Chapter Five- The Uhrat

Ry'us discovers the truth of his heritage and the people he was born to...

There are two sides to Euromeian. When Ry'us had stepped off from the train he'd seen the clean streets. He'd seen the automobiles, the stores, and the nice homes. He'd seen the parks and the happy couples and street lamps and sidewalks. But this wasn't the same Euromeian. 
           

Ry'us shivered as the wind bit at his wet clothes, his socks squishing inside the soles of his shoes with each short step. The buildings here were barely more then dilapidated huts or shacks, stacked on top of each other like apartment buildings. The streets were covered in filth and trash. What was this place? He looked up as a woman opened her window, pulling at a line of clothes that hung from one side of the street to the other. 
           

Ry'us looked down one of the narrow alleys, shivering as he saw a mess of little makeshift tents there with people sleeping on dirty bedrolls. This whole part of the city was an unorganized mess of shanty homes with tents filling in the gaps. Half of the homes didn't have doors, but hanging curtains instead. He heard a dull beating sound and turned his head to see a young child beating at a rug with a wooden stick. 
           

And then he noticed it. Half of the people here had the same fiery red hair as him. These people looked up at him with proud eyes, nodding to him as if they knew each other while he passed. He'd stumble past them without saying a word, turning his head only to see another. And another. And another. Everywhere he looked there were people with the same red hair as him.            

"You have the hair, but you not the look." Ry'us nearly jumped at the voice. He looked over, eyes closing on the woman who had spoken. It was an elderly lady, with short gray hair under a small hat. She was short, almost ridiculously so and leaning over a gnarled wooden cane. She had a pipe between her teeth and when she next spoke a large cloud of smoke accompanied her words. "You may not be from around here, but you're a Uhrat nonetheless and I'll not be lettin' you freeze. Come inside." She turned, slowly walking into the small house behind her. She didn't stop for him as he hesitated to follow. He looked left and right, before swallowing and following the elderly lady into the building. 
           

There were several flights of stairs before he caught up with her and he wondered briefly how she'd managed to climb them all so fast. Each flight let off at what looked like a different part of the house. There was a kitchen, a bathroom, and even some bedrooms. It wasn't until the fourth and final one that she got off on what looked like a hallway with three rooms. But before she could open it completely another of them opened and a little kid stepped out. But not just any kid. 
           

"You! Hey you almost got me killed!" Ry'us suddenly exclaimed. The boy stood there with wide, scared eyes. A second later the boy came to his senses. He suddenly turned, as if ready to disappear into the room he'd just left. But he was stopped by the sudden words of the old lady.
           

"Mika stop!" The boy halted in his tracks. He tentatively turned, head low as he looked at the woman. But she had her eyes on Ry'us now.
           

"You've met?" 
           

"Yeah, this kid had me chasing him all over the docks. He didn't bother telling me about the police! Probably had me mistaken for him, though I can't tell you how. After all, he's a bit of a pip squeak." At this the kid looked up, anger in his eyes.
           

"Who you callin' a pip-squeak. Its not my fault you-" The boy began, but was suddenly cut off as a loud crack noise rang out through the hallway. They both looked over at the old woman, her cane held forward menacingly. She'd smacked it against the floor. 
           

"I'll not have this in my home. Mika, I want you in your room." He nodded, turning to leave. But not before she spoke again. "And don't think your mother won't hear about you goin' across the bridge." 
           

"But nan-" 
           

"Enough." He lowered his head, walking into the room. But not before throwing a rather nasty glare at Ry'us before closing the door.
 "You better get in here. We'll see if we've got anything you can wear." She opened the door to the room in front of her. He noticed that the door wasn’t like the ones he was used to see, which opened either in or out. Rather, this one slid into a small gap in the wall. The old woman walked in, leaving him in the hallway. He stood there for a moment before shaking off the confusion and following. The room was small. Really small. On the floor was a thick bedroll and against the walls were a few dressers. The old woman was rummaging through one of these dressers now. 
           

