Feralium — Near Hell Border — Bonebreaker Tavern

  The tavern was pure noise—stomping feet, cracked laughter, mugs slamming like drums. Smoke hugged the ceiling. The air smelled like cheap ale, sweat, and grilled meat.

  Isaac and Yu sat deep in the corner with their hoods up anyway, drinking like they belonged there.

  They clinked mugs.

  Yu took a big swallow—then instantly choked.

  Beer shot out her nose.

  For half a second her eyes went wide with pure betrayal… then she started coughing and laughing at the same time.

  Isaac covered his mouth, failing to hold it in. “Slow down.”

  Yu wiped her face with her sleeve, annoyed and amused. “I didn’t know it was going to hit like a punch.”

  Isaac’s gaze softened as he watched her fumble with the hood, trying to hide the mess and failing.

  Yu noticed.

  He looked away fast, pretending the mug suddenly became interesting.

  Yu’s mouth curled. “I see.”

  Isaac kept drinking. “See what?”

  “You like seeing me wet.”

  Isaac instantly inhaled wrong.

  He choked, coughed hard, and nearly spilled his drink.

  Yu laughed, shoulders shaking. “Relax. I’m going to the bathroom. Wait here, you little pervert.”

  Isaac stared at her like he wanted to argue, then gave up with a tired exhale. “Go.”

  Yu stood, still wiping her nose, and walked through the crowd like she owned it.

  Isaac watched her for one second too long… then dropped his gaze, smiling to himself.

  Dragons use bathrooms too. Great. New knowledge.

  He let out a quiet laugh, head lowered.

  A voice slid into his ear.

  “Hey, handsome.”

  Isaac froze—then slowly turned.

  A humanoid chicken woman dropped into the seat like it was already hers. Feathers polished. Beak glossy. Eyes half-lidded like she was practicing.

  Isaac’s face went flat inside the hood.

  No.

  She leaned closer, like the noise gave her permission.

  “My name’s Alessa,” she purred. “I saw you sitting alone. Thought you might want company.”

  Her hand slid onto his.

  Isaac pulled his hand back immediately, polite but firm.

  “Sorry.” He forced a small smile. “I’m not alone. My friend just went to the bathroom.”

  Alessa’s eyes flicked, then returned to him, not caring. “That’s a shame.”

  She tilted her head, slow, deliberate. “Looking at you… I wouldn’t even charge for a little time alone.”

  She dragged her tongue across her beak.

  Isaac’s stomach tightened.

  He stood up. “Yeah—no. Thanks.”

  He turned to leave—

  —and walked straight into a wall of muscle.

  A boar-man stood in front of him, thick arms, scarred knuckles, small cruel eyes. His breath smelled like rot and beer.

  The boar stared down at Isaac’s hood.

  “You gotta pay.”

  Isaac blinked. “Pay for what?”

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  The boar grabbed his collar and yanked him closer.

  “You talked to Alessa.” His grip tightened. “She’s mine. You pay for the welcome, idiot.”

  Behind him, Alessa’s face twisted into a dramatic sob.

  “He humiliated me,” she cried, loud enough for nearby tables to hear. “He called me ugly. He rejected me like trash.”

  Isaac snapped his head to her. “What? I didn’t say any—”

  Alessa wiped fake tears with the back of her hand. “Liar.”

  Isaac’s jaw clenched.

  “You lying chicken—”

  The boar slammed him backward into a table.

  “Watch your mouth,” the boar growled. “You pay the full price, or I crack your skull.”

  Isaac’s voice dropped low. “I’m not paying anything.”

  The boar grinned, enjoying it. “Then you asked for it.”

  He swung.

  The punch hit Isaac’s jaw like a hammer. Isaac crashed into the table, wood splintering. Mugs fell. People shouted—not to stop it, but because it finally got interesting.

  Chairs scraped back.

  Some cheered.

  Some started swinging at each other just because the room needed an excuse.

  The boar rolled his shoulders and laughed. “Come on, trash.”

  Isaac’s ears rang, but he pushed up fast, grabbing a metal plate from the shattered table.

  He stepped in and smashed it across the boar’s face.

  Metal rang.

  The boar dropped like a sack, out cold.

  For a single breath, the noise dipped—like everyone noticed Isaac wasn’t a normal drunk.

  Then two massive bull-men grabbed him from behind and slammed him into the wall.

  His back hit hard.

  His breath left his lungs.

  One bull pinned Isaac’s arms. The other leaned close, smiling.

  “We’ll break you,” he said.

  A third bull came in from the side and started hammering Isaac’s stomach—short, brutal punches meant to fold him.

  Isaac’s vision sharpened.

  His hands flexed against the grip holding him.

