The New World (BlisteredBlood/Nexii)

[BlisteredBlood]

The year is 4019. 1500 years had passed after the end of the last World War that had plunged all of Earth's population into chaos and ruin when all of humanity's greatest fears were realized in one instant. A nuclear holocaust on a global scale. Those that did survive the blasts had hidden themselves away in various vaults and fallout shelters all across the world, while the best and the brightest were sealed away in cryogenic chambers with the hope of rebuilding society one day. For the rest of humanity, they ventured out into the ruined wastelands to at least try to rebuild some modicum of a society on their own. But what would unfortunately happen, due to the vast amount of radiation that still lingered in the air would cause these humans to become mutated apparitions of their former selves, soon turning on their fellow brethren. Nothing would survive in this harsh, brutal, and unrelenting hellscape that soon followed and as eventually, all of humanity itself seemed to die off within the next 500 years, leaving those that were still frozen in those chambers and hidden deep underground within those vaults without the chance to rejoin their friends, families and loved ones alike.

Or so it would seem.

One young man would awaken from the long cryogenic sleep when one circuit shorted out on his capsule, causing him to slowly awaken. When he did, what he would awaken to was something far removed than what he once remembered. Most of the capsules here had already been opened or were destroyed. He didn't know whether it was from the plants that had grown here or otherwise, but the one thing he did know was that he needed to get out of this place. That young man was Alphonse Holystone, who was transferred here after the Americas had become overrun with a demonic infestation. At least, that was from what he could've remembered. The rest of which after that had been an absolute blur.

It had been several months since that day, and now, here he was in a detention cell, dressed only in a grey undershirt, his traveler's cloak pulled open to reveal slightly tanned arms that bore quite the bit of muscle - he needed it in order to swing that big claymore around, anyway - but was slim enough to make him seem as though he wasn't much of anything. At his waist were a dusty grey pair of pants, accented with a black leather belt with three pouches on the left sight of his waist that were emptied - as he was right handed, naturally - and a simple pair of black shoes. For all intents and purposes, he could've been mistaken for a simple elven commoner that was out travelling with his hood pulled up over his head and no one would've been the wiser. That was, up until an unlucky gust of wind knocked the hood off of his head, revealing him to be a human. The resulting screams would draw the Vanadian city guards, who promptly surrounded him with weapons drawn. He would then lift his gloved right hand up and passed it over his hair of a reddish color, pushing it up and over his closed eyes for a moment before he then let out a sigh as they opened, revealing a set of hunter green colored eyes to a set of bars in front of him.

"So," Alphonse droned out for a moment as he then looked up at the two guards that stood in front of him. "I don't suppose I can make a phone call or maybe get a lawyer or something, because if I'm charged with something here, I dunno if I should be here or not." He began before getting one of the guards to snap back at him with a fierce look.

"You are detained, creature! Now shut your head before I come in there and wrench it off your shoulders!" The guard snarled at him, causing Alphonse to hold his hands up and gave a whistle.

"Ooooooo-whee! Touchy little fuzzball, ain'cha?" Alphonse chided the guard jokingly, who only glared at him with intent. Apparently, they weren't much for jokes... Wherever this place was.

 

[Nexii]

The second guard, a female arctic fox so similar to the first that one might mistake them for twins, answered in turn. She did not seem that impressed by this strange creature so deep within Vanadian lands. Nor was she about to inquire too deeply what a lawyer or a phone call was. The new world was not one of such technologies or professions, and the law in Vanadia was simple. Murder, rape, theft were the simple capital crimes. Trespassing was a lesser crime of which he was already guilty, even though Alphonze had been here long before any living Vanadian had settled here.

"We have heard enough from you, human. You will be brought to the royal court for judgment." The crystal blue-eyed vixen looked cold as ice as she held a sharpened Vanadian steel spear close to Alphonze's neck. She was focused, ready to jab at any slight provocation.

"Kayla. Enough. One Ancient One is nothing compared to the entire guard of Vanadia." The first protectress replied.

"We can never be too cautious, Annika. It is that lack of caution that made the world as it is." Kayla retorted, unrelenting in her convictions.