"These should fit you fine." She handed him the small pile of clothes and walked towards the door. He suddenly turned, speaking.
           

"Why are you doing this?" He asked. She paused at the door, turning to look at him from behind those thin glasses of hers. 
            "Because you're Uhrat." She turned, closing the door behind her. He stood there alone, staring down at the pile of clothes. None of this made sense to him. What was a Uhrat? When he'd left for Euromeian he hadn't expected to see any of this. He'd thought of nice homes and maybe a well off, sad family that had missed him. He let out a sigh, quickly undressing from his soaked clothes and putting the new ones on. They were of simple cut. A pair of straight black pants and a patched up black leather jacket that was slightly short, but was well to his style. Underneath he wore a short button up shirt that he kept loose but for the top three buttons. He stretched as he had the new clothes on. They fit well enough, but more then that they were dry. Picking up his own, soaked clothes he opened the door and made his way down stairs. 
           

When he was on the bottom floor he could hear the sound of movement in the back kitchen and made his way towards the noise. Someone was humming a soft melody. He found himself drawn to the sound, pausing as he entered the kitchen. There was a middle aged woman, no older then her mid thirties. She had the same flaming red hair that seemed so common here, coming down in a long flowing wave past her shoulders, one side tucked behind her ear. As he entered the room she gave a small start, before flashing him a kind, motherly sort of smile. 
           

"I didn't expect you to be down so soon. Nan told me about you. And about Mika. I apologize." She said, still offering that kind smile. He nodded a little awkwardly. Suddenly seeing his clothes she spoke again. "Oh, you can put your clothes in that basket back there." She gestured with a nod towards a large basket at the back of the room, near the back door to the house. She continued cutting away at several vegetables. When she was done she turned to look at him fully. She eyed him up and down, as if trying to make something out of him. 
           

"They look good on you." She said with a nod. Ry'us decided it was time he get his answers. 
           

"I'm sorry, but I've got all these questions and I just need someone to answer them. What is this place? Why are there so many people with red hair like mine? That old woman...nan...called me a Uhrat. What is that?" The woman raised an eyebrow at that. But she didn't stop cutting at the vegetables in front of her, even as she started talking.
           

"Nan said you were different. Not from around here. I didn't think you wouldn't know anything of your people." She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "The Uhrat are our people. Red hair is a trait of ours, though there are some with dark hair as well. We're refugees in this country and have been for the last twenty six years. We live here because it’s the best we can do for ourselves. That's why this part of the city is known as the Settlements. Most of the people you meet here are Uhratian refugees or their parents were." She continued chopping at the vegetables in front of her, stopping to scoop them into a large pot full of water. 
           

Refugees? How come he'd never heard of this? They didn't really teach history at his schooling in Lidne Falls, but his parents had to have heard about this. How come they never told him? Did they even know how bad it was over here or was that why they chose to take him in? This was all too much to think of right now. 
           

"If you're not from around here, then where are you from? I've never met a Uhrat that's not from the Settlement." He looked up as she spoke once more, snapped out of his own private thoughts. He cleared his throat and instantly found it difficult to speak.
           

"I'm from Lidne. Lidne Falls. Its...its a small town far away from the city. My parents...the people who raised me...live there. I never even knew of this place before now." He shook his head, walking towards the back door and staring into the small alley behind the house. A few people wandered past. He thought back to the reason he’d ended up in the place to begin with and turned to look back at the woman. “My adopted parents found me in the streets of Euromeian, abandoned. I came here to look for my birth parents. Have you heard of anyone who lost a child eighteen years ago?” The woman shook her head, a look of genuine sympathy flashing in her eyes.           

"No, I’m afraid not. But, you're welcome here if you need a place to stay. I imagine this all must seem very strange to you. Though I'd at least like to know your name if you're gonna be living under my roof." Ry'us turned to look at her. She still had her back to him, preparing the meal with careful ease. 
           

"I'm Ry'us." There was a slight pause as the woman seemed to let the name mull around in her head. Then finally she spoke, introducing herself.
           

