Mateo finds himself in the swamps surrounded by his comrades. With the exception of Beatrice and Rick who have headed to the nearest tavern already. The enemies he was facing have been dispatched in his absence. Their corpses floating in the shallow waters around them or littering the muck.

  Stitches takes his hand her worry filled heterochromic eyes peering into his.

  “You went still and then you vanished,” she says gripping him firmly.

  “Sorry, I had a sparring session pop up, is everyone ok?” He asks.

  Stitches moves closer to him wrapping her arms around him without saying a word. He wraps her in an embrace as Terror and Okami approach them.

  “You’ve the look of someone who’s learned new skills, you should talk with Serenity, she was unsettled by your sudden departure, we dispatched the remaining Razor Talons, but she still seems, disgruntled,” Okami says.

  “Got a sparring session with that dirty old wind dragon and you didn’t think to tell us before accepting it?” Serenity scoffs angrily.

  Mateo moves to explain himself, but is unable untangle himself from Stitches’ firm embrace. He pats her on the head gently.

  “You should probably let me go Stitches mommy and daddy are about to argue,” he says patting her soft hair.

  “Daddy?” She says looking up at him with gleaming eyes.

  “Don’t call him that,” Serenity proclaims, “That’s my job,” she adds under her breath.

  Stitches releases Mateo reluctantly and scurries off. Okami and Terror have made a swift escape from Serenity’s inevitable wrath. Surrounded by the corpses of numerous razor talons and the slog of the marsh Serenity lays in to him.

  “What in the godsdamn void did you think you were doing just vanishing like that!” Serenity yells her voice an assault of anger-stricken concern.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was going to beam me away as soon as I accepted the sparring session,” he defends raising his hands.

  “Did you even think!” She asserts pressing her finger into his chest her offhand resting on her hip as she leans into him.

  “Of course I thought, I thought that because I was in combat it wouldn’t pull me away until the instance was resolved,” Mateo pleads with an innocent smile.

  “Do you know how worried Stitches was, how worried I was, that some unforeseen force had dragged you off into the oblivion or something!” She snarls her hands balling into fists.

  “Is that really a thing?” Mateo asks.

  “Yes, it’s a godsdamn thing, people disappear at night in the marshes all the time, seemingly into thin air never to be seen again.”

  Okami and Terror cower behind a large tree with roots that resemble the legs of a spider. Thick amber vines twist up the tree and around the trunk giving off a bioluminescent glow in the light of the moon.

  “Terror thinks bloodshed.”

  “If anything, they’ll be running off to the nearest tavern to have sex before long, I’ve seen what happens after Serenity scolds him,” Okami replies.

  “Terror thinks bloodshed this time,” he says slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand.

  Stitches joins them sitting in front of Okami at Jade’s side. Jade is ignoring the entire situation as she scribbles ignorantly on a projection above Terror’s rune tablet.

  The tablet seems to have a function that allows you to create images with varying conjured brushes. To the side of the projected canvas is a large color palate. A small magnetic tray floats above the tablet allowing the artist to rest their hand while they draw without affecting the image.

  “No bloodshed, they’re already making out,” Stitches says lowering her head to her knees.

  “It’s ok Stitches,” Okami says patting her ears with his large wolf hand.

  “Terror and Jade meet you at tavern,” Terror says tossing Jade over his shoulder as she continues to play with the tablet.

  “We should go too Stitches, I extend to you an invitation to join me in my room if you don’t want to get your own,” Okami says standing.

  “No, but you can carry me if you want,” she says slumping her head as she stands.

  “A wolfyback ride then,” he says with a playful grin.

  Before they head toward the tavern Okami notices a strange skeletal figure. It wouldn’t be out of place in the swamp full of razortalons as the flock they dispatched claimed many victims. Except for the marking on the bones of this figure were made by weapons and not claws. He pulls a blood-stained gold band from the corpse briefly observing it. There seems to be an inscription on the inside that Okami can barely make out. He disregards it sliding the ring into his pocket.

  “Robbing the dead?” Stitches asks.

