Chapter 3 - Cyclops

Atzi quickly wiped her tears from her face as she stood. She was still shaking slightly, her tail trembling the worst. “Wh-what was that?”

In the corner of the room was a small hole that Fence had dug out long ago. The top of their head was barely visible peeking out of it. “Fuck if I know! Go check!”

“Me?” Atzi whined. But I really need this job. She crept, slow and careful, to the entrance of the shack, peering outside.

Tons of people were in the alley, looking up towards the sky in a direction Atzi could not herself see. Nothing nearby then. She felt safe enough to venture further outside.

Looking west with the crowd, she saw a giant mushroom cloud of fire and ash rising in the distance. A long, long distance by the looks of it, but the cloud was huge. More massive than even the mountains that framed it.

Did someone attack us?! Atzi darted back inside. “There’s a huge, huge explosion in the distance! I… maybe we’re at war now.”

“What?!” Fence scrambled out of their hole and ran outside. Atzi followed. “The Saintess’s holy shits…” the smaller lizard muttered as they looked up.

This isn’t good. If there’s a war there could be a draft! I don’t want to fight! Atzi had already forgotten her earlier terror - she didn’t want to think about it, and not thinking about things was something she was very good at. “...is the job still on?”

Fence glared at her, before whispering, “Probably, but come back here tomorrow evening and I’ll know.”

“Alright. I’ll be back.” Wait, I should try to get the money now. “Any chance of a little advance for a nice meal before I go…?”

“Fuck no!”

“It might be my last proper meal, if anything goes wrong.” Atzi played it up, making herself look as sad-but-brave as possible.

“Then don’t fuck it up!” Fence shouted, heading back towards their shack.

Atzi stuck her tongue out. “You must sleep on a block of ice, you’re so cold. That should at least work sometimes!”

Fence re-entered their home. “If I had a bronze for every sob story I’ve heard, I still wouldn’t give any away.”

Cheapskate. Atzi huffed and wandered off. Ugh, I don’t want to walk all the way back to the slums. Sostra’s size meant all the walking Atzi did today took most of her time.

Get out of the way! Stop taking up the street just to gossip! She weaved her way through people in worried talks over the explosion. War was a big theory, but so were a mage’s experiment gone wrong, the wrath of some magical monster, and others more far-fetched.

She even ducked in and out of the center down which mostly carts traveled. I wish I could ride a cart. It’d be so much better. She stretched her clawed feet as she walked along.

Atzi did not make it even halfway back to the slums before she was distracted by the sign of an inn called ‘The One Eye Open’. She’d never been there before, but she thought, What if I get a room? And a bath! I can take it easy before the big job tomorrow. Atzi, you’re a genius.

The inside was busy, every one of its dozen-and-half tables taken up. The front bar and its many stools were half taken, so Atzi took a seat at the end, a single empty seat beside her, as she waited for the owner to appear.

Said owner appeared from the back, carrying a tray of bowls. Holy shit, a cyclops! The woman had one big, purple eye in the center of her face, with lighter purple hair in a neat bob cut. Even her giant eyelashes were purple. She wore a tan dress with a dark brown apron, and was a few inches taller than most women, which meant many more than Atzi.

Atzi stared at her as she served the food to a table. She had never seen a cyclops before. They lived in Cthargictha, or ‘Cthy’, deep within mountainous caves few from the Empire had ever been to. She’d heard rumors they were made of stone, but they were clearly softer than that. I thought they’d look uglier than this.

Atzi’s drool hit the floorboards, sizzling. She quickly leapt from her seat and started rubbing the spot before she could get yelled at; or worse, asked to pay for it.

The cyclops walked over to her. “Can I help you…?” she uncertainly asked the prone Atzi.

Oh gods she probably thinks I'm looking up her dress. Act natural. “Oh, uh, I thought I saw a bug.”

“A live one? That’s not good, I’ll have to-”

“No, no, there wasn’t actually one.” Atzi laughed awkwardly, standing. The wound to the floorboard wasn’t even noticeable. “Can I rent a room?”

She smiled brightly and Atzi’s heart melted. I’m definitely coming back here.

“Sure. I’m Hemm, by the way. It’ll be four bronze a night.”

Atzi’s heart refroze. Four bronze! That’s way too much money! It was the cheapest inn in Sostra. Damn, but I can’t tell her I don’t have enough money, then she’ll think I’m cheap. Wait, what if…

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“How much for a meal?”

“We’re serving a delicious rice congee for a bronze coin, two if you want to add meat. Chicken or bug.”

Two bronze is still pretty expensive… but the food sure does smell good, and I’ll be rich after tomorrow’s job anyway! “Chicken.” I want revenge on those clucking bastards. Besides, I had bug earlier. Variety is good.

Hemm held out a hand. Unlike at Parish’s, this was a pay first establishment. Atzi gave an awkward and thoroughly un-charismatic smile showing her sharp teeth, before handing her two stolen coins.

“One bowl of chicken rice congee!” Hemm yelled to the back, depositing the coins into her apron.

Atzi took back her seat and waited for her meal. After only a minute, someone sat beside her. The guardswoman.

