A Foreign Home

The Ammal republic: Chapter 3

"Well, here it is," said Buris.

He pointed to a large apartment home, about two stories in height but pressed up between two other homes painted a different color. There were four windows, a wooden door, as well as a roof that held things Claybrook could not make out in the darkness. "It's nice," said Claybrook, unsure what to really say.

"No it isn't," Buris quickly responded in a gruff tone. "But when you've got a family, you have to make amends."

Family, thought Claybrook. "And what about children? Are they sleeping in the house?"

Both of their expressions darkened as they turned away from Claybrook. Atheos cut in the middle and whispered to Claybrook's ear. "Why do you think we went out of the city?" Claybrook shook his head and shrugged, unsure how to respond.

Buris opened the door and moved inside. He flipped a switch and the entire atrium of the home was lit by a glowing sphere. "Are those--?" Claybrook tried to ask.

"Light bulbs," answered Buris.

"I swear I've seen something like this before," said Claybrook. For sure he remembered lightbulbs from where he was from.

"Progress, the strength of the Ammals," said Atheos as he lifted his fist into the air. "That's why we're going to win this war!"

Claybrook shook his head. "You keep mentioning a war. The Species War, am I right? What is that?"

Atheos looked at the two Vulpis in complete disbelief. All they could do was either shrug or shake their heads. Atheos brought his palm to his forehead. "Ugh," he muttered to himself. "This is going to take a while."

After Vesilia and Buris had stepped inside, Atheos allowed Claybrook in, then closed the door behind him. He reached out to take off Claybrook's cloak. "There," he said. "You need to be hidden in public. In here you're safe, as long as the windows are down."

"Why do I need to keep hidden?" asked Claybrook as he struggled with the cloak. "Why do I need to be a secret to everyone else? Is is something I did?"

"You were born," Atheos muttered silently to himself, swiping away the cloak and passing it to Vesilia.

Vesilia placed a hand on Claybrook's shoulder. "No worries. You're fine, that's it. Come, I'll bring you some food and show you where you can sleep for tonight."

Claybrook nodded in agreement as he was led away by Vesilia. Meanwhile Atheos and Buris went to the living room where they slumped on the large couch they had in front of the fireplace. "****," cursed Atheos as he rubbed his temples. "How are we going to use this Pretiel's help?"

Buris shrugged. "Tell him he's on our side? The man has holes in his memories, so why not fill them in on our own?"

"We don't know what memories are missing," replied Atheos. "For all we know, he could suddenly remember that the Pretiels are at war with the Ammals. Next thing you know he'll be using that magic to tear up the second largest city in the Ammal Republic. Better question is, how are we going to convince him to join our mission? It's not like we can go up to him and say 'Hey, want to help us slaughter 50 Pretiels in order to save two kids?'."

"Well, we don't have to slaughter to rescue them," said Buris. "All they need to do is escape. How we are able to pull that off is still up to debate."

"Hmm," Atheos hummed to himself. At first he thought of just killing the Lazarian and getting it over with. But come to think of it, he actually is useful in a pinch, and there could be many ways to manipulate his power. He just hoped Claybrook was gullible enough to raid a Pretiel imprisonment camp. He seemed ignorant at first, so perhaps this will be easier than expected.

"Hey, here's a thought," said Buris firmly, interrupting Atheos's thoughts. "Why don't we send an army, like I requested?"

"Can't, too risky," Atheos replied. "I'm not going to loosen Tempus's defense just to rescue two children. We don't even know if 50 will be able to do the job."

"You don't even know if it's just two kids!" Buris replied hotly. "If we capture that slave camp, we can rescue possibly a thousand of our own! Don't go on telling me that we're willing to leave POWs to torture and punishment!"

Atheos shrugged. "**** happens," he said. "Plus I can't risk any more. If that mission fails, then we'll lose more. Those Pretiels are tricky, I tell you."

"Have you considered sending any scouts?"

Atheos slapped his thighs and gave Buris an intense look. "What the hell do you think comprises that camp? The Pretiels are too good! They're like snakes, hiding in the bushes and striking when you least expect it. Somehow, by some strange twist of fate, they manage to completely ambush the squads I send. No single survivor comes back to report. No, we need something that can come back alive."

