Interlude - Iron Colony

They always stick “Smalls” with the worst shifts. They see us as lesser, expendable. That's why I’m watching over this murderous psychopath. I could have been seeing my daughter off, but no. I have to watch this freak. Apparently, he’s a Summoned, and he sure looks the part. His skin is the color of a light blue sky, and he has shimmering white hair. The mist he constantly emanates makes everything around him cold and damp. And he’s so… big. Not just tall, but strong looking too. Along his right arm lies a tattoo in the shape of a dragon. Every now and then, it pulsates a dim light. Odd. He stares daggers at everyone who watches him akin to a caged animal.

This Summoned, who goes by the name “Kittan,” has been arrested several times over the past few weeks. He arrived in the Sunderfall region and has now made his way to the continent of Vespera. He must have a goal here, but it doesn’t seem to be a good one. He goes out into the streets at night and commits several murders. Scientists, guards, political officials. No one is safe when it comes to Kittan. He has escaped far too many times, and we don’t know how. Every time, a guard ends up unconscious or dead. There are two other guards stationed with me. I don’t bother to know their names, but one is a gnome and the other an elf. The elf is only here to keep us in line, make sure we don’t let him free. In their eyes, Smalls can’t be trusted with anything.

The Elf makes eye contact with Kittan. “So,” he says. “Why are you here? I mean, why are you killing these people. They were doing nothing but minding their business. Maybe you should too.”

Kittan doesn’t bother to respond. This guy has been pestering him with questions all night, not a single one answered.

The gnome taps my shoulder. “I’ve gotta take a leak,” he says

“A leak, you just went 20 minutes ago,” I retorted.

“Yeah well I gotta go again. You’re a dwarf, you should know these kinds of things.”

“Those are stereotypes, and how can you even make a comment like that.”

The Elf stops pestering Kittan. “Listen, I gotta go too. And it’s looking to be a long one. Besides, you and your small bladders, I’d rather not witness the thing pissing himself. See ya.” He and the halfling begin to walk away.

“Wait!” I scream. “There needs to be two of us at all times. You can’t leave me alone here!”

They continue walking as if I was just white noise. I look back at Kittan and he gives me a malicious sneer.

“Since those two are gone…” he says, “why don’t you let me out?”

“Don’t start with me! I have too much going on to even begin entertaining that nonsense.”

I bang my baton on the bars in hopes of intimidating him. He stares at me unfazed.

“Who do you think you are?” I ask. “Just because you're a Summoned doesn’t mean you’re above the law!”

“And just because you're a dwarf doesn’t mean you’re below it. In the world I’m from, there were countless races, all treated far better than your kind.”

“Oh, so now you’re talkative. I don’t care what world you hail from. My world is my world! And currently, you are keeping me from it!”

Kittan lowers his head and sullenly says, “Kisa right?”

I back away stunned. How… “How do you know that name!?”

“She’s been chosen for ‘Testing’ right? You and I both know that those to leave for ‘Testing’ never come back. We could still save her, if you let me out.”

I look him in the eyes. For the first time since he’s been here, his eyes are full of sincerity. If there’s a chance I can see her, then maybe… “Fine,” I say ashamedly.

I fiddle with the keys and I see Kittan approaching the bars. He sticks out his hand, and in front of him, and on this side of the bars, a wispy, spectral visage appears. It looks just like him, but sort of see-through. But, suddenly it's opaque. I look beyond the image and I see the spectral copy within the cell. It dissipates and Kittan rips the baton out of my holster. Did he swap places?

“That’s not a magic I’m familiar with.”

“There are many magics you don’t know of. Many beyond the walls of this colony. Many within. Stay safe.” Kittan begins to walk away and I grab his arm.

“Wait, you won’t make it far without me. And I'd rather resolve these things peacefully.”

Kittan sighs. He pauses to think for a moment and then nods in agreement. I tell him to stay back, I will retrieve the items. The good thing about this shift is that people are too afraid of Kittan. This entire area is empty, only us Smalls, with few exceptions, are sent here for watch. I don’t care for my coworkers, but I can’t let them have meaningless deaths. Besides, knowing those two, the bathroom is the last place they went.

I find his belongings and bring them back to Kittan. He equips his clothing, his glimmering battleaxe, his polished armor, his flamethrower? Finally, he dons this magnificent glacier-colored cloak. It has these intricate patterns strewn across it, implying elvish origin. The cloak almost completely obscures his face.

“Let's go,” he says. “By the way. Don’t complain about what you see.”

