Blanka walked slowly over the alleys of the Stottegard city, in one of the dark corners she left her baggy robes with a hood that kept her identity safe. She just ended another meeting with instigators – beast-men haters, shady mercenaries and “slaves enthusiasts”. And once again, Blanka felt dirty. These scums should be purged with blade and fire, but Zariel asked her to investigate that group, find who was founding them and such – if you want to get rid of a weed you have to pluck it out with roots, otherwise, the sickness would return.
Still, each interaction with them left a bad aftertaste in her mouth. She wanted to take a bath as soon as possible to get rid of the stench of dark, cheap slum’s cellar. But first, she had to double-check if no one was following her and meet up with Giselle and Lanele. Of course, slums – where Blanka was usually going, was in a completely different direction than the noble district – where priestess did her part of the job.
But, the city guard headquarters – where Giselle was partyi… sabotaging guards movements (very successfully, maybe even bit too successfully – the rate of petty crimes rose a little because guards couldn’t react in time) was perfectly in the middle of the city. That’s where they decided to meet up.
Next head priestess was casually standing next to the entrance to the barracks, resting her backs against the wall.
* “Took you long enough. Don’t you know that it’s dangerous for a young lady to walk alone so late at night?” she smiled.
* “Having a sword by your belt usually is enough to keep criminals on distance, especially if you look as if you can use it.”
* “How was your day?”
* “Dirty. Messy. Vulgar. Terrible food, watered drinks. People that completely don’t care about hygiene, when they were talking the stench of decaying food from their mouth was…”
* “Ok. Ok. I get it. It was bad.”
* “How was yours?”
* “Uh, don’t even ask, I am speechless. They served red wine for the cake! Not to mention its quality! Merely 10 years old?”
* “Outrageous. How could they?”
* “Right?”
Such mutual teasing became their habit during the last few days.
Two city guards walked past them.
* “Good evening, ladies.” They bowed slightly. In these past few days their appearance became a normal thing “…. Waiting for Giselle again, I guess?” one of them said with an honest smile
* “The usual, indeed. In what condition is she tonight?”
* “As good as always. She just can’t get drunk! She keeps on taunting us to compete with her, but how is that even fair?! Sure, if I was half-mythical creature then…”
* “Paul, I doubt that Misses came just to hear you yapping.” His companion mocked him slightly “… We will call for her right away… My ladies, I don’t want to sound rude, but how long is this going to last? Night after night after night she keeps on getting drunk half of guards forces! When criminals would notice they can just do whatever they want…”
* “I understand your feelings, we are sorry for our companion, apparently she is a long companion of your Capitan. Once they would catch up, I think she would leave. Day more? Maybe two? I have no idea.”
* “If two weeks ago someone would tell me that I would be FORCED to drink in my workplace and that I would start missing the old days when the Capitan was making us work so hard that we were collapsing… I would send him to the mental ward.”
* “Y-yeah. Giselle can get a bit too competitive in literally every aspect of living and…”
* “Heeey giiirls!” Giselle popped her head through the gap in the slightly open door “… wanna join us?”
* “The answer, as always, remains no. You have had enough and we came to pick you up!”
* “Buuut moooooom!”
* “Behave yourself, young lady, or you would get no sweets!”
* “Pfff! This could work with Zari, I don’t even like sweets so…”
* “So we will convince him that you should eat less meat and more veggies.”
* “Haha, he would nev…” oh, but he totally would, and they all knew that “… Girls, don’t do that to me!”
* “You leave us no choice. Decide – booze or meat?”
* “It’s cruel! How could you!”
* “Three… Twooo… Oooone…”
* “Ok! Ok! I am coming! Just let me say goodbye to everyone!...” her head disappeared for a moment “… sorry boys, but girls came to pick me up and I have to leave you f…”
A loud cheering, whistling, and screams of joy erupted from inside of the room.
* “… You are sooo mean! Phm! I am no longer even sad for leaving you! Ungrateful bastards!” she left the building “… they love me!”
They actually did. When they were leaving few barely standing people left after her to wave their hands on their way back while yelling “till later Gis” and such.
Giselle drank barrel or two, but still, because of her inhuman metabolism she was just barely weak on her legs, her head was still clear even though she was getting bit more affectionate.
