Chapter 169 - The Ark Of The Sewer Rats

"I'm back."

"Any luck on getting food?" asked a dark-skinned woman, who was busy washing a small boy.

The boy was about eight years old while he had the stature of a five-year-old. The woman looked well into her forties but her eyes looked younger.

The boy winced as the mucky water mixed with the lice in his hair. The woman kept scrubbing the poor boy's hair, finally clearing it out by dumping another bucket of dirty water. She proceeded to dry off the young child.

"Got some bread. And an apple," replied the man, sitting down on the concrete pavement.

The man broke the large bread into small pieces.

"And you've got yourself another bruise. Got hit again?"

"The bread was stolen but the apple was given."

He gave the apple to the young boy.

"Eat up, Yan. You won't be eating for the next few days."

The child nodded and took a small bite.

"We've got to move, the one that had been sheltering us has a new tenant. The new tenant is a nobleman. We can't afford to stay here any longer. The others are hunting down us thieves."

The man gave them a Wanted Poster to look at. It demanded to clear out the Teuton domain of filthy rats like them. To give a fresh start on the entire domain, the authorities were determined to flush away the poor and dying. Every captured rat, dead or alive, could provide the captor 20 silver coins.

"Then we have to get a move on."

"I'll find a night, most likely it'll tonight. Our district is the only one that hasn't been checked. I'll go and secure a place that has been raided. You two stay here first," instructed the man.

The mother and child could only nod in agreement. As the family tried to sleep, Yan could not help but stay wide awake. He could only blankly stare into space as he thought about the past years. When was the last time they had a shelter? Clearwater to bathe?

Where were the good times, back when the Congregation was still up? The Mages took care of the people in their respective domains. Back then, there was no such thing as leaving on the streets. No matter if you came from abroad, born the wrong color or if you talked differently.

The Mages would never turn their backs way from you. So long as you need help, they would give it to you. They demanded nothing but acceptance. But alas, that small demand was still too much for the prideful race of humans.

When the Congregation collapsed, so did their happy family. His sister fled to the neighboring domain when news of Mages being burnt on stake surfaced. They had been living in a Mage's house but got kicked out when the Mage was hanged by the village chief.

From then on, for years, their little family had been surviving on the filth of the world. Barely able to eat or even shelter to protect them from the elements. But at least, they were alive and together. But for how long, was his next thought.

His trance finally ended when his father picked up a few things and headed off. The last thing Yan could ever remember was the silhouette of his father leaving them.

He never came back. Days turned to weeks. The raid finally came, they chose the dead of the night to strike, where most people were vulnerable.

"The nerve of them. Choosing to attack at a time like this," murmured the shopkeeper, who peeked around the corner.

Yan looked at the shopkeeper with fear.

"Don't worry, I'll do my best to find you and your mother a place to hide," replied the shopkeeper.

"My husband hasn't returned either. I've got no clue what to do."

"It has been this long. I highly doubt he'll come back for you two. I'll prioritize on getting you guys somewhere safe to hide. Fleeing to the other districts isn't a good choice now. You guys should hide 'til the storm is calm.

"There's still a few sewer rats running about. Go find them. Then we'll rid our home of rats," said the authorities as a whole group of them marched through the district.

"We've got to get you somewhere safe," said the shopkeeper as he looked around for somewhere to hide.

The mother thought hard while the child shivered. The area that they were living at was a fruit store, so the fruits were being delivered to there were large wooden crates. They had small openings all around. It was enough to breathe but not enough to see what's inside.

"Hide in those crates. They won't find you," instructed the shopkeeper, as he let the mother and son towards the pile of empty crates.