by Pirateaba
“But Klbkch—”
Erin paused and forced herself to go on.
“He was a Senior Guardsman too, wasn’t he? So weren’t Relc and Klb the same level?”
Selys shook her head. She watched glumly as Relc threw an adventurer wearing plate mail into the side of the building and winced as the outside plaster cracked.
“Klbkch was the fourth highest-level guardsman in the city. In terms of strength though, he was probably second to Relc. Look Erin, both had more levels in other classes which is why they’re so tough, understand? But even Klbkch was ten levels behind Relc.”
“Which is a lot, I get it. But how’d Relc get so strong?”
“He was in the army. But he quit to become a guardsman. Thanks to him, we haven’t had to worry about monster attacks for the last four years. I’m not sure why, though. He was famous as a soldier too.”
Gazi shrugged. Her hand covered the pommel of her sword and her eyes defocused for an instant.
“Many have reasons to leave war. I too was a soldier once. As I am sure many know. But I left my position to become an adventurer. It is only worth being a soldier if one has a cause to fight for, a leader to follow, and a reason not to die.”
Both Erin and Selys looked up at her. Gazi smiled at them.
“It is hard to understand, I suppose. But I believe your friend Relc enjoys the quieter moments.”
Erin glanced out the window.
“Even a street-fight against a dozen guys?”
“That is quite restful, compared to war.”
The fight was over. Relc planted his foot over a pile of adventurers and raised his fists into the air like a boxer. The cheer he got from the crowd only served to make him preen even more in the spotlight.
Gazi turned away from the window and nodded at Erin.
“Well, I have not lacked for entertainment since travelling to these lands. I will seek lodgings within the city, then. Good day to you Erin Solstice. We shall meet again.”
Erin raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Oh? You’re so sure?”
Gazi smiled at her without baring her teeth.
“I foresee it.”
The Gazer opened the door and strode out. It was so quick that all the tension she’d brought into the room left it in an instant. Selys breathed out hard as she returned to the counter. She didn’t go behind it, but leaned on it, panting as if winded.
“I can’t believe that just happened.”
One of the adventurers flexed his hand and looked down at it.
“I shook her hand. And when she looked at me—it was like she knew my thoughts.”
“Amazing.”
One of the adventurers agreed. Others nodded their heads.
“What an incredible experience.”
“Eh.”
“Eh?”
Erin shrugged.
“I wasn’t too blown away by her. She’s got that ‘mysterious aura’ vibe going on, but its all because of her eye, right? I remember seeing this street magician – David Blaine. You ever see—?”
Too late she remembered her audience. Selys was giving her an incredulous look along with the other adventurers.
“What?”
Selys shook her head slowly. At this point she wasn’t even that annoyed, just impressed more than anything.
“You are an amazing human, Erin. Does nothing faze you?”
“Lots of things.”
Erin propped her hands on her hips.
“Why are you all so impressed to see her anyways? She said she was a wanderer.”
“Yeah, but to see her so far from her home continent—I suppose she really is done with war.”
The other adventurers agreed. They began talking all at once, arguing, debating in a noisy confused mess.
“I wonder what she’s doing away from her liege…?”
“I hear she goes through continents looking for challenges. But to come this far—is it because of the new ruins?”
“Perhaps, but how’d she get word of them so soon? Unless—do you think she was heading to the northern continents to join in the war as a mercenary—?”
“Doubtful. Adventurers don’t like wars, even the former soldiers. It’d take something truly great to get her to go back to being a soldier. And hey—where’d the human go?”
Everyone looked around. The human, conspicuous because she was a human, was missing. Selys stared towards the door. It swung closed.
“Erin!”
—-
Erin heard Selys call her name, but at that point she was out the door and had no intention of going back in. She appreciated gossip and learning new things as much as anyone, but this wasn’t the time. She was hungry, tired, and sore. And the last thing she wanted to do was have people ask her more questions and stare at her like…like…
Like a human.
They were all over the place. Well, not all over, and in fact there were very few humans in actuality – perhaps one human for every forty nonhumans. But to Erin, seeing one human was enough to make her stop in her tracks.
Two men, a tough-looking adventurer guy in his mid-twenties and a paunchier, richer-dressed merchant were sitting at an outdoor tavern of some kind, talking to each other. Erin wasn’t sure whether to call it a restaurant. She hesitated, and then wandered over, unable to keep away.
“Uh, hi there.”
The adventurer and the merchant looked up. They seemed annoyed to be interrupted, but their expressions cleared as they saw Erin.
“Oh—hello! Can we help you miss?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt. It’s just—I haven’t seen any humans in a while.”
The merchant raised his eyebrows.
“You’re a native here?”
“Something like that. I thought I was the only human around here, but suddenly…here you all are.”
“Ah, we’re part of the expedition to investigate those ruins that just got dug up.”
The adventurer stood up and held out his hands.
“Gabrielle Dermondy, adventurer. Pleased to meet you Miss…?”
“Erin Solstice, um, [Innkeeper]. Mind…mind if I sit?”
“Oh of course.”
