《Butcher》 Chapter 1 - Bunny and Wolf
In the middle of the forest going through a long bumpy road inside a creaking carriage, warm air blows through the wind seeping through the hole where outside the coach sits pulling on the reins of the horses. Inside, four passengers are seated shielding them from the heat of the sun. "We''re getting close to Rivermist, please get off at the next stop!" The coachman shouts, waking the passengers. All of them collectively gathered their belongings, some checking the contents of their bags carefully. With one seemingly not caring and immediately hopping off the cart, his large bunny ears bounced out of the hood before he tucked them back in. A larger man also followed a minute later causing the carriage to shake as he stepped off carrying an almost comically large bag they carried on their back holding the string going over his shoulder. Stretching and letting out a satisfied groan. "Hrngah! Finally back to Rivermist!" he enthusiastically exclaims. The voice was loud enough to be heard all the way to the gates causing the Bunny to also reflexively look back at the loud man. Commoners... They''re louder here compared to our territory in Solarium''s Capital. The Bunny thought as he rolled his eyes and walked closer to the town guard. The town had wooden walls, a stark contrast from the stone bricks he was used to in his hometown. Handing the Identification card to the town guard they read the contents of the ID and asked. "What''s your name?" "Sylas." The guard nodded and signaled the other two behind holding spears to open the gate. The wooden hinges on the large door made a scratchy noise while it slowly moved to allow the bunny to enter. Just within earshot, from behind the gate the larger man followed but his advancement was stopped by the guards not allowing him to enter. "Hey what gives? Let me through!" "Sir, could you give us something to Identify you with?" "I was here just a week ago, have you already forgotten about me?" The guard didn''t budge and stayed silent waiting patiently for the large man to give the required documents. "Agh alright! just give me a moment." The wolf tapped around his clothes checking the pockets, his tense body seems to drop as he checks his bag furiously. "Agh, I don''t have it, I may have lost it somewhere on the way." "You''re gonna have to pay the fee for a temporary one then sir." "Aahh! Wait, come on! you can''t do this to me, do you know how expensive replacements are!" Sylas, tired of the noise, left the area and wandered the town until they ran into an inn.
Looking up at the sign [Bountiful Inn]. The building itself wasn''t the worst; it only went up to three floors and it was far from the ideal resting place but he couldn''t be picky. Just outside, roguish looking men are slouching and loitering near the entrance eyeing Sylas, they squint their eyes as if trying to find out what he looked like under the hood. Sylas, while warry, isn''t at all worried since guards still patrol the town and keep order. Rather he''s more worried about thieves, he tightens his hold on his sling bag as he walks inside the inn, the group of rough men following him with their eyes. Once inside, there were many empty tables with some occupied by groups talking amongst themselves, others had a map and an assortment of equipment laid out on the table. Sylas tried not to look at the groups as they were focused on getting to the counter for now. "Heya! What can I do for ya?" A girl stood on the other side of the counter, her ears were sharp and fluffy and a long thin tail swished behind her back. Clearly a descendant of Cat-folks. This put a feeling of discomfort for Sylas, regardless he mustered enough grit to get the words out of his mouth. "Y-yes I need a room for myself for the next week. Include free meals too." Sylas'' lips facial features lightly twitches while they put up an act. his palms also started to become sweaty making him wipe them on his pants as he reached for the money in his bag. "Alright! Put your name here. And that will be 4 silver coins." After a quick explanation of the Inn''s policies Sylas pays for the room. The Cat girl hands him keys to his room and provides them with seven stamps with dates written on. "We will not be responsible for any lost property during your stay, and if you miss a day for meals we will not give any refunds." That last part about no refunds in particular got his attention. Checking his bag, they shake it lightly allowing the buried coins in the bottom of the bag to reveal itself. He sighed and took the stamps and keys and looked for his room. Upon entering the door hinges made an audible creak, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand. The room inside had a single bed on the corner with a desk cabinet just on the side. A single window, and a surprisingly well kept cabinet that barely has dust. No point backing out now... Sylas thought, they put their bag under their bed, removing the cloak finally able to give their head some ventilation. Their green hair was slightly damped from the sweat. "I hope at the very least, be able to take warm baths here."
