The Lineage

"Keep your head down," Alexis sternly commanded to the mass of cloth she pulled along. It made no sound aside from the quiet furrowing of its cloak and the clip-clap of their exposed soles on the cobblestone street. As it did not seem to resist neither her command nor her pull, she took its silence as agreement.

Midnight was nothing but a fleeting dream by this point; even the gods themselves would never be caught awake at this time of night. Overhead, the full moon illuminated the skies above and what light was not filtered out by the clouds and fog blanked Underhill, as if tucking the entire country in for a terrific slumber. One particular beam of white glow seemed to snake its way down to the planet's surface with the sole intention of highlighting the silent pair. It followed them as they winded through the graveyard-silent streets as if they were waltzing across a stage. The eager crowd anxiously awaited their next move while the orchestra held pause, filling the auditorium with a vacuum that caused all within to hold breath. Despite the street being completely devoid of life at this ungodly hour, Alexis could feel their countless eyeballs travelling across both her skin as well as the figure behind her. Feeling a sense of urgency, she tugged her compatriot to move quicker.

No matter how far she seemed to walk, her destination only seemed to grow agonizingly further away with each step, making her growl without explanation. The guardswoman yanked along the woman behind her, away from Sonol's bar as they waltzed towards the unknown location she had in mind for them. When they had first departed, the figure behind her whispered endless questions to Alexis, yet gave up after receiving no response except further urging pulls. The brown-haired woman was less concerned with the robed girl's pestering and more concerned about what dangers lurked within each shadow they passed. She constantly scrolled her eyes about, worrying that someone may broadside her at any moment. Normally, she would welcome the unexpected excitement and revel in the ability to kick someone's skull in -- but she now had a charge that needed protecting, and the eerie silence was sickening. No lanterns were lit along the streets, all the shops were closed, and on occasion she heard a person snoring as they passed by a cracked open window. Two and three-story buildings went by as unimpressive as identical trees in a forest, while the cobblestone path they travelled upon may as well be a deer trail they chose to follow. Alexis knew every single inch of Underhill's capital like the back of her hand and knew exactly which alleyways and darkened corners to avoid. She could handle herself in a tense situation but feared she may not be able to keep the other girl safe, so she stuck to the streets.

Of course, it would only be a matter of time before she came to regret her decision of walking so defenselessly down the middle of a wide street. Her vision honed in on something happening up ahead -- and cursed under her breath as an orange glow began creeping around a street corner. There was no chatter from its direction, so she knew the figure was alone. There was no drunken rambling, so she knew it was not another bar patron who was kicked out after too many mugs. Alexis most certainly knew it was not some ruffian or brigand -- as they would never announce themselves by carrying a lantern in the middle of an otherwise dark, silent night. The only option it possibly could have been was obvious -- it was one of her fellow guards, and they were on a direct collision course with him. Her suspicions were confirmed when the man rounded the corner, scanning his eyes over the street until his snout was glaring directly at the approaching pair. His eyes shined heavily in the lantern he carried while a spiny, scaled appendage behind him whipped the air slowly. The man trod forward a bit as Alexis approached, bringing the light up to illuminate both her face and his own as the two met and ceased in place. He leaned back a bit, glaring at her for a few moments as he got his words in order.

"Sylvaini? What the hell are you doing out so late? Your shift would have ended hours ago," he grumbled loudly. Hints of both annoyance and confusion were mixed into his tone.

The guardswoman sighed as she spun her tale, "got a bit carried away with time at a bar... you know how it is." She gripped into the forearm of the woman she pulled along, telling her it would be best to keep her mouth shut and let Alexis do all the talking.

The man raised his brow and rolled his eyes off Alexis' face and to the figure behind her, even bringing his lantern over to see them better. Given it was just a small person in a cloak excessively large for them, his suspicions grew faster than bamboo. He scoffed through the holes on his snout, "you seem to have a package there," he motioned with his lantern, "who might that be?"

Alexis leaned into him a bit, as if trying to ward him off and escape this conversation before it truly took root, "no one you need to be concerned with, scaly. Let me through."

