8 Chapter 8: Gate Keeper (1/2)
Luca's head started to throb from the immense strain caused by the bombardment of incoming information. The pressure forcing him to stand still and process the notification screens. Luca closed his eyes and steadied himself with deep breathing. Waiting only a few moments for the pain to pass before moving on.
The first thing Luca wanted to do was quell his rumbling hunger and get some food into his stomach. Ambition and desire to grow stronger would have to wait until after he ate. Luca looked around to see if there was any place that might have food. Ultimately, he decided to head towards the shops he had seen earlier when the elven woman had turned away from him after he had acted so unnecessarily brazenly hostile towards her.
Pushing through the crowd of humans that thronged around him, Luca walked down the sloped path that led away from the platform towards the shops. As he walked, Luca struggled with his gait. His steps were awkward and sluggish; walking had become unfamiliar for him since the accident had taken from him the use of his legs, and the newly acquired wings only complicated the problem, though he was no longer struggling with balance like before.
As Luca walked down the path, he was surprised to see that all the humans, elves, and demi-humans he walked passed quickly moved out of his way with differing amounts of reference and fear. His dark wings and wide wingspan now fully grown drew attention to him. Moving smoothly through the crowds, children of all races watched the arrival platform as they made a show of playing at tag. It was not overtly obvious, but Luca could that the children only ran around in mock play. Their presence served another purpose. Using the autonomy of age, they secretly passed reports between each other with quick whispers as runners were sent on higher to interested parties about promising newcomers.
Once he reached the bottom of the slope, Luca walked along the stone path leading away from the platform and headed straight towards the storied buildings of red brick and mortar near where he had last seen the elven woman. Trails of poisonous looking ivy with faded orange petals hung off of the building adorning the trim. Hunger distracted Luca as he walked, guiding him towards the smell of food coming from the sidewalk vendors and wafting from inside the shops. Forcing him to avoid as he moved the press of desperate bodies unwilling to accept the radical changes their lives had just undergone that reached out to him in hopelessness. Is this what humans become in this place? Refugees and beggars?
Before Luca was even able to approach the food cart at the base of the ivy-covered building, a tall, lanky looking male elf with black short-cropped military-styled hair stepped forward. The elf had an aura of extreme arrogance about him as he lazily approached. Just like the elven woman Luca was chasing after, this elf also had piercing hazel eyes that looked directly at him. I need to watch myself with this guy. Something is off about him, and he's clearly got an issue with me. Maybe a brother? The elf held up a slender hand that had been hidden in the ripped bomber jacket he was wearing, ordering with a voice of harsh authority for Luca to stop. ”Hold up, human. Regardless of whatever way you've managed to disguise yourself, I can always tell one of you by the smell. A cross between piss and shit, trespassing where it doesn't belong, newly escaped from whatever cesspool it belongs in.”
Before Luca could even reply and tell the elf what he thought of him, the elf sprang forward with an incredible quickness that Luca couldn't keep up with. The elf's lanky arms curled into a fist as he brought his arm up in a punch straight to Luca's gut. The force of the blow sent Luca sprawling through the air backward. Causing him to land on his back in the center of the pathway. Literally knocking the wind out of him as his lungs began to spasm.
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”Not dead yet human? Good. You might be able to survive yet if you learn your place.” Said the elf as he peered down, looking over Luca's body as the boy struggled to find his breath, gasping for air from the shock of the attack. ” I'm Garen, and you can refer to me as your welcoming committee. This is my city, the only place you have here is the one you carve for yourself. Soon you'll be able to, I'm sure, can smell the scent of power on you. You reek of it. I can see why she was interested, but this is Hometown, the city of the Elves, and as the leader of the elves, this is the only warning you're going to get as a courtesy for surviving. Hometown belongs to us. Watch where you step.”
The elf named Garen bent down and extended a hand to Luca to help him up. A move that shocked the boy as Luca looked at Garen incredulously, furious with the elf for striking him. He grabbed the elf's extended hand and pulled up, swinging as he did a haymaker with his right arm that was born more from anger than anything. Luca's fist landed squarely against the elf's jaw, and the bones in Luca's hand fractured as a result, but as for the elf, no effect was discernable.
”Don't be rude, human, and I'll let that one slide,” Said Garen with a grin, putting his hands back in his pockets. ”I'm only gatekeeping. A messenger if you will. We all have our parts to play in this. Welcome to the Game.”