They unfortunately did not have any. Apparently hot bath water is a luxury. Sylas locked his door and went down stairs, making sure to bring the stamps. Missing a single meal just means more costs in the future, they have to make the most out of what they have. "Here are some sticks of carrots, a Salad, soup bread and some barbeque sticks!" The cat receptionist is now working as a waitress while someone else takes on her previous role. "Yeah thanks." The smell of meat was slightly overpowering their sense of smell. They took small bites off the skewers slowly but surely swallowing each bite. The skewered meat was over seasoned for the tongue of a rabbit, regardless they powered through the gamey taste of the meat. "urp- one last bite..." Hesitantly opening their mouth for the last bite, the moment his teeth went into contact with the last piece, it seemed even worse than before. The oily fat squirted juice inside his mouth almost making him gag. Ugh, disgusting. How can carnivores stomach this brutish meal? it''s not like the bunny can''t eat meat, luckily inheriting some genes of an hare somewhere in his bloodline his family has always been able to enjoy lightly seasoned meat. Their tongue just simply not built handle meat seasoned as much as this. Finally swallowing they let out a sigh of relief and can finally move on to the meal they enjoy. "Nothing beats Carrots and Salads after all... the soup bread isn''t bad though." Looking around the loud room, Sylas spots multiple mercs and adventurers. The distinction between the two occupations are almost indistinguishable, Both take requests and finish them within an allotted time and are promised payment. What sets the two apart is freedom, Inherently adventurers can only take jobs posted on the guild postal boards which are filled by the locals, some are official requests by the government typically have higher pay. Somewhere close by a group of Dog-folk adventurers are bickering complaining about something. "Not a lot of good jobs in this town." the battle-worn man said. "Well what did you expect, cap? Not a lot of jobs our party can handle." The woman added. "Weavers are hard to come by, We would be lucky to even find one. Even a novice would be useful" Said by the man with a beer belly. "Wanna try our luck back in the capital captain?" "And what pay them half of our total earnings? I swear those pompous bastards have no respect. There is no chance any of them will accept our terms. Not like they will even stay long in our party in the first place." Finishing his meal, he went out the door and roamed town. They never really paid attention to the small town the first time he entered. Most of the houses were humble and small in comparison to what they were used to. there wasn''t a town map in the plaza detailing landmarks due to its small size. Just wandering around aimlessly for a while is enough for you to find everything the town has to offer.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. After asking around he was eventually led to where the Mercenary guild is. It was actually quite obvious there was a large sign just above the entrance, the structure has obviously been through some things with how scratched the wooden beams are from the various brawls there probably have been. Sylas entered, it was clear how much they stood out from the rest of the people inside. Like being stranded in the middle of the ocean, all around him were clad in metal armor and armed with blades compared to him who only wore light clothes and a cloak while carrying a single heavy sling bag. It won''t be strange for many to mistake him as someone who wants to put up a request. "Hey! putting up a request? You can be sure my team can cleanly finish the job! Whether it''s extermination, bounty hunting or escorts you won''t regret it!" A Bear Therian approached Sylas with an almost sales pitch like manner. A therian?! Behind the bear therian were three other similar men, all equally larger than the bunny. Fangs peaked through their snouts, Large claws on the tips of their fingers, and most of all their overpowering builds. Their appearances couldn''t be any more different. One look at their fangs was enough to increase Sylas'' heart rate, Therians had stronger senses than Demi-humans so they all could probably tell how nervous he already was as the tiger therian pulled the bear by his clothes creating space between the two. "Alright give the little thing some space! Bruce, you know how rare it is for our kind to be in this part of the country. Sorry about that kid, I''ll put some sense into this idiot." Sylas gulped