7th of Frost, 120
Arkash had spent most of the morning re-wrapping his wounds, and wading through the bodies of slumbering nameless that he'd accrued in the sewers while he sought something special. For the most part, he was checking on the nameless, and trying to discover how many of them had passed in the night. Second of all, he looked for rats. His digestive system was suited well to drink from feces-laden watering holes in the wild, and his saliva clung to the infectious germs in whatever he ingested just to cause his prey all the more strife proceeding a bite. Of course, he had some reservations about eating sewer rats, but he was hungry, and their extermination would help the nameless in the long run.
As he waded through the sleeping humans and elves, he found that three of them had died in the night; a little elven girl, an elderly man, and an elven woman. Their passing was unfortunate, but Arkash hardly cared. They were an inconvenience at best, for Fayeth reminded him of the problem they posed.
"The dead permeate a putrid stench as the earth breaks them down." Rotten meat smelled bad - to which, Arkash nodded in agreement beneath the glimmer of daylight that shone through the manhole.
"So wot? Th' sewa's stink enyweh," he explained with a shrug.
Fayeth, the pale SIl'norai shook her head with a smile, then visibly cringed as Arkash bit into one of his gathered rats. "...Well, the bad smell is just the most noticeable problem. People don't really want to hang around rotting bodies all day, and they can cause sicknesses to spread as they decay."
Arkash furrowed his brow a little as the rat's upper half ceased its squirming in his jaws, then snapped his jaws firmly around the critter. All his focus fell on the meal he'd chosen, and he tilted his head back to slide the rat chunk to the back of his throat, where he carefully swallowed. He still struggled with eating and had done since the injuries to his head. Once the fresh meat fell into the pit of his gut, he let out a sigh of relief, then looked to the rats twitching lower half. There had been a time where he could eat the entire rat in one bite, but gone were those days. "So we need t' move 'em," the rath clarified.
Fayeth bowed her head in response.
"Wot abou' th' surface?" He asked with a furrow of his brow, then took another bite from the rat carcass with a wet squelch, which squeezed some of the wet insides onto his palette as he ripped through the rubbery skin and fur alike.
The sight was evidently enough to make even a dranoch squirm, as Fayeth looked away and lifted the edge of her index finger to her mouth. "...What about it?"
A firm gulp sent the meat hurtling down his throat before he let out a sigh. "I mean liek... Y'kno', all 'em bodies up 'er. innit gonna fuck us up lata'? Disease an' all 'at?"
The Sil'norai seemed to think for a moment, then returned the gaze of her crimson eyes to the shorter lizard just in time to see him stuff the last segment of rat into his jaws, and crunch them. "Fuck sake, Ark.." she covered her eyes and turned around completely. "...You're right, but how do you expect yourself, Asmodei, and I to clean up the streets?"
Arkash shrugged at her squeamishness, then swallowed. "We can 'ave th' naemless 'elp us," he suggested with a turn of his claws, then swallowed the remnants of fur and gore that stained his palette. "They's not useless, migh' as well, innit?"
The sil'norai shook her head and rubbed at her temples before sighing. "It's worth a shot; Asmodei and I will follow your lead." With that, Arkash began to walk by her to cherry-pick the humans he wanted to help, but the fall of her hand on his shoulder stopped him. The rathor twitched a little and fluttered his left eye before he shrugged her hand from his bandages. "You might like to address everyone here; they're all lost and confused, waiting for a voice to speak up. Make it yours." Arkash pursed his lips firmly, then nodded. Fayeth's suggestion made sense: he could help alleviate people's worries if he made their plans known.
So, he drew the rifle that was slung over his shoulder and rattled the barrel of the rifle against the cast iron ladder that was embedded with the wall. "Oi oi! Listen up, innit!" he called as dozens of pairs of eyes turned to him in the dank darkness of the sewers. He parted his lips to speak, then promptly froze. He'd never spoken to a crowd before, he wasn't the most confident rathor in the world, either. Stage fright seized his lungs and weighed his tongue like lead.
Before he could speak the beginnings of his directions, a human spoke up. "Are 'em Argen' cun's gone 'et?! I'ss place stinks a' shite!"
Arkash drew a deep breath as chatter began to bubble up in the crowd, then nodded his head as he knocked about the ladder again. "Yeah, they's fucked off, but-!"
