[Kara] Chapter 7: Alyona (Patreon)

“Another day, another stream of refugees…” Soraan sighed as he swept his gaze over the crowd of faces gathering in droves outside of the gates of the city.

He leant against the shaft of his spear, dreading the tedious day of work that was ahead of him. Especially when he considered the makeup of today’s crowd. While most of the refugees were people like him— dark elves, with their ashen-gray skin, and their pointed ears— he still caught a glimpse of a few larger figures thrown into the mix.

There had to be hundreds of orcs, a few dozen trolls, and even some stray minotaurs joining the refugees entering the city. Their presence alone already opened up a pit in Soraan’s stomach. He could already foresee the troubles and problems that were going to appear throughout the day because of them.

Particularly, from the orcs and the trolls.

Minotaurs… they didn’t often cause trouble, and that was why Soraan wasn’t worried about them. They were quiet creatures— oftentimes living in solitude.

But in contrast to that, orcs were loud and boisterous, typically sticking together with their own kind, which made them difficult to deal with in general. Because if one of them tried to start an argument for any reason, the others would join in, and that always instigated a brawl. Putting them next to trolls who were extremely abrasive only exacerbated things even more.

And Soraan, as one of the gate guards of the city, was going to have to break up these fights when they broke out.

He shook his head, before glancing back at the monolithic walls hiding the city within. “If only Alyona wasn’t a Sanctuary City, we wouldn’t have to deal with all these cursed refugees.”

Of course, Soraan wouldn’t mind letting in the thousands of dark elves lining up before the city gates. Not even because they were his people, but because it would be significantly less trouble for him. He would also let the minotaurs in for that reason alone.

But he was a mere city guard. He didn’t get to make any of the executive decisions around here. As a Sanctuary City, Alyona welcomed all. Only Koros, the current Dark Lord, was capable of overriding that law by declaring a total lockdown of the city so no one could enter or leave.

Honestly, Soraan was surprised a total lockdown hadn’t been decreed yet, considering the news he had been hearing of what was happening throughout the Xor-In Mountains. While this region was considered to be quite dangerous in general, monsters of mysterious origins had been sighted more and more frequently, appearing in hordes and destroying entire cities in their wake.

To an ordinary citizen of Alyona, it was concerning to hear about. And to Soraan who was a guard, it was even more concerning to hear about, since he was the first line of defense for the city in the case of a monster attack.

But Dark Lord Koros refused to call for a total lockdown of the city, despite the desperate pleas of his aides. His reasoning was that as a Sanctuary City, they needed to shelter the swathes of refugees coming from the nearby settlements and cities that had already been razed to ash.

Soraan wasn’t sure if he agreed with that logic. They already had many of their own problems to deal with. Now, to add to the problem, they had to deal with thousands of refugees entering Alyona every day.

“I’d rather be forced to patrol the lower tunnels than deal with this for another week.” Soraan tilted his head back and rubbed his temples.

“You complain too much,” a voice said, accompanied by a nudging elbow. He looked towards the guard standing next to him. A fellow dark elf whose name he forgot. “Don’t forget, there’s that human still hiding somewhere down there… Hora and her squad went down, but never came back. Better to live with some problems than to not live at all, eh?”

Soraan rolled his eyes at that. There were plenty of things he could say in response, but he bit back a retort. All he wanted was to get this day over and done with. So he looked away— only to pause.

“What’s that?” he asked with a frown.

His brows snapped together as he spotted something in the distance. It was an approaching figure that stood as tall as any ordinary dark elf, descending down the hill. And while the figure was not alone, accompanied by another figure, Soraan’s gaze was fixed on the foremost figure. Because he saw the blonde hair, and he saw the pale skin.

These were features that he had never seen before, but heard plenty about in passing. These were the features of a—

“Is that a human…?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

And the guard standing next to him screamed, “It’s a human! A human is attacking the city! Sound the alarm!”

All at once, the bells of the city tolled, and guards poured out of the crenellations, weapons at the ready for the approaching human.

The very confused human.

—--

Kara hesitantly continued her approach to the city when she realized that the line of figures leading to the gates were not humans. The queue was mostly comprised of these strange beady-eyed creatures with white hair and gray skin, although there were a few different kinds of giant creatures interspersed amongst them. She didn’t get a good look at any of their faces when she saw them, instead choosing to turn around and walk away.

But Angel had stopped her. He had insisted they make their way to the city, almost like he recognized it. And considering that this was the first sign of living civilization Kara had seen since she arrived in this world, she decided that she was going to at least peek around to see what was going on.

Unfortunately for her, the moment she got close, the city gates were thrown open as alarm bells were rung. The line of people waiting outside the city were let in in a hurry, and hundreds of armed guards lined the walls with bows and arrows, aiming in her direction. It happened so quickly, she barely processed what was going on.