"Perhaps. The Princess will know better. She always does." Annika replied. She kept guard at the other side of Alphonze in case he got any ideas about trying to flee. In truth, being captured was a stroke of luck for him. The capsule had not left him proper shelter, food, or water. The makers who had created such chambers had underestimated the long term climate impacts that the nuclear holocaust had caused. The Vanadian winter was still very cold and harsh many centuries later, and he would have been lucky to survive more than a day or two on his own.

Kayla took it on herself to unfurl a pack of black bandages she had from her emergency medical pack. They would make a fine temporary blindfold as they were wrapped and then tied around Alphonze's eyes. Cautious indeed - she didn't even want the human seeing where the single heavily guarded and camoflaged underground tunnel to Vanadia City was located. She didn't want him seeing anything of the Castle interior until he would be brought to Nexii's feetpaws for interrogation. The fox held Alphonze by his muscled bicep in her claws and pushed him in the general direction that he was to go. Past the guarded tunnel, and directly into the Castle which had battlements both above and below ground, where the Vanadian commoners lived. The trio wound their way up what seemed to be an endless spiral staircase, and then down a series of long hallways. All of the construction seemed to be of stone, cold and unrelenting as the Vanadians themselves. And then, the blindfolded Alphonze was held back by Kayla from taking another step as they had reached the throne room itself.

"Your Highness." Annika approached and used a deferential tone. "We captured an Ancient One just outside the city."

 

[BlisteredBlood]

"Wha... Royal court? For what? I was just passing through! I know my rights!" Alphonse shot back but was immediately held back when a spear was nearly introduced to him in a way that looked to be rather uncomfortable. He would hold his hands out in a surrendering gesture and flinched with a hard swallow. "Yeesh. Tough crowd in here." He then muttered under his breath as he heard the guards beginning to converse with the other, sighing some before he shook his head. Why were they referring him to an Ancient One? At least check, he didn't feel ancient, but maybe there was something about this landscape that had changed into something far removed from what he once knew.

He would then watch as one of the vulpine guards approached him with a black bandage from her medical pack and while keeping his hands still raised - not that he could've done much with several armed guards surrounding him anyway - he willingly let her tug it over his eyes and cinched it extra tight before his arms were brought behind his back, getting him to emit a hiss of pain at first from the sudden bit of discomfort that those claws brought. "Ow! Jesus, okay! Didn't know you guys were so big into BDSM all of a sudden! Do I at least have a safeword or something to say if this gets too rough?" He answered with a little bit of sarcasm, but that was before one of the guards, a tall, barrel chested grizzly bear of a Vanadian gave Alphonse a stern whap upside the back of his head with an open palm, causing Alphonse to stagger some as he was escorted to the castle through the underground tunnel.

"Silence. There will be no more jokes from you." The bear snarled at him fiercely.

Alphonse simply shook his head in disbelief. Where in the world was he? More importantly, what crime had he committed that drew the guards out to him in the first place, aside from wanting to get out of town after getting himself something to eat? Guess that didn't matter now as he was led through the tunnel, listening to everyone's footfalls echo over them with each step. During the walk through the castle, a few of the commoners simply looked on at what went through their walls. Some of the Vanadian children held close to their mothers out of fear while a few of the adults that gawked at him whispered strange words under their breaths, all wondering as to who or what this Ancient One was and why he was here. Some of the older ones he heard that looked at him hissed at him hatefully, believing that he would bring about another cataclysm if allowed to live. Some of this terminology and the like confused Alphonse to no end, but the simple fact remained the same. Wherever this part of what Russia was supposed to be sure as hell wasn't it.

Then, he was brought into the throne room, where then, he was held upright again which caused Alphonse to wince as he heard the fox speak. This only put an odd image in his mind as he stood there, shaking his head a bit. What was this queen going to look like, some haggard old buzzard? He honestly hated to see that image.

 

[Nexii]

Nexii was seated on her throne, one silver and white furred leg crossed over the other. The first thing she noted was the size of the human before her. He was a little larger than herself, and slightly smaller than an average Vanadian male. Nexii got up and walked over to where the blindfolded Alphonze stood. She was curious about him and also a little apprehensive. The Princess had read many tales about both the good and evil deeds that humans, or "The Ancient Ones" had done ages ago. Most of such tales were served with a Vanadian moral, but the humans in the stories had always fascinated her. And now, here one stood before her and in her court no less.

