Chapter 1: Evening

Anton twisted the small dial on the side of his quartz watch to adjust it to the correct local time. Still nearly an hour away from his meeting and feeling peckish he had entered the hotels dining area and had taken a seat near the far end of the bar.

This particular area was on the sixth floor of the hotel and was more akin to a lounge rather than an actual restaurant. Subdued lighting, soft music and the view of the nighttime cityscape that could be appreciated through the large windows that made up the majority of the exterior wall, all worked to give it an ambiance of class as opposed to the more casual true restaurant on the ground floor. A long balcony ran along the length of the lounge and had been set up as an outdoor sitting area that catered primarily to beings that were capable of flight. Although this lounge was found in an out of the way area of the hotel it was still technically open to the public, least to those that knew it existed.

Anton ordered a toasted sandwich and a coffee. He spent the next several hours alternating between people watching and his phone. Although he had no reason to suspect otherwise he had the sinking suspicion that his contact “Issac” was not going to show.

To pass the time he busied himself by following the conversations of the few other patrons that came and went throughout the evening. Generally it was merely casual banter between coworkers traveling together for business with the occasional couple thrown into the mix.

As the hour grew later his irritation began to set in deeper. This wouldn’t be the first time or the last that he would have to deal with this flighty phantom and already his mind was running through scenarios of how to make him pay for the lost time. Glancing at his watch he grimaced at the late hour and decided that he’d give it a few more minutes before calling it a night.

He ordered a cola from the barkeep and scanned the lounge by way of the long mirror behind and above the bar. There were only a few other patrons left at this hour. A male minotaur sat at the opposite end of the bar from himself, a pair of youthful looking female dark elves were at a far off corner table, while a couple, both human looking, were at their own table near the entrance. And finally what Anton assumed to be a male drake, it could be difficult to tell with his kind, sat at a cushioned sectional that was set up around a flat-screened television that had been mounted up on the wall behind a decorative frame. These few were all that remained.

On his cursory glance Anton noted that the two dark elves were both looking his way. Having had more than enough interaction with their kind in his past, he certainly wasn’t feeling flattered by their attention tonight. Were he to be alone with them he might have been a bit more cautious but as it was and in the mood he was in, he could hardly bring himself to be concerned with the likes of these dark elves.

That being said, he still couldn’t help but to grin to himself as he noticed that the other patrons, as well as the barkeep, were all independently keeping a pointed, watchful eye on the two dark elves. Their concern was more than justified considering what these slave-mongering beings were potentially capable of. The human couple in particular were having a difficult time keeping their anxious glaces discreet. While the drake, his face mostly obscured by the newspaper he was reading, made no effort to hide his distaste.

With features that were reminiscent of a theropod dinosaur it was easy enough to understand why the drakes would often be referred to as the “Dragonkin” though that name was technically misleading as even while the drakes were a reptilian race and had an appearance that was similar to a small wing-less dragon, they were still not directly related to any of the true draconian species and did not have the ability to fly, or to transform into massive beast forms in the way that the more powerful true draconian races could.

This particular drake looked like he would stand around six feet tall, and like all of his kind had a body that was covered completely in scales. His short iguana-like snout and the two rows of small, sharply pointed horns running from where his eyebrows would be to the back of his skull gave a very dragon-like look to his face. Off white colored, quill-like feathers grew out from between these horns and flowed down to the back of his head, in the same manner that the hair would on a human.

Several rows of broad, crocodilian-like plated scales ran from the base of his skull down his neck, spine and to the tip of his long tail. These rugged looking scales were what led Anton to believe this individual was a male, as the females of the species tended to have scales that were smoother in appearance as well as a much more slender, lithe body type. Especially when compared to their more “Armored” looking male counterparts.

This drakes pupils were solid black vertical slits that moved about in the olive green sclera of his eyes. His body scales were colored a dark metallic-like gunmetal gray and were mottled with an iridescent green that gave him a two-toned appearance whenever he moved about in the light. The scales on this individuals belly, from his chest downwards, were a dark beige in color. Though Anton couldn’t see this at the moment, due to the navy blue collared tee-shirt and khaki shorts that the drake was currently wearing.

The drakes legs were digitigrade in design and he wore no shoes on his feet, which each consisted of four clawed toes and a fifth dewclaw. The dewclaws were located on the insides of his legs just below his raised ankles. Since these claws were held up off the ground they were not nearly as worn down as the ones that were on the actual toes. And there were many drakes who could skillfully use these dewclaws as an effective weapon in a manner that was reminiscent of the dinosaurian raptors.

Anton had always found it interesting to see how well the reptilian races could still convey their emotions on their faces, at least when they choose to, and this drake was no different. With his eyes tightened in annoyance and the corners of his mouth curled downwards into an obvious frown. His apprehension was clear on his face as he blatantly monitored the dark elves over the newspaper he held in his clawed hands.

Confident in his own abilities and having no fear of the dark elves himself. Anton left the drake to his self-appointed task of keeping an eye on the potential troublemakers.

Taking his phone back out of his pocket, he took the moment to check his emails and social media platforms and before he realized it, time had slipped away and he was brought back to the present by the minotaur paying his bill and leaving from his seat.

Standing nearly seven feet tall at his full height, and with a shoulder span of over four feet, the minotaur was an impressive sight to behold. His bovine-like head sat high atop a thick neck that rose out from the center of his broad shoulders. Two thick, bull-like horns sprouted out from either side of his massive skull, and these grew out sideways before curving sharply forward and tapering off to thin points. These horns were a dirty, brownish gray in color that darkened to a full black at their pointed tips. His eyes were large dark circles surrounded by a light blue sclera, and while positioned on the sides of his head, which gave him a wide range of vision, were still far enough forward for him to see clearly in front of himself. Like the creatures he so resembled, the minotaur’s ears, nose, lips and his long tail, which came complete with a tuft of fur at the end, were all reminiscent to those of a bovine.

