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The short trip through the brittle, dirt road was within the range of the mountain. Zarin stared above the peak, stretching high above the clouds and even further to the stars. He felt the cold chill in the air. The sharp, biting frost that sting on his reddened cheeks, travelling in clear and bluish skies.

With little wear to combat the cold, Zarin was fortunate that the village was close to his destination yet he did not suspect the area to be enormous. He assumed the village to be small, uncrowded and desolate enough for him to pass undisturbed into the mountain. He has sorely mistaken that it wasn't the case for it wasn't a village. It was a town.

He reached to one of the gatehouses in one piece though feeling the cold taking over him. The gatehouse had a distinct look of something new with marble stone and concrete as its primary ingredient for construction. Its detail of fine craftsmanship forged by delicate hands was a noteworthy of wonder and that the people who completed such task respected their work.

Upon his approach, he saw two shadowy figures standing guard at the gate. Their stoic stance was frozen like sculpted statues. He proceeded in a cautious approach, trying to get a better view of them. When he was close in range, his eyes turned widen, outright startled to discover that the guards in front of the gate weren't human at all.

The two guards were tall, muscular creatures that had the head of a goat and the body of a man. With curled horns protruding from the head and scraggly beards under the chin, their brown patterned fur matched in a full set of ornate armour of black and greyish hue and wielded large polearms tightly on the handle.

It didn't take long before the goats spotted the human hunter, standing in front of them. Both stood still in their place, unmoving an inch of muscle. While one goat took a glance before turning its attention elsewhere, the other began to move into motion, taking several steps forward to inspect the newcomer.

“What's business have you come, homin?" the goat guard said in a deep and demanding voice, slamming the end of its weapon to the ground. Its black, horizontal eyes beamed on the hunter, suspicious and grim.

Admittedly, Zarin was quite overwhelmed by a character as the goat gave off a negative vibe. Yet that didn't stop him from moving forward. The hunter stood his ground and stared straight in the eye. Never to relent and never to give in.

“I've come to seek an inn for the night," Zarin firmly replied, mindful of his manner. He would not want to repeat the same mistake like in the forest. “My recent venture has suffered an impasse with the wild and I must recover my plight. I hope I did not cause any problem."

All in all, it was the best that Zarin could do from not blurting out some rude or unjust bias words. It was also another way to form deceit from not telling the whole story.

Under no circumstance should the hunter speak out against the chimaera's wish? To remain anonymous and hidden. As much as he despised creatures that possessed dangerous powers, he took an oath to never betray his word. It's what separates from him and the rest.

In exchange for his life, he must deliver a message. A message that was important to the chimaera. One of its relatives lived just across the mountain and if he delivered the message in time then he would be free from its service. He was lenient to decline at first, ready to abandon the folly of a foolish proposal yet when the chimaera told him that it's relative had the power to seek of his lost company that changed everything. While he did not trust the chimaera or its relative for that matter, he was left with no other plan but to painfully accept the deal. He would not the know the first thing to look for and that it may take some time, even years before reuniting with his company.

After several minutes of serious questions and proper inspection, the goat guard had made its conclusion.

“Bloodied homin," the goat said, raising its weapon upward. “I dare not ask what journey you've traversed. Nor do I not want to about it," the goat was definitely a liar and wanted to know the extent of the human's travel. “However if you wish to grant entry then you are permitted into the town, but not into the mountain. A law has been decreed by King Feorde of the dwarves to not let you homins enter. Only the dwarves and the tavis, us, are allowed passage. Dare break this law and you will answer to us. Is that clear?"

Zarin understood the rules but thought of them to be a hassle from his quest. “I honour the rules of law and I shall not break them," he replied, but then queried about it. “Tell me as to what reason does your King made such a radical decree? How long has it been in effect?"

“The law has been over for one hundred years," the Tavi answered. “And to the reason for it is unknown to us. We do not question his word."

“I understand. You have my thanks."

The tavi snorted and returned back to its position, standing motionless in guard like a statue.

At a signal, the gate gradually opened before the hunter. Gears creaked. Chains rustled until the final drawn remain silence once more.

