The first thing Karna noticed was that the bag of gold feels heavier when people are trying to kill you.
He sprinted across the sloped rooftop, his boots pressing against loose files while wind rushed past his ears.
The city of Velkaris stretched around him in crooked rows of buildings and dark alleys. Lanterns flickered from the streets below, casting long shadows across the rooftops.
"THERE! ON THE ROOF!" Someone shouted behind him.
Karna didn't turn around. He didn't need to as he already knew the identity of these people.
Royal guards. A hell lot of them.
'Isn't it wonderful?' he thought
'I just stole one little bag of gold and suddenly the entire city wants to exercise' his face showing a hint of disappointment.
He shifted the heavy sack over his shoulders and jumped over a narrow gap between buildings. His boots hit the next roof with a dull thud.
Below him the street erupted with noise.
"Cut him off!"
"Bring the crossbows!"
"Don't let the thief escape!"
"Honestly," Karna muttered under his breath while running, "that's the problem with rich people. You steal one time and suddenly they take it personally."
While he was in his thought, a crossbow bolt sliced through the air and slammed into a wooden beam beside his head.
*THUNK*
Karna glanced at it while continuing to run.
Another bolt flew past him, this one being much closer to him. Then another came just above his head and as it was about to hit his head, he ducked while sprinting and the bolt zipped over his head and disappeared into the darkness behind the roof.
He slowed down just enough to glance down the street and saw four guards running below him with furious faces. One of them aiming his crossbow at him.
"Good evening, gentlemen!" Karna flashed them a cheerful grin.
"SHOOT HIM DOWN!!" One of the guards pointed at him angrily.
Karna clicked his tongue "Isn't that rude".
He jumped over a chimney, then sprinted across a row of uneven roof tiles. The slums were build with cheap materials and were rarely repaired in case of any damage. Many of these buildings had roofs that were more of a decoration than a rigid structure.
Which only meant one thing— he couldn't afford to take the wrong step.
The bag of gold bounced against his back as he ran. Inside it, dozens of coins clinked together.
'A very satisfying sound indeed.' Karna smiled
"Catch him! He stole from Lord Mavren's convoy!" A guard shouted again.
karna rolled his eyes while jumping over another to another building.
"Oye oye!" He shouted back. "I rescued these coins from a very corrupt merchant!"
Another bolt shot upwards forcing Karna to twist sideways, the bolt grazed his sleeves before smashing into the roof ahead of him.
'Okay,' he thought while breathing harder now. 'less talking and more running'
But it was difficult not to talk, especially when talking was one of Karna's favourite hobbies. Especially when it annoyed people.
He sprinted towards the far edge of the roof, where two buildings nearly touched each other across a narrow alley. The gap was small but the height below it was nothing to scoff at.
Judging the distance, Karna slowed for half a step. Adjusted the weight of the gold bag and ran three steps.
One. Two. And he jumped. For a brief moment there was nothing beneath his feet except for cold air, then–
*THUD*
He landed hard on the opposite roof, rolled once across the loose tiles and pulled himself back up.
Behind him the guards cursed in frustration. Unlike him, they were forced to follow the streets below.
Karna brushed dust off his sleeves while jogging backward for a moment just to look at them.
"You know, you guys should really practice climbing." He called down helpfully.
One guard looked up at him with murder in his eyes.
"When we catch you," the man shouted, "you'll be hanged for this!"
Karna placed a hand over his heart.
"Hanged? For what? For stealing from a corrupt merchant?" He shook his head dramatically.
"The justice system in this city is very disappointing."
Then he turned and resumed running.
The rooftops of the slums stretched ahead of him like a crooked maze.
Some roofs were flat while some were slanted while some had holes large enough to fall through.
Karna knew everything, Every broken ladder, every loose tile, every weak beam. He had grown up here after all.
The slums were messy. sometimes Dangerous while Chaotic all the time. But they were also his home.
And right now, home was the only reason he was still ahead of the guards.
He sprinted across the next rooftop, boots sliding slightly on loose clay tiles.
Just at that moment— Another bolt whistled past his ear, making him loose his footing.
*CRACK.*
Karna froze for half a second as the sound came from directly beneath his feet.
