Pain, why do we feel it?

A pulsing sensation that disrupts your entire focus demanding all your attention,

Makes us wince, makes us moan, makes us cry,

Why do we feel it?

With pain comes additional feelings as if all packaged together as one deal,

The feelings of fear, sadness, despair, agony, annoyance, they all coincide from just a single sensation

If I stub my toe, I’ll wince, grimace at the pain, I’ll be annoyed, limp around for a bit,

But the pain will always eventually go away,

Right?

And with the pain goes all the residual emotion, I’ll no longer be bothered,

So, what is it about being inflicted pain on by others,

What is it that,

Makes me get,

So infuriated.

……….

“Chh!” Apollo spits out some blood dragging his sword behind,

“Aww!” Pinoki limps out

“I can’t believe they beat us so easily,” Lyra complains,

“It was over in only a few minutes,” Karina say annoyedly,

“They weren’t even stronger than us, how did we lose so bad!?” Apollo adds,

“Even took five gold instead of three,” Pinoki whines

(Sweepstake City, that’s what they called here, a place where anything can be a prize)

….

“That would explain all the similar stores and vendors around, they lure in new people like us and teach us the hard way how their city is run,” Karina presumes

“I’m already bored of this place,” Pinoki drawls, “I would say we look for a place to stay the night, but I’d much prefer camping out somewhere that isn’t here,”

“What happened to your adventurous spirit?” Apollo jokes,

“Shut up! I’m tired and I just got beaten by a group of maids,”

“We all did,” Apollo replies….

The five of us dejectedly walk through the streets of the city, on our way out, though night-time the streets still remain crowded, everyone traveling in groups,

Never we would see a person by themselves

(Is it dangerous to be alone here?)

…”Some more than others,” Pinoki says teasingly nudging a bruised Lyra,

Lyra grunts frustratedly, shoving her way through a group of people walking ahead of us,

“Hey, watch where you’re walking girl!”

“……”

“I’m talking to you!” a lanky man calls angrily at Lyra,

“If anyone asks, we don’t know her” Pinoki whispers half-jokingly,

……….

“Get your hands off me!” Lyra aggresses

“Do you know who we are girl, show some respect!”

“Is there a problem!” Karina intervenes,

“My, er sister here isn’t good with courtesy,”

“We are members of the Hunter coalition,” the man says braggingly,

…… Karina and Lyra both stare at him blankly,

“Ugh, you must be visitors,

The Hunter coalitions is one of, if not the biggest faction in this city, soon we will be the new power in charge, so let your sister and the rest of your friends know, show some respect next time to see us!”

The man turns beginning to huff off

“How about we fight then!” Lyra challenges aggressively

“Wah?”

“Isn’t that how things work here, you fight to settle disputes?”

“Lyra, stop being irrational,” Pinoki hisses “let’s get out of here,”

“I demand you show me respect,” Lyra continues ignoring Pinoki,

“What is? The man looks around confused, “Some kind of joke?

You want to battle us?

Hahahahahaha!” he bursts into laughter,

“A traveler who probably hasn’t spent at least a week here, is issuing challenges

Don’t tell me is that why you and your friends all looked bruised,

Hahahhahaha

You lost a battle with another group, didn’t you?

Tell me what faction they were from,

The service group?

The construction company?

The Order?

The merchant alliance?”

….

“Are we going to fight or no-”

“We’ll be on our way,” Karina says placing her hand over Lyra’s mouth,

“No, wait,” the man, noticing a small crowd gathering, takes out a spiral insignia ring,

“I want to teach visitors like you a lesson about respect,”

(not again)

“Not again,” Pinoki groans as if reading my mind,

****

Vwhip!

I fire an arrow but its already too late, a woman charges at me, a stream of wind emanating from behind her, greatly boosting her speed,

Punch!

That was her first attack,

I crash to the ground face first, across from me Pinoki simultaneously gets knocked down as well,

Slam!

Apollo’s sword falls to ground, him right after as a roundhouse kick from a foot coated in solid rock connects to the side of his temple

The loud man Lyra antagonized has not moved yet his eyes trained on the girl

“Snow-”

A ball of pressurized water smack her right on the jaw,

“Hahaha!” The man laughs as Lyra sprawls backwards,

Smack!

