4 What a World

Chirping birds and a dim ray of sunshine made its way into the rundown home. Groggily, Cyrus rubbed his tired eyes as he looked around the bedroom. His mother's soft arms and father's loud snoring brought a genuine smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Extricating his little body from his parents' grasp, he slipped out of the blankets with deft, ninja like movements. Cyrus already felt that today would be a good one as he tiptoed into the kitchen with a tired yawn.

Less than a minute later, a loud racket of pots clanking and water splashing accompanied Cyrus's endless chattering. "Finally, I can get out of this place! What if I run across an old man that teaches me a super powerful technique?! Oooo, wait, wait, what if I get a mysterious object that can help me tread on the path to immortality?! Or maybe a damsel in distress....on second thought... girls are kind of weird. Even Mom...."

"Cyrus, don't touch that or Kimhmmmm......".

Cyrus jumped a few feet in the air from the unexpected words coming from behind. Snapping his head back and training his watery eyes on the bed, he already felt the pain from an incoming spanking. But much to his relief and for the sake of his health, she was still sleeping soundly. That erratic heart beat settled down with only one thought running through his mind. "She definitely has some superpowers.....".

Despite the earlier experience, Cyrus was never one to refrain, and like a dehydrated man seeing an oasis, his thirst for adventure bubbled up uncontrollably. Just thinking about all the new and amazing things he would witness left him jittering from overwhelming excitement.

As Cyrus was in his own world, his parents awakened after hearing the early morning commotion. His mother, Angel, took over the kitchen like any other day and whipped up a quick breakfast for their early morning start.

"Alright Raymond, make sure to take care of Cyrus and don't let him wander off or you will be sleeping outside for a week!" Angel said.

Seeing how she was about to go on a rant, Raymond quickly agreed, as he continuously promised to keep one eye on him at all times. After a few minutes of endless oaths and promises, basically having Cyrus tied to his back, she finally stopped.

With a smile, loving hug, a kiss on Cyrus's forehead, and a flick on Raymond's, Angel departed and left the father and son in the house alone.

"You heard the boss. Stay close and don't go off on your own. It's not as great out there as you think, at least not where we live.....," a sighing Raymond said while looking at Cyrus.

However, to Cyrus, it was like the morning breeze, in one ear and out the other. Most of his focus was on how fast he could inhale this food to get on with the day. Seeing his words fall on deaf ears almost, Raymond's eye twitched before letting it go. 'He'll learn with time', he thought to himself. 30 minutes later, they cleaned up the dishes and headed out the door.

As a child, Cyrus had been outside before, but was limited to a few friendly neighbors his parents knew personally. Trusting people was a luxury in the Cranny. Murder, kidnapping, ****, heck, people were beaten over 2 week old stale bread. So after living here for a few years, even though he had been around a few places, it was not enough to satiate his curiosity.

Taking a glimpse at these unfamiliar sights, it was like the epitome of poverty in this area. Just like his house, every single building was made of that old clay, cracked and yellowed, with straw sticks that barely covered the roof. Being on the inside portion of a towering mountain system left little for vegetation in the environment. All one could see in the vicinity were giant rocks and more giants rocks. Looking down was even more depressing as you were greeted with a sickly yellow dirt that looked like it couldn't even grow weeds.

Having seen this already, it did little to dampen Cyrus's excitement for everything beyond the residential area.

Raymond picked Cyrus up and quietly whispered in his ear, "Listen, son. Today I will take you around the market area and show you a few important places you should remember in the future. After that, will visit a friend of mine that could teach you a thing or two about martial arts."

While speaking to him, Raymond picked up some dirt off the ground and rubbed a bit on his face, confusing Cyrus. I mean, he had just washed his face this morning with the little clean water remaining.

Seeing the perplexed expression, Raymond explained, "Cyrus, you're a good-looking kid. Sometimes children like you disappear around here. Whether the culprit is other humans or what we nicknamed them, meatheads, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Noticing his perturbed look, Cyrus could not help but ask, "Dad, what do those monsters look like?"

"Aye...." with an audible sigh he continued, "They are about the height of two full-grown men on top of each other (9-12ft). They got four pairs of eyes and 6 arms and horns on their heads. You know what..... you will see them later so just be patient."

Cyrus nodded his head in understanding before helping his dad rub in the dirt, just in case. If he said he was not nervous traveling outside earlier, that would be a total lie now after listening to all these scary things. Following the brief interlude, they continued towards the exit.

Walking through the winding streets for another 15 minutes, Cyrus surpassed the farthest he had ever gone. It was nothing new, but as they got further and further away from his house, more people seemed to trickle onto the main street.

He could vaguely see the path opening up after walking almost 2 miles. The sight left him deeply shocked him when they arrived. There were soaring ramparts that reached at least 30 ft in the air with watch towers and crude looking spikes mounted along the wall.

Having come to this open plaza, people, in a single file line, were searched and sorted out in a tight fenced off checking space. Outside of that place was a disorganized mob that pushed and pulled each other to get ahead.

Time was tight, and people had places to be. Arriving late to their assignments was a consequence that none of these humans could handle.