  “You’d be one to complain,” Okami says a smile rising to his eyes.

  “Fair enough,” she replies climbing onto his back.

  A few hours later and the moon falls from the sky as it is replaced by the day star. Patrons of the tavern enjoying their morning outside seem estranged seeing a cat girl riding piggyback on a large wolfman. It’s apparently less uncommon to see a large orcen with a goblin girl slung over his shoulder.

  The tavern is a structure made from mud and bioluminescent foliage. Vines climb the walls giving them a soft amber glow while large mushrooms dangle from the ceiling illuminating the establishment with a strong azure light. The further the azure light radiates from the fungi the more ivory it becomes.

  It’s early morning so most of the patrons are enjoying the morning dew in the large exterior dining area. The few interior patrons include a handful of ruksha, an elven couple, and some unremarkable beast men. Likely traders passing through the marshes looking to score it big on the sweet-salt market in the mines south of the equatorial marshes.

  Okami approaches the counter and a young ruksha greets him with a forced smile that doesn’t hide the sorrow in her brilliant ruby eyes. She has cobalt scales and dull grey feathers.

  “Yashtella welcomes you to Mudmoon inn, will you be staying with us or passing by?” The young ruksha asks in what Mateo would recognize as a slightly Russian accent.

  “Put us up for a couple of days, and did you happen to admit a man and an elf woman before we arrived?” Okami asks as Stitches climbs off his back.

  “Yashtella accepts these patrons but an hour or so ago yes.”

  “Put our rooms as far away from theirs as possible,” Okami says sliding a few gold coins across the counter.

  The young ruksha looks flustered at the large amount of coin in front of her. She’s had patrons over pay before only to expect more from her than the services of an inn keeper.

  “This is far too much for a couple of nights, Yashtella cannot accept so much coin for so little.”

  “I’ll have a few drinks too then, the company down here seems pleasant,” he says directing the compliment at her.

  “Yashtella thinks you may reconsider when night crowd comes in,” she says sliding the coins into her purse gleaming at him with suspicion.

  Terror and Jade retreat to their own room and Stitches changes her mind sharing a room with Okami. Okami stays back for a bit to enjoy breakfast and a few drinks as he flirts with the young ruksha maiden.

  “My name is Okami Moonfang, it’s a pleasure to meet you Yashtella, um.”

  “Prenta, Yashtella Prenta, if is odd name I come from the north in mountains of Slavika, is common there.”

  “That explains the dull colored feathers, I am interested in your cobalt scales, are ruksha of your beauty common there?” Okami asks the cheek of his snout rising into a sly grin.

  “Yashtella is flattered, but Yashtella is spoken for,” she replies tapping a ringed claw on the counter.

  Okami takes a bite of something that resembles southern style steak. It is made out of a large, short-snouted herbivorous gator creator known as a cowlligator, at least that’s how Natalia translated it for Mateo.

  “Your breakfast steaks are superb,” Okami says washing it down with some mead.

  “Yashtella thanks you.”

  “That is a nice ring for someone who is unwed, I know a woman in distress when I see one, what is bothering you, my lady?” Okami asks wiping meat from his snout with a soft amber cloth.

  The young Ruksha breaks eye contact pressing her claw against her perky ivory bosom. While the scales about her are cobalt her chest, waist, and possibly some of her lower parts are an off shade of ivory. A color pattern not uncommon among the ruksha of the northern lands.

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  “Yashtella doesn’t wish to cause a commotion, perhaps you have had enough drinks for the morning sir.”

  “I won’t pry then,” Okami says standing, “it’s been pleasant talking to you and I hope the evening proves as pleasant.”

  Okami heads to his room to rest until afternoon. A few hours of sleep are better than none. The group need to get their sleep schedules back on track for the next bounty. Tyrantaterrors aren’t night creatures like Razortalons so they’ll be able to hunt during the day. Thus, the two day stay.

  A few hours before moonrise a rowdy group of dwarves enter the tavern. Okami has only been up for an hour or so. Stitches also rises from a short slumber finding that she has been using Okami as a large silver furred body pillow.

