10 Awakening X : The Cost Of Bullying A Hero

I might not have mentioned it, but there was a very good chance that Teluna'sfather is a dark elf.

But apart from finding out how deep the histories of the vampire race go, I wanted to poke around and see what I could find out about weavers.

So far the vampires and other races have been able to get news and information from the traveling gnome and dwarven merchants that ran the market. Nisi tells me there are some of them who sell information. This was an incredibly stupid risk but I was desperate.

With every second that went by, I was more and more convinced that the rune on my wrist was more dangerous than it seemed. And the longer I left it on me, the more damage it would cause. Even though I don't know what exactly it would damage,the fact that the WAY, Shearath and essence were all mentioned on the same rune freaked the hell out of me.

I heard the sound of shifting earth as Nisi moved loose pieces of rocks and sand to cover the huge entrance on the tower. She made small unseen holes to provide ventilation for Teluna who was practicing his magic in the tower.There was no need to be worried about him being trapped as his magic had enough force to break through the thick walls of the tower.

Almost immediately I heard the tell tale sounds of the rail car coming close, its yellow headlights shone through the dark blue gloom of my assigned area. It came to a stop right in front of my tower and Nisi and I got on. The cart gave a lurch and moved forward,picking up speed with each passing moment until it got to the top speed possible.

I felt the wind whip past me, but I had short hair unlike Nisi so I was not worried about my hair flying around the place like she was. But the dark atmosphere had a tinge of excitement running through it. Maybe it was just me, but I found my self eager to see and experience a day among the prisoners of my new race.

The rail car made routine stops picking up extra passengers as it made its way to the entrance of the pit. But after the first person came on the entire journey became extremely uncomfortable for me.

With each addition to car, I became a spectacle as they all watched me and my every move for the duration of the journey. I would wonder how the could recognize me, with the fact that they were prisoners being an obvious factor, they should have only had access to stories of my glorious but rather forgotten exploits as an activist for species equality.

I was most certainly grateful when the awkward ride came to an end. That did not mean the staring stopped as I was now exposed to a wider range of people who all wanted to look at the hero.

With Nisi leading the way we quickly ascended the stairs to the cliff and entrance of the pit. As much as I tried to be inconspicuous and avoid trouble,a lot of guards had taken it upon their selves to bump at my shoulders and trip me down the stairs.

I was enraged by all this actions, I wanted to fight back, I wanted to teach these bastards what it meant to mess with me. And based on the looks of anger and outrage on the face's of the vampires around that were either going out to mine or just coming back from their shift, I knew they too wanted me to fight back.

But I somehow was able to restrain my anger and think properly, I knew how much of a helpless situation that would be, not to mention this was what they wanted. They wanted to bait me into attacking them, for me to give them a reason to cause me harm and make a ridicule out of me if not outright kill me.

But I was not ready for that. I don't really know what I was like before,when all my memories were still intact. But I knew the kind of person I was now, or the kind of person I wanted to be. I knew perseverance was a virtue I needed to have, and I had to take into consideration that I had responsibilities to almost five million people of which two innocent kids were included.I could not afford to loose my temper.

When the guards saw that I had no intentions of fighting back, they turned to making fun of me and trying to provoke me. Somehow that worked even better than when they physically hurt me. I couldn't help my self but reply to one of them.

"You say I am nothing, that my species is filthy and a curse on the land; heh...those are big words coming from you,considering you are as much a prisoner as I am here. You are stuck guarding me,trying to prevent me from leaving, trying to oppress me and belittle me. You're such a fool,because unlike you I am not alone,no matter how hard you have all tried,the vampires have thrived and survived in this prison of yours.Of course our lives are not easy and that is in fact highly attributed to you and your childish antics.

Antics that gains you nothing, but only proves what is most known about werewolves, you're nothing more than the errand dogs of humans. You betray the dark side for the light,but you end up nothing more than slaves,the vampires were made under the darkness of the first night, but we'rehere suffering under the darkness that both you and I were born under.

But we have not lost our honor or our dignity. Because unlike you we are prisoners, not slaves, not dogs, and most certainly not the bottom feeding,trash heap born of a beast that you are. So no compared to any vampire, gnome, dwarves or any other race that live here; in the dancing caves of Noxis Nyx, you are nothing."