As his vision continued along that gated path, he finally understood why people organized in front of the giant gate. Standing nearby, monstrosities that almost resembled a mountain of muscles guarded the vicinity. These abominable creations seemed to have muscles on their eyelids. It was excessive to the point that muscles formed on their eyelids.

Despite thinking that, Cyrus felt his entire body shiver from head to toe as he gazed upon these pallid grey creatures. But like a lightning bolt striking his forehead, his thoughts paused, and he rapidly retracted his gazed after remembering his father's stern reminder. Little did he expect that simple passing glance had these guards, focused eyes, searching the crowd .

He could feel some type of searing intent lock on his tiny frame. But just as quickly, that feeling passed by, and Cyrus realized it did not know his location. A breath he had been unknowingly holding left him gasping for oxygen.

'That was way too close... I peeked for a few seconds at most!' Cyrus's trembling figure mirrored his worried thoughts. His dad did not seem to notice the change, so he calmed down and thought back to his previous instructions. 'I know father said not to look, but I didn't expect them to be that sensitive. No human could do anything remotely similar, that's for sure.'

Little did Cyrus know the reason behind why he could feel those gazes and just passed it off as something normal.

Raymond constantly pushed his way through until they reached the front. With his back bent, head bowed down, and hands held out in a servile manner, he handed over his identification to the meathead in charge of the registration area. The entire process was done with the utmost respect that it resembled groveling.

The slightest infringement on these meatheads' dignity could leave someone praying for an immediate death. So if it meant prostrating to pass, so be it.

It was a couple of minutes later that they were finished with the procedures. However, out of the corner of Cyrus's eye, he saw something he would never forget.

Eyes bulging in pain, a giant wooden spike impaled a man from the rear all the way to his mouth. Pieces of guts and flesh hung on the bloody end as they roasted under the blistering sun. If that was not enough, more of such sights decorated the road for a few hundred feet. Thousands of people hung high above with only low groans to accompany their misery.

Thinking he was dreaming, he closed his eyes and stuffed his face into the only comfort he knew, his father's chest. Raymond glanced at Cyrus before shaking his head internally. As a father, of course, Raymond hoped Cyrus would never have to witness this. Never the less, reality was always a bitter pill to swallow and children, especially here, needed to understand that.

Holding Cyrus tightly, Raymond walked out of the vicinity and made his way to a more lively area. Contrary to the formerly dreary atmosphere, a loud sound of hustle and bustle gradually grew louder.

Slave towns worked a bit differently than one would expect. The system was comparable to a normal kingdom, except the class restriction took away a lot more freedoms. Meatheads served as a standard noble class, the guards were their knights, and the humans peasants.

The entire group struggled on a day-to-day basis for survival. Their abysmal status only worsened conditions that even made normal city slums look good. Worst of all were the guards. Greed, lust, wrath, and any other evil they could think of was used to suppress their own race. As the pain only grew, a vicious cycle formed where previous victims grew up into a new generation of oppressors.

An obvious reflection of these tragic circumstances was easy to spot in the multiple restaurants and storefronts. Women, scantily dressed in a thin material, served a few guards in a decent tavern. Each time they were groped, those dead eyes would despair before being whisked away into a dark room.

Kidnapping children was rampant, and nobody would bother investigating. These girls drew an unlucky straw in life that subjected them to an endless hell. However, not everyone was a monster in human skin.

A generous store nearby did free shoe repairs for miners. If they handed in some of their old clothes, a decent fix was guaranteed. It might not seem important, but walking hours on end in a burning hot cave with no protections was beyond difficult.

Still, around 70% of the merchandise was different kinds of food with unknown origins. Some gangs, people with connections, and richer merchants monopolized the extra rations. The average family already considered 3-day-old burnt bread a premium. Fanatics drooling outside was a perfect example of how lucrative the business is.

Hearing the clamor on the street, Cyrus peaked outside of his little cacoon. The look on his face was a lot more reserved and alert compared to earlier. He was a lot more sober compared to his previous fantasies of a beautiful world.

Just like a child, though, he bounced back due to all the interesting new buildings. Dark brick buildings, two stories high, with dark wooden beams packed the streets. Chimneys pumped out dirty smoke and brought a fresh change to the dilapidated Cranny.

Seeing his mood relatively normal again, Raymond could not help but raise an eyebrow. Even for him, he still felt chilled whenever he passed the Field of Punishment. Living in this area for a while did not help to dull the shock and fear of disobeying.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he saw a lender selling some relatively rare rock candy. Unlike normal candy, it was a type of rock that was found on the mountain. It came in very finite amounts but had a tremendous demand because of its sweet taste when sucked on.

Raymond decided to purchase some for Cyrus to try before haggling away with the shopkeeper. A few filled up spit buckets later, Cyrus had a piece of rock candy in his mouth and crescent eyes full of joy.

That cheerful smile was all Raymond needed to know his purchase was worthwhile. He took Cyrus on a tour of the market for a few more hours while watching as he gawked and exclaimed from all the new stuff.

Time passed, and Raymond considered heading to the next place. "Alright kiddo, listen up. We're going to my friend's house. This place is under the radar, so don't tell anyone, not even your mom, about this place. I need you to swear to me, alright?"

Cyrus immediately agreed once he noticed the seriousness in his father's tone. Turning towards the western road, they exited the main market street and headed towards the nicer homes.