The merchant moved his chair and the adventurer pulled one close so Erin could sit down. Before she knew it, the merchant had ordered her a drink and they were talking. At first Erin was surprised, but she fell into the conversation easily. It was just like talking to someone back from her world.
It was so normal Erin could have wept.
The adventurer and merchant had been talking about their grievances with travelling so far to get to Liscor. It seemed everything from wagons breaking down to people getting lost had plagued their caravan, and they’d also found almost all of the inns in the city crowded to the rafters, much to their displeasure.
“It’s nice to know that there are some humans living around here. I’ve been dealing with stubborn Gnolls and haughty Drakes all day.”
The merchant smiled at Erin while he made a face at the non-humans passing by on the street. Erin sipped the lukewarm beverage from her mug and made a polite noise to agree with him. The adventurer nodded, chomping down on a baked potato filled with spices.
“I swear, they’ve raised prices just because they knew we were coming. No love towards us humans, and the local Watch has been picking fights with the adventurers all week. To make matters worse, it seems there’s a human thief that came in with one of the caravans.”
“Really?”
Erin hadn’t heard anything about that. But then she’d been—busy the last few days. The merchant shook his head and made a noise of disgust.
“Of course, it could be a local Drake or Gnoll, but of course we Humans get the blame until the culprit is found. Lousy lizards and their damn suspicions.”
Erin blinked at the merchant, but the adventurer was nodding in agreement. She changed the subject quickly.
“Hey, do you know anything about that new adventurer? Gazi?”
Two blank faces were her answer. Erin tried to elaborate.
“She was getting a lot of attention this morning. She’s um, she looks sort of human, but she’s got one big eye in her head and four small ones…”
“Oh, a Gazer.”
The adventurer shook his head. The merchant leaned forwards and nodded at Erin.
“I heard about that. Apparently, she’s a famed adventurer but—”
He shrugged. Erin stared at him curiously.
“You haven’t heard of her? But everyone was talking about how famous she was.”
Gabrielle the adventurer made a dismissive noise.
“Among non-humans perhaps she’s impressive, but I haven’t heard of her. But enough about that—you’re an [Innkeeper] you said? I haven’t seen your inn in the city, and I’m sure I would have noticed.”
Erin smiled at him. He seemed nice, or maybe she was just giddy from seeing a face not covered in fur or scales in such a long time.
“I have an inn—it’s just a few miles outside the city.”
“Really?”
Both men leaned over the table. The adventurer gave Erin a smile in return.
“If you’ve got room in your inn, I’d be glad to pay for lodging. It’d be a nice change to see some human faces, rather than all the scales and fur around here. Not to mention the smell! All these non-humans really don’t know how to wash properly, do they?”
Erin’s smile froze on her face as she stared at the adventurer. He hadn’t even tried to lower his voice. She sensed rather than saw the other Drakes sitting at nearby tables slowly glance over at her and the other two humans. They didn’t seem to notice.
“Oh. Um, well…I’d love to have you over. But ah—the upper floors are still under repairs I’m afraid.”
Both looked disappointed.
“What was the problem? If it’s simple repairs, I could introduce you to some skilled craftsmen…”
Erin waved her hands quickly.
“No—no need. I’m working on it. It’s just that we had a very bad incident with disappearing skeletons. And—I should get back there to make sure more aren’t missing.”
Hastily, Erin got up and excused herself. The adventurer and merchant bade her farewell and stared after the young woman as she disappeared into the crowd. When she was gone they exchanged a look. The merchant took a long draft from the fresh mug the Drake had served him and grimaced. Like everything in the city, he could swear the ale they served him was the lowest gutter-scrapings.
“Disappearing skeletons…?”
—-
Far below the surface of Liscor, or at least as far as the Antinium were allowed to dig by their contract with the city, the Queen listened to a report. She was not happy.
“Humans in Liscor? They come seeking the ruins, no doubt, to unearth treasures and seek their fortunes.”
The Antinium addressing her bowed his head crisply. He was perfectly balanced upon one knee as he faced his ruler.
“Yes, my Queen.”
She waved a feeler at him.
“Such matters are inconvenient, especially at a time like this. Deal with the Council until I have finished. I must not be disturbed at any cost. To complete the project so quickly necessitates all of my attention. Is that clear?”
“Entirely, my Queen. I will handle all of your affairs with those not of the hive.”
“Good. And investigate the aberration while you are upon the surface. If he is truly free, I would speak to him afterwards. If he is not—”
The Antinium touched the blades at his sides. The soldier Antinium standing guard made no move despite his proximity towards their Queen.
“I will dispose of any Aberrations I find, my Queen. Worry not.”
“I will place my trust in you. Go, then, my Prognugator.”
The Antinium bowed and stood. He whirled, and the twin swords at his waist moved smoothly with him as he walked upwards towards the surface. His Queen’s voice rumbled through the cavernous tunnels after him.
“Go. Ensure humanity does not bring about ruin. Protect the Hive, and carry out my will. Go and do this in my name…”
“Ksmvr.”
