My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 192: Invitation

A goblin messenger was quickly darting through the streets of Stonefall. Two envelopes were clutched in his hands. A strange figure had turned up at the gates and without uttering even a single word had passed these to the Orcs that were on guard duty. One of them was addressed to their king. The other one had a single word on it instead of a name. 'Chimera'.

He knew that these two envelopes must be essential, so he did not have time to stop and properly chat with those that greeted him on the streets. The sounds of machinery and smoke filled the lively city. Over the past few years, they had greatly expanded the once human settlement. One thing that puzzled him though was that what seemed to be docks for ships was being built near the heart of the city.

All of the buildings that either been damaged or demolished during their assault had been gradually put back together. They looked like a strange patchwork quilt as the aesthetics of the new monster inhabitant did not match that of the humans. However, it was easy to tell if an orc had taken up residence in one of these houses in the inner area. 

That was because they tended to decorate it with the skulls of those they vanquished in battle. He huffed and puffed as he began to feel tired from the exertion he was placing on his small and fragile body. Luckily, the large manor where the king held court was already in sight. Two hulking Treants were standing guard at the manor's gates. 

Neither one of them made a moved as he passed them by. They were used to him by now, so there was no need to be vigilant of him any more. As he rushed through the open door of the manor, he slid to a stop. He glanced around trying to find anyone who could tell him where the King was.

"Oh! If it isn't Dhash! Are you looking for His Majesty?" A warm and friendly voice called out to him. 

Turning to find the source of the voice, he came to face to face with an elderly goblin. He had white hair and extremely handsome wrinkles. He had once been one of the greatest hunters of their tribe. His name was Jarhk. He had come out of retirement to serve the King as an advisor. He was extremely respected within the king's court.

"Yes! Do you know where he is?" Dhash replied a little out of breath. 

"He's in the garden just now. You're in luck as he's currently taking a break."

Dhash expressed his thanks before rushing down the corridors. As he eyed the paintings and tapestries that the king had chosen to leave hanging on the walls, he wondered why he had not torn them all down. 'They're all horrible anyway. Humans have no sense of beauty or art.' He scoffed in his mind as he rounded the last corner and passed through the open door that led to the garden.

He took in a deep breath of awe and reverence as he spotted the majestic figure of King Shagrat laying on the grass beneath the shade. Dhash knew that it was no tree that he was lying beneath. It was the Treant called Elderbeard. Dhash had no idea why he was called this, nor did he understand the Treants naming sense. It always seemed like just a couple of words stuck together or a single shortened one.

There waste thing that he did know. Elderbeard was not to be trifled with. Most of the Treants that he conversed with all agreed that Elderbeard was the oldest and most powerful amongst their kind. How old exactly? Nobody knew. Sometimes he just said things about the state of the world that none of them could remember. Which meant that these memories that he spoke of had happened in a time before they had existed.

Elderbeard's branches quivered at his approach, alerting Shagrat that he had a visitor. Opening his eyes from his daydream, he took one look towards the manor. Seeing that it was Dhash, he welcomed him with a smile. However, every time he saw him, painful memories were brought up. He still remembered the day when Dhash and his brother, when they were humans, were thrown into the pit. 

Dhash's older brother had become one of Shagrat's closest friends. Someone that he could rely on. However, those days came to an end when they chose to take Stonefall. His mind wandered through all of his memories of Dhurz. Dhash was obviously the younger brother, which was why he had never been put to work until recently. Looking at him now, he wondered if it would do the boy some good to go through some training as a warrior.

"Your Majesty! I have a letter for you!" Dhash bowed in respect, he hoped that he could have a gut as magnificent as the one the King had developed one day.

"Hm? Thank you." Shagrat replied in his usual accent that sounded like a Scotsman still to this day. He was still annoyed that Vaskra had beaten his bad speaking habits out of him, though. 'How do you expect your subjects to understand you when you speak like that!' She would always scold him before smacking him over the head.

Shagrat had to roll on his side to take the envelopes from Dhash, his gut prevented him from sitting upright. He eyed the envelopes wearily. Usually, it was only the Eljein that would communicate in this manner. Everyone else would just send a messenger. However, the handwriting of the envelope looked far more elegant than that of the Eljein.

He broke apart the blank wax seal on the envelope that was addressed to him. Removing the letter within he read over its concise contents. Basically, someone was pledging to become an ally of theirs. Not a subject. Apparently, they could expect a large number of rare goods to arrive at the city within a few days as a token of friendship. However, the sender hoped that he could pass along their invitation to the Chimera to come and be a guest for a while.

Shagrat read the signature with some difficulty. 'Lady Rysa'. His brow creased as he tried to figure out who it could be. He had never heard of a monster that went by the name of Rysa before. At that moment, Elderbeards branches began to shake violently. He had read the contents of the letter from over the top of Shagrat's head.

"I never thought I would ever hear that name again!" Elderbeard suddenly said with a voice full of sorrow.

"You know her?" Shagrat exclaimed in surprise.

"You don't?" Elderbeard scoffed in surprise. "You young ones should really learn about history more. Maybe you know her by the name of her species. In our tongue, they are called the Wings of Fire and Rebirth. How do you say it in your language again? Ah right. Phoenix"