She drops her hands over her companions and pulled them in for a close, tight hug.
* “Mah girlz! Fear not! I love you too!”
* “Gis, release me at once! You reek!”
* “Ain’t happening!”
* “VEGGIES FOR DINNER!”
She jumped back as if someone tazed her.
* “Meanies!”
* “Giselle, try getting back in shape before we would get back to the guild.”
* “Worry not, already sobering up! I was drinking very little tonight, I didn’t want you to keep nagging on me for the entire night, as you did the last time.”
* “Gis, last time you were crawling back!”
* “So?”
* “Last time I heard something about you wanting to be a heroine.”
* “What do you mean by
* “Heroes are meant to be the people who you want to become! Kind of person that kids kept dreaming about!”
* “I know that!”
* “I doubt that kids want to get wasted with booze till the moment you crawl back to sleep puking on your way!”
* “You are exaggerating! I never puke!... Literally, I can’t. I even tried to. My body does not understand the concept of returning undigested food!”
* “You are a mons… What happened in here?” by the time they get to the inn. With few people laying outside, with the window being smashed and door hanging on just one joint.
* “Looks like someone had fun!”
One of the waitress was cleaning broken pieces of wood in front of the entrance.
* “Excuse me!...” Blanka called the girl drawing her attention, then she showed with her hand on the scenario around her “… excuse, but what the fuck!? Adventurers lost their shit again?”
* “Y-yeah, that’s what happened. Mostly.”
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* “Seriously, these people act like rabid dogs…”
* “A-actually, as what you say is true, most of the damages were caused by only one person so…”
* “Ho-ho!? A worthy challenger! I want to go for a round or two with that person! Who is he?”
* “Z-zariel Whiteraven.”
* “He is back?” Blanka opened her eyes wider
* “And in a bad mood, apparently…” Lana whispered.
They walked in just to see that the main corridor leading deeper into guild was in just as bad situation, as its outsides. They walked into the inn section which was dark unlikely to its usual appearance at this time of the day. Candles on the chandelier were not lit, the only light sources here were: young moon which light came into the room through the hole in the wall – where a window was previously placed, and fire inside of the heart in the kitchen room on which cook was preparing a meal.
Zariel was sitting in the corner, on one of few not broken chairs. He looked like a beast atop of the pile of the bones in his lair. Like a general leading victorious army gazing upon the battlefield covered in bodies of those who he perished.
Blanka and Lana always knew he could be dangerous, but usually, his carefree attitude completely erased the feeling of threat. This time, there was no gentle air around him, there were no cheerful, cocky lights in his eyes.
Just cold dullness of an ancient predator that no longer feels pleasure from thrill of the hunt.
Deep inside the Bagora forest, the ancient white dragon lied, sleeping most of the time. Still, at the times when he wakes up in his shrine, he tends do enjoy conversation with elves, especially high priestess. Lanele remembered her first, and last, encounter with it.
It barely moved, kept lying with his head on the ground, he wasn’t even moving his mouth while talking, speaking directly into her mind, all that moved, were his eyes – pupils.
These moves were enough to make Lanele body shiver, to make her brain beg her to turn around and run.
Now, Zariel had similar air around him.
At the same time, he looked so tired, that he didn’t even greet them even though he noticed their presence. Only once they approached him he would say:
* “I… could have done a thing or two that I shouldn’t have. But it was so damn quiet, so quiet, that I couldn’t keep up with it, so I made it a little bit louder, but now, it’s so quiet again.”
* “Zari, where is Kim?” Blanka asked with a weak voice
* “He is here, with us.”
* “Playing somewhere? If you could please call him, I have some scolding to…”
* “He won’t hear you, he won’t respond. I gave him a place he could rest. That’s all I could do.”
Something in his words made shivers run across their bodies.
* “What do you mean that he will not respo…” war dancress wanted to ask, as for now, she knew only that Zariel was a monster, a dangerous one, maybe even considered a god by some cults, but the very nature of his monstrosity was still a mystery to her.
* “Just don’t you dare sayin’ that you ate him!?” Gis burst from the place
Blanka treated that as some kind of grim joke
* “I… did.”
