#they set up Nik's life before he left home and they're easier to share than his journal lmao

[with-ink-and-quill]

Writing Prompt - Murder

“Katya!”

Nikolai’s call was met with quieting echoes from the buildings and an owl hooting in the night. He pulled his shawl tighter around his shoulders, puffing into his hands as he padded down the alleys. It was cold and he was miserable and Katya was late home. She was very, very, alarmingly, late. It made his stomach knot. His tail lashed behind him as he rounded another corner, lifting a hand up to call again.

He froze, her name stuck in his throat. Two men were squeezed side by side, the reek of alcohol almost forcing him a step back. He would have been amazed they were on their feet at all if he hadn’t spotted the small child between them. Katya was between them. One of them had her horn in his hand, pulling her upwards and he could see the tears in her eyes. Her tail was wrapped around a leg, out of reach of the other drunk, though his hands were preoccupied with propping himself up against the wall and a last bottle of drink.

“S’like a goat! With the, uh… th-the hornsh.” The man pointed at her with the bottle. “D’you think they can jus’ pop off?”

“Bet they grow back if’n we did.” His friend sneered, lifting her higher. “Dirtblood could grow lotsa things back. Want’a carve ‘er up like a hog and see what happens?”

Nik’s body was washed with a cold, empty feeling and he knew it wasn’t from the weather. His mother had warned them that there were people in the world, in their town, who hated tieflings. People who would happily kill them because they just didn’t think tieflings worthy of life. He hadn’t wholly believed her.

“Taking a life… it’s hard and it’s awful and so very rarely right. I pray the gods never subject you to it, but if you follow in our work it’s a very real possibility. Do not do it out of malice, or revenge, or anger. Never do it unless all options are exhausted.”

His hand formed a fist at his side as he strode forward, the other reaching for the man holding his sister.

“I’m only teaching you how to fight a little to stay safe, okay? People can be worse than any monster walking this plane and then some. This is so you can defend yourself and nothing else, don’t forget that or I’ll kick your ass myself.”

The man turned at the tapping on his shoulder and caught the lilac fist full in the face. He went reeling backwards with a choking curse, Katya tumbling to the ground. Nik pulled back for another strike. His face was flat, eyes filled with a cold fury. And then he was bent double, broken glass flying and alcohol stinging his eyes and nose. He staggered, blinking away stars as the bottle’s shrapnel tinkled to the cobbles. The drunkard was still leaning on the wall, laughing as he teetered.

“At’ll teach ya to hit ma mate!” He guffawed, dropping the bottle’s jagged neck to point at Nik as he straightened to glare at the drunk with fangs bared. “Oi, Edd! I t’ink he stills wants more! Looks like a pissed mutt, ah hah!”

His laughter ended in a heavy woop as Nik thrusted his shoulder into the man’s chest. The drunk went sprawling, limbs flailing hilariously. With a huff of satisfaction, Nik shook his beer soaked bangs out of his eyes. His world suddenly tilted and rushed upwards as his legs were pulled out from under him, his head cracking against the cobblestone. A humming filled his ears and he blinked stupidly before he felt himself being dragged backwards. His hand bumped against something cold as he slid, fingers wrapping around the bottle the drunk had dropped.

He glanced over his shoulder to see the man he had punched, with a nose gushing blood, baring his teeth in fury. Nik flailed, bucking in Edd’s grasp and trying to dislodge his legs. It only managed to stop the backwards movements so he twisted hard, planting his back on the ground and sending his attacker’s shoulder into the wall. Pulling his chest to his knees, he sliced at the man’s arms. Red spattered the cobbles and the humming grew louder.

The two humans had treated his sister like some animal they could cut and mock. They treated tieflings like subhuman garbage and it caused his lips to curl in a snarl. They wanted to pretend they were so high and mighty? So pure and deserving? He would put them in their place, in the dirt and mud, in unmarked graves. He would kill them and no one would mourn the loss. He certainly wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

The man had reeled backwards with a howl, cradling his slashed arms close to his chest. Nik unhurriedly regained his feet, glanced down at the glass dripping blood, and turned his cold eyes back on the human. It was a crude weapon, but then the human was a crude existence. Poetic, in a sense.

“Dirtblood, hm? If I slit your throat, I think we’ll see what that truly looks like.”

His voice was quiet, the smile more fangs than glee as he advanced, broken glass very pointedly held at his side. The man backpedalled, letting out a high pitched whine as his back hit the alley wall. Nik’s head tilted innocently to the side, shaking as if he were looking at a small child. With a shrug, he brought his makeshift knife up to the man’s throat. And then small hands grabbed his wrist, arresting his movement. He blinked, the humming suddenly cutting off as he heard sniffling.

“D-don’t, Nik.” Katya pleaded, “You’ll get in a lot of trouble! A-and mum and dad would be really angry!”

His lips quirked into a light frown before he dropped the glass, crushing it with a bootheel. “Well, we can’t have that.”

He took her hand in his, leading her out of the alley and back into the crisp night.

#nikolai zepar #my dm gave us some writing prompts forever ago and I only wrote for two of them but! #they set up Nik's life before he left home and they're easier to share than his journal lmao #he hadn't killed anyone before hitting the road so this prompt was more the time he almost did a murder #dnd #warlock #tiefling #writing