"Miss, Vena! Welcome back!" "Aye, Vena. It's been a while sweet heart." "Yo! Vena! Over here!" "Molo, Vena. Kuye mzuzwana, abe na?" "Hey, Vena!" "Welcome back, miss snake. What'll it be tonight?" "I told you," Vena replied. "It's not snake. It's Vena. Give me a caipirinha." "You know I can't do that," the bartender replied. "Besides, even if I knew how to mix that, a girl your age shouldn't be drinking alcohol." "Come on,...

Hate was such an unusual thing. Hate could be applied to so many things: enemies, animals, emotions, random people, freedoms, abilities, on and on unto infinity. But for Alex, hate was the emotion he felt whenever an entire place seemed against him. Navigating the maze of buildings proved far more difficult than necessary. Despite meeting only a few people and creatures along the way, just exiting the street that held him...

It had taken some time for Alex to assess his situation after Arakne disappeared. Of the multitude of supplies he had started out with, only his bag, a few changes of clothes and an empty water sack remained. Even the gold he'd hidden within a pocket on the inside of his shirt was gone. That damn witch, he cursed silently. It was going to be a long walk, especially without knowing where in the forest he was. Alex sighed a...