Korne's bar. Honestly, I wish I never had a reason to return here. It was his home turf, meaning anything could work in his favor for the sake of tormenting me. That thought made my skin crawl as I rested my hands on the door, with the twin moons' light gleaming, only to be outshone by the street lamps that illuminated the path.
I put on a brave face, trying to push the door. It felt heavy, even though I knew it wasn't. The memory of being drugged and the painful searing from the green speck left me scarred. Then with a deep breath, I pushed open the door.
Dim lights filled the bar. The sweet aroma, laced with the sharp scent of alcohol, filled my nostrils. I felt like I could get drunk off the smell alone as I walked into the bar, letting the doors close behind me. Dirty tables were scattered throughout as if Korne had just finished a busy night. In the center of the room was a large party of elves, drunk, sharing boisterously their stories of the war, the same war that I fought on the opposite side of. They cheered after each story of how they killed my comrades, who served as nothing more than a distraction for my squad to do their work.
I walked past them, hiding my face and the bitter taste of rage. There was no reason for me to get mad. The humans cast me aside, so their deaths should mean nothing to me. Yet my heart still feels the rage of knowing that someone is celebrating their deaths with liquid courage to drown them.
"Oi lad, fancy seeing you here." Korne, dressed in his work clothes stained with dark liquid spots, looked at me with a smile. Of course, as always, that smile was devoid of anything that could be seen as friendly. Just a creepy grin he favored towards me. His eyes shone in the dim light, and his long, pointed ears rose ever so slightly. He clearly was not very surprised by my sudden appearance. It was almost as if he expected me to be here, contrary to the words he spoke.
"Hey," I said with a flat tone as he passed me a glass of water. The small cubes of ice glisten as condensation forms on the other side of the glass.
I cut to the chase as he prepared a round of drinks for the drunken elves. I explained why I was here. He listened dutifully, working as if this was just part of the job.
Earlier that night, after my bath, I returned to my room. Instead of Poppy, I had found a small note with elven scrips nearly written onto it. Of course, I did not know what they meant, so I turned to the books and my notes that I had taken earlier that day. I wrote some basic words in my language and paired them with the elven language, as being able to speak all languages nullifies the effect of practicing how they are spoken. Once I found the match, I learned that the note was written with a single word: "Idiot." I contemplated what I should do, which ultimately led me to Korne's bar.
As I finished up retelling the events that led me to him. He finished pouring a glass of dark liquor that reached the rim of the glass. Small bubbles rose to the top as he moved them one by one onto a large serving tray.
"So, let me get this straight." He stopped and looked at me, his signature grin fading for just a moment before returning creepier than before. "Instead of looking for her, like any normal man would, you decided to come here and vent?"
How Korne came to this conclusion, I would never know, but I get the feeling that he's only speaking to taunt me at this point.
He grabbed the serving tray and looked me in the eye. "Look, I'm flattered, but I'm not into guys nor taboo-breaking relationships between species like Poppy." He took the tray to the table, and a roar of cheers came from the drunken elves. Korne returned with a set of empty glasses and began to clean them.
"Can you be serious for once?" I barked at him.
"I would if you hadn't omitted a lot of details from your story just now." He said in a tone that mimicked a parent scolding a child.
"What do you mean by that?" I lied. Of course, I omitted what happened during training as I felt it was unnecessary to the fact that Poppy disappeared.
Korne finished washing the glasses and began prepping another round of drinks. "Poppy, my cute and adorable servant, would not abandon her post just because of a minor argument."
"How did you know?"
"You just told me." He winked, knowing that I had fallen into his trap.
I let the anger in me dissipate as I knew nothing good would come from it. However, I cannot help but think that he must have known what happened, even without me slipping up like that. He was always one, no—five steps ahead as if he knew what the future held.
"So, Mister Wise One, what should I do?" I said bitterly as I drank some of the water he provided.
He was in the middle of pouring the drinks as he gave me a passing look with his trademark smile. "First, how about telling me what actually happened? The truth will help guide you to the future you seek," he said, moving his hands with precise movements. Each glass clanked slightly as he tapped its rim with the bottom of the pitcher used to pour his mixture.