  “I was surprised to find myself in your embrace,” Okami says.

  “Yeah well, don’t tell anyone,” Stitches says ruffling her hair.

  Okami exits the room wearing only a pair of belted pants his brilliant silver chest fur on full display. The tavern seems alive with music and revelry. Unfortunately, it’s a revelry that Okami knows well.

  “Dwarves,” Okami says biting the word as it exits his snout.

  A small band of dwarves causing a commotion with their loud southern accents has taken over the tavern. They number around twenty or so forming four groups of five each.

  A couple of the short stout fellows are hassling Yashtella. Something that Okami refuses to ignore.

  “Hey sweet cheeks, how’s about I show you a little dwarven hospitality,” a red bearded dwarf says.

  “Yashtella does not want your, dwarven hospitality,” she replies pulling her blouse up trying to cover her ivory cleavage.

  “Awe don’t be that way sweety, for all his short comings Al isn’t a bad guy, he’s just a little rough around the edges,” a brown bearded dwarf replies turning to the red bearded dwarf. “She’s a lot cuter than your cousin, she might be out of your league.”

  “Hey, are ya’ll causin’ trouble o’er here,” another brown bearded dwarf says joining them.

  He looks the cobalt scaled ruksha maiden over and begins his own unwanted advances.

  “Don’t mind these dumbasses sweetie, you need a real man, someone who knows how to run the land, I just happen to be a real man myself.”

  Yashtella sighs accepting their coins and sliding more beverages across the table. Okami sits at the counter and waits patiently for Yashtella to serve him. The dwarves notice when her eyes light up and she hurries to serve him.

  “Hey man, who the fuck is this guy,” the red bearded dwarf proclaims leaving his seat.

  Yashtella slides Okami a drink, but he stands towering over the dwarf being nearly twice his height.

  “It’s a fuckin’ giant dog man,” he says drunkenly in his southern accent.

  “My name is Okami Moonfang, and I am not a dog,” Okami replies in his off-putting British accent.

  “It’s a funny talkin’ dog man,” the brown bearded dwarf says joining in.

  The third dwarf steps up his hand on the hilt of an axe at his waist.

  “Haven’t seen you here before buddy, you wouldn’t happen to be Yashtella’s husband would you,” he asks.

  “And what if I am?”

  The three dwarves laugh drunkenly. After a few moments they return to a posture that they think seems menacing.

  “That’s impossible, Yashtella’s husband was killed by razortalons in the apple orchard,” the lead dwarf says glaring over at Yashtella.

  Yashtella looks away gripping her ring finger unable to look at Okami or the dwarves. Her annoyed expression fades to one of deep sorrow.

  “Is that so, he wasn’t murdered by a bunch of horny dwarves seeking to sleep with his wife?”

  “That’s a big accusation Mr. Dog,” a burlier and more unkempt dark bearded dwarf says stepping up to the group.

  Okami pulls out a golden wedding band stained with dried blood and sets it on the counter. The interior of the band has a small ruksha symbol etched into it. One of the upstairs bedrooms opens and a young goblin girl garbed in a pure white night gown steps out followed by a large green skinned orcen man. Yashtella quickly grabs the band examining the inscription on it.

  Treahdor Prenta.

  Yashtella begins to sob realizing how Okami knew she wasn’t married, and that she was in trouble. Her husband isn’t coming home a few days late. He’s dead, murdered by a bunch of lusty dwarves.

  Jade steps up to the counter confused as she sees the tavern keeper crying.

  “Hey, what happened to the pretty lady?” She asks.

  “Is that a fuckin’ goblin,” one of the dwarves says drawing his axe.

  “Someone kill that fuckin’ atrocity,” another dwarf says.

  By now most of the dwarves in the tavern have left their tables to join in the spectacle. Jade steps back as a dwarf raises his axe to strike her down. He swings, but the weapon stops mid swing as a large green hand grabs its handle.

  “Terror thinks this is problem, problem that is best solved with violence.”