"Spies?" asked Buris.

"Would love to," replied Atheos, "but all the spies in reserve are out on missions. I have none left to dispatch. I don't think even they will get the job done. No, we need something that can move in and out of the camp unharmed and unable to be captured by the enemy."

"Have you considered hiring an an adventurer?"

Atheos shook his head. "Unreliable. Plus I don't like adventurers whatsoever."

Buris shrugged. "Why not send Claybrook?" he asked.

Atheos thought about it for a moment. "Well," he spoke out loud, "I guess that could work...but no." He turned to Buris. "The moment we send him out, the Pretiels will try to turn him. And once he learns about the Species War and what side he belongs on, then we'll lose him for good. No, he needs to be either kept ignorant or go in and slaughter everyone, never truly learning what he is." He paused to take a drink of the beer. "Plus with that Igna surviving, no doubt he'll tell everyone that a Lazarian survived, and no doubt the Pretiels will be looking to capture him. Wouldn't surprise me if that one Pretiel general is seeking him as we speak."

"But what if we try to--"

"Ahh, ****," yelled Atheos, slumping in his chair and cutting off Buris. "He's completely useless. I say we just kill him, then we could have one less thing to worry about." Atheos thought of what Claybrook did, and he convinced himself that it wasn't that impressive. All he did was knock him out, not really perform some major stunt. Though, he did bring Buris back to life, and he's capable of using magic. No other person that Atheos knew had such power, making Claybrook that much painful to lose. "I'm starting to think we should just keep him here."

"Holed up?" asked Buris. "No, not at all. He'll want to get out at some point, and once he does, the entire city will hunt him down. Gaah, you're right. It's too risky to keep something precious like Claybrook."

"If we get rid of him now, it'll save us some headaches and the Pretiels lose a potential resource." Atheos leaned forward to Buris. "Best to keep the Lazarian how they were: extinct."

The last statement struck a cord with Buris, who wondered about that for quite a while. Before Atheos could speak again, Buris stopped him. "What makes you so sure they're extinct?" he asked. "If Claybrook remembered some Lazarian in his life, then that's proof enough there are still some standing. Perhaps he isn't the last of them. Perhaps they're someplace else--"

"Are you ****ting me right now?!" Atheos asked venomously. "Are you purposefully being stupid? The Lazarian died out 1,000 years ago! Your great-great-great-grandfather knew this! You and I and everyone on Terra, both Ammals and Pretiels, know this! The Lazarian are dead, extinct! There's no bringing them back! It's some goddamn miracle Claybrook managed to survive! Hell, I don't believe it myself either. How is it that a member of an ancient race of Beast managed to live?"

Atheos had a point, and Buris had not really thought about that. Why is there a Lazarian wandering around? "Maybe..." Buris said slowly. "Maybe they're not extinct? Pseudo...pseudoextinction?"

"What the **** is that?" asked Atheos.

"What I'm saying is that they're probably not dead," Buris said softly. "A lot of factors can lead into our current state. Perhaps they ran away. Perhaps they evolved into some other species we're unfamiliar with. Perhaps they--"

"Perhaps they're dead," Atheos responded. He slowly rose from his chair, giving him the impression of a high lord looking down on a fool. "And let's make sure they stay dead, as history demanded. We'll start with this one."

---

"I can tell that Atheos and Buris don't like me," said Claybrook to Vesilia as they walked up the stairs. "Did I do something wrong?"

Vesilia turned back to Claybrook, looking at him with those great big eyes. "Oh no, nothing wrong," she assured him. "It's nothing. You're just...new to them. In time they'll learn to like and respect you."

Claybrook smiled. "Thank you," he said with a nod. "You know how to make me feel better."

Vesilia turned back around. To her, Claybrook seemed like a small confused child, wondering what to do in the world. First his memories missing, and now among hostile territory, she was reconsidering whether it was a good idea to bring Claybrook into her own home. If Buris, the one that Claybrook brought back from the dead, disliked him, then she could imagine what everyone else would think of him. No, she decided to herself. She would keep him safe. He had done nothing wrong. He was only trying to help and figure out what to do. Call it a mother's instinct, but she was protective of those who had no direction in life. It's barbaric to think that Buris and Atheos can manipulate him into doing their bidding. Worse, Atheos stated he owned Claybrook. She wished that Claybrook would stand up for himself, but he wasn't doing anything to stop this abuse. Was he afraid? Was he misguided? She wasn't going to let him get thrown around like a rag doll, that's for sure.