down, calming himself down. Therians... They never fail to make all my senses go ballistic. "Thanks, uhm I''ll get going now." The Tiger gave him a toothy smile exposing her fangs while she waved him off, giving him tiny shivers. As he got close to the counter, unexpectedly behind the counter was an older man, hair grayed from age along with his short scruffy beard and face scarred with one going across his forehead all the way through his eye right to the side. The older man had triangular shaped ears that have black tips, behind him was also a large sword sheathed in a scabbard hanging on his back adding onto his already intense aura. "What do you want, kid?" The old man said in a grizzly voice while he leaned down using his arms as support to get a better view at the bunny, his brows furrowed lightly as he waited for a response. "I want to register into the merc guild." "... Huh?" The old man looked around the guild lounge looking for something. "You mean you want to register a request or?" Confused, he looked at the bunny not any taller than his shoulders. "No, I want to register as a mercenary." Bluntly Sylas repeated and placed five silver coins as payment. The old man scratched the back of his neck and let out a restrained ''Hrm'' sound from his throat. "Look kid-" "I''m not really a kid." "Right... Do you know where you are right now? This is a merc guild and you don''t exactly have the body for this kind of job." "Could you just register me... Please?" The old man stared at him for a moment wondering what the person in front of him was possibly thinking, registering in a guild filled with tough, musclebound idiots. "Alright, put your name here and if you have a party already then you can list the name of the members here." Placing a piece of paper and slid it closer to Sylas, he promptly filled out the information required on the document and handed it over once finished. "?" The old man raised one of his eyebrows looking back at Sylas. "You''re 20?" "Yes." The old man shrugged it off, simply putting it away after reading everything. "Alright, listen here. First off your life is your own so take requests at your own risk, Second cause any kind of fraud and I will deal with you myself. Finally, just a piece of advice, no amount of money is worth your own life." He looks back at a rusted sword hung in display. "In any case welcome to the guild [Sage]. I see you''re already using an alias, at least'' you got a good head unlike a certain someone." "Guild policy says you have to finish one quest equivalent to your skill level at least once a month, but seeing as you are still new you are free to choose whatever request you want to take so long as it''s not any higher than C rank difficulty for evaluation." "Thank you." "Since we will be working together for a while let me introduce myself. my name is Alwin but you can call me ''Al'' kid." "Again not a kid." "You are to me, now you should go find yourself some comrades. These guys may look rough around the edges but most of them are nice guys." Suddenly a loud BANG came from the entrance doors swung open hard hitting the walls. Making the crowd collectively look to where the noise came from as they all fell silent, with some holding the handles of their weapons. "HAHA! I''M BACK!" A large man draped in cloth holding a large sack behind him held by a string, Everyone who raised their guard shortly after released their hand from their weapons after seeing the wolf. "Oh boy..." Sylas looked back at the old man. With a look of confusion. "Hey gramps! Finally got past the gates, damned guards kept me from getting in the city so I snuck in." "You lost your identification card again?" Removing the cloak covering his face, showing the snout and brown fur, under his eyes were two black marks like an arrow pointing down. After he placed the cloak on the counter, the bushy brown tail shook, making dust fly off everywhere. Sylas looked at the Wolf therian, The wolf was by far the Largest among the therians he has ever met. Not that he had met a lot of them in the first place but it was clear to him that his size was by far the largest from height alone. The old man hit the Wolfs head making an audible Thump noise on his noggin. "Agh!" "You''re sending dust everywhere. And take a bath you smell like shit." "Yeah just give me a minute." The wolf looked at Sylas, peaking his interest. After all seeing someone this small inside the guild was a rare occurrence. "Who''s the kid?" the wolf asked, ears pointed up in interest. "That ''kid'' you call is about the same age as you. his name is [Sage] from today onward he will be part of the guild, though his rank is still gonna be evaluated." "Him? A merc? Pfft- Funny, didn''t know you grew a sense of humor while I was gone gramps." The old man only gave him a serious look of what looks to be a mix of annoyance and