  The handle of the poor-quality axe snaps under Terror’s colossal grip and the axehead falls to the ground. The dwarf backs into his friends as Terror looks over at Okami. Okami looks over at the grieving ruksha maiden then back at Terror.

  “It would seem my friend, that violence is indeed the answer.”

  The half pint dwarven rednecks begin to group up ready for a tavern brawl. Terror focuses his assault on the three dwarves closest to Jade as Okami intercepts the approaching groups.

  “Think you can protect that fuckin’ monster from us?” The leader of the first group says.

  “Terror thinks, because his skull is not crushed, dwarf does not think, because his brain is a pancake.”

  The three dwarves charge Terror and he slams his fist down on top of the first dwarf’s skull crushing it. The other two dwarves swing their axes at him.

  Earth Ability activated: Stone skin. When stone skin is activated the skin of the user becomes hard as stone negating slash and chop attacks. Stone skin consumes a moderate amount of mana and will deactivate automatically when the user falls below fifty percent of their mana pool. To increase the mana threshold level this ability.

  Terror catches both of the axes with his bare hands. If the axes weren’t of a higher-quality Terror would have crushed them with his bare hands like the first one. The dwarves retract their attack leaving them open to Terror’s rage. He grabs both of them by the face lifting them into the air.

  Terror slams their heads together splattering blood all over the floor and himself. The dwarves reflexively swing their axes forward like toy soldiers until Terror mashes their brains into one bloody mass and their axes fall to the floor.

  Okami is putting tooth and fang to the other dwarves. A couple of groups flee after seeing the carnage. Only seven remain to combat two very angry tanks. Okami looms over two determined dwarves.

  “Bring your worst dog boy.”

  Okami lets off a wild howl before becoming a ravenous beast. Terror and Okami tear all seven of the dwarves apart limb from limb mercilessly filling the tavern with gore. Jade pats Yashtella on the shoulder as she vomits into the floor on her hands and knees unable to handle the carnage.

  “There there, it isn’t all bad, I’ll paint you some pretty flowers,” Jade says scribbling on the counter with what looks like a crayon.

  His fur covered in blood Okami approaches the counter after dispatching the last of the dwarves.

  “My apologies, I’ve made a mess of your establishment, where might I find a mop?” Okami asks.

  “Yashtella keeps mops in closet,” she replies and grabs at her mouth trying to hold down more vomit.

  Mateo wakes to a very horny Serenity. Their desire masks the ongoing carnage of the tavern. After she’s had her fill Mateo steps down into what Terror and Okami have made a goreless tavern. The tavern keeper is missing along with all the patrons. Only Jade remains scribbling on Terror’s tablet.

  “What did I miss?” Mateo asks.

  Jade steps up to him grabbing his hand before leading him to a small round table. She pushes a menu over to him staring at Terror’s tablet as she scribbles images on it. Mateo puts his hand on the tablet lowering it.

  “You ok Jade?”

  She looks up at him and sighs.

  “Terror went to wash the blood off and Okami left to accept the ‘gratitude’ of the young ruksha, they killed a lot of people and stuff, I just want some dinner,” Jade says setting down the tablet.

  “How about seared boardrel and brown sugar toma sauce?” Mateo asks.

  “Who’s going to make it?” She asks impatiently.

  “Natalia, you want to help me cook?” Mateo says and she appears floating above him.

  “I’ll try anything once if it involves food,” she replies with a lustful smile.

  “That’s unsettling.”

  Mateo steps into the kitchen. There is a large table in the center with an open bin that is no doubt a sink. The oven is a large stone structure with a fire under it. Above the fire is what looks like a cast iron rack, only instead of iron it’s made out of cast obsidian. The knives and cooking utensils are made of a lesser material as it is easier to sharpen and maintain than obsidian. There’s a winding mechanism that connects to a rod where various cuts of meet can be skewered and cooked in a rotisserie fashion. That will take too long though.

  Mateo opens a large chest covered in several runes ranging from light blue to dark purple. The lightest color is a rune resembling a cool breeze. The darkest color a snowflake. The chest is enchanted with a cooling spell. There is no doubt a frost glyph carved into the stone underneath it.

