34th of Ash, 120
"I..." Arkash paused. It was difficult to say.
"You...?" Replied Asmodei in the rathari's native tongue.
Arkash exhaled through his nose while he sat on the stained Mattress. The avialae was right there beside him. "I hate them," he finished as he cast his eye to the floor. "I hate humans." He confessed.
The giant that sat beside him deflated with a deep exhale, then shook his head. "Arkash..." he started, his tone rich with disappointment.
"I know," he replied but didn't lift his gaze from the floor. A brief exhale saw him curl his lips. "They're not all bad, hell, I even like some of them..." Mannon and Cyrus came to mind, but they were two faces among hundreds of cruel scowls and mocking voices. "...But my immediate response when I meet a new one is either dread or fear. Sometimes it's just anger, and..." Arkash paused again as his venom glands stirred, and the taste of the poison ran fresh off his tongue. He'd recently bit someone, so there wasn't much, but the taste was still there. "...It just overwhelms. I see red, and I get this... craving. My venom runs and my jaw aches, and I... I just hope they start something so I have an excuse." Arksh held his tongue as he looked to Asmodei. He searched the avialae's face to try and decipher what it was he was thinking, but it was hard to tell.
"It makes sense," the winged man sighed. "With everything you've been through, it's hard to imagine you wouldn't hate them." Arkash nodded, then turned his gaze to face the front. "Your prejudices are born from your past experiences, Ark. Everything that's happened to you, you hold on to it and remember in some sort of attempt to protect yourself, ensure you don't make the same mistakes twice." Asmodei reached over to hold the rath's left shoulder, and Arkash returned his gaze to the avialae. "I understand, is what I'm trying to say."
Well, what good did that do? It wasn't as if Asmodei felt the same. Arkash was alone in his judgment of humanity. There was something fundamentally broken with them, some sort of ingrained xenophobia that made them hate him upon seeing him. Was it just that they didn't understand him? Or was it something wrong with him? It couldn't be, elves and the like were often kind to him. It was just humans. Every time he looked in their eyes, he saw hatred and disgust. It ruined him. "Thanks, Az," he spoke with the least genuine tone he could manage.
Asmodei frowned, then brushed a thumb over Arkash's shoulder. "You should get some shut-eye; you'll need it when Fayeth gets back." That was right, she'd taken to the streets for her bi-weekly hunt, in which she preyed on the nameless thugs that wandered the lower district. Asmodei had said he'd tell her about Arkash's recent assassination job, but he couldn't see her getting angry with him. After all, it was because of her that Arkash strived so hard to be independent.
"Alright, 'night, Az," was all the rath spoke to that as the giant winged human stood and took his leave. Arkash's eye followed him for as long as the avialae remained in his line of sight, then fell to the ground. With a deep sigh, Arkash turned over to lay on his blind side. One thing he didn't mind about being an amputee was that it was less uncomfortable to lay on his left side, as there was less arm to lay on. So, Arkash laid there and stared into the flames of the burning barrel while he thought about the events that transpired.
Fayeth had threatened to kill him because of his weakness; Arkash had fallen into despair when he learned of Cojack's passing. So, to prove that he was strong, Arkash worked toward independence. He returned to his old home to dig up the gun he buried when he was fifteen, as he believed he needed to lean on its strength with his weakened body, but it was on the way there that he encountered a giant that demanded his possessions. Arkash refused and broke into a bloody fight where he stabbed and evaded the tall human, and eventually killed him. Doing so put him in the sights of the Sawteeth, a lesser-known gang in Nivenhain. The man Arkash killed posed as one of their members, but he was a member of The Black Boar Chargers that impersonated one of their own. While the Sawteeth were grateful for his intervention, they still perceived disrespect. Arkash had killed someone that he believed to be one of their own, and amends had to be made. So, Arkash was hired to kill the second in command of The Chargers. Because of his success, the Sawteeth were happy to pay for the restoration of his gun, but they were also keen to recruit him as one of their own. Arkash presented the proposition to Asmodei and the two argued, it wasn't the path they intended for him, and no good could come of it.
The rathari sighed, then lifted his claw to his eye, where he rubbed at an uncomfortable burning sensation. It seemed that no matter what he did, the world found some way to push back at him. But he was done yielding; he'd not be overtaken again. If it came down to it, he'd tear the world in half to get what he wanted. That was the game he played, and he told himself so as he turned onto his back to face the stars through the gap in the ceiling.
A familiar click sounded beyond the door of the factory, and Arkash shot up in horror. With a hard twist of his body, he threw himself from the bed and dove close to the ground. Just a split-second later, the wall of the factory caved in with a blast of ether, and pieces of corrugated metal flung in high-speed shrapnel all across the room. Arkash covered his sighted eye, then lifted his claws to his earhole as another wave of gunshots blasted across the factory's interior and rocked the support beams, the whole building rumbled. Arkash's whole body went tense as he squeezed the holes behind his eyes in an effort to dull the deafening choir of gunshots, only to scream.
