Chapter 63: Sharing once again
Riku was gone for what felt like an eternity to the anxious dwellers of the Underbelly.
Elder Borin slumped onto a rickety stool, his face etched with worry. The burly Half-Orc paced restlessly. Korgin, still sniffling, hid his face in his hands. The small pile of contributed coins sat untouched on the rough-hewn table, a testament to their desperation.
"He’s gone to the guards, hasn’t he?" a young Dwarf whispered, his voice tight with fear. "We’re all doomed. Korgin, you fool!"
"Hush, lad," Borin said, though his own voice lacked conviction. He looked towards Lila and Elara, who stood awkwardly to one side. "Young misses... your companion... he is a man of great power. Surely, he wouldn’t...?"
Lila offered a small, reassuring smile, though a flicker of her own unease showed in her eyes. "Riku... he doesn’t like seeing people suffer. And he doesn’t like bullies. I don’t think he’d go to the city guard over this, not after hearing Korgin’s story."
Elara, remembering Riku’s kindness to her, nodded silently in agreement, though she still didn’t know Riku well enough to predict his actions.
The Half-Orc stopped pacing. "But he left so suddenly. And that look in his eye... it was like he was calculating something." He wrung his large hands. "If the guards come down here... it won’t just be Korgin they take."
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours. The silence in the small clearing was thick with unspoken fears.
Then, footsteps echoed from the passage Riku had taken. All heads snapped up. Riku reappeared, not with guards, but carrying a large, lumpy sack slung over his shoulder. He had the same trademark smile on his face with which he had left, which further alleviated the dwellers’ worries.
A collective sigh of relief swept through the assembled Dwarves and Half-Orcs. He hadn’t brought the law down on them.
"Master Mage!" Borin exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "You... you have returned!" The Half-Orc eyed the sack curiously. "What’s in there, master? More... evidence?"