostitutes would even haunt the art wing in the capitol of Nün in their free time.

Tucked away in the southern corner of Korema, the port city of Nün had found its foothold in debauchery many years ago. Despite this, its loyal citizens vowed to live their lives with honor, liberty, and a truth unique to each soul, and only a few believed that could be true.

Farthest from the truth, and deepest in the deceit was an elf turned oaf, Roman. His skin was fare, his belt was long, and his chins were many. Roman's office was filled with the aromas from a butcher's shop on a summer day.

The stink, the heat, the fat... it all added to the tension that was already steeping as Katran and Josipa argued with Roman.

Josipa leaned over Roman's desk careful not to push her breasts out. Save the goods for someone that wants them, she told herself. "Roman, why would you give that order to the bloody Salttails?"

"Me? I, uh, I didn't give out any orders to anyone!"

She tossed the note at him from her pocket. "What about this note?"

"Oh, yeah, um, I did give that one out."

"So, why did you give it out? You must have known we were on the way."

"That's precisely why! You... weren't here early enough." Roman's words seemed to bumble and bounce into one another as they tumbled out of his mouth. When backed into a corner, Roman would stammer and spill out any excuses he could think of. Luckily, Roman was only ever backed into a corner by one person.

Josipa leaned back. "Let's just start over. Walk us through the job."

Roman looked befuddled. "Walk you through it? Honey, the job is already filled. If you want another one, I've got this job to find some old diary up North. It doesn't pay very well--"

"You and I both know that no job is ever booked. Not until the goods are back in your hand."

"Well, this one is booked! The Salttails were here and gone before you even got wind of the job. Now, if you can't accept that, then the door is behind you."

"Roman, tell us the job. You know Katran and I will be able to do it without a problem. Hell, we might finish it before the Salttails start to plan it out."

He swallowed, gulping back his words.

Fine, she thought, he wants it this way, then he'll get it.

She looked over at Katran who leaned against the wall. Roman tried to hide his excitement, but his fat teeth bit into his bottom lip.

Katran stepped forward and offered a look to Josipa. She winked at him, "Nothing we can't handle."

There was nothing new here for Katran. Roman was predictable and transparent. His entire personality was drenched in filth, but filth could always be wiped off.

Katran took his shirt off.

Roman leaned forward in his desk.

He turned and sat on the desk, facing Josipa.

Katran's muscular back, his toned flesh, his carved features all faced Roman, whose hands began to run races around Katran.

In her heart, Josipa wanted to look away. In his soul, Katran wanted to turn around and stab Roman in his bulging stomach. Yet, her eyes traced Katran's abs. Yet, Katran's mind went to Josipa's curves.

Josipa closed her eyes and thought, That damned curse!

Katran closed his eyes and thought, That damned curse!

Roman gurgled back some withheld excitement, and it snapped Katran back into reality.

He jumped up off of the desk.

As Roman's hands slithered off of Katran's back, Josipa's breath escaped, and her cheeks were flushed. She swallowed back a small yelp.

"You've got yours," Katran said as he dressed himself again, "now fill us in."

Roman grunted in a defiant and teased frustration.

"I'll never understand you two..."

Katran and Josipa exchanged a guilty glance.

"Anyways, here's the scoop: In Korema Former--"

Katran sighed. "Well, that literally couldn't be further away."

Roman continued, "In the Deep-City, there's an old relic that needs to be retrieved." Roman grabbed a scrap of paper and began to sketch some jewelry. "An old necklace - The Pearl of Moons Forgotten. A relic from the Gray Days." He handed the note to Josipa, who began to devote the image to memory. "I know the necklace is deep within Korema Former. All I've been told is that the necklace tends to... reveal itself. When you get close enough, you'll start to know."

Josipa studied Roman. Then her eyes moved to the sketch. She drank in every detail and committed it to memory. Josipa grabbed the paper and showed it to Katran, but if Josipa's eyes had seen it once, it was as if written in stone.

"There's three kinks to the job: The first is the relic itself. I haven't been told any specifics, but you should never let it actually touch you. Always gloves or... something. The second is the buyer. There's a buyer just outside the city to the east. All I know is the name, 'Poropit.' The third is the timeline. The buyer needs this within two moons."

"That's only..." Katran tried to do the math.

Josipa helped, "54 days." She ran a hand through her hair. "54 days to get across the entire continent, find this necklace, and get it to the contact. That's going to be tough."

Roman added, "And one other thing, Nün wasn't the only Black-Site to get the notice. Forget about the Salttails, you'll probably have some actual Sparks on your tail."

"Sparks?" Katran perked up. "Why do you say that?"

Roman rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice. His breathing was so heavy his words hid under the dank breath. "Rumor has it that this necklace is a Catchall." The mention of the word brought the room to silence for a moment. "If this is true, then there's more than a bounty on this necklace. Honestly, I gave the Salttails the job so that if they died, I'd have one less group of greedy hands in the pot to mix with you guys. I like you two." Roman's eyes focused on Katran. "I wouldn't offer you a job that's likely to get you killed. Believe me!"

Katran said, "You've set us up for plenty."

"But on the truly dangerous jobs, I always tell you! So, you better be listening now! This is going to be dangerous."

Josipa paced the room for a moment. "How certain are you about this? That this is a Catchall?"

"I've only had a Catchall job come through here once in my days, and it was before we met one another. The air was different that day, and the air is different today as well. I'd bet my soul that this is the real deal."

Josipa looked back at Katran.

They carried a silent conversation with their eyes.

Katran turned to Roman and nodded.

Roman snatched the sketch off the desk and tossed it into a nearby fireplace. Roman grabbed a small talisman from a drawer nearby and whispered to it as he focused his eyes on the sketch. In less than a second, a small flame ignited on the parchment.

"Well, you've got the job! Congrats," Roman said sarcastically, "Now get out of my office. Try not to die."

As it burned, Josipa and Katran stared at the embers.