by Eden Redd
“We can do better than that!” Mayor Sunaxe laughed.
A few more hands were up and the clapping grew an octave, but not much more than that.
Kavan stood silently, eyeing the crowd as they eyed him.
I hope this wasn’t a mistake.
An alert filled Kavan’s eyes as he stared at the crowd.
You have gained 1 degree in Social Skill! Social Skill is 1st degree, Weak.
The clapping died as the sun faded from the top of towers and buildings, the last rays of light disappearing behind the horizon.
Four
The edges of slumber began to lose their grip. Scaled eyelids slowly opened as Kavan stared at the wood ceiling above him. The dragonkin laid in bed, partially covered in a fur blanket. A warm early morning glow spilled in from the room’s lone window. Kavan turned his gaze to the window, seeing some light and a stone wall a few feet away.
“Good morning. You slept well,” Viz’s voice filled Kavan’s head.
“It may have been a mixture of exhaustion and the potion the healer gave me. I didn’t even dream during the night,” Kavan said in a low tone.
“Are we really going to stay here?” Viz asked.
Kavan nodded. “I don’t think we have much of a choice. There is a reason we found this place and I’m not comfortable going on a journey when we don’t even know where to start. Whatever happened to us, there must be some kind of answer here.”
“The people here in Moonvale seem genuine enough. Finding answers and saving gold might be the correct course of action. I wish I could be of more help, but I’m having difficulty trying to access any further information. I can help with your character sheet and some basic knowledge questions, but everything else is drawing a blank.”
“How are you at retaining information?”
“I feel I have a blank space that is ready to be filled with information. I can recall recent conversations and knowledge in perfect detail.”
Kavan nodded. “Good to know. I’m sure I won’t be able to remember everything, but with your help, we might be able to piece it all together once we learn more.”
The dragonkin sat up and looked over to a chair with his clothes and leather armor on it. His boots were by the chair legs, the tops flopped to the side.
“We should start the day and see where it takes us,” Kavan said and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
It didn’t take long for Kavan to get dressed. Stepping out of the room, he made his way along the corridor and into the main dining room. A plate of eggs, fried meat, and fruit was on a table, steam rising up from it. Beside the plate of food, a little green woman sat with her chair tilted back and her boots on the edge of the table.
Kavan slowly approached as she turned her bright, yellow eyes to him. A wide smile appeared as the green goblin gave him a small head nod. Kavan noticed it was the same goblin from the meeting last evening. Her hair was lustrous and flopped to one side, giving her what Kavan thought was a pin-up model look. Her left ear was partially covered by the long purple-pink hair, but it didn’t hide the tip of one of her ears. Her right ear was not covered at all, sticking out for all to see. Even as she leaned back on the chair, she had a petite body and breasts a little large for her size. They nearly strained against her white top as Kavan slowly approached. She wore tight, reddish-brown leggings and black boots completed the look. Kavan noted her beautiful features. She didn’t look like your average goblin. She had a seductive look, her large, oval eyes slowly blinking as if to purposely gain his attention.
Kavan reached the table with the goblin, but heard a voice from the bar.
“The food is to break your fast. I don’t know why Onka is here,” Rujin said gruffly.
The goblin closed her eyes and leaned her head back in tired annoyance. “Kogan asked for a volunteer to show our dragonkin around town. Need I explain more?”
Rujin’s brow hardened. “Of everyone in town, you volunteered? That’s a first for Lady Leave Me Alone or I’ll Cut You.”
Onka let out a wicked laugh at the top of her lungs. It was enough to stab into Kavan’s sensitive ears and he fought the urge to wince. Rujin growled from behind the counter.
“Rujin, you remembered my proper title! Now, be a dear and bring us some tea to help our dragonkin wash down your delicious food. We have a big day and I want to show him everything.”
Rujin shook his head before turning and going through the door to the kitchen.