Upon reaching the second floor, she turned right into an empty room and turned on the light. The green-colored room had a window view as well as a rug sprawled across the floor. A single full-sized bed was pressed up against the wall with a small nightstand next to it. There was a chair and other tables, but for the most part the small room was quite empty. "The guest room," she said as Claybrook took a view. "Whenever friends or outside family visit, they sleep here. It can be all yours until you decide to move on."

Until I move on? thought Claybrook. Where would I go? I don't know anywhere else to go. But at the same time, I don't want to be a burden to this family. He shook away the thoughts and looked back at Vesilia. "You are too kind," he replied.

She nodded. "Come here. I'm sure we spare clothes you can wear. You'll need a bath and some dry socks as well. You've been sweating all day; I'm sure you'd like to get cleaned up. Tomorrow we can resupply, and I'll talk Atheos into giving you a mini-tour of our city. Perhaps we can outfit you in something other than a plain white t-shirt and sack cloth pants. Maybe a weapon to defend yourself as well."

"I appreciate it," said Claybrook.

Vesilia left the room and led her to another door across the hallway. She opened the door and turned that light on, revealing a room with a sink and a shower. "Washroom," she said. "You can take a shower here if you like."

"Indoor plumbing," said Claybrook, admiring the advanced technology put into the construction of the home. "I'll say it again, Tempus truly is an advanced city."

Vesilia shrugged. "Yes, I guess you can say that." Vesilia stepped out of the room. "Wait here."

Claybrook was left alone in the room. He started to look around the bathroom. The sink had a large mirror in front of him. Claybrook looked at himself, searching for any visible scars or other abnormalities. All he could see was a fit Lazarian looking back at him. Not to sound narcissistic, he thought, but I do look quite fit and healthy. Claybrook also took note of the hot and cold water control of the faucet. Ah, so this also has water heating. He recalled a system like this from where he was from. As Claybrook tried to grasp that one memory he had in his grip, it quickly escaped him.

He let out a sigh and walked over to the shower itself. The shower head pointed downward, particularly to a small drainage grate. The floor was made of tiling, feeling rather cold to Claybrook's feet. He also took note that the shower itself also had hot/cold controls. Gaia, this house has everything!

One thing he did notice however was that there didn't seem to be something to remove waste. Not like there's any need for it, Claybrook concluded. One remarkable ability that the Ammals and Pretiels had was the needless-ness to remove waste. A Beast's body was able to use every mineral and molecule consumed from food or anything else. Anything that wasn't immediately used would slowly disintegrate and become part of the body or become something new altogether. Only on extreme cases such as disease or excessive eating would a Beast need to remove waste from their body, but it happened so rarely that there was no real need for a waste sewage system in cities such as Tempus. Regardless, waste centers were placed in certain parts of the city just in case.

Vesilia had returned with a light blue towel, some small plastic bottles, as well as a fresh change of clothes, all colored white. "Here," she said. "These belong to Buris, but he won't mind. Take a shower while I go down and prepare food."

Claybrook nodded once more. "Thank you so much," he said sincerely. He looked closer at her. "You're the nicest person I've met so far. I'm really happy that you can help me out in a state of utter confusion." He looked away. "I just hope I'm not putting you in any danger."

Vesilia approached him and took his hand. She started to rub his right hand. "Hey, it's okay," she whispered. "You're not doing anything wrong. You rescued my husband. The least I can do for you is provide housing and shelter. It's just my way of saying thanks. Thank you," she said as she looked straight at his eyes. "For everything so far. I appreciate it."

Claybrook smiled. His heart started to beat quicker and his face hot a bit warmer. As Vesilia backed away and closed the door, Claybrook started to undress. She was right, he thought as he looked at his bare body. I am sweating like a pig. Carrying two grown men for a whole day is hard work. Ahh. This shower's going to be so relaxing.

---

"And let's make sure they _stay_dead, as history demanded. We'll start with this one," Vesilia heard Atheos say.

