The road to the town felt much longer, while staring into the black void of the night. This made the impromptu exercise I’Kira had pressured the pair into seem much worse than it was. During the normal training regiment, a run to the town and back was the warm-up to start the day; however, in the light of the stars and moon, the journey to the town was filled with doubt and uncertainty. I’Kira convinced the two young trainees to race to the town with the promise of an ale upon victory, which in this case was to not be the last drink of the evening. Within a single second of their agreement, I’kira took off into the swallowing blackness leaving the other two in his dust.
While the road between the estate and the town, as well as the surrounding area, was relatively safe, the beasts and monsters that ruled the night had no hesitation in preying on their next meal traveling on the road during their waking hours. The patrols normally found two or three beasts lying in wait as they made their routes. They were more than capable when taking on these intruders, but an average villager would have no chance against most of the nocturnal creatures. Bats, wolves, and jackals were seen almost every night, or at the very least one could hear them in the distance. The real danger was the Temagyr, these canine-like creatures measured eight feet long and weighed almost 500 pounds. Yuki had seen a corpse of a Temagyr lying on the side of the road once before, and while the monsters appeared to be large, hairless dogs from a distance, their eyes, or lack thereof, had been the defining feature that burned into her mind. The dark and hollow voids that existed where their eyes should have been, even when dead, were endless. Yuki had stared into those orbs of dark energy for too long and even though it was a corpse, she felt like they were looking into her soul. These creatures had appeared around Matari with the disappearance of the Kingdom of Dark, the closest Pathetic Kingdom to the town. It was assumed that they were once guardians of the Lost Kingdom and when their charge mysteriously vanished, they began to roam the countryside.
Yuki, with a moment's hesitation, had taken off after I’Kira and gained a minor lead on Igris. The road wasn’t smooth, by any means, and it took concentration to maintain her footing on the uneven ground. When her foot hit a slight divot in the terrain halfway to the town, her ankle rolled over itself and sent Yuki to the ground. She was able to recover quickly but the loss of momentum had given Igris the chance he needed to catch up and pass Yuki. As he passed her, Igris sputtered through deep breaths, “Looked like a nice trip! Hope you got me a souvenir!” Igris had the stamina of a workhorse, but he wasn’t faster than Yuki. He excelled at long-distance running, keeping pace with a slow-moving cart for miles on end. Yuki on the other hand, was more adept at sprinting and her speed was only bested by her father and uncle. She regained her normal speed quickly and was on the heels of Igris moments later. She would not let her soon-to-be shadow beat her in this race. For the remainder of the run, Yuki sprinted as fast as her legs would let her. It appeared to her that Igris was also giving this race his all, but he was slowly losing his slight lead. Within 500 yards of the town's gray-stone walls, Yuki had managed to overtake Igris and gain a two yard lead before slamming herself into the rough wall surrounding Matari, not wanting to give Igris another chance to potentially catch up and touch the wall just before she could.
The cool still air felt icy as Yuki took in deep gulping breaths hunched over with her hands on her knees. Igris slowed his pace as he approached the wall and gently placed a hand right next to where Yuki had hit. “First a tumble then a slam, Yuki. You sure are making it hard on yourself for tomorrow morning. I'd bet a silver that you will have at least two bruises when you wake up.” he commented, raising his arms and placing them on top of his head. “You know, it's easier to catch your breath in this position rather than hunched over?”
Yuki glared at Igris and she rose and copied his stance. “I believe I still won though, I get the free drink tonight!” She celebrated in between breaths. “You’ve gotten a bit faster, Igris, not like when we were kids. I’Kira must be running you ragged during training.”
Igris laughed, “Yeah, running is about half of what we do most days. I’Kira has always said, ‘If Yuki is anything like Iskra, you will be chasing after her often.’ I don’t think I’d have it any other way though. I never was one to lead the way, I much prefer following. That way, I have a better idea of what is ahead of me.”
Yuki stared at Igris curiously, “Very cautious of you. Also very fitting… of a COWARD!” On the last word, Yuki slammed her fist into his left arm. “You let others go ahead and find the danger!”
Igris yelped, “Ouch! What was that for?!”
“It was for the trip comment you made while passing me - that was your souvenir.” She calmly stated while looking around the outside of the gate to Matari. “Where is Uncle? I don’t see him past the gate.”
The pair walked through the gate, Igris bowing slightly while Yuki nodded at the guards with their passing. The guards bowed back in reply, bidding them good evening. They stood just inside the walls searching the area for I’Kira and found nothing but buildings and stone, the glow from magic torches on the walls of the buildings giving them light. The duo jumped as a hand landed on Yuki’s shoulder with an accompanying voice, “Took you long enough.”
They whirred around coming to face I’Kira with two mugs in his left hand. “You took so long in fact, that I was able to go to the tavern and pick up the winner's drink.” The red fur at the corner of I’Kira’s mouth gave away the smirk on his face. That smirk always irritated Yuki.
“How long were you waiting? It only took us 20 minutes to get here?! That's half the time it normally takes!” Yuki sneered.
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“Oh, about 10 minutes. Actually, I'm quite impressed with Igris here. He was only a few yards behind you. I thought for sure you would outpace him by at least ten.” I’Kira taunted, giving Igris a wide smile.