Kavan moved to the other seat and sat down. He picked up a fork and stabbed at the meat. The moment it touched his mouth, he nearly inhaled it down. The delicious meat was full of flavor and the dragonkin had to fight the urge to gulp it down before he chewed.
Onka watched as Kavan attacked his plate. “Eat up big boy. It’s going to be a full day and there’s much to see,” the goblin said with a wicked smirk.
***
Morning light filled the town of Moonvale. The warm brilliance touched buildings, streets and a few of the town’s people going about their day. The air held a touch of spring as a dragonkin and a goblin stepped out into the street.
Kavan glanced around, seeing that even in the morning light, the town looked haggard and worn down. The stonework on some of the buildings was cracked and chipped. Some of the wooden buildings had patches of rot and odd indents. The cobblestone street was missing stones in places. Random potholes filled the street before them and Kavan wondered how long it had been like this.
Onka yawned loudly and stretched her arms into the air. After the stretch, her arms flopped down to her sides and she scratched her butt. Her eyelids half closed and she smacked her lips. The goblin looked up at Kavan by her side, the dragonkin visually taking in the town.
“I know, I know, it’s not much to look at, but it has a heart, once you get to know the place.”
Kavan continued to look around until his gaze fell to the tavern across the street. The front door had cracks and an ancient wood sign hung from rusty chains. Kavan eyed the sign, seeing the name of the tavern was “The Shouting Troll.”
“Yea, that place can get rowdy sometimes. Kazko Hearth is a bit of a character. You met his brother, Rujin. They have some kind of extreme brotherly rivalry. Rujin likes his place to have class and a degree of elegance. He doesn’t allow spirits and booze in the Inn, but he does allow wine.
“Kazko is the opposite. He has nearly every kind of alcoholic drink in his tavern. He also likes to get drunk and test his strength by doing every stupid thing you can imagine. Some advice, go to the Blue Lantern Inn for good food. Go to the Shouting Troll if you want to get shitfaced. Each brother has their specialty.”
Onka looked up to Kavan with an amused smile. “If you want some excitement in town, compliment something about one brother to the other. It drives them crazy and I’ve started a betting pool on who wins any fight they get into.”
Kavan remained silent, unsure what to make of such an odd idea for fun.
“Let’s get going. I’ll tell you more as we reach the mayor’s office,” Onka said and began walking.
Kavan walked beside the short goblin.
The walled town was fairly large. Kavan looked around, noticing that many shops and buildings were boarded up or empty. The entire area felt like it was on the verge of becoming a ghost town.
The dragonkin and goblin continued to walk along the street when an elderly man in tattered robes faced a wall. He wasn’t moving, his eyes simply staring at the gray surface.
Kavan’s eyes widened a hair as the man looked completely human. He had long, gray hair. His skin was sunken in against his face. His hands were wrinkled and the skin looked like it was ready to fall off at any moment.
“There are humans here?” Kavan asked in a low tone.
Onka glanced at the man staring at the wall and raised an eyebrow. “What’s a human?”
Kavan pointed with his chin. “That’s a human.”
The goblin shook her head. “No, that’s Brom the Befuddled.
If you mean his race, there hasn’t been a Hudenn on Voldor for thousands of years, not since the Celestial War.”
Kavan glanced at the goblin with blank eyes.
“You don’t know about the Celestial War? Were you born yesterday?”
Kavan continued to stare.
Onka sighed. “Thousands of years ago, dragons stormed the heavens and the underworld, slaughtering deities and taking their places. Hudenns were driven mad by the conflict and either killed themselves or each other. It even affected the elves, but to a lesser degree. That’s why elves are rare to see.”
The goblin pointed a little finger at the man staring at the wall. “The conflict didn’t affect the dead. Brom is a lich, but he’s been here so long, he’s lost his mind. Before Moonvale was re-settled, Brom was here, wandering the place. He usually sits or stands in odd places around town. He sometimes goes to the tavern for a drink. We all just keep an eye on him.”
