A gray-blue sky began showing itself to the world, the sun would soon be shattering the remains of night. A kick at Atzler’s bed awakened him as his eyes popped open.

  “What?!” he sat straight up coming out of his nightmare of more attempted kidnappers tried to take him in his dreams, he stopped with a fist halfway toward Gunnolf who stood over him in cold silence.

  “We must move. Guards are investigating the corpses from last night,” Gunnolf said placidly.

  Lylen entered the room, “Guards are all over Walthruhn already. They want to know who dealt with the cutpurses who have been plaguing the village lately. Exacting justice on one’s own is in itself a criminal offense here, but given the circumstances, I think self-defense would clear us of any charges.”

  Gunnolf shook his head, “Don’t care, it would consume too much time. We have to move on.”

  “Are you still drunk from last night Gunnolf?” Atzler asked. “I can smell your breath from here and you had a lot to drink.”

  The kobold shook his head. “We will be departing.” He then picked up his sword and tied it to his belt and left the room.

  “What is with that guy? This could get us labeled as criminals if we just leave and they suspect us,” Atzler said to Lylen who was leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

  “Yeah, considering we just came here yesterday, and we look out of place considering Walthruhn is a human village,” she said in agreement. “Maybe Gunnolf has the right idea, perhaps we can be far from here before we get questioned by the guards.”

  The two of them gathered their belongings before meeting Gunnolf outside the front door of the Moon Lady Inn, his fur concealing his eyes but sharp nod to them told them it was time to depart. They casually made their way back to the gate exiting the village, not to draw any attention. Guards at the gate opened the way for them once they went through the normal inspections.

  “Did you three hear anything odd last night?” one clean shaven guard asked with a spear in hand and wearing thick leather armor.

  “Don’t think so, we crashed out at the Moon Lady Inn,” replied Atzler with a shrug.

  “How about you, Miss?” another prodded at Lylen.

  “Can’t say I did, the wine at the inn was enough to keep me in bed all night,” the dark haired elf woman answered.

  Two more guards looked up at Gunnolf who remained silent. “He doesn’t seem like the type to go off and murder in cold blood, but he looks as though he’d do it if someone tried to hurt him first.”

  “Hurt? Hell, he looks the type if someone looked at him the wrong way,” replied the other guard.

  Gunnolf grunted and both men gave a jump. “Are you finished?” the kobold asked.

  “Go ahead, sir,” one of the guards gave a bow and allowed them to exit the village.

  Once they were a few hundred steps from the village Atzler chirped up, “How do we get to Lilthiken from here?”

  “There’s a path using the Kyros Forest I overheard in the common room of the inn last night,” Lylen chimed in.

  “Nice! I was so focused on that delicious food, I didn’t overhear much,” Atzler said with a grin.

  Gunnolf led the way towards the forest edge, birds overhead soared this morning, chirps in the distance but not many creatures stirred on the ground. Lylen caught a glimpse of small rodents scurrying up and down a few trees, but nothing impeded nor crossed their path.

  The Kyros Forest was thicker and denser than the Jakara Woods. Everything fell silent after the first ten minutes of entering. Absently over his shoulder, Gunnolf finally said, “We may be in Lilthiken by this afternoon if all goes well.”

  “That means we have plenty of time to learn more about each other,” Atzler said with a wide smile. “I think the best way for us to work as a functional team is to get to know one another and be able to play off of each other during times of danger.”

  Lylen shook her head as her hand met her face, “Again with this, don’t expect Gunnolf to open up.”

  Atzler continued to push as he crept up on Gunnolf’s right, “So Gunnolf, I saw last night that you really love the drinks! And man, that swordplay outside was impressive considering how you staggered a bit back to the inn.”

  Gunnolf remained silent as he kept one foot in front of the other.

  “Were you raised here in the Low Lands like Lylen?”

  Finally, Gunnolf rounded on the red-haired elf man and drew his tanto with it pointed at him. “I’m not interested in talking about myself,” he growled.

  Atzler raised both his hands in surprise while Lylen glared at her companion with an I told you so look.

