The first thing he noticed was the smell. Not dissimilar to what came off the kobold den, each human carried a strong scent that detailed an overwhelming number of locations and situations. It took a solid ten hours before each scent was categorized and assigned a source, carefully sniffed out and followed to their location one by one.

And yet, more would appear. Each one leading to a new location. And another that led back. He practically paced through the city as he walked to and fro with a calm smile on his face. At first, his slitted eyes had remained open, but each passing human seemed to react nervously and fearfully, so he closed them.

It was for that reason it took him until the night to seek a quiet overlook, slowly bringing his gaze upon the city below him. Each tower was a whirlwind of glowing energy not tied to the magic of his land. Metal boxes lifted into the air, carrying dozens of humans to a location faster than they could walk. Paths filled with them packaged to a bursting point.

A single disaster in the city could easily lead to many lives lost. Idly, he lifted a hand and cupped one of the skyscrapers in his vision, pretending to hold it before clenching his fist closed. Nothing but silence followed in reality, but his mind slowly played out the scenario as the building toppled imaginarily.

“Five thousand, two hundred, and forty-three,” he spoke aloud for the first time that day. A rough estimate, the number didn’t factor in the time of day, nor any emergency systems. A person standing nearby glanced over as he spoke, curious about his sudden voice echoing out. There was a moment of pause before they approached to inquire.

“Five thousand what now?” The person moved to look out over the railing beside them, unaware of who they were speaking to until that moment, and freezing as her eyes met the monstrous ones staring back at her. A shiver of fear passed through her.

“I was just pondering the fragility of life. That tower there has around one thousand humans inside. With a further two to three in the surrounding buildings and below. It would be a simple matter to cause untold destruction with the damage of a single building.” Their gaze turned forward once more.

“I-I see,” the woman responded as she shifted away a step. “You’re uh…not going to do anything right? I know you monsters don’t see our lives as important, but families live in there…” There was a hopeful tone to her voice. As if the idea that they wouldn’t do a single thing was the rarer outcome. Moving to lean on the railing in response, he let out a dry chuckle.

“No no, I have no intention of getting kicked out on my first day in the city. I just find it curious. For all your marvels, if one of your buildings fell, you’d cause untold suffering on your own kind. I don’t know what magic you use to keep them standing for such heights. It’s as if you built the strength of a mountain in metal.” The idea fell on his mind as he continued to smile at the lights flickering out one by one on his chosen structure.

“Well, that’s actually not too far off,” she began. “I’m no architect, but we have to build them to withstand a ton of pressure. I don’t think we’re at the level of a mountain just yet, but it’s possible.“ The woman’s posture shifted slightly as she copied his movement. They both looked out over the sparkling city.

“And those metal boxes? How do they fly?” Shifting their attention, he brought up his hand to point toward one of the contraptions. A soft chuckle left the woman at that.

“That’s a bus. They transport us to and fro. I believe it uses a series of magnetic systems. Think of it like…a slingshot on rails.”

“A slingshot is throwing a rock with something, yes? So you’re throwing your kind through the city? And this is…safe?” There was a puzzled bemusement in his voice at the idea of humans throwing themselves over long distances. A soft laugh left the woman.

“You’re not entirely wrong there-ah. Say, what’s your name? I’m Enis.” Offering a hand with a smile, it took another round of explanations to get the figure to take it and give it a shake.

“Your kind have named me Mylo this time.” With the strange customs finished, his attention turned back to the city. A new scent brushing in on the breeze. The smell of home. It had taken a day of searching, but he’d found the immigrants.

“Well Mylo, feel free to come by my bakery anytime. I’ll give you a free sample.” Reaching out to hand him a card, another chuckle escaped her at his bewilderment. He examined the strange paper before slipping it into a pocket.

“Very well. I shall briefly visit on the morrow. For now, my brethren call. Also, please call us Munst.” Moving to climb onto the railing, he leapt into the air. His cloak opened wide as he glided down from the overlook effortlessly, sailing through towering buildings and dodging vehicles as he followed the scent to his destination.

Watching this, Enis was brought back to the old shows that had been reimagined in recent years. One about a man that was a bat. She covered her mouth for a moment to hide a snicker as she watched him reenact a scene without a shred of self-awareness, and a sigh left her as she turned away.

“I need to get that guy some of the classics to watch. It’s criminal that none of them have seen a single movie before,” she commented to herself. With that interaction, however, she was hopeful. Nothing bad had happened, they’d just talked. All the fears instilled were wrong!

“Man, people are so paranoid sometimes. That Milo guy was super nice! I wonder what kind of creature he was…Maybe some sort of lizard?” With a skip to her step, she moved to head home.