Olgoli Verdante was known as the lush centre of Checkmate, it carried itself with pride as the blooming flower of the city occupying the ninth layer of Checkmate. Famous for it's herbal dishes and gambling dens, Verdanta was the closest one could get to a tourist attraction. The myriad of red clay houses stacked on top of each other paired with the farms for wild greens making for a beautiful sight to see, it let people enjoy life without the constant threat of armed robbery.

The region was held in check by a single powerhouse known as El Daagrun a name coined by the local cluster of alien species which had grouped together and declared the place their territory. Gaarpons, they were officially known as and also stood to be one of the most adaptable and destructive species known in the entire universe. The phrase 'survival of the fittest' did not do their society justice which stood to constantly push the barriers of what was physically possible. The name Daagrun essentially meaning 'scaled death', was not a name given lightly either, that bogeyman himself was enough of a threat to fend off nearly all the crime groups that tried to establish a foothold on Verdante.

This resulted in a society which grew and prospered under the sheltered care of its guardian, uninhibited by the struggles of what regular folk had to go through, the region thrived. Tempted by the sound of a better life many of the other species gathered in Checkmate tried to build a life in Verdante, however, the Gaarpons way of life was not something easily incorporated.

All of this was what lay ahead on the path of one perpetually worried barkeeper and his ghostly companion which cleaved her way into his life.

It was only when stepping onto the coarse orange dirt which crumbled beneath his feet did Palm realise how much he had missed holed up in his room. The place really was stunning, and they were only at the entrance.

'I wonder what the locals are like' Palm thought Idly.

'You've never met them?' Theda questioned hovering beside him, In recent days she had taken an interest in reading and had basically forced the barkeeper into lending her his portable surfboard. She had then used the handle of the axe to scroll through as much information as she could. Mostly history and documentaries paired with the occasional drama, but there was also a time he caught her reading romance, even though she had denied it profusely.

'No, I mostly kept to myself back home' He sighed, 'I wouldn't even be here if not for your idiotic plan.' He really should have found an axe that was less prone to suicidal acts.

'It's a perfectly reasonable plan' the spirit replied ignoring the complaints of her companion, 'Your doing the city justice by taking away from the hands of the corrupt while filling your own pockets, what better deal could you ask for?' They had shared similar conversation during their entire walk to Verdante only with Theda keeping her focus on her intensive reading rather than the extremely worried Palm.

'There's a hole in that reasoning and it's when I'm full of them' Palm deadpanned. 'They'll turn me into swiss cheese before I can even step foot through the front door.'

'I have ways to deal with that' Theda responded mysteriously wagging her fingers whilst huffing at him, 'You need to start having more faith in me Palm.'

Personally the barkeeper thought she was full of it, but the past week of training had taught him that she seemed to know more than she let on. Maybe she was secretly a drill sergeant turned undead? It was impossible to tell with here inane levels of secrecy.

'A mental asylum escapee seems more likely' the barkeeper thought bitterly, sometimes you just needed to grin and bear it.

Navigating his way through the increasingly crowded streets he had found himself in Palm eventually managed to squeeze his way into the main plaza. What greeted him was enough to make him second guess his formal lifestyle, a large marble fountain stretched leagues upward in the centre of the plaza showering it's surroundings with crystal clear water. Herbs and vegetables of kinds the barkeep didn't even know existed snaked their way through the mosaic tiles which dotted themselves around his feet, curling around market stalls and antique inns which all beamed with life.

Hearty laughter and chatter flowed though the crowds acting as the lifeblood which powered the lives of those in the area. While walking through Palm felt himself gawking at the sheer number of outdoor activities and friendly competitions, ranging from sparring to eating to even plain old gambling. The air despite being cheerful and welcoming always holding a distinct competitive edge, as if everybody around him was simply waiting for a challenge.

'So that's what Gaarpons look like.' Theda muttered quietly from behind the barkeeper, staring at the crowds in a similar but more refined manner.

The Gaarpons were a race of humanoid creatures which shared the same basic appearance but the similarities ended there. They hosted an entire range of differing modifications, some had extra legs ; others had extra pairs of arms or tusks. They all were quite tall bar a few but overall each Gaarpon heralded differing kinds of strength. The only constant which was shared by each were the abnormal skin colours and unrivalled muscle density. The species came in shades of red; green; purple; blue; most other colours you could think of, but never beige like regular humans. They also possessed musculature like no other, where even the fittest and strongest of humans wouldn't win out in an arm wrestle against a toddler Gaarpon.

'Yeah their pretty crazy.' Palm commented 'Completely obsessed with getting as powerful as possible, I've only ever seen pictures before.' Luckily for him the local police precinct in the area was run by humans otherwise he wouldn't have even bothered with Theda's suggestion.

'It's respectable to see their efforts' the spirit mused while nodding to herself, before tapping her chin thoughtfully 'But sheer grit isn't enough to reach the level of a higher lifeform unfortunately.'

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

'How would you know?' the barkeeper questioned before sarcastically commenting, 'Oh wait let me guess, you won't tell me?' as he worked his way through the even denser crowd that he was sure hadn't been there a moment ago. Verdante was a little too lively for his tastes.

'At least your not getting dumber' Theda replied in a flat tone.

To be fair to him, she couldn't keep giving cryptic opinions without him asking questions. What was she batman? Hiding her Identity for the good of Gotham?

'Remind me to show you the second movie.' Theda commented in response. She had shown him another pre-historic film she had found after some digging on the wave, Palm saw a lot of parallels in terms of secrecy, just that the spirit seemed to condone crime rather than resent it.