He slowly looked down and found that the tile under his boot had split in half. A spiderweb of cracks spread across the rest of the roof around him.
Karna stared at it.
The roof stared back.
"Well," he said quietly. "That seems bad."
Another crack echoed beneath his feet and the entire section of roof sagged downward.
With a loud snap of breaking wood— The tiles beneath him gave way.
-----
For a split second Karna was dropped straight down into the darkness– then the rest of the roof followed him. Wood beams snapped, clay tiles shattered, dust exploded into the air as Karna crashed through the ceiling.
"AAAAGGGGH—!"
His shout cut off when he slammed onto a wooden table.
*CRACK.*
The table collapsed instantly.
Karna bounced off it, rolled across the floor, and finally stopped against a wall with the heavy bag of gold still clutched in his arms.
Karna blinked up at the hole in the ceiling where moonlight poured through.
"Well," he said hoarsely.
"That could have gone smoother."
Right at that moment, Karna heard a scream. He looked up and saw a woman that stood frozen near a cooking stove, clutching a wooden spoon like a weapon. Two small children hid behind her legs with wide eyes. A thin man wearing worn clothes stared at Karna as if a demon had just fallen into his house.
Which, from their perspective, was not entirely inaccurate.
Karna slowly raised one hand.
"Good evening," he said politely.
The children stared at him.
The woman stared at him.
The man stared at him.
The hole in the roof stared at everyone.
"So..." Karna cleared his throat as he said carefully, brushing dust off his coat, "this is going to sound strange, but I promise I didn't mean to enter your home through the ceiling."
Outside, the sound of boots being pounded against the street started echoing followed by some shouts.
"HE WENT THIS WAY!"
"CHECK THE BUILDINGS!"
"BLOCK THE ALLEY!"
'Ah, Right. The guards.' Karna winced. He quickly stood up, ignoring the ache in his shoulder.
The woman standing in the room tightened her grip on the spoon.
"Get out of our house!" she shouted.
Karna raised both hands again in a calming gesture.
"Absolutely fair request," he said. "Completely reasonable in my opinion. In fact, I was just about to leave."
He reached into the gold bag causing the family to flinch and pulled out one shining gold coin and held it up. The lantern light reflected off its surface.
Gold was rare in the slums and most people here lived their entire lives without ever touching one. so, when Karna flipped the coin gently through the air, the man caught it automatically.
He stared down at it in shock.
Karna pointed at the destroyed table and broken tiles scattered across the floor.
"Repair the damages with it" he said.
The man looked at the coin.
Then at Karna.
Then at the coin again.
The woman slowly lowered the spoon making Karna to nod approvingly.
"Excellent. At least understand each other."
But then suddenly— *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
The front door of the apartment rattled violently.
"WE ARE FROM THE ROYAL GUARDS!" a voice shouted from outside. "OPEN THE DOOR!"
The entire family froze again.
Karna slowly turned his head toward the door.
Another loud bang shook the door. "WE KNOW THE THIEF IS IN THIS BUILDING!"
The children started crying and the woman looked like she might pass out. The thin man still held the gold coin like it might disappear if he blinked.
Karna scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"Well" he said slowly, "this has been a lovely visit, but I should probably continue my evening elsewhere."
The door shook again under another heavy strike.
"OPEN THE DOOR OR WE BREAK IT DOWN!"
Karna turned toward the back of the room and quickly scanned the walls.
"Quick question," he said to the man holding the coin. "Do you mind if I borrow your window? You are already gonna repair it anyway."
The man stared at him.
"I'll take that as a yes." Karna sighed.
Karna walked to the window and pushed it open wider. Cold night air rushed into the room.
Outside was a dark and empty alley barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Exactly what he needed in this situation.
Behind him the guards at the door shouted again.
"THIS IS OUR LAST WARNING TO YOU! OPEN THE DOOR!"
Karna climbed onto the windowsill and then he paused and looked back at the stunned family.
"By the way" he said casually, pointing at the gold coin, "don't spend that too openly."
"What?" The woman blinked.
Karna grinned.
"If the guards ask, tell them a very handsome stranger fell through your roof and left immediately."
"You're insane." The man finally spoke again.
"Possibly." Karna nodded thoughtfully.
Then he leaned out the window.
"Have a good night!"
