Shaula considers the people suffering from fire injuries. It isn’t her first time seeing charred bodies, yet she doesn’t wish to turn her attention towards the sight. The sight of their bodies is one that is familiar to her in a bad way.
Her own foster parents had died in this manner. She can still hear their screams being slowly drowned out by the raging flames. The smell of their bodies as they became nothing more than meat. She had spent quite a lot of time dealing with their deaths and the complex feelings associated.
She had even needed to take antidepressants at one point, which she paid for through a part time job during her 11th grade and the first semester of her 12th. Ever since seeing her parents burned to death, burn wounds were hard for her to handle or even look at without becoming queasy.
This is the reason why she never once tried to burn anyone using her impressive heat, even those who might deserve such treatment.
Her jaw clenches as she considers the devastation that she had underestimated earlier. She can hear the healers nearby talk about how many people they are able to treat and the many others who already died in a location up the side street that she cannot clearly observe.
These people here must have been close to the fire that created that cloud of smoke. Who made that fire happen? Does it have anything to do with why Ajax… Fuck… What is going on over there?
Shaula would like to explore the trouble there on her own terms, to see if there is anything she can do to help. Especially if Ajax is working alone to deal with this situation. Barden and his entourage wanted to act as well, but the burn victims here were already being dealt with by the human healers and a few armored guards directing things.
It was already understood that most of the burn victims were human supremacists. In the worst case, if they approach these people, the human medics might try to force them away or attack them. Human supremacists would never accept healing by demihumans either so the ones who remained conscious would undoubtedly become belligerent if approached by Barden and friends.
But, Shaula did not have to worry about any of that. The moment of truth has already come.
She can tell by the movement of the undercovers in the crowd that the guards are perhaps a few minutes away from invading the crowd with both their armored officers and their undercovers. The undercovers have stopped trying to move closer to Barden. Shaula wonders what exactly they’re going to attempt or if they’re just going to beat their way through the crowd.
“…Jelli, we need to talk to Prisca. Right now.” Her tone is stiff.
Angelidis lets go of Shaula, her eyebrows raised in surprise, her slit pupils returning circular.
“What’s… what’s going on?” Her fists clench as she wonders whether she’ll have to use them for battle within the next few minutes. Shaula answers her calmly, trying not to draw undue attention or panic from the “pro-Barden” crowd around the two of them.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“The undercovers seem like they’re ready to do something. In the worst case scenario, I’ll have to actually pick Barden up and run away from all this. Assuming he’d even be ok with leaving his people behind here… Either way… there’s about to be some violence.”
Angelidis laughs a little to herself as she pictures Shaula carrying the tall draconid man in her arms.
“He may seem old, Shaula, but I don’t think you’ll have to carry him off? Draconids even at his age have plenty of strength in them, you know?”
Shaula smiles, holding back a chuckle.
“…Well, Jelli, I can run pretty fast, and it’d be easier to run at my top speed while carrying him than if he followed behind me on his own feet.”
Angelidis expression tenses and she wears a thin smile on her face.
“Hold on… Shaula, are you… really faster than Spark?” Angelidis’ voice becomes shaky as the speed of her beloved pet miella comes under scrutiny once again.
When Dzan had first made the comparison between Ajax and Shaula’s speed and the pace of her own swift companion, she had not taken him seriously. He was obviously trying to play off his humiliation while telling his version of events. She had not needed to fear a challenge from Shaula. Though now…
She shakes such thoughts out of her head.
“Another time. Let’s just go talk to Prisca. We aren’t through with this yet though, Shaula…” Angelidis grins in a slightly scary manner while Shaula tries her best to ignore the face she’s wearing.
The two of them move towards Prisca and this time Barden as well. Barden has not yet been introduced to Shaula, though he already has an idea of who and what she truly is. He simply doesn’t know whether she is on his side or has her own agenda.
If she actually is the noblewoman who destroyed the statue, he is more inclined to believe that she has her own plans in mind for him and his beloved Prisca. However, it would be best to treat her with respect at this point regardless of her ultimate motive. She is likely the most dangerous person here, even more dangerous than all of the guards in the area combined.
He doesn’t want to show that he’s a pushover, a sycophant or just plain stupid. He clears his throat.
“Ahem. Hello, young lady. My name is Barden. Who might you be?” Barden asks with a warm smile.
He is of the assumption that she would at least assume that he would put two and two together and realize that she is the woman who fought the crystal mage.
Yet, Shaula isn’t thinking that deeply about how she displayed her power earlier. She is slightly oblivious as she is only considering the guards and their plans. But, she can still hear his heart rate. Though it is naturally slower than that of an average man due to his age, she can tell that he is tense.
“Hello, sir. My name is Shaula. I wanted to warn you and Prisca about something that I’m sure you’re already aware of.”
“Oh? What might that be?” One of his eyebrows is raised.
She seems to be offering him a warning. This implies that he or perhaps Prisca has some importance to her, more than just political. His eyes glance at the face of the young draconid woman, Angelidis. Why is the noblewoman around her as well? The draconid woman doesn’t seem to have social presence within the Tritol community, Barden would know her by now otherwise.
He considers the fetishes and depravity that nobles have access to, that they seek in order to enhance their empty lives. Is she after demihumans like him or Prisca to use for her own sexual or violent desires? The reason might not need to be “depraved” necessarily. Does she just view the demihumans around her as an interesting type of animal that she could make a pet?
Barden can only feel more and more concerned as Shaula speaks.