Short Story 3: Stranger's Place.

Lithe walked through the forest, the trees in this forest blocked all the sunlight. This what gave the forest it's named; The Dark Woods. It would be almost impossible for a human to see within these woods without a torch. Luckily, his eyes were much better suited. He was headed towards the most famous place in the northern part of the world. Drey Hila Stilva in the ancient tongue or Stranger's Place/home in the human tongue. He smiled in anticipation, even the harsh cold air of winter couldn't dampen his mood. He would be there in a few minutes and he couldn't wait.

The barkeeper had been washing a tankard with a clean cloth when his regular had come through the door, Lithe. He was a Lycan, a creature that could transfer between forms from humanoid to a massive bipedal beast, generally a wolf. Though most people thought that they were always humans that transformed into a wolf-like monster, it could be any humanoid. Human, elf, dwarf, orc. The Lycans, unlike werewolves, chose the humanoid they became while their true form was the beast. Werewolves were created when the magic that runs through the Lycans had somehow made it into a human body. From a bite, scratch or any other means of getting the magic into their system. Lycans weren't beasts of destruction that could not control themselves, though they were powerful in their true form, they were more tricksters and only used their beast-form when fighting was necessary. Lithe was in a humanoid form, that of an elf. Lithe searched for another one of his regulars, a vampire by the name of Sanguis Pugnator, who was currently sitting at the bar. They locked eyes, a fierce stare which lasted an entire two minutes. Lithe walked over and sat down next to Sanguis. "Barkeep. Two tankards of your finest ales." Though Lithe had only just ordered but the barkeeper had already the drinks prepared. Sanguine smiled at the man next to him "Prepare to lose" he stated. There was no hesitation, to conversation outside of that one sentence, before they both started downing their ales. Halfway through Lithe had turned into his beast-form, most likely so he could get more alcohol down his throat. A lycan would take great insult in getting compared to a werewolf but the barkeep could not help but notice the difference in transformations. He has seen both kinds transform before. While a lycan transformation was harmless as it magically shifted to its natural form. A werewolf's transformation was always painful, as the lycan's magic took over when its power is at its greatest. A full moon. The humanoid body forcibly being changed into that of a beast. He could not help but feel sorry for the poor individuals who suffered the fate.

The barkeep had the next tankards ready as Lithe finished his drink before his competitor "Ha-ha, you're slower today." Lithe said mockingly, smiling happily. They had been having these competitions for two years now. It started when Lithe had been bragging that he could drink more than everyone else. Sanguis happen to be there at this time and had objections to his claims. They drank all night with Lithe lasting out. A few weeks later there were here at the same time again. Sanguis wanted a rematch, saying that he almost won, and he would win this time. That night Sanguis did win. Eventually, this became a monthly tradition that had been going for two years. As things stand, Lithe was winning by two. "I won't lose this time" Sanguis stated gulping the ale faster. They had a crowd now; people had caught on to their competitions and every now and again people would come to see who would win. It was good for business. People started cheering, as Sanguine finished his drink and immediately started downing the next one. The people in the crowd had started choosing sides and cheered for their respective 'fighter'. All magical creatures were close. Though there was bad blood between individuals or different clans, no one kind hated another. Every race of supernatural being have been close since the beginning of time. It was rumoured that magical creatures were created by the gods, that's where the magic that ran through their veins came from. But that was only speculation. Most magics and humans believed that humans weren't made by the gods like them. They had created themselves. They had come to life on their own, through a process which the humans called evolution. That's where all non-magical creatures had come from but again, no one is old enough to confirm this. Humans did not believe that magics were created by the gods though, that would mean we were holy creatures not dangerous monsters that needed to be destroyed. But from the barkeeper's own experiments, it did seem that non-magical creatures changed over time while the magics did not. One thing that everyone knew as fact was that when human and magics first encountered each other it didn't go... well. Thus, started the war. A centuries long war between the beings of magic and the humans. The war ended with the humans going on the defensive erecting cities that were impossible to invade. Their technology created by their science was too strong unless the strongest magical creatures wanted to attack but they were tired. Tired of fighting. So, the magics were left with a mostly barren wasteland that was destroyed from the war. Few places still had plant-life, like the Dark Woods. During and after the war, the magics had increased their bonds. It was as if they were all a close-knit community that happened to spread world-wide. Thus, scenes like these were possible. Though there were no humans alive from the time of the great war and they only knew of it from teachings, there were still quite a few magics who still lived and held strong grudges towards the humans. This sometimes led to attempted attacks on the cities which ended in failure. Making the humans continue to believe they were ferocious animals that had no control. Most accepted the fact and were even a little bit satisfied that the humans were stuck in their cities and couldn't explore the world and the little wonder it still had. The barkeeper didn't hold grudges towards anyone despite being around during the war. Both sides had done terrible things for the sake of the war itself or revenge because of a fallen love one. Both sides had lost in the end, in his opinion.