Lyra’s cheek goes red,

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

“Know some respect next time girl,” he gets off the beaten girl

“Alright we can leave these trave-

Aghh!” A dagger silently pierces his hip

“What the hell!?

Kim!?” He calls looking over to one of his comrades seeing her sprawled out bleeding on the ground, she was supposed to be fighting…...

Umph!

“Don’t put your hands on Lyra again!” Karina kicks him in his gut

“You bitch!” He spits,

“This isn’t a part of the rules!”

“Oh, My mistake, I seem to be at a loss for what the rules here are,”

“High wind strike!”

“Rock fist!”

The others immediately pounce on Karina pummeling her down

“This is why I hate outsiders,” the man splutters,

“You’re a Winner!”

A voice echoes throughout the dome accompanied by the light carrying us out,

“This isn’t over travelers!” the man grunts limping up trying to save face for the small crowd of onlookers,

“At first, I was going to toss you around for a bit then invite you join the hunters, however, now that opportunity has passed,

Get Kim,” he turns to his comrades, “We need to get treated”………………………

…………….

…………….

…………….

…………….

…………….

“Is it just me or does the sky look mesmerizing tonight?”

“Shut up Pinoki,” Lyra throws across a stone,

“I’m trying to sleep,”

The five of us have not moved a muscle since our second beatdown down for the day

We lay sprawled across the street for what feels like an eternity now,

Few people pass and the ones that do simply step over us going about their way

“I don’t think anyone sleeps here,

It’s late at night, and Furlheim city is just as active as it was during the day,”

“Don’t you mean Sweepstake city Kage,” Apollo jokes

“I already miss being out in the wild, remember that morning when Kage woke up late from a nightmare and started firing arrows like crazy,

He killed like three rabbits on accident,

Good times,” he sighs

“That was two days ago Apollo,” Karina monotones

“It feels like centuries ago,”

“I blame Lyra.,” Pinoki speaks up

“All we had to do was mind our business and leave but Lyra just had to be mad at everyone and everything”

“Maybe she’s trying to get herself killed again,” Karina states

“oh, for heaven’s sake! Why is it that every time I do something remotely violent,

The first thing you’ll say is, ‘she might be trying to die again,’”

“Because that was your entire motivation for the better half of ten years in the unholy city,” Karina retorts

“I left that plan behind in Soterra that’s not what I want anymore,”:

“Then what do you want?”

…..

“What about you Karina,” Lyra dodging the question,

“You’re still carrying on the same shtick about desires this, pleasures that,

If pleasures are all you want, why did you follow us all the way here?”

“Look who learned to counter argue, I am surprised, Lyra,

But we were talking about you don’t change the-”

“-No, no, no, you don’t change the topic, Karina, what do you want, why are you here?

And don’t tell me it’s because of desire,”

“Ok since you desperately want to know so bad,

I have no reason,

Back in Soterra I already had come to terms with our inevitable death in the unholy city, all I wanted to do was die drowned in pleasure, but since I’m free from that now,

I guess I don’t know what to do, nothing truly pleases me, that’s’ why followed Kage, from how he acts I can tell nothing pleases him either,

Maybe if I follow him, I might find something that makes me happy,

Well, that and the fact that I still am extremely suspicious of Kage,

He gives me secret psychopath vibes,”

“I thought it was just me who felt that from him,” Lyra agrees

“I am right here.” I assert,

“But are you really Kage?

Who really is inside there, that you keep hidden,

What feelings does he harbour?

Anger?

Regret?

Fear?

Lust~?”

“Ok, this just became awkward,” Apollo buts in

“Can you two go back to arguing, Pinoki and I were making bets,”

“Who did you bet to win Lyra probes,”

“Umm, I rather not say...”

“Eh? ...”

…

….“Hello?” An unfamiliar voice calls

“Huh?”

A young man dressed fully in black, towers over us, speaking in a forced raspy voice

"I’ve noticed you were laying out here in the cold dead of the night,

Were you by chance robbed?”