And jumped into the alley below.
-----
Karna's boots hit the alley ground with a soft thud. He bent his knees to absorb the fall, rolled once across the damp stones, and pushed himself back to his feet in one smooth motion.
The strong smell of rotting wood, spilled ale, and smoke from cheap cooking fires permeated into his nose.
'Ah' Karna thought while adjusting the heavy bag of gold on his shoulder. 'The perfume of the slums.'
Above him, A second later— *CRASH.*
The apartment door upstairs finally burst open.
"SEARCH THE BUILDING!" a guard shouted.
Another voice yelled, "Check the roof too!"
Karna tilted his head slightly while standing in the shadows of the alley. He turned and began jogging deeper into the alley.
This place was called Black Alley. Every city has this kind of street. A place where lanterns were rare, guards were nervous and didn't want to be stationed, and most honest people avoided it after dark.
The buildings leaned inward over the narrow path, blocking most of the moonlight, making a creepy yet artistic view.
He had grown up running through these exact alleys while avoiding angry shopkeepers, gang members, and the violent dogs.
Compared to that, royal guards were practically friendly.
"THIS WAY!" Behind him, the guards burst out into the street.
"Why the hell are they so persistent tonight? It's not like I kidnapped their prince" Karna groaned dramatically while walking faster.
He turned a corner into an even narrower section of the alley where a group of men sat around a barrel fire, passing around a bottle of cheap liquor.
They all looked up as Karna approached. One of them squinted at him then his eyes widened.
"Well look who it is." the man said with a crooked grin. "If it isn't Karna."
"Hello, guys." Karna lifted one hand in greeting while continuing to jog past them.
Another man leaned back against the wall.
"Are the guards chasing you again?"
"Ah, it's nothing more than just a small disagreement about property ownership." Karna shrugged casually.
"How much did you 'rescued' this time?" A third man chuckled.
Karna tapped the gold bag on his shoulder making it clink loudly.
"Damn. How did you do it?" One of them whistled.
"Professional secret." Karna gave them a quick wink. Then he kept moving down the alley.
Behind him, the guards' voices were getting closer.
"CHECK THE SIDE STREETS!"
"HE CAN'T HAVE GONE FAR!"
Karna rubbed his chin thoughtfully while jogging.
'Alright' he thought. 'Time to make this chase a little more entertaining.'
A wooden cart full of empty crates sat against the wall ahead of him. As he passed it, Karna grabbed the cart handle and yanked hard.
*CRASH.*
Crates spilled across the alley floor, rolling in every direction.
A few seconds later—
"WATCH OUT!"
Several guards tripped over the scattered crates making them cursed loudly.
Karna grinned to himself.
He turned another corner and nearly ran into a hanging rope tied between two buildings. Laundry swayed gently above the alley, prompting him to a brief stop and pulling a small knife from his belt before slicing the rope.
The clothesline collapsed instantly, dropping a tangled mess of wet laundry across the alley.
Karna stepped over it and kept running.
Behind him—
"What the fuc—"
"GET THIS OFF ME!"
"WHO DARES TO PUT A SOCK ON MY HELMET?!"
Karna laughed as the alley slightly widened ahead. He turned left to the corner and finally saw what he was hoping for.
A crooked wooden sign hung above a doorway. The paint was almost peeled away and faded, but the lantern beside it still burned. The sign showed a badly drawn lantern leaning sideways.
Under it were the words: THE CROOKED LANTERN
Karna smiled immediately.
The Crooked Lantern was one of the few taverns in the slums where nobody asked too many questions. It was always loud and crowded here and the place was full of criminals. Which, in a way, made it the perfect place to hide.
Behind him, a guard shouted again somewhere in the distance.
"SEARCH THE ALLEYS! I WANT THAT BASTARD!"
Karna casually brushed dust from his coat, adjusted the gold bag and walked straight toward the tavern door like a man who had nothing to do with the royal guards behind him.
He grabbed the handle, pushed the door open.
And stepped inside.
-----
The first thing that assaulted him was noise.. all kinds of noise. Varying from loud laughter to clinking mugs to someone arguing loudly about a gambling game.
The Crooked Lantern was exactly the way Karna remembered it. Full of people who didn't care what was happening outside in the world.