⸸ ⸸ ⸸

The night sky is blotted out by the purple smog from the factories. It has been days since I’ve even been outside. Days since I’ve seen Kisa. Weeks since I’ve been able to relax. The purple rust falls from the sky and fills my hair and beard like dandruff. I hate this place, but there’s no escape from it. The world is our enemy, and it's up to Smalls to carry that burden. I understand that besides height, there isn’t much difference between us. But when you get used to a way of life for hundreds of years, it doesn't matter what differences exist. Kittan takes short strides ahead of me. It seems that he’s keeping a pace that I can keep up with. He seems kind.

After about an hour of walking, I wonder why the alarm hasn’t been set off. Also, no one has notified my sending stone. How long are those guys going to be gone? Maybe they’ve already returned but don’t want to get involved? Fair.

Though, I’m getting tired of walking in silence. He was a prisoner. He is a murderer! He kills people in the streets. He knows my daughter’s name! Why is he showing kindness now? He must be planning to off me soon. But it’s been over an hour, and I’m just a Small. If he wanted to get rid of me, he could’ve already. For gods’ sake, why did I free him?

“Kittan…” I squeak out. He gives me a grunt. “Why are you killing these people, and what do you know about my daughter? Actually, where are we even heading?”

“You’ll see in time.”

“In time?! I need to know why I let such a seasoned criminal loose. I need to know your relationship with my daughter. I don’t have ‘time’ to wait and be led astray by some foreign visitor!”

“Shut your damn mouth, you’re making a ruckus.”

I’m at the end of my rope. I stop walking and pull out my sending stone.

“Stop right now. Or else…”

“Or else what, you report me, I kill you, you lose any opportunity of finding your daughter.”

“I’m following the law! And I’m sure that there's a reason for everything. Even if she never comes back, her sacrifice will be noble! I will not desecrate her decision for a stranger!”

“Why her then, huh?” Kittan says as he sharply turns around. “Haven’t you noticed that almost everyone selected for 'Testing’ are smaller races?

“Of course I have!” I yelled. “This whole damn place is built against us. They work us like dogs. They use us like we're lesser. Paid for less, if we’re even paid at all. Almost 40 percent of Smalls are slaves!”

“There you go again. “Smalls” why do you keep using that word? It's a word used to separate you. To designate you. To lower you. You believe that this is right. That this is the way the world is. But it isn’t! Even outside of this colony, your kind is treated with far more respect and kindness.”

Kittan storms towards me. His towering stature blocks what little moonlight pierces through the smog of manufacturing plants. He removes his hood, and looks me in the eyes with his piercing blue irises. I do not falter.

He says, “You allow yourselves to be subjugated. You view yourself as lesser.”

“No I don't!"

“Yes you do, and you always will unless you see for yourself what exactly this place does to your people. I refuse to let you all reside in this city of lies. Ahead is the facility. Don’t get in my way. You will see the truth. Let’s hope we get there in time.”

He turns his back to me. What is his truth? What could be so important that wanton murder is justified?

We approach a building that towers into the sky. On the front of the building there is a plaque that reads in bold letters “TESTING.” Before we get to close, Kittan shoves me into an alleyway. He tells me to be quiet and points to the doors. Two guards stand there and are chatting about something. Kittan tells me to stand back and he approaches. He dons his cloak and sneaks around the building into the shadows. Even I lost track of him as he lurked forward, like an animal stalking its prey. I finally see him again, but it’s clear it’s his image he left behind. The image walks towards the guards, unarmed. The guards approach the image confused. Suddenly, an axe appears from its chest and cleaves one of the men. He lies on the ground bleeding from the axe wound. The other guard is unable to react before Kittan appears from behind, cutting him down as well. He killed them with maximum efficiency. He signals me to approach.

“What did you do?” I asked as I walk towards him.

“That image is called an Echo. I summon versions of me from alternate timelines to realize my actions. Though they are only images, I can make attacks through them as if I were there.”

“Not that, why kill them? They were just doing their job!”

“I’ve suffered at the hands of people ‘just doing their job’ for long enough. They know what occurs inside that building, They are just as complicit.”

“This Testing is supposed to be for the betterment of the world! The experiments could revolutionize living conditions. Bring forth a new era!”

“You don’t even know what that means. Do you want me to save your daughter? Then let me do what I have to do. There will be no further discussion of this.”

Before I can say anything else, Kittan kicks the door in. I don’t know why. It was unlocked. People stroll the hall and look shocked at his presence. I try to run in behind him but he shuts the door in my face. Now it's locked. I decide to wait for a couple minutes. I hope he didn’t just trick me into treason.

After a couple of minutes, I hear a click, and the door creaks open. I almost vomit because of the smell. The hall is covered in blood and remains.

“Why must you keep killing?” I sob.

“Evil must be purged,” He says. He walks deeper into the facility. “We’re almost there.”

