Havella was a dull town, Mavv concluded. Dull colours covered every dull building, while dull people engaged each other in dull conversations, all the while living dull lives under the dull grey sky. Honestly, how on earth could this place stand itself? If Mavv had grown up here, he'd have left it before age ten. Of course, if he'd grown up here, his life likely would have gone an entirely different direction. Oh well. He wasn't going to be here long.
Kicking up random pebbles off the rocky ground, Mavv glanced over the buildings along the wide main street of the tiny town. There was something off about their architectural design, something Mavv couldn't quite put his finger on. Oh, that was it. They were distinctly Suthen. Towns on the southern end of Central often were populated by Suthen citizens who'd moved up. They took their architecture with them, it seemed. Scanning the people around him quickly, he confirmed that a good portion of them had dark Suthen skin. Maybe that would be good for him. His failure had happened in Central, but these people wouldn't care about Central politics. Still, Mavv stayed vigilant. A guard stationed here might recognize him.
Loud noises came from a pub up ahead. Ah, perfect. A drink was just what Mavv needed. Grinning in anticipation, he quickened his pace, and soon arrived at the establishment. The Suthen architecture earlier noted was present here as well, even inside, Mavv remarked as he stepped inside. Two Power Ventis were being escorted from the presence, ostensibly having gotten into a fight. Mavv stepped to the side to let them be tossed onto the rough stone ground beyond the door. The patrons of the pub returned to their casual chatter with the disturbance now taken care of.
Wood creaked beneath Mavv's feet as he crossed the distance to the bar. The bartender, a tall, unassuming Ventis, potentially Research, stepped up to him as Mavv sat casually on a stool.
"Munnolia sleeps, sir," the bartender greeted. "What can I get you?"
Mavv glanced at him. "Hmm...how about a shot of Suthen Firespice?"
The bartender's eyes widened, and he didn't seem to be sure whether Mavv was joking or not. When he realized he wasn't, the tall Ventis nodded hesitantly. "If that's what you want, sir. But I must warn you, Firespice can be quite—"
"I know, I know," Mavv growled dismissively. "Just get me the damned drink."
The bartender nodded, and fetched a shot of the stuff. He set the drink down onto the bar before Mavv, and pulled away, fleeing to serve another patron that had just sat down. Mavv took the shot, and examined it. In truth, he'd only tasted Firespice twice before, both experiences having been awful, but it certainly made him feel alive. Not as much as Awakening did, granted, but sometimes he had to take what he could get.
Mavv downed the orange, fizzing drink in one gulp, and felt it scorch his throat on the way down. Choking back tears and a coughing fit, Mavv's fingers balled into fists as he tried to withstand the shot. Potent it most certainly was. The name was not even close to befitting the power of Firespice. What kind of sane person would drink this sort of stuff?
The creaking of a stool to Mavv's left told him someone had sat beside him. He set down the shot glass, willed the tears away, and tried to put on a straight face as he glanced to his left. A portly Ventis man, maybe Barrier, sat beside him, staring determinedly across the bar at the display of wine glasses on the wall.
"I recognized you on your way in here," the Ventis man said, his voice a raspy growl. "You're that failure from up in Central, right?"
Mavv said nothing, keeping his gaze locked on the shot glass before him.
YOU ARE READING
The Last of the Anointed
Fantasy"At last, the blast subsided, and Thrennek stood there, winded and considerably weaker than he had been. A pile of steaming ash was all that remained of the monster that had slaughtered his squad. Breathing hard, Thrennek pulled his sword from the h...