The two continue to drink. "Are you doing alright there, buddy?" Lithe said as he went for a pat on the back. Before his clawed hand could hit Sanguis's back, it was caught by the latter. "Don't try that trick again. I will not be disqualified!" he said putting his now finished tankard down. Lithe just laughed before starting his next tankard. "Hey, barkeep" said a voice from further in the tavern. "Can I get another wine over here" The woman who spoke looked human besides the eyes. The eyes were bright yellow with a vertical split for a pupil. This was her first time in here, yet it was easy to tell what she was. Everyone could feel the ancient magic radiating from. She was a dragon who had taken a form suitable for a tavern. The barkeeper hadn't moved from his spot as the wine bottle flew through the air and began to pour wine into her glass. Once she was topped up, she spoke again in a voice that demanded to be heard "Did any else hear about the new creature who has taken up residence in the desert" She said emphasizing 'the desert'. The desert she was talking about was famous among the magics. It was the hottest place in this world, so much so that almost no one took up residence there. Most thought no one did but few knew that the only humans that didn't flee to cities found a way to live there and now apparently a magic had. The two competitors were too busy drinking to pay attention to her. An elf spoke in reply "Yes, I have." The elf was an elemental elf. Different to wood elves and dark elves by the fact they had a natural affinity to controlling one of the elements. She had been here enough times that the barkeep new that her time of birth allowed her to control the earth. Thus, she could command the ground to a certain extent. She sat with a living legend, the Hydra. It's five heads were in constant motion. According to the rumours it used to have three heads, it was unclear how it grew two more. "Why would something choose to live out there?" the Hydra said. "He's apparently a snake-man" replied the elf. "It's true, I flew over briefly. I could see his forked tongue from above." The dragon said after sipping her wine. "It was strange though, it felt like he had ancient magic running through him. Different to a dragon's though. It almost felt unstable." Few creatures had ancient magic. Generally, the magic within someone got weaker over time which is how many determined their age. Ancient magic however, got its name because it got stronger over time. Beings with the magic did not die from age and if the manage to survive for centuries, they became the most powerful things in this world. Luckily, for the humans they are so rare. Though it was possible that some just went into hiding during the war and are starting to come out or they were coming from far away. The dragon spoke once more "Has anyone properly greeted him yet?" There was silence from the tavern. A tradition formed that when a new creature came into a certain territory that people from that territory or surrounding ones would give them a formal greeting to the area. From the silence, it appeared that no one had followed through yet. "Ah! It's just too hot out there!" Shouted a dwarf on the other side of the tavern. There were a few murmurs of agreement. It was obvious that they were feeling guilty about having not done it yet. "I'll stop by on my way back, we should be courteous to our new neighbour."

