The forest path stretched before them, dappled in fading sunlight, but Allen's mind was on the conversation they'd just had. Fina walked beside him, her claws idly flexing, while Rinni trailed behind, occasionally glancing over her shoulder.
"So," Allen began, breaking the silence, "if the world's ruled by these four races, and they're all so obsessed with their little hierarchies, does that mean every kingdom has its own set of rules?"
"Not just kingdoms," Fina replied, her ears twitching. "Even towns. Who's allowed in, who's not. Who's free and who's property. It's all decided by who's on top. Humans have their noble families, elves their bloodlines, dwarves their mountain clans. Demons…" She trailed off, her tone darkening. "Well, demons are just bastards."
"Ruthless ones," Rinni added softly. "They don't even pretend to care about fairness. If you're weaker, you're theirs. That's the only rule they follow."
Allen shook his head. "And I thought Earth politics were bad."