disapproval. "You serious? or am I missing something here?" Sylas went on to the board and ignored the two bickering and took a look at the requests pinned down. Not a lot of good ones... Most of the posted requests are extermination quests with some requiring to gather plants and such at a place far away, hardly worth it. Sylas eyes one request in particular it caught his eye especially due to the high reward. but for whatever reason no one has taken it yet. [Abomination clearing, C-Rank] the piece of paper read, 200 silver could last someone a year if they live frugally. About to snatch the piece of paper off the board, A large beastly hand stopped him from pulling on the parchment, slamming onto the board. Making Sylas flinch, retreating his hand. "You are not taking this." The Wolf from earlier now behind him kept their hand on the request holding it down. "Those arms of yours look like they''ll snap if I even do as much as grip it and you''re thinking of doing an extermination request of abominations of all things? You should at least form a party unless you''re planning on going to kill yourself." Silas took a few steps away from the larger wolf. Reaching into his bag out of habit only calming down after a few seconds realizing the wolf doesn''t mean any harm. "I''ll be fine. I''m not an idiot, I can handle myself, I can deal with a few Abominations." The wolf stammered his words bewildered at the bunny''s out of place confidence. Out of frustration, the wolf grabs the bunny''s shoulders pulling them closer. The old man seeing this immediately got out of the counter and rushed over to them. "Do you not get what I''m saying?!" Silas was taken aback with the aggressive reaction "Boris! Let go of em dammit!" Alwin pried Boris'' hands off Sylas'' shoulders and separated the two using the span of his arms. "Sasha help me out would ya?" "Ok big guy calm down!" The tiger woman Sasha from earlier nodded and held back Boris from behind. While he didn''t struggle it looked like he was about to lunge at me any minute once she released him and dragged him away. "Apologies for his behavior, He isn''t usually this sensitive." After things settled down, Boris was impatiently tapping his foot somewhere in a far away table from where Sylas and Alwin are. Sylas looked to where Boris was in the corner. That glare is intense... What''s his problem? "Forgive him, he''s had some terrible experiences." "Terrible?" "All I can say is that, Before arriving in River mist that boy''s been through something. He won''t say what specifically but I could tell with how he acts around small Demi-humans." "..." The old man pulled down his hood and sprayed something on his hair and handed him the bottle. "What''s this?" Sylas looks down on the small bottle containing transparent liquid. "Deodorant, it''s obvious from how you smell alone you''re some kind of small herbivore, one spritz is enough for at least 6 hours." "Hmmm." Alwin puts his hand on his chin, looking over both Sylas and Boris from faraway an idea popped into his head. "You still don''t have a party, yeah?" "That''s right but I intend to go about it alone." "Sure you''re free to do that, why don''t both of you try it out first then decide later? How''s that sound Boris?" Boris with his large ears could hear the conversation from afar, and got closer to the two. "While I am looking for a group no one can really keep up with my physical abilities let alone this guy." "I have a feeling this kid has more to him than meets the eye. Ain''t that right?" Alwin said in confidence. Sylas, a little bitter with how the old man''s sharp intuition seems to have already figured him out all the way. They removed their cloak revealing their floppy ears and mint green hair and took out a small box from his bag, opened it to reveal a stick which expands into a staff as tall as them. "Yes, you''re right. I can use magic. But how did you figure it out?" "I''ve been in this business since I was little, at some point you just start getting a sense of things. Oh and you reached into your bag earlier so I assumed there must be something in there you would use." Alwin points at the bag Sylas is carrying. "Well how about it Boris? If you still think the kid is lacking then I wont allow him to take any requests until you say he is." "Wait?! you can''t just decide that on your own-!" "Deal! Ya hear that, you ain''t leaving my side anytime soon!" The wolf immediately agreed with the old man, leaving Sylas in a state of disbelief. "I- Wou- wh- huh?!?" Sylas couldn''t get the words out of his mouth. As the other two haphazardly signed a document deeming the two as part of one party probably indefinitely. By the time they had shown him the documents it was too late. "Then both of you will finish [Abomination extermination] as a party. Shouldn''t be too difficult knowing what you can do. And you finally found a Weaver so it should be a smooth mission." The wolf letting out a smug satisfied huff while puffing out their chest, he gave off an aura of arrogance that did not sit well with Sylas at all. I don''t think I will start warming up this dumb mutt at all any time soon.
