“Hey, you there?”
Retvik stepped to one side a the doctor exited the room, then entered himself. His new friend Kayel was sitting on the bed, looking healthier than ever.
“I am here. Is something wrong, Kayel?”
Kayel hesitated. “Yes and no.”
“Do you want to talk?”
“Yes.”
Kayel fidgeted. Retvik sat down on a nearby chair, yawning slightly. It was nearly midnight, but no guard had ever turned up, so Retvik took it as his responsibility to pop by and check on Kayel. Especially since he was in and out of the hospital anyway, checking in on some of his other friends.
“Then I will listen.”
“Thanks… So… Medics said I can go home, and I really want to just leave now. I also gave a statement to the Ksithan police force and I gave them my contact details so they, can, well, contact me. But I… I haven’t spoken to any Skyan authorities and I’m… kinda scared to. After all, they know where I live, and I’m worried that I’ll get a visit from the R-Class when I go home and I’ll just… disappear. Sure, I’m a K-Class defector, I can protect myself, but not against a whole Class.”
“Oh.”
The Skyavok was avoiding eye contact. Kayel shuffled nervously. “I… I kinda hate to ask, but I don’t have any Skyan friends and certainly no family. Would I… be able to, uh, stay at your place, just for a couple of days? Assuming you have room.”
“Of course.”
“It’s not a problem, thank you for-” Kayel gasped. “What, really?”
Retvik nodded. “Of course. You need help, of course I will oblige. My home is rather empty anyway.”
“Can we go now?”
“Did the doctor say you can go?”
“They said the sooner the better. I don’t have any belongings or anything, I just need to go to the pharmacy downstairs to pick up some medication.”
“Sure. Shall we?”
Kayel leaped off the bed and headed out the door, pausing to check down the hallway. Retvik followed, calmly walking behind Kayel as he peered around every corner. The pharmacy wasn’t too far, just beneath the juvenile ward. And, luckily, since it was now about midnight, there was hardly anyone there.
Who was there though, well, it puzzled both Retvik and Kayel. And the Temthan and Spast who were chatting in the corner.
“Mister, this medication is normally for Banikans!” the Ksithan behind the glass window protested.
“I have a very high tolerance when it comes to painkillers…” This creature looked like an unholy cross between a Rethavok and a Skyavok. Skyan in height, barely 1.8m tall, but covered in bright yellow, heavily spiked armour. Its claws in particular were bony and horrible.
“And this is what your doctor prescribed?”
“It’s whatever’s on the prescription. It’s what my… doctor gave me.”
The Ksithan looked the being up and down, muttered something about doctors and weird Rethans, then disappeared in the backroom.
After a moment of awkward silence, a second Spast entered the pharmacy. The green and silver Spast was carrying a large package and a small device in their left hand. Their eyes darted around the room, and they immediately made eye contact with the weird creature.
“The… the Traitor…”
The creature grunted. “My name is Arkay, thank you very much.”
“You are still a traitor, and you shall die, as the Circle declares!”
The Spast charged at Arkay, pressing the device in its hand. The room suddenly erupted with warmth and light. Instinctively, Retvik grabbed Kayel and pulled the Skyan behind him. The other Spast though had a similar idea, shapeshifting into a Thraki and shielding not just himself, but the Temthaan, Retvik and Kayel with his wings.
However, that warmth suddenly faded. In the yellow creature’s hand was a small ball of fire, the remains of the Spast and their suicide attack.
“I swear, I take a few days off and the whole universe goes to shit…” Arkay grunted, then cursed loudly. “Shouldn’t have killed him. Now I’ve got questions.”
Interrupting the moment, the Ksithan came back with Arkay’s prescription. “Here you go! Did something happen?”
“No,” Arkay lied. “Sorry about the smell of ash. Tends to follow you around when you’re a death god. Have a good one.”
“Uh, thanks!” the Ksithan smiled, handing over the medication.
Arkay took his prescription and promptly left. But before he did so, he glanced over at the four mortals, an unusual look on his face. He sighed, then walked over and thrust a wad of cash into the Temthan’s hand.
“The four of you, go buy a drink or something and try to forget what you saw. Sorry you had to see that.”
With that, Arkay disappeared.
The other Spast, who wasn’t dead, reverted from his Thraki form, staring in disbelief. Retvik and Kayel were also equally stunned.
“I guess… we are going out for drinks then… As the Thantophor demands…” the Temthan shrugged, fondling the large amount of money she had just been given. “The name’s Nyssi, by the way. Nice to meet you.”