A dozen lanterns hung from wooden beams overhead, casting a warm orange glow across the room.
The smell inside was a mix of ale, smoke, and roasted meat.
Karna stepped inside and quietly shut the door behind him.
For a brief moment he stood near the entrance, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light.
Then he exhaled slowly.
'I'm safe. At least for now.'
Outside, muffled shouts echoed down the street.
"CHECK EVERY BUILDING!"
"DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"
Several people in the tavern glanced toward the door. Karna casually walked past them as if he had absolutely nothing to do with that situation.
He slung the bag of gold off his shoulder and walked toward the bar prompting the bartender to notice him immediately.
The man was large, with no hair on his head(a perfect moonlight reflector), and permanently grumpy. His thick arms were crossed as he leaned against the wooden counter.
His name was Brann.
He had thrown Karna out of the tavern at least five times.
Which in a way can be interpreted as them having a healthy relationship... At least according to Karna.
Brann squinted at him.
"You look like you've caused trouble somewhere" the bartender said.
Karna leaned against the bar.
"Your guess is absolutely correct."
Brann glanced at the dusty clothes, the messy hair, and the suspiciously heavy bag resting against Karna's leg.
Then he slowly raised one eyebrow.
"What did you steal this time?"
"Oh come on. I didn't steal anything, i just rescued these poor things from a bad guy!" Karna shamelessly said.
Brann rolled his eyes when he heard this level of shamelessness.
"Busy night? My friend?" One man sitting beside Karna lifted his mug towards him.
"Just doing community service." Karna shrugged.
"What do you want?" Brann sighed.
Karna tapped the counter twice.
"Ale."
"Pay first." Brann stared at him.
Karna reached into the gold bag and then he placed two silver coins on the counter.
Brann looked at the coins.
Then at the bag.
Then back at the coins.
"You robbed someone important right?" he said flatly.
"Define important." Karna smiled pleasantly.
Brann grabbed a mug and filled it from a barrel behind the bar. The dark ale sloshed heavily into the cup as he shoved it toward Karna.
"Drink fast" Brann said. "If the guards come in here, I'm throwing you out."
Karna lifted the mug and took a long drink. Cold ale washed down his throat.
"Oh that's good." Karna sighed happily.
'Much better than running at least' he thought.
He then proceeded to pick up the bag and slid onto a stool near the end of the bar. From there he could see most of the room.
The tavern was full of warm light.
Smugglers sat around one table rolling dice.
A pair of rough-looking mercenaries argued over a map.
Several dock workers drank loudly in the corner.
Nobody seemed interested in the royal guards running around outside.
Karna rested his elbow on the counter and slightly opened the gold bag.
Dozens of gold coins gleamed inside.
He quietly proceeded to count them.
'One… two… three…' A satisfied grin spread across his face as he said those numbers.
'twenty-one, twenty-two...'
'Forty-eight, forty-nine…'
'Fifty!' He leaned back slightly and took another slow drink from his mug.
"A successful evening indeed." he murmured to himself, smiling.
Then voices from the next table caught his attention. He tilted his head and saw two men sat there leaning close together.
Both wore dark cloaks and looked like the kind of people who preferred isolation and secrecy. But no matter what they wear, at the end of the day they were nothing more than smugglers.
One of them scratched his beard.
"I'm telling you man. It's real." the man said quietly.
"Yeah? And I suppose the king himself told you that?" The other man snorted.
"No. A gravekeeper told me." the first man replied.
'Gravekeeper?' Karna's ears perked up slightly.
The second smuggler leaned forward.
"You're drunk."
"I'm serious!" the first one slammed the table and said in a slight loud voice. "There's a dungeon under the royal crypt!"
'Oh now it's getting interesting.' Karna slowly lowered his mug.
"There's always a dungeon in these stories." The second man laughed.
"No!" the first smuggler said, lowering his voice. "Listen."
He glanced around the tavern, then continued.
"The rumors are saying that an ancient ring is down there."
The smuggler continued speaking.
"Not just any ring. A cursed one."
"Oh good. It's a cursed treasure now." The second man rolled his eyes.
The first man leaned even closer.
"Everyone who tried to enter the dungeon died."
Karna rested his chin on his hand, pretending not to listen, but his ears were very focused.