"You can call me Ms. Lainer." He nodded, turning to look outside once more. He needed to take a walk, sort this all out in his head. He needed to see this part of the Settlement more, with his own eyes, before he could decide what to do. "Feel free to eat with us, there's enough for one more I think." But there was no answer, and when she turned around, he'd already left...
           

Things were nothing like he had thought. As Ry'us walked the streets of the Settlement, things only seemed to get worse. The people here were living in little more then shacks. The narrow and crooked alleyways that made up its streets were often so narrow that two people would have trouble walking side by side. How had this happened? Why was everyone here living like this, when just across the river people lived in luxury and comfort? 
            The only light came from hanging lamps or from within the homes themselves, spilling out through the windows and doorways out into the dark streets, making each alley a web of shadows and shifting light. Those that lived inside the rickety shanty homes only offered glances his way as he passed. In the in-between alleys, where tents and rickety huts were constructed, people stared at him at first with looks of hope, before noticing his red hair and casting their eyes away once more in hopelessness. 
            When he had left home, he'd had no idea what he would find in the city. His parents had explained nothing to him, telling him only that they loved him and that they understood his need to discover his past. But why hadn't they told him about all of this? Were all Uhrat condemned to live in this place? Was that why they had kept this all a secret from him? He couldn't pretend to know. Nothing made sense right now to him. 
            He had wandered far away from the riverside now. The buildings here were slightly higher, with houses stacked on top of other houses, little wooden bridges and planks crossing over the streets overhead so that it seemed everything was built up in layers. People walked as much on the roofs of the homes below as the streets they had been constructed around.            

Some signs hung over a few of the buildings, but by this time almost all of the shops had been closed up. Ry'us found himself walking on one of the many higher layers. The floor beneath his feet was now the roof of the home below him. 
           

Noise trickled out from one building in particular. It was one of the many built upon the second layer of the Settlements, its floor the roof of the building below. It was slightly larger then the others around it and its windows were made of actual glass, the faint glow of light spilling out from between the curtains inside. As Ry'us drew closer, he could hear the sound of music playing. It was hauntingly beautiful, cutting through the night like a knife through a corpse.

It sounded to him like a flute, and as he reached the front of the building it came to a slow end. Suddenly other instruments started playing, joined by the sound of stomping feet, laughter, and conversation. Ry'us stopped in front of the door, staring up at the sign overhead. It looked as if it had once had words painted on it, but they had long since faded. Only the faintest trace of the letter V could be seen, the rest of the word completely illegible. Over it, someone had scratched the symbol of a triangle with a circle inside of it, carved deep into the wood. 
           

Suddenly the doors burst open and Ry'us quickly stepped back. Two people stumbled out, laughing and shaking their heads. The smell of smoke and ale hit Ry’us full force, like the scent of a brewery on fire.

Ry'us caught a glimpse of a room inside full of people. A tavern. He glanced back towards the two men that had just left. They were swaying as they walked away, disappearing past the light of a hanging lamp. 
           

"We don't serve children here." Ry'us spun as he heard the voice. Standing in the doorway was a tall man with short red hair and a matching beard. He had thickly muscled arms, which were crossed in front of him. The man took a step forward. He had a solid, strong appearance to him. A heavy brow that seemed like it was used to frowning, over surprisingly youthful green eyes. His eyes looked him up and down, the door to the tavern swinging shut behind him. The sounds from inside died down a bit. "Sorry, I thought you were a boy for a second. You had the look of a lost child." 
           

"I'm new here." Ry'us said, deciding to ignore his comment about him seeming to be a child. The man chuckled at this, as if Ry'us had said something very funny. But then he seemed to notice the look on Ry'us' face and his smirk turned to an expression of curiosity. “I grew up with adopted parents and I came here trying to find my real ones. Do you know of anyone that lost their child eighteen years ago?”           

