Following the scent, Urk made his way to the slums and into the group of Munst waiting for their assignments, trailing through until he found the mantis creature. They were handing out the white substance to their small group. None did more than give Urk a passing glance.

“ money?” That caught their attention, and they all frowned at him. All four figures easily towered over Urk, and if one based strength on physical appearance alone, then Urk was clearly at a disadvantage. The collars might have lowered their strength, but Kobolds were only strong in number, or with a dragon’s backing.

“” They all laughed, and one lightly pushed against Urk. There was a moment of puzzled confusion as he didn’t budge from the light movement. The air changed slightly. It shifted into a more cautious atmosphere.

“” Pulling out a small bar, Urk unfolded it into a screen and brought up their record with a quick search through the database using their picture.

“” The mantis rose and laughed as he moved to stand above Urk. Looking up, Urk stared at him from under the bridge of his custom made hat. That tailor lady was going to squeal at him again if his clothes got torn. Annoyance filled his form, and his tail lashed.

“ illegal ” Pulling out his badge, Urk waited as the figure laughed before slipping it away. The scents in the air shifted again, a difference that told Urk what he’d known would happen.

“” The mantis lifted Urk up and moved to slam him into the ground. But with a twist of his head, Urk simply slipped out to stand on top of the hand as it made impact. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he took on a defensive stance.

Each one leapt at him in turns, aiming to use the opening provided by the other. Not a single attack landed as he slipped through them and then up into the air, landing above as he moved a claw to his neck and twisted a small dial. A crackle of energy passed briefly over his form, and he narrowed his gaze.

“You’re under arrest.” With a flash of movement, he brought his hand toward each of their necks one by one. The static charge travelled from his hand and into their collars, where the shock soon moved to paralyse all four of them. Slowing to a stop, he turned and moved to shackle them up.

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Once all four were immobilised, Urk reached up and turned the dial on his collar down. The four immediately began to struggle against their bindings. Looking down at them, Urk hesitated. He knew that these four would be kicked out over this, even without fully understanding the force he’d been given due to his new job.

Fortunately for Urk, Jones arrived a moment later with the human perp. A car pulled up to pick up the four Munst as it left a moment later. Moving over to the kobold, Jones placed a hand on Urk’s shoulder.

“First time is always the hardest. You wonder ‘did I make the right decision’ and question who you are allied to. But never forget, if you hadn’t stopped them here, they would have become slaves to that drug. You protected them from becoming pawns of Blackke.” The words provided some solace, but Jones could tell the conversation wasn’t over.

“Are we not just pawns either way? Serving a system that was never made for us?” Looking up to the officer, Urk sought answers and found none. The hand was removed, and Jones moved back toward his bike. A moment later, Urk would move to sit down behind him quietly.

“I guess that’s a pessimistic way of looking at things, but not untrue. While this system wasn’t made for you, we want you to be a part of it.” The motorbike started, and they were soon sailing off back toward the station.

“The law isn’t perfect. It has flaws, it can be unfair, or abused. But that’s why we have to fight for it. With each day, we get closer to a fair world. And part of that is this immigration. That’s how I see it.” The wind whipped by them as Jones spoke softly. Urk heard every word, of course.

“Think of it this way. Your parents teach you what they know. You teach your kids what you know. That knowledge might be better or worse depending on how you lived. But you passed it on. The law is the same, ever-evolving.” Glancing back, Jones cracked a smile. They parked and began to head into the building, but Urk was no longer paying attention.

The law could be imperfect? Did that apply to the too? A frown remained on his face as he sat down in a chair. His mind dwelled on what he knew of dragons, of the . Mistakes, Mylord had made mistakes. Like that time he’d eaten too much. And the were made by dragons.

Leaning on his desk, Urk closed his eyes, thinking on how both humans and dragons had made . A strange coincidence and something that spun around his mind. Why did humans make laws? To bring order to their lives. To control the more unruly elements. Laws were made to protect.

“” A soft growl left Urk as he grabbed his head and kicked his feet in a moment of aggravation. Such thoughts were not ones he should dwell on. Munst were made to follow the . Humans could break them, but had their own laws. It was a circle of contradictions and he was only a kobold. The paper stuck more and more to his face as he slumped on the desk.

“” Home was far less complicated than these human problems.