Power I
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2020 4:44 am
64th of Searing, 120
Everything was falling apart. Arkash's careful planning and order were unraveled to chaos. It didn't matter what path he took from there, things were going to be hectic. Arkash had killed a man; beat in his head with an iron pipe. Did he know why he'd done it? Part of him reasoned that Barry was trying to kill him, but he'd already stopped the fat human's assault. Did he regret what he'd done? Not even a little.
[indent=20]His only regret was that Cojack, his sickly father had been caught in the middle of it. Hell, Cojack saved him when Barry first flew at him with a knife. But the ill Rathari hadn't expected such an explosive, violent reaction when he passed Arkash the pipe. Neither had he, in honesty.
[indent=20]Now, their home was ablaze. The rickety wooden shack in which, Arkash had spent the entirety of his life, served as a cover to the act of murder. The flames had risen so high that they wouldn't have been able to extinguish the fire before they saved Barry's remains, and the state of his face already made it incredibly difficult to identify him. No one had to know that he'd killed a man from a higher caste.
[indent=20]He caught up to his father's side, who was waiting on the side of the road with Arkash's bag. He looked to the taller, hunched Rathari before he collected the backpack, then slung it over his back. "Dad," spoke Arkash at last, then moved his hand to grip his shoulder, which was still bleeding where Barry had stabbed him.
[indent=20]Cojack didn't reply. He merely stared onward to the street, either contemplating or trapped in his shock.
[indent=20]Arkash hissed quietly, then took the old horse by the hand. "We've gotta go, the sun is setting and the inn's a fair trek away." It didn't help that Cojack could barely move at a turtle's pace. Not with his frail, skinny body.
[indent=20]Step by step, he guided his father along the cobbled road. Arkash couldn't help but worry; what if that had changed things for them? It did, obviously, but what if it damaged their relationship in a way that could not be repaired? Arkash was already a thief, sure, but now he was a killer. Cojack had watched his metamorphosis, his dark descent into chaos. And though Arkash didn't feel bad for the things he'd done, he didn't know if it was because he couldn't face the cruelties he'd inflicted on others, or if he truly enjoyed what he did.
[indent=20]It wasn't that it made him happy, not quite, at least. But the things he did, specifically against the people of the higher castes, filled a certain void within him. It was a purpose, perhaps the purpose. Cojack had once told him of the purpose as a child, a strong pull that all Rathari experienced, but Arkash hadn't felt it... Not until barry was on his knees before him, and he knew what he had to do. He wasn't proud, but he felt no shame, either.
[indent=20]Dusk turned to night by the time they were remotely close to the border between Lower and Outer Nivenhain. There, the tall stone buildings weren't as broken down as the rest of lower Nivenhain. The people that lived seemed to pay a decent amount of maintenance to their homes, and the amount of bars on people's windows lowered significantly.
[indent=20]Cojack was still quiet, and to some degree, he understood. What was there to say?
[indent=20]"There you are, Newt!" called a familiar voice from somewhere behind him. Arkash froze mid-step. Brodie. He was the last person that Arkash wanted to encounter at that time. He'd already fought for his life once that day. "Saw your house burning, figured you were dead," spoke the human.
[indent=20]Arkash turned to face him. There, he positioned himself between Cojack and the boys. "Ark...?" Asked Cojack, likely regarding the house burning. The son might have neglected to mention that he set their house on fire. He didn't intend for Cojack to ever find out, in truth.
[indent=20]"Not now, dad..." spoke the Rath in Ithmi as the three humans fanned out ahead of him. Arkash backed up a little, and continued to move Cojack along. "I'm not in th' mood, Brodie," warned Arkash in common as he watched the boys.
[indent=20]"What?" he asked in turn, already his voice turned aggressive, forceful. Arkash didn't flinch and drew his pipe. Alec and Chad hesitated. "Oh? Oh you've gotta be kidding me," mocked Brodie.