"Guards. What happened to caution? Our doctrine of survival above all else?" Nexii asked. Her tone was both serious and playful. "This one could have had a dangerous weapon on him. Strip him down naked for safety's sake." She paused, trying not to giggle at her own command to her guards. At least Alphonze would not be able to see her amused expression along with Annika and Kayla's.

"Of course, your Highness." Annika replied. The arctic vixen began by grasping for Alphonze's leather belt. Annika joined in as well, pulling his undershirt over his head and off his body. Piece by piece, all of Alphonze's clothing was taken off, including his shoes. All he was left in was his underwear as the foxes felt over his strange smooth skin with their furred paws. They paused as the bear took Alphonze's clothes away for safe keeping - and further inspection.

"His underwear too. Can't leave anything unchecked..." Nexii added. She couldn't help but giggle the second time. Perhaps she was pushing her advantage in the situation, but no one was going to stop her. She had the respect of all Vanadians even though she could be a little immature and overly sexual at times. This mostly due to her archery prowess but also to a lesser degree the accolades of her missing mother, Nydia.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

At this moment, Alphonse could only estimate what was going on in his head as he heard footfalls approaching him. Great, he thought as he stood there with a perplexed look on his face through gritted teeth. Here he was brought before some haggard old crow who would probably prefer to peck his eyes out if he even so much as mouthed off to her, he thought. Never thought this would happen to him, or at least nothing like this. Just keep your cool, Alphonse. Like you said, you were just passing through. There's no reason to try to set any of these guys off unless if you give them a reason. He rationalized to himself. He would then draw a slow breath and let it out as a sigh.

But then, he heard her speak. It was far unlike anything he had ever heard of before, a tone that sounded as if it had a sense of authority but was... Playful? This didn't match what he had in his mind at all. It almost sounded youthful, too. This only made him a little bit more suspecting of what was going on at the moment. But then came the command that he might have had a dangerous weapon on him and should be stripped of his clothes. Where, he thought. All he had was just that claymore, maybe a few homemade flashbangs for a quick getaway and that was it. He couldn't think of what else he might have had.

He would squirm as his clothes were stripped off of him, grunting some as each article was stripped off of him then squeezed his legs together over his underwear once they were exposed to the cool air around him. "Ah! Hey!" He protested during this before he then began to shiver some, only to squirm again when he felt those paws touching over his skin, wondering what it was they were looking for now. Then came the command to strip him of his underwear. Now this was getting to be too far, he thought as he then glanced up and gritted his teeth.

"The hell are you guys playing at here!? That was all that I had when I got here!" He shouted for a moment and squirmed again trying to keep himself back from the guards' rather grabby hands.

 

[Nexii]

Nexii bit down on her lip in order to prevent herself from giggling further. The sight of the the two female guards pulling on Alphonze's underwear was rather amusing. Despite his best efforts, the underwear was pulled looser around his waist, and then down his legs and off his feet as he was pushed around by each of the girls. Alphonze was now completely naked in the room, which was chill in temperature compared to what a human would find comfortable. As a result, he would likely feel some shrinkage despite each of the girls groping over his curiously bare skin to arouse him.

The bear then shouted to Nexii, trying to draw her attention to the weapons found. The claymore and some other strange devices had been found in a scabbard and his pockets respectively. Nexii waved him off, finding this all typical and expected. She herself never travelled without weaponry nor did any other Vanadian. Being prepared at all times was their motto. Not just in the borderlands where elves and demons could invade, but even deep in Vanadia itself. Many large and dangerous beasts could attack an unsuspecting traveller at a moment's notice.

"Okay. Off with the blindfold. He is ready to be judged and interrogated." Nexii continued. Alphonze was pushed forward by Kayla and Annika. Once he was brought close, Nexii tore off the blindfold, shredding it using her claws. It was only then that Alphonze would see her. A six foot tall silver furred leopardess, with straight platinum blonde hair that ran to her knees. She was wearing a Vanadian steel bikini set and a white fox fur cloak over her curvy, yet athletic frame. But what was most striking about Nexii was her eyes. They glowed a bright pink shade unlike any human eyes. There was something a little unsettling in the eerie beauty of her piercing, almost-alien, eyes.

