Khronicles of K'aamil

The Stress of the Job

Leaves crunched under his foot as he slowly crept through the Northern Forest. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, the edge of the blade chipped from years of use. The usual sounds of the forest, the screaming of the birds and the skittering of the smaller creatures, had all disappeared. He came to a halt and the only noise that accompanied him now was the sound of his breathing. His grey eyes scanned the atmosphere, blood pressure rising. Then, all fell still.

In a single instant, a figure lept out at him from the forest cover. He saw it out of the corner of his eye and he swiftly brought his blade up between him and it. The sound of whatever it was scraping against metal rang through the air and he skidded gently from the weight of it. He peered his eyes open to ensure that this was what he came for and, sure enough, it was.

"Damn Wolves..."

A beast resembling a wolf with a flowing figure, a pelt that blended in with shadows and the night, now gnawed on his sword with its contrasting fangs of pearly white and claws to match. He might've initially struggled to push back against the creature but now on solid ground, it was of little issue. He easily overpowered it and slashed downwards, sending the creature flying across the forest before a tree halted its momentum instantly. Getting up wearily, the wolf snarled at him and tensed its leg muscles.

He instantly knew that as a sign that it was readying to attack and sure enough, the creature flew at him, covering several feet in a single leap. However, he was more than prepared for this. His left leg took a small step back as his grip on the sword suddenly tightened. In one solid, fluid motion, he slashed upwards while simultaneously sidestepping the creature's attack. His blade rang out as it cleaved clean through the wolf's body, causing it to fall limp to the ground in a heap. Its fur died down, no longer flowing as it was previously.

The young man let out a shaky exhale and wiped strands of his bright blonde hair from in front of his eyes. He sheathed the blade and bent down to examine the wolf. Ensuring it was actually dead, he got up and rolled his neck.

Hostile creatures like this were easy to discard because their biology naturally did it for them. When most creatures like this one died, their body released enzymes specifically made to rapidly break down its biomass, essentially digesting itself. Within 24 hours, the corpse would be gone.

Wiping his forehead, he sighed and pulled out a small rectangular device: a pager. He tapped the screen and it lit up in a neon light, hurting his eyes initially as it contrasted with the forest's thick canopy which let in very little light.

[4:15 pm]

"Alright, just about on time," he yawned, rather relaxed despite the situation he was just in. He ensured everything on his person was hitched and he began walking, only to stop briefly and look around in a daze. "As long as I can find my way out..."

__________

Some time later, the blonde sprinted into the guild hall. It was sparsely populated at this time of day as it always was. A few adventurers had pleasant conversations in small groups while others quietly ate by themselves at tables off to the sides.

The hall was fairly large, constructed of a mixture between sturdy wood and touches of concrete. Tables were scattered to either side of the hall and a small bar and kitchen was set up to the upper right in order to serve mediocre food and alcohol to tired adventurers. Any frequenter of the guild knew what they served was pretty low quality, but it was cheap and provided solace to some. At the back of the hall was a large desk with three stations along it, each with a secretary working. A brown haired Troll worked on the left and a black haired older Demon worked on the right. However, it was the young woman in the middle between them who was his focus.

Her hair was a paler blonde than his was and, unlike his dark skin, hers was pale. She wore a black suit with a red undershirt and tie. More definingly, she carried visible bags under her eyes and a stressed expression as she filed through a mountain of papers that rose almost up to her head. Her coworkers seemed just as busy.

The blonde young Human slid right up to the desk and stared down at the blonde woman, also Human. "Alicia, I can explain."

She looked up at him with a bleak, uninterested expression. "You're late."

"The forest is massive," he sighed. "How was I supposed to just find my way out?"

"Oh woe is you, Shisuka. If only your pager came with, oh I don't know, some kind of GPS system. That'd be really useful," her voice was monotone and steeped in sarcasm. "Did you at least take care of the Wolves?"

"Oh, yeah," he waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing to worry about. All Shadow Wolves in that region have been disposed of."

Alicia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright, those townspeople get to sleep peacefully again at least. Any idea why the attacks started?"

Shisuka shook his head. "Their food source hadn't migrated over there with them, so it's not like they were chasing anything. It wasn't even an entire pack of them. Just a few that somehow managed to make it to the borders of the forest."

"Good work then," she gave the smallest hint of a smile. "I'll fill out the report on that later and you can drop by tomorrow for your payment."

Shisuka leaned on the desk, looking at her now with a more personal gaze. "You sure? I can fill that out if you need me to. You've got..." his eyes darted over to the mounds of paper before her. "...enough to do already."

She snickered. "Even if you did, I'd have to come behind you to make sure it's done properly."

He scoffed. "That feels like an insult."

"And if it is?"

Shisuka frowned and gently blew on the stack of papers, sending several of them flying, causing Alicia to leap up in a panic to catch them. "Would you get out of here??".

"Message me when you get home?"

"You'll know I left work safe when I smother you in your sleep," she hissed back.

"Thanks Ali! Love ya!" the blonde threw back a wave as he exited the hall.

The continent of K'aamil was somewhat smaller than its surrounding continents and was best divided into a series of five simple regions: Nothern, Southern, Eastern, Western and Central, from which the regions were further divided down into locations. Most important was the Central region, most of which was occupied by the continent's capital: Newcastle.

Newcastle was a bustling city and the most urban region one could find. Unlike most other towns and villages, Newcastle had paved roads constructed of gravel and stone packed tightly together. Keilit-drawn carriages occupied the streets as merchants from far and wide came to sell their produce. While many buildings remained ground floor, several buildings extended up and high into the air, mostly originating from the Mystic Province. This proved Newcastle to be a sort of shining beacon among the rest of the fairly rural country. At the heart of Newcastle lied the guild: the livelihood of many citizens.

Funded by the Royal Family themselves for decades now, the guild existed as a sort of lifeline for the country's residents, similar to the Medical Center. Citizens were allowed to come in and make requests for jobs to be done, ranging from things as simple as weeding gardens or fetching groceries to the most common type of request: pest control. The pest most complained about were not things like locusts or mosquitoes. Instead, they were far more aggressive. From bipedal sharks capable of producing scalding steam to wolves able to phase in and out of darkness, the country bore a very diverse ecosystem of creatures coexisting with one another. While usually existing among themselves, sometimes they caused conflict among members of K'aamil and needed to be dealt with. This is where the guild and its members, adventurers, came into play as they would take the jobs and be paid through the Royal Family for their deeds. While not exactly the safest job, it was certainly helped by the mystical energy every Celtian had flowing through their veins. Mana.

As Shisuka plotted out into the streets, he peered up to see the sun getting lower in the sky. Merchants were packing up their stock and preparing for the journey home. Many Keilits, creatures that were a cross between horses and lizards, laid asleep or resting with their owners. Everything had a warm, golden glow as the evening bathed the town in light. Shisuka took a deep breath in, savouring the mixture of scents that the carriages of the many merchants emitted. With a satisfied sigh, he made his way home.