  “Hey, relax, I just want to get know you is all since we’re working together now,” he said uneasily with both hands raised.

  “I am simply escorting the both of you until we rendezvous with Zarmhel,” he sheathed the short blade and began walking once more.

  “Alright, enough personal questions. In that case, when we get to Lilthiken, do you think we can at least consider getting better attire? These clothes have a few rips in them from last night’s scuffle,” Atzler said with his tone right back to being cheery.

  “You can spend your money how you like,” Gunnolf said curtly.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “And I get a say in how it’s spent as well,” Lylen cut in.

  “Zarmhel only paid us three hundred Zoa,” Atzler said. “How much did he pay you Gunnolf?”

  Gunnolf was silent as he kept onward. Climbing over round fallen evergreen trunks that occasionally lay in the path the trio pressed onward. Until coming to a clearing where Gunnolf came to a halt and held out his right arm before the two elves.

  “What is it?” Lylen asked.

  He pointed to the center of the clearing where pine needles littered the forest floor heavier than what they had seen so far.

  Atzler gasped. “Do you think it’s a trap?”

  Gunnolf picked up a stone on the ground and tossed it toward the center of the pine needles and immediately gave way to a pit below.

  “That answers that,” Lylen said.

  Gunnolf spun to his left, his tanto drawn as a large bald man, clean shaven entered the clearing with a purple scaled reptilian creature at his side. The human was garbed in yellow robes and a massive backpack of leather straps and a wood frame on his back. Around his neck was an amber colored medallion that was round and had wavy markings on its surface. His feet had the same style of sandals as Gunnolf’s with a quarter staff in hand he partially used as a walking stick. The creature next to him was up to the man’s chest with its head lifted straight up, its forked tongue slithered in and out of its closed mouth like a snake.

  “A shame you sprung my trap,” the man said as he casually approached with a cheerful smile.

  Gunnolf noticed the insignia on the man’s right shoulder, an emblem pinned to his robe of a circle with lines bursting from it. “A monk of the Sun Temple,” the kobold muttered incredulously.

  The man gave a bow before the three of them. “Apologies,” the man said. “I am grateful I didn’t catch people in my trap. I was hoping to catch a chimera or some beast like it for mine and Dusaak’s meals for the next couple of days.” He gave a pat on the creature’s head.

  The reptilian creature gave a hungry snarl as it approached. Gunnolf shifted his feet ready to strike.

  “Dusaak won’t harm you,” the man said. “He’s curious, that’s all.”

  “Is that the type of creature it is?” Atzler asked.

  “Oh no, he’s a beast type monster called a Jormagand. They mostly come from a land called Oloshya or so I hear but was lucky to find him as an egg and raise him myself. I am called Olin by the way, Olin Traza,” the man bowed with both hands holding his quarter staff across his midsection.

  Lylen stepped forward and introduced herself, “I am Lylen, this is Atzler, and that is Gunnolf,” ending with gesturing her left hand toward the kobold.

  Olin studied each of them with a beaming smile. Finally, his gaze fixed on Gunnolf, “Ah, so you’re the fabled Wandering Dark Wind.”

  Gunnolf merely snorted and gave no further response.

  Olin went on, “Wandering Dark Wind, Graceful Deathbringer, Keeper of the Sacred Kazesuki-zhuken. You have quite the reputation, sir.”

  Lylen’s and Atzler’s eyes went as big as teacups. Gunnolf held his tanto firmer, raising as if he meant to drive it into Olin’s chest for his next words. Dusaak moved between them. Gunnolf’s teeth showed themselves, “How do you know about that sword?!” he demanded.

  Kill this fat man, bring the total to thirteen!

  Olin was unfazed by the kobolds threatening stance, he maintained his smile. “I am merely a Monk from the Sun Temple in the Magress Mountains on a pilgrimage, so I hear all sorts of tales in my travels.”

  “Gunnolf, put away your blade. This man doesn’t mean to harm us,” Lylen attempted to calm the situation.

  Olin nodded along, “Quite right, if I did intend on robbing you, you all would be unconscious already and left with nothing in this forest,” Olin said before bellowing out a laugh.

