All he had seen of Liall since he arrived were the nicer parts of it. He hadn’t gotten the chance to wander into the more downtrodden parts which felt different than the areas he had experienced.
Lar walked ahead of him in the slums that appeared noticeably dirtier along with its people. Even with the city on lockdown, this crowd didn’t care at all. They all were willing to stand outside and ignore it.
One fellow who had just a couple of teeth in his mouth spit towards them as they walked on by. “Are you sure this is the right area?” he said towards Lar telepathically.
“Yes and this is exactly the sort of environment we want to be at. That queen and her most loyal servants avoid these parts of Liall. If we want to be able to lay low and not be running around constantly this is exactly where we want to be.” It was better than the places outside of Liall, but it was a noticeable downgrade from where The Drunken Pony had been located at or the areas around there.
Some stranger ended up bumping into him. “Watch where yer goin’ pal!” The angry man had willingly run into him and he dared to act none the wiser. The man walked on making him question why they hadn’t put more effort into avoiding bumping into him.
By never wandering through parts like this, he had taken on a distorted view of Liall. Now that he had gotten a little taste of the slums, he clearly saw the disparity. It smelled worse and people also freely relieved themselves out in the open uncaring that people might see.
They neared a two-story building that looked like it was ready to tip over if a harsh enough wind blew on through. Its roof was badly damaged with holes in it. An entire wall on its left side was even missing.
“This is it?”
“Yep! There are good people here that I’d like you to meet. I think you’ll end up liking them.”
They headed towards the right side of the tilted structure with a bunch of stairs going down its side. It became clear that this building had a wonderful view behind it.
There was a graveyard that was full of dug-up graves and crows having a grand ol’ time on the multitude of depraved trees. Some people slept out in the graveyard and one little lady hugging onto a gravestone as she had fallen asleep with her mouth open. What a wonderful sight to bear witness to.
Once they reached the bottom of the stairs they took a turn and Lar led him into the dilapidated squarish structure. A man with half of their hair recently cut on one side had the tip of a sword digging into a worn wooden floor as they sharpened it. They didn’t exactly regard him kindly when he eyed them so he averted his gaze almost immediately.
“Hey,” Lar said towards them, “is Hoghdar here?” Lar’s question didn’t receive any response. “Um, I guess that’s a no?”
“He’s out workin’,” the half-shaved-headed fellow muttered aloud.
“When’s he going to be back?”
“He should come by sometime tomorrow.”
“Well, alright then. Are you willing to wait around for at least a day?” she said looking up at him.
He ended up sighing. What other choice do we have? We’re being hunted down and in a city like this, we have to make friends who can keep us protected. “I guess so.”
“You mind if we hang out here?”
“I won’t stop you,” the half-shaved-headed fellow said.
Lar smiled and tapped her paws against the worn wooden floor. I hope she knows what she’s doing. We need people who we can depend on but if we associate with the wrong people, things may only get worse for us.
Judging by the looks of this place, he felt somewhat skeptical about forming connections with people working out of a place like this. But so far Lar had led him down a decent path since they bound their souls together. He’d probably be long dead without her so he was willing to see out her plan.
He took a seat on a barrel that was put up against a wall. He crossed one leg over the other and made a friendly gesture towards the sword-sharpening fellow.
“So then, what’s your name and what exactly do you do around here?” he said kindly to spark a conversation.
“What’s it to you?”
“Just curious.”
“Why are you so curious about what I do?” His tone came across as a bit antagonistic.
Lar went over to the guy and rubbed their paw against their leg. “He’s a friend of mine. You don’t have to worry about his intentions.”
Their questioning eyes lifted off from Lar and to his. “It’s Gerald.”
“Nice to meet you Gerald.”
He continued to sharpen the blade from top to bottom. “So what’s your name then since you’re asking about mine.”
“I don’t have a name currently.”
“You don’t have a name?” They clicked their tongue and stood up. “Honestly, that’s not a bad idea if your goal is to stay relatively unknown.” They went over and leaned the sword they had been sharpening against the wall only to grab another and begin sharpening it.
“I’m guessing you deal with weapons in particular?”
“That and among many other things. I’m certainly no blacksmith, but I know where to find good arms if you need em’. The fact is, none of us have a fighting chance out there if we’re not properly armed so that’s one of my jobs is to procure and maintain gear so that it’s in suitable condition.”