1.31
Erin walked down the street, and she felt like sighing. No—she felt like her entire existence was a long, slow sigh.
She was tired. Tired, and weary in her very bones. But more than that, she was just disappointed. And that was the worst feeling of all.
Humans.
She’d missed them. Really, she had. She’d missed her friends and being back in her home. She even missed the way people said hello as you walked into the supermarket. And she’d been missing all of that so hard that she’d forgotten how nasty people could be.
They didn’t like Drakes or Gnolls. Humans. And now that Erin knew that, and heard the way the adventurer and merchant had been talking, she understood why the feeling was mutual.
It was pretty rude to insult an entire species in their own city. Erin wasn’t too sure about much when it came to talking about race, but she was sure of that.
Erin scuffed along Market Street. She wasn’t sure she wanted to buy anything, but she didn’t want to leave the city just yet. Not because she had anything to do here—it was just that the trek back to her inn was too much for her at the moment.
Politeness. It was only right to be polite. And that went double for judging an entire species just because you didn’t like their smell. Sure, Gnolls could be prickly, but they could also be really nice. The same went for Drakes.
“There she is! There’s the thief!”
Then again, there were jerks in every species.
Erin turned around at the voice. It was a familiar voice that set her teeth on edge and made her check her money pouch. Not just because of the thief comment.
Approaching at a high-speed strut down the street was a Drake shopkeeper. Erin’s eyes narrowed as he barged up to her and began shouting.
“I know it was you! You couldn’t resist attacking an honest merchant and you decide to have a bit of revenge, eh?”
“What?”
Erin blinked at the Drake. He was visibly red with rage. He jabbed at her with a finger and she stepped back.
“Enough!”
Another Drake pushed his way through the crowd. This one was a Guardsman, and he was visibly harried. He interposed himself between the shopkeeper and Erin.
“Lism, I’ve told you before. You can’t just start accusing humans at random!”
“Ah, but this one is different!”
Lism the shopkeeper pointed at Erin around the guard and raised his voice so more people could hear.
“This is the human who robbed me of my merchandise! She also cheated at the chess game with my nephew, I’ve no doubt! She’s been nothing but trouble since she entered the city, and now she’s stealing from honest folk trying to make a living!”
What was it about Erin and trouble? It seemed it followed her wherever she went. Erin gritted her teeth.
“I didn’t steal anything. I haven’t even been in the city—”
“Miss, please.”
The guardsman cut her off. He gently moved Lism back.
“I’ll look into your claims sir, but I can’t make any arrests. Unless you have proof—”
“Hey, I said I didn’t steal anything!”
“Hah! Another human lie!”
Lism jabbed a claw at Erin again, despite the guard’s best attempts to move them apart. Now Erin was getting mad. She opened her mouth and clenched her fists.
“I was out of the city all day! I have proof!”
“Well—”
The shopkeeper hesitated, but now he was too far in to back down.
“It could have been her. You know how humans get! They’re always sneaking around, going where they’re not wanted.”
“We’ll investigate your claims. Just please move back—”
“You can’t trust her word! All of these humans have caused nothing but troub
le since they got here! First they start stealing, and then what? They’ll take our jobs, attack us on the streets—”
“Please! Move back!”
The guard finally managed to pull the enraged shopkeeper away from Erin. He struggled and hollered, but eventually he let himself be lead away. He still shot venomous glances over his shoulder at Erin, which she returned in kind.
That was unpleasant. Erin was just about to leave before the jerk came back and shouted some more when the guardsman returned.
“Miss?”
“Oh, hi. Thanks for getting rid of him for me. Was he mad about someone stealing his stuff?”
The Drake nodded. He looked out of sorts and tired.
“There have been a number of petty thefts across the city. Shopkeeper Lism was the latest one to be stolen from.”
“Well…I’m sorry about that. Good luck finding the criminal.”
Erin tried to excuse herself, but the guardsman shook his head.
“I’m sorry Miss, but I’m afraid I’ll have to investigate his claims. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take a statement from you. I’ll also need proof that you were out of the city this morning.”
“What?”
“It’s standard procedure—”
“But I—he—he’s just mad because I beat him at a game of chess! Or—I beat his cousin and—look, I didn’t do anything.”
The guardsman sighed wearily and raised his hands.
“I understand Miss, but I have to investigate all leads. Please, this won’t take too long…”
Erin looked around helplessly. This wasn’t fair. But who could help her? The other Drakes and Gnolls, well, some of them looked indifferent, others even sympathetic. But some of them were eying her. And none of them would help. What could they do?
A lot, if one of the people in the crowd was a certain female Gnoll who pushed her way through the throng and marched up to the guardsman. He visibly wilted as Krshia, shopkeeper, Gnoll, and currently Erin’s number one hero folded her arms.
“What are you doing if may I ask, guardsman? I hear you are taking an innocent human away on the word of a petty shopkeeper. But that would be wrong, yes?”
The guardsman backed up two steps from the angry Gnoll. He wasn’t a small man, but Krshia was big even for a Gnoll, and a few more Gnolls in the crowd were drifting her way.