[Kara] Chapter 9: Food For Thought (Patreon)

Before parting ways with Koros for good, Kara learned a little bit more about the Sanctuary City of Alyona. Most of the population was generally composed of dark elves, although there were plenty of orcs, trolls, and minotaurs thrown into the mix. There were other species’ living amongst them too, but they were far and few in between.

So the general makeup of the populace was quite eclectic. And yet, Kara still found herself standing out like a sore thumb. Wherever she went, she drew stares from most passersby. Even though she was accompanied by a literal bear cub, they were all looking at her instead.

Because she was a human.

Of course, not all of the looks she received were that of hate or fear. Some of them were curious, while others were shocked. No one expected to see a human here this deep in the Xor-In Mountains.

“All these stares are making me insecure about how I’m dressed,” Kara sighed, looking down at herself.

While she knew they couldn’t care less about the clothes she wore, she was finally back in civilization, after having wandered the wilderness for so long. She wanted to take a warm bath and wear some proper clothes. Maybe make some friends too, if that was even possible. But more than anything, right now, Kara wanted—

Her stomach rumbled as a delicious aroma of food wafted by her nostrils. Angel looked up at her, and she puffed her cheeks, turning away from him in embarrassment.

“Using magic makes me hungry, alright? And I haven’t had a proper seasoned meal in months…”

The bear cub giggled as she clutched her stomach. Her mouth was practically watering at this point. She wiped the drool off her cheeks and made her way towards the smell of food. Eventually, Kara found herself before a food stand in the middle of a busy street. For some reason, it was empty. Even though it was right by the city gates, where crowds of refugees were entering.

The young woman inhaled deeply, taking in the delectable smell drifting out from the pot, before taking a step forward. And then she heard a voice shouting.

“Lizard soup! Get your lizard soup here!”

That made Kara pause. She blinked a few times as she turned to the vendor manning the stand. It was a troll— and Kara couldn’t quite tell if it was male or female.

The food vendor raised a stick with white meatballs on them. It almost looked like a fishball of sorts. Or at least, that was what Kara thought it was, until she heard what it was supposed to be.

“Roasted giant centipede eyes! Dipped in a secret sauce from the Zuri Tribe!”

Kara narrowed her eyes as she saw the food vendor waving the stick of eyeballs at a passing dark elf couple. They recoiled in disgust, before hurrying away. The food vendor harrumphed and looked at the staring young woman.

“Hmph, the people of this city truly have no sense of taste. Back in my tribe, these dishes are considered a delicacy.” As a troll, the food vendor towered over Kara. With metallic black skin, and a pair of tiny horns, he… she… it looked like it could crush the young woman’s skull with a single hand. “And what about you, human? Or you, bear? Do you want to try some authentic troll cuisine? The first skewer is free!”

The troll wore a winning grin as Kara and Angel both stared. It was like a street salesman trying to convince them to try out a scent of perfume. But when the young woman didn’t react, the food vendor drew back.

“Bah, it’s fine! I didn’t expect a human like you to appreciate my cuisine anyway! Your taste buds have a very limited palate unlike us trolls—”

“Actually,” Kara piped up. She smiled as she raised her head. “I’d love to try some.”

And now that made the troll pause. “...are you being for real?”

Next to Kara, Angel nodded eagerly. “Sorry, mister… uh, miss…”

“It’s miss,” the troll said as she took a pair of skewers of centipede eyes and handed it over to Kara. “And you can just call me Issa.”

“Thank you, Issa,” Kara said gratefully, accepting the food. “I didn’t know what to say because I didn’t expect you to offer me your food for free. I, uh, don’t have any money.”

The young woman glanced towards the sign hanging above the food stand. It had caught her eye earlier, and that was why she froze in place.

Giant Centipede Eyes - 3 Copper Coins

Insect Stew - 4 Copper Coins

Lizard Soup - 5 Copper Coins

Kara had been so far removed from civilization, she completely forgot that money was a thing. So she hadn’t known how she was going to afford anything on the menu, until it was offered to her for free.

