The carriage carrying you and the young teen are in is rocking softly as it drives threw the ghetto and to the other side of the wall. The young teen is looking out the carts window to see a few wanderers running around trying to find something or some one. She quietly sits back and lowers her face from the window. “What’s your name young one?” You ask the girl who looks back at you with a defiant stare. “Your not a gentleman a man is to introduce himself first then a lady will answer back.” She said with her arms crossed over her small chest. “You’re absolutely right my…where are my manners. I’m Sir. Buck Talvers the knight who just saved your life.” She looks at you wide eyed in disbelief. “You’re a rude bastard even when you’re being polite. I’m lady Salvatore my gang calls me the red rose.” Red Rose says with a cocky grin. “A lady doesn’t have a gang…” You say as you stare out the window and notice you’ve crossed over to the human side of Bakersfield.

There you saw a few street vendors and light traffic of villagers and mercenaries walking about in and out different guilds. Guilds are where you can find skilled workers in different crafts or hire mercenaries. Most mercenaries where decked out in different kinds of armor some wore leather hides and then there was some with full suits of metal armor. Red Rose had her eye on a particular mercenary. “Look at that one! He has a huge sword made of Jed and some wicked armor.” She said showing her true age. You take one look at him and dismissively say. “He’s a idiot a dead man walking.” Red Rose didn’t like you making fun of her “future champion”. “Your just jealous. Look at his weapon it’s made of Jed the most expensive metal it can slice threw solid rock and most steel.” You then say, “Its too heavy look he has to carry it on his shoulders just to lighten it. If he had it sheathed on his side or back he would tip over.” Red Rose didn’t relent. “His armor would deflect any strike.” You chuckle heartily. “That armor? Sure it shines now but it was obviously made by a amateur blacksmith. I can see the kinks from here. I can shatter it in seconds. What’s a weapon worth if you can’t use it? He spent all his fiesta on his sword he couldn’t buy any decent armor.” You say while Red Rose frowned at you and stuck her tounge out she then decided to look for a better champion.

As she was looking out the window you noticed she wore tight but short leather pants that barely came above her knees. She had sandals that laced up her long legs. A plain beige long sleeve shirt that seemed to be too small for her as it seemed skin tight. Her body frame was tight and toned witch gave her a younger appearance. Her legs were toned and gave you the impression she ran a lot. Her arms were thin along with her body you can tell she doesn’t eat regularly. Her skin is light pale she does the majority of her running at night. Your eyes travel to her rear with its perfect upside down heart shape it was very alluring. Red Rose felt your eyes and sat down and crossed her arms. “Don’t be a pervert knight I practically felt your eyes ravaging my body as they roamed all around me.” Stunned you quickly change the subject. “Your a thief.” You say with a cold matter of fact tone. “No…I’m not…what no..what makes you think that?” You smile at her “Your appearance says you stay fit but don’t eat much plus you talk and act a lady but in reality your as crude as they come. Your eyes stick to looking at the expensive things and over look the rest even the fake shiny stuff doesn’t fool your eye. Also the way you dress you take care to look plain half the city wears leather pants and long sleeve shirts. You dress to blend in, but most importantly no lady has a gang.”

Red Rose looks at you dumbfounded she thought she was harder to read then that. “Lucky guess…besides your wrong the crimson streak is a lady of the North Island Royal Court and has her own gang. The crimson reapers. They wear a red hood over there heads and only obey the crimson streak.” You look at her then ask. “So you want to be like the crimson streak?” Red Rose nods her head yes. “Does the crimson streak rob people?”Red Rose looks at you with narrow eyes. “No…but I’m no thief I’m more of a…a balancer.” You scoff at her. “A balancer? What do you balance besides people’s coin purses?” She looked at you and made a goofy face that’s supposed to be mimicking your face. “I balance people’s greed. I don’t rob from the poor I only steal from those who have more then enough and too much greed. If you want to cure a person from being greedy all you need to do is rob them a little they get so obsessed with getting their money back they don’t focus on their greed.” She said in a matter a fact tone. “I only steal from certain people and sometimes I have to cross into the ghetto to get at my marks.”

You look at her and realize she is being serious. “Really? Ok well since your a balancer I bet you know a lot about what goes on in the city.” She gives you a coy smile. “I just might…depends on what you want to know.” You look at her then ask “Tell me about the cities ghetto I heard the Duke granted them non-humans more freedoms then any other non-human settlement in the North Island.” She looked at you then out the window and said. “Sure granted only by the wanderers getting the guards so hooked on sniff that they became more lax on them. The wanderers have complete day to day control over the ghetto and the Duke doesn’t care. As long as the taxes are payed and the gate to the outside is nice and closed at dark.” She said then continued. “The wanderers even lynched a human guard in the middle of the ghetto because he owed them so much fiesta from sniff. The duke didn’t even raise a finger he just cut off the guard support in the ghetto. That only gave the wanderers complete immunity to smuggle anything inside the city and can control the non-humans who live in ghetto.” You then ask her about the Duke. “Why didn’t the Duke find and kill the wanderers?”

