by KJ Harlow
16
The Moonshift After
20,156th Cycle
2-Karst
“New moonshift to you.”
Cal stood in the kitchen, bleary eyed. “Hmm?”
“New moonshift to you.” Mayor Javal sat at the table.
“Oh good morn- I mean, new moonshift to you too, sir.”
Mayor Javal eyed him over the sheets of parchment he was reading. He sat at the table, a huge slab of meat on a plate next to him.
“Master Cal, Master Javal,” Natasha said, dipping her head. When Cal had woken up, the succubus was gone. She must have gotten up earlier to get ready for the new moonshift. He watched her bustle about the room and couldn’t help but smile.
“Late night, Callahan?” Javal eyed his maid, paying particular attention to the little pouches underneath her eyes.
He felt like a son-in-law who was being asked about the first night he had spent with his father-in-law’s daughter. “No sir.”
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Natasha.
“We enjoyed each other’s company for over half a moonshift, Master.”
“Very good!” Javal boomed.
“Where’s Kai?” Cal asked quickly.
“Haha, that cub is still in bed. Katrina hasn’t come out yet either. He must have worn her out. I could hear them from my side of the manor.” Cal had been so engrossed talking with Natasha that he had barely heard his comrade’s bedroom shenanigans. “Can I interest you in some steelmare steak?”
Cal eyed the meat Javal was gesturing to. “May I have it medium-rare?”
“Common Tongue.”
“Uhhh… just put in the fire for a while. Turn it a few times.”
Javal grunted. “You heard the orc.” The succubus curtsied and retreated to the kitchen.
“Natasha is really nice.”
Javal smiled approvingly. “She is. Did she tell you the story of how we met?”
“She did.”
Javal’s face suddenly darkened. “Those Dresham soldiers are gutless scum.”
“Why were you out that way, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I had heard of increased instances of border skirmishes and I wanted to go and see what it was about myself. Didn’t take that long to get there, a little over one moon. That’s when I saw those soldiers fighting. I recognised the Qestian and Dreshan emblems. It just seemed strange why they were fighting. The relations between the two countries have always been quite good… at least while Fairshade was king.”
“How many times had you seen King Fetter before the last moonshift?”
Javal growled deep in his throat. “I’d seen him only once earlier, when he came down to Bracefell for a visit. He didn’t seem interested in the story of how the city came about. More so the number of people who lived here.” He crossed his arms. “I will never call that cretin king.”
Natasha brought out Cal’s meal. It was slightly smaller than Javal’s. Having said that, it was still as big as a foot-long tree log. He snuck a look at Javal, who was digging into it with his hands. Easy when you were half wildcat. He pulled out his ever trusty hatchet and began hacking slices off the side.
“I heard that if one wants to be king in Dresham, they have to publicly battle the current one and beat him.” Javal pulled his face away from the steak and nodded. “But that wasn’t the case with Fetter?”
Javal nodded. Crossing his arms again, he lowered his voice and leaned in towards Cal. “Mark my words: Fetter is a usurper. Not only that, he’s got something to do with these border skirmishes between Qestia and Dresham. He might even be starting a war.”
Cal stared at Javal, his steak forgotten.
“Bahaha!” Javal rocked back in his chair, almost keeling over. “You should have seen the look on your face.”
“New moonshift, Grand Uncle.” Cal walked in, bleary-eyed. He yawned and plonked himself down in the seat opposite his uncle and to the left of Kai. Javal raised an eyebrow then winked knowingly at Cal.
“Late night, cub?”
Kai put his arms on the table, crossing his hands. “Yes Grand Uncle.”
“First time with a succubus?”
He looked away. “Yes.”
He chuckled. “Natasha apparently kept your orc friend here up for half a moonshift.”
Kai raised his eyebrow and for a fraction for a second, Cal could see the family resemblance. No harm in them believing that I’m a stud.
