Chapter 339 - The Moonshadow Trading Company Short Stories: 2 - The Remnants of Old (II) (1/2)

*Eldovian Era, 1713 1st day of the 10th month*

Kit was dreaming about Rose again. The Innkeeper's daughter who lived in Elendale. The little town that rested on the cliffs between the southern edge of Eldovia and Shadow's Break Canyon was the closest thing that those at the mines came to civilisation. It's proximity to the cliffs meant it wasn't much sought after considering it was foggy almost year-round. Now, a month into Autumn, they were just coming out of their few months of sun. That, and of course the fact that the Canyon was heavily infested with unsavoury characters. The village was allowed to live in peace simply because they had nothing to give.

Of course, all of this was irrelevant in Kit's dream. The sun shone in Rose's bronze locks, she'd always looked adorable, her bronze ringlets the envy of the village girls, but Kit had just thought it was pretty until now. Now, as she smiled at him in her dream, a little taller than the last time he'd seen her and more like a young lady than a girl in other areas, Kit couldn't help but think her bronze locks framed her chubby cheeks like a little chipmunk, but without the buck teeth.

It looked absolutely adorable as she walked over to his table.

”Would you like something to drink, Kit?”

Kit grinned confidently. So much more confident than he had been a week ago.

”I'll have your finest ale, served by the loveliest lady in Evendale!” he declared.

She giggled at his remark, her chubby cheeks tinging red.

”You've grown up then, Kit?” she asked.

”So have you,” he grinned back.

Something changed in her eyes, something that was still Rose, but not as he had seen her before.

”Would you like to see just how much I've changed?”

Kit felt warmth fill his body at the prospect, and he sat straighter in the booth.

”And what would I have to do to see that?” Old habits died hard. When he'd been nothing but a beggar, nothing came to him for free.

”Well, you just have to get up, and follow me,” her voice was somehow much deeper as she smiled enchantingly, holding out a hand to him. He reached out to take it and when she grabbed his hand, she yanked him forward so hard that he fell straight out of the booth and face-planted onto the inn floor.

Kit g.r.o.a.n.e.d, pain smiting on his face as he shook off the daze from his dream. His covers half strewn on top of him and half still on the bed, he shifted until he could see a very familiar set of feet, then flopped onto his back, still holding his nose as he looked up at Olly.

”What?”

”You just have to get up and follow me,” Olly repeated. Rose's deep voice in the dream suddenly making sense.

Kit dragged a hand down his face, his body thoroughly cooled as he settled into reality again. He sat up.

”You could have just shaken me awake,” Kit grumbled, untangling himself from his covers and setting them back onto the bed as he stood.

”You reached out to me,” Olly frowned, ”Now come on, it's urgent”.

”What's urgent, Olly?” asked Kit as he took the time to glance towards the window, his eyes widening. He spun on Olly thrusting his hand towards the barely risen sun, ”It's barely dawn! I thought we talked about this? Work doesn't start until the second bell!”

Olly's face fell, almost pouting like a puppy, ”I thought you said you wanted to be the first one to meet Rassa Moonshadow when he arrived”.

Kit's anger fizzled out in an instant, ”Rassa is here?”

Olly nodded, ”Arrived not long after you went to bed yesterday, though seemed to be just fine waiting to see everyone until morning”.

Kit picked up the tracking charm from beneath his pillow and activated it, sure enough, the line to Rassa was nearly as bright as it had been the very first time he'd activated it, when he and Rassa had stood in the same room.

Kit rushed to put on clean clothes, stumbling with his pants half-way up in his rush before he pulled on his boots, pocketed the charm and rushed downstairs.

The worker's quarters sat 2 floors high in an L shape to the south of the warehouses, the Mess hall between them. None of the buildings had existed before Olly and Kit got there, so they were all pretty new, and there, standing right in the middle of them in a long black coat, stood Rassa Moonshadow.

He was shorter than Kit remembered. No. Kit was just taller.

”Rassa!” called Kit as he ran over to him.

Rassa turned as his name was called, giving a small smile as he saw Kit running towards him. He glanced towards the east as the first rays of sunlight began to peak from the horizon, and he reached up to pull the hood of his coat over his head.