Maybe a guy like this could supply him with a sword. He felt practically useless when fighting those knights yesterday without one. Apparently however, carrying around weapons in the city was strictly forbidden except for guards and people granted that most coveted privilege. The people out in the slums of Liall didn’t mind, however. They carried weapons and did so openly without a care. But it also meant that if the queen or her people wanted to, they could come through and nab anyone openly carrying a weapon and they’d be justified under their system of laws.
He had been distracted talking to Gerald and examining the weapons he sharpened only for a young woman with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail to begin approaching him while smiling. “Heya,” she said with a giggle. Her choice of attire said to him that she enjoyed wearing more revealing clothes. She wore a pair of pants cut way above her knees and a shirt that exposed her belly and shoulders. “Oh, are you Lar’s friend by chance?”
“I am.”
She squealed and got all excited for some reason. “Lar’s told me so much about you. Heya there buddy, why don’t you let me hold you?” She directed her attention towards Lar who happily did as she requested. She held Lar in her arms almost like a baby and ran her hand across her white fur. “I was wondering whether I’d ever get to meet you. I must say that as far as I’m concerned, anyone who’s a friend to Lar is a friend of mine as well!”
Being a friend with her comes easy then. “That makes us friends then I guess.”
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“It sure does! Unless…of course, you don’t want to be friends with me.” All of a sudden her face and tone got real serious.
“Not at all. We can be friends.”
She sat down with Lar and then gave him a big hug. “We’re going to be the best of friends I promise you!”
What have I gotten myself into? She was almost overwhelmingly nice instantaneously but at the same time, her antics were arguably overly boisterous and obnoxious.
“So what brings you here?” she asked.
“It appears Lar wants to introduce me to you all and particularly a man known as Hoghdar.”
“Oh really? How swell. He’s not going to be back for a day or so though so you’ll have to wait.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
“But if you’re going to stay around here then that just means I can have more time to get to know you.”
“It sure does.” He eyed his cat companion who had a silly look on her face. He directed his thoughts towards her. “What have you gotten me into!”
“Ow! What did I tell you about yelling whenever we communicate telepathically?”
“Sorry,” he replied telepathically. “But I’ll ask again, what kind of trouble have you gotten me into?
“What could you ever mean?”
The blonde-haired lady scratched her head confused why neither of them spoke aloud while he and Lar stared at each other intensely.
“You know what I mean,” he replied.
He could hear her laughing inside his head and then for one reason or another, the woman began sitting on his left crossed leg and then put her right arm over his nape allowing him to have her in his lap all to himself and her mouth close to his left ear. “Say, you’re pretty cute you know. I bet you get all the ladies, don’t you?”
A flash of heat suddenly rushed to his head. “Not all that many if you can believe it.”
She poked his nose. “You don’t have to lie to me. You must have every lady in Liall swarming you the moment they see you. Oh and by the way, before I forget to tell you, I’m Juna.”
He felt the heat from her arm stretched out along the backside of his neck as she sat in his lap still. I’m going to have to be careful with this woman, aren’t I?
He thought that he was about to have quite the time of his life with Juna over the rest of the day. And Lar was likely going to have a good laugh the entire time as well at his expense.
I can survive this. I’ve survived a lot worse than this.
After surviving an entire day with Juna and her antics, he found himself awakened as someone jabbed their foot into his side.
“It’s time to wake up,” Gerald said as he stared down at him. “Hoghdar’s here and ready to talk to you.”
Lar was on his stomach soundly asleep somehow. He poked her in the gut only for her to snarl at him.
He waltzed on up as Lar looked at him disapprovingly. He let out a yawn, made sure to stretch out those arms of his, and then go into a small room with the apparent Hoghdar inside.
Unlike the rest of the people residing in this place, he appeared quite different. He kept his brown hair short and kept it well-groomed. He had a clean-shaved face and a wide jaw. He wore plain clothes but kept them clean. Wearing a set of truly clean and somewhat high-class clothes in this part of Liall was a rarity by his estimation.
“I’ve heard a bit about you.” He accepted the man’s hand and gave it a good stern shake. “I’m Hoghdar. Please, take a seat.” As he sat down he found himself yawning yet again. He was barely awake and had to meet with this person right at the start of his day. He was not in the best state of mind after a full day of wandering around with Juna constantly probing him for information and laughs. “What can I do for you two?”