Some clarification on certain concepts: Abominations are monstrous beings with grotesque features neither animal or human looking. Therians:Bipedal and have more beastlike features DemiHumans: Have animal characteristics (Ears, Tails etc.) Character notes: Sylas: 20 years old Part of a noble family made up of Rabbit-folk. Excels with their use of magic called Weaving a technique that creates phenomena through the use of a staff or wand. As the next head of the house that serves the God of magic and knowledge Solaleo, It was mandatory that he would learn about the intricacies of weaving to become a pastor for future promising mages in Solarium. They left their house shortly after scraping enough money to leave for Rivermist a relatively closed off town to which he has gone into hiding far away from the capital. Boris: 20 years old A wolf therian with a cheery attitude, before moving to Rivermist they had lived in another country which they mysteriously keep quiet about. They can use just about anything in a fight be it Fist or blades, given their high adaptability they could finish requests that typically requires teams of two alone. due to his high physical stats they rarely had a need to form permanent parties and preferred weavers as their partner of choice in missions. Because of this they never stayed in one party for too long and usually leaves after getting paid.Notoriously lazy Alwin: [??] Years old "Probably 50" - Boris A husky Dog-folk, was once a mercenary for the Rivermist mercenary guild before climbing the ranks rapidly and becoming its leader. Prefers to use a large sword with long reach, Like most other mercenaries profit has always been their number one priority when it comes to taking jobs. But after risky request that costed him his right eye and fellow comrade, he started enforcing ''Rules'' into newcomers in order to reduce mission casualties. After becoming leader he hasn''t been on any jobs since and mostly acts as a receptionist along with 2 other employees. Chapter 2 - The Hoplands 2 months ago¡­ The capital of Solarium, Sol the city named after the very God it serves, Solaleo the God of Knowledge, Magic and Justice. A city that shows no expense in boasting its prosperity. A simple stroll through the roads show shops with high profile products on a pedestal displayed through crystal clear glass, well maintained smooth pathways, and proficiently carved statues at the center of the plazas depicting their God bathed in the sunlight seemingly glowingly as the statue¡¯s silhouette is highlighted. Somewhere in the capital high up into the higher ring, is a mansion owned by the hoplands. A young man sits in a room blankly staring at an opened book as their tutors'' ramblings steadily tune out while they mindlessly tap on the book''s pages. ¡°Young master Sylas, are you listening?¡± As if woken from a trance Sylas looked back at the older goat with their ears now perked upwards before it dropped slightly. ¡°Hm? No sorry, what did you say again?¡± The goat sighed and closed the book they¡¯re holding and patted Sylas¡¯ shoulders after getting closer. ¡°You know, let''s finish early. It¡¯s almost time anyway and I¡¯m sure you have things to do. The celebration is starting soon..¡± Sylas stretched and unwinded their body while the goat picked up their things from the table in a corner. Sylas took one last look back at the room, his eyes hovering over the old goat only for a moment with a furrowed brow and scoffed. All these lessons on theocracy are tiring. Sylvanus (Sylas) Hopland the youngest of three young lords, unlike most noble families who succeeds the house is not through birthrights. As a house that produces successors with consistent compatibility with magic. Heirs are trained since birth the ways of weaving and theocratic virtues. A hopland must live in service of their God. A hopland will never be swayed by temptation. A hopland must always be victorious, they shan¡¯t kneel to their enemies. These are a few of the unrealistic virtues that are hammered onto the heirs of Hopland. Not even the women born into the house are safe from these teachings. Wandering the large manor, Sylas looked outside and saw the plaza decorated with colorful banners and ropes hung with flowing long strips of color in the wind. Right, it''s today. The day my eldest brother returns . Last I heard of him was months ago when he went to lead troops out to take care of Therians trying to get through the border illegally or so they say. Going down the stairs of the empty manor and went out through the main entrance. The high elevation of the manor allows