In winning, she lost everything. She survived the deathmatch and escaped the horrors of Thorngate, but at the cost of losing everyone she loved. Now she hunts alone, slaying the ancient monsters responsible, hoping to meet her end. Until the day she...
"Oy!" A heavy brown boot kicked my shoulder. "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"
"What...?" I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Oh, yeah. I'm going." I heaved off the old wooden bench tucked away in the back of the bar.
"You play a good tune there, stranger," the human barkeep waddled around the empty tables, bussing up the empty mugs. "Come back tonight. It's the end of the week. Both our wallets will be bursting, so long as you keep that hood of yours cinched up tight."
I took a deep bow and then snapped my head up, tossing my speckled leather hood off my pale hair.
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"Gah!" The barkeep winced. "Those ears. If'in you ain't an albino goblin, what in the blasted endless stars are you?"
"I am a Razkur, dear friend," I spread my grin, letting the pudgy human behold my crystalline teeth as I slung my guitar strap over my shoulder.
"Yeesh," he shook his head. "The universe must have an awful sense of humor, pairing a nightmare mug like that with the voice of celestial seraph."
"On my homeworld of Menthla," I splayed my long floppy ears wide and raised their pointed tips proudly towards the dingy ceiling. "I was often told my appearance was quite fetching."
"Well, my alien friend, that was there, and this is here. And here, you is one tall pale scrawny freak," the sweaty human guffawed, letting slip a sour quacking fart. "I mean no disrespect, Mr. Mourning Crow. Just speaking honest."
"Miss."
"Huh?"
"Anatomically, I'm pretty similar to a human but," I explained. "I am a Miss, not a Mister."
The human couldn't contain his laughter. "You're a..." He had to put down his tray and wipe away a stream of tears. "A lady! HAHAHAHA! But you're so tall?!"
I crossed my arms, suppressing the urge to openly roll my eyes while waiting him out and making myself comfortable atop an empty table.
"I stand corrected, Miss," the barkeep had trouble catching his breath. "The universe played no joke. You're outright cursed!"
I could only smirk. "Well, there's no arguing that."
...
The daylight hours tumbled by as I roamed the quiet hamlet streets. I told myself it was because I hunting for signs of a Graven presence, but mostly it was me lurking around the church making up excuses not to enter.
The trail always led into a church. It was where those fuckers thrived.
I loathed churches and priests, and anyone robed in their hypocritical attire. Maybe there were a few decent believers scattered across the stars, but I've never met one. Not in over a thousand years.
"It's close," I mumbled to myself. "Just a matter of time until the Graven plague devours this planet and everyone on it."
None of these humans had a clue there was a monster nearby, biding its time until it was ready to swallow them whole in one go.