"Do what?" she asked as she approached the two men conversing.

"I--uhh," stammered Buris. "Look, listen--"

"We're going to kill the Lazarian," Atheos spat out bluntly. He had his hands folded behind his back, looking casual as he said this.

"You're going to what?" she asked in shock.

"You heard me," said Atheos. "That Lazarian is too much trouble. We've been successful in this war without him. It's better to kill off something we won't use rather than let him fall in the wrong hands."

"And I'm at risk of keeping a Pretiel inside my own home!" added Buris. "People will find out, you and I will be tried for treason, and we'll be marked traitors for quartering and aiding the enemy. I can't have that done to us, Vesilia. We have to kill him before things get worse. Which they will," he said standing up. "Ohh yes they will!"

"No they won't," said Vesilia. "Do you honestly think it's that hard to keep someone secret? All we have to do is give him a cloak and a veil, and he can walk like one of us! No harm done!"

Atheos shook his head. "Not going to work, woman," he said. "I'm out for blood, you hear. And I want that Lazarian dead."

"We should do it tonight," said Buris. "You know, smother him in his sleep. Then we'll toss his body out in the streets for the scavengers to eat him up."

"You two are insane!" said Vesilia. "And I'm not going to allow it! Claybrook is my friend, and I will have no harm done to him!"

Buris stood up and approached Vesilia, seizing one of her arms. "Listen here, woman," he said. "Claybrook is too dangerous. I want him out of the house now. But the problem is that we don't want him alive either. Either he helps us or he helps the enemy, and I doubt he'd be willing to aid us in our endeavors."

"Argh! Let go of me!" Vesilia pulled off Buris's hand as she slowly backed away. " You're insane to think you can kill, Buris. Is this the man I married? Was I engaged to a coldblooded killer? I thought I loved an archaeologist, not a Pretiel hunter."

"He might not kill," said Atheos as he stood up from his chair and approached Vesilia, standing next to Buris. "But I will."

"Fine, you're experienced in killing Pretiels," said Buris. He turned back to Vesilia. "Go and make dinner for three. I don't want that Lazarian regaining his strength."

Vesilia, with a bitter expression on her mouth, retreated to the kitchen. She was furious and perplexed at the same time. It was quite unusual for Buris to act this way. She didn't think she'd see him this furious ever. Perhaps the stress of the current situation is doing some strange things to his mind. Vesilia was unaffected by the outcome, however. She knew that with Claybrook's help, everything can return to normal.

No, she had to warn him. There are two grown men plotting to kill him. Even though Claybrook had used magic, that was not enough to assume Claybrook would win in a fight against Atheos. Could he win in a fight? No, it was better to not risk it and inform Claybrook before the two get to him.

As she was about to cross the hallway into the other room, she heard that the running water had turned silent. Was Claybrook done with his bath already, or was there something wrong with the piping? She decided to climb back upstairs and check on Claybrook. Knocking on the door, Claybrook had immediately responded with opening the door.

Inside he found Claybrook dressed in the white cotton pants and cotton shirt she had given to him. He also had those white wool socks as well, when she noticed that Claybrook's toe claws had torn holes in them. Claybrook noticed she was looking in the same spot he had created holes. "I'm sorry," he said. "These...things are new to me. Ammalian socks are a bit different than what I'm used to."

Vesilia had to laugh. She could easily compare him to a young child, never really knowing how the world works. After she giggled, she remembered her original purpose and looked up at the Lazarian's face. "Claybrook, you have to listen to me--"

Claybrook's stomach growled again as he hunched over to cover it up. "Save that thought," he said. "I don't want to sound rude, but is there something small I could possibly eat?"

She wanted to finish her sentence, but she didn't have the courage to tell him. To give him an opportunity to live as well as housing, and all of a sudden throwing it away seemed too harsh. She had to wait, maybe convince him to join her cause, her mission. If she could prove Claybrook was an asset to the Ammal Republic, perhaps Atheos could spare him. She felt safe with Claybrook, unlike with her own husband, who could barely fire a gun. She didn't want him to leave just yet. "Sure," her shaky voice mumbled. "Come downstairs. Maybe you could help me prepare the food."

"With pleasure," Claybrook said with a nod.