  “You’re not helping your case any,” Atzler added in with his arms crossed as Gunnolf finally sheathed his short blade.

  “May myself and Dusaak join you? I have no particular direction in mind currently, and I assume you are headed to a town perhaps? My trap failed and I would rather not go through the effort of resetting it,” Olin asked as Dusaak remained at his side.

  “No,” Gunnolf replied sternly. “Farewell, monk.” He then went to continue the trek not caring if the elves followed or not.

  “Hey, won’t you think─” Atzler was cutoff.

  “No,” Gunnolf repeated as he strolled on.

  Olin kept composure and merely shrugged. “Oh well, have a safe journey then. Dusaak and I will be alright on our own. We’ve been out here for three weeks this time, I think. The days meld together much anymore.” He gave Lylen and Atzler each a bow before he and the Jormagand began walking south of the clearing.

  “Be safe out there Mister Traza,” Lylen said.

  Atzler caught up with Gunnolf followed by Lylen after a moment. “Why were you so cold toward that guy? He didn’t harm us or try to rob us.”

  “That one knows too much,” replied the dark furred man.

  “Have you met him before?” Lylen asked.

  Gunnolf gave a shake of his head.

  “What is the Kazesuki- whatever?” Atzler asked.

  “The tachi at my hip. No more questions,” said Gunnolf.

  The land sloped upward for a while as they left the thick evergreen forest behind. The sun had passed its zenith in the sky when the three of them got to the top of their climb and to their left they could see the river and atop it were several structures sticking half-way up out of the water, like a flooded town but it stirred with life.

  Lylen gaped in amazement. It had a serene atmosphere to it, as they got closer. An underwater barrier of mortared stone secluded the town off from the rushing rapids of the Kyros River and each building was constructed of half stone for the submerged part and thick wood as it came out of the water. Giant lily pads large enough to fit the three of them with room for at least another person served as canoes or small boats as for getting from building to building and each had an amphobos oarsman to guide it.

  “We’re finally back to Lilthiken!” Atzler said bursting with excitement.

  Gunnolf remained expressionless as Lylen was staring at the village in wonder but gave no comment.

  Reaching the edge of the river, a bulky amphobos man emerged from the water. He was dark green, bare chested save for a pike strapped over his shoulder and wearing water-resistant black trousers as he came up on shore. He was a hand shorter than Lylen and Atzler, but his bulky body said he was battle-hardened.

  “You are entering Lilthiken, travelers,” his voice was almost a deep croak.

  “We are travelers with business in your town. May we enter?” Lylen said.

  The frog-like man replied, “An entry fee of fifteen Zoa and I shall request a vicaria pad for you to enter Lilthiken. Stir no troubles no matter what rapids impede your life.”

  Lylen gave a curtsy and Atzler gave a confident nod, “We shall follow that rule,” Atzler said.

  Gunnolf only nodded. They each paid five Zoa, and the amphibious man pulled a small conch from a pouch behind him and blew into it. From the village a thin amphobos on one of the large lily pads stood as they gently paddled toward the shore. After about five minutes the person on the pad was in full view, a thin, feminine looking amphobos pulled in close, she had light blue flesh and the pad she sailed was just shy of ten paces in diameter.

  After a brief exchange between the two amphobos, the woman gestured Lylen, Atzler, and Gunnolf to board. Atzler had difficulty in finding his balance.

  “Are you sure we’re not putting too much weight on this thing? These pads always make me nervous.” Atzler asked still struggling with his poise.

  “Vicaria Pads are strong and have a tinge of wind aether enchanting them to hold about six adults your size not including the guide,” said the light blue fleshed woman as she cast off. Each moment seemed to be a struggle for the elf man as he finally gave up standing halfway into the trip and sat down cross legged. “Oh yes,” the amphobos woman said. “Sitting like children often do is a good way to stay on the pad too. No one here judges.”

  Lylen giggled at the comment as Atzler had a look of frustration fill his face. Gunnolf stoically stared onward as they entered the Submerged Town.