Earlier.

"Shaula, he's going to get arrested. Someone like him, a prideful person who speaks like that about the city and the country on behalf of demihumans? H-He's going to be grabbed by the guards, interrogated, probably tortured too…"

Angelidis speaks, her voice trembling in anxiety as she pictures how the city guards would try to capture the old draconid. Whenever she thinks about something like that happening to him, she feels a pit of despair in her chest. He reminds her of her father. His mannerisms, his charisma, the natural way he speaks to people…

It’s all familiar.

"..."

Shaula couldn't say anything to refute Angelidis' words. Someone like him is the first to be placed on the chopping block. The guards are still keeping their distance for now, but she has already noticed a few watching him from afar. There seems to already be some guards moving undercover in the crowd as well.

She can tell by the stink of the crimson armor not yet dissipated. They aren’t getting closer to him, they’re just walking around the area and listening to him speak. Their expressions are not hateful or even disdainful, just… professional. Even that crystal mage was facing in his direction earlier…

He was probably annoyed that the old man took focus away from him when he was finishing his art project…

"Shaula… What can we do to protect him?" Angelidis asks, choosing to steel herself for action rather than continuing to worry. Shaula is curious how far Angelidis is willing to go.

Earlier, she wanted to make sure that the guards weren’t provoked into launching violent responses to the crowd. She has experience with them both as a demihuman and someone working in an illegal occupation, being familiar with what will happen to those who get on their bad side. Will she really move against them at risk to herself and her loved ones?

Shaula can’t really want her to be forced to go through that, so she has to verify.

"...Are you willing to fight the city guards on behalf of that man, Jelli? To protect him?"

"I… I know it could cause a backlash, but… well, the more I think about what he said, the more I realize… They, you know, the guards, they escalate their violence when we decide we've had enough of the pain they inflict. I-I can't control how my family, my friends or anyone else reacts to the continuous pain and torment that the Federation and this city puts our kind through.”

Angelidis says her words shakily, but her voice becomes more confident and even the longer she speaks. She continues with no uncertainty.

“It's only natural to fight back when you've had enough of how the city, the entire country, treats you… The guards are only there as a way to stop us from claiming our dignity while the Federation continues to keep us tied down as their faithful workers."

Shaula is impressed by the change she made since her words earlier today. From how she is speaking now, Shaula can tell that she was already on the fence before. Now, she got that little push, a heartfelt speech given by someone she could relate with, to force her to see the truth with her own eyes.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Hmm… So what do you want to do then? Fight back?"

"I… I don't know. I'm just one person, Shaula, I can't hope to win against the city guards by myself. Even with my friends having my back, even with you and Ajax doing all the dirty work. But… I'm not going to try to stop you or Ajax anymore.”

Shaula is surprised. It was what she wanted her to say, but she didn’t expect Angelidis’ concerns to be gone so easily. Angelidis continues.

“I should have thought harder about it when that little girl and her brother were arrested. I really should have realized it then. I always think that… maybe the guards wouldn't go further than this or that. Maybe they would stop by killing just one of us. Maybe they’d stop by arresting just that poor person and no more than that today. It’s like slowly being boiled alive…”

Angelidis grimaces.

“Maybe they won’t arrest more than two kids today. Why would I be thinking that thought instead of ‘maybe I should work to make sure they can never do something that vile ever again instead of continuing to excuse them. Maybe I can take matters into my own hands.’"

Shaula notices Angelidis' eyes well up with tears, but she holds them back.

"They sprayed that… potion or whatever at the crowd. Some kids are going to be traumatized for years, they were literally sprayed with torment. Then they helped those pathetic scumfucks tear down the statue of Gwasila. Once again they built their hate statue, just like they did every month.”

Shaula can feel palpable anger in her voice. She recognizes that anger, it is what she has felt many times on Earth when she was confronted by the absolute power of a corrupt system. Angelidis burns with rage as she speaks.

“I used to think it was lucky when they only killed one or two people at these events. How fucking stupid am I? They will go as far as they need to. They have no conscience, they're nothing but frenzied beasts. All I can ask of you is… if you or Ajax get involved or do something to antagonize them: finish things to their proper end."

Present, an hour prior to sunset.

Shaula thinks about what Angelidis meant by that exactly as she continues walking among the crowds of protesters and march sympathizers. She laughs a bit realizing how much she stopped herself from acting by how Angelidis had pleaded with her initially.

Do I really care so much what she asks of me? When did I behave that way for acquaintances…

Shaula shakes away that line of thinking for now. Regardless, now she has Angelidis’ blessing. Whatever small guilt she would feel by going against Angelidis words is gone. So… What should she do? Currently, she's stuck watching over the old man to prevent the guards from grabbing him while also stopping any violent confrontations as quickly as possible.

But, after the march ends, she has the freedom to act independently…

Should she free the two children who were arrested? They're probably just at the police station right now. If she can figure out which station they went to, maybe she can track their status after the march ends. She can ask them if the guards treated them well and… take things from there…

Should she start tracking the various crimes that the guards commit? How far can she go to satisfy her need to see some pigs fry before they start committing resources to a full scale manhunt for her?

Honestly, if I go after them on a full time basis, won't I eventually have to go after the crime syndicates as well? It would be fair… Well, I can at least deal with those I feel pissed off with right in front of me. I don't think I could memorize all the faces or smells of the guards attending this thing, but–

Suddenly, Shaula notices something. There is a bit of shouting and chanting going on nearby. It almost felt ambient to the crowd, but it's not coming from Maz square exactly. She raises her senses to find its source.

There is some commotion going on a short distance away from the square. She decides to turn her hearing up. She knows that if she pushes “energy” into her hearing, her range can expand. She's tried this before to its limits and felt a sickening feeling when she tried to parse all the sound she was exposed to.

However, she got better at it over time and now she can separate the useless noise from the useful…

Why are there so many people in that area? It feels like a second protest… They’re attacking people!