Kit couldn't help the elation as he wrapped his arms around Rassa, the man solid as a rock wall. Kit was nearly winded by the force of the action, he probably would have been had Rassa not taken the curtesy to take a few steps back to redirect the force.

”Well, haven't you grown up?” asked Rassa, ”You used to barely reach my c.h.e.s.t, now you're at my shoulders”.

Kit pulled away, grinning, ”It's been nearly 3 years, did you really think we'd all be the same?”

Rassa gave a small smile, ”I suppose it's not really something I concern myself with, and nobody else has changed much anyway. Just prettier dresses”.

”So, Iah is well?” asked Kit, ”You were only there yesterday, weren't you? How did you get here so fast?”

”He does not concern himself with the laws of Order,” Olly piped up from behind Kit, ”His path is too embroiled in Chaos for that”.

Kit frowned, not exactly how he wanted to two of them to be introduced.

Kit opened his mouth to do just that, but Rassa beat him to it, ”Olly, I take it? The Oracle”.

Olly seemed somewhat surprised, a rare expression on his face. Very little surprised Olly. Still, it quickly morphed into a smile, ”I haven't been called that before by anyone but the Mist”.

”But it is what you are,” Rassa said as he stepped forward, ”Though certainly not expected. Others like you only existed before the Chaos War ended”.

Olly shrugged, his eyes darting to the side, ”The Mist says times are changing. Paths are being reopened. Neutrality is necessary when two sides exist”.

Rassa smiled, ”Agree to Disagree. After all, you are here, and you were instrumental in killing the Inktress, you took a side, did you not?”

Olly's expression saddened, and he looked away as if embarrassed before he looked up at Kit, a kind of determination in his eyes.

”Family protects Family,” said Olly, ”The Mist doesn't have family. It couldn't understand”.

Rassa raised an eyebrow, ”Well, I'm tired, I've barely slept in two days, so give me a quick tour then I'll turn in and talk to everyone once the sun goes down”.

He seemed to glare at the rising celestial body, his maroon eyes squinting terribly.

”Sure,” Kit said, ”Let's go then”.

***

Rassa rose an hour before the sun went down. He'd needed the sleep. Despite spending the last three weeks on a boat across the ocean, during which he'd had plenty of time to rest, he hadn't much enjoyed the swinging back and forth between which hours he was awake, during the night, or during the day.

He preferred the night of course. It was so much more agreeable for him. But unfortunately, the humans preferred to interact with him in the daylight hours. This of course included his business partners.

Could he have flown across the Strait to the Isles much faster than the 3-week journey it had taken him? Of course he could have. But everyone else couldn't. He'd found that he didn't much like catering to everybody else, and longed for the day, that vision he had of the future, where everyone else would be forced to cater to his habits. Those sun stones had been useful in those ancient cities. Shielding the Coven Cities from daylight and putting them into a twilight-like existence. So much easier on the eyes.

Washing his face and dressing, Rassa made his way down to the main offices that Kit had shown him that morning. It had been too early to meet the other staff, but he could sense the whispers and nervousness that floated through the mine site. Clearly, word had spread of his presence over the day.

He entered the office, and was greeted by the sight of Kit, a rotund, middle-aged woman with warm and gentle but serious eyes, and a scruffy looking man with 'blacksmith' incorporating every fibre of his being, from his well-formed muscles, to his rough skin, singed eyebrows – for they seemed to be the only hair left on him – and his work leathers.

”Rassa,” Kit greeted as Rassa closed the office door behind him. Rassa nodded, his eyes surveying the room. He'd only had a brief glance before, just enough for him to know how to navigate the Mine complex.

”Kit, I'm assuming this is Kei, the Head Blacksmith and Wilma, the Order Manager,” stated Rassa.

”It i-”

”It's an honour to meet you, Mr Moonshadow,” said Wilma, offering her hands as she stepped forward with a warm smile before Kei could claim the first greeting, ”We've heard so much about you. The stories do not do you justice”.

Rassa raised an eyebrow, ”Makes me question the reliability of the stories”.

”So, there is no truthful claim to the fact that you were miraculously raised from the dead?” asked the Blacksmith as he stepped forward to shake Rassa's hand. He was much larger than Rassa, but somehow, Rassa didn't seem to lose out. He was not dwarfed by the man in any way despite their contrast in size. In fact, Rassa seemed to appear in a world of his own. Both there and not.