The man tutted with his tongue, "ah,

now

you've piqued my interest. Your shift ended a lifetime ago while mine is just beginning.

Everyone

on the street, familiar or not, is most certainly someone I need to be

concerned

with. So, are you going to tell me who that is, or can they speak for themselves?"

He leaned in a bit towards the hooded figure, making Alexis' protective feelings heighten, "they're just some idiot who got too rowdy for my liking. Pissed me off while I was trying to unwind, and now they get to pay the price. Guess it was good I stayed at the watering hole late as I did... but now I get to book this little thing."

Almost as if ignoring her words, he brought his lantern closer to the figure Alexis pulled along, making the guardswoman's unoccupied hand white with frustration. His black slitted eyes could see all of the minimal details the person had to offer. Short, wide, and above all, they were most certainly trying their best to keep their face hidden from the man inspecting her. The only skin he could see was their pale thin arm as Alexis gripped it tight. He had planned on leaning in even closer to remove their hood, but a rank stench suddenly clogged his ears and he reeled back, causing the lantern in his claw to bounce a bit.

He glared back up at Alexis, given she was a fair bit taller than himself, "you still haven't answered me as to

who

this person is. Some kind of dwarf?"

She stepped directly between the man and the girl,

"they

are none of your business. Move aside, Katan."

At the mention of his name, Katan's maw opened a bit, showing off a few rows of sharp teeth in intimidation, "why all the secrecy, Sylvaini? We both know you're off the clock. While it's not against the rules to do this off-duty, you're acting weird. Something spooked you good, looks like."

"I am acting completely within my duty," she puffed herself up a bit, using her superior height to her advantage.

Yet Katan was not the slightest bit bothered, and instead a cocky grew ripped along his maw like a blade through fabric, "tell you what, I can take that dwarf off your hands for you. It would save you the trouble, and it would let you get home nice and quick. Whaddya say?"

Her grip tightened around the woman's wrist defensively, "I can do it myself. Move along, asshole."

A hot fog blew out from his lips, "what are you hiding, Sylvaini? Normally you would throw your responsibility away just as soon as

breathe.

Why are you so interested in this one person? If they're someone special to you, you have no reason to hide them. We're both dredging along here, given Trinas and Marianne have us working double duty looking for that little shit elf. You're not the only one stressing here, and I'm bored as shit. You're just trying to have some fun by yourself, aren't you? Have you really become so out of it, that you snapped back to being alert?"

The guardswoman grew a set of lines on her nose when her lips parted to snarl down at him, "I suppose I have gotten a boost in morale recently. You should even be congratulating me on being so diligent. Now move the fuck over -- I'm taking them in whether you like it or not. That is, of course, unless you want to tell the captain you held me up for nothing? That would look poor on you, given how

involved

we are all supposed to be."

Katan leaned back and let air go through his lips. With an unflinching, dragonlike gaze he waited for Alexis to drop her false attitude and shove the individual into his arms as if she were joking this entire time. But as he stared into her brown eyes, it became increasingly clear that tonight was

not

the night Sylvaini decided to put on a ruse. His head shook side to side as he gave in, "suit yourself; I was just trying to be helpful, Alexis. You have a good night," Katan spoke in one breath as he sealed the conversation shut. He started walking forward, patting the guardswoman's shoulder a bit as he passed. Katan got one last eyeful of the stout person Alexis was pulling along, seeing their pale arm glimmering in the moonlight. Both the figure and the guardswoman silently waited for his clawed feet to traverse further and further behind them. As he waltzed away, the pair could almost hear his thoughts over the clicking of his talons:

I pray to the gods you know what you're doing, Alexis. There are some holes you just can't dig yourself out of.