  Mateo pulls three large chunks of boardrel from the chest and places them on the rack in the oven. He runs his hand over a similar rune diagram on the front of the stone oven and the intensity of the fire increases. After setting the oven he steps over to a small stove top.

  The stove itself is an assortment of fire glyphs. Each glyph having its own rune slider. Mateo mashes some tomas which aren’t much different from a tomato except they are shaped like potatoes and grow in the ground instead of on vines. When they are good and mashed, he adds sweet salt and a brown sugar like spice that is labeled caramel sweet.

  “I thought you needed my help,” Natalia says pouting.

  “Nope, turns out you’re useless,” Mateo snipes.

  “I am not useless, I am the most useful person around you, let’s see how useless I am when you can’t read or understand anything or anyone around you,” she says turning her chin as she crosses her arms in anger.

  Mateo looks around and he can’t read any of the labels on anything around him. Everything is some alien symbol that he doesn’t even have a context on how to understand.

  Natalia floats beside him speaking.

  “Unintelligible babble,” Natalia says.

  “Natalia, no comprende,” Mateo responds.

  “Unintelligible babble,” Natalia states.

  “Natalia, por favor.”

  “Unintelligible babble,” Natalia replies with a cynical smile.

  “Natalia, eres muy importante,” Mateo says rolling his eyes.

  “And,” Natalia says squinting her eyes.

  “Te amo Natalia.”

  “Aw I love you too,” Natalia says floating up to him and rubbing against his cheek.

  “You’re a flying menace,” Mateo whispers stirring the sauce.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, do you think you could steam some vegetables while I prepare the meat?” Mateo replies.

  “You got it step bro,” she says floating off.

  Mateo pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

  “Great, she’s been talking to Serenity behind my back, I was wondering where Serenity was getting all these weird fetishes from.”

  Natalia shrieks and Mateo turns toward her swiftly. Natalia, now in her larger form, kicks her feet struggling to get out from under the lid of a large cooler chest.

  “Help step bro I’m stuck in the magical rune cooler!” She yells.

  Mateo runs his hand over his face giving off an exasperated sigh.

  “The things she pulls from my mind.”

  Mateo rescues step sis Natalia from the rune cooler, without checking her plumbing, and finishes cooking dinner. After nearly a half hour he emerges setting out plates of roasted boardrel, caramel sweet toma sauce, and steamed verde shoots. The verde shoots are a broccoli like vegetable that grow on shoots that resemble bamboo.

  Jade nearly slings the tablet across the table almost diving headfirst into her plate. Okami is at a separate table wooing the young ruksha. Perhaps another lover for Mateo to mercilessly dispel at a later date. Terror and Serenity join Mateo and Jade at their small round table.

  Rick and Beatrice are out fulfilling their own agenda. Probably hunting cowlligators to sell their meat and hides.

  “I just want to let you guys know, that if anything doesn’t taste good it’s Natalia’s fault,” Mateo says raising his thork.

  “Hey, that’s no way to treat your stepsister,” Natalia scoffs.

  “Oh, so that’s what you’re into, and here I thought you had a daddy complex,” Serenity says her fangs draped over a seductive smile.

  “No, no that is not what I’m into,” Mateo proclaims.

  “I can be your stepsister’s friend asleep on the bed if you need an audience,” Stitches says taking a seat at the table.

  “Natalia, would you stop corrupting my companions!” Mateo yells angrily.

  “Oh no, stepbro is angry, I think he needs a massage,” Natalia states turning to Serenity.

  “Yeah, he seems rather tense,” Serenity replies turning to Stitches.

  “I might have some calming oils that would help.”

  “This is a very inappropriate conversation to have in front of Jade!” Mateo says gritting his teeth.

  “Terror does not think so, Terror’s step siblings often rub oil on him and massage muscles.”

  “I hate the lot of you, except Jade,” Mateo grunts.

  “Thanks, big bro,” she says with a rye smile.

  “Godsdamnit!”