Fall of Hermitcraft

7

Haha you have to wait now

Pearl

I wasn't quite sure what he was when I first met him. He looked like a massive polar bear (which I had only seen one or two of at the time), but standing on his hind legs, wearing clothes, and his paws had turned into fuzzy hands. One eye had been completely clawed out, with an eyepatch covering the socket.

"What is your name, devochka?" he asked in an unfamiliar accent, leaning down to face me. A rush of fish and vodka smelling breath slammed into me. I resisted the childish urge to hide behind Xisuma.

"Pearl." I forced out, putting as much confidence in my voice as I could. He extended a paw/hand to me with a small smile on his black lips.

"It's nice to meet you, devochka. I am Ivan of the Severnyy-mir. Welcome to the Tooth and Claw Tavern. Any Hermit and Hermit-Friend are welcome under my roof."

. . .

The Tooth and Claw was exactly as I remembered: dank, kind of shabby, wet, and filled to the brim with hulking Severnyy warriors returning from the war front for a time.

The Severnyy were a race of war-like creatures who were close cousins to the Polar Bears of northern Threllyria, but that's where the similarities stopped.

They, unlike their wild cousins in the north, had evolved to have hands with opposable thumbs, allowing them to advance technology in the harsh conditions of their frozen home world of Karnvas (which the Great Empire and Gigacorp had conquered centuries ago in a long, bloody war). They quickly adopted a war-focused culture, religion, and strict honor code instead of a set governing body.

BigB ended up having to bring me in the back way into the kitchen, as to avoid the crowd of Severnyy in the main room of the Tavern.

"You stay here. I'll get Ivan. He's... calmed down since you last met, to say the least. You should be fine. Hopefully." he said, helping me prop myself up against a cold metal counter covered in fish blood.

"Don't get any of that in the wound." he called from the door.

"No shit!" I yelled dryly. He chuckled a little, then ducked out the door and into the lobby.

I winced, pressing a hand to the bandage as pain flared up again. Hopefully Ivan didn't see it as a sign of weakness and decide to prey on it. The Severnyy, Ivan especially, were always unpredictable. One moment they could be laughing and drinking around a fire with you, and the next you could be laying on the ground with your throat torn out.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice the pair stepping into the room. Ivan, who had somehow gotten taller since I had last seen him and was well over fifteen feet tall now, broke into a wide smile when he saw me, arms wide.

"Ah, Volchitsa. It's been too long. You and Void Bringer should come around more often, share a drink or two." he said warmly through a thick, Russian accent.

Ivan himself was a middle-age Severnyy, in his early fifties now, and had worked closely with Xisuma with taking corrupt Admins down. He wore his eyepatch, dirty sweatpants, and an apron over a bare chest. A single, bloody rag hug from his collar.

I winced as I stood up straight. Ivan frowned, taking a whiff of the air.

"Who shot you, my friend? One of the Palace Guards?" he asked. I nodded.

"I took care of it. Just slipped up a little." I shrugged, on edge.

Ivan hummed, pulling the rag from his apron. He quickly wiped up the blood from a table, clearing it surprisingly quickly.