She felt as her stomach jumped to her throat, almost choking her! They weren’t joking! Is that what he meant that Kim is “here”? What kind of twisted reasoning was that?
Lead by instinct, her hand found the hilt of her sword. Kim could be a monster himself, but he had the appearance of a kid! Killing him was one thing, but eating!?!? He had no moral breaks whatsoever! If… if he would consider that getting rid of the whole city would benefit him then… then maybe… No. it’s Zariel. This Zariel! The one that is building an orphanage in the capital! The one that gave almost free potions to the masses!...
… but what if he does that only to be untouchable by law and third parties?
Blanka didn’t realize she was covered in cold sweat.
Zariel got up and approached them, walking into a sheaf of light cast by the moon she was able to fully see his face.
It was full of sorrow, mental agony, heavy burden and regrets.
* “I… I tried so hard. I did my best but… why am I always like this? Achievements that I don’t care about are coming to me almost against my will, even when I do things half-assed! But… But when I try, when I give my best…”
Gissele bolted onward and hugged her mate tightly. It was first time she saw him in such state.
* “It’s ok now. Shush!”
Zariel, almost collapsed in her arms, as if he was but a rag doll. Like a puppet whose strings were cut.
* “Where did I make a mistake? What could I do better? I… I didn’t want him to carry the same burden as I do… Nor I wanted to taint him with my vision of the world… I just wanted him to learn and taste life on his own, so when the time would be right he could choose his own path… but… but… I knew he was incomplete… that he couldn’t grow cores, that he had no alter-egos to keep his sanity protected and safe! I thought he wouldn’t consume more essence and he would achieve some level of resistance toward the Voices…”
* “V-voices?” Lanele asked.
* “Ah, I believe that we were never formally introduced to one another, even though you saw what I am…”
* “Z-zari!?...” Gissele raised her voice “… are you sure? For the past three years, you kept it a secret and…”
* “No more lies.” His voice sounded surprisingly strict, taking into consideration his state.
He released himself from Giselle’s embrace, though it was obvious he didn’t want to, he brought himself a chair, turned it around and sat on it, resisting his crossed arms on the back of the chair.
* “I think it’s time for a proper introduction. You know my name, you know my jobs – both of them – adventurer and alchemist, you know I am not exactly human and that some people tend to get… a bit crazy around me. Are you familiar with beast-men's legends and beliefs?”
Blanka shook her head to the sides, after moment or two of hesitation Lanele nodded.
* “Only basic stuff, I had it during my obligatory negotiation classes, to properly hold a conversation you must avoid offending person you talk to, and do avoid that you have to know them, their culture, religion, traditions and so on. But, beast men are so diverse, that they share very few customs or traditions… I know only one – about their origin, but professors of theology and scientist keep arguing about that one too so…”
* “There is at least one more common belief, that somehow takes start at the creation of the beast-men. Millennia ago, a calamity struck the world. That calamity brought that brought humanity – or so-called ancients at the brink of extinction. They had to change, adapt, to escape the fate of wrongly adapted humans. They had to become faster, stronger, smarter, therefore they took pieces of fastest, strongest and wisest creatures and became one with them. But, as they did, they become so much different from one another, that they couldn’t exist together. Rabbit tribes, cat tribes, canine tribes, bovine tribes and so on split and made their own settlements. But, because their villages were very small, they once again became prey to other races – demon-kin, elves, dwarves and so on – an easy target to be attacked, robbed or subjected. So, the conception of uniting beast-men appeared – to rally them under one banner… but, as always, two separate camps appeared. Those, who told that they indeed need to make a country, but the peaceful one. To show that they were above petty violence, and to become a supreme nation thanks to wisdom and economy. It was led by the divine fox-priest She was ancient, that absorbed the fox – that became the base of her body, and nine other intelligent beasts which were manifested by her tails… But, there was another one. The creature born of fear. It knew that crisis like the one that met ancients may re-appear, and they had to be prepared for it as much as possible, that pure wisdom will not help as ancients met their doom even though their civilization was in league of their own. That they have to reach to the roots. It was so obsessed with the idea of being ready and prepared, that it never stopped adapting, absorbing. With time, it became even more… savage in the ways of consuming the essence, that it started to consume it quite literally. He called for strong, and those who yearned to become strong. It demanded all beast-men to march into war against everyone and everything to polish their skills and attributes. Swarm of ferocious beasts led under one banner flooded across the world in a bloody frenzy. They didn’t make settlements, they didn’t grow crops nor raised animals for consumption. They were like a locust, killing and eating everything they saw, and burning everything they couldn’t. Later, it was called First Great Blight…”
Zariel, in the meantime poured himself a glass of water to clear his throat before continuing.