"I am Nexii Nydia Vanadis. Princess and de-facto ruler of Vanadia Kingdom. State your name and reason for trespass, human." Her tone had gone from playful to more assertive in a flash. And her eyes continued to gaze into his green ones all the while.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Alphonse would then give a gasp as he soon felt the cool air in the room soon wash over his privates once they were exposed, and true to form, his balls would shrivel some and drew tight to his hips some before he was pushed forward, trying his absolute hardest to squeeze his legs tight around them once his underwear was completely off. Dammit! Hands off the merchandise! I didn't ask for this! His mind screamed, despite he was trying his absolute hardest to remain calm, before he heard the bear call attention to the claymore and flashbangs he carried. Of course those would be found, he thought. He hardly ever wandered around without some form of protection anyway. Not after the last few bandits attempted to mug him as he was passing through one of the bordering wastelands. He was a more than capable fighter of his own accord, but he also knew when it was high time to cut and run when the numbers game proved to be too much to handle.

After being shoved forward, his head hung down for a moment as the blindfold was torn from his head, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut once it was ripped off with a grunt then opened his eyes slowly. When he was able to open them fully, his eyes started down low. Footpaws. Okay, this was a start, he thought as they slowly looked upward, but what he was seeing as his eyes roamed over her was a more curvy yet athletic build, far from what he would've thought. Eventually, his darkly colored green eyes would find her own, causing him to be taken aback when they finally found them. "Wha...?!" He sounded out in shock, his eyes going wide for a moment then relaxed with a calm yet determined look on his face. That's right. I'm still being interrogated. Might as well get this over with. He thought.

When asked for his name and what his reason was for being here, Alphonse would speak, his tone holding to the same amount of assertiveness as he spoke. "Alphonse Holystone," He stated his name in full. "As for why I was allegedly trespassing, I was just passing through. I have no intention of staying here." He stated simply. Though this was only part of the story. The real reason was that he was on his way towards what would've been Moscow with the hopes of finding another vault somewhere that a few friends of his were now stationed inside of. Though, something told him there was a strong likelihood that there probably wouldn't be anyone there now, especially when he had passed through areas of the old Czech Republic, Ukraine and Stalingrad by hiding himself in a few caravans along the way, only to duck out when the coast was clear. It wasn't without much in terms of incidents, for there were plenty of times when those same caravans were attacked by a few roaming beastly type creatures that were after them for reasons of their own that he would help defend. Once the dust settled down, that would be when he would make his exit.

"You don't have to believe me when I say this, your Highness," He explained with a slow shake of his head. "But I swear that this is the God's Honest truth. All I'm trying to do is to find a way home and that's it."

 

[Nexii]

Nexii took a look up and down the human as he tried to explain his crime to her. Her furred ears swivelled forward slightly to better hear him. Not that she would necessarily believe every last word of a criminal. The only outsiders allowed in Vanadia were to be escorted from the border crossings. Of course, in practice, Vanadia was so vast that the borders could never be guarded everywhere. She first thought this the most likely case.

It was the last thing Alphonze said that perked Nexii up. Her tail flinched at his mention of finding his way 'home'.

"Humans have no home in this world." She said dismissively.

"At least that we know of." She thought further. Her tail thumped on the stone floor something like how a judge might play with a gavel on the bench. Back and forth it thumped as she looked Alphonze over from each side.

"And you were never going to make it much further alive. Not dressed like that, with so little winter supplies. Now that I think on it more, it makes me wonder how you ever got so deep in Vanadia in the first place." Nexii put a sharpened index claw under Alphonze's chin. "There's definitely more you aren't telling me. Perhaps I should keep you here for further interrogation. Then when I'm satisfied we could escort you with soldiers to your so-called 'home'."

She poked her fingerclaw gently against his skin a few times for effect. Just to show how easily she could slash him if she so wished. But that wasn't her way nor the Vanadian way to go about it. He had not done anything so bad as to warrant punishment. Even if she did sometimes enjoy getting into that sort of thing with the captured drow and demons.

