by K. Greene
Am I a man? Or a monster? I still don't have an answer, thanks to a pack of rogue mages, a deity, and my father. First, my "father" sold me to be put through some form of enslavement ritual. But it... failed? Apparently, they cast an ancient magic brand on my face. But I was told that by a god no one else hears. A long-forgotten power - now broken in my head, because these amateurs didn't even intend to do it. If I see something breathing, my mind loses control, and my body... Tears flesh. However it can. Like all those mages. Like the young girl that was with them. Sight was the problem. Blinding myself was the only solution. Elliot and Ardouin saved me from death in that desert. Because of them, I am known from sea to sea as: The Burning Viper. A blind gladiator without compare. I even became the Coliseum Champion. Had to beat Ardouin to do it. Which pissed off a lot of people. A lot of rich people who could pay to hunt us down. Now, Elliot needs us to steal a ring from one of those blue bloods. Ardouin just told us who it is. Just so happens I threatened this one for trying to con me out of my winnings. Hope he looks forward to seeing me again. These two morons took me in like a stray hound. I don't think I've ever known home like this. And yet, I can still feel the curse. Yearning to rend meat from bones, all the while claiming it's a blessing. Sometimes it's more than I can bear. So I ask again: am I a man? Or a monster?