"Then how do you know about it?" The second smuggler scoffed.
"The gravekeeper" the first man repeated. "He said that the royal family sealed the entrance centuries ago."
'A sealed dungeon…?' Karna tapped his finger slowly against the mug.
His thoughts immediately began spinning.
'A hidden dungeon.'
'Ancient treasure.'
'Inside the royal crypt.'
He took another slow drink while pretending not to care, but inside his mind, excitement was already at it's peak.
Karna smiled slightly and raised his mug, allowing a reflection of his face to appear in it.
-----
Karna kept his mug raised in front of his face.
From the outside, he looked like a man peacefully enjoying his drink.
Inside his head, however, his thoughts were racing at an insane speed.
'A sealed dungeon under the royal crypt…'
He slowly lowered the mug.
'Ancient treasure…'
The smugglers at the nearby table kept talking quietly.
"…I'm telling you," the first man said again, leaning forward across the table. "The gravekeeper swore it's real."
The second smuggler rubbed his temples.
"I know you! You believe anything someone says after three bottles of cheap wine."
"He wasn't drunk!"
"He's a gravekeeper for f**ks sake!" the second man replied. "They're all strange!"
Karna casually reached into his gold bag again and pulled out a silver coin and began rolling it slowly across the bar with his fingers.
*Clink.*
*Clink.*
*Clink.*
His eyes stared at the wooden counter, but his ears stayed focused on the conversation between the two smugglers.
"So what exactly is supposed to be down there?" The second smuggler aked as he leaned back in his chair.
The first man looked around again before answering.
"A ring."
"Right. A cursed ring." the second snorted at his words.
"Not just cursed, Ancient too." the first smuggler said.
Karna's eyebrow twitched slightly when he heard that.
"He said that the ring belonged to a king who practiced forbidden magic." The man continued speaking.
"Oh good. Forbidden magic. What a nice cocktail of misfortunes." The second smuggler laughed.
"I'm serious!"
"So am I" the second man replied. "That's the kind of treasure that gets people killed."
Karna slowly turned the coin over between his fingers.
'Treasure that gets people killed...' he repeated the words making his lips curled up slightly.
'Doesn't that means nobody else has taken interest in it yet?'
The first smuggler continued.
"The gravekeeper said the royal family sealed the crypt because something terrible happened down there."
"Like what?"
The man shook his head.
"He didn't know."
"So let me understand this story." The second smuggler crossed his arms.
He raised his index finger.
"There's a sealed dungeon."
Then raised the middle finger.
"Full of traps."
And then his thumb.
"Full of monsters."
After that he raised his remaining two fingers in succession.
"And a cursed ring."
"And every person who tried to enter died."
The first smuggler nodded.
"Yes. That's the gist of it."
The second man stared at him for a long moment before saying very slowly:
"And you're telling me this because…?"
"I thought you might want to try." The first smuggler shrugged.
"You're insane." The second smuggler burst out laughing.
"I'm serious," the first smuggler insisted.
"You go try it then." the second man replied. "I'm not tired of living yet."
With that, Karna finally finished the last of his ale.
He set the empty mug on the bar and Karna slid off the bar stool.
The conversation behind him continued but he wasn't interested anymore.
He picked up the bag of gold and slung it over his shoulder again before tossing a silver coin onto the bar for Brann.
Brann caught the coin and looked at him.
"You leaving already?"
Karna nodded.
"I just gained some business opportunity."
"Why do I feel like you're gonna steal something again?" Brann grunted.
"Who knows?" Karna smiled and shrugged.
He turned and walked toward the tavern door.
Behind him, the smugglers were still arguing.
Karna reached the door and pushed it open. Cool night air rushed into the tavern again.
He stepped outside into the dark alley and looked around.
The guards were gone now and the street was eerily silent.
Karna slightly tilted his head back and looked toward the distant hill where the royal graveyard stood above the city.
Somewhere beneath that hill lay a sealed dungeon.
"Hmm." His smile widened.
"A cursed dungeon under the royal crypt…"
He adjusted the gold bag on his shoulder and began walking into the night.
"That sounds like business."
_____________
A u t h o r' s N o t e:- T h a n k y o u f o r r e a d i n g t h i s b o o k.