Lar jumped up onto the chair towards his right and changed into her human form. Of course, she was naked which for whatever reason, did not make the big burly man Hoghdar react in any meaningful manner.
“We’re looking to join your coalition,” Lar said. “Maybe even get our hands dirty if you’d take us in.”
Hoghdar leaned back in his chair and held up his hands to his chin. “I see. What has prompted this sudden decision if I may ask?”
“Well,” Lar said regretfully biting their lower lip just a slight bit. “We…might’ve gotten the attention of the wrong kind of people.”
“You mean our dearest, loving Queen, Luvia Aenveld?”
“You got it,” Lar said.
He nodded his head. “I ask because I get the feeling our nameless one here isn’t all that aware of who I am or what group I’m part of.”
“Correct. I don’t know a single thing,” he replied plainly.
“You didn’t think to tell him before coming here?”
Lar shrugged her shoulders. “If I started answering every question he has for me, I’d be spending the rest of my life answering him. I prefer for him to learn things organically.”
Hoghdar turned his attention towards him. “You put up with this?”
“Unfortunately yes. I have spent many months with this devious familiar only for them to every now and then inform me on things.”
“I’ve known plenty of devious familiars before, but you’re a particularly devious one aren’t you?”
“Look at it from my perspective,” Lar said. “This fellow lost every single one of his memories. You expect me to tell him all the knowledge I’ve accumulated for my entire life?”
“I think you’re over thinking this. But rather than continuing to argue over this meandering point, let us get straight to business, shall we?”
“I would prefer that yes,” Lar stated firmly with a naked leg crossed over the other and their arms crossed as well. He thought it strange that she wouldn’t at the very least cover herself up. Then again, she was always naked in her cat form so it wasn’t unusual for her technically speaking to be naked all the time.
“Well then, let me explain to you, particularly about who we are and who exactly I am,” he said more directly focused on himself. “I am, to be more specific, one of several faction leaders within a unified coalition known simply as the Human Familiar Coalition. We are one of the few coalitions or organizations within this domain that desires to unite humanity and familiars as it ought to be.”
“No wonder Lar came to you.”
He nodded his head in agreement. “Lar is one of many familiars in Liall. We are willing to protect her and even protect you, so long as you join of course.”
“No protection for us, unless we join?”
“I’m afraid that is the case. We cannot afford to spread out our resources for those who aren’t willing to give something in return.”
“Do you have the resources to truly keep Lar and myself protected? This queen of ours seems like she has a lot of power judging by what little I know of her. What state is this coalition of yours in to guarantee our safety?”
“I wish we could make guarantees but I cannot say that without lying to your face. Truthfully speaking, all we can do is assist and ensure better odds. We make no claim to ensure you won’t come across trouble or even die from those who would see us purged. We merely offer assurances that we will have your back the same way you’re expected to have ours during times of need. We have a vast support network all across this city with deep connections to powerful people. You won’t get better protection than what we have to offer. I do, however, understand having doubts about your safety. At the end of the day, we are all threatened by Queen Luvia Aenveld’s existence.”
He and Lar met eyes. “Listen, we don’t have many choices available to us. They’re willing to give us the help and protection we need and I say we take it.”
“What exactly are we expected to do if we both join?”
“Not much at first. Both of you will need a bit of training and then we’ll be able to see where you best fit.”
“Training? What kind of training exactly do you have in mind?”
“Whatever you can think of. We provide our members with whatever training they are best suited for. And once we feel like you’re ready enough, that’s when we’ll begin handing you some tasks to carry out in the city. We need fighters and the two of you appear to be acclimated towards that direction. Otherwise, you could act as messengers or take on some other non-intensive role.”
“I’m just not sure,” he said. “I’m not looking to get too involved with things I don’t know all that much about.”
“What, don’t give me that,” Lar said. “You’ve already been making big decisions without knowing the full story.”
“Whatever you decide, you may take your time,” Hoghdar went on to say, “You’ll have our protection for now, but if you ultimately decide to not join, then I’m afraid you must go.”
“I’ll be thinking about it and let you know what I decide. Come on Lar.”