The sun would only just be starting to rise from behind the mountains. Though one could not tell in this forest. It was an early winter morning and the shadows provided by the trees meant this place rarely warmed. The two competitors drank all night. Sanguis had come out on top this time despite the slow start. The barkeep was still serving drinks, as he did not need to sleep or fatigued, he never shut the tavern. It was apparent that he loved the darkness. The window closest to the bar was even covered with a thick cloth. It can only be assumed that this was a fail-safe in case the sun did come through somehow. "Drey!" a customer shouted lifting his large tankard in the air. Slen had been watching the barkeeper since she had entered the bar. It was her first time here though she had been in the area for years now, so she was known by most. This was the first time she met the barkeeper though. It begged the question, what was he? Her first thought was vampire, that would explain why he didn't have a fire going. Vampires are weak to the heat; fire and a hot sunny day was a vampire's worst nightmare. The latter didn't kill them though, more of extreme discomfort. "The only problem with this theory," she thought to herself "Is vampires don't look like that." She started to appraise him again. His body seemed to be made completely from darkness or shadows. But he didn't look like he was transparent or that you'd be able to walk right through him. He was clearly solid. Once or twice during the night, it looked like he went wavy, but the cause was lost to her. His hair blocked one eye while the other was almost glowing like a gem. It was a bright blue eye. Besides that eye, it should be hard to see the barkeeper amongst darkness of the tavern and woods, but somehow he was completely visible despite having the same contrast as the background. Slen concluded that this was the result of either her great eyesight or that he wanted to be seen and could control if others were able to. She couldn't conclude what he was, thinking about it more was making her mind dizzy. "Blasted alcohol" she said more loudly than she meant to. This human form she had taken couldn't take the same amount of alcohol as her true form. It drew a few eyes, but they almost immediately went back to drinking or conversation, however she was able to lock eyes with someone. She remembered that when the man entered, he had some barter with the barkeeper. A regular most likely. She stood up and made her way over to the man. As she gets closer, she noticed what he truly was. A demon. A demon was a being that was born with dark magic. There were many different types of demons, as long as you were born with dark magic, you were considered a part of the large group. Did not matter if you were the shape of a dog, humanoid, or squid. Because of this, demons had a bad reputation back in the old days, especially with humans. Like all creatures, there were bad eggs, but some found ways to use their dark magic to benefit others. She took a seat next to him. He had his brow up and inspected her. Slen's conclusion to this was that he was probably seeing if she was her to start a fight with him or something else. She had not noticed at a distance by he only had one eye. He seemed to have lost one in a fight, a massive scar covering most of his left eyelid. She knew that she would slur if she tried to speak with etiquette, so she got straight to the point "What kind of being is Drey Hila?" She whispered. The question seemed to have shocked him. It isn't usually impolite to ask another magic what they were. She hadn't gone to the barkeeper about it because she had been embarrassed that she couldn't figure it out herself. It was a matter of pride. "Is he a demon?" She asked to coach the conversation. At this question, he straightened his back and taken a proper posture "Ah, that he is not" He spoke with the accent that was associated with one of the territories in the western part of the world. "It's one of the biggest mysteries of this place". The fact that he said that this was only one of the mysteries had caught her interest but before she could ask more about it he continued "He calls himself Drey Hila which in the old tongue means stranger, it's hard to get him to socialize and he seems to be darkness itself. All we know is that he doesn't like heat or light and despite his appearance, he doesn't seem to possess magic." She knew she had a shocked expression. She wanted to play it cool, but she was too drunk to hide her surprise. He didn't have any magic, what did that mean? "When I say that, I mean he doesn't seem to possess magic the same way we do. There's a bit there somewhere but it isn't his driving force. He can't use for everyday tasks nor does he use it in emergencies. Instead, using something different altogether." She let his words sink in. He must be a new creature, a one of a kind. Or an ancient creature that mostly died out. "What is his life essence then?" She asked letting her curiosity fully take hold. "I don't know, I've seen it in action. It's powerful but I still don't quite understand what it is or how he uses it." He smiled. "We don't need to talk so quietly." The demon's words cut through her thoughts. "It took me sometime and a few... rule violations to realise myself but he knows everything that happens in the tavern." It took a little too long for her to realize who he was talking about. When it finally dawned on her she turned towards the bar. The barkeeper was looking at her, the single eye shining like a gem. She felt embarrassment fill her again. His gaze didn't stay on her for long, it moved towards the entrance of the tavern. She heard creeks coming from the door, it seems another patron was coming.