* “Long story short, that creature wasn’t really liked by everyone else, and they gathered together to battle with it. In the final battle of this war, which lasted hundreds of days and hundreds of nights, with no breaks, no resting not even to bury those who have fallen, for eating or treating wounds, the fox-priestess together with heroes of other races killed the first War-caller, later called as Devourer. That was beginning of an era of peace, not for the beast-men thought, they were deemed to be too powerful and dangerous by other races which sign a treaty to never let them rise in power. This is how the mass-slavery of beast-men started. Only fox-priestess and her followers were let to leave in peace, far away in secluded mountains, for she foretold the future – that even though the Devourer was gone, his essence still remained in the world. It merely was forced into slumber until it would find another host. She, herself, bound her soul. She continued her existence, passing her soul from mother to daughter, so if the Devourer would return, she could once again battle it. And as you most likely already joined the threads, the essence of Devourer, three years ago, did indeed find a new host. It found me. I am meant to be a new War Caller. Madness Unbound. Chain breaker. Frenzy Unleashed. Swallower of stars and planets. These are a few of many cute nicknames given to me. This is why I am treated by many beast-men as a god. This is why they have some, let’s call it, expectations, regarding my actions. To them, I am a creature that would end eras of their slavery. That would elect them as the chosen race that would top the world.”
* “T-that’s… ridiculous and cruel…” Blanka whispered
* “Ridiculous? Maybe. Cruel? No. Definitely not to the people that were born as slaves, living as slaves and dying as slaves, knowing that the kids they gave life to will share the same fate. Not to the small traveling tribes forced to run from slave traders, forced to fight one another for access to oasis. To them, not even the death of those who made them live this life will ever be enough. Look at you, you knew that slavery existed here, in Stottegard, but not on such scale, right? How many people live here? Four thousand? Five? How many of them are nobles? Five hundred? How many slaves were here? One to two hundred. It means that if you would go to the noble district you can be sure that every house has a slave or two. That’s the scale of this problem. And all of this in Neira, where slavery is illegal. Cross the southern border and enter the first city – you will see how many of them are out there. Their wrath and anger are justified, I just don’t intend to partake in it.”
He massaged his temple.
* “… So many things constantly happening around me. So much fuss. So many problems. Someone keeps wanting from me something all the time. Mages. Nobles. Merchants. Beastmen. Church’s fanatics. Sometimes… I just don’t want to leave the bed, I would definitely prefer spending the whole day with Giselle in bed, snuggling and doing nothing at all.
* “We can.” Giselle smiled
* “No, we can’t. Not just yet. Not when my stagnation can put you in danger.”
* “I am a big girl, Zari, I can take care of myself.” She said in surprisingly soft tone.
* “Don’t underestimate those who hunt me, love, I would never forgive myself if I would put you in danger.”
* “E-excuse me…” waitress called from the door “… C-could we ask you to leave the inn section? We want to repair it.. .at least a little, before the morning so we could have a place to serve breakfast.”
* “Sure, we will be on our way then, ah, also sorry for.. .all of this.” White-haired magician showed the whole building with his hand
* “Don’t worry, don’t worry, it happens all the time, you at least paid for the damages right away.” Staff worker just waved her hand few times as if saying that nothing happened.
Nothing happened only because Zariel overpaid the damages, so on the whole havoc guild actually earned quite a few coins.
The party moved on the higher floor to their rooms for well-earned rest. Giselle, which usually was the one demanding attention and affection in the form of snuggles and head caressing, was the one that kept comforting her mate. He needed that and even though his mood was still terrible and never stop blaming himself for letting Kim go wild and die, he at least managed to fell into peaceful, dreamless slumber in the warm embrace of his love.
The last thing he saw before he shut his eyes was a loving expression of Giselle and notification:
Digesting of [????] creature completed in 96%