"Oh. Sorry, can’t think of anyone. But if I hear anything I’ll let you know. But, feel free to come in and get a drink. Since you're new, the first ones free. But don't expect any further charities. I run a business, not a soup kitchen." The man said gruffly. Then he turned and started to go back inside. 
           

"Your sign's been marked on." Ry'us suddenly mentioned. The man turned and looked at him. 
           

"I know." He said, staring up at the sign for only a brief moment before looking back at Ry'us. He had the strong feeling that he'd said something foolish just then and didn't know what. But the man didn't bother to correct him or tell him. Instead he just said, "It’s called the Vulhaven." And with that he walked inside, the door opening and letting out another flood of music and conversation, before shutting behind him. Ry'us stood in front of the door for a moment, considering whether he should go inside and get that drink or not. But Ry'us had decided he was done wandering this place. He began to make his way back to the home of Ms. Lainer. She seemed like a nice enough woman. After all, she'd offered him a place to stay without even truly knowing who he was. Because you're Uhrat. The elderly woman had told him, when she'd offered him those clothes. What did that mean? To be Uhrat? It was the name of his people, he knew this much. But what about that meant that they would clothe him and offer him a place to stay? There was so many things he didn't understand. 
           

One of them, was why he might see a familiar red headed boy sneaking through the streets in the middle of the night. Ry'us stopped in his tracks as he saw the young boy who had led him to this place dash across from one alley to the other. A smirk came to Ry'us' lips. This kid just seemed to love getting in trouble. Ry'us could have just kept going and ignored it. But his curiosity was piqued. And the little pipsqueak had caused him nothing but trouble so far. It would be nice to see his face when he found out he was busted. Doing what, Ry'us wasn't sure. But as he followed the young boy into the alley, he had every intention of finding out.
 He kept a good distance away. The boy was difficult to follow, but Ry'us managed to keep up, all the while staying out of the little kid's sight. What are you up to, pipsqueak? Just as the thought crossed his mind, the boy had come to a stop. He was standing in one of the more narrow alleys of the Settlements. It was dark, far away from any of the hanging lanterns that kept the streets lit, except for a single torch next to the only door in the alley. Ry'us hid behind a pile of broken boxes and trash, his curiosity thoroughly piqued now. The boy, Mika, stood there expectantly, holding a small sack in his hands. He wasn't staring at the door though and neither did he bother to knock on it. It was only a few minutes before Ry'us saw why. 
           

"I have it here." Mika said. Ry'us realized that there was someone standing right on the other side of the torchlight, just out of his vision. Mika held the sack in his hands out and suddenly a hand reached out from the shadows, taking the bag before disappearing once more. Ry'us edged a bit closer, so he could just make out the voice of another person. They were older, obviously, though they easily could have been around Ry'us' age for all that told him. What was this kid doing?
           

"Its not as much as you said you would get." The voice said. Mika shifted uncomfortably. 
           

"I...I didn't get as much as I'd hoped. But you can still pay me for those, right?" Mika spoke almost fearfully. No, not fearfully. He had the voice of someone who was upset that they'd disappointed someone. There was the sound of clinking metal from the other side, then a smaller bag was tossed towards Mika, who caught it. 
           

"Try and get more next time. You're doing great, kid." At this Mika seemed to perk up slightly, though he didn't smile, simply nodding towards the figure in the shadow. Mika stood there for a moment longer, until it became clear that whoever had been on the other side was no longer there. Ry'us remained in his hiding place. The kid turned towards the door, knocking on it three times before running right back the way he had come. Ry'us ducked down quickly. Mika ran right past him without even noticing. When he finally stood up from his hiding place, it was to see an elderly man of at least sixty step out from the door and grab the torch. He looked left and right before dipping the torch in a nearby bucket of water. The whole alley was plunged into darkness and the old man disappeared back into the house. 
           

