Private Tales Familiar Species, Unfamiliar Person

[Smiling One]

"Welcome to Kal Palthras!"

The Dwarven Mountain Guide: Ruvol flashed a smile to the cold and road weary group leading them to the gates of the famed Dwarven City. Willis snorted clinging tightly to his brown tattered leather jacket he along with traveling merchants and families have been traversing the dangerous mountain path for about a fortnight. It wasn't even winter and already the group endured cold winds, an avalanche, and an encounter with a wounded Cyclops whom Ruvol surmised that he has probably retreated from a battle against the Stone Giants who are very common on this mountain. Thankfully the Cyclops ignored them and lumbered to unknown territory.

The group lost a man to hyperthermia, a woman was crushed by one of the huge boulders by the avalanche and yesterday, some old man strayed away from the group (despite Ruvol's insistence to stick together) and was torn apart by a Bvette: A Land Shark who ambushes their prey by burying themselves underground and leaping at them when their guard is down. Willis managed to kill the beast though he took a deep scratch on the leg, however, the lower half of the old man's body was ripped apart by the Bvette's massive jaw and the young man had to mercy kill him.

The old asshole was stupid and stubborn anyway, he constantly complained about long it took to get to Kal Palthras claiming that the inhabitants specifically the nobles had access to tunnels which bypassed all of the dangers to getting to the place. It was probably true, but the old man came across as whiny when he said it so Willis tuned him out. Still, despite the danger, Willis was thankful that Ruvol guided them It could've been much worse for the group. Ruvol was always smiling and was passionate about helping people. During the campfires, he would tell stories about the glory of the Dwarven Town and how rich and diverse it was.

Willis sighed, they sounded like something out of fairy tale. People always love to brag about their homeland yet peel off the glamorous stuff and all you see is a pile of shit. Willis expected Kal Palthras to be not so different than the other cities he's been the only reason why he endured the dangerous journey was that he had a sense of adventure and excitement desiring to at least explore the place. That was the few things Willis held on as a child: A desire to explore. The group approached the narrow gate, pictures of the Dwarven language were carved onto the stone. Willis held his breath they were entering unknown territory.

 

[Celestia]

Celestia, quite frankly, had no intentions of joining the group expedition at first. She had been patrolling remote areas like forests and mountain ranges to spot for any monsters or beasts. Ever since she ran into Tereth Adathar, she had been on the lookout for strange creatures that preyed on humans. The monster hunter had made her slightly paranoid about the surface world, and now she expected something to jump out from behind every bush.

She was following this group in particular because she had never seen a more accident prone gathering of people. Between stubbornness, bad luck and pure stupidity, it was a wonder any of them were even alive to make it here. Celestia decided that she had seen enough and would join them to help however she could.

Celestia didn’t understand humans and their bizarre tendencies, but she had a soft spot for them and always wanted to protect them. She had landed several feet behind the group and wore a heavy coat. Though the cold didn’t bother her, she had to fit in. That was already hard to do as she towered over most women and men.

She came up near the back of the group as they came across the gates. Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in sight of the drawings and realized this was a dwarven city. The only dwarves she had seen were the ones from Belgrath that always fought against orcs.

“Won’t the dwarves attack us?” Celestia blurted out before she could stop herself. Her eyes went wide and she quickly tossed up her fuzzy hood, doing her best to appear inconspicuous.

Smiling One

 

[Smiling One]

If there was one thing that Willis liked about Dwarven cites is that there is always an abundance of contracts for mercenaries and Monster Hunters like himself. The Dwarves love for fighting always meant that they would be victims to rivals and monsters. The Monster Hunters have always maintained a healthy relationship with the Dwarves of Belgrath since during the Age of Urogosh, they've assisted the Dwarves in clearing out the Cyclops during the Ousting of the Giants. As a result, Monster Hunters were welcomed in their halls with welcome arms.

Willis definitely enjoyed his time in Dwarven territories, they've make the best Ale and were the minds behind many popular card games around Arethril. Coin and play: The words that Willis lives by along with some fucking but to earn coin only to piss it away in gambling, drinking and laughing life honestly couldn't get any better well aside from exploring the world of course.

The young man has heard some rumors regarding Kal Pathras, It was the same like any other Dwarven settlements but the Dwarven inhabitants particularly nobles can be a bit.... snobby especially when it comes to other races. As much as Willis dislikes snobby nobles, they are the ones who shell out the coin compared to villagers who are unreliable at best. Best not to chop off the hand that gives you the coin, though given how some nobles love to lord their wealth it's tempting just to hack off their hand.

There was an abundance of Monster Hunter contracts in Kal Pethras according to Gea, so it was best to head there immediately since other Monster Hunters didn't want to take arduous trip through the Mountains. Their loss if there was coin to be had and new areas to be explored then Willis will be on that trail faster than a Blink Dog. Ahead he saw Dwarven soldiers at the entrance inspecting the travelers. "Ah shit," Willis muttered. "More beuraracy,"

Just then a woman's voice uttered out worry that the Dwarves could attack them. The young man chuckled and turned around watching the woman attempt to cover her admittedly cute face with her hood. "Dwarves are also businessman." Willis smiled approaching her. "It'll be stupid of them to attack paying customers."

He didn't recognize her from the group, then again there were many people traveling. She looked shy and inexperienced. "First time traveling?" Willis smirked. "Yeah I haven't been here as well. What are you here for? Adventure, excitement, work?"

The young man shrugged. "I'm here for the last part," he said. "Name's Willis Reede."