[indent=20]"Is 'e for real?" Asked Chad, a muscular giant of s human, the largest of the brothers.
[indent=20]"Put the pipe down, Newt," warned the oldest of the three.
[indent=20]"Ark... What are you doing?" Spoke Cojack.
[indent=20]Part of him understood that fighting the three of them was a terrible idea. They could easily kill him, they wouldn't even need to send hollows. But the way Arkash had been in recent days, it almost didn't matter.
[indent=20]Between the choice to submit to a sadistic, vicious narcissist and a meaningless death, he was almost prepared to choose the latter. "Piss off!" Arkash snarled and swung the bloodied metal in a blatant threat. He wasn't yielding again. Never again. "I'm not givin' ya shite all!"
[indent=20]Arkash was resolute in his defiance. His legs weren't even shaking, and his grip was firm. Brodie had another thing coming if he wanted to extort Arkash easily. But, when the young Rath looked to the human's eyes, Arkash found pure delight, and that frightened him more than rage.
[indent=20]"Easy, Newt," spoke the human as he took a step toward Arkash. "Put the pipe down and give me my money. No one has to get hurt." Ordered the Savant.
[indent=20]There was his saunter again. The way Brodie walked, Arkash had seen it before. Full of confidence, as if he was immortal, untouchable. It was the way he approached Arkash before he carved into the Rathari's chest with his dagger. The same dagger that rested on his hip in its sheath. Alec waited to his left, and Chad to his right as he continued his approach.
[indent=20]Arkash hesitated and began to tremble. The scars in his chest began to burn as if the very fabric of his being was trying to remind him of what awaited him if he pursued that course of action. Finally, his venom glands activated and began to fill his mouth. Clear Viscous drool dripped from his lips and prompted him to slurp as he stared down the human.
[indent=20]Brodie caught that. The joy in his eyes burned away to unveil the sadistic glee beneath. He knew exactly what he was doing. Brodie, despite being just a couple years older than Arkash, was the symbol of despair. Time and time again, he'd beaten Arkash into submission. He was the one that taught the Rathari fear, pain, and hate. The longer that Arkash peered into his eyes, the more his defenses crumbled. His bravery, his confidence, both abandoned him when the larger human came within ten feet of his trembling form.
[indent=20]The human reached out to take hold of Arkash's extended, improvised weapon. Arkash didn't combat him. How could he? "Drop it," ordered Brodie in the same manner that he would order a dog.
[indent=20]Perhaps if he did what Brodie said, he wouldn't hurt him? What was he thinking? He was a fool to challenge the human. Reluctantly, Arkash released the pipe and withdrew his claw, which shook like a leaf.
[indent=20]The older human smiled, and dropped the weapon. Arkash flinched at the sound and his father's hand pulled him back. "Let's go, Ark," he spoke in ithmi. Arkash didn't dare take his eyes off Brodie.
[indent=20]"Come here," ordered the human. Arkash hesitated; he didn't want to be close to him. Everything in his body screamed to run. "Now," he stressed.
[indent=20]Arkash let go of his father's hand, and Cojack slipped only to grip the boy's shoulder. "Ark!" He yelled, then coughed into his other hand. Arkash didn't reply and stepped out of Cojack's reach while the sickly horse coughed, sputtered, and steadied himself.
[indent=20]As long as Arkash cooperated, it wouldn't end badly for him. He was stood perhaps three feet from the human when he spoke his next order. "Now, give me your bag," demanded the Savant. Again, Arkash complied and slipped the backpack from his shoulder. If anything, he was glad to have something physical between the two of them. Quickly, he offered all his and Cojacks possessions to the taller male, who quickly ripped it from Arkash's grasp, and handed it to Alec.
[indent=20]It wouldn't end well. How could it? Arkash had surrendered despite all the effort he made to fire himself up for a fight. He was still a weakling, a coward. Brodie had broken him in ways he didn't understand, and unless something intervened with his trance-like state of terror, he would continue to do the human's bidding.
