The fire pit crackled and creaked. From the flames, shadows and light dance on the wall. The two occupants stared at each other while Neal prepared to tell this story. They were not friends. In fact, both seem to just barely tolerate each other.

With a deep breath, Neil began to explain why he chose the guard.

It’s was the middle of the winter. A few months ago. Luna saw that I was depressed and had been trying to cheer me up. We went to see a play in the large playhouse, just northeast of the market district. The one near Guardian Park. The play was, nothing special, something about the gods and their gift of winter as a time to rest.

The winter illuminous, you mean.

Yeah, that’s it. Anyway, it was a fun play, but I felt so out of place. It felt like people were staring at me more than the play. At that point I didn’t really get how much this place hates humans, so it felt, odd. I was the only human there too so, I guess it made some sense, but I figured I was just a rarity.

When the play was over, Luna wanted me to come back to the castle for the feast they had, but Coruscis was there and was being clinging, I just didn’t want to deal with her. I ended up going for a walk instead. It was cold, there was a lot of snow. I considered just going back to the apartment I recently got, but I heard something in the distance. It was just noise, but very familiar.

Wandering around I found the park that I wasn’t technically allowed in. I saw a group of guards, I don’t even remember what branch they were with, but they were just marching. I’m pretty sure it was a punishment, but it reminded me of what I had back on earth. Probably sounds insane, certainly masochistic. But maybe that's what I was missing here.

I went back to the princess; she was happy to see me at the feast until I told her I wanted to join the guard.

She shook her head; in that way she does when flustered. It was cute, but also not what I wanted to hear. “No, that’s not a good idea Neal.”

“But why not?” I practically begged.

Her face had dropped and, well, I could see she didn’t want to answer me. “Look, it’s just not. If you want something to do you can help Coruscis, she could really use an assistant.”

“Luna, for last time I don’t want to deal with the rabbit. I don’t want to help her, I don’t want to talk to her, I don’t want to see her and I don’t want to forgive her.” I almost shouted those words I was so frustrated and tired of hearing about that stupid rabbit.

You know, Luna was kind of cute when she pouted and said “Neal, that’s not fair.”

“I don’t care. She ruined my life; this might be a way to get some semblance of normalcy back.”

“It’s just not a good idea, your…” I remember she struggled to say these words. I think I knew what she actually was going to say, what she wanted to say.

“What not from this world?”

Luna had paused and I remember she looked like she didn’t know what to say. Perhaps, it wasn’t that I was from another world, but because I was human. “It’s not a good idea Neal and I can’t support this.”

I suppose Lumins could tell her sister was upset, because she came over. As radiant as she was, it also detracted from talking with her sister, until she started backing me. “Can’t support what?”

“Sister, Neal wants to join the guard. I don’t think-“

Of course, her sister interrupted her. “That’s a wonderful idea!”

“Sister, you can’t be serious?”

“I am Luna. If Neal wants to be part of the guard we should give him the chance. There aren’t enough humans in the guard as it is. Having Neal might defuse some of the tension we’ve been feeling in the human quarters recently.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Luma, he is not your pawn. Please don’t-“

“Luna, I appreciate you. But this my call as queen.” She turned to stare at me, that spell she casts around her, that cause her to glow she dialed it up to eleven when she said, “Neal. You should take the guard test. Know that I and my sister will support you.”

After that, I took the guard aptitude test. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’m pretty sure I failed everything. Yet, a month later I got the notice I was accepted into the Lunar Guard to report the first of February. Princess Luna or the Queen must have pushed my application through. No way I’d be here otherwise.

Neal paused from his story telling. Squishing the letter he had hastily scrawled the night before in his hand. Opening it, the words were barely legible. He still wasn’t quite up the task of writing in this world’s unique alphabet. It was short, little more than, ‘I resigned my commission.’

“Originally I was going to give this to Sable, but I think you’re the one that actually acts on it. And to be blunt about it, I didn’t really want to see him again.”