“I was just asking Mayor Javal here about Fetter,” Cal said.
“How did you come to hear about him anyway? Barely any news gets back to the forest.”
“I fought a Dresham soldier in Gresshia. With his dying breath, he revealed the name of the king he fought for.”
“Gresshia you say?” He suddenly stood up, staring down at the Kai. “Our scouts do routine checks of the areas surrounding Bracewell. They found a pack of survivors not far from the hills.”
“There are survivors?” Now it was Kai’s turn to stand.
Javal nodded gravely. “They said that a soldier with an eryn defender came into their village and destroyed everything. From the way it was attacking villagers at random, it seemed like their order was just to kill for the sake of killing.”
Cal and Kai exchanged looks.
“Do you boys know anything?” Javal said, glancing between the two of them.
“Nothing more than that we have told you,” Cal said.
Pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place, but there was still one piece that Cal had to figure out whether it was part of the picture or not.
“Javal, do you know who the Urath are?”
Javal leaned back in his chair. “No. Can’t say I’ve heard of them.”
Cal leaned back in his chair, his steak going cold. The robed woman who transported Fetter to safety had spoken directly to him. Hello Cal. Hope you’re enjoying ValorVale so far. Find me later. What made her statement all the more disturbing was that he had found a recording of it saved alongside his battle videos and cut scenes, as if she had put it there. Who the hell was she?
“So what’s planned for the two of you, anyway? Going to march straight into Thaylia, knock on the king’s door and ask him about how to get back to Earth?” Javal chortled at his own joke.
“I’m actually more worried about Bracewell, Grand Uncle.” Kai leaned in. “That man was going to martyr you yesterday. He’s not playing any games. Now that he was publicly humiliated, he will strike again with a vengeance.”
“Aaah vengeance, schmengeance.” Raval rubbed his stomach absent-mindedly in the spot where the stone spire had pierced him. “I’ll be ready for him the next time he tries anything like that again. You boys go and seek an audience with Fetter.” Cal and Kai shared a look.
“We’d like to stay here for a while, actually,” Cal said. “We didn’t know that there were survivors from Gresshia. It would be interesting to talk to them and see if they can provide us with any clues as to what or who the Urath are.” Raval was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He flicked a glance at Kai, who was nodding surreptitiously. “Bracewell’s also the first real community we have been to in Dresham. We need to restock supplies, sell off old equipment, upgrade my wallet. You were a wayfarer–”
“Are.”
“…Are a wayfarer, so you would know what it’s like.” Javal now had his arms crossed. Whether he knew it or not, he was also nodding in acknowledgement.
“I couldn’t help but notice the arena just outside the city as well, Grand Uncle. Do you think you could let us train against your gladiators? Maybe earn some winnings to help us when we do leave for the kingdom?”
“It’s funny you mention the arena; there is actually a tournament starting on 4-Karst. Two of the competitors withdrew at the last moment. I need a couple of experienced fighters. What do you say?”
“We’re in!” Kai said, punching his fist into his other hand. “Right Cal?”
“Right,” Cal said with a smile. As long as Fe
tter has you in his cross hairs, we’re not going anywhere.
“Orc.”
Cal was sorting through the satchel, putting everything he wanted to sell together. Kai leaned on the doorframe, a glint in his eye. Ugh, he’s going to want to compare sexual feats from last moonshift.
“Thanks for saving my Grand Uncle last moonshift and for convincing him to let us stay here longer.”
The gratitude clung awkwardly in the air, refusing to dissolve.
“Who are you and what have you done with Kai?”
The blue werejaguar made to leave then steeled himself. “I do not do this often. Just… be silent and let me get through this.” Cal closed the satchel up and it aside, giving his full attention to Kai. “I know I have not been the easiest to get along with. Grandmother urged me to go along with you on this journey because it would make me a better chief.” Kai looked behind down the hall, making sure the coast was clear. He took a step in a closed the door. “Truth is, I don’t even know if I want to be the chief of Rawdriad Vilage.”
