There wasn't much in my world beyond myself. It has always been survival even after I had made it out of the mouse hole. I still found myself watching my back and doing everything I could to stand out, to get a leg up on my competition. This way of thinking was exhausting, but I never lied or cheated or stole what was not mine.
I thought things were looking bright for me in such a dark city. Despite losing my friendship with Glinn, my guild master still believed in me. He was skeptical at first but as it all started coming together, he was my number one supporter.
When Wayfyl took credit for my airship, I saw red. I broke the latches off the door when I went to confront him in his office. He sat there as usual with his cigar hanging from his lip.
"Tallis! What's the rush, son?"
"Don't call me that. You took all the credit for my invention!"
"Now, now, let's not get ahead--"
"Too late. You can either come clean or I am going to report this theft to the board--"
"I already have."
Something in my stomach turned. "You have?"
He took an infuriating long drag of his cigar, crushing it before answering. "A friend of mine in the commission already has my theft report ready to be filed and submitted. A certain protege of mine is going to try to lay a claim to my hard work. Such a shame. He had such a bright future."
"What? No. It's my work. You're the one who stole it."
"Says who? They have the documents with my name on them. I turned them in myself." Wayfyl raised an eyebrow at me as if I was speaking backwards.
This sort of proposal is an awful big one, Tallis. Lots of hairy paperwork. Let me take it and I'll make sure it gets filed properly.
I was so stupid to blindly trust the man. How could I have known I was dealing with a snake? After all that he had done for me? Why did I keep forgetting I was the only one I could rely on? My mind raced as I thought of how to prove I was the original creator.
"You can't get away with this. I have all the original drafts and notes!"
"Do you though, son?" He said with an evil glint in his eye.
Without hesitation, I turned on my heel practically flying down the steps down to my workstation as those cruel words taunted me. I rummaged through my belongings until it looked like a tornado had blown by the small space. It's all gone. He took all of it.
His footsteps clicked against the wood floor. I didn't bother rising. I stayed on my knees looking at the mess. "You stole it..."
"I am a senior inventor." His laugh was deep, and the sound brought hateful tears to my eyes. "Why would I steal the work of a mere apprentice?"
"Because I am smarter than you."
"Oh... mmm... perhaps." His ashes fell to the ground beside me and he squatted on his knees so his voice was right in my ear. "But here is the thing, Tallis. You would be nowhere without me. Your cockiness is tolerated here because of me. You, yourself, are nothing. Hell. I could have sold you off to some higher ups that would love to be entertained by a pretty boy. But I didn't. Cause you had more to offer. Here is what you don't get. So let me make it clear."
He stood then and kicked me hard in the ribs. I was down on my side surprised by the sudden assault. "Everything you do or will do is because Maru provided. Every thought, every dream, every idea that pops up in that brilliant mind of yours... it's all property of Maru. You should be grateful. Your parents didn't want you, but Maru is mother to all. Chin up, Tallis. We all have to pay our dues...
You play along and you will start reaping the rewards, too. You have a future here. I want you to have one! You just have to do what I say and be a team player. Understand? I said, do you understand, boy? What? Are you going to hit me? Punch my clock? Ha! Now that would not be smart, son."
It crossed my mind. My fingers were curled up in fists leaving crescent white scars on my palms. If I attacked him right now, what would it accomplish? He is my superior. He can have me thrown out of the guild or right into a cell... it does not matter. Even if I could somehow get a hearing, he has connections.
I had to be smarter...
"Well, what's it going to be?" Wayfyl demanded.
I pushed back my anger and relaxed my fists. "I understand."
~~♤~~
I got drunk that night trying to escape that anger. I don't remember much of what happened. I woke up in an alleyway near the Bronze District. The sounds of the city streets buzzed in my ear and daylight was way too bright even with all the smog. I hated this place. I hated my life. I instinctively took my gold watch out of my pocket. And now I was late for work. Great.
Not bothering to go home and change, I walked all the way to the guild. I got the same looks that I usually get from my guild mates, a mixture between disdain and envy. Today I also received looks of censure for being late and smelling of booze. Would Wayfyl's little prodigy be punished? Would any of them come to my defense if I did pursue a theft report? Doubtful. They would say I deserved it for thinking of myself as special. Wayfyl was right. I was never a team player.
Without even realizing it, I had relied heavily on Wayfyl's favoritism. And even after he had shown his true colors and stabbed me in the back, he was still the closest thing I had to a "friend" in this guild. How sad is that?
Wayfyl came in immediately calling for everyone's attention. All my feelings of anger boiled to the surface. "Great news, everyone! All your projects are to be put on hold. From this point on, we are all assigned to work on making these schematics into a reality.
This project is of the utmost discretion. Talking about it will be punishable by death decreed by the Council of Maru." Wait what? "We are on the brink of a new age with this new mode of transportation. Thanks to the efforts of brilliant minds that only Maru could have fostered, we will be the first to make man fly. Get your assignments from the board and get to work."
Wayfyl ignored my tardiness. I was given my share of work to do. Shutting down my mind, I let my hands get to work mechanically going through the motions. Glinn was right. I was stuck here. It was all a pipe dream.
Glinn. I had not seen him in months. I was so blinded by my own arrogance. I owed him an apology. After work, I headed straight to his barracks and waited for him to return. Throngs of low-class workers began filling the area. I spotted Thyeo at the same time he spotted me.
"Not you again," he said. "Look. It was nobody's fault. Shit happens."
"What? I don't know what you're talking about and I don't want to talk to you either. Where's Glinn?"
