Not thinking, Jex was about to do the same when a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. He turned to see his traveling companions behind him and Zesam gabbing his shoulder.
"Don't jump in the water, you'll freeze to death, kid," he said.
Jex looked for excuses to make. "But he stole my bag! And how is he not cold?" Jex insisted.
Nimer walked to the edge and peered over, looking down off the wooden dock to the raging deeps below. "Strange, I've never known this sea to have merfolk in it. What are they doing in these depths?" he wondered out loud.
"Merfolk?" Ray asked curiously.
"Yes, Nimer answered, generally they live in the warmer parts of the seas. Seeing them this time of year is scarce. Slimy creatures that can get away quickly but cannot be away from the water for long." He peered around at the ships docked, seemingly looking for something specific. "I have my suspicions about why they are here, but I could be wrong."
"What do ya suspect?" Kugruth asked, though he acted like he already knew the answer.
"If the light council is assembling, it could only mean that Cynthar has sent his goons this far north," Nimer said, pacing down the dock back to the breezy way that ran parallel to the sea. "Though I don't see any traces of his ship anywhere."
"Aye, that's the one thing about the trickster god. He will play hide n' seek if yar not careful," the dwarf informed.
"Cyanthar is the trickster god?" Ray asked.
"Aye, he lurks the sea using illusions and sirens to lead those out at sea astray," Kugruth said, then rubbed his beard. "Somethin' tells me he's been pillaging towns again, the thief. Though these are suspicions, nothin more."
Then, a loud yell came from further down the docks, and another person was running after a small boy. Squinting and investigating further, Jex saw that it was the same boy as before.
"He's being relentless!" Jex said with a small huff of frustration. "Why would they need that much treasure just to steal it all from the townspeople?"
"Offerings to Cyanthar mainly consist of gold and treasure," Nimer said. "Like any pirate, he craves the valuable. Sometimes, they even steal women and hold them captive on their ship, a boat by the name of the Gatwick. It is part of the legend of Cyanthar and the sea kingdom of Valmoria."
"Where is the sea kingdom?" Jex asked curiously.
"To this day, no one knows," Nimer said, looking into the water. "But some say it's far from here, deep in the Abysal Veil to the east. We've been headed west for some time, so I'm led to believe that this isn't the work of Cyanthar's goons, but I won't rule it out."
"Either way, I vote we stop the little child from stealing further. There's no need to steal all this gold if it's just for fun," Lill insisted.
"I have to agree," Kat said with worry. "It's not right to let him keep doing this."
"Then perhaps we should devise a plan," Nimer said, rubbing his beard. "We should lure him out with exactly what he's looking for." He turned to Jex. "Perhaps we could trick him with illusion magic."
Jex's eyes widened. "So I get to make coins with my magic again?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes, this would be a good use for your magic instead of using it to trick others. But you'll have to manifest them as real as possible. Tricking a shopkeeper is one thing, but tricking the goons of Cyanthar is tricky. They know about illusion magic, and they are not easily tricked."
"I believe in you, Jex," Ray said, placing a hand on his and threading her fingers with his.
Jex leaned in for a quick kiss, then adjusted his cloak. "I'll do my best."
He held out his palm and concentrated hard, soon forming a gold coin in the middle of his palm, then another. He cupped his hands, rattling them together, and the coins clinked. When he opened his hands again, the illusion dissipated and vanished.
"I think that's good enough," Nimer said, then huddled them together. "Take this," Nimer said, giving him an empty bag with a hole in the bottom. "Focus on the hole and allow the coins to fall freely. Make a trail and lure him to the farthest dock and alleyway, and we'll corner him there."
Jex nodded, then the rest of the group went to hide, making their way to the war alleyway, leaving Jex alone in the middle of the docks. He slid his hand through the bag's opening, wiggling his finger through the hole, and studied and memorized it. Tying it to his belt, he started producing a coin with his illusion magic every few steps and let it clink to the ground. He pretended to be nonchalant about his walking and placed his hands behind his head, strolling.
He waved at a few people as he walked a little aimlessly, letting the coins fall until a line of them formed behind him. He could hear the pitter-patter of feet following him. He pretended not to notice and just kept walking. In one of the dark windows only lit by torchlight to his left, he could see the small boy farther behind him. The plan was working.
Walking a little further, he noticed something peculiar about the boy that he hadn't noticed before. His hands were webbed, and so were his feet. He had the light indent of gills on his neck and scales on his face and arms.
"He's just like a fish," Jex thought to himself.
It wasn't long, however, before the boy disappeared from behind him and went down another alleyway. Jex stopped and looked back, finding it odd that the boy had stopped following him. Jex took a moment to walk down another alleyway in hopes of getting the boy to come out again. When he turned and walked down, he noticed someone sitting on a crate, but paid little mind to them. He gave them a wave and kept walking. Then it struck Jex who they were.
He turned to see the boy with an apple in his hands, leaning back on his hand with a smug grin. He took a big chomp of the apple. "You know, sir, you're good at illusion magic," the boy complimented Jex.
Jex blinked. "Am I - I mean, what ever do you mean?"
The boy opened his mouth again, showing a line of sharpened teeth that bit into the apple. "I've only seen a few people do illusions. The children of Cyanthar can do it as they please."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jex said nervously.
The boy took a handful of Jex's coins and made them shimmer in the nearby torchlight. He cupped his hands around them, and they suddenly vanished when he opened his hands again. "It's a mere party trick to lure me out, I believe."
Jex scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'm guilty of that."
The boy leaned forward on his hands. "So, what do you want with me? I'm presuming you want this back," he said and held up a small coin bag that was now sopping wet with water. He bounced it up and down, and the bag jingled.
"My coin bag! Yes, I want it back right now, if you don't mind," Jex said.
"What if I offer you a deal?" the boy asked with a sly grin.
"A deal? What sort of deal?" Jex asked curiously.
The boy nodded his head vigorously. "A crown sits behind a case in one of the shops. The souls of the depths have been after it for a few days and wish to carry it away. But we need it to awaken Cyanthar."
"How am I supposed to take a crown from a case?" Jex frowned.
"Use your magic," the boy said and smiled. "If you can convince me for even a mere second, then get me where you want me, then you can trick the shopkeepers no problem with your illusion magic."
"Ray wouldn't appreciate that," Jex admitted, thinking he was already scorned for buying the blade for free using his magic in Dalhurst.
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her, come on, what's the worst that could happen?" The boy pressured him.
Jex, being his naive self, nodded and shrugged. "Alright, you have yourself a deal. I get you the crown, I get my coin bag."
"You have yourself a deal." The little boy held out his hand for Jex to shake.
Jex took it feebly. He could feel the webbing in his hands and the slimy fishy residue on them. He was now tasked with stealing a crown from the market. How hard could it be?