He handed the letter to the old bat. For a moment, the old creature studied the paper in the humans hands. A hint of fear, distrust and uncertainty crept across his scared body as he reached a hand out to grab the paper. During the game Neal had noticed just how scared his hands were, but actually seeing them grab the letter with a shaky motion, they were covered in them. Mostly old burns, bad cuts, and scrapes. The lack of a claw at the end of his index finger showed that half of it that was missing.

Without warning, the slow hand turned quick and snatched the letter. He pulled a set of pocket spectacles out before trying to read the letter. He was an odd creature. As if he hid such a mundane aspect of himself, a minor flaw from his enemies. It spoke to both his cunning and paranoia.

After reading the letter, he took his spectacles off and hid them once more. The crackling of fire could be heard in the space as the both sat in silence. Shadows and ghosts watched the two, waiting to see the next move they played.

“The princess didn’t want you in the guard.” The bat said coldly.

Neil didn't laugh, He just looked down on the floor and said, “Yeah, I know. She still pushed.”

“No, she didn’t. Neither did the Queen.”

“I don’t understand? Even if it’s true what does it matter?”

“Neal, you are a human. In truth, a particularly uninteresting one to most. No guard wanted your application. No general would take it, and it was going to be discarded. However, the Generals meet quarterly to decide on various unimportant matters. Your application was brought before us because of your connection with the princess. As a joke, general Arvis of the High Guard presented it to me, knowing my distaste for humans. Neither he, nor anyone there expected me to agree.”

It was a shock and Neal didn't really know how to feel. It took his mind a moment to gather its own thoughts. “So you’re why I’m here. But, why? You said, you don’t even like humans.”

“No. I don’t.” Again, his voice was full of venom.

“So then why?” Neal just couldn't understand.

Waving a hand over the board, the general declared. “This game. You lost.”

“Yeah, I know I did. But what does-”

The general pushed his hand back onto the table. “But the way you lost, what you saw. There was no doubt about my victory when we started, no one beats me at this. Yet more than once, I had to reevaluate my strategy with you. That never happens. You see things that others don’t.” The bat paused and rubbed at some of his scars. It looked like he was in pain. “I have great fears that something is coming, something terrible, and vicious. Creatures that roam the night are growing more active. I think they’re searching for something.”

The message was cryptic, and to be blunt about it, Neil's head was starting to hurt again. “What does that mean? And what does that have to do with me?”

“To both questions, I don’t know. Just suffice it to say, I want my options open. You being here gives me options I didn’t have before.” He crumpled the note and threw it on the fire.

The vet stood up from a seat and stared down at the human. “Recruit Neal. I will not accept your resignation today. You will give it another go. Sabel will be giving you orders, normal orders, going forward. You will be a full guardsman in four months.”

“Sir that’s-“The bat would not let him finish.

He squinted and tilted his head slightly. “I’m not being nice. I want to use you, abuse you, and take from you everything I can to protect the Princess, the Queen, and all of Illania. And you will give that to me, you will give that to Illania, because I can see in your eyes that is what you are. A warrior, a fighter, a human.”

“Sir…”

The subtlest of smirks crossed the bats face. This was the finishing move. He had won this battle and knew it. “If I’m wrong, stop showing up and collect your coin. Prove Sabel right.”

The bat turned and walked away, back to the warm shadows near the fire pit. It was hard to tell, but there was a well-hidden but clear limp in the bat’s procession. The scars ran down the length of his body, even from behind. Burns, cuts, grafted skin that replaced fur. In the peaceful world of Illania, what horrors had he seen?

Neal stood up, almost afraid to turn his back on the other predator in the room. As he left, his mind was filled with new thoughts and questions.

“Things can never be easy, can they?” Neal asked himself as he closed the door behind him.

What was I supposed to do, just show back up now? You want to bash his head into the wall.

“Have a good day, Sir.” The dark elf sitting at the desk smiled back at him and nodded. It was hard not to smile back. Even though he tried.

Walking off down the hallway, he rubbed the back of his head. This was going to be so awkward.