Hounds Rising
Fire and Rain

Rhokhishi juggled her magic balls in one hand, taking a swig from her flask with the other. She sat and listened to Ana’s story and reflected on how, at first, this adventuring was mainly helping the people she loved at the circus, and then a snowball of circumstance, opportunity, and self-preservation. It became a chance to make her way and get strong enough to bring down her former church, but this group felt more like the family she never had.

She waited for the end of Ana’s story, then handed the flask to Lyla.

“Pass it around,” She whispered with a wink.

She stood, stretching out her body that had been sore from a long few days of traveling. The flask slowly made its way around, and when it returned to her, she raised it as if to toast the group.

“Ya know, I’ve never felt more liberated. I came from a place of ludicrous indoctrination. Every day was the so-called good book and heavy combat training. Even the healing was battle-focused. The church was a gang, sapping locals of their gold and goods while pretending to be the guiding light of piety—economic opportunism with an iron fist and soft white robes.

The church constantly broke an arm, jerking itself off for all its good works, while I watched everything around it slip deeper into poverty and fear. Thank whatever deity is the opposite of my old church’s for the circus!”

She tossed her multicolored balls into the air in a line, and they landed one by one into an outstretched satchel as she pulled yet another flask out from her pockets.

“And for all of you… especially you,” Rhokhishi pointed to Lyla with her flask and lifted her shirt, flashing her breasts to the group in exaltation. She twirled around, guzzling her precious poison from the flask. Rhokhishi stumbled into the fire in her inebriated state but pulled herself out quickly. She let her arms fall to the side, and the liquor poured from her flask, landing into the fire and causing a burst of fire behind her.

After a few more drinks, Rhokhishi approached her bedroll, and the stars spun above her. She felt the nausea of her drinking but didn’t feel the weight in her stomach that would generally indicate she needed to get sick. She rested her eyes and drifted off.