“I fell, that's the only reason.” Yuki seethed in reply.
Stifling a laugh, I’Kira took one mug from his left hand and offered it to Yuki. “Anyway, here is your prize!” Yuki took the wooden mug from her uncle and raised it to her mouth greedily, swiftly draining half of the beverage inside. The drink tasted of honey, cherries, and alcohol as she savored and welcomed the quenching beverage. Yuki let out a mocking sigh of relief directed at Igris after the long pull from the mug. Igris rolled his eyes in return, crossing his arms before his chest and putting all his weight on his right foot.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enjoy it. I’ll get you next time, I’m certain of it.” he murmured.
Yuki rarely got the opportunity to see the Matari at night, mostly from being exhausted at the end of her day. The dark wooden buildings towered overhead, the light from torches and windows spilling out into the dusty streets of the town. There were many townsfolk wandering about the area in front of the gate, as shops were closing for the night. Some of them were on their way to their homes, others were making plans to head to the tavern, and more were talking with the others around them quietly. The soft murmurs of the townsfolk created a comforting background and a sense of welcome in the air. Yuki noticed that some of the people were carrying mugs themselves, having already been to the tavern after a hard day. I’Kira walked ahead of the pair and waved them to follow. As they were heading towards the tavern, Yuki took in the sights of Matari and its people. The shop buildings close to the gates appeared old and it showed in the deep gouges on the wood of the doorframes where many had assumedly hit them carrying items they had just purchased. Heading deeper into the town, the materials that buildings were made of began to vary. Some are made with a combination of wood and stone, others of only stone. The stone buildings were the first to be constructed according to I’Kira and had been built a century ago. Those buildings appeared well maintained, compared to the newer wooden buildings. If Yuki didn’t know better, she would say that they were built after the shops closer to the gate. They continued to the tavern, as the sound of footsteps and wagon wheels clacking on the cobblestone streets echoed through the town.
Many of the people the group passed bowed in respect to them, directed more towards I’Kira and Yuki. They weren’t the governing family of Matari but they were well known and respected for the protection they had provided the town. Yuki’s father held a seat on the council of Matari, acting as an advisor to the mayor. It was well known, however, that if the Kai family had a disagreement on what was happening inside of Matari that the people would, for the most part, side with them over the current mayor. In recent years, there were talks amongst the townsfolk that the Kai family, specifically Iskra, should be the mayor. The justification was how much he had done since his arrival to this area, while the mayoral family had only let the town plateau in its growth. Her father hated the idea of being chained to a desk though, he would rather be out and about helping those who were in need.
The trio entered into the square of Matari, the gathering place for announcements made by the mayor and his advisors. Directly opposite them, on the north side of the square, stood the town hall, made of smooth gray stone and looming large over the surrounding residential houses. Yuki made an educated guess that most of those houses belonged to the mayor’s family and his advisors. On the east side of the square, there were smaller specialty shops, including the herbalist, apothecary, and tannery. There was also a single magic item shop hidden in the middle of these various shops, but it wasn’t front and center on the square. This had always surprised Yuki as she would have made sure this was on display, not tucked back in the alleys. Turning to face west, the well-lit tavern was shining brightly. The sign hanging from the roof read “The Kindled Hearth” an appropriate name for the lively tavern. No matter the time of day, or night, the tavern was full with customers all having a glorious time. While it wasn’t the only tavern in Matari, it was certainly the most well-known. Many traveling musicians, performers, and bards would travel through this town on their way to Hallow Port, the port city offering the closest launch point to the continent eastward, Yutera. The Kindled Hearth was the obvious choice for those traveling to stay; it was in the center of the town and was the first a traveler would find when entering the town. All of the main roads, which led from the entry gates, ended at the square, thus ensuring the tavern with a steady supply of weary people looking for rest and food.
I’Kira led the way to the door of the tavern, gently placing his hand on the shoulders of drunken patrons blocking the entry and guiding them away from the path that the group was walking. One of the patrons off to the side of the building fell as his comrade playfully shoved him during their conversation, spilling the remainder of his mug onto the well-swept street in front of the tavern. Yuki tapped I’Kira in the square of his back, a signal in the Kai family for ‘wait here’ or ‘give me a moment’ then moved to the fallen man. She grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet, offering the rest of her beverage to him once he had regained his footing.
“It appears the street has stolen your beverage, here finish this one off. I’ll go grab myself another before the show starts.” Yuki said, smiling at the gruff and intoxicated individual.
“Mistress Kai! Thank you very much. That's just like your *hicc* family! Always lookin’ out for us! CHEERS TO THE KAI!” the man extolled. The crowd around the tavern sent cheers into the air. The fur on Yuki’s face rippled as she pulled at the collar of her shirt and shuffled her feet. The man bowed to Yuki as she retreated to her uncle's side, the cheers continuing behind her.
“Very well done Yuki, as always.” her uncle praised as he patted the top of her head.
“Yeah, yeah… thanks,” she muttered in reply. “Let’s get inside before they ask me to drink with them. I always overdo it when I’m in a situation like that.” With a nod to Yuki, I’Kira waltzed to the door and held it open for Yuki and Igris to enter.