Retvik smiled just a little as he kicked off his feet protectors and removed his stomach wrap, hot and sweaty from a hard day of cleaning and tidying. He and Trismit had been in charge of keeping the more… lost Rethans preoccupied, making sure they ate, exercised and took their medication, and such duties often involved cleaning up leftover messes. But the day was over and he could finally relax. Unfortunately, he was not alone.
“Haaaiiii!” Kuta waved from the shadowiest corner of the captains’ lounge. “You finally off work?”
None of the other captains seemed to be able to tolerate Kuta, and that opinion had rubbed off on Retvik a little. Kuta was bouncy and excitable, traits that were uncommon among standard Rethavok, who generally tended to be very calm and quiet. Most Rethans barely even spoke unless needed, so Retvik could understand why the other captains were less fond of Kuta, but Retvik disliked judging others before he got to know them.
“Yes, I just finished, Kuta!” Retvik tried to be cheerful in return. “How are you?”
Kuta beamed, glad someone was taking interest in him. He was stretched out on the only two-seater sofa in the office. Everything else was either a stool or an armchair. In his hand was a tablet, on which he was reading various news articles.
“I am good, actually! Since you arrived, I have been able to spend more time not locked away in the hospital wings and more time talking with you all! And I get to be able to meet the amazing General Retvik!”
Retvik pulled up a chair and sat down near Kuta, but not too close. He sighed though as Kuta mentioned his name. “I am not a general any more. Not at all.”
“You were a general. Few become generals. And… I have lots of questions! It is nice to be able to ask!”
“Ask what?”
Kuta leaned forward, putting his tablet to one side. “You have met the gods, yes?”
“I have seen most of them but I have not… properly met them all. I am not normally… willing to answer questions about them though, due to… delicate reasons.”
Kuta smiled. “But you can answer me one, yes? Which one is the scariest? Because most vok believe the Thantophor is the scariest, but I disagree.”
Retvik grunted, wondering whether Kuta wanted something or whether he was just curious. He did just seem to want to know more about Retvik’s adventures though.
“You would be correct. The Thantophor is only scary if you are close to death. Live your life and you will not fear him.”
“But what about the other gods? Which one IS the scariest?”
With a long sigh, Retvik shook his head. “It is best that I do not tell you. Should one consider a god harmless, they may try to look for it. All of the deities are incredibly dangerous in their own ways.”
“Yeah, but which one is the scariest?”
Retvik tutted. “It depends.”
“On what?”
“What you consider as scary.”
Kuta leaned forward further. “Tell me more, oh knowledgeable one!”
“Trust me, you do not wish to know how the gods can and will torture us. I have experienced it first hand, and that was mostly via the minions of the Whenvern. I dread to think how bad it could have been had the Whenvern harmed us directly. The deities can and will unmake us, should we bother them enough.”
“Even the Hidden?”
Retvik nodded. “Yes, even the Hidden Lord.
Kuta shrugged. He knew he wasn’t going to get any substantial information from Retvik, so he decided to back down. “Oh well. Not that a mere mortal such as myself would ever get to meet the gods anyway…”
“You never know.”
The shadowy Rethan sighed. “Yeah, I never know. But then again, the gods seem to never know either…” Kuta giggled slightly, then went back to his tablet, completely changing the subject. “Still, it is good to be finished with work. Got a lot of things done today, and we got a lot of things to do tomorrow…”