The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

After dealing with the city guards, who were more than a touch confused by the whole sordid affair that had just been dumped into their laps, Cricket led Coin across Goddess Street. The name, he reasoned, was either optimistic or ironic.

Most Lowtown buildings were rundown or shabby, it was a part of Sentinel that tended to be overlooked by those with wealth or influence, but Goddess Street was particularly grimy, he wooden structures sloping with rooftops that were collapsing or riddled with holes. It was a slum that the locals did their best just to survive in.

"Never been here before, eh?" Cricket asked.

"Can't say I have."

"Ha. Yeah, kanno, that's the look most folks get when they come here the first time. Ah well." She fished on her belt and pulled up a large burlap bag that clinked with coins. "The scratch I liberated from those fools will go some ways to necessities."

Coin could feel eyes on them as they walked along. Then, from the shadows and gutters, emerged a slew of wide-eyed and dirty children. They quickly approached Cricket, but watched Coin with some wariness.

"Relax, you lot. He might be rich-looking, but he's a friend. Throws a mean punch too."

Coin offered them a smal wave. "Name's Coin," he said.

"Coin?" one girl said. "That's a weird name."

You're friends with a woman named Cricket, Coin thought, but he managed to hold his tongue. It was poor form, apparently, to argue with children. "So all these... kids live here? On this one street?"

"Orphans," Cricket said, shrugging. "Lost their folks to disease, drugs, city crime... or were just up and abandoned by their folks. Been happening for a long time, and they end up drifting to this wing of Lowtown. It's like one of them whatchacallits." She trailed off, stroking her chin. "Whirlpool. Yeah, one of those."

Coin grimaced. "Didn't think it would be like this in the capital," he murmured. Well he knew kobolds in he city would be abandoned like this, but he didn't think humans would discard other humans so thoroughly.

"Hey, Buck! Bindle! Get yer flanks over here!"

Two gnomes emerged from the crowd. Despite their short stature they were evidently older than most of the others, teens by Coin's reckoning. They were also clearly twins, despite the gender difference, with matching shades of ruddy red hair.

Buck grunted, rubbing his jaw. "Thought you'd gone and croaked," he said.

"Me? Ha! I'll live forever ya know," she said.

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Bindle rolled her eyes. "Not with that attitude."

Ignoring this, Cricket handed a stack of coins to each of them. "Get some supplies. Need some food for the week ahead. Rice an' grain, some spices, meat if it's preserved and not too expensive. Check in with the apothecary too, get some medicine and soap."

"You got it, kanno," said Buck, pocketing his coins. He and his sister made their way out of the crowd and didn't spare Coin so much as a glance.

"You run a tight ship here," Coin said as Cricket led him into one of the larger buildings.

She shrugged her strong shoulders. "Grew up here. Figure I'll die here too. Gotta do what I can to help the kids here, like I was helped by others at their age."

"That's... what you want? To be here for your whole life?"

She grinned wryly at him. "Not that bad. It has its charms. And besides..." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Someone's gotta care, kanno. About the kids out here. So, I figure, it might as well be me. Goddess is supposed to put people where they're needed, yeah?"

She led him into a room furnished solely by two sagging chairs and a locked chest. She undid the lock and pulled out two bottles of ale. "Gotta make sure the youngsters don't have none of this. Drink up. A little hospitality, since you stuck your neck out for mine."

"Cheers." Coin smiled, popped the cork with his thumb, and sniffed the contents. "Back there, in the alley... you put up a hell of a fight. Take it you're a wizard?"

Grinning, Cricket sank into one of the chairs. She only answered after a large swig of her ale. "I'm asimi. Well, part asimi on my ma's side."

'Asimi.' Coin recalled Ashur Clyde's bodyguard, a towering woman known as Yasuko, who Elijah had called an asimi. A race of beings who were partway between human and elf. But that was about the extent of his knowledge. They certainly weren't a common sight in Sentinel.

"Asimi, some of them at least, have this particular kind of magic in them. They call it 'spirit calling.' They don't really do any kinds of flashy spells, they just... soak the magic into their bodies. Makes 'em stronger and faster than a normal person."

"By a pretty big degree."

Cricket chuckled. "Yeah. Guess so. I'm a bit of a beastie, if I don't mind me saying."

A power like that, Coin reasoned, could really be put to good use. Seemed a shame that she was consigned to a place like this. "You ever thought of... adventuring? Doing mercenary work? I mean, you could make a lot of money for the people here."

She sipped her ale and shook her head. "No good. I can leave here for short periods, but being gone for days? Weeks? Leaving the kids here unattended? Nah, kanno, not an option. There's nasty bastards lurking around Lowtown, the types who's do awful things if they had a chance. I gotta be the one to keep that from happening."

Coin nodded slowly. He didn't quite know what those awful things entailed, but he supposed he didn't really want to know. "Hard burden," he said.

"Yeah, well, I don't mind too much. I'm doin' good for people, and that feels good. Guess that's all I really need in life, speaking personally."

Coin took a moment to examine the shabby interior that surrounded them. It was hard to believe anyone could be content living in such a place. But he held his tongue, sipping his own ale. Warm and sweet, it sent waves of heat rolling down his throat. Alcohol wasn't too bad, he supposed, but he preferred water.

"Seems like this area could do with a lot of help," Coin said, examining their surroundings. "A lot of this city could, being frank."

"Wishful thinking," said Cricket, taking another long gulp. "We're forgotten about, in these parts. Always have been. Folks hoped Velasco would fix everything, but that ain't happened either. We gotta look out for ourselves. Nobody else will."

"A shame." Still, Coin supposed, he was already willing to help the kobolds in the city. It was possible he could do something for the people on Goddess Street, if not Lowtown at large. He just needed to figure out how. Tossing money at these people in isolation wouldn't do much.

There was still part of him reluctant to part with money, true. But Elijah had spoken about his want to help people, and so that same want flitted around the edges of Coin's thoughts too. He supposed it was just another thing to put on his to-do list.

Finishing his ale, he moved to stand. "Well, thank you Cricket. I hope we'll meet again soon."

"Ha. Doubt it." She offered him a sad smile. "You're clearly a fancy bloke, kanno. Should doubt you'll ever find your way to this slum again. But... it was nice to meet you."