Chapter 8: Vermin

Hwah, the noises of a tired boy exhaling as he sat down on the floor covered with a brown mat and a pillow that resembled stone or a rock. Glove was thrilled for some reason; why shouldn't he be?

He has a base of operations where he will not be treated as an uneducated slave and punished with lashes to the back, slowly cut by a knife for speaking back to his master or burned for information he lacks. To him, this was the life; he could train by working with labor, something he enjoyed and was skilled at.

As a result, Hera assigned him a lot of work; he began by cleaning the utensils and bowl, then swept the floors, drew a bath for the pair, and went to the backroom, which was filthy and disorganized, which he cleaned in a matter of minutes. After he finished, he plopped down on his homemade bed, which consisted of a mat and a pillow on the floor.

Asterios and Hera wanted to purchase him a bed, but Glove saw it as special treatment. He also considered using his role as a bodyguard to cover up.... Flora's innocence.

Glove looked into the small room that was now his, when he was about eleven years old. During his robberies, a group of guys followed him down to his hideout, which was the home he was reared in but abandoned.

When it was during dinnertime, Glove was eating the food he had stolen. He then heard something blocking off his house and heard people mumbling about something on fire. They initially set fire to the roof, trapping Glove inside the house.

The fire was quick, and he was imprisoned; smoke overwhelmed him, and the heat from the flames caused him to sweat. Suddenly, he heard a voice within.

"Kid, you'll perish; I can save you. Simply say I grant you exile."

"No," Glove insisted. "Uncle said no talking to strangers."

The voice laughed and replied:

"Okay, I'll let you die; it doesn't matter whether you die for me. When you die, you will not see your father in that world. He exists, and you must locate him; I can assist you just by granting exile. You may even give me an estimated time to help, okay?"

Glove was gradually losing consciousness, so he let his mouth speak without second thought:

"I will grant you Exile for five minutes," he muttered, as his body collapsed to the floor, tired and dying.

Suddenly, his body began to twist and turn, and sounds of bones creaking were heard:

"Crack crack crak"

His body began to vibrate violently as the fire that was approaching him was quickly tamed in several places of the home, as if the rain was cooling the blaze down. The men outside, watching the flame destroy the home, were laughing and joking when they heard a loud roar, as if a wounded creature made a final vow before death.

They prepared their weapons, mainly spears. The roar echoed again, and this time they could see where it was coming from. They set fire to the smoldering house in order to exterminate the vermin that had caused such turmoil in their hamlet.

Walking out of the fire was a towering creature with a fish fin that extended from the top of the head to the back, wet hands and feet, and white scales. The body resembled that of a fish, with big sharp teeth capable of tearing a lion's limbs off.

When it emerged from the fire, the creature raised its head to gaze at the men, and the flame began to fan out and eventually fade out. Its glassy eyes were blue and hollow, and it screamed again, but this time nature felt the significance of the roar.

Birds began to fly out of the tree at night, indicating that this was no joke; unfortunately, these men were inept. They were only teenagers who received a taste of masculinity and responsibilities," one of them yelled:

"Tokoloshe (1)"

They all charged at it, their guns readied. This myth has been passed down through the southern continent to this day, warning kids not to wander into the woods at night or listen to whispers there.

The story was inflated, but no one knows what happened on the route to the thief's mountain hideout. The village discovered the lads' remains in the morning, hanging like meat to dry, bite marks with massive chunks of flesh gone, and letters spelling out:

"Stay away," the words appeared to be written with claws, the remains were buried with heavy hearts and terror of what lurked in the mountains.

Even when he departed that mountain on a journey of self-discovery, Glove never mentioned the incident again. Ever since arriving here, he has been thinking about it with a smile. He then questioned with his inner voice:

"Hey can you hear me?"

The voice within responded:

"Of course I can; I can't hear thoughts that aren't directed at me. So I can hear you since you sought me out."

"I just want to ask"

"Ask away"

Glove took a breath and inquired:

"Why help me that time?"

The voice remained silent and did not respond. Glove shrugged and stood up. Before he left his room, the voice replied:

"Because I wanted to repay a debt I owe"

Glove didn't need to inquire further; he simply grinned and heard Quinn's sandals. Quinn, still dressed in his tattered black toga that resembles a sack for carrying goods, was holding sandals in his hand that appeared to be the same size as Glove's feet.

"Master Asterios and lady Hera said to give you this"

"Shoes?" Glove inquired, before he could respond that he was content barefoot. Quinn intervened and said:

"A first-time slave will be given a token of welcome by the master in the shape of apparel; this is the law. Never decline a master's gift; instead, take it and keep your mouth shut about not wanting the shoes. "You're lucky they don't spit at your appearance, boy."

Quinn handed the shoes to Glove and added:

"Wear them and come; I'll show you the tasks that need to be completed at night." Meet me at the garden; you've seen where it is, and that is where I'll be."

Quinn walked away with enthusiasm, and Glove wanted to laugh, but couldn't. He grinned at the bodyguard and said something he didn't want to say but did anyway:

"Like master like slave"

He chuckled and slipped on his sandals before heading to the garden for his first night patrol.

 (1)

 Tokoloshe = Is an evil spirit used in witchcraft or to scare kids as to not letting them go outside at night.