He stilled and gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher. "You have got to be kidding me. You don't remember coming here to find him last night?"
Last night? I was black out drunk. I supposed I already came here to apologize once. Did he forgive me?
"No. So where is he?"
Thyeo cursed under his breath. "He is gone."
"Gone?" I looked around. "Which barracks did he transfer to?"
"No, he is gone gone. He got out of here all on his own. Rope to the neck. Weeks ago."
"No..." My best friend had committed suicide and I had only just found out. This couldn't be real. I grabbed Thyeo by the shirt front and swung him around. "You lying ass--"
"--- I am not lying! Guess you were too busy being a inner circle big shot to notice, you prick! Don't blame me!" He yanked back out of my grip.
I just stood there feeling like I couldn't think or move. A heavy feeling dropped from my stomach to my feet cementing me to the ground. I didn't know how I was going to take another step ever again.
Glinn.
"Do me a favor and don't drink again. I don't want to have to tell you this... again..." His voice faded into a low hum as did everything else.
He is just gone. That is the best way to describe it. I didn't see him die. I didn't know he was dead all this time. I was so self-centered. Were there signs? Was there something I could've done if I had not been so preoccupied with my own stupid dreams, a dream that we shared until he suddenly gave up? He was hopeless last time I spoke with him, his demeanor completely despondent. Why didn't I realize that? Instead, I just got angry and cut him off. I did not think to ask him what was going on with him. I didn't check on him. Did I ever ask him how his day was? What kind of friend am I?
I wasn't.
The memories blurred together. I went through the motions helping build the airship. Work, eat, drink and sleep. Repeat. I didn't talk for so long, I had forgotten the sound of my own voice. They were asking about making special modifications to the aircraft like a dragon aesthetic. It made no sense and made me leery. Spite made me sloppy in my work. If I don't get the credit, who cares if it doesn't work, right?
Something had cracked. It was like being asleep and someone pouring cold water down your back.
I don't know how I got there because usually I drank alone in my quarters. I was in a tavern. Wayfyl placed a mug between my palms. Right. He had dragged me out here after ordering me to open my door. I guess alcohol is alcohol even if it is bought by a demon.
I stared glassy eyed at the drunken patrons and overworked barmaids, then tipped back the mug opening my throat to the sweetness of oblivion. Wayfyl's heavy hand fell on my head as he leaned against the counter. I swallowed the growl that was growing in my chest.
He hiccupped. "Thatta boy! Give this lad another. He has a stomach of steel. Here, my boy. I was worried for a good minute, but you really got the hang of things. You keep it up and you can become as big as me."
Why would I want that? What is this bastard even talking about? I just stared blankly. Not a single emotion or thought conveyed on my face. It felt wonderful to be so numb and carefree.
"I'm going places, Tallis. I was even invited to a Council meeting today. All because of our airship." No, my airship, you mean. "I am getting a new title. Big promotion." He laughed banging his hands on the counters his mood changing as rapidly as his sobriety. "Come on, wench, what does a man have to do to quench his thirst around here? Anyways, Tallis, I will be more than a guild master. I now have connections you cannot even dream of. With the Chancellor and Regent King himself. The Council has big plans for the airship. And I want you to be a part of those plans. You didn't think I'd leave you out, did you? You keep working for me and you will want for nothing! Can I trust you?"
Sod off. I merely nodded wondering how long I have to sit here and listen to his drunk ramblings. He was so close. It made me want to gag. His arm around my shoulder like we were really in this together.
"You know those modifications we made to the airship?"
The ones that weaponized the ship and cut down its size to a trimmer dragon physique making its functionality obsolete? Yeah. It also made building it quite the challenge and a pain. And they would not have made that a reality without me. I didn't say any of this though, merely nodded.
"Maru is about to become the number one power under the Belle. We will be pulling all the strings. After all, whoever controls a dragon controls the world. Our dragons will make those backwoods kingdoms so dependent on Maru, we will make out like bandits. You look confused, Tallis. Or maybe it's the drink. Am I talking in tongues? Let me spell it out for you."
He didn't have to. My mind was waking up and all the pieces were falling together. It was a perfect picture of death and destruction. Innocent villages would be burned to the ground. Fields of food and livestock will become ash. People will suffer and starve because of Maru's deception and my ambition.
I don't know why I did it. Wayfyl went to go take a piss and I saw he had left his jacket behind. The keys to his office were sitting helpless in his pocket for just anyone to reach in and....
I grabbed the keys and bolted out of the tavern nearly running into some men by the door.
"Watch where you're going, boy!"
I ran across town afraid to stop and think about what I was doing or just how drunk I was or what I was risking.
Wayfyl's office still smelled of his cigar smoke. I looked around, throwing folders and papers around like a mad man. The smallest sound had me jumping.
Come on! Come on!
I was about to give up when I realized one drawer was shallower than the others. It must be a false bottom. I was about to fling it up, but I hesitated. Sliding the drawer out all the way, I inspected it and sure enough, I was right. The false bottom had a spring trigger mechanism. A canister of ink was set to ruin whatever lied hidden from plain sight.
I dismantled the trap with care then took out the documents. Having done this, I began building a fire in Wayfyl's hearth.
Good riddance, I thought. But my hand froze. I couldn't do it. I couldn't destroy all my work, my dream. Glinn's dream. Wayfyl went through lengths to make sure no one saw this. So, shouldn't I try to make sure the right people saw it?
I flew off that night with the documents leaving the golden watch to burn in the fire.