That same human stood. "Fuck this 'en, innit?" He returned and began to walk to the exit manhole. Arkash paused as more people began to stand - they were all ready to leave, regardless of what happened next. Did no one there think for the future? He was weak, and they saw so. He wasn't a leader in their eyes, just some lizard that happened to give them the right directions.
With his lips curled, he aimed his rifle at the ceiling, and pulled the trigger to resound an echoing blast in the dark of the sewers. Startled cries followed, and the gathered humans froze in place. "'Old the fack ap!" Arkash ordered with a hiss.
"The fuck 'ew doin' 'ew nutta!" returned that same human with a roar.
"Sit th' fuck down an' shuddup!" Arkash returned with his own roar, rage bubbling in his gut. Asmodei and Fayeth both emerged from the shadows to stand at his sides, cutting off the nameless from the exit. "The dogs is gone, but all 'em people 'ey killed are sittin' in the streets, rottin' away and spreadin' disease an' shit! You leave 'ere an 'ew'll be dead in th' week!"
"So we're stuck down 'ere forever?!" Called a female voice from the crowd, and a series of yells in angered agreement followed. They were against him.
"No!" He called. "We need t' clean up th' streets, burn th' bodies," he declared, his voice stern.
"Fuck that!" Called another voice from the dark. More yells, wavings of fists in defiance. Arkash drew a shaky breath, then shook his head.
They were yelling, cursing, and muttering. Arkash stood against the barking dogs, then lifted his empty rifle to aim at the crowd. "SHUT THE FACK AP!" he roared. A brief panic ensued, followed by silence. Arkash promptly lowered the gun.
"LISTEN TO YOU'S SELVES!" he ordered. "THE LOT OF 'EW JUST GOT FUCKED BY THE ARGENT IN 'EW OWN 'OMES AN 'EW WANNA FUCK OFF AN HIDE IN 'EW 'OLES!" he hissed. "WHERE'S 'EW PRIDE?! 'EW DIGNITY?!" he continued his bellow, throwing his body into the yell. Silence befell them, and Arkash took a moment to catch his breath. "They came in t' our town and shot us liek dogs, an 'ew weaklin's wanna shove 'ew 'eads in th' snow an' 'ide," he spat. "'EY KILLED 'EW FAM'LIES! 'EW BROTHA'S AN' SISTA'S!"
"Well we can' do shit about it!" Called one of the voices in their defense, and a series of quiet nods ensued.
"'Ew can." Arkash spoke firmly, and straightened his posture. "'Ew can work togeva' for once, get summin' done to betta you'selves." He thrust the but of his rifle against the floor. "Right now, all sorts a' bloke's an' bird's like 'ew are trapped unda' rubble. Kids are cryin' ova' they dead mova's bodies in th' streets! 'Ew can 'elp 'em! do summin propa for once instead'a slavin' away in 'ollow labour camps!"
More silence befell them, and heads turned to look at one another. "How?" Called a voice from the crowd, and all eyes were on him again.
Arkash bowed his head, then looked to the manhole that led to the snowy surface before returning his gaze to the malleable flock. "I need ev'ry eble-bodied man, woman an' elf t' come wiv me to th' streets, start pilin' bodies for burnin'. All 'ew young, sick, hurt an' old: stay 'ere wiv Fayeth," he motioned to the pale elf beside him "Afta' that, if 'ew all wanna fuck off back to 'ew slavin', I won' stop 'ew. Orite?"
More nods of agreement followed, as well as conversing. Finally, someone rose from the crowd and approached the trio. Arkash stared the man down; a large, brutish-looking elf with a scar on his cheek. Bald and bloody in patches of his exposed, pale skin. He stood before Arkash and towered over him. Arkash stood firm and looked up to meet the elf's eyes. A wordless exchange was made, and the elf shut his eyes to nod and exhale. Finally, he turned to look at the rest of the broken men and women.
"The fuck 'ew all waiting for, 'ew pussies?!" Called the scarred elf with a snarl. Arkash curled his lips in a smile while he watched the man, then returned his gaze to the crowd as more bodies joined his cause. It was settled then, they were taking to the streets. Fayeth's and Asmodei's hands fell upon his shoulders while the able-bodied nameless gathered. Proceeding the twitch they caused, Arkash brushed their hands away, then led his amassed humans and elves to the surface.
Image source.
