2. Kavian

Zelos spits blood out of his mouth and onto the ground.

My arms fall to my sides as my fingers still rub against the hilt of my swords.

Old scars litter my torso. My shadow tendrils retreat from Zelos' body, back into my skin.

"You sparred me as if I wronged you deeply," he remarks, groaning as he drops his sword with a clatter. "Good practice. You've learned well."

"You're the best weapons master I've ever known," I say simply. "But I do not show mercy to anyone. You know this."

He chuckles, dusting himself off.

"That I do," Zelos says, shaking his head. "You loosened one of my teeth, you bastard."

"You have others," I retort, dropping my swords as well.

He just nods, scowling. If I didn't know him better, I might think he was actually mad.

"Come. Let's drink. I have some ideas on how to exterminate those vile xaphans from our continent once and for all."

Zelos cracks his jaw and sighs loudly.

"Kavian, when are you going to accept that the xaphans exist all over the damned world? You can't escape those creatures. You might as well accept their presence."

"No."

I glare at him, dissatisfied with his defeatist response.

"The xaphans don't belong on Ikoth. This is our home. Our territory. And we're letting the enemy live here and do whatever they please, but we can't do the same on New Solas."

Zelos shrugs. "That was what the truce entailed."

"I won't accept it."

I shake my head, leading the way to the kitchen where my servants work.

With one nod, they move out of the way so I can fetch a drink for Zelos.

"Doesn't it enrage you, Zelos? That these disgusting bastards have invaded our home and have amassed wealth for themselves with no work at all?"

Zelos takes the drink from my hand. Rafil is a potent alcohol made of fermented demon berries. I own some of the most expensive bottles on Ikoth.

"Are you referring to the slave trade?" Zelos asks.

"That and so much else. But mainly that, yes."

My mind immediately drifts to Gorran, a xaphan with a large mansion in the jagged hills of Sarziroch. He has a stream of profit rolling in from New Solas and it's absolutely clear how he's earning that money. I take a swig of rafil, dulling my senses.

"We need to kill him."

"Ha!" Zelos shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Kavian, you fool. You'll get yourself in trouble with the authorities. We're not allowed to kill xaphans indiscriminately."

"Okay, then we need to take him down. Ruin his wealth."

Zelos stares at me with narrowed eyes. "Are you that intimidated by him, Kavian?"

"Say that to me again and I'll rip out your tongue," I warn. "I'm not intimidated by a xaphan. But I am… irritated. The xaphans need to know their place on Ikoth. Gorran and his associates have not learned that lesson."

"So what do you intend to do?"

Indeed, what am I going to do about Gorran?

The fate that awaits that dreaded xaphan will not be pleasant. But I keep my vivid thoughts to myself and continue drinking from my glass.

The streetsof Sarziroch never go to sleep. I lean on the edge of a building. Across the way, a tavern owned by Gorran bustles heartily. Demons go in happily, as well as a few xaphans. They mingle and chat amongst one another as if they are dear friends. Pathetic.

My cloak covers most of my face and body. From down here, I glance upwards and see the illustrious estate that belongs to Gorran, overlooking most of the city from its spot in the hills.

It truly disgusts me to know that a xaphan has accomplished this much in so little time. But he has not achieved his wealth using noble means.

No, he has a group of xaphans back on New Solas doing the dirty work for him and pocketing most of the profit himself.

I want to gut his operation. I want to kill the bastards who work for Gorran before slicing the xaphan up myself.

Then, all of Ikoth will be reminded that we bow down to no xaphan, no matter how deep their pockets are.

Clenching my jaw, I decide to enter the tavern, knowing what kind of attention awaits me once I step foot through the threshold.

It doesn't matter. I'm hoping to learn more about Gorran and his cronies, and this might be the best place to accomplish that.

Surprisingly, no one stares at me for long once I make my way in. Perhaps, they're used to less than favorable types spending their money here. So long as they're spending, no one needs to make a big deal.

"Can you believe that?" a xaphan barks out, sipping loudly on his drink while another xaphan server drops two plates of food in front of him.