"Fine," I said, seeing that he did not want to let go of the topic. He stared blankly for a second, not letting his hands stop. His frown lowered, and his ears drooped low.
"KORNE!!!" a drunk elf shouted.
"On it!" he snapped back to his usual self and finished pouring the drinks before handing them off to the rowdy bunch. They already seemed like they could pass out at a moment's notice, yet Korne still allowed them to drink more alcohol.
Another roar of cheers echoed through the bar. Each of the elves gave Korne a heavy-handed pat on the back, each sounding painful. Yet Korne kept his smile intact as he interacted with the customers. A warm smile, one that he refuses to show me. He returned once all the drinks had been handed out, with an empty tray.
"Not giving them another refill?" I asked.
"Don't change the subject, lad." He snapped in an indifferent tone. His eyes narrowed at me with a sharp, frosty edge. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, Poppy and the reason she disappeared." His face relaxed and his grin returned, but much more suffocating than before.
"Okay…" I said awkwardly, taking a sip from the water. "But before that, can I ask you something in relation to the topic?" I could see his gaze shift at my words. "Why a week to learn everything?"
"I told you not to change the topic, but I suppose we have some time to spare."
What time did we have to spare? Was he expecting something?
"A week was never feasible in the slightest. Poppy knew that. The fact that she told you that must have meant that something had been bothering her before you even started training." He said in a disinterested tone.
"You think something was bothering her just because she told me the words you said?" Something about his words did not add up. Poppy was his servant; it would only make sense that she would relay the messages from her master verbatim.
"Poppy knows that I don't tell her the truth about everything. She knows that what I say holds little meaning to her, so she usually translates my cryptic words into something more palatable." He then looked me down with a clear and distinct look of disgust. "Then again, your arrival has been nothing but a headache. Stay there for a moment."
He ducked behind the counter; the sound of his rummaging through something was obvious. After a moment, he came back up holding a long wooden box that was about my height and as wide as four hand spans. It was tied shut with a long rope. On the back was a leather strap, as if asking to be worn.
A simple thud followed as he placed it on the counter, pushing it towards me. I reached for the rope, only to be stopped by a sharp voice.
"Outside. Now," he said. Gone was his grin. Now he wore a grim look. His ears twitched a little as he narrowed his eyes at me. "She will be found at the ruins of the fallen lord. Ask a beastman or guard if you get lost."
"Wait—" He shoved the package onto my lap, stopping me mid-sentence. I caught it purely out of reflex. The package was heavy, but it was a familiar weight that I'm used to carrying.
Seeing the look in his eyes, I could tell something was up. Korne had his pride. Testing me. Not wanting to give me a direct answer to my problems. Even though he behaved outwardly rudely and harshly to me, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he trusted me to perform my duties as a pawn in his game.
The thought pissed me off, but I could take a hint. I was a soldier after all. There was something grim he wanted to say, but he didn't want to risk lowering my morale in a dire situation. What was I about to walk into?
"Fine," I said. I strapped the package onto my back and made my way towards the exit without looking back at him, trying to show him I could handle it on my own.
"Dispel."
I heard a faint voice call out from behind the door just before it closed. My vest glowed faintly green before it faded out like a dying light.
The twin moons in the sky shone gently, with one much larger than the other. As children, we were told that the smaller moon was nothing more than an orbiting satellite the aliens used to launch their attacks from. But that was then, and this is now. I won't be taken in by the lies they forced on us. We were not on Earth. None of us ever was.
I walked down the streets of Sern'wa. Each path was brightly lit by the strangely well-maintained light fixtures in a worn-down village. I passed by the occasional beastman working hard as if they thrived while the elves slept. Each one gave a passing glance of disgust, wrinkling their beast-like nose as if my scent bothered them.
This was the first time I had walked outside at night. I could see why Korne had given me that warning on my first day—that the local residents weren't friendly towards outsiders.