They eventually arrived at their destination looking up at the same derelict grey building which stood as a symbol of the MPF (Mercy police department). It was a rather unpleasant sight amidst all the much more interesting sights of the main plaza but was impressive in it's own right. Even underfunded, the police managed to establish a presence wherever it could to help combat crime. Or in this case take bribes and help Verdante manage it's giant gambling rings, if Theda was to be believed. Her 'research' had shown that it would be the best choice to raid with minimal backlash, since the place had rather lax security due to all the Gaarpons.

'So what's your master plan?' Palm questioned turning to his companion. She had been so confident the entire way there so she must have some secret method.

Strangely enough the barkeeper saw none of her previous brashness, as though it had all evaporated in an instant. His companion simply stood still, blankly staring at the MPF.

'I...I think I need to do some reconnaissance.' Theda stated slowly, her index finger twitched as she spoke. Her voice more subdued than the barman was used to. 'Just stay here, don't go anywhere.'

Without waiting to hear his response the spirit flew away faster than he had seen her ever move, passing straight through the walls of the building.

Palm stood there debating his choices before ultimately turning around. He had yet to eat lunch and saw a few food stalls on his way in, he was sure that Theda would explain her absence upon returning. Or not depending on the mood.

Careful not to stray too far from the building Palm picked the first vendor he could find within sight. The stall seemed to be advertising a sort of revitalising broth which was well seasoned with the plentiful herbs of the area, it smelled like a tourist trap but he was hungry. As he approached the stall he noticed that while it had a reasonable amount of space for people to sit and enjoy their meals most of the seats were empty save for a couple, ignoring this the barkeeper sat down with a sigh and scanned the menu.

With a few variations of the same meal he eventually decided to go with the 'Classic Mixed Vidiris Serving', whatever that was. He tapped away at the holographic button on the side of the table he sat on which automatically deducted the cost from his savings, he then waited patiently for his food to arrive. After a while a much older Gaarpon walked out from behind a curtain of thick cloth, the clearly female figure seemed to fix him with a disapproving glare as soon as she found him. The Gaarpon had an elderly appearance with wrinkles and a hunchback but, with enough fire in her eyes that nobody would dare call her out on being old. She stared at him the same way his own grandmother did when he said he was going to beat up all the other kids in his class. Annoyance laced with a tinge of exasperation.

"I wouldn't recommend ordering here young man" She spoke, her voice low but firm. "I've seen too many humans think they can handle Gaarpon food and end up miserable for it."

"I'm sure I'll be fine" Palm shrugged, he could handle almost any type of food thanks to his less than Ideal living conditions.

"Don't say I didn't warn you" the elderly figure tutted, turning to serve him a small patterned bowl and departing just as quickly. The bowl itself was filled with a thick green soup which was sprinkled with smaller darker herbs. It smelled quite strongly, but Palm had already gone through with the order. It was already far too late to say no.

Before he could begin eating he felt a heavy weight fall next to him weighing down the bench he sat at, looking to his left Palm saw a young man who had just seated himself. "Nice choice hombre, I would have gone for the dragon special though." The man said. He spoke with a heavy Spanish accent and smiled widely at the bewildered barkeeper, "Not every day I see somebody willing to drink that stuff."

"Is it that bad?" Palm questioned with a brow raised only to receive a light chuckle in return.

The man gestured for him to try it which he did after a moments delay, he regretted it immediately. At first the taste was simply cool and refreshing, it held just the right amount of sweetness complemented by it's smooth texture. But, no sooner had he thought that he began to notice that his body seemed to swell. It felt as though somebody had pumped him with twelve different kinds of energy drinks and strapped him to a chair, lightning bounced around in his body with no outlet for release.

After struggling to move for a few moments the feeling subsided and the world around the barkeeper slowly brought itself back into focus, at which point he noticed that his new friend was clutching his sides whilst howling with laughter.

"Ahh, I'm sorry my friend, your expression was too funny." The man spoke, calming down from his previous demeanour, wiping a small tear away from his eye. "I am Alejandro, I hope you forgive me for not warning you."

"I'm Palm and don't mention it' the barkeep replied dryly.

The broth had ironically done the opposite of revitalising him, instead leaving him as stiff as a rock. Looking up at his company Palm studied him for the first time since he had sat down. Donning a large black hood most of Alejandro's face was covered leaving only a neatly trimmed beard and a playful smile. The man didn't cut the most impressive figure seemingly shorter than the barkeeper himself but it didn't give off an impression of weakness, rather he seemed to radiate confidence.

After a bit of small talk Palm watched as the the Spanish man turned to face the bustling streets behind him, staring at the endlessly busy plaza further down with what looked to be a solemn expression.

"What a place, huh?" Alejandro commented quietly, "It warms my heart to see all these people able to live despite all Mercy does to push us down."

"I suppose." The barkeeper answered slowly, He had never been much of a people person and a random stranger didn't change his views that most of the people in the city deserved to be there. The company was just doing it's civic duty so to speak.

"A lot of families have been torn apart, because of others think they're useless" Alejandro continued, "But, when I see Verdante I think that maybe our way of thinking is wrong, maybe we aren't so useless, right amigo?"

Palm thought about it for a minute before eventually giving a noncommittal answer. "I don't know, sure this place is relatively calm sure, but there are so many regions in Checkmate that are so much worse, maybe they were right to leave us here." He could certainly think of some people. "Then again what's to stop us from making something of ourselves?"

The shorter man seemed to ponder on his response eventually sighing, "I think that's where they have us beat hombre, nobody here thinks that their worth it, so nobody tries." He then stood up shaking his head sadly, "But it wounds me to see families split apart over something as petty as achievement, it's not right."

After a some silence from the barkeeper, Alejandro gave him a simple nod, tipping his head before disappearing into the crowd of Verdante.