Once again, Ry'us found himself wishing he had more answers. He had been here for less then a day, and he'd been bombarded with mystery after mystery. What had he gotten himself into, coming to this city? There was something very wrong about what was happening in this place. But he knew, that if he wanted answers, he was going to have to find them himself. And the best place to start was with that pipsqueak. Ry'us turned and made his way back through the streets. He had every mind to bombard that kid with questions the second he saw him next. He didn't have to wait long. 
           

"Hey!" The shout echoed out to Ry'us and this time he didn't bother hiding behind boxes to see what was going on. He walked into the alley and once more saw Mika and someone else. Only this time, Mika didn't seem to want this meeting. A boy, who couldn't have been more then a year or two older then Ry'us, had Mika pushed right up against the side of a building. The little kid was kicking and squirming, but all in all, he didn't appear to be going anywhere. A short distance away two people were counting through a pile of coins in their hands. One of them was around Ry'us height, with his own set of fiery red hair. He had the ugly features of someone who sneered too much, so that it looked like his face was permanently stuck that way. His red hair was pulled back in a short ponytail and he had greed in his eyes as he counted through the measly sum of coin. 
           

"Not too bad. Thanks again, Mika." The sneering boy said, while the big guy kept him pushed against the wall. 
           

"Let me go, Daft!" Mika said. The three kids laughed. They'd yet to notice Ry'us watching from the end of the alley. As much as Ry'us didn't like the kid, not even he liked the idea of three against one odds. Especially when just one of you was twice the kids size. No, this wasn't happening. He didn't need to know how the kid had gotten the money, or why these guys were taking it. Ry'us could spot bullies from a mile away. And these kids were bullies. 
           

"You heard him." Ry'us said. For the first time the three boys noticed him. They were all around his own age, probably a little bit older, by the bit of facial hair he could see growing on the face of the boy Mika had called Daft, who still had him pushed against the wall.

"I'd suggest letting him go. He's got a mean little temper, but I can promise you I'm a lot worse." Ry'us had already started walking towards them, so that he was now only a few feet away from the three. Mika was staring at him in obvious surprise, but Ry'us wasn't even looking at him anymore. He'd locked eyes with the sneering boy. 
            "Who are you? Actually, scratch that, I don't care. Get lost." The sneering boy said. The other two laughed. Ry'us just shrugged his shoulders and smiled at him.

            "I'm Mika's older brother." Ry'us said. The sneering boy smirked. 
           

"Mika ain't got an older brother." He said. 
           

"He does now. And I don't like people picking on my family. Put him down and give him the money back." Ry'us never lowered his gaze from the one boy. The other two shot glances at the sneering boy. He'd been right to guess he was the leader. Good. Ry'us had just singled him out in front of his cronies. And just like any person that led people with fear, he felt the need to prove himself. The sneering boy walked right up to Ry'us only inches from his face. 
           

"You must be new around here. I don't listen to people like you. Me and Mika have a business arrangement and its got nothin' to do with you." He said. His breath was hot and he was close enough now that Ry'us could feel it. Ry'us let out the slightest bit of a sigh. He'd tried to warn him. The sneering boy didn't even last two seconds. Within a moment, Ry'us had slammed his head against the sneering boy's nose. He let out a sudden cry as he hit the ground with a sickening crunch, his head slamming against the ground. 
           

There was a moment’s pause as the other two tried to figure out what just happened. And then there was what sounded like a snarl from his right as the big guy, Daft, dropped Mika and suddenly rushed at him. He came flying at him with one of the sloppiest punches Ry'us had ever seen. He simply sidestepped the overcharged brute and sent a knee to his stomach, followed by an elbow to the back that sent him sprawling to the ground as well. The other one, however, must have been a little bit smarter then the other, for he took that time to pick up a nearby wooden stick, which he now swung straight at him. Ry'us ducked, quickly stepping back and out of the stick's range. 
           

"Watch out!" Mika's voice called. Just in time as well, for Daft had managed to pick himself up from the ground and was now charging at him from behind. He would have tackled him straight to the ground if Mika hadn't called him out, giving Ry'us just enough time to sidestep him again. But this time he didn't get a knee in. The sneering boy was still on the ground, but the two others seemed less concerned about checking on their friend then pummeling Ry'us into the ground themselves. 
           