Noticing that nobody would be willing to give me the time of day—or night—I kept wandering until I noticed a tall structure off in the distance. If I could climb to the top of that, I could get a better view of the village.
I followed narrow paths where the road turned to a dirt path and the street lights became scarce. It led to a small unfinished courtyard filled with construction equipment that looked as if it had never been touched in years. Wild grass grew tall in patches as a large stone tower stood in the center, overtaken by overgrowth.
I went inside the tower. It was dark. With nothing to guide me, I placed my hand and followed the wall towards a narrow staircase. Placing my foot on the steps, I tested its strength. It creaked loudly until it snapped. I tried another, and it held my weight.
"Great," I muttered, "a wooden death trap." The tower was tall, so a single misstep could end in disaster.
Slowly, I made my way up the tower until I reached the top. Stone bricks and wooden pillars lined the top as if a wide-open space had once been planned for its main attraction. With light stolen from the twin moons above, I made my way towards the edge of the tower. A gentle breeze met me as I unknowingly let my jaw drop.
Unlike the ground, the view from the top was filled with bright stars shining over the vast land. The village was larger than I had thought, with its crude wooden wall stretching far from end to end of the tower's vantage point. The worn-down buildings, lit by pale lamps, formed a shimmering dome around the village.
Off in the distance, I saw. A gap in the wooden walls leads to a lightless area. In the center of it was a red light, like a small ember fending off the encroaching darkness. It was hard to make out its surroundings, but something told me that was where I needed to go. I turned to the sky and muttered faintly to myself. "So follow the largest cluster of stars."
*Creeek*
A noise, amplified by my ear implant, alerted me.
"Oi!"
I turned. A bright light shone in my eyes, briefly blinding me. The figure shifted the light away from my eyes, towards the ground. It was a beastman. Dressed in some cheap-looking leather armor with a heavy-looking greatsword strapped to his back. He had the build of a bodybuilder with a face reminiscent of a fake tough guy. Lion-like ears protruded from the top of his head as beast-like amber eyes locked onto me like a free meal.
"You ain't from 'round here, are ya?" He spoke with a tone that was both crude and simple. His tail wagged eagerly behind his back as if wanting something. "You smell of blood. You a hired arm?" He dropped the flashlight he held onto the ground, illuminating the area just enough to see everything on the ground. He pulled out his blade with both hands.
If the elves had good hearing, then I suppose the beastmen had a good sense of smell. I looked at my hands with a disheartened expression. I suppose that the blood on my hands will never be washed clean.
"No," I looked back up at him. "I am not a mercenary."
"Eh? So, ya of noble blood?" He said, seemingly disappointed. "Thought you were just some easy demon prey. But ya understand the beastmen tongue." He lowered his weapon, only slightly. "Well, I suppose I should let you off with a warning." I could see a faint grin line his lips. Something felt off. "A slave of ours escaped. A nasty vengeful mark was placed on someone in this village by her. Judging from ya scent, I figured it would be you."
A vengeful mark? The term sounded familiar.
That it was.
A sudden chill ran down my spine as I remembered the morning of my first training with Poppy. A small slave girl was being transported. Her gaze locked onto mine, freezing me in place as I could hear her echoing disembodied voice gripping my soul.
"Ah, so it was you." The beastman took a wide stance with his blade pointed towards me. "Noble or not, I ain't carin'. We lost a few guys trying to pluck away her innocence to make her marketable. If she's chasin you, then your head will be enough to calm her. I ain't letting a noble catch slip through my hands just because another noble ruined her life."
He shifted the blade so that the silver glint of the moons reflected off its edge. He took a small step, as if testing my reaction before giving me a smug look.
"Not afraid?" He lowered his hips, keeping his blade straight and steady. He dug his heels into the ground; faint creaking in the stone rippled around him. "This is why I hate ya arrogant bastards. Lookin' down on us just 'cause we can hardly use magic. Well, guess what? I'll teach ya how a real man fights!"