  Bonebreaker Tavern — Bathroom

  Yu sat on the toilet like this was her private palace, humming softly under her breath. One foot swung a little, relaxed, almost playful.

  She smiled to herself—warm, stupidly happy.

  He looked at me like that.

  Her cheeks heated.

  Next time… I’ll wear something more daring. Something that makes it impossible for him to pretend he isn’t staring.

  She bit back a laugh, then failed.

  A small snort escaped her.

  So he’s the type, huh?

  Yu covered her mouth with the back of her hand, still smiling, eyes half-lidded like she was already imagining his reaction.

  Then—

  A heavy THUD shook the wall.

  The humming stopped.

  Yu’s smile faded into a frown.

  Another crash—wood splintering, metal clanging, voices rising all at once.

  Yu blinked, listening.

  She tilted her head slightly, ears catching the pattern beneath the chaos—pain, surprise, the sudden rush of a crowd turning violent.

  Her eyes narrowed.

  This tavern is a mess…

  The bull kept hammering Isaac’s stomach—heavy, brutal punches that drove the air out of him one hit at a time. His back slammed the wall. The wood behind him groaned.

  Across the chaos, Alessa laughed like it was entertainment.

  “You’re going to pay for humiliating me.”

  Isaac coughed, tasted blood, and forced his breath back in through his nose. His gaze lifted—cold, fed up.

  He drove a sharp kick under the bull’s legs.

  The bull’s posture broke instantly. A strangled grunt. Knees buckled.

  Alessa’s smile slipped.

  Isaac’s eyes flashed.

  He surged forward and smashed his forehead into the bull on the right.

  Bone rang. The bull staggered.

  Isaac grabbed him by the head and slammed his face into the wooden wall—once, twice—until the boards split and caved inward with a wet crack.

  Then he turned.

  The bull on the left reached for him—

  Isaac seized the collar and threw.

  The body launched upward like it weighed nothing, tearing through the ceiling. Planks exploded. Dust rained down. A shocked roar cut off as the bull vanished into the second floor.

  Silence didn’t happen—this was still a tavern—but the people nearest froze just long enough to realize what they were watching.

  Alessa’s eyes widened. She fell back hard, landing on the floor.

  Isaac stepped toward her, shoulders rising and falling, heat in his stare.

  He bared his teeth and shouted—raw, feral—just to see her flinch.

  Alessa scrambled backward, then spun and ran, faster than anything in the room. Her claws scraped the boards as she disappeared into the crowd.

  Isaac exhaled once, watching her go.

  A grim, almost amused curve touched his mouth.

  And then—

  A brick of a fist smashed into his face.

  His head snapped sideways. His body lifted off his feet.

  Isaac crashed through the tavern wall in a spray of shattered wood and dust and landed outside in the dirt, face-first.

  For a second he just lay there, the noise behind him still raging like nothing happened.

  Isaac pushed himself up slowly, spit dirt, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  He dusted off his clothes like the world hadn’t just tried to kill him.

  Then he started walking—

  “THIEVES!”

  Isaac’s head turned.

  A goat-beast was on the ground near the road, reaching out with both hands, eyes wild.

  His cart—his livelihood—was being dragged away at speed by hooded figures. Wheels bouncing, crates rattling, the whole thing vanishing into the street like a fleeing animal.

  “Please! Someone stop them! Someone—please!” the goat-man screamed, voice cracking.

  Isaac stared for half a heartbeat.

  Then he sighed—tired, annoyed, and somehow still calm.

  “…Of course.”

  He took one step—

  and launched into the air, shooting forward toward the cart.

  Yu came out satisfied—still smiling, eyes closed for a second like she was holding onto the warmth of a stupid thought.

  She walked back to the table.

  And stopped.

  Wood splintered everywhere. Chairs snapped. Plates bent. Drinks spilled across the floor like dark stains. Bodies groaned. Some didn’t move at all.

  Her smile vanished.

  “Isaac?”

  She scanned left—right—then again, faster.

  Nothing.

  Yu stepped around a broken table, boots crunching glass.

  “Isaac…?”

  Only strangers stared back at her—wide-eyed, nervous, pretending they hadn’t seen anything.

  Yu’s gaze dropped to a fresh hole in the wall—jagged, ripped open from the inside. Cold air and dust drifted through it.

  Her throat tightened.

  She moved, weaving through knocked-over stools, pushing past a drunk who tried to grab her sleeve and immediately regretted it when her eyes flashed.

  “Where is he?” Her voice came out low. Dangerous.

  No answer.

  Yu turned in a slow circle, counting the bodies, reading the room like a battlefield.

  Then she whispered, almost to herself—confused and angry at the same time.

  “What the hell happened here…?”