As he approached the gates of Hydlaa, Stronith said to himself, ?Well, here I am, there?s no turning back.?
The long journey from the underground kingdom he was raised has come to an end. He has heard much of the great fortified city and until now had never imagined he would venture so far from home to see it in person. With all his belongings in a sack slung over his shoulder, he looked one last time at the road leading to his home. He strode with purpose through the gates, only to be stopped by a human, Remant. After slipping a few tria to him, he was given directions to the plaza. The Plaza in Hydlaa, he has heard much of this place. It was rumored among the Kran that the plaza was a meeting place for all walks of life, a good location to obtain information.
Along the road to the Plaza, he was stopped by a creature of a sort he had never seen. His skin was the color of the trees in the forest, and there were wings upon his back. Claws tipped his fingers with a point that implied that they were used for tearing flesh, or at least could be. He looked into his eyes in an effort to judge the creatures motivations, studying the expression on his face and his stance. He was unarmed, or appeared to be, not a threat to this Kran. He nodded.
The creature said, ?Good Sir, are you lost??
?Not exactly?, Stronith replied, ?I am taking in the sights as I make my way to the Plaza.?
The creature introduced himself as Kraith and offered to show the way. Not in any rush to get there, but also curious of the good-will displayed by this gesture, he agreed to follow him to the Plaza. The creature led Stronith through the streets, down a set of stairs and continued on. Once Stronith entered the Plaza, he stopped in his tracks. There was a huge statue and a fountain in the center, with stairs leading down to it. To the left, he could see the most magnificent building he had ever seen.
Thinking back to the rumors he has heard of Hydlaa, he quickly realized that that must be the famed Laanx Temple. He made a mental note to visit the temple and see what all the fuss was about. Realizing he was standing alone, he scanned the crowd for Kraith. His guide gestured to him with a wave and Stronith answered by catching up to him.
?This is the Plaza, my friend,? he said. ?There is much more to see in Hydlaa, but I must make haste, as I have guild business to attend to??
?Guild business,? Stronith asked looking perplexed, ?Please explain what you mean.? The term ?Guild? was not familiar to the Kran. At home, groups of Kran would stick together for sporting events, mining for food and such. Perhaps there were more of this creature?s kin in Hydlaa, and that is what he meant.
His guide explained to Stronith the need for citizens to find others who have a similar standing on politics and other issues. ?Strange things are happening in Yliakum as of late. The lands beyond Ojaveda Road have become dangerous for a lone hunter.? He went on to describe the Trepors, Consumers and the infamous Ulbernauts.
Instantly, Stronith recalled a conversation he had with Alteran, a fellow Kran back home:
?I bet you get squished by an Ulber?, Alteran had said to Stronith in an effort to scare him out of leaving the underground. Stronith taken that bet, stating that he would return home in 1 year?s time with an Ulbernaut skin rug to give to Alteran. ?I?m sorry, Sir. I was thinking of home. You reminded me of something I must not forget to do,? he said to Kraith in response to the concerned look on his face.
He went on to explain his plan with the Ulbernaut rug, but stopped his story short when he seen a look he did not understand come across his guides face. There was a grin on Kraith?s face and a slight flutter of the massive wings mounted on his back. His guide smiled and was about to speak when Stronith suddenly understood. There would be much training necessary for an Ulber hunt, the Death Realm is not somewhere he planned on visiting.
Taking the advice of his guide, he made his way to the blacksmith?s shop. Busy as it was, he was able to purchase some weapons from the smithy. Harnquist had much to sell, but nothing notably strong. A weapon would be required to make a living, as he was told, because the economy in Yliakum was mainly for trophies of battle with the vile monsters that had begun to spread across the land.
Wondering where to start, he asked around. There were a few mentions of an arena of sorts, but something about taking on Gladiator with a pitiful broadsword was not settling too well with Stronith. It was then that he heard of a rodent infestation underground. That was where he must go, practice some swordsmanship and collect some trophies of his battle. Harnquist had offered to buy such things, and now Stronith knew where he could get some; earn some tria and gain some fighting experience.
The sparring he had done with his friends back home usually amounted to not much more than hand-to-hand horseplay and sometimes stone clubs. Alteran had found a small tree-trunk stashed somewhere (Stronith hadn?t fully understood what it was until he emerged from the underground to see the forest) that packed quite the punch when he?d swing it at Stronith. Swords were not overly familiar to this Kran, but he realized that flesh and blood creatures such as the sewer rats he was going to hunt might appreciate the sharp edge. It would take much practice to wield these weapons effectively against much more than these sewer creatures.
After spending some time in the sewers, searching for an exit he was once again helped by his new friend, Kraith. Although his eyesight was keen in the dark, he could not figure out which way he had come from. His guide sought him out in the depths of the sewers and led him back to the surface. Showing Kraith what he had looted from the rats, he was pointed back to the blacksmith. Although Harnquist?s specialty was dealing in swords and other weapons, he
did purchase the loot from him and this put some more tria in his pocket.
It was then that he overheard a voice that sounded familiar. Looking behind him, he saw the speaker. It was the accent of a Kran that sounded familiar, but the face was not. This Kran had an air of importance about him, his face having expression of natural confidence that Stronith revered immediately. Hesitating only for a moment, he then made his way though the crowd to the Kran that was selling swords, all of them having interesting sounding names.
?A fire broad sword?? Stronith thought to himself, ?I wonder how much he would sell it for??
?Hello, good sir. Are you interested in a Fire Broad Sword?? the Kran asked and also introduced himself as Talad. Stronith was handed the blade to inspect it. The steel was warm to the touch, much warmer than it should have been ? given the temperature in the air. Intrigued, Stronith purchased the sword from this Talad fellow, not realizing until much later that the sword was worth ten-fold what he had paid.
Thinking nothing more of the encounter, he thanked the Kran and bid farewell. There was much to explore, but always being on-purpose, Stronith made his way to the temple.
?to be continued?