"Guards. Take him down to a cell in the basement. And make sure he gets blankets and a full meal. I'll be down to visit after I take care of the rest of kingdom business for the day. There's the issue of mana crystal shipments from Karis Mines for the Academy, and the trade emissary's report from the elven town of Felwithe. We will require a council meeting on both." Nexii stated. She waved off Annika and Kayla who she knew were both more than capable of carrying out the command. The princess turned around, pulling her cloak forward as to give him just a little glimpse of her backside as she spun once more to sit back on her throne. She crossed her legs and sat up in the same pose as when he had been brought in. If anything, this first encounter had made her more curious and not less.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Alphonse found himself flinching when he heard her speak dismissively towards his words of trying to find his way back home, but when she thought it through even further, this gave him a slight bit of respite, even if it seemed as though that she had no reason whatsoever to believe him. But at least, he then thought, that she was listening. If anything, she could've been a brutal dictator and had him put to death anyway just for even looking at her wrong. Not that he hadn't read about things like this in the past, from what old ruins and such he had seen that hadn't turned into dust from so much as a stiff breeze. He would then lift his head up a bit when she put a sharp claw under his chin, groaning from the touch of it and winced some from the touch of it on his bare skin before she brought up the need for further interrogation. He wouldn't doubt that she could flay him alive with those claws, he thought before swallowing a bit of air.

Alphonse kept his eyes on her as she waved at the two guards that were behind him. She was right in thinking she didn't get the whole story from him. But for all intents and purposes, he didn't know if anyone he knew before all this was even still alive. Even if they were, would they still recognize him? Or perhaps they too were entombed within their cryogenic chambers, doomed to sleep for an eternity until someone knew how to get them to open. At that point, his head lowered before he sighed in a slightly defeated tone.

"You're not wrong, you know. But the truth here is this. I don't know how long it's been since this ended up the way it has, but I was among a group of humans who were brought out here after a demonic infestation overtook where I lived. From what I last remembered, they were transferred around different parts of the globe, but I have no idea if any of them are even alive or not. From what I've seen in caravan routes that I traveled in, there's been nothing but ruins for miles upon miles around. That explains the how I got around as well as I did part." He answered before he then snapped his head up upon realization. "And before you ask, no, I didn't steal anything from them. All I wanted to just hang around with them until I could find somewhere to stop for the night at. Of course... There were a few times when those same caravans got attacked along the way, but I stuck around to help. It was only after things settled down or they got to their intended stop was when I took off. Last thing I needed to do was to call attention to myself." He answered.

 

[Nexii]

"Have Kyrissa check him for demonic infestation too then. The last thing we need is him becoming a demon and rampaging throughout the Castle. Ugh, I can't stand demons." Nexii said, expressing obvious disgust as Alphonze was carried off to his cell. She smirked a little as he was hauled off. The darker side of her did not mind making him suffer loneliness if just a little. She would come visit him later after he had time to think about not being fully open with her.

----

Nexii came down to the dungeon cell a few hours later. The cells were many floors under the castle, through many winding stone corridors and stairways. But despite the size and complexity of the architecture, Nexii knew it all by heart. She had lived here ever since she was born. This time she wasn't wearing any clothes, though this was not rare for Vanadians, especially when indoors or in the summer. Her body fur covered up her private parts (more or less).

"They said you checked out clean. And I figured this was only fair." She pointed at her nakedness, and then looked back at him, as naked as before. She unlocked the cell and stepped inside. She could see the guards had at least brought him a hot drink, meal, and a coyote fur blanket to cuddle up with. But none of his belongings were present as they were still being inspected further.

"Now that it's just us, and not the court listening, I can talk more freely. As I see it, you have two choices. One is to stay here in the city under close watch, more protected, yet sort of a prisoner. I and others would learn what you can remember of human history and technologies. And you can learn more of us. There is a lot to do and see here in the capital. The other choice is to travel with me to where you were going. Only with proper supplies and guards. Either one is fine with me." Nexii said, getting right to the point. "Nothing changes too fast in Vanadia." This much was true, for in 1500 years the world had not advanced much beyond medieval technologies. With humans being lost, so too was much of their innovation. But each of the other races including Vanadians had their own prowesses which made them a match for humans however.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