I was very sure I heard a pin drop somewhere in the silence that ensued. My eyes never left the face of the guard as I waited for him to make his move. He was angry,very much so. I could see the fur bristling all over his hulking frame. I saw him grew larger as his features took on a more lupine trait. His huge jaws slowly dripping spittle as his disdain for me was etched all over his body.

I never moved,not once. Every word I had spoken to the guard was the truth I have been able to glean from the stories I have been told by both Teluna and Nisi. There was a saying; the truth hurts. If course I don't really remember who said that,but he or she was right. The truth hurts and I was about to have my face rippedoff for speaking it.

But the guard who I spoke to,was not the only werewolf in the squad of guards, there were about five more and two humans mixed among them.

But I had successfully manage to piss each and every one of them off as all six werewolves had increased to double their size and would love nothing more than to find out how easily my flesh would rend from my bones under the pressure of their claws.

As they were about to make their move,one of their human compatriots or colleague quickly laid his hands on two of their shoulders and used his eyes to gesture around him.

This sudden action made me shift my focus for a moment,and I noticed the hundreds of vampires around me. They were an assortment of all ages, size and colors. And each of them had their mining picks clutched tightly in their hands, while they made no intentions of masking the bloodlust in all of their eyes.

The message they sent was very clear, if the werewolves dared make a move, it was going to be a riot and their gazes guaranteed that none of those wolves would leave here in one piece, or alive.

The werewolf who was the initial target of my outburst shook of the hand of the human guard from his shoulder and made his way towards me.

The sheer terror of his large frame which towered over me and was twice my size did not stop my sensitive ears from picking up the sounds of tightened grips and speeding heartbeats as the vampires around me were prepared to poke holes into this werewolf like the earth they have been mining.

"Remember my name, because it is the name of the beast that is going to send your traitorous life into abyss. From this moment onwards I Uzi the ripper do so swear to do away with your life, before the end of mine. This foolish heaps of nothing will not always be around to protect you 'Lion of Shearath', so better watch out for the day,the hour, the minute and the second you find yourself alone. Because when you look at the shadows I will be there to rip your head off and take it for my trophy."

When his guttural sounding threat and seriously bad breath had been shifted from my face, I couldn't help but poke fun at him.

"lets hope your bite is worse than your bark" I called out at his retreating form.Then he turned and said with an extremely nasty grin.

"You will find out soon enough"

"well I guess it's a date then. You better bring your dancing shoes, because I won't go down easy. If I even go down at all."

I was bluffing, seriously and massively Bluffing,but I had to find a way to discourage him from coming after me,at least not until I have the means to defend myself. As I watched him descend the stairs, I could feel my beating heart movingway faster than it ever had since I woke up a Vampire. I felt the strength leave my legsas I almost collapsed to the ground,only to feel someone holding me up. I did not recognize him,but his wide grin was the most reassuring thing I have seen since I woke up.

A cheer went up around me as the vampires surrounded me. Some of them pounding my back, others shaking my hands as they introduced their selves and thanked me for what I had done.

Honestly I felt like a fraud. I had only said all that because I had lost my temper and gotten angry, if not I would never have made an attempt to provoke a werewolf much less one that was supposed to be my prison guard. But this people had perceived my actions as the activist or hero in me. The young boy who refused to stand for injustice against the creatures of the dark and chose to stand for them.

If I was someone who really cared about fame,then my resume was looking really good right about now. A lingering thought about what a resume was passed through my mind, but it left just as quickly as it came.

I could feel Nisi holding my hands like a little girl as we were swept by the crowd into the tunnel that led to the crossroads. Everyone was talking at the same time,and a lot of the little kids around kept on touching my cloths while some really shameless people touched me in less than appropriate places.

The sexual molestation aside, I couldn't help but feel the energy they all felt,the excitement, the thrill.

It felt good to stand up to authority,and much more so when the authority you were standing up to were tyrants. And in the end they could not do anything about it. I had no idea who or what I really was before I lost my memories, but I could see why the old me did what he did. The worship this people offered was intoxicating.

In their eyes,I could see hope,I could see these flickering wisps of joy as my actions had brought them a satisfaction they had not experienced in a very long time. There was a certain feeling that seemed to fill me up to the brim,I couldn't explain it or really understand it.

The closest thing I could compare it with was fulfillment, accomplishmentand a deep sense of satisfaction. But whatever happens I was sure of one thing.Being a hero sure was dope.