Gluttonous bastard.

I keep him in my peripheral vision as I take a seat at the bar. Slipping two coins towards the bartender, the xaphan with a sour look nods solemnly and serves me a cheap drink. His wings are charred and jagged near the edges. Ugly as sin, like most of the xaphans in this tavern.

"Gorran says he earned a pretty profit from his latest batch of humans he sold."

"Did he share some of the profits with you?"

"Eh. I wasn't expecting much from a bastard like him."

That catches my attention. Turning slightly, I glance at the trio of xaphan speaking behind me. They eat and drink and make a mess of their surroundings, but they're too engrossed in conversation to care about a demon like me eavesdropping.

"But we're planning another operation soon. Remember Zathex?"

"Ha! Stupid fuck. He got himself killed by a human, didn't he?"

"So they say," the xaphan muses low. "I don't believe that shit, but that's what the rumor is. And Zathex was a close friend of Gorran, so he's been looking for revenge against any human over on New Solas. He's planning a raid on an unsuspecting village."

"Far away from the city center?"

"Yep. Full of poor pathetic humans that no one will give a shit about. He'll take the women and bring them to the auction house to sell. I'm not expecting a large amount of profit because I highly doubt there will be anything worthwhile in that haul."

"That's for sure," a xaphan quips. "Those humans don't eat meat. They eat shit from the ground and turn it into broth. They're all skin and bones over there."

"Yeah, well, Gorran sees potential in them, even if they're not much."

Gorran is brazen, I'll give him that.

Humans are in especially high demand right now. Xaphans, demons, and anyone else with nodals to spare bet wildly in the auction house at New Solas. I've never been within those walls, but I've heard tales and rumors that I'd rather not believe. Xaphans and demons alike, bursting at the seams with excitement to own a human slave?

It just can't be possible. No human is that valuable.

Still, this might be the best way to disrupt Gorran's profits while undermining his whole business scheme.

If he thinks he can continue to obtain an easy stream of nodals while letting others do his dirty work, then his days are numbered.

"Demon." The xaphan bartender slams his fist against the counter. I perk a brow, wondering if I should strangle the life out of him with the shadow tendrils that extend from my back. "How much longer are you going to spend on my stools? You're taking up the room."

"If I pay you well, that shouldn't be a problem," I reply simply.

But the xaphan looks less than amused. "I don't like serving your kind."

"That's funny." I smile, but there's no amusement behind my words. "I believe you're on Ikoth. Did you forget?"

"I have not," he grumbles. "But it won't be long until we run you off the continent like we've done everywhere else. So count your days, demon."

The only reason why I have not killed this xaphan right where he stands is that it would attract too much attention towards me. Instead of arguing further, I offer a nod of the head, down the rest of my shit drink, and toss the pitcher onto the ground with a slam. The pitcher crumbles pitifully on the floor, a mess for the bartender to clean up.

"You bastard!" he yells. "You should pay for that!"

I'm already out the door at this point. I've learned what I needed to learn, so there's no use staying around.

What's interesting is the xaphan who bumps into my shoulder at the door, nearly knocking the cloak from my head. He scoffs loudly, turning my way.

"Fucking demons," he mumbles. "Always walking around like you own the place."

When my eyes meet his, it doesn't take me long to recognize this xaphan as the one who has consumed my thoughts far more than necessary. Gorran, with his bright eyes and his arrogant expression, stares at me as if I'm less than. As if I can't kill him on the spot.

"Are you mute? Are you not going to apologize for touching my wings?" he spits.

I can't disclose too much information about myself or my intentions, so I turn and continue down the road. Gorran mumbles words under his breath. For his sake, it's better if I don't hear them.

My patience is running exceptionally thin.

There's no use focusing on that anymore. Instead, my mind runs wild with ideas on how I will disrupt Gorran's ongoing slave trade on New Solas. If it's true that he's running a raid on a human village, his cronies will be directing a caravan back to the trading hub.

I'll strike then. And I'll tear down his empire.