She bit into the giant centipede eyes as Issa eyed her.

“How is it?” the food vendor asked.

Kara’s eyes grew wide as she licked her lips. “This is delicious! Come on, Angel, you have to try some!”

She handed over a skewer to the bear cub who hungrily scarfed down the centipede eyes too. Issa looked between the two of them, an amused look on her face.

“Now, how about that?” she chuckled as she leant against her food stand. “I didn’t expect a human of all the people in this city to be the one to appreciate my cuisine. I was under the impression that your kind mostly stuck to eating pigs and chickens.”

“Well, it doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, but the smell doesn’t lie,” Kara said, tapping her nose. “Also, I’ve had the eyes of a giant spider before, and they’re quite crunchy. So I expected a giant centipede’s eye to be pretty much the same thing.”

Issa’s brows snapped together. Although she had no eyebrows— and no hair in general, like most trolls.

“A giant spider? Wait, are you talking about a tarrantus?” The troll gaped at the young woman from Earth. “You’ve eaten the eyes of a tarrantus before? But they’re inedible— they excrete a paralyzing poison if you bite into them!”

“Yeah, and Angel had to learn that the hard way.” Kara gave the bear cub a sidelong glance. He lowered his head, ashamed. “But once you pour out the poison, it’s actually edible. Although it does taste like rubber… and it also makes my skin itch…”

She trailed off as Issa wobbled in place.

“But… why? Why force yourself to eat a poisoned meal when you can eat anything else?” the troll asked with round eyes.

Kara shrugged. “Because I had no other choice. I had to eat what I could, sometimes going days without food.”

“Days without food?” Issa blinked. “Where did you come from?”

“I have no idea. I was lost somewhere in the Xor-In Mountains. Well, we’re still in the Xor-In Mountains, right? But I had to have been somewhere deep within the mountain range, according to Koros.” Kara shook her head. “And also, those spider eyes are not even the worst thing I’ve had to eat in the last month. I mean, you’d think that flaming salamanders would be edible, only to find out their skin is literally made of stone.”

Issa’s jaw dropped. “You’ve eaten a igna salamander too…? And wait, did you mention Dark Lord Koros?”

“Yeah, that’s him. He’s the one who let me into the city, although I did get into a bit of a scuffle with the guards before that just because I’m a human.” Nodding, Kara finished the last of her skewer. She chewed on the centipede eyes as she tilted her head curiously. “Have you ever tried to eat the bark of those walking trees, by the way?”

And that made something in Issa snap. “You poor thing…”

She spun around as Kara perked up. But the troll didn’t run away. Instead, she snatched all of her roasting skewers of centipede eyes— it had to have been about a dozen— and forced them into the palm of Kara’s hand.

“Here, have it all!” Issa exclaimed. “I can’t believe you’ve had to endure all that for so long— that’s too terrible!”

“Wait— I don’t have any money!” Kara protested.

But the troll wagged a finger as she drew back. “You can pay me back the next time you’re here! Now, go and enjoy your food and the city!”

Kara tried to return the skewers, however Issa marched back into the inside of her food stand, sniffling and wiping away some tears.

“And here I thought my life in Alyona was rough just because I can’t get any customers. I need to be more grateful for what I have…”

Kara looked towards Angel quizzically, but he ignored her look. Instead, he outstretched a paw, eyeing the centipede eyes expectantly. She rolled her eyes.

“Here, but don’t have too much, or you’re going to get fat.”

The bear cub scoffed in response.

—--

Kara sat with Angel at the base of the giant statue in the center of the city. A vast courtyard spread out around them, the only section of Alyona that was devoid of buildings. There was a marble block laid out there, etched with golden letters, and it read:

Here slumbers Azad.

The Guardian of Alyona.

Only to awaken when the city is threatened.

Pray that his eyes never need be opened.

