Scroll 1.1 - Brimstone Caverns and The Price of Hiding The True Self, Part 1

I knew it was a mistake to go to a Transmutator other than Azélie. With her Magic, we could go well into a dungeon without needing to worry about my disguise wearing off. This second-rate spell started wearing off by the second day, though.

My claws are already back; the nails send echoes throughout the caves as they clack against the stone. I had to take my human boots off to even trek back comfortably, my toes elongated back to their full form already. My tail returned recently as well. It was embarrassing, too. I had attacked a rock out of instinct when the appendage returned to my hind.

I can feel the muscles and bones in these ears of mine squirm as they pray to shift back to the top of my head. That was a sensation I could never get over. The tufts of fur on my cheeks are slowly coming back. It looks like I have sideburns growing rapidly out of control. But the worst part of that is that...

"IT ITCHES!!" I assault my face with my claws as I try to stop the blistering sensation, guttural growls and whines escaping my throat. Of course, the exposed flesh only makes it easier to bleed, as I feel the claws hook into my skin because giving me searing cuts. I yowl in pain, only to be met with a loud and echoing shush. It was as if God himself told me to get over myself.

In actuality, it's just my young protege Ciriaco. The young lad stares at me, unimpressed with my behavior. He's already preparing a healing spell for the cuts on my face, using some of the little Runic Chalk we have left. I grimace, both at the fact a child just scolded me and because more resources are being used. We were never out of danger until we got back to camp.

"I don't understand why we couldn't have just gone to Azélie again." The truth is the usual answer... money. Ciriaco is unaware that inside my bedroom at Azélie's apothecary is a paper-wrapped book—one of ancient potions and healing methods—that he has been wanting for a while. It wasn't cheap, but considering it's going to be his fourteenth birthday soon, his second with mine, I wanted the present to be special.

"Was it a lover's quarrel?" All sentimentality I had just left the tavern.

"I don't even see her in that way... and you shouldn't talk about her like that, either." Azélie can hold her own, but I can't help but be protective of her. She was the first human in Leticié to be truly kind to me. She's like a sister to me, nowhere near a romantic prospect. "The entrance should be up ahead; we'll just need to climb..."

I see the rope we had set up—its fibers frayed as if it had been cut—draped across the cavern floor. Bringing my lamp up, I see the crimson cliff we had hung it from. The light makes it look as if Hellfire is dancing across the stone. Sure enough, I can catch glimpses of the other half of the rope at the top, swinging in all directions. It was recently cut.

"I think we might have company waiting for us." I attach the lantern to the side of my belt, undoing my cape and handing it to Ciriaco so I don't injure myself. After I coil the cut rope, I sling it over my shoulder. I look up at the cliff and map out a path. My vision is still that of a human, so some details are hard to make out, but I am certain I can do it.

I jump, probably twenty feet into the air, and latch onto the side of the cliff with my claws. After that, I don't think, just go. Ciriaco once told me that I climb so fast that he didn't even blink by the time I was up. That was a silly exercise climb up a tree, but I like to challenge myself and see just how fast I can go each time I get a chance. I make it up, the pads on my feet scratching against the rock.

"It wasn't that impressive." The boy had grown rather prickly in recent months. I pay him no mind, instead pulling up the end of the rope still tied to the bolt we had set. Sure enough, someone had cut it. I uncoil the other half from around my shoulder, letting the rest fall onto the stone as I grab both segments of rope. As I start to tie them together, I begin to feel my ears heat up and twitch.

This shift was always the worst part. You never stop hearing anything as your ears move up from the sides of your head to the top and it intensifies as it goes from human to beast. Each crack you hear as the cartilage and bone shifts becomes louder and louder as they worm their way up your skin. The instant fur growth for an extra itch is the cherry on top. I yelp, as I do every time.

"Mr. Juuta?! Is everything okay?! Were you attacked?!" The boy's voice goes from his teenage monotone to the worry he had back in the early days I hired him as a healer. It's easily overthrown by my reply.

