So he said to the young hellkin...."There are generally two ways to go when the world hates you for how you look. Either be everything they say you are and worse, thus making them point at you as proof... or try your heart and soul away in proving them wrong, but you have to listen anyway. Or be, one of the good ones. If you find a secret third way, more power to you."
This young hellkin found a "third way". They were generally kind, warm, and loving, but those that harmed their friends and loved ones? They became a horror, a shadow stalker. For those that showed them kindness? They showed warmth. And to some enemies who acted out if ignorance after being lied to, they showed forgiveness and warmth, but carefully. They did not become too kind, spending their heart and soul proving people wrong, but they also did not become everything the cruel and bigoted said they were either. Though that was a hard path to follow.
@internutter/challenge-04644-l260-good-things-and-trouble -- Anon Guest
She named herself Shine, shortly before she went Adventuring. There was a lot in the world that needed fixing, starting with the fact that herself and her half-Orc sibling had been plucked out of the gutters and taken in by her Rennie. There needed to be more people like Rennie or less people inclined to abandon children in the woods or on roadsides for how they were born.
The Hellkin who'd given her the Devilborn Talk was doing his part. But he only had control over the lands he'd conquered.
She had two paths with equal weight. Be an example of everything they were wont to believe about her kind, or be "one of the good ones". She decided, instead of the Hellking's example, to throw back whatever people threw at her. King Kosh may gain amusement by saying their hateful speeches first and watching them scramble, but Shine decided on simple reflection.
For all the speciesists who said terrible things about Hellkin, she could repeat the horrid things others said about their kind. And when chided about such, she could simply tell them, "I thought that was your custom, to say horrible things about the people you see."
The Hellking did have a point about how useful it was to be a bit foreign. She gave the name of her farm as her origin point and a vague handwave towards where it was. Everyone else simply assumed it was a different country and let her jabs about 'your custom' slide. It was amazingly effective.
As for those who were kind to the outcasts... They got random acts of kindness. Difficult tasks completed, or even something as small as extra coins in the household pyg jar. Another lesson from the Hellking in the rain. Never too much for them to have, but a boon they could well appreciate. Sometimes, the gift of a useful bit of runework to help the household have less trouble from the world.
For them, Hellkin were good luck. We did this visiting devilborn a single favour and half their troubles melted away, practically overnight. We were shy on firewood and she made us this little plate that can heat up a cauldron with just the touch of a bit of charcoal. It's made a world of difference.
A world of difference. Those were words that stuck to Shine's heart. A world... to little households struggling to get by, a world was as simple as something fixed and a problem solved. To the wealthy and selfish, the world of difference was a far broader thing. They usually wanted a village not present, a people vanished, and in one case, a mountain removed.
They were absurd.
Honestly, Shine preferred to happen to the wealthy and selfish. The villages and people who had the ire of the selfish certainly appreciated it. And, when you got down to it, not much of the world mourned when they were gone.
She much preferred the small worlds of difference. They were better for her heart and soul.
[Photo by Paul Bulai on Unsplash]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends! Or visit my hub site to see what else I'm up to.
Send me a prompt [22 remaining prompts!]