The majority of his face and body was covered in a short, thin coat of black colored hair, which thinned out around his eyes, nose, mouth and atop his wrists, just before reaching the fingers of his large, human-like hands. His skin, wherever it could be seen around his hair, was a very dark brown in color.

His thick, column-like legs were digitigrade in design and ended in a pair of broad, dinner plate sized cloven hooves. He wore no actual shoes over his hoofed feet but instead had a thick, rubber pad planted beneath his hooves. This pad prevented his hooves from both causing any damage to indoor flooring as well as keeping them from making clopping noises as he walked across any hardwood or tiled floors. These pads were held in place by straps that crossed over and around the tops of his hooves. The belt-like straps were so thin that they disappeared beneath the longer hairs that grew around the tops of his hooves and were thus hidden from sight. His hooves, like his horns, were a dirty, brownish gray in color.

Although still naturally brutish at first sight, from the simple virtue of being a minotaur, this individual was actually very well groomed in appearance. Both his horns and hooves had been given a deep polish that left them with a clean looking sheen, and his fingernails and coat, including the tuft of fur at the end of his tail, were both well kept and clearly manicured. And while he wasn’t quite as hulking in overall size as some members of his species could be, he still possessed a great deal of bulk to his body and it was more than easy enough to believe that a powerful set of well maintained musculature was hidden beneath the dark gray business suit that he currently wore.

Anton watched the minotaur leave the lounge via the mirror and noted that both the drake and the human couple had already left as well. Thinking nothing of it, he glanced over at the dark elves and found that they were both still watching him intently. As they made eye contact through the mirror the dark elves each smiled at him and he immediately felt their intentions were more predatory than friendly. He sighed in annoyance as they both rose from their seats and made their way towards him.

Superficially, the elves as a whole were nearly identical to humans in both size and overall appearance, though dark elves in particular were generally a bit taller than both humans and the other elven races, and the two species could be told apart by only a few key differences in their features.

Both of these dark elves had similar enough looking facial structure and features that it would be difficult to believe that they weren’t related. Their rich, cocoa colored skin contrasted heavily against the brightness of their pure white hair, which they each had styled straight and cut at shoulder length.

Their eyes were human-like in design but were slightly larger than what a humans would normally be, and their irises were a vividly bright, ruby red in color. They were both identical in height at a little over five and a half feet, which would make them somewhat shorter for dark elves.

As it was with all the elven races, their most distinguishing features were easily their ears. At about seven inches in length their ears were long, thin and tapered to a sharp point at their tips. They were positioned on their heads in the same location that they would be if on a human. Unlike a human however, the elves possessed a set of musculature along the base of their ears that allowed them to move their ears in dynamic ways. Like many other species whose ears also possessed a range of motion, the elves would utilize their ears as a form of communication via body language. When at rest, the ears would sit with their tips pointed upwards and back at a forty-five degree angle. But by paying attention to the position and direction that the ears moved and were pointed in, it would be possible to determine the mood, emotions and even the state of mind of the elf in question. Although it was entirely possible for the elves to fully control the movements of their ears, it was often the case that their ears would respond and position themselves subconsciously. And this could easily lead to embarrassing situations wherein others would be alerted to the emotional state of an elf by the betrayal of it’s ears.

“Hey there stranger!” exclaimed the first dark elf as she took a seat at the bar next to Anton on his left.

“Mind if we join you?” asked the other as she took her place on the other side of him.

“Ladies” said Anton as he slipped his phone into his pocket “I appreciate the attention but unfortunately I’m afraid I’ll have to be going”

“What! What’s the rush!?” asked the first dark elf.

This ones hair was cut just a bit shorter than the other ones, and didn’t quite reach her shoulders. She leaned in towards Anton and gave him a good look at her ample cleavage as she flashed a dazzlingly white smile at him.

True to their species hedonistic nature, both of the dark elves were dressed in a manner that could hardly be considered modest. They both wore black, low cut form-fitting evening gowns with conveniently placed diamond shaped cut-outs that showed off their midriffs, shoulders and lower backs. Cuff-like bracelets, neckbands and armlets all made of silken materials completed their look of casual dominance. Surprisingly, they wore no actual jewelry in their ears, around their necks or on their fingers which was odd for their kind. The closest either of them came to such ornaments were golden letter K’s linked to a golden chain around the second ones bracelet.

Noticing that he had glanced at her accessory the dark elf raised her wrist to show it off.

“You like?” she mused “The K stands for Kianna and this is my sister Fiona”

“Twin sister!” exclaimed Fiona with another smile.

“How exciting” mumbled Anton.

“Yes, it is...” said Fiona as she very lightly began to poke her fingertip on his forearm.

Anton sighed through his nose and pulled out his wallet. Dropping nearly ten dollars more than he owned on the bar, he motioned for the barkeep to keep the change.

Inclining his head in thanks the older human man took the money and quickly went back to drying glasses.

Moving only her eyes, Fiona glanced at her sister and gave her a look as if to urge her on.

“Uh! Now why are you in such a hurry!?” exclaimed Kianna as she quickly put her hand on Anton’s shoulder and tentatively pressed her bosom against his upper arm.

“I’m afraid I was meant to meet someone here” sighed Anton as he looked her in the eyes establishing his intentions with both his words and demeanor “Since they haven’t showed, I intend to find out why”