To be continued: Here.
Everything was falling apart. Arkash's careful planning and order were unraveled to chaos. It didn't matter what path he took from there, things were going to be hectic. Arkash had killed a man; beat in his head with an iron pipe. Did he know why he'd done it? Part of him reasoned that Barry was trying to kill him, but he'd already stopped the fat human's assault. Did he regret what he'd done? Not even a little.
[indent=20]His only regret was that Cojack, his sickly father had been caught in the middle of it. Hell, Cojack saved him when Barry first flew at him with a knife. But the ill Rathari hadn't expected such an explosive, violent reaction when he passed Arkash the pipe. Neither had he, in honesty.
[indent=20]Now, their home was ablaze. The rickety wooden shack in which, Arkash had spent the entirety of his life, served as a cover to the act of murder. The flames had risen so high that they wouldn't have been able to extinguish the fire before they saved Barry's remains, and the state of his face already made it incredibly difficult to identify him. No one had to know that he'd killed a man from a higher caste.
[indent=20]He caught up to his father's side, who was waiting on the side of the road with Arkash's bag. He looked to the taller, hunched Rathari before he collected the backpack, then slung it over his back. "Dad," spoke Arkash at last, then moved his hand to grip his shoulder, which was still bleeding where Barry had stabbed him.
[indent=20]Cojack didn't reply. He merely stared onward to the street, either contemplating or trapped in his shock.
[indent=20]Arkash hissed quietly, then took the old horse by the hand. "We've gotta go, the sun is setting and the inn's a fair trek away." It didn't help that Cojack could barely move at a turtle's pace. Not with his frail, skinny body.
[indent=20]Step by step, he guided his father along the cobbled road. Arkash couldn't help but worry; what if that had changed things for them? It did, obviously, but what if it damaged their relationship in a way that could not be repaired? Arkash was already a thief, sure, but now he was a killer. Cojack had watched his metamorphosis, his dark descent into chaos. And though Arkash didn't feel bad for the things he'd done, he didn't know if it was because he couldn't face the cruelties he'd inflicted on others, or if he truly enjoyed what he did.
[indent=20]It wasn't that it made him happy, not quite, at least. But the things he did, specifically against the people of the higher castes, filled a certain void within him. It was a purpose, perhaps the purpose. Cojack had once told him of the purpose as a child, a strong pull that all Rathari experienced, but Arkash hadn't felt it... Not until barry was on his knees before him, and he knew what he had to do. He wasn't proud, but he felt no shame, either.
[indent=20]Dusk turned to night by the time they were remotely close to the border between Lower and Outer Nivenhain. There, the tall stone buildings weren't as broken down as the rest of lower Nivenhain. The people that lived seemed to pay a decent amount of maintenance to their homes, and the amount of bars on people's windows lowered significantly.
[indent=20]Cojack was still quiet, and to some degree, he understood. What was there to say?
[indent=20]"There you are, Newt!" called a familiar voice from somewhere behind him. Arkash froze mid-step. Brodie. He was the last person that Arkash wanted to encounter at that time. He'd already fought for his life once that day. "Saw your house burning, figured you were dead," spoke the human.
[indent=20]Arkash turned to face him. There, he positioned himself between Cojack and the boys. "Ark...?" Asked Cojack, likely regarding the house burning. The son might have neglected to mention that he set their house on fire. He didn't intend for Cojack to ever find out, in truth.
[indent=20]"Not now, dad..." spoke the Rath in Ithmi as the three humans fanned out ahead of him. Arkash backed up a little, and continued to move Cojack along. "I'm not in th' mood, Brodie," warned Arkash in common as he watched the boys.
[indent=20]"What?" he asked in turn, already his voice turned aggressive, forceful. Arkash didn't flinch and drew his pipe. Alec and Chad hesitated. "Oh? Oh you've gotta be kidding me," mocked Brodie.
[indent=20]"Is 'e for real?" Asked Chad, a muscular giant of s human, the largest of the brothers.