Cal stared at him, not knowing what to say.
“…Well?”
“I’m thinking.” Kai walked towards the window and leant on the windowsill. A minute had passed and not another word had come out of his mouth; the princeling was finally becoming patient.
“Sometimes, people plan for you to be great. They want what’s best for you. A lot of the time, they only do that because of two reasons. One, they never got a chance to do it themselves and two, they believe in your greatness more than you do.”
The only indication Kai gave that he had heard Cal speak was the twitch of his cat ears towards him.
“You’ve already done some pretty cool things, things that I’d imagine you would never get to do in the forest. We all want to grow, whether we know it or not.
“The next hardest thing after growing is finding out what drives you. For me, it’s pretty easy: get out of Terrafaytum and back to my own world. You don’t have to know what drives you right now. Some people never know what it is. My point is this journey is as much about you finding yourself as it is about me getting back home.”
Geez Cal, that’s a bit heavy for an NPC, hey? Cal always fancied himself as a bit of an armchair expert on life, despite living such a crappy one. He could practically hear the werejaguar’s gears grinding in his feline brain. Eventually he sighed, turned and headed back towards the door.
“Find me when you’re ready.” Without looking back at Cal, he slipped out of his room. He shook his head and returned to his satchel. Couldn’t blame the guy. Most humans don’t even know what drives them.
“Hey you.”
Cal’s head snapped up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Natasha stood in the doorway, holding a feather duster with pink, purple and red feathers in it.
“I’m glad you decided to stay a bit longer.”
Cal sat frozen in horror as his eyes travelled up and down her curvaceous body on their own volition.
“Natasha…”
She walked in, stopped in front and bent down, giving him the best vantage point of her cleavage. He could just about reach out and slip his fingers between the milky, soft bags of happiness. Grasping the featherduster by the head, she held the other and bent it ever so slightly, flicking his face with it.
“Nat!”
“What?” She pouted.
“No Charming!”
The air rippled and Cal blinked, the pressure disappearing.
“You’re no fun, you know that?”
“Let’s go on a date, how’s that for fun?” The proposition slipped out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about it.
“I mean…”
“A date? You mean like walking around town, holding hands and kissing?”
“Um, yeah. That sort of thing.”
She crossed her arms and looked at Cal as if he was a puppy in the window of a pet store. “Succubi rarely have stable relationships and generally don’t date. We feel like they tie us down and stop us from experiencing the pleasure that new people have to offer. It’s only something humans do.”
Cal looked away. “Oh, OK.”
“…But I’m willing to make an exception for you.”
“Oh. Oh great! I mean, sure, whatever.”
“…So does that mean you still want to go?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
She looked out the window. “You’re still going to be here for a few moonshifts yet, aren’t you? I’m free next on 6-Karst. Does that work for you?”
“Yep, sounds good.”
“Alright.” She flew in and gave him a peck on the lips. “Meet me outside the manor after firstmeal then.” She left the room with a distinct spring in her steps.
“Come on Kai, we don’t have all night!”
The blue werejaguar opened his door. “What’s the hurry?”
“We’ve got to sell off our loot, stock up on new equipment and meet up with the survivors of Gresshia. Plus I chatted to your grand uncle and he said that he’s happy to introduce us to his city’s brigade leader.”
“brigade leader?”
“Yeah he manages the guys who are in charge of policing the city. They’re going to help us train and prepare ourselves for the arena. You want to prove yourself against some of the toughest fighters in Dresham, don’t you?”
Kai scoffed. “Does a mercat like keeping water clean?”
The orc and the werejaguar made their way down the hall back out to the common room. Javal stood there with a group of about two dozen other werejaguars.
“Karst imbues you, Grand Uncle,” Kai said, raising a fist to the side of his head.
“Ah Kai, you and Cal about to head out are you?”
