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Some of them can’t stand the idea of humans earning an equal footing in their society. It boggles their minds. They’re so consumed with their own superiority that they forget the world isn’t theirs to own. Humans are here, too, and we have just as much ambition and drive to succeed. Perhaps even more.
Once I get my wings, I’m going to make Zathex regret everything he’s done to me. All the uncomfortable stares, the inappropriate comments, the disgusting advances he’s made on me. The number of times I’ve daydreamed about grabbing a sparring blade and driving it through one of his eyes can’t be healthy.
But how could anyone blame me if they knew the things I’ve gone through under his supervision?
Suddenly, a noise catches me off guard. I whip around, searching for the nonexistent weapon that was once in my pockets. Fear clutches my heart once again.
“Who’s there?” I yell out into the open air. My voice echoes across the clearing, bouncing between the solemn trees.
The paranoia is starting to get to me, I’m sure. I’m hearing things that aren’t actually there. With nightfall coming, my eyes are playing more tricks on me than usual.
I need to get home.
As I turn around and start walking again, the fear doesn’t dissipate. It amplifies. My body knows something’s wrong, but I can’t figure out what.
A lightning bolt of pain explodes across my body, originating from the back of my head. I cry out, but my body goes slack and I still don’t understand what’s happening. My knees buckle, sending me to the ground in a heap.
No, no, get up! You can’t go down like this!
All the screaming in my mind does nothing. My body’s gone numb. My vision goes black. There’s nothing I can do but pray that I’ll get to see my father’s face again.
So this is it? This is the end?
Death has me in its clutches, I’m sure of it. But I always figured I’d have a different sort of death. Not like this. Not alone, scared, and vulnerable in the middle of an empty road on my way home.
But life isn’t fair. Another reminder of the cruel lesson.
4
KAZRITH
“One pint of auralos, please.”
The barkeep offers me a raised eyebrow in return. Her stiff posture and furled wings remind me of what kind of creature I’m dealing with.
Yeah. Xaphans never did know how to have a good time.
Sitting on the stool and avoiding stray glances, I take in the roaring fire, trying to avoid glaring out the window at the bright, oppressive sun. This city has a glimmer that agitates me, its golden bridges and arches nearly blinding me as the sunlight beams off of them.
Everybody here is quick to remind you how much they have, and to try to make a nodal off your blind trust. There’s something deeply predatory about this ‘perfect’ realm and its insistence on commercializing everything.
“Here you go,” the barkeep says, sliding me the mug with a hint of venom in her voice. “Drink up.”
I barely catch it in time, avoiding a shattering humiliation with my quick reflexes. But rather than conveying my frustration, I offer a polite grin, not about to be the demon she expects me to be.
Though, she’s certainly asking for a slash or two across the face for the disrespect.
But as quaint as this city is, I can’t help but admire it. As ostentatious as it might seem to many, New Solas is a testament to ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and ambition. If it weren’t for the terrible folk here, it might actually be a haven.
I lift the mug, inhaling the bubbly liquid. A sweetness follows every pop and fizz, the golden liquor masking its toxicity with an almost overbearing pleasure.
It’s a bit like the beings here. Overly sweet on the surface, concealing venom in the shadows and corners where you don’t dare look. Hidden on the tidy, perfectly kept wooden floor, I can see dust and droppings in the corners of this bar where nobody glances.
At least back home, I knew where I stood with people. It was out in the open.
“This bar’s a shithole.”
Vrask is not subtle as he sits down beside me, his tentacles retracting into his legs. To the people of New Solas, I am a thousand times more unwelcome than the cecaelia sitting down beside me, and they make a point to remind me of that fact.