Another volley of etheric blasts ran through the building, boomed overhead, and obliterated everything in their path. Arkash began to crawl, he had to get out of sight. It seemed someone caught him, as another blast erupted where he laid just as he tried to bring himself up off the floor, and knocked him off his feet. The barrel of fire he warmed himself at burst and flecks of flame flung all about the place. Arkash dove forward into a roll and found himself on his feet again. With a hard kick off the ground, he bolted deeper into the abandoned factory. He was quick, but he couldn't outrun bullets. Another volley let loose on the interior, and the structural integrity of the building wavered with a groan. They missed the sprinting lizard, of course, but it was close. He could feel the runeforged shells whizzing past him.
"ASMODEI!!" He cried as he took cover. An order to fire barked from where the gunshots rang from and another wave of etheric blasts rattled the building. Behind one of the large steel girders that held up the second floor, Arkash hid and curled into a ball. A press of his claws squeezed one of his ears shut, and he bared his teeth as venom flowed liberally from his lips. It was The Chargers, it had to be. No other gang had that sort of firepower. They knew what he'd done and they'd come to kill him for it.
His stalwart protector landed before him, and Arkash hissed in fear and startled, only to settle briefly when he realized it wasn't a threat. The avialae gave him a hard glare with raised brows, then opened his mouth to speak. "Friends of yo-?"
"-YOU WERE RIGHT AND I WAS WRONG!!" Arkash interrupted. He already knew what Asmodei was going to say, for he'd been warned about the likes of meddling with gangs. "JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE, AZ!!!" He physically cried; tears ran down the right side of his face. He didn't want to die, not to a human of all things.
The avialae furrowed his brow, then exhaled deeply as he looked up from the lizard. Arkash watched him in confusion, then braced as Asmodei gripped him by the torso and lifted him from the dirty wooden floor and took off to the ceiling with a few hard beats of his wings. Arkash strained and bared his teeth at the g-force that pulled hard in his chest, and he gripped Asmodei's arms with more desperation and uncertainty as they broke through onto the roof, where Asmodei set the lizard down. Another volley of blasts rang out, and a large portion of the abandoned factory crumbled behind them, Arkash let out a cry of anguish and dug his claws into Asmodei's plate armor. The avialae set him down, and the two gained a moment to gather their wits.
"I..." Arkash paused. It was difficult to say.
"You...?" Replied Asmodei in the rathari's native tongue.
Arkash exhaled through his nose while he sat on the stained Mattress. The avialae was right there beside him. "I hate them," he finished as he cast his eye to the floor. "I hate humans." He confessed.
The giant that sat beside him deflated with a deep exhale, then shook his head. "Arkash..." he started, his tone rich with disappointment.
"I know," he replied but didn't lift his gaze from the floor. A brief exhale saw him curl his lips. "They're not all bad, hell, I even like some of them..." Mannon and Cyrus came to mind, but they were two faces among hundreds of cruel scowls and mocking voices. "...But my immediate response when I meet a new one is either dread or fear. Sometimes it's just anger, and..." Arkash paused again as his venom glands stirred, and the taste of the poison ran fresh off his tongue. He'd recently bit someone, so there wasn't much, but the taste was still there. "...It just overwhelms. I see red, and I get this... craving. My venom runs and my jaw aches, and I... I just hope they start something so I have an excuse." Arksh held his tongue as he looked to Asmodei. He searched the avialae's face to try and decipher what it was he was thinking, but it was hard to tell.
"It makes sense," the winged man sighed. "With everything you've been through, it's hard to imagine you wouldn't hate them." Arkash nodded, then turned his gaze to face the front. "Your prejudices are born from your past experiences, Ark. Everything that's happened to you, you hold on to it and remember in some sort of attempt to protect yourself, ensure you don't make the same mistakes twice." Asmodei reached over to hold the rath's left shoulder, and Arkash returned his gaze to the avialae. "I understand, is what I'm trying to say."
Well, what good did that do? It wasn't as if Asmodei felt the same. Arkash was alone in his judgment of humanity. There was something fundamentally broken with them, some sort of ingrained xenophobia that made them hate him upon seeing him. Was it just that they didn't understand him? Or was it something wrong with him? It couldn't be, elves and the like were often kind to him. It was just humans. Every time he looked in their eyes, he saw hatred and disgust. It ruined him. "Thanks, Az," he spoke with the least genuine tone he could manage.
Asmodei frowned, then brushed a thumb over Arkash's shoulder. "You should get some shut-eye; you'll need it when Fayeth gets back." That was right, she'd taken to the streets for her bi-weekly hunt, in which she preyed on the nameless thugs that wandered the lower district. Asmodei had said he'd tell her about Arkash's recent assassination job, but he couldn't see her getting angry with him. After all, it was because of her that Arkash strived so hard to be independent.