Kara squinted as her gaze lingered on the statue’s face. “Doesn’t it kind of look like those massive golems that come out during a magical storm?”

She asked the question offhandedly as she turned to Angel, and he stuffed his face with another skewer of centipede eyeballs in response.

“You should’ve saved some for me.” Kara snorted at the bear cub, then rested her chin on her right hand. She eyed the sea of faces passing through the courtyard.

Just as she’d been told, most of the people of the city were dark elves. They made up about four in every five faces she saw. And the fifth face was always either a minotaur or a troll. Surprisingly, she scarcely saw any orcs around, even though they were supposed to be the second largest group in Alyona.

There was probably a reason for their absence. After all, she had seen plenty of them entering the city earlier.

She stretched her neck as she rose to her feet. “Now then, how am I going to find a place to stay?”

Kara wondered aloud, striding away from the statue. Angel hurried after her as he tossed aside the finished skewers. The two of them made their way down a side street. It was starting to grow less crowded than before. The number of passersby had reduced at least sevenfold compared to earlier.

Since most of the city was built into the mountain, Kara couldn’t quite tell what time it was. But based on everything that had unfolded today, she thought it was safe to assume that it was now nighttime, which was why the streets were emptying. Everyone was going to bed.

And she was starting to feel a little bit drowsy too.

“For that, I’ll need money, right?” Kara asked, placing a hand on her chin. “But how do I make money?”

As she turned the corner, she heard a sharp voice cut its way down the street, followed by an echoing clap.

“You dumb whore!”

A dark elf woman was struck across the face and fell to the floor. A group of orcs surrounded her. They were tall— not as tall as a troll. But each and every one of them stood at around seven feet in height. They weren’t uniformly green in color, coming in different shades. But they all had pointed ears and crimson eyes.

And their presence immediately scared away all the other nearby dark elves. Kara frowned, watching this scene unfold.

“Give me back my coin, or else we’ll take them from you.” The lead orc cracked his knuckles, looming over the lone dark elf woman.

She was already barely dressed in any proper clothing, but he grabbed her by the collar, ripping her shirt even more.

“Are you listening to me?” He balled his right hand into a fist as his fellow orcs snickered behind him. “I said, give me back my coins!”

The dark elf woman mustered up the strength to crane her neck up, and then opened her mouth weakly. “B-but I didn’t take your money…”

The lead orc frowned. He glanced back, seeing mostly other orcs gathered in the street. Not all of them were part of his group, and some of the passersby gave disapproving looks. But no one moved to stop him.

He shook his head and swung down at the girl. “Did you not hear me, you deaf w—”

“That’s enough,” Kara said, catching his fist.

The dark elf woman flinched, and the orc froze. He stared at the human suddenly standing before him. “How did you…?”

He tried to yank his hand back, but Kara refused to let go. The orc growled at her as he released the dark elf woman with his other hand.

“You—” he started.

And Kara finally loosened her grip. He stumbled back as she caught the falling dark elf woman.

“Are you alright?” Kara asked, steadying the dark elf woman.

“I-I…” the dark elf woman barely squeaked out a response.

And the orc shouted, taking a step forward. “Who the fuck do you think you are, trying to defend that thief?”

“Thief?” Kara raised a brow.

“That’s right, thief!” another orc yelled in agreement.

The group of them gathered around Kara threateningly, and she dismissively glanced at the weapons hanging from their belts or slung around their back. The lead orc shook his head. “I paid that cursed prostitute for her services, but she took my money and refused to give me what I asked for!”

His words caused the dark elf woman to wince. Kara narrowed her eyes as she glanced back down.

“Is this true?” she asked the dark elf woman softly.

“...n-no,” the dark elf woman whispered.

“She’s a liar!” the lead orc shouted as he pointed accusingly. “Check her pockets! She took twenty copper coins from me! That’s proof she’s a thief!”

“B-but I didn’t take anything—” she protested weakly. “I-I did what you told me to, and you p-paid me… but then you…”

“Liar!” one of the orcs called out.