In the hours that had passed and after being placed back in his cell, Alphonse was now seen sitting on the floor, slightly chilled a bit before being given a coyote fur blanket to curl himself up with, along with a hot drink and a meal. Wow, what a treat, he thought at one point as he had the cup in hand, not minding the fact that he was alone during all of this time. He had done plenty of travelling on his own before, so this wasn't anything relatively new to him. If anything, his solo travels brought a sense of freedom with it; riding out into the open roads and feel the breeze in your hair, get out into the vast oceans and sail around or even get lost within the deepest parts of a forest only to come out of it with only a few scratches. But even then, it was that sense of adventure and the thrill of traveling that gave him a sense of purpose. But now that he was imprisoned and kept under a close eye for something he hadn't even done, it was a bit irritating at first. But then again, it wasn't as if this sort of thing hadn't happened before a time or two in his lifetime, either. Just let the chips fall where they may and eventually, you'll beat the rap, he thought. It would be at this moment where he was just about to take a whole sip of the hot drink when he saw Nexii appear from out of the corner of his eye and nearly spat it out when he saw... That she wasn't wearing much of anything! Her fur kept her mostly covered, though.

Rather than be churlish about his reply, Alphonse would then shrug his shoulders under the blanket before he then let out a soft sigh after a moment. "Like I said to your goon squad, I haven't gotten any reason to hide anything from anyone. So why would I lie about anything?" He answered before taking another sip. "But I figure this, if they wanted to give me a tough time about anything, I have every right to return the favor." A wry grin would appear on his face as he spoke. "Of course, one of them paid me a bit of a rude remark about me, so I answered back saying his wife was a horse's ass. Turns out I was a little on the nose." He answered, snickering a bit.

He would then look up to her, listening to the choices that were laid out on the table and the only conclusion he garnered from them was that they both meant he was to be kept under lock and key or under a close eye. No third option of just letting me go since I made it painfully clear that I had no intention of sticking around, huh? He thought for a moment after swallowing his drink down, smacking his lips a few times then set the cup off to the side as he thought about his decisions. "Well," He began after a beat. "After the warm reception I got from the townsfolk, I have no reason to even be anywhere within arms' reach of here. So why even bother with keeping me here if all I'm gonna be is just being kept as a prisoner or under constant surveillance and scrutiny?" He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Alphonse wasn't exactly wrong with that statement. In the two thousand years before this, the world had been much different and much more intolerant of others, where even the slightest bit of lip service even in a joking manner would be deemed a hate crime and you would be incarcerated immediately for anything you said and anything that you did. You couldn't even make an ironic musing without someone jumping down your throat, let alone ask a question or even pose an opposing viewpoint without shoving it all back into your face under the pretense of not knowing what you were talking about and were told constantly that it was entirely your fault just for being in support of something else and holding true to that value. At worst, you couldn't even debate your stance or certain topics - a lot of which were banned in schools - without being labeled as a hateful, misogynistic xenophobe. It was oddly ironic in that sense, since the other side of the aisle had more to hide than the one side that was more than willing to be fully transparent of their day-to-day lives. When it came to innovations of certain technologies however, of course they were some of the most advanced in the world. It wasn't nearly as advanced in some places, but that didn't mean it couldn't be learned and/or taught from. Quality of life was vastly improved all across the board for the sick, the disabled and the elderly. Wars were fought and ended all within a keystroke and no lives had to be lost unless if deemed absolutely necessary. Now that he was here... It all seemed as though everything had been lost to the sands of time or was all obliterated, reverting everything back to square one. He had no idea what he could teach these people, if anything of the last few millennia still existed. At the same time, he knew nothing about these people.

At that moment, Alphonse slowly drew a breath and shook his head before he spoke. "I don't suppose I can get a moment to think about this?" He then asked, looking up to her as he continued to think.

 

[Nexii]

"Sure if you'd like. I could give you a week in the dungeon or even the rest of your life to think on it. You trespassed on my kingdom's land, fully armed no less, then insult my guards? And our way of life with knowing nothing about us." Nexii raised an eyebrow and then shook her head disapprovingly at Alphonse. Her long platinum blonde mane swished accordingly to her movements. Here she was being merciful in her own mind, and it seemed all he wanted to do was fight with her people. "It's little wonder these humans ruined themselves and everyone else...an eye for an eye left the world blind." She thought to herself.