"Alright, 'night, Az," was all the rath spoke to that as the giant winged human stood and took his leave. Arkash's eye followed him for as long as the avialae remained in his line of sight, then fell to the ground. With a deep sigh, Arkash turned over to lay on his blind side. One thing he didn't mind about being an amputee was that it was less uncomfortable to lay on his left side, as there was less arm to lay on. So, Arkash laid there and stared into the flames of the burning barrel while he thought about the events that transpired.
Fayeth had threatened to kill him because of his weakness; Arkash had fallen into despair when he learned of Cojack's passing. So, to prove that he was strong, Arkash worked toward independence. He returned to his old home to dig up the gun he buried when he was fifteen, as he believed he needed to lean on its strength with his weakened body, but it was on the way there that he encountered a giant that demanded his possessions. Arkash refused and broke into a bloody fight where he stabbed and evaded the tall human, and eventually killed him. Doing so put him in the sights of the Sawteeth, a lesser-known gang in Nivenhain. The man Arkash killed posed as one of their members, but he was a member of The Black Boar Chargers that impersonated one of their own. While the Sawteeth were grateful for his intervention, they still perceived disrespect. Arkash had killed someone that he believed to be one of their own, and amends had to be made. So, Arkash was hired to kill the second in command of The Chargers. Because of his success, the Sawteeth were happy to pay for the restoration of his gun, but they were also keen to recruit him as one of their own. Arkash presented the proposition to Asmodei and the two argued, it wasn't the path they intended for him, and no good could come of it.
The rathari sighed, then lifted his claw to his eye, where he rubbed at an uncomfortable burning sensation. It seemed that no matter what he did, the world found some way to push back at him. But he was done yielding; he'd not be overtaken again. If it came down to it, he'd tear the world in half to get what he wanted. That was the game he played, and he told himself so as he turned onto his back to face the stars through the gap in the ceiling.
A familiar click sounded beyond the door of the factory, and Arkash shot up in horror. With a hard twist of his body, he threw himself from the bed and dove close to the ground. Just a split-second later, the wall of the factory caved in with a blast of ether, and pieces of corrugated metal flung in high-speed shrapnel all across the room. Arkash covered his sighted eye, then lifted his claws to his earhole as another wave of gunshots blasted across the factory's interior and rocked the support beams, the whole building rumbled. Arkash's whole body went tense as he squeezed the holes behind his eyes in an effort to dull the deafening choir of gunshots, only to scream.
Another volley of etheric blasts ran through the building, boomed overhead, and obliterated everything in their path. Arkash began to crawl, he had to get out of sight. It seemed someone caught him, as another blast erupted where he laid just as he tried to bring himself up off the floor, and knocked him off his feet. The barrel of fire he warmed himself at burst and flecks of flame flung all about the place. Arkash dove forward into a roll and found himself on his feet again. With a hard kick off the ground, he bolted deeper into the abandoned factory. He was quick, but he couldn't outrun bullets. Another volley let loose on the interior, and the structural integrity of the building wavered with a groan. They missed the sprinting lizard, of course, but it was close. He could feel the runeforged shells whizzing past him.
"ASMODEI!!" He cried as he took cover. An order to fire barked from where the gunshots rang from and another wave of etheric blasts rattled the building. Behind one of the large steel girders that held up the second floor, Arkash hid and curled into a ball. A press of his claws squeezed one of his ears shut, and he bared his teeth as venom flowed liberally from his lips. It was The Chargers, it had to be. No other gang had that sort of firepower. They knew what he'd done and they'd come to kill him for it.
His stalwart protector landed before him, and Arkash hissed in fear and startled, only to settle briefly when he realized it wasn't a threat. The avialae gave him a hard glare with raised brows, then opened his mouth to speak. "Friends of yo-?"
"-YOU WERE RIGHT AND I WAS WRONG!!" Arkash interrupted. He already knew what Asmodei was going to say, for he'd been warned about the likes of meddling with gangs. "JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE, AZ!!!" He physically cried; tears ran down the right side of his face. He didn't want to die, not to a human of all things.
The avialae furrowed his brow, then exhaled deeply as he looked up from the lizard. Arkash watched him in confusion, then braced as Asmodei gripped him by the torso and lifted him from the dirty wooden floor and took off to the ceiling with a few hard beats of his wings. Arkash strained and bared his teeth at the g-force that pulled hard in his chest, and he gripped Asmodei's arms with more desperation and uncertainty as they broke through onto the roof, where Asmodei set the lizard down. Another volley of blasts rang out, and a large portion of the abandoned factory crumbled behind them, Arkash let out a cry of anguish and dug his claws into Asmodei's plate armor. The avialae set him down, and the two gained a moment to gather their wits.