"Sorry, it was just my ears shifting."

"Oh my god, you can't just yell like that!" I tighten the knot, making sure it holds. I spy the annoyed grimace of Ciriaco's face as I peer over. It disappears quickly once he sees the rope in my hands, which I throw down once he's out of the way. Ever the skeptic, he yanks on it a couple times before beginning his ascent.

He's not a fast climber. He's actually really slow, even for a human. Ciriaco isn't particularly fit for a boy his age, though. He's rather short and pudgy, which doesn't make him ideal for adventuring. However, I decided to hire him once he proved to me how capable he was at Healing Magic. That and it seemed like the boy had no family he could go to, and I'd like to think I'm not heartless. Why he chose a beastman as his mentor is beyond me.

I grab Ciriaco's hand when he's close enough to the top, pulling him up. He almost falls backwards off due to the giant backpack he's carrying, but this happens to often that I reach for the strap of the bag before he can turn into a bloody mess. The boy, now steady, brushes the front of his pants and shirt, coated red from the brimstone dust that he had likely brushed against. That's when that smarmy voice assaults my ears.

"Well, it seems as if none of my tricks are going to stump you." The burly green fox waves, one finger at a time, at the two of us. A small chuckle squeaks out as a massive and ghoulish grin appears across his face. I can already see his cronies behind him, though I only recognize the pig. The otter and the panda are new additions to his team, though this was nothing new.

"I thought it was you, Aoi. Got some new team members again?" I say that specifically to throw the new recruits off. Things always turned ugly whenever the two of us met.

"They knew who they were dealing with when they saw my flyer, Juuta." I reflexively raise my arms as Aoi approaches me, only for him to lightly caress my wolf ears. "I must say, I think I prefer seeing this more animal side you have. Too bad this face full of flesh is ruining it." Before I can stop him, he pulls some of the fur off the top of my ear, adding some more pain to itch.

"Well, I need to find some way to put food on the table and I won't be saving enough to go to Schwarzwalf any time soon." I try to hide my bitterness, reminded of how my family and I had planned to move to one of the kingdoms there. I wasn't any closer to reaching that goal.

I attempt to push past the quartet of beastmen, but Aoi slips right past me. He pulls on Ciriaco's topknot ponytail, causing the young boy to wince and groan.

"Hey, let me go!" He flails, trying to punch and kick the foxman.

"I see you also still have this flesh-bag with you." The disdain from his voice fills the air. "Tell me, Juuta. Why are you so accommodating to these... wretched monsters?"

I know he's not going to actually hurt the boy, but I push the fox to the cavern wall. Ciriaco runs behind me, almost backing into the pig. I can tell he's frightened, but he puts on a brave face. Aoi just smiles as my arm presses against him.

"It's not what's outside that makes you a monster, Aoi. It's the cruel sludge surrounding someone's heart that turns them into one."

I look over my shoulder, making sure Ciriaco is safe. I spot the stairs leading out of the caverns, light pouring in from the outside. Tired of Aoi's antics, I let him go and beckon Ciriaco to follow me. Aoi chuckles as we walk away.

"By the way, wolf. I did something digging. I must say... it wasn't all that surprising to learn 'Hiramatsu' is your real name... Juuta Ekkehard."

I freeze; Ciriaco bumps into me as I do so. I had used the name "Hiramatsu" around beastmen due to the stigma around me having a human name. But I never imagined how complicated keeping up the act could get.

"It's kind of funny, you know. The greatest knight in the kingdom has a beastman brother!" A shrill laugh exits Aoi's snout. His followers slowly join in, though I feel like they're unsure why it's funny. "Imagine what would happen if that information leaked. The controversy that would ensue would be quite entertaining. Just what would happen if the kingdom found out that Rudin Ekkehard, lieutenant of the Letician military, was secretly a sympathizer for us beasts—"

It wasn't even a second before I felt the searing pain of Aoi's fangs digging into my fist.