Argyris Family

Chapter One: The Interview


Leopold Argyris stared at the man that sat on the other side of his desk. He wasn’t sure how old the man was. He could have been twenty-five to forty. This uncertainty came from the many scars that man had. Gouged claw marks covered almost all of his face leaving a small patch of smooth skin around his left eye, starting from his forehead to cheekbone. Even his nose was mutilated.

The scars did not stop at his face either. They made their way down his neck receding underneath his clothes. Leopold had a feeling they covered all of his body because the man clothed himself. Black long sleeve buttoned shirt, black slacks, and black gloves. The only thing not being dressed was his face and neck. The shirt was opened at the neck, the only concession to the one hundred degree weather outside. The man’s long ebony hair was neatly braided back behind his head showcasing his scarred face. In fact, just by dressing meticulously, it enhanced the scars making them even starker.

Bringing himself to look into the man’s eyes, Leopold could not decide what to make of him. The way he displayed himself showed nothing but confidence and yet his eyes proved that impression to be wrong. All of his emotions showed through his eyes. Fear, anxiety, and even the loneliness were broadcasted from his silver blue eyes. Leopold gave him some credit though. It was rare that a human could sit in front of a Vol-Lang and still appear almost calm. Leopold grabbed paper and a pen to write down his impressions and proceeded with the interview, beginning with: “Name?”

“Achan.”

“Achan what?”

“Just Achan.”

“No last name? Why?”

“For reasons.”

“What reasons?”

“My own.”

Leopold growls and leans back in his chair. His ears flick back with disproval. He doesn’t bare his fangs though, “Are you going to be this short with me?”

Achan begins to speak but stops himself, pausing to think what would satisfy the Vol-Lang before him. “With the past only which belonged to a person that is dead now. Only Achan remains.”

The Vol-Lang’s fur rises showing his displeasure but Achan stands his ground. His past is dead and gone and he only wishes to start anew. He does not want it trespassing on his new life. “You expect us to accept you?” Leopold asks.

“No.”

Achan’s blunt answer calms the Vol-Lang. Being short and hiding things from him were not a good sign for a positive interview but the man was honest with him and to himself. Leopold liked it. Fur settling, Leopold went on, “Why did you come here then?”

“It was the next place to try.”

Leopold tilted his head in a curious manner, “What were the others that you have tried?”

“Rothschild Family, also the Bone gang and Cat’s Paw gang.”

“Cat’s Paw is a cousin to the Rothschild Family.”

“I know. It was why I tried the Rothschild.”

“You should approach the Sewick Family. They have a reputation to accepting outsiders.”

“No. Never.”

“Why not?”

Achan pauses again trying to find the words that wouldn’t insult the Family, “I don’t like their ethics.”

“Ethics?”

Achan shifts in his seat, his body finally betraying how nervous he truly was. “Family should keep it in the family. Sewick drags outsiders into family business.”

Leopold taps the deck with his claws thinking over Achan’s answer. He agreed with the man. Immensely. He even liked how he tried not insult that family even if he wasn’t speaking near or to one its family members. Deciding, Leopold nods his head in a very human like gesture, “I agree. I’ll hire you. You’ll be the lowest of the low of course and expect the worse because...”

“I’m human,” Achan finishes rolling his eyes.

Leopold gets up and grins at Achan, showing his fangs, “Then welcome to the Argyris Family, Achan.”

Achan stands as well not allowing any more emotion to escape. Leopold walks around the desk heading towards the entrance to the office. Before he opens the door he stops to consider something. He looks behind him and stares at Achan. Achan waits to see what the Vol-Lang will do. Suddenly, Leopold asks, “How old are you anyway.”

“Twenty-one.”

Leopold’s ears flick up and his eyes grow wide. “Young. You look older than that.”

Achan shrugs his shoulders and looks back at the Vol-Lang. Leopold grunts and heads out, “Well, let’s get you settle then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Achan closed the lid to the chest assigned to him. He’ll be bunking with eleven other people until he dies or get promoted. He wasn’t expecting to be hired, especially by the Argyris Family. They may hire outside the Family but very rarely a human. Their view: humans die quickly. Even if they survive attacks, poisons, and epidemics, they age way too quickly. There is no use in training them, but the Argyris Family and others as well have been in conflict for at least twenty years now. They needed fighters or rather hands to protect their territory. Very few families were safe and Achan took advantage of the situation.

He was tired of being alone and without family. He had been living on the streets trying to catch a break. He could never hold a job because the battling families ruined or scared off independent stores and businesses. All other that remained only hired within the families.

For awhile, Achan was thinking about going back to human territory, but his fear still remained. His past existed there and he knew if he returned, it will come back to haunt him. Forget answers. He didn’t need them. Plus, he was still angry.
His father, very own father who raised him from birth and named him, hired someone to kill him. Not only that, asked them to prolong his death as torturously as possible. So, they did.
At the age of fourteen, Achan had his first encounter with a devourer. Horrible creatures. They live on a different plane and must be summoned, but the power garnered from them has attracted many to call them. The demons’ payment was always the same, a soul. It is their food source and need. Not many souls exist on their plane.

Achan should have died but he got lucky. His devourer liked to play with its food. After dealing with the summoners, he took him away into another room of the abandon mansion where he was summoned. It shredded the clothes on the young teenager and then let him go to watch him runaway. The devourer played cat and mouse with the child for hours, tearing skin with it claws. Sometimes, it even dug them in so deep in the skin, it touched bone.

All the while, Achan struggled to get away but at the same time, he looked for anything to fend off the demon. His luck appeared in the form of a rust chandelier. In the middle of the room, the devourer caught him for the final time. Achan was drenched in blood, sweat and tears. His eyes wild as he stared up at the demon hovering above him. His last thought, before it ate his soul, “Why couldn’t father kill him himself?”

Then, the chandelier dropped and the pointed rusted bottom struck the devourer going straight through its heart. It pinned both the child and demon to the ground. The demon crushed the boy until its body lost all life and became dust. Achan fainted.

When he came to, he stilled when he heard the summoners arrive. Seeing the dust and the blood covered boy, they assumed the devourer returned to its plane and ate its meal. They left leaving Achan alone and barely alive.

Shaking from his thoughts, Achan grabbed clean sheets and made up his bed. Thanking god for blessing him again with luck. He needed shelter and food. Being hired by a family would give him that and more. When he approached the Argyris Family and was interviewed, he never dreamed they would accept him, definitely when he encountered the Vol-Lang.

Their kind brought the idea of werewolf: a human able to change into a wolf. No, that is not what the Vol-Langs are. They do not change. They are a wolf and man in one. Covered in fur except on their torso, ears and snout of a wolf, and their hands, shaped as human’s, had the pads and claws of a wolf. They saw as human though but their sense of smell was sharp.

“Funny that he was named Leopold,” thought Achan.

Settling for the night, Achan laid across the bed, not wanting to meet any more creatures for the day. He had enough stress and finally he could sleep comfortably. Tomorrow, he’ll meet everyone and begin his new career as one of the Hands of Argyris Family.