Onka left Kavan’s side and crossed the street to the lich staring at the wall. She lifted her hand and touched the back of his. Brom turned his attention to the short goblin and gave her a weak smile.
“I can’t find my pieces,” Brom said with a confused tone.
“Brom, we’ve been over this, it’s probably where you last left them. You’re not going to find it staring at the wall. They’re probably still in your tower.”
The elderly lich closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, not there. I’ve checked. They’re somewhere. I didn’t want the rats to steal the pieces. They like to steal things. One of them stole my finger.”
Onka shook her head. “You have all your fingers. You’ve always had your fingers.”
Brom opened his eyes and looked down at his hand. “I got better?”
Onka smiled. “Yes, you did get better. How about you go to the tavern and get a drink. Kazko loves your company. Tell him your stories.”
The old man nodded. “Yes, stories are the lifeblood of society.”
Onka touched the old man’s waist, turned him slightly and gave him a tap on his lower spine. Brom’s feet began to move, stepping along the street and making his way toward the tavern.
Brom turned his attention to Kavan and he grinned, showing dirty and decayed teeth. “Hudenn,” the lich said simply.
Kavan blinked as the lich turned his gaze forward and slowly walked with small steps.
Onka approached Kavan. “Don’t take what he says too seriously. He called a spiderweb a demon just the other day.”
Kavan nodded as he glanced at the lich once again.
Maybe Brom can help us figure out this mess.
Kavan and Onka resumed walking as the old lich moved to the tavern door, stood before it and simply stared at the door.
“He’ll be okay. He lost his mind, but he is still extremely tough. During a lightning storm, he wandered the town, getting struck by lightning multiple times. His clothes were burned, but he didn’t seem damaged in any way. Instead, he just kept talking about how refreshing the rain was on his skin.”
“How long have you lived here?” Kavan asked.
Onka looked forward as she spoke, “A few years. I have a place closer to the center of town. I don’t have to pay any rent because no one owns it. It helps me save gold. I do have to be careful. I think there are a few crawlers in the basement. I’ve only caught one, but I think there might be a few more.”
“Crawlers?” Kavan asked.
Onka nodded. “Worm-like creatures with spider legs. Their head is just a mouth with sharp teeth. They like to eat other vermin, but will sometimes grow bolder if food is scarce. They are about the size of a cat and some can be as big as a dog.”
It is nice to know that there are cats and dogs here on Voldor. It might help make the adjustment here a little easier.
“What do you do for a living?”
Onka smiled and nodded. “We are passing my shop now.”
Kavan looked over to a small shop between two empty buildings. A window filled the front of the shop. The glass window had a small crack in the corner, but otherwise it appeared fine. Several large eggs were behind the storefront window, each one on a small pedestal. Kavan drank in the different colors of each egg. They ranged from yellow to red. Some of them had spots. They were roughly the size of Kavan’s forearm and twice as thick.
The dragonkin looked up to the hanging side over the door. It swung in the small breeze with the words “Breeding Friends” across it in pink.
Kavan lifted a boney eye ridge.
Onka put her hands on her hips as she looked at the shop with Kavan.
“I’m a Monster Breeder. I have everything anyone needs to breed their own monsters. I mostly sell livestock monsters to one of our only two farmers here in Moonvale. If you take up farming and livestock ownership, we’ll be conducting business soon.”
Kavan’s slitted eyes narrowed and he looked down at the goblin at his side. “You brought me this way to make sure I saw your shop.”
Onka gasped as she put her hand over her heart, “How could you think I was some shill trying to peddle my wares to a newcomer to town? I’m shocked, shocked I say!”
The goblin threw her head back and let out a loud cackle. Her laughter echoed off the street and faded into the distance. She then snapped her head forward and punched Kavan on his hip.
Kavan simply stood with an amused smile.
“You’re alright, for a dragonkin,” Onka smiled before turning and walking along.