As he had finally left them be, the cloaked woman took her only opportunity to gaze upon him as he went. She was surprised to see the man wrapped in the city guard armor incredibly similar to what Alexis wore, as well as the sheathed blade at his waist that seemed almost anxious to be wielded. But was even

more

surprising was the man himself -- in the place of skin almost seemed to be a soft coating of stones. Where his hair should be was nothing more than a set of small spikes protruding out of his skull. He was short, further accentuated by how he was hunched in a lean that made him look as if he were going to surge forward at any moment. His arms and legs were thick with meat, each capped off by triple-pronged claws the size of knives. Finally, a hearty trunk of a tail exploded out from the base of his spine, swishing slowly back and forth with each step the man took. The little woman watched it sway in awe until the very moment he passed around the corner.

"Come on, I don't want to run into anyone else," Alexis surged forward from her standstill. The girl was caught off-guard by the woman's pull and exclaimed loudly, causing the guard to slow back down for her.

"What

was

that?" the girl asked in a loud whisper.

Officer Sylvaini scoffed, "What, Katan? He may be a bit of a hard ass, but he and I go way back. He was even my senior at the guard academy, and we would spar a lot. Since then, our shifts haven't overlapped much, but I still see him a lot. I would gladly entrust my rear to him in any circumstance, and I would protect his ass the same way. Oh, and forgive his rudeness, he was just looking out for me... I

am

acting different than my normal self, after all," she laughed a few times.

"N-no, I mean... what

is

he? I've never seen anything like him..."

Alexis laughed a bit louder, "oh, I see. You've never met a lizardkin before, have you?"

"Lizardkin?"

"The scaled men and women of our world. Some say they descend from dragons. Others say they're just overgrown snakes that learned how to walk. Even others say the gods got horny one night and found some... n-nevermind. Regardless, they are a lot less numerous than us humans, or you elves, even. Even dwarves are more common. I guess living in one place your entire life, you'd never see people like that. Katan is an excellent soldier, and the rest of his kind are hardy and fair folk. I trust them."

The girl cooed, "wow... I had no idea there were people like them in the world... do you think there are other other crazy races like Katan's out there?"

"There most certainly

are

other crazy races like Katan's. Someday, I promise to show you all of them, even those furred and hooved creatures. Then your mind will

really

start to spin."

"Who?"

The guard laughed even louder, "I'll tell you later; now keep your mouth shut."

They kept walking along the stony path with Alexis as their guide. Now with heightened senses, the guard did her best to avoid further confrontations from fellow guards by ducking into alleys and around corners whenever the tell-tale lantern light or clanging of armor drew near. As guards would pass their hiding spots, Alexis would joke to the other girl that she never imagined herself hiding from her fellow guards. The cloaked one laughed lightly.

After repeating this process so many times that the little woman became disoriented, their destination was finally in sight. The guard sighed in relief and released the little woman's arm, which she rubbed a bit after it had been held so tightly. Alexis then came to a sudden stop and turned to face a row of buildings, bumping her cloaked friend twice as she did so. She reached up and took off her hood, allowing her bright blue hair to be turned almost snow white by the overhanging moon. She scanned her vision along the empty street and then along the buildings, yet none of them stood out to her.

Zenna drifted her red eyes up to her friend and pined, "what is it? Why did we stop?"

Alexis beamed, "this is my home. Welcome," she said quietly but with enough cheer it sounded akin to a restrained cry of pleasure.

The elf's eyes drifted from her friend and to the shop Alexis seemed to be looking at. Although it was closed at the time and the light was minimal, she could see inside well enough to tell it sold some form of wooden furniture. A rocking chair as well as a cabinet occupied the front window, while the establishment's name was hung from a sign perpendicular to the building itself. The front porch had crates and dusty barrels piled high, as if trying to hide the building behind them. Zenna kept staring at the building with wild fascination on why Alexis claimed to live in a furniture store.

She gulped a bit, "you... uh, live in a furniture store?"

Alexis laughed, "no, that's just the first floor. Look there," her finger pointed to a darkened doorway to the right of the shop. In the bare moonlight Zenna had neglected to notice it. "I live in an apartment on the second floor. The owner of this shop was a friend of my mother's, and he used to use it as storage. When I found out he was cleaning it out, I hounded him to let me rent it out on the cheap. I've been living here ever since Samson divorced me."

Zenna blinked, "oh, well, that's very nice of your friend to help you out."

