Aeipathy's A Memory

30: Bothersome

An itch in the back of your mind. Little ants crawling under your skin. They eat at you.

____~*+*~____

The halls repeated footsteps back to me as I strolled through the halls. A lazy day it seems. That's fine by me. I stretched as I returned to my quarters.

"What to dooo~ Oh what to do?" I sang.

A drawer left ajar caught my eye. I walked over and pulled it open to find the two books I found in the library. I picked them up and flopped onto the bed. Opening the book titled "Overworld" I awed at the meticulous ink work.

Many species were recorded, some I had never even heard of. Mythicals from the sea, ones that live in the sky, nocturnal mythicals, and some looked centuries old. This book must've been passed down for generations, but it's strange. It wouldn't line up with the artwork and hand writing being the same all the way through.

Maybe this is work by some mythical who lives for really long.

I moved on from the thought and continued reading through the entries. When I got into a certain section, about halfway through, I found an entry on a creature that was named "Demon's Reptile". What really off put me were the details.

Horns, a scaled tail with some spikes at the end, pointed ears, and... wings. It was a dragon mythical.

When I realized it, it sank my gut when I looked at the name again. "Demon's Reptile"? To think I would've agreed with that name about a year ago. It gave me shivers.

I read through the paragraphs and it unsettled me even more. Something tells me this dragon mythic lived in a time far different than our own. I sighed and set it down. Maybe the other book had better stories. As I reached down a knock at my door diverted my attention.

"Hey, Nick! You wanna get a drink with some of the guys?" A knight who was in my squad called through the door.

I called back an answer and put both books back in the drawer, shutting it. A few drinks would do me some good.

-----

Noise. It's all surrounding noise. The guys were cracking jokes and their laughter barked out of them like nothing else mattered. Carefree. Why didn't I feel the same?

The taste of alcohol on my tongue soothed my thoughts to sleep and I enjoyed the warm feeling. Maybe I should start heading back.

Wait. Warmth. Not my own. A hand's on me. Who–

"'Eeeyyy Nicky! How's about another round?"

Yeesh, his breath reeked of his drink. Mine probably does too, but I don't want to stay.

I shook my head. "Nah man, I've had enough. Plus, today was a lazy day and I'm looking forward to sleep."

His arm wrapped further around me. Get off.

"Awww, come on. One more won't hurt right?"

His face was too close. Jeez, does this guy not perceive personal space or what? I'm getting sick of this.

"Stop... Quit touching me! And I already told you no. I'm done for tonight."