Zarin peered into the tunnel as there was nothing but darkness. His eyes caught a faint glimpse of light at the end. Without delay, he bowed his head at the tavi goat and entered the tunnel.

====----====

Gradul the tavi guard, the one who inspected the hunter, looked back at the tunnel. With the hunter gone for good, the tavi eased his tense shoulders and exhaled his breath.

"Mighty gods, does that one reek of sulfur!" He said, blowing his nose with a rag.

The other goat, standing guard alongside Gradul, snickered in utter amusement of his plight.

"Told you to let me take in charge," the goat said, pointing it out. "Should have listened to me when you had the chance."

Gradul kept on blowing his nose, trying to get rid of every last drop of goo and snot. He didn't bother to look straight in the eye of Abrel's smugness, feeling his annoyance beaming down on him.

"Next time a mask is required," Abrel continued to brag, smiling like a glorious idiot. He then was quick to change the subject "And what this business of the word 'homin' about? Its human, you hooving daft. Have you been hanging out with 'Latin' again?"

"Be quiet, Abrel," Gradul said, raising his tone in annoyance. "Latin is a good friend of mine and travelled all over and back. He is a lot smarter than you or I for one thing."

"Sure, sure if you believe in the tale," Abrel waved his hand dismissively. "Fancy titles and declarations are as silly as of newborns. Next to his crazy ambition would be to script the entire history of the goats and invite fools to the bait."

Gradul remained silent by the comment, his face distorted with rage. Abrel took notice of that and eyed suspiciously at the prolonged silence.

"Wait a minute, you dare not mean he's..."

"No. Stray from such thought!" Gradul shouted out loud, but that didn't stop Abrel from realizing the truth.

"By the beards of old. You didn't..."

"No. Stop! Be quiet!"

Abrel boomed out into laughter, unable to keep his stoic composure. One leg downed into his knee. "You lonely, hooking bastard! I was just only joking! I didn't suspect that queer of a pintail to be able to do it. Oh, I can't wait to tell the others."

Gradul agonizingly groaned and wished the hour to move quickly to end his insufferable torment.

====----====

When Zarin reached at the end of the tunnel, he saw that the town was in a state of mess. Streets littered with garbage and buildings that were close to collapse. The place was more of a stabled ruin than an actual town. A refuge from a wide group of people. The hunter learned at the instant that the true kingdom was at the mountain where a race of short, stocky men known as the dwarves lingered inside, refusing to grant entrance to anyone except for the tavi, a race of humanoid goats who remained true and loyal from the days of old.

Zarin has wandered to the filthy streets of the neighbourhood and already he could sense the danger around him. The tattered blood stains of his uniform invited unsavoury characters, thieves and scum alike, wanting to pilfer a weak man unable to fend for himself. He was more than happy to let them try for the last thing they suspect was an iron ball lodged in the skull.

While the town was downright horrible in the sense, surprising enough, the place thrived spectacularly. Shops and stalls and even the black market were the lifeblood of the community, producing cheap quality goods to the populace. From simple trinkets to the forges of steel, the town was never in short supply of wealth and remained steadfast of not fallen further deep into ruin.

The gain for a new fresh set of clothes wasn't difficult as Zarin would have thought. Luckily for him, gold was gold in the line of business, and the outfitter was more than happy to take his money.

Into the street in a brown leather tunic and garnet cotton pants, Zarin wandered the area, seeking for information to get into the mountain. Despite the numerous gossips and rumours and personal questions from random bystanders, none bear the answer to his dilemma. It wasn't until after hours of painful search that he heard a commotion from the crowd.

At the market square, armed men and women were gathered around the open stage of stone. Their eyes gazed upon three individuals that stood at the centre. At the top of the stage were two large goats with customized pickaxes, guarding a short, well-dressed man with a magnificent greyish beard. It took a moment for Zarin to realize that the man at the stage was a dwarf.

"So that's what they look like." Zarin quietly said to himself, understanding what the people in this town meant, 'you'll see them soon enough' phrase.

