nice.”
“I have little time for tidying up with all my research on spells and various creatures and the like. An organized room is a sign of an idle mind. Would you care for a drink?”
“Oh, no, I couldn't. Not as such a formal guest.”
“Very well. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I am going to make tea so feel free to look around or read some selections around the room in the meantime.” The human went out of the elf's sight and into the kitchen, rattling around pots and pans as she hunted the kettle. A whisper of arcana and a moment of focus ignited some dry tinder in the stove and began warming the water within the kettle. Kunya dug through her cupboards for some tea leaves and a few minutes later the kettle began to whistle, demanding to be taken away from the heat. She set the leaves inside a finely woven cloth bag, tied off the end, plopped the bag in the hot water, and let it steep while she fixed some bread and dried meat. After carrying it all out on a large tray, she sat the refreshments on a table between the two and poured the aromatic tea into two ceramic cups. They had simple designs of grasses and small flowers painted onto the sides and a vibrant green enamel inside.
“You insist, don't you?” Xron said, eying the tray and food. He set down the book he was reading, “Fantastic Beasts of Jolath”, and took the closer of the cups in his hands. It was quite warm to the touch but not enough to be uncomfortable.
“I do. You have proven yourself useful and not malicious at heart. Enjoy.” The human nodded and the two ate generously, clearing the tray and the kettle of their contents over the next hald hour. The comfort of the chairs gripped the pair tightly and they fought to stand again to head for the tavern. “I suppose we should make our way to the Fair Maiden before they come looking for us.” Xron smiled in agreement and they meandered through the town to the establishment.
Algan, Rusga, and Kida were already engaged in their revelries by the time the other two showed up. Kida, red in the face from drink, spotted them walk in and pointed it out quickly. “And there'sh my friends, shpeak of the devil!” She lurched from the stool she was sitting on and hurried over to them, stumbling a bit along the way. “Come in, come in, there'sh plenty of drinksh to go 'round!” Rusga giggled uncontrollably as the three made their way to the counter, the two sober ones holding the kitsu up half the time.
“I see our resident fox is rather intoxicated...” Kunya observed, having a seat at the counter and requesting a pint of dark ale.
“Yeah, she's pretty drunk. Little girl can't handle her ale like I can,” Algan retorted, gulping down another mug steadily.
“I doubt anyone here can handle ale like you can, except possibly Riun. You are rather healthy and large, after all.”
“Bah, you don't know what you're on about,” he snickered, wiping foam from his mouth. “Can we get a roast for the party, along with plenty of potatoes and the like?” The barkeep nodded and grinned.
“Anything for my favorite group. I'll be right back,” she said, hurrying through a door to the kitchen. She reappeared a few moments later and sat a pile of plates and bowls down gently under the counter. “It'll be ready in about an hour. Would you like a loaf of bread in the meantime?”
Riun sat down beside the warrior as she finished speaking. “Yes, we would. And a glass for me.” The oversized pair shook hands and nodded once in unison, speaking some secret warrior language between themselves that the rest didn't understand. Kida had wandered away and was attempting to sing quietly on one of the open tables. She would have done a decent performance if every other word wasn't slurred. Rusga, equally impaired, couldn't stop laughing at the spectacle that his friend was making and half attempted to join in between the giggles. All in all, it was a rather curious, if obnoxious, display. The night rolled on and patrons came to and left in their usual manner. The pair of animalfolk had long fallen asleep near the hearth by the time activity picked up, and as the night waned the human warriors carried them both upstairs to the inn before retiring themselves. Kunya headed home shortly afterward and left Xron to his devices. For the dark elf, rest would not come at all.
While Xron did put his body at rest, his mind was frantic and filled with nightmarish visions. Images of a shadowy serpentine figure, an all-consuming darkness, and a terror bordering on insanity kept him from recovering from the previous day's trip and celebration, and when the others awoke he was fatigued from the night. Though not obviously sweating, his skin was moist and glistening from the anxiety.
“Good morning everyone. I take it the night was good?” Kunya asked, being the last to arrive after daybreak. She stretched her arms and back as the smell of frying eggs and fresh bread filled the comparatively empty tavern. Four of the five nodded in agreement. The dark elf did not make a motion, eyes drooping slightly in his exhaustion. Kunya ushered him outside while their breakfast was still in preparation.
“You appear restless. Did something happen over the night?” the wizard asked urgently. Though they'd only met about a week ago, it seemed odd to her.
“I couldn't rest properly. Each time I tried some sort of nightmare invaded my mind. I saw the shadow of something large and reptilian coursing across a blood-red sky, screeching in rage and hunger. It circled a pale moon and then inky blackness overtook everything I could see. I heard nothing and saw nothing again, then I broke from my trance. Each time I tried to rest again the same visions swallowed my mind, growing closer and larger with each attempt.” He shuddered visibly, turning his head down and to the side.
“I wonder if that has any truth to it...” The wizard's voice trailed off as she pondered it for a moment. “In any case, take the day to relax. We have nowhere to go and nothing to attend to this day. Get what rest you can and hopefully those nightmares will leave you in peace during the daylight hours.” Xron walked off toward her home and Kunya re-entered the tavern. “It seems that he is still tired this morning and is going to rest at my residence. The day calls and we have no duties today so feel free to mosey about the town in leisure. If we have something to do I will call you all, or if you find something of interest come to me. I will join Xron at my home, though to do research, not to recuperate.” The other four shrugged it off and went back to their meriment with cheer and satisfaction untarnished.
Chapter 8
Chapter 8
For the next week or so Kunya pored over books and writings, looking for anything that might be useful either for spells or for connecting the creature they encountered – which she later identified as a umbra stalker – to the goblin tribes. It proved fruitless however, and one bitterly cold evening she trudged through the now-deep snow in the streets to the inn. Cheers welcomed her as she stepped into the party's suite and a hot mug of cider appeared in her hand.
“We found ourselves a little work,” Algan said, patting the wizard roughly into a cushioned chair. It sank under Kunya's weight slightly but the outline of a much larger figure was deeply embedded into its springiness, as though one person had been using it far too much. “There's a big shipment of salt headed from here to an elven town up north, beyond the forest we helped clear out. They're looking for adventurers to hire as guard since the local militia is spread thin because of the winter, and they're paying handsomely. Fifty gold pieces a person for competent help on the trip there, and fifty more plus the spoils if there's any trouble!”
Kunya leaned into the tall back of the chair, embers crackling in the fireplace as her hired warrior waited for an answer. “Alright, that is acceptable. I found out little in my reading, anyhow, so moving toward another town with new information may help me find something relevant to what we saw some two weeks ago in the goblin den.”
“Did you at least discover what it was?” Kida asked, all ears.
“An umbra stalker,” she answered absently.
“A what?” She'd never heard of such a thing, but the name alone gave her a bare hint of concern. It quickly was replaced by her curiosity, though.
“An umbra stalker. It is a species from another world. You know of the ethereal plane, right? The one that hides all those nasty things that are