“You can’t be serious, right?” Kara asked as she looked up in confusion. She saw the shadows of the projectiles falling closer, and her body was lit ablaze in an instant. “Why the fuck are they attacking me? I haven’t even done anything!”

Her Dragon’s Scales covered her body as a volley of arrows rained down at her. Most of them completely missed her, while those that got close were completely incinerated before they even could touch her skin. She stepped forward as Angel backed away, and she waved her hands in the air.

“I’m not here to cause you any trouble! I’m just here to seek shelter!” she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by their screaming.

“It repelled our arrows with magic!” they shouted, pointing at her. “It must be a powerful wizard!”

“No— it has to be an adventurer! No wizard would come here alone!” another said.

And a voice shouted louder than the rest, “Send out the drakenriders!”

Kara blinked as she heard their voices. Are they speaking English? No— that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she understood what they were saying, which meant that they must have understood her too.

She opened her mouth to defuse the situation once more, but a smaller gate swung open, before a dozen giant lizards poured out. Riding on their backs were even more of those ashen-skinned creatures, but unlike those on the walls, these ones were wearing a kind of ornate armor. They aimed decorated spears at her as they drew closer.

“If I kill any of them, I’m definitely not going to be let into the city,” she realized with pursed lips. She turned around, beckoning her companion. “Angel, it’s your turn.”

The bear cub nodded and stepped forward as he raised his staff. The first drakenrider slowed for a moment, before laughing out loud.

“Do not worry! It’s only an utlas bear cub. It’s not even reached its third evolution—” he started.

Only for Angel to slam his staff onto the ground, and large chunks of rocks shot forward from the earth. The drakenriders looked on in confusion as one by one the rocks knocked them off their  mounts. They didn’t have any time to dodge. They barely even had time to comprehend what just happened.

And the giant lizards ran past Kara and Angel a moment later, all their riders having been knocked off.

“That’s… geomancy?” the first drakenrider as he picked himself up to his feet. He looked towards Angel with round eyes. “But utlas bears aren’t supposed to be able to cast spells. Just how is it doing that?”

Kara strode forward and crossed her arms. “I can answer your questions if you just listen to me for one second…”

A volley of arrows rained down on her, but she didn’t even look up. Like earlier, the wooden projectiles couldn’t pierce through her Dragon’s Scales. She continued speaking as the first drakenrider glared back up at her.

“I told you, I’m not here to fight you. I’m here to enter your city.”

“And why should we believe you?” he asked defiantly. “You humans are evil! All you bring is death and destruction to our people!”

“Well, I’m not like other humans—”

And a glinting arrow shot towards her, cutting her off. Her eyes flickered as she saw it coming fast. It reached the edge of the aura of golden flames coating her, and it refused to burn. She ducked out of the way right in time for it to whizz by her head.

The magical projectile continued on to the nearby hill, before erupting into a pillar of ice. Kara frowned as she glanced back at that.

“Are you guys seriously not listening to a single fucking word coming out of my mouth?” she asked, looking back towards the first drakenrider.

And she immediately backed up as he thrust his spear at her neck. The weapon sparked out when it came into contact with her Dragon’s Scales, but they refused to burn. She gritted her teeth as he swung at her again. This time, she conjured up her Dragon’s Claws and parried the attack.

“If you keep this up, I’m going to be forced to kill you!” Kara shouted as she blocked another flurry of swings, before kicking the first drakenrider back.

Perhaps it was because she had become desensitized to death from survivng alone for so long, or perhaps it was because these creatures didn’t look like humans, but she didn’t feel any sort of apprehension about taking their lives. And it was not like she hadn’t killed people before.

She had been partially responsible for Zarkoth’s death, and she had killed Angel’s mother. She had also thought that the machine sent by the Soulmaster was a human before she destroyed it. She had no qualms with the role she played in any of their deaths, so she wasn’t going to have any qualms with killing these creatures right now.

The only problem was alienating herself from the city. But it seemed like that had somehow already happened, before she had even done anything.

The other drakenriders flanked her as their leader picked himself up. They attacked her from all sides, but she blocked all their strikes with ease, keeping them back. They were slow. Or maybe she was fast.

But none of them could keep up with her except for the first drakenrider. He charged at her as his figure blurred, and she backed away warily.

“Eighteenth Core: Storm of—”

However, the ground beneath his feet shifted, and he tripped, crashing into the ground. Kara looked to the side at Angel.

“Good job,” she said with a nod.

The bear cub grinned back at her. The drakenriders backed up hesitantly as their leader groaned, lying face-first on the dirt. Kara wondered if they were finally going to be willing to hear her out.