I walk through the puddles of blood and scorched ligaments littered across the hall. The facility's layout is winding like a maze. Yet, Kittan seems to know exactly where he is going.

“How do you know about all of this?” I ask.

“There's a group of people who want to put an end to this,” he says without breaking stride.

“An end to what?”

He doesn’t respond and before long, we arrive at the end of a long corridor and see a door with a bright glow behind it.

Kittan pulls down his hood. I see a slight look of regret. “It seems we’re too late,” he laments.

“Too late… Too late for what? What’s behind this door?

I push past Kittan and open the door. Inside is an unsightly scene. There seems to be dozens of circles with inscriptions on the floor. On top of them are mutilated corpses. I look back at Kittan, and he points to a corner of the room and my heart sinks.

“KISA!!!”

I run over to her. Her arm, severed, her ribcage splayed. How… How could someone do this?

“These are ritual circles. Some for summoning, some for forging. They are messing with beings beyond their comprehension.”

“Why…” I sob. “Why my Kisa!”

“Because she’s ‘Small,’ expendable. You were next.”

“That shouldn’t matter! What could possibly be worth this violence?! We don’t deserve this.”

“I’m trying to figure that out myself. Stop the sobbing and prepare to leave.”

I tremble. I quake. I can’t hold it anymore. “Who the hell do you think you are! You have no regard for life, no regard for emotion! You are a psychopath that is so far removed from reality, you can bear the weight of your sins!”

Kittan looks at me with the contempt of a monster. Below his cloak there is a bright glow. He rips it off and the dragon tattoo is glowing, pulsating a bright, searing red.

He screams, “I bear the weight of my sins everyday!” He takes a step away from me and balls into a fetal position. Electricity crackles around him and he discharges a wave of lightning towards the opposite side of the room. He slowly stands, and his skin begins to change. It’s no longer a bright sky blue, but a deep crimson red. His hair converts to a blazing orange that dances around like flames. The mist he emitted converts to embers, singeing the area around him. He irradiates a low heat.

“I am Kittan Bachika. Last of the Eladrin race. Survivor of the Cordial Massacre! Sole heir of the Echo Knight technique! I know far more loss than most people will get in their lifetime!” Kittan falls to his knees. “So why does it hurt so much… Every single time, all I do is fail.”

He looks like a fawn without its mother…

“Kittan I…”

“They are trying to summon an ancient evil. One that if revived, will spell doom for the entire world. I alone am the only one that can stop them.”

“What about the other Summoned? Can’t they help?”

“No.”

That “no” lingers in my mind for minutes as we sit in silence. An alarm breaks the monotony and Kittan stands. He dons his cloak and it converts from a cool, shimmering blue, to a blazing scarlet.

“Wait!” I scream.

“What?” he growls.

“Kill them all.”

“Huh”

“Kill them all. Every last one of them. Leave no survivors. No records of this place… You were right. Evil pervades this colony. Spreads and infects everything like purple rust. Wearing down on its people. On me.” I look down at my daughter. An innocent soul that doesn’t deserve this fate. I promise, I will not die in vain.

“ And kill me too,” I say with conviction.

I can’t bear to live in a world where innocent people like Kisa are killed, and people like Kittan are made. Kittan looks at me with a lonely expression. The expression of a man who lost everything. The expression of a man fighting for his beliefs, his justice. The expression of a father.

He walks towards me and raises his axe. I close my eyes and accept my fate.

⸸ ⸸ ⸸

My skin burns. There’s something bright out. I inhale, and notice that for the first time, flecks of metal aren’t invading my lungs. I open my eyes and see the bright burning fireball we call the Sun. I sit up and take a look at my surroundings. To my left, I can see the Iron Colony in the distance. The smog from the countless weapon factories polluting the air around it, dimming the sky. Its brutalist, metal walls, impenetrable from the outside. To my right, there is a cross planted in freshly dug dirt. On it a note.

“Men like us have lost everything. But that means we have nothing to lose. Don’t be like me. Find something worth fighting for. Live.”

This must be where my daughter is laid. I look to the horizon, beyond the smog, beyond the grave. The world must be so vast. I shake the purple rust from my hair, and start walking. I feel clean.

Smaller world.

Or expand the world.

Expand kisa. Besides being a father, what else is there for him to care about daughter.

Too many dnd things without explanation. Make it more beginner friendly. The using of sending stone without explanation, bad.

Charlie jane anders & john scalzi examples of fantasy worlds.

Clarkesworld fantasy magazine and Fiyah examples of sci-fi stories.

Let him out too quickly. More time convincing I guess.

Maybe make Kittan more anxious.

Linger on Kittan.

I want a fantasy short story, but i need it to be self contained. I need to make a story that works as a short story, yet doesn’t compromise on my world. I think something structured like Malik could work.