“Cal? As in the Callahan who defeated the Dresham soldier and the eryn?” The werejaguar who asked the question was dark brown. He had sharper cheekbones and more almond-shaped eyes, sort of like a Siamese cat. The other werejaguars behind him also looked similar, with a few possessing the same wildcat-like features of the forest werejaguars.
“The one and the same. Karst imbues you.”
“My name is Var. I am – was – the son of Yrrh, the chief of Gresshia.”
“My condolences,” Cal said, bowing his head.
“Shall we take a seat and share our stories?” Javal suggested. “I apologise for not having enough chairs…”
“That is fine,” Var said, waving indistinctly. “We prefer sitting on the ground, anyway.”
The common room wasn’t big, but everyone managed to find somewhere to sit. Natasha, Katrina and four other succubi maids weaved in and out of the half-cats, giving them bowls of soup. Cal watched the wandering eyes of the werejaguars, particularly as they followed Natasha’s swaying hips.
“Is it true that Gresshia is no more?”
Wow, these guys didn’t like to waste time. “Yes, that is true,” Cal said quietly. He explained how they had come back the second time round to pick up some loot and defeated the orcs that had overrun the village.
“I’m sorry to hear about your chief, brother-Kai.” Var bowed his head, the other werejaguars following his lead. “I feel like we’re better able to understand one another.”
“Chief Yrrh, he’s dead now?” Cal looked across at Kai with a raised eyebrow.
“He stayed behind to fight the soldier and the eryn. Even with his strength, I think he was overwhelmed.”
“Var, the eryn who attacked your village also attacked ours.”
The brown werejaguar leaned in. “Is this true?”
“Yes. That’s also how Zkar died. The eryn attacked us when we were on a training mission, a few leagues outside our village.”
“Was it unprovoked?”
“It was.”
“Then it is similar to our scenario as well.” Var proceeded to tell the story of how the eryn and soldier came into the village and started killing indiscriminately. A few werejaguars in the back of the group started sobbing silently. “We were unprepared for
such an attack.”
“Did they mention anything about a Battle of Urath?” Cal asked. Var shook his head. “We were too focused on gathering as many people as we could to escape.”Damn, another dead end.
“So you walked across the Plains of Abundance and eventually came across Bracefell?” Kai asked.
“They found us several moonshifts before we could even see Bracefell.” Var looked to Javal appreciatively. “Your grand uncle has been very good to us.”
“They have been very good to us in return,” Javal said with a bashful smile.
Catching the questioning look from Kai, Var elaborated. “Valley werejaguars like us are known for our adeptness in carpentry. We have had a good relationship with Rawdriad for many cycles. In exchange for their forest wood, we personally built more than half of their village and gave them the knowledge to do the rest. My brothers, sisters and I built Gresshia with our bare hands. That’s why it pains us so to hear that it’s been destroyed.”
Cal fidgeted, resting his hand on the head of Crusk’s axe.
“When Var told me this story, I gave them the task of overseeing a few projects around town. The town guild needed sprucing up, as well as the some of the older houses that I’d built when Bracewell was still a twinkle in my eye.”
“It’s helped to take our mind off the tragedy of our losses. We can’t thank Javal enough.” Var dipped his head again, the Gresshian werejaguars once again following his lead.
Javar waved off the gratitude like it was a bug that wouldn’t quit. “Everyone has something they are destined to do on Terrafaytum. I’m just glad I could help with your plights.”
Var smiled and nodded. “If you’ll excuse us, we have to go back to work now. The night is young, but we have found ourselves rather sought after in this fair town.” The brown werejaguar stood up. “May Karst imbue you.”
Javal, Kai and Cal returned the greeting and escorted Var and his group out of the manor. “So that’s one thing done then, what’s next on the agenda?”
“Can you direct us to the merchant, Javal?” Cal asked. He pushed his disappointment of not making any headway on the Urath to the back of his mind.