Ry'us stared at the two thugs with a keen look of determination in his eyes. The big one cracked his knuckles and the other one swung his stick in little circles. Slowly they began to separate. It was clear what they were doing. One from behind the other to his front. He couldn't watch both of them at the same time. Ry'us glanced from side to side as they separated, circling him. It was all about who made the first move.

It was the big guy.

But instead of turning to face him, Ry'us instead stepped right towards the guy with the stick. He didn't have the time to react, because Ry'us didn't give it to him. He leapt in close to him, grabbing his arm with his left and slamming his right elbow against his nose. The boy fell back, releasing the stick right into Ry'us hands, which he quickly and deftly brought right up to the charging bully's chin. The stick snapped as it made contact, the sound of splintering wood echoing through the alley. And as it died down, the fight was over.

            The three bullies lay on their backs, two of them completely unconscious while the one who had started with the stick rolled onto his side holding his nose. Ry'us walked up to the first boy and reached into his pocket, taking out the small bag of money and tossing it towards Mika.
           

"Come on. Let's get out of here, pipsqueak." Ry'us said, turning to see Mika still sitting up against the wall. The little redheaded boy was just staring right at the three broken and beaten bullies, a look of complete and utter shock on his face. He glanced up at Ry'us and swallowed, before nodding his head and standing up. It wasn't until they were a few streets away and nearly to the house that Ry'us finally spoke. 
            "You plan on telling me what that was about?" Ry'us asked. Mika didn't meet his gaze. 
           

"They're just some bullies." Mika said. 
           

"They weren't just bullies, Mika. They said you had a business arrangement." Mika still didn't meet his gaze. Ry'us rolled his eyes. "Come on, kid. I saw you in that alley, giving something to someone. What was it and what's this business arrangement?" Mika looked up in surprise. He didn't say anything at first. They were within eyesight of the house now. Ry'us stopped, turning to look at him. 
           

"I...It was junk. Well, not junk. Just people's pocket things. Watches, bracelets, necklaces, stuff like that." Suddenly it made more sense. 
           

"That's why you were across the river. You were stealing from people. I should have known you were up to no good." Ry'us said, shaking his head. "Yeah, well what about those goons? You steal the stuff and I'm guessing that whoever you were talking to buys it from you. Are you telling me that you give all of your money to those idiots?"
            "Not all of it. Sometimes I manage to hide some of the money first." Mika said. 
           

"Then why do it?" It didn't add up. If everything he made just went to those idiots, then why keep stealing the stuff and putting himself at risk? 
           

"Its just small money. Everyone knows that its the Thieves' Guild that makes the real money. I figured that Ty and his goons can keep the money now, but once I'm in the Guild they won't dare try and take my money then." Ry'us raised an eyebrow.
           

"Thieves' Guild? They have a guild for thieves?" It was Mika's turn to look surprised now. 
           

"Of course there is. I mean, its supposed to be a secret, but everyone knows they're there. Especially in the Settlements. They pretty much keep law and order in this place. Everyone listens to them. I figured that if I joined the guild I could make good money without..." Ry'us nodded his head. 
           

"Without people like Ty and Daft taking it from you." Ry'us let out a low whistle. This kid didn't look to be any older then ten years old. He may be an annoying pipsqueak, but he knew what it meant to get the job done. Was life really that rough here? That you had to resort to stealing just to keep your own money safe? Ry'us shook his head, turning to look at the house. There was a light on inside.

"I think your mom's noticed your missing." The kid let out a low groan, but he didn't say anything. He already knew what was going through his mind.
           

"I won't tell her, but she'll want to know why you were out. Come on." Mika looked obviously relieved and the two started walking towards the house. Ry'us suddenly ruffled up the kid’s hair. "I really need to teach you how to fight."

Author's Note

I'm looking for reviews that focus more on the story, characters, content and delivery than the grammar.