The barkeeper was unsure of what to make of the dragon asking questions about him. She had been whispering but he saw and heard everything in the bar. A noise came from the steps outside of the tavern. Over the years, he had come to know the different ways the steps creek depending on the creature stepping on it. This was new though, it was heavy. Not heavy enough to be a dragon or a fachan but too light to be a vampire or elf. It seemed to be a completely new noise. He couldn't help but watch the door in anticipation of the new guest. The door swung open often slowly to reveal a tall and bulky man. He had the essence of a warrior and the muscles to go with it. He wore a shirt closed by buttons and slacks, strangely he had no shoes... he was barefoot. That was uncommon even among the magics, however, it seemed he was comfortable or in better terms used to not having. He looked human, showing no signs of being a magic. If it wasn't for the presence he was giving off, you'd mistake him for human. He was emitting such heat that it seemed to even catch the dragon's attention. Just before he opened the door it had been a cold winter morning. It was snowing outside and there was no fire. Already with his presence, it felt more like a clear spring day. Snow was even melting off him. The heat made the barkeeper uncomfortable and he felt his form loosen for a few seconds. Not only was the heat he was giving off intense, but he just gave off the idea that he was a powerful warrior by the way he held himself. The barkeeper noticed that the other customers getting nervous with the new arrival. One person whispered in the back of the bar "Is that the guy from the desert?" He said to his friend. It was only because Drey Hila was aware of everything within the tavern that he heard it but judging by the way the man's eyes moved to the customer for half a second, he must of picked it up too. The man locked eyes with the barkeeper and starting heading towards him. This gave Drey Hila more time to appraise him. Wherever his bare feet stepped the wood would hiss a little at the sudden burst of heat. It didn't leave any scorch marks though. He looked into the man's eyes and expected to see the pride usually found in experience fighters, but it wasn't there. It occurred to Drey Hila that the man hadn't looked down on anyone when he entered the tavern. He was making a conscious effort to not seem above in power or position to anyone. As he passed a dwarf, he gave a bright smile that seemed as warm as the room. He didn't seem to think he was below anyone either. To the normal person, it would seem that he was a normal customer. Besides the heat, but Drey Hila had been around for many centuries and he learned how to read people. This man was no exception. The fact that he locked on his eyes with determation within them and walked over in a slight hurry meant that he was here looking for him specifically. His eyes showed a general kindness, and this is probably because he usually his but looking deeper in his eyes, Drey Hila could see the anger and the pain. This man wanted something or felt like he needed something. He could not remember this man so he couldn't think of a reason why he would be angry with him. He did know from experience that he would come up to him, sit down and give a friendly chat before getting to the point. As he predicted the man sat down and said "Hello, lovely tavern you have here" If Drey Hila had breath he was sure he would have sighed at this moment. "Thank you, I take the best care of it. It's the only reason it's still standing after so many years." Drey Hila paused for a second "Now, what brings you here". The man smiled brightly again. It really was a friendly smile and with it, he could tell that the man's anger was not pointed at him. The closeness of the man did make it easier to read him, he saw true pain within the man's eyes. Something had happened to this man and he knew he wouldn't stop until he fulfilled whatever he feels like he needs to do. "I'm looking for Eriti" Drey Hila had never seen a room turn so quickly, everyone's eyes were once more on the stranger. A mixture of contempt, fear and shock were on the faces of the other costumers. Drey Hila finally realised what this was. Why he had pain in his eyes. It had been a long time since he had heard the name of his creator said out loud. He felt only pity for him, for he knew that if he was seeking Eriti then he was seeking death.