for ease of seeing the large gate where it is most decorated preparing for the return of the heroes of Sol. Men holding instruments can be seen lined up on the road holding the horns high. On que the moment the instruments start playing, each one starts glowing before mist-like energy comes out and forms into sparkling dust falling and glorifying the entrance of the magic knights. The glitter got stuck on the dried blood on the armor of the so-called heroes. Even so, cheers continued as if the crowd was blinded by the still glimmering dust almost covering the blood stains Seems like brother was successful again as expected. His brother Lucius was tall and more built compared to Sylas, their body was almost the textbook body of a perfect knight. Lucius while riding the horse waved his hand to the onlooking crowd, occasionally winking at a few women making them swoon in awe as their eyes turned into an intoxicated expression. Though Sylas was better at magic than his eldest brother, Lucius¡¯ ability is nothing to scoff at. What they may lack in power they make up with speed. That face of his is as annoying as ever. How the hell does a house of magic weavers produce that monster? A servant came from around the corner of the hall spotting Sylas and bowed in front of him and spoke after being acknowledged. ¡°Young master Sylas, dinner shall be ready soon. Your father has demanded that you join them.¡± ¡°¡­ Tell father I will be arriving shortly.¡± Great¡­ *** A family dinner, it is safe to say that in a typical noble family eating dinner all together is a rare but welcome occurrence. The same cannot be said for the Hoplands. The three brothers sat together on the long table with their father, with the two eldest sitting closest to the current head who was seated at the far end side of the table, Sylas sat in front of the second eldest putting him only two seats away from their father. Clink, Tap- The silence makes the sound of utensils hitting the plate more audible adding onto the already dull ambiance. Sylas couldn¡¯t dare to make eye contact with any of his relatives and continues to munch on carrots and cabbage. A stark contrast to the rest of his family who are eating roasted meat, not a single bit of leafy greens are included in the family''s normal diet. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Sylas tried his best to immerse himself in his meal but not long after he took a few bites on the orange sticks of carrots their father finally uttered a few words. ¡°How were today¡¯s lessons?¡± It was clear who the man was referring to, as such Sylas properly let go of the utensils in both hands and replied. ¡°It was fine, I learned a lot I guess.¡± Their father¡¯s blank glare has always given him and his brothers a feeling of being suffocated. Though his brothers seem to have gotten used to this as they continue to heartily tear apart large portions of meat. ¡°Is there anything specific you can recall?¡± There it is, the usual question¡­ though I barely listened I already prepared some answers that might just be good enough. ¡°Well if I have to pick then I guess Therians and how different they are. I think the way they use their magic is interesting.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two elder brothers stopped eating upon noticing the atmosphere. The second eldest Jack quickly swallowed and coughed before trying to defuse the situation. ¡°Father, perhaps what Sylas meant to say is.¡± Before he could finish he was interrupted by a hand raised, ordering him to stop. ¡°Different isn¡¯t quite the word I would use, but yes their magic is quite blasphemous.¡± This comment made Sylas wince slightly and furrow his brow, but he tried his best not to make his disappointment obvious. Their Father took a drink from his cup before continuing. ¡°Unlike Therians, we who serve and swear loyalty on Solaleo are granted the ability to use real magic. Not at all like how those brutes would defile it, forcing it through their vines...¡± The old man¡¯s face contorts into a look of disgust as if recalling an unpleasant memory. ¡°To use a God¡¯s gift like that¡­ tch , heretics. One should handle any matters related to magic with utmost care. Well what can we expect from heretics who worship an evil god.¡± ¡°You said it father, Unbaptized heretics shouldn¡¯t even be allowed to use God¡¯s gift, especially not in such a savage manner but alas.¡± Lucius chuckled as he continued dining without a care. ¡°Ahaha~ right?! You agree, right? Sylas?¡± Jack nervously looked at Sylas as he did an awkward laugh. ¡°... How can they? We barely treat them like people in sol in the first place...¡± Sylas whispered to himself. The old man¡¯s eyebrows raised as his sharp hearing picked up the words and wanted to chastise him for speaking back but was unable to as Sylas quickly stood up from his chair and walked out. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now, I have something to do.¡± he said before slamming the door shut. ¡°Seriously, what is that boy¡¯s problem?!¡± he shouts as a vein appears popping out of his forehead from rage. ¡°Father please, cut him some slack he just needs a little more guidance is all.¡± Jack says in an attempt to calm his father. ¡°Jack is right, I¡¯ll take care of my precious little brother like usual. You should rest father.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll leave it to you then Lucius, I will return to my quarters. Have the maids clean the table after you finish eating.¡± *** Unable to bear staying in the mansion any longer, Sylas grabbed a hood and took off any valuables like jewelry on his person other than a bag of coins containing a few hundred silver coins in case they wanted to go shopping while out on a walk. They put it inside their sling bag and locked it with the belt holding the flap of the bag. He then flipped the cloak onto himself and stuffed his ears that were pointing up inside the hood. Sylas then locks the door, and takes out a rope made of bed sheets he has been accumulating discreetly in his locked wardrobe and carries it to a window he opens. Being on the second floor of the mansion the drop was relatively unsafe to jump off of even for his brother Lucius who can use magic to soften his fall. He took out his staff which is still shrunk so it resembles a wand, he created five luminescent strings which struck at different points until it all tied together creating a glowing anchor point under the window which he ties the bedsheets to. After throwing down the rope, he stepped out the window and felt the strong winds almost taking off his hood. He then slowly descended holding onto and stepping on the large knots in between for a more secure descent, finally reaching the bottom slightly out of breath. ¡°Phew~ ok.¡± He then points his wand at the magical anchor point flicking their hand making it disperse as the rope falls from the window and at the same time shutting it close, almost as if no one had just climbed out of the room. Since they didn''t want to be caught by any servants in the mansion, Sylas went out through the backyard crawling behind bushes until reaching the main gate where he saw two guards. Shifts seem to be changing soon as one guard nods to the other before the former leaves. There weren¡¯t any more trees or bushes from this point so they casually walked towards the gate as Sylas recognised the emblem on the first knight¡¯s armor. Face softening to become less tense as if seeing a friend. ¡°Young master Sylas, what are you doing here?¡± A familiar face, Bernard, a dogfolk guard that has been serving our house for at least a majority of my life. He¡¯s quite young for his position, being a major at the age of 25 is no easy feat. He removed his helmet, revealing his short white hair and his face wrinkled from fatigue. ¡°Let me through Bernard, I''m only going for a walk. I will return before sundown.¡± The knight¡¯s ears drooped slightly as they held firm in their position not moving from the gate. They looked around scanning for anyone who could possibly eavesdrop into their conversation using their sharp senses. ¡°Sneaking out again? You know we aren¡¯t kids anymore, You can get in far worse trouble Sy! At least let me come with.¡± he whispered discreetly. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I can take care of myself.¡± Sylas went ahead pushing through and releasing the locks of the gate ignoring Bernard¡¯s worries and throwing the hood back on and covering his face in shadow. Taking the stairs into the lower tiers of Sol. The difference between the middle and lower rings weren¡¯t too different but the houses were less extravagant. *** Occasionally while walking through road Sylas will see a few Therians strolling through the street but it was obvious how cautious most of them are with how they avoid as much as accidentally bumping into anyone in the streets. While welcome into Sol it was obvious there was something much more sinister hidden under it all. This obviously had an effect on Sylas considering his most recent interaction with his father, further adding onto his already low opinion of his father. Today in particular though it seemed therians in the city were much more on edge probably from hearing from the news of what happened at the border and the distasteful glorification of the events. Still walking around somehow ending up in a less populated part of the middle ring, something caught his ears. Low pitched pained moans from somewhere, causing him to peak around the corner of a nearby alleyway. Noticing claw marks on the way from the corner before entering. ¡°Oh gods!¡± alarmed, Sylas shouts after seeing a person collapsed on the ground motionless apart from light breathing. ¡°What happened here?