But then she saw the glint once again. The glow coming from the magical arrow. And this time, it wasn’t aimed at her. Instead, it was flying straight for Angel.

Her eyes widened at the realization, and her body moved purely on instinct. She appeared right in front of the bear cub before the magical arrow could reach him, swinging up with a God Strike. The two magical attacks clashed for a moment.

And Kara’s golden flames completely blew away the exploding ice pillar, sending a plume of mist into the air. Her gaze snapped up towards the archer. She didn’t even take a second to take in the fact that he was different from the other guards, with pale skin and golden hair like her.

Instead, she brought a small ball of fire to her mouth as she was moved by rage. “How dare you attack Angel! Dragon’s B—”

“That’s enough,” a voice cut her off.

A gauntleted hand caught the small ball of fire and snuffed it out before she could blow her magic into it. Kara blinked a few times, before looking up at a figure clad in black armor standing before her. He wore a helmet with spikes jutting out of its top like a crown, and he carried a massive black blade on his back.

He peered at her through his visors, his eyes shining red.

“Who are you?” she asked, taking a step back. And when did you even get here? She left the second question in her mind unsaid.

“I am Koros,” he said as he held her gaze. “And I am the Dark Lord of Alyona.”

His voice seemed to boom out, and the drakenriders immediately bowed to him. But he didn’t attack the young woman from Earth. Instead, he crossed his arms across his chest as he questioned her.

“Now tell me: who are you and why are you attacking my city?”

Kara exchanged a glance with Angel, before the both of them sighed. And she explained.

“Well…”

—--

It took an hour of questioning— between talking to Kara, the city guards, and the other bystanders who watched everything unfurl— before Koros seemed to get a good understanding of what happened.

For a moment, Kara wasn’t sure what to expect from the Dark Lord. He might have believed her side of the story, or he might have chosen to listen to his guards. But all the witnesses that had seen the scene play out must have recounted a similar story to what she had told him, because when he was finished, he dismissed the guards, before bringing her and Angel to the wall’s largest tower.

The drakenriders were forced to watch as she was let in through the city’s gates and led up to the battlements, and she bit back any petty comments she could have said. Koros brought her to an office at the very top of the tower. A pair of double doors magically slammed shut behind both the girl and the bear cub. They blinked as they saw a flash of light there, the sign of some kind of spell being put in place.

And Koros sat down behind a desk, his voice booming, shaking the room. “So I understand you pose no threat to my city—”

Kara jolted back at his words. Angel ran behind her, hiding from the Dark Lord’s piercing gaze. Even though the situation was now resolved, Koros refused to lower his guard.

“But still, I must ask, why are you here?” he continued, and the room practically vibrated.

“O-oh, uh, that’s…” Kara sputtered as she took a step back. “I-I am here because, uh—”

“Sorry,” Koros cut her off, making her recoil with his thundering voice. “Was I too loud? Let me get rid of this cursed helmet…”

“…what?” She blinked as he fumbled with his helmet.

It came off after a second, and the Dark Lord set it down onto the desk. He flicked his long hair back as he sank into his chair. His voice came out softer now when he spoke.

“That’s much better,” he sighed, speaking in a normal voice. He stretched his neck as he glanced apologetically at Kara. “My helmet has a sound amplication enchantment woven into it, which is a massive pain in the ass to deal with indoors.”

He chuckled as he spoke. While Koros looked no different than the other ashen-skinned people of the city— apart from standing slightly taller and having silver-gray hair— he didn’t eye her with the same animosity they did.

Instead, he wore a carefree smile as he faced her. “Please, sit.”

Kara broke out of her stupor and eyed the empty seat. She relaxed a bit, seeing the Dark Lord’s shift in demeanor. He no longer seemed to be hostile, which let her steel herself properly.

“R-right—” She sat down, and Angel took a seat next to her too.

Koros almost looked amused at the bear cub sitting there, before focusing on the young woman. “So, let me repeat my question: why are you here?”

She cleared her throat as she gestured at the bear cub next to her her. “My name is Kara, and this is Angel. We’re here to seek refuge in your city.”

She spoke almost mechanically, having rehearsed what she would tell the Dark Lord while she had been waiting for everything to blow over earlier.

“We’ve been lost in these mountains for months. Or maybe even longer— I’ve literally lost count. And we’re just looking for a safe place to shelter where we don’t have to worry about monsters creeping on us in our sleep. We’re not here to cause you any trouble.”

“Right, right. I understand that. The Xor-In Mountains is quite dangerous, after all.” Koros nodded almost understandingly, however it also seemed rather condescending. Then he leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles. “But you’re a human.”

It was a simple statement. Kara wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Uh, yeah, I’m a human?” she agreed apprehensively.