Alexis nodded, "it was indeed very nice of him. Come on, now," she walked to the door and Zenna followed.

The guardswoman dug through her pocket for a few moments until she heard the familiar jingling of her keys. She played through a few of them for a while until she found the one for her front door and put it in the lock. Unlocking the door, it opened inwards and she motioned Zenna inside. After the guard followed her in, the elf watched as Alexis stuck her head back outside and scanned the street rapidly, as if checking for someone following in pursuit. Satisfied they were alone, she sealed the door shut again. In the dark environment, now further accentuated by the lack of lanterns and moonlight, Zenna could just barely make out they were at the base of a narrow staircase. To her side, Alexis had to squeeze between the elf and the wall to begin making her way upstairs.

Alexis laughed defeatedly as she brushed by the elf's burgeoning cloak, "sorry about that, the stairwell is really cramped."

The elf shook her head back at her, "it's fine. Although I have to be honest, when you said you were taking me home, I figured you were going to take me back to the palace. I had no idea you were

actually

taking me to your home."

Although she had already taken a few steps up the staircase, Alexis turned back around and stared at the elf with a look that seemed to question the little woman's sanity. "Gods, no. Why the hell would I take you back

there?

Those shits in their ivory towers have done nothing to deserve you. Call me greedy if you want, but I can't lie about wanting you all to myself, Zenny. Now come on up."

Creak, creak, creak,

each stairstep went on their way up, as if they could splinter into pieces at any moment. Alexis wandered up the staircase without a second thought, but when she reached the top and glanced back down at Zenna, the elf seemed to be struggling with each step as if she were an old woman without her cane. Her microscopic hands pulled themselves up the railing as if she were climbing a rope.

The guard cleared her throat, "uh... do you need help?"

Zenna ducked her head down in embarrassment, "n-no, sorry. Stairs and I do not agree with each other very well... I've never really ever climbed them until recently, anyway," she grumbled sheepishly. Although Alexis was confused as to what the elf meant by her explanation, the mortification in her voice caused her to not pine for answers.

By the time Zenna had reached the staircase's zenith, Alexis had lit a few small lanterns around her apartment. With all the rooms combined, it would hardly be a few hundred feet in size, and found itself in a dark, dusty, dilapidated state. Her furniture was worn out and beaten, while old bits of food and cooking utensils were strung across the floor. The air stung at the elven nostrils as if a skunk had released its spray. She could see there were windows nearby, but they were closed to entrap the odor. Off to her side, there was a small kitchenette with a wood stove and some counter space covered to the brim with books and clothes. There were three open doors, one of which seemed to lead towards a bedroom, but the others were too dark to tell.

Alexis read the displeasure on the elf's face, "sorry if my house is a bit destroyed... I was not expecting guests... ah shit!" she shouted and dove forward suddenly. There was a pile of her unwashed undergarments stuck in a lazy pile on the floor, and she scooped as many of them up in her arms and hurriedly carried them out of the room before her elven visitor noticed. Coming back into the living room, she watched Zenna slowly walk around and touch various objects and surfaces with a neutral look on her face. With the billowing cloak obscuring her legs, it almost looked as if the elf were a ghost floating across her apartment.

She huffed loudly and went up to scratch her head, "I know you were probably expecting better, but this is really how I live... sorry if it's not up to the palace's standards," she said, imagining the elf must have been treated like royalty during her tenure in the monarch's home.

Zenna looked over at her and gave a tiny warming smile, "I mean... I was only there for a day or so, but..." she shook her head around, "I wasn't expecting such amazing treatment anywhere else in the world. If anything, your place reminds me a bit of home."

The guard perked up and latched onto the elf's positivity, "really? How so?"

"You really have to think about how I lived my whole life in a forest. We didn't have paved roads, stone streets, guards keeping us safe at night... my family of seven lived in a house not much bigger than your home here, and it was hardly more than hand-cut wood glued together with mud for mortar. To anyone from my village," she swung her arms out to emphasize, "your apartment may as well be a palace. It's so comforting to have a solid roof over my head."