"Just be thankful you were captured by Vanadia and not the drow or demon empires. You wouldn't be provided a hot drink or meal, or even a blanket for comfort. You would be forced into hard labor or sex slavery for life. That's if they didn't decide to just torture and kill you for the amusement of revenge upon humanity. Though they love how humans aspired to power through knowledge, the truth is both those races loathe themselves, and by extension, they would loathe you. And were it the elves who captured you instead, you would rot in prison your entire life for study. Sure, they wouldn't mistreat you, but you'd have even less freedom than here. You would be an object of research and always viewed as inferior for your kind's sins. Not one of them would ever be your friend. It would be utterly isolating to live under their self-righteousness." Nexii continued. She wondered if a few hours alone was not nearly enough for Alphonse. After all, it was him that seemed to be in a rush to get...somewhere in a hurry. Even at the potential expense of his own life. Vanadia was no place for a solitary traveler. She had to admire that a little for her own personal reasons which she wouldn't tell a stranger.

"Here in Vanadia however, the strong are respected. But we are one, not out for ourselves at all costs. Anyways, I've said enough. I'll leave you to it. I can be just as stubborn you will see." Nexii slunk her way back around the cell bars and locked the cold iron door with a key. Perhaps she too could be cold when times called for it. The truth was Vanadia was a harsh place, where only the strong and social survived. No one knew this better than Nexii, having lost her mother from a young age. To the Princess, even providing Alphonse food when he wasn't helping the kingdom was an excessive charity. It was only the mere chance that he could help that kept him from being thrown out into the tundra naked. In fact she considered doing that for a short time just to smarten and soften him up a little. Sometimes she had to refuse her sadistic feline side though for better outcomes.

 

[BlisteredBlood]

Alphonse blinked a few times at Nexii's words. In truth, he had every single bit of reason to be armed, especially after that ambush with the caravans. If this was how he was to be thanked for his efforts in regards to this, then perhaps he did have every reason to not trust this twisted version of a furry convention anymore than they could trust him. It was almost unanimous in that regard, except for one thing, if he had it correct. He would be slow to rise up to his feet before he watched her slink out around the bars, leaving him there to grip them. He didn't know how far she had gotten from him, but his voice would soon call out to her.

"Alright, alright! I'll play ball with you!" He began. "But if you were to seriously think about it like this, you're not wrong, but you're not exactly 100% correct with your assumptions, either! Just because humans as you put it were these huge monstrous dickheads, well, how do you think they got that way?! It wasn't as if they were all born bad, they were forced into it in order to appease some form of a status quo or something or other through no fault of their own; or aren't you familiar with the phrase of the path to Hell is paved with the best of intentions?! So when you said I was trespassing into your land armed to the teeth, yeah well, it wasn't without cause, because when I got out of that vault, I could've gotten myself killed out there anyway by some... freakish looking... monster of a thing, I don't what it even was to tell you the truth, but we wouldn't be have this little tit for tat, now would we?! So yeah, I had to figure out where I was so I could figure out a way to get to where I was going and leave you guys well enough alone so you wouldn't have had to have heard one mumble from me! Hell, what about that caravan, huh?! If I were to have left that alone with whatever high value shipment they were talking about, it wouldn't have made it to here, now would it?! And like I said, I left it alone! All I was trying to do was to look for some kind of landmark just to figure out where it was I ended up or if anybody else who was in that vault was alive!"

But even through these words he shouted after her, his tone relented. "But if anything else, I gave myself up willingly to your guys without incident, so what more do you want from me, huh? If you want me to work with you guys, okay, I will. I got nowhere to be and nowhere to go. So you can keep me here as long as you like, but it ain't gonna do you guys any bit of favors if those same caravans got hit again, because if what one of them said was correct, then here's what you should know. They were worried about some sort of raiding party and they were happy to have had any potential help in order to make it through. When that same freaky looking monster nearly ran that shipment off the road, yeah, I had to step in and help defend it. But after it was dead and the dust settled down, that was when I left. They didn't know I was a human up until this very moment. I don't know what more I could tell you beyond that, because I knew we were getting close to here and when I saw the outline of the walls of this particular castle, I knew it was high time to get out, because I wasn't sure what was going to happen if I stuck around too long."

Slowly, he then hung his head down. "Or hell... Don't bother..." He finished, his words quieting down then let out a sigh prior to turning back around and pulled the blanket tight around himself. He wasn't too sure how far she got from him, but he honestly had quite a lot of doubts if his words were to have had any form of impact whatsoever. So much for a thanks, I guess... He then thought before he moved to sit back down.