Kavan easily kept up, seeing that the goblin had to walk twice as fast compared to his stride.
“There are more local shops spaced out around town, but if you need essentials, you want Shegga’s Grocery Shop on South Street. Don’t be alarmed that she is a kobold. She isn’t feral. She’s been here for years and loves this town because she doesn’t have any competition. She’s a little greedy and don’t let her bully you into paying more or short change you if you bring her crops for sale.”
Kavan nodded. “I’ve heard feral mentioned a few times. Is that what you call creatures who live in the wild?”
Onka nodded as she walked. “As you know from your first encounter with those kobolds, not every place has civilized creatures. The ones that live in the wild are often after food, water, and gold. They don’t often ask for help and rather attack on sight. Many civilized kingdoms and towns refer to them as feral. They refuse to join us and can be a bit primal. It can be sad to see them, but it is also dangerous to deal with them.”
The goblin pointed to the high walls surrounding the town. “That is why the walls help keep them out and keep us safe, for the most part. As you saw when you came to our town, walls don’t always work.”
“Why do feral creatures want gold?” Kavan asked.
“To buy food and weapons so they can attack others and steal more food and gold,” Onka shrugged.
“It sounds like it can be avoided if they had food and some kind of income,” Kavan mentioned.
Onka’s expression remained blank as she spoke, “Kavan, Voldor is not a happy place to live. The dragonkin are the most powerful creatures across the realm and they have abandoned all of us. They don’t care what happens to any of the races but their own.
“The dwarves weren’t affected by the war like the hudenn and the elves and tried to establish a new order to help everyone. They were quickly enslaved by the dragonkin, forced to mine for gems and precious metals to supply the spire kingdoms. After that, no creature or race attempted to establish order or unify kingdoms under one banner. They were afraid of being enslaved and they had every right to be scared.
“Most of Voldor are small, fractured kingdoms with simple rulers. Each town, city, and kingdom functions differently. The only thing that was agreed upon across the entire realm is gold coins. It is the only currency accepted, with bartering being second.”
Onka looked up to Kavan with serious eyes. “The dragonkin are not evil, they just don’t care. Their ancestors took over the higher realms and feel they are above
all others.”
Kavan looked down on the goblin with cold eyes. “That sounds evil to me.”
Onka smiled. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you. But after some time, you may feel differently. Simply hold onto that feeling and you will get along famously here.”
The pair continued to walk until they reached the town center. Kavan looked to the middle, seeing a fountain with a human man, or hudenn, statue standing on it. He held an open book in one hand and a dagger in the other. The statue’s face was looking up to the sky as golden sunlight painted it in brilliance. Streams of water flowed into the fountain pool. A few birds were on the edge of it, dipping their beaks in and drinking from it.
“This was a hudenn town,” Kavan stated.
Onka nodded. “We believe this was the founder. If you look at the base of the statue, the name Samuel Truewind is barely visible. There are no records of him since the town was resettled. The entire library was rotted out before Kogan had it all removed and replaced with new books.
“This is all that’s left of the people who lived here, thousands of years ago. I’m surprised the fountain continues to work after all this time.”
“Is it like this across all of Voldor, resettled hudenn towns and kingdoms?”
Onka shook her head. “No, not really. Many places are nothing but ruins. New towns and kingdoms were built or rebuilt. Relic hunting can earn you some coin. There are many collectors across the world, obsessed with the time before the gods fell. I’ll introduce you to Tezzi and she can give you more information on relic hunting.”
Kavan listened before he lifted his gaze and looked around. The town center was star shaped. Cobblestone roads led in every direction, but all of them led back to the center. Kavan counted eight streets. The stone and wood buildings around the center were thin and slightly pointed, to fill in the gaps between streets. Some had empty storefronts. One of them had broken glass scattered on the ground and burn marks on the walls. A sign hung at an angle, one of the chains broken. The sign slowly turned and it simply had “Moonvale Bank” carved into it.