“So why would you seek refuge in Alyona?” He tilted his head. “This is not one of your human cities.”

Kara chewed her lower lip. “…because I’m lost?”

He didn’t seem satisfied with her response. His gaze bore into her expectantly, and she hesitated.

She glanced back at Angel. He almost seemed to lower his head shamefully. She shrugged and gestured at him.

“He also insisted we come here. I wasn’t sure if we should, considering you guys are… no offense, not humans.”

“None taken whatsoever,” Koros chuckled, before looking towards the bear cub. “It’s no surprise that even an utlas bear knows they can find safety in a Sanctuary City. They are quite intelligent for monsters. Although, it is unusual for a cub to be this knowledgeable.”

The Dark Lord rubbed a hand on his chin, and Angel looked up curiously. Kara raised a brow at that.

“However, it is even more unusual for an utlas bear to be capable of casting spells, so I’ll save these questions for the future. For now, I’d still like to know more about you, Ms Kara.”

Koros looked back up towards the disheveled human. She blinked a few times, then shifted back uncomfortably.

“Look, if me being a human is really that much of a problem for you guys, I can leave,” she said as she crossed her arms. “Just point me in the direction of the nearest human city, and we’ll be on our way.”

Angel looked up in alarm at that. But before he could fully react, Koros waved a hand off casually.

“Oh, it’s no problem to me that you’re a human.” The Dark Lord gave her a reassuring look. “Alyona is a Sanctuary City. We accept all folks, as long as they bear no ill will towards our people. We’d even accept a drake if they weren’t so opposed to us living.”

“…right.”

Kara wrinkled her brows dubiously. She wasn’t sure if she believed that, considering the aggressive welcome party that was thrown for her as soon as she arrived.

Koros shook his head as he continued. “And I believe you’d benefit from staying in our city for at least a few days to recover. After all, the nearest human city is quite a ways away. Thousands of miles away, to be exact.”

“Oh.” Kara deflated. But for whatever reason, Angel relaxed when he heard that.

The Dark Lord laughed when he saw the blonde girl’s reaction. It was not a cruel laugh. But a casual chuckle as he made himself comfortable in his seat.

“I don’t blame you for wanting to be amongst your people. Especially after what happened today. I must apologize for that. But there’s been a lot of… stress recently placed on our city guards, considering everything that’s been going on. Firstly, we’ve had a little bit of a problem with a dangerous human we let into the city…”

Kara exchanged a glance with Angel. So that’s why the city guards refused to listen to me.

“Then there’s also been the problem of dealing with all the unruly refugees. And lastly, there’s also what’s been going on throughout the Xor-In Mountains that’s making everyone antsy.”

Kara’s brows furrowed, having an inkling of an idea of what he was talking about. “You mean with all the destroyed cities, right?”

“Oh? So you know?” Koros looked impressed. “I’m surprised a human knows about our problems. But considering that you said you’ve been wandering these the Xor-In Mountains, I guess it makes sense.”

“I’ve run into the ruins of dozens of cities,” Kara explained. “I don’t know much about what’s going on beyond that.”

Koros tapped a finger on his chin. “Well, as far as most folks are aware, there’s a strange new type of monster that’s been going around and burning down cities. But there’s a lot more to it than that…”

She leaned forward as she asked, “What do you mean by that?”

The Dark Lord continued tapping his chin for a moment, before suddenly pausing. He sat up in his chair as he peered into the human.

“While I’d love to answer that question for you, you still have yet to properly answer mine.”

Kara frowned. “What are you talking about? I told you, I’m here because lost—”

“Come on now,” Koros said with a grin. “I’m no fool, and neither are you. We both know that what you’ve told me so far is not the full reason why you’re here.”

And that made the young woman from Earth pause. Her lips were drawn into a thin line, but she still tried to put on a straight face.

“I… am not sure what you’re talking about.”

Koros rolled his eyes as he rose to his feet. He slowly strode around the room with a smirk plastered onto his face. “You’re lost, sure. I believe that. But why are you lost? And better yet— why are you even in the Xor-In Mountains in the first place?”

Kara opened her mouth, then caught herself. She wasn’t sure how to answer that question. And the Dark Lord realized that. That was why he continued as he looked out the window into his city.

“And these are the first of many questions that naturally come up when anyone with a brain thinks about your story for more than a moment. I could ask you about questions about the utlas bear, and I could ask you questions about you survived. But that would still be skirting around the main issue.”

“The main issue that is…?” the human asked, unsure of what else there was to say.

The Dark Lord of Alyona sighed, before turning around. He held her gaze, and his mouth moved. Kara heard his question. She processed it slowly.

And her eyes grew wide.

“How exactly did a human like you acquire a dragonsoul?”

Author's Notres:

4k words. What thonk?

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