“She’s a thief!” another added.

“A thieving, lying prostitute,” the lead orc said as he sneered down at her.

Kara glanced between the group of orcs and the trembling dark elf woman. Her eyes fluttered shut as she remembered a scene from another world. She heard the distant echoes of screaming voices. She recalled peeking through the crack in the doorway. And in that memory, she saw the shadows of her mother fighting with a stranger.

A scene very much reminiscent of what Kara was witnessing in the present.

“Even in a different world, some people really are scum, huh?” Kara whispered to herself.

And the lead orc raised a brow. “What did you say?”

She sighed as she stepped forward, leaving the dark elf woman behind. “Angel, look after her.”

The bear cub immediately rushed to her side, and the orcs stared in confusion.

“Is that an utlas bear…?”

“What is it doing with a human?”

“W-what…?” Even the dark elf woman reacted in shock as she stared at Angel standing by her side.

But the lead orc didn’t pay it any mind. He just ground his teeth together and reached for a cudgel at his belt. He flexed his fingers, speaking threateningly.

“Do not think that you scare me just because you are a human…” he said with an uneasy smile on his face. “My people have clashed with you humans before. So we are not afraid of you.”

Raising her hands placatingly, Kara lowered her head. “Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble. Because if I do, I’m going to get kicked out of this city… or worse. So I’m only going to ask this once—”

The orcs blinked in unison, and she glared at them as her left eye burned with a golden flame.

“Leave us the fuck alone, or I’ll make you regret it.”

And that made the group of orcs back up nervously. The street had cleared out at this point, now it was only Kara, Angel, the prostitute, and the orcs. But for whatever reason, the lead orc refused to cower.

He drew his cudgel as he snarled. “You—”

Kara tensed. But the weapon was never drawn. Instead, a blurred projectile shot down the street and struck the lead orc in the palm of his hand. He screamed in pain as he dropped the cudgel to the ground.

“Uh, what?” Kara’s gaze snapped to the side.

And she saw a figure that hadn’t been there moments ago now standing there. He was a full head shorter than her, with flowing golden locks that matched hers, completed by a porcelain-pale skin. By his looks, he couldn’t have been older than a mere teen. But still, he lowered a bow as he drew another arrow from his quiver slung around his shoulder.

Kara stared at him with wide eyes. “You’re… a human? No, wait—”

“I must apologize for interrupting,” he said as he stepped forward. “While I really wanted to see you kick their asses, I do not wish to see you be ejected from Alyona either. So I have decided to intervene.”

She saw the way his ears twitched. Just as long as the orcs. Maybe even longer. And she breathed, “You’re an elf.”

“Indeed, I am. And my name is Caius. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms Kara.” The elf smiled at her.

“You know me?” Kara blinked, breaking out of her stupor.

“I do, and while I wish to exchange more pleasantries with you—” Caius started, before he was interrupted by a furious scream.

The lead orc was clutching onto his bleeding hand as he pointed at the elf. “Kill him!”

And his posse charged forward, drawing their weapons. There were about a dozen of them, each one of them carrying a sword or a club or an axe. Kara immediately moved to intercept them. But Caius continued speaking as he laughed.

“Unfortunately, for now, I do have to take out the trash. So let’s chat more later. You can just watch from the side.”

Kara looked on as he loosed arrow after arrow at the charging orcs. Already, half of them had been dropped, having been shot through the knees. They curled up into balls and groaned in pain. But the first of the orcs reached Caius.

He was tiny compared to them. But he showed not a hint of fear. Three orcs surrounded him and swung their weapons for his head, and he deftly danced around their attacks.

He flipped over them as he nocked three arrows onto his bow. “Watch your steps!”

And he loosed the arrows, striking them all in their ankles. They stumbled forward and slammed their heads into each other. In an instant, they knocked each other out. Now there were only three orcs remaining standing. The rest of them had been quickly disarmed.