[indent=20]"Put the pipe down, Newt," warned the oldest of the three.
[indent=20]"Ark... What are you doing?" Spoke Cojack.
[indent=20]Part of him understood that fighting the three of them was a terrible idea. They could easily kill him, they wouldn't even need to send hollows. But the way Arkash had been in recent days, it almost didn't matter.
[indent=20]Between the choice to submit to a sadistic, vicious narcissist and a meaningless death, he was almost prepared to choose the latter. "Piss off!" Arkash snarled and swung the bloodied metal in a blatant threat. He wasn't yielding again. Never again. "I'm not givin' ya shite all!"
[indent=20]Arkash was resolute in his defiance. His legs weren't even shaking, and his grip was firm. Brodie had another thing coming if he wanted to extort Arkash easily. But, when the young Rath looked to the human's eyes, Arkash found pure delight, and that frightened him more than rage.
[indent=20]"Easy, Newt," spoke the human as he took a step toward Arkash. "Put the pipe down and give me my money. No one has to get hurt." Ordered the Savant.
[indent=20]There was his saunter again. The way Brodie walked, Arkash had seen it before. Full of confidence, as if he was immortal, untouchable. It was the way he approached Arkash before he carved into the Rathari's chest with his dagger. The same dagger that rested on his hip in its sheath. Alec waited to his left, and Chad to his right as he continued his approach.
[indent=20]Arkash hesitated and began to tremble. The scars in his chest began to burn as if the very fabric of his being was trying to remind him of what awaited him if he pursued that course of action. Finally, his venom glands activated and began to fill his mouth. Clear Viscous drool dripped from his lips and prompted him to slurp as he stared down the human.
[indent=20]Brodie caught that. The joy in his eyes burned away to unveil the sadistic glee beneath. He knew exactly what he was doing. Brodie, despite being just a couple years older than Arkash, was the symbol of despair. Time and time again, he'd beaten Arkash into submission. He was the one that taught the Rathari fear, pain, and hate. The longer that Arkash peered into his eyes, the more his defenses crumbled. His bravery, his confidence, both abandoned him when the larger human came within ten feet of his trembling form.
[indent=20]The human reached out to take hold of Arkash's extended, improvised weapon. Arkash didn't combat him. How could he? "Drop it," ordered Brodie in the same manner that he would order a dog.
[indent=20]Perhaps if he did what Brodie said, he wouldn't hurt him? What was he thinking? He was a fool to challenge the human. Reluctantly, Arkash released the pipe and withdrew his claw, which shook like a leaf.
[indent=20]The older human smiled, and dropped the weapon. Arkash flinched at the sound and his father's hand pulled him back. "Let's go, Ark," he spoke in ithmi. Arkash didn't dare take his eyes off Brodie.
[indent=20]"Come here," ordered the human. Arkash hesitated; he didn't want to be close to him. Everything in his body screamed to run. "Now," he stressed.
[indent=20]Arkash let go of his father's hand, and Cojack slipped only to grip the boy's shoulder. "Ark!" He yelled, then coughed into his other hand. Arkash didn't reply and stepped out of Cojack's reach while the sickly horse coughed, sputtered, and steadied himself.
[indent=20]As long as Arkash cooperated, it wouldn't end badly for him. He was stood perhaps three feet from the human when he spoke his next order. "Now, give me your bag," demanded the Savant. Again, Arkash complied and slipped the backpack from his shoulder. If anything, he was glad to have something physical between the two of them. Quickly, he offered all his and Cojacks possessions to the taller male, who quickly ripped it from Arkash's grasp, and handed it to Alec.
[indent=20]It wouldn't end well. How could it? Arkash had surrendered despite all the effort he made to fire himself up for a fight. He was still a weakling, a coward. Brodie had broken him in ways he didn't understand, and unless something intervened with his trance-like state of terror, he would continue to do the human's bidding.
To be continued: Here.