Atzi slowly turned to look. “U-um, hello…?” She tensed up, ready to run. She would have already, but she wanted her food.

The guardswoman gave a fierce grin. “Guess what, lizard?”

Please don’t be ‘You’re under arrest.’ “You won? A lot?”

“Damn right! After you left!” She laughed uproariously.

Atzi went from scared to relieved to upset. “Yeah, rub it in…” I’m going to give you lead poisoning!

“What kind of idiot walks into a gambling house with only one coin to blow, anyway?” She smirked.

“I had to save the rest for food!”

The guardswoman could have made the connection that this wasn’t true, because Atzi had complained about the coin being her ‘hot meal’. From there, it was only a short jump to figuring out Atzi had more money for food, and wondering where the money came from for such a poor looking lizard. But the guardswoman didn’t realize this, because all guards are dumbasses.

“I’ll win it back next time, anyway.”

The guardswoman scoffed. “Yeah, well, do it while I’m not there.” Then she leaned back in her stool, complaining to the air. “Godsdamn, what’s taking them so long?”

A chill ran down Atzi’s tail. No, it can’t be. “...You’re eating here too, then?”

“I didn’t want to have a meeting on my day off, but hey, bosses are paying for our meals so I’m not complaining. You’re probably going to have to move off when the rest of the guards get here. Important we have room, after all.”

“Must be real lucky being a guard… they’re not all showing up right now, are they? I still have to eat.”

“Well they’re taking their damn time, that’s for sure.”

Hemm placed down a bowl in front of Atzi. Yes! It smelled delicious, and the bits of chicken glistened. Atzi lifted her wooden spoon, ready to take a bite.

“Hey, here they are now.”

Atzi spat poison on the table in a nervous reflex, and dropped her spoon clattering against the counter.

The group of guards made their way through the busy inn. “Move out the way, move out the way,” they said to clear their entrance.

From the back of the group was the commander of the guards, Brea. Unlike the other guards, her uniform was all black, giving her an intimidating appearance - that, and the claymore on her back.

I remember her, which means she definitely remembers me.

Atzi scrambled out of her seat, before sneaking to the side of the room behind other patrons. Wait, my food! But it was too late, the guards already took up post where she had been sitting, leaving her two hard earned coins of food behind.

I can’t wait to poison you all! If I was already rich I’d do it for free! Atzi was so upset that, rather than fleeing immediately, she decided to stay hidden and listen in. It’ll be really good to hear if they’re planning ‘inspect all cups carefully day’ tomorrow.

The guards chatted a bit. “What do you think that explosion was?” one asked.

“Looks like it came from Novae.” Another city of the Empire.

“Do you think they’ll ship us out to war?”

“With the festival coming up? They’re going to double our shifts!”

“Quiet down, you lot,” Brea ordered, and quiet they did. “Now, first order of business.” Her voice dropped quiet, and Atzi snuck slightly closer to better hear. “We’ll need you all to be on your best behavior. Lots of people will be coming into the city from all over the Empire and it’s important things are orderly. Until next week is over, I’m banning all gambling and drinking on your off hours, so better get it in tonight while you can.”

The guards groaned. The guardswoman who was chatting with Atzi groaned the loudest.

Atzi chuckled. Sucks to be you, suckers! Hopefully the cups aren’t for drinking beer from. …Wait, if they’re all here right now, that means the guardhouse should be empty. I should go scope it out, figure out my entrance.

She waited until someone else was leaving and used them as cover to flow out from the inn. The sky was already on its last dregs of color as torchlight became the main illumination of Sostra. The main guardhouse was a stone building connected to the tall fence between the market street, and the market side of the rich district.

Atzi crept around the corner of a building and peered a slight distance away at the place.

A single guard was outside, yawning in the torchlight with his helmet off, its flat top acting as a makeshift chair for him. Beside him was an entrance into the guardhouse, and a window opposite - though the window was partially covered by a thorny bush, planted in a large wooden trough. There were three stories to the building - the second story also had a window with a light visible from inside, and the third had no window at all. Atop the third floor was a sight post, with a wooden awning, currently empty.

That seems like the best entrance, then slink down from the top. Ground floor is always a bad idea - too much chance of being seen on the other side.

The door to the guardhouse opened, and the head of the entire city guard, above even the commander, stepped out with an angry expression on her face.

Shit! Here? Now? Atzi cursed the gods for her poor luck.

Atzi quickly ducked back behind her corner, hoping she wasn’t spotted.

She knew she hadn’t been when she overheard the head chastising the guard. “No napping on the job! Don’t sit! Wear your helmet properly!”

The guard gave some panicked excuse Atzi couldn’t hear the details of, and she heard the scrapping of his helmet against stone, some kind of clatter, and a curse.

“Now look what you did!”

I need to get out of here. Atzi thought, failing to see it as she tripped right over the helmet that had rolled in front of her. Whump.

“What was that noise?”

“I’ll get-”

“No, you’ve done enough already. You stand here per your post, and I’ll get it. Then we’ll have words.”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

Atzi screamed internally as she heard the heavy stomping of boots approach.