¡± Sylas¡¯ muttered, checking her for wounds, noticing bite marks and cuts. It was immediately obvious that a therian would be responsible for these types of wounds. ¡°h-help...¡± The sheep muttered weakly. ¡°I¡¯m here to help, hold still.¡± Gently lowering her body and taking out his staff that enlarged as he started casting a spell. The woman was trying to say something to Sylas, but he was too engrossed in his concentration to notice the threat from behind brandishing their claws. Just as they were about to be jumped, a shiver crept up their neck making them dodge at the last second cutting their nape and at the same time dropping their staff upon landing. ¡°WOAH!¡± A dark leopard therian snarled at the rabbit, eyes glowed red, sharp fangs peaked out from their jaw as the leopard''s saliva dripped from its mouth. Looking down at their battered and wrecked clothes stained with blood, whether it was theirs or the sheep didn''t matter to Sylas as right now all he could think of was avoiding its relentless attacks. ¡°RAGH!¡± The enraged Leopard once again launched itself towards Sylas¡¯ reaching for their neck as Sylas dove to the side making the beast hit the wall instead causing a similar gash like the ones scattered in the darkalley. The beast followed up with another strike which Sylas narrowly avoided spreading his leg while he moved backwards to safety fumbling to grab his staff while the leopard continued to slash at him with no regard to anything else other than the escaping rabbit that''s only narrowly escaping their attacks as small cuts and wounds littered the thin legs. The therian did one last powered up slash slamming down just missing Sylas before abruptly stopping as if to catch their breath giving the shakened rabbit enough time to jump for his staff and aim at the out of control beast. The magic strings weaved to form a bolt of lightning that shot at his aggressor, with a bright spark the streak of light crackled indiscriminately bouncing on the wall as it all collected onto the therian. The black figure spasmed under the force of the crackling lightning almost kneeling from the pain. ¡°RRGHN! Y-YOU!¡± Struggling to speak, the leopard persevered, slowly stepping closer and closer to Sylas who was continuously shooting out bolt after bolt. It wasn¡¯t enough as the leopard had now pinned him down causing him to let go of his staff while sharp claws pierced his clothes, and in front of his face were large pointed canines dripping down with mucus landing on his cheek. The leopard took a deep sniff before exhaling, the heat of the breath hitting the side of their face causing uncontrollable shivers slowly making Sylas go into a panicked state. The leopard caught wind of his scent, detecting a familiar odor that they could never forget. ¡°You smell¡­ like that Hare. You both smell similar, you must be related to him.¡± ¡°H-hare?¡± The dots started connecting as he realized that this therian was probably one of the therians who somehow escaped his brother at the border. ¡°Everything¡­ I lost everything.¡± Tears started flowing down from the once angry beast, now showing a face filled with grief and emptiness. ¡°Then wont it be just fair if I take something from him too?¡±. Sylas¡¯ eyes widened as his neck was now inches away from being ripped out by the grieving man''s jaws. Time almost seemed to have stopped, as they helplessly looked down at the fangs about to clamp on to his throat. A stream of memories flashed as he is reminded of the sins his house has committed up till now, that of which was coming back to bite him in the worst way he could possibly think of. Just as he was about to accept his fate, he felt the teeth touch him but not clamp. Rather staying there as he wondered what happened. The rest of the body also collapses under him as he sees his brother Lucius holding a sword with trickles of red. Trembling eyes looked down at the body with its head now missing after his brother kicked both of it and the body off him with a look as if he was looking at trash like what he killed wasn¡¯t a person. ¡°Sylas! Are you ok?!¡± There was a ringing in Sylas¡¯ and all the sounds were muffled while his brother carried him, his eyes were still locked onto the severed head from shock, unable to process what happened. He shifts his focus to the sheep he was trying to save and is sent into despair to find that she was also struck by his haphazard use of magic, killing her. ¡°You could have gotten killed! If Bernard hadn¡¯t told me you were going out¡­ Oh look at this, your hair is a mess and you have cuts everywhere. No worries, let¡¯s get you home. Back where you belong.¡± His brother took him out of the dark alleyway, completely disregarding the two corpses as if they weren''t there as it slowly left his field of view. A month after recovering in the mansion, Sylas took whatever he could get and ran away.