 

[Celestia]

Naturally, her attempt at ‘blending in’ failed spectacularly. She watched with her eyes wide as a man answered her outburst of a question. He walked closer and she had to resist the urge to fly away. It was obvious that no one here recognized her, and people were beginning to whisper. Celestia did her best to look as if she had been there all along.

First time traveling? Did she truly come across as so inexperienced? Her eyes narrowed slightly but she brushed it off, “No,” She said quietly, “I uhhh joined up after the avalanche,” Celestia lied through her teeth. She had a story ready to go if he kept probing - she had seen enough commotion from the avalanche to have some passable bullshit to feed him.

“I’m Celestia,” She said, deciding to give him her real name. He appeared kindly enough, and she had to remember he couldn’t see her wings. To him, she probably appeared as a regular elf.

“What kind of work?” She asked curiously. Celestia could see a few others staring at her suspiciously. Even if Willis bought her story, it didn’t mean others had. Some of them knew for certain she hadn’t been there all along.

Smiling One

 

[Smiling One]

"Celestia," Willis examined her facial features she was mostly covered but based on how her face was constructed and her name, Willis could deduce that she was an Elf. "Elf eh?" Willis smirking a bit. "I knew Elven women were beauties but when I'm looking at you. I almost thought I saw angel."

Ah shit here goes Willis flirting again Celestia is very pretty which triggered the young man to turn on the "charm". It was hard to resist flirting with a pretty woman they were a weakness something that Willis was proud of having. "Even wearing a jacket," Willis said smiling. "Your beauty still radiates through."

The young man then turned to the travelers who were gawking at the woman and sighed. "Ignore them," he said. "Not many Elves travel on the mountains and you definitely don't see Elves in Dwarven settlements. I'm pretty you're aware the ol Dwarf and Elf rivalry."

The Dwarves and Elves over the ages had some bloody wars especially from what Caline had told him. During the Age of Wonders the Dwarves in their conquest to expand their empire, went to war against the Avariel and forced them to go into hiding. Willis couldn't think of any species: Drow or Duergar, Sand Elves to Mole Dwarves. It was unknown when this schism between the species started but today they've reached an uneasy peace.

"I don't really think anyone joined after the avalanche," Willis said raising an eyebrow. "But any who I'm a Monster Hunter and I've heard of a few good contracts in this city. Figured to get some coin."

Ruvol guzzled the last of his water twisting his waterskin trying to drink the last drops. Some of the water hit his black scraggly beard and turned to the group. "We've lost good folk on the way," Ruvol said his blue eyes watering a bit "If there's anyone who wants to honor their kin please follow the guard to the morgue the rest of you enjoy Kal Palthras! We are happy to receive you."

From the corner of Wills' eye, Dwarven crossbowmen cladded with medium Dwarven armor were patrolling on the walkway armed with an unusual looking Crossbows. They looked bigger and than your normal crossbow and appeared to be holding more crossbow bolts. A horn was then heard from the distance prompting the crows who were sitting on the gates to fly away. Willis turned to see the large double stone doors beginning to open. Ruvol did say that the horn blowing would indicate people entering Kal Palthras.

 

[Celestia]

Celestia’s eyes were wide as he complimented her. When he mentioned seeing an angel, a prickle of fear hit her. She quickly glanced back to check if her wings were visible. Not finding them there, she realized he was actually flattering her. The result was comical as her face flushed red and it had little to do with the frigid air.

She was about to open her mouth to tell him some random story, but he thankfully moved on. When he mentioned being a monster hunter, her eyes lit up slightly, “I’ve met one of you before!” Celestia perked up, “Tereth Adathar was his name. He told me about all kinds of scary monsters down h- I mean...around here,” Celestia almost let slipped that she was from a world above.

Celestia eyed him curiously and quirked an eyebrow, “What kind of contracts? What’s there to hunt here?” She looked around at all the women and children slowly funneling into the city and worried for them.

Like the others, she fell into step to enter the city. The sight of the crossbows made her uneasy and it was visible on her face. Large ballistae were often used to hunt Avariel in the past and anything that looked similar made her uncomfortable.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis smirked when he saw Celestia blush, he had more misses than hits lately mainly because he felt that he was too crass. As Willis allowed himself to get inspected by Dwarves, he turned to Celestia. "Heard of him," Willis said in regards to Tereth Adathar . "He is a talented hunter albeit a bit aloof, haven't met him myself though just going off by rumors."

The Monster Hunter safehouses were good in keeping up with rumors about contracts and the exploits of other Monster Hunters. Caliane herself was very popular not only because she is the first Averial seen since the Age of Wonders but also her heroics in saving the Orc stronghold: Bhathairk from the Amgalation. Willis had to admit that he was a little jealous of her. When he was that boy, Willis had dreams of becoming a Knight to save the world but like dreams it was crushed by a heavy dose of reality.

The young man was no hero, never was and never will be. Willis a vagabond meant to walk the Arethril and to be honest, it was something that Willis liked but still the way Caliane was looked as a hero..... "Besides the Monsters we've encountered getting here?" Willis smirked. "Who knows? I've been told by my contacts that there are unfulfilled contracts. I did hear though that there are Monsters who are strong enough to scratch that pretty of yours."

Willis smiled. "But that's my job as a Monster Hunter, to make sure your beautiful looks intact Celestia while I get my handsome self a new scar and shit pay."

There are times that Willis wondered why he was a Monster Hunter given the unpredictable pay. Thankfully Dwarven settlements pay in full and respect a Monster Hunter's skillset.