He lunged forward, arcing his massive blade at me. I pushed the base of the sword with my fists and followed with an attempted strike at his arm. He dodged and swept at the ground with his feet. I leapt back and skipped backwards towards the center of the tower.
With unrelenting force backing him, he rushed forward, his blade over his head. He brought it down, using the blade's heavy weight as its force. I rolled to the side, forcing his blade to miss and embed itself into the stone floor, shattering a small hole that led straight to the bottom.
The beastman was slow, at least slower than Poppy. Evading his attacks was no problem; however, the small hole in the center of the tower grew slightly as the beastman pulled his blade and jumped back. He muttered, "Damn, the building ain't stable," before turning towards me again.
With a roar, he pushed forward, swinging his blade without skill. He cleaved at the air before me, unable to stop himself from spinning around from the force of his weapon. While mid-spin, he kicked out his leg, aiming towards my stomach. I caught it; however, that was a blunder. The beastman slammed his blade into the ground and twisted his body to kick me in the head with his free foot.
I staggered back from the blow. If I hadn't braced myself, that could have been fatal. His attack hit hard, and I felt my vision spin. The floor crumbled as he pulled his blade free.
"Not bad," he said with a grunt. "Got the movements of an elf. But once a blow connects, you crumble like an ant." With a sharp grin, he slammed his blade into the ground. Cracks jagged their way to me, forcing me to move. He followed suit and took another swing at me. "What!?" he exclaimed.
His attack, a mighty swing, slammed into me, stopping with a metallic clank as his blade tore through the wooden case on my back. While the damage was kept minimal, I could not stop myself from being flung by the force of his attack.
I was sent flying towards the edge of the building. The wooden case that had been on my back slid beside me, its case now with a gaping hole in the middle, revealing a shimmer that seemed to be calling out to me.
I stood up, keeping my eyes on the beastman. He leapt from stone to stone until he found stable ground to stand on and looked at me with a stupid expression, as if mocking me. "A noble who can't use magic? I can't tell if you are messin' with me or just stupid. Take this seriously, otherwise I'll regret killin' ya." His nose crinkled as his eyes were suddenly pulled towards the case. His tail stood on end as he turned back to me with a bloodthirsty glare.
Beastmen can't stand the smell of their kin. A grin lined my lips. If my guess is right…
A sharp pain ran down my back, not from the impact but from the God Stamps on my back reacting to my wish. Before me was an illusion, one swinging his fist towards the beastman's head.
"Oi!" he shouted. "Tryin' real hard to piss me off with a half-ass attack? Then die like the coward you are!" He swung, cutting through not his target, but the air.
He was off balance.
I sprinted towards the wooden case and slammed it into him. The beastman barely moved, but the wooden case shattered into wooden bits, revealing a double-sided saber.
"I knew it."
I could never mistake the weight of my weapon. Its futuristic looks, nor its chipped edges hastily repaired by the scales of a Volbear. Its cold base felt natural in my hands, giving me the confidence I needed to continue the fight. I could win now.
His blood will be spilled.
The beastman recovered from the pointless attack and glared at me. His eyes narrowed with rage as he traced from me to my weapon. His face twisted with disgust as he gripped his own weapon so tight that blood trailed through the gaps of his fingers.
"Oi, Oi. I knew something 'bout you wasn't right." He roared in a low tone. He took a cautious stance as he analyzed me. The beastman was so full of openings that it was pathetic to think that he was actually winning mere moments ago. "Forget the slave. The head of the unmasked invader will sell for millions."
Claim my head? What a joke from a beastman whose tail was currently tucked between his legs. Foolish pride will result in the same outcome as your kin.
My grin grew sharper. The beastman watched me like a predator, unaware that he was the prey.
"Hey now," I spoke with newfound confidence as I edged around him. "Can't we just move on and forget we ever saw one another?"
Where could I strike him down? What's an angle that will slice him with one blow?
"It ain't happening, monster." He growled, speaking words that I hardly cared to listen to. "That brat killed a lot of my guys because of you. You got the blood of beastmen—hundreds. Even if I wanted to run, ya head is enough motivation for me to stay."
