Sitting in the tavern, sipping his water to savor the fresh liquid, Dexurn paid little attention to those around him. Being of Matorian descent in an Oban tavern made him nervous enough, so making eye contact was out of the question. He was more than content to enjoy his drink and continue on his way. For a while, his strategy was working. He ignored them, and they ignored him. ...However, the raising voices did eventually catch his attention, and he peeked up to look at the group chattering loudly. It was mostly made up of Obans, but a few of those from Jauhar and Tale also made their voices heard.

“Monsters! That’s what they’re saying. Monsters with slimy black skin climbing out of that disgusting ground!” one man exclaimed. “It’s nothing but shadows and monsters, and I for one don’t want them coming here!”

“Anyone even seen a Yaeli yet? Sounds to me like they’re like us. Two legs, two arms, crystals, and two eyes. Quit spouting a bunch of nonsense.” A woman with long dreadlocks said, shaking her head.

Dexurn frowned slightly. This was the first he’d heard of Yeali after watching the Alkidikes get sent off. So, someone else was on that island? He felt a little bad at first. People didn’t want the Alkidikes here, so they got sent off to terrorize another land’s inhabitants? That hardly seemed fair.

The Leaf male hugged himself. “I heard that by looking into their glowing eyes, they’re able to take your soul.”

Another man laughed at that. “Well, good thing those damned Alkidikes don’t have their own souls, or they’d really be in trouble! Not that I care. Take whatever soul those black-eyed bugs have. Let the monsters live with the monsters is what I say.”

The Leaf male looked up with horror. “Maybe the black monsters are the souls of the Alkidikes in creature form! Shadow versions of the Alkidikes! After all, they also say the land itself is toxic. Who knows what it’s doing to those crazy females! There’s not really any such thing as a Yeali. They’re all just Alkidike souls separating from the bodies!”

Amongst the murmur of scornful laughter and worried chuckles, Dexurn lowered his gaze. Was that even possible? A soul leaving the body and turning into.. something else? From what he remembered, the Alkidikes sent to the island had been harsh and mean and dominant. He didn’t want to imagine what it would be like to meet a pure darkness soul. The very idea was terrifying. From what he’d seen of Alkidikes on the battlefield... being in a semi-solid form made the possibilities endless. Such a creature could get anywhere! It was the stuff of nightmares...

“Well, we’re gonna find out soon enough,” the previous woman said nonchalantly, flicking back a few of her dreads. “I hear the Yeali are starting to come to the mainland. Monster or not, they’re gonna be around here.”

The Leaf male gave a holler. “We can’t have Alkidike slime souls come here. It was bad enough with them being here with their bodies!”

Dexurn was trembling with fear. Alkidike souls, coming here... There would be another battle! Another war! He didn’t want to go through one of those again. ..And how would they fight slime souls?

The woman sighed. “By the gods, they ain’t Alkidike souls! They were there before the gals were banished. Besides, why would Yeali come here and make such stories about themselves? It’s just silly old fool talk. Good grief, no one knows who’s afraid of what anymore!” Turning away from the men with a snort, she saw Dexurn’s small form shaking a few tables away. Sighing, she walked over and patted Dex’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to those old, suspicious fools, boy. They ain’t seen nothing. It’s a bunch of rumors, and you don’t gotta worry about a thing.”

Dex looked up with surprise at the woman. For one thing, she was an Oban trying to sooth him. For another, she sure seemed confident that the Yeali were simply another kind of earthling. Taking a deep breath, Dex nodded and earned a smile from the woman, which made him smile back.

The larger Oban male barked out a laugh. “Mazille, you quit trying to make that boy feel better. You know that someone weak and worthless like a Matori would be prime soul eating prey. Better to warn him now than let him suffer later if he tries to hang out with one of them monsters. You Matori have souls, right?”

The woman waved the man off. “They’re a free people now. You mind your manners.”

Dex gave the woman another weak smile, but remained uncertain. All in all, the Yeali sounded scary. Alkidike soul eater or not, he felt he’d be better off not meeting one.