“Oh that fat bastard is ill no one knows of what but his nephew Sir. Fillston a knight arrived shortly after the guard lynching to take control of the city…unofficially of course. The whole city knows the knight is in charge of the city and the daily duties of the Duke are held by him even has his own royal stamp to sign decrees. The Duke just ok’s them he’s to busy trying to sire a son before he dies. Its all the gossip the people talk about. You know he had nine wives and didn’t sire a single heir not even a daughter. He sent the other eight wives to a private estate but we know he had them axed. Its the common knowledge that every one knows but doesn’t talk about.” Red Rose says as she watches some mercenaries march into a battle guild. “I will join them one day at the head of them of course.”

You tease her a little. “A proper lady doesn’t parade with mercenaries.” Red Rose shoots you a exasperated look. “This lady does.” You shoot her a smile as she blushes. “What’s your full name Lady Salvatore?” She looks at you and mumbles “It’s embarrassing.” She sighs then tell you. “Camille Salvatore. You better not call me that though call me the Red Rose.” She says while waving her fist at you.

As you laugh at her threat something or more like someone catches your eye. “Shit.” You see the thin man from Knotsvill and the bounty huntress walking up to people with a paper. Probably a wanted poster and now you have them to deal with. Hopefully you can make it past them. Red Rose stomach growled loudly as she bends over and groans out of embarrassment. “Sorry. Its been a while since I last ate.” You grab a jar of pickled fruits that you took from the hide out before you left. “Here eat last thing I want is for you to pass out from hunger.” You say passing her the honey covered mangos. “Wow thanks knight looks like your not such a prick after all.” Red Rose says as she opens the jar and hungrily eats the mangos.

Luckly there’s lots of carriage traffic in this part of the city and you don’t stick out as much only thing is the heavy traffic is holding you up. You move to the other side and ask the driver to pick up the pace. “Hey driver can we move along any faster? I have a hungry child with me.” The driver tips his hat and cracks the whip sending the horses into a faster trotting speed. At easy you look over your to your right and see Red Rose suck every piece of flesh off the mango leaving a perfectly dry core of the fruit. She carelessly tosses it out the window. You see a peasant woman curse at her after she was hit with a core.

“Don’t be so rude a proper lady uses the waste collector.” You say as you point to a large sack on the carriage. “I knew that…it’s just been a while since I been in a fancy cart. Usually I hitch rides off some of the farmers carts and they don’t wast space on their carts for trash sacks.” Red Rose says as she run her tounge on the rim of the jar collecting the last drops of honey. With a giggle she puts the jar top on and hands it to you. “Thanks Buck.” You take the jar and stuff it back in your traveling case.

“I’m telling you the Knight would’ve ran out of here as soon as he saw your on his tail.” Johnny said as he chewed on his straw of hay. “If I had you chasing me I wouldn’t stop running until my legs gave out.” Vicky the bounty hunteress laughed. “Did I ever mention I hate compliments scarecrow?” Johnny hated being called scarecrow. “Look here bitch you said you could track them and all we’re doing is asking people if they saw a knight. Hell I could of done that.” Vicky turned around and had Johnny by the throat. “Why didn’t you then? You think I need some two bite crook to be tagging along side of me?” Johnny let his clawed melee glove side out from his sleeve and pointed a claw towards Vicky’s throat. Vicky let him go as he fell on his feet he looked into Vicky’s eyes.

“You weren’t complaining when I found you hog tied on your horse or when I untied you.” Johnny said as his hand slipped back into his baggy sleeve. “I could’ve escaped I was buying my time.” Vicky explained herself as she turned away and ran into a wanderer. “Watch yourself elf.” The wanderer stoped and eyed the Nathalion woman. “Shut it whore.” The elf said as he pushed pass her. Vicky was outraged and grabbed at the elf shoulder and clubbed the elf with her forearm in the neck. “What did you just call me elf?” Johnny was leaning on a lantern post as he watched the scene unfold.

“Who on the gift do you think you are woman?” The elf said then quickly turned himself around and had the point of his blade in between Vicky’s eyes. “I should kill you now right here where you stand delvan.” Vicky smiled as she pushed her small cross bow into the elf’s chest. “Do you think you can stab me before I shoot a bolt into your heart?” The wanderer was shocked he never let a delvan get the best of him let alone twice in the same week. “Delvan you insult my honor with your disrespectful ways. Your very existence infuriates me.” Vicky let the cross bow cock and was prepared to fire. “Lets fix the problem then Al’can.” Johnny had enough they would both kill themselves over nothing and he would have less help in finding the knight. He calmly stepped in between both of them and grabbed the paper.

“Before you idiots kill each other I have but on question to ask the elf.