"So you are just afraid to fight. I get it. A big scary monster just wants to leave peacefully, so let me. And I'll—" I stepped too far. The beastman swung his blade.
It was slower than before. Steel against steel, I pressed my blade against his in a flurry of sparks. "Shit!" I let the words slip. My opponent was a beastman. No matter how strong my weapon was, he would overpower me in a contest of strength. I was being pushed back towards the ever-expanding hole in the center of the tower. This beastman's change in tactics was not something I had accounted for, but I could work with it. After all, his eyes were blinded with rage.
As he pushed, his leg kicked outward. I braced for the impact and let it slam into my chest. I felt something inside me crack, maybe a rib or two, and I was sent stumbling backwards. The ground below me gave way into the hole. I fell forward to stop myself from falling into it.
He saw his opening and took it. I grinned as I wished that I were set in place, helpless to the raging beastman before me. The burning pain returned as I leapt to the side, leaving behind a powerless version of me prone on the ground.
He brought his blade up high and let out a roar. "Harold the Cleaver, remember that name as you rot in hell—URK!?"
I dashed behind and thrust my blade through his back. "Sorry, but I'm not gonna commit your name to heart." I felt my blade tear open his body with little resistance. That's on him for wearing cheap armor. "Overreliance on your strength, rookie mistake." Ironic coming from me, but I didn't care.
I twisted my blade and ripped it out of him. Blood squirted out from both ends, splashing onto my face. It was bitter and metallic, a taste I was all too familiar with. He stumbled forward, dropping his weapon down the hole. Several clanks echoed as it made its way towards the bottom.
Even with a fatal wound, he still had the will to turn around and glare at me with such a pitiful, scornful expression. "Heh," he said with a dying breath, clutching his chest tightly as if to fight the reaper's call. "You are…nothing more…than a…coward." He fell onto his knees before his killer.
It was impressive that he was still alive. I tried to end him with a single blow, but I guess beastmen just love to suffer. I approached him and placed my foot on the hand that covered his chest. Blood still poured endlessly from his back.
"A coward raised on the battlefield," I said, looking down upon the man who dared to claim my life. "Foolish pride and outdated codes of chivalry mean nothing when survival is all that matters." I pushed my foot forward; the beastman leaned backward, too weak to resist.
"Monster…of the…dark deities…" He grinned as he fell off the edge. Without a sound, he smiled as he tumbled. I waited patiently for a wet splat to signal the end of his life.
I grabbed the flashlight he had left behind and shone it down the hole. His body sat in a pool of his own blood. "I told you to let me go." I felt pain in my chest as I spoke. It hurt, but it was my punishment for defaulting back to old habits. "I wonder how I looked to him? Was I truly the monster he expected me to be? Guess I'll never know."
The tower groaned as more stone bricks fell into the expanding hole. I had my direction, so now it was time to leave. Wounded, I slowly traced my steps down the unstable staircase until I reached the bottom, where I saw his corpse. I stepped over his body without a second thought. Wet sounds filled my ears as I locked my eyes on his weapon.
Placing my weapon aside, I leaned forward to pick up his. I struggled to lift it past my knees. That was a foolish fight. He was not even a noble beastman, and he could harness that much power to lift a heavy blade like this? Whoever this noble beast girl was, I needed to be more careful, otherwise I'll end up like him—a nameless corpse of a fool. I dropped his blade and retrieved mine.
I left the tower; the creaking of the door was enough to have created a massive groan from the structure.
"Shit…" I clenched my fists around my weapon and sprinted as fast as I could, given my condition. The stone tower collapsed, kicking up a dust storm that assaulted my lungs. "Kuff…Kuff…" Nearly avoiding a large stone that was hurled towards me, I kept moving.
Once the dust cleared, I noticed the twin moons staring down upon me. If this world worshiped the deities, were they there? Are they watching down at a helpless fool, too scared to die, but also too frightened to live with what he has become?
"Am I just a monster?" I muttered into the silent night.