And he did it with non-lethal attacks, Kara observed, eyeing the fallen orcs.

Two of the remaining three orcs exchanged a glance, before dropping their weapons. They turned around and fled as now only the lead orc remained.

He cursed, watching them run. “Those idiots…”

He picked up his cudgel with uninjured hand and stepped forward. Caius raised a brow in response.

“Oh? You haven’t had enough? Are you really that stupid to want to continue?”

“Are you sure you want to do this, elf?” the lead orc said simply as he continued to stride towards Caius. “I heard your kind is getting close to extinction. Do you really want to contribute to—”

And Kara blinked as an arrow shot forward faster than any previous arrow. It struck the lead orc in the head, making recoil. But he didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, he craned his neck up as he bared his teeth.

“Struck a nerve, huh?” He laughed as his skin rippled with a gray sheen. He flexed, taking a heavy step forward. “Seventh Core: Iron Skin. Your weak arrows aren’t going to hurt me, now.”

Caius didn’t respond. The expression on his face had completely changed. No longer did he wear a casual smirk. Instead, he wore an apathetic gaze as he faced the orc. And yet, Kara could sense the murderous intent there.

But the orc couldn’t care less. He began to move faster as he cackled wildly. “Do not worry, I will let you meet your people soon enough! Tenth Core—”

He leapt into the air, and Caius raised his bow. There was no arrow there, but still, the weapon flashed with a yellow light.

“Thirteenth Core: A Hunter’s Catch.”

And a net made of magic shot out, wrapping around the orc mid-air. He shouted in anger as he was bound by it, before it crackled with electricity. His angry shouts quickly turned to screams of pain as he dropped to the ground like a rock. But his bindings continued to zap him where he lay.

“And it’s over— that took longer than I thought. Sorry about that.” Caius shook his head apologetically as he turned to Kara. His carefree demeanor returned.

She stared at the prone orc with round eyes, seeing the crackling electricity. “Is he going to be…?”

“Do not worry, that won’t kill him,” Caius said as he walked up next to her. He waved a hand off dismissively as the orc continued to scream. “It’ll hurt a bit, but it’s not enough to kill anyone. And it’s not like I can kill him even if I wanted to. Because I’ll get in trouble if I do that.”

“Oh—” She winced as the orc’s cries of pain became an uncontrollable sobbing. While she didn’t feel sorry for him, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was going through right now. “Well, I’m glad this has all been resolved for now.”

Kara looked back towards Angel. He gave her a nod as he helped the dark elf woman to her feet. But even though she was safe now, she was still in shock about what was going on.

“We should probably get out of here,” Kara said as she turned towards the elf.

“Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for the city guards to arrive so we can explain what happened.” He slung his bow behind his back and met her gaze. “We’ll be in even bigger trouble if we run away from the scene of a crime.”

Kara pursed her lips. “Oh, I see.”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything at all. You were just a bystander, so you can recount what happened. Even if Hayder doesn’t believe you, he’ll believe me.” Caius gave her a reassuring smile.

And she eyed him suspiciously. “Right, I get that… but how do you know all this? About Hayder? About me?”

“Oh, how could I not know about you?” the elf chuckled as he looked her once over. “You’re famous— you’re the one who gave Koros a scare, and humbled Hayder in battle. But more than that…”

He drew closer to Kara as she furrowed her brows. He leaned forward, staring into her red and blue eyes with his emerald-green eyes.

“You’re also the one who’s going to hunt down and stop Levi, aren’t you?”

And that made Kara pause. She reeled, hearing his words. Then she blinked. “Uh, who?”

Caius stared at her, seeing the confusion in her face. He scratched the back of his head as he explained, “...the human thief who has been causing Alyona trouble for the past year?”

“Oh, him.” Kara nodded apprehensively. “Right, I’m going to stop… him…”

“...why do you hesitate when you say that?”

“No reason.”

Author's Notes:

4k words. What thonk?

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