"This is by the order of the King and to all abled souls," the dwarf announced, booming his voice to silence the audience. With a brief pause and a steady gaze, he continued on with his speech. "Any of you that is capable in their craft shall receive a fortune of a boon for a terrible monster lurks beneath our home and cause chaos to our miners. In a one time alternative, those that accept the deed shall grant entrance into the mountain. The Tavi," the dwarf directed his hand to the goats behind him. "Shall lead you to where the beast was last found. But be noted that some of you will be chosen for this task. There are no second chances and no exception. So demands our King!"

Zarin watched the announcer moved from the side as one of the tavi stepped forward to speak. Larger than the goats from the gatehouse, with a black coat of fur and golden eyes, it spoke in an assured tone, grabbing some of the crowd's attention that hadn't already left yet.

"By dawn tomorrow, we shall determine as to who is worthy of such task," the black goat stated. "Pray that you don't disappoint us for we will know. All those that are interested, present yourself in this spot and we will include your participation."

With the event had come to pass, the three characters on the stage left, the two large goats then escorted the well-dressed dwarf back into the mountain. The armed crowd dispersed themselves, returning to their daily basis of life. While most were uninterested by the dwarf's offer, some were keen to return, feeling that it was the chance of a lifetime.

For Zarin, he saw the opportunity set before him. He could request the king to let him through the mountain and deliver the chimaera's message on time. All he had to do was to slay the beast. But despite his cocksure surety on his talent and his skill with the gun, the horrid memory of his encounter at the forest shattered the hunter's confidence.

Zarin was a capable soldier and faced many horrors in the war. He had dealt with monstrous warriors and sorcerers in the past but never had he faced a creature that could stop a man just by a single glance. The thought of it trembled him deeply. He could still remember the cold, black talons lingering in his chest as if the chimaera had claimed him as its own. Whatever the chimaera did to him, he was never the same from before as he felt the deep emptiness inside. Questions spun around his head if the chimaera truly ripped his heart out?

Worse, Zarin wasn't sure if he could beat the monster, let alone survive the underground of the mountain. If the dwarves and the goats failed to eliminate the threat in the first place, what hope was there for the people in this town? Still, however, he had no other choice but to do it. To accept the danger and risk his life against an unknown creature in an unknown environment. He would not want to linger in this town any longer than he had to, feeling their death glares wherever he went.

====----====

With daylight turned to a close, the hunter found an inn to rest for the night. The building looked rather decent than the rest of the place with walls painted clean in white and a red tiled roof above its head. He saw the sign that was hanging above and had the picture of two horns of a goat. Curious, he went inside to see what the place had to offer.

The fragrant smell of baked goods and cooked meat captivated Zarin's interest. The inside room felt homely, decorative. Vintage pieces of furniture were laid about in a neat style of fashion. It was surprisingly tidy for an inn and a number of customers were quietly in their seat, eating their ordered meal or having a chat with one another. He could tell that most of the customers were goats and felt overwhelmed by their presence, even uncomfortable to the fact that he was still not used to them being non-human.

Taking a seat at the end of the corner, the hunter waited until a servant arrived with a sincere smile. He could tell right away that the servant was a tavi and a lady to be added to her stylized outfit and curvy toned figure. Her bluish eyes were that of a human, normal and round. Her body coated in a pearlish white of fur. With a red bandanna on her head, she had two small horns and long floppy ears that reached down to her shoulder. She also had a strange fabric that was wrapped around her snout.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" The tavi servant asked in a calm voice.

Zarin browsed on the menu and quickly choose a selection. "Some pastries will do," The hunter replied, tapping his finger on the menu. "Raspberry muffin and some of this apple tea as well."

"A popular choice," she stated and grabbed the menu from the hunter's hand. "It would be done shortly. Sit back and relax."

Zarin was grateful for the service and watched the servant moved on to the next customer, redoing her serviceable routine. While he waited for his order to arrive, he let his eyes explore the room to pass the time. He never the culture of tavians until today when he spotted the weird tribal ornaments that laid about. He also noticed that some of the goats were covering their snouts for some reason, distancing themselves away from him as if he was the bearer of bad news. Confused by their odd action, he pondered for quite a while until the masked arrived with his order.

"We aren't fond of sulfur," the servant explained, placing the meal on the table. "The faintest smell would make us feel nauseous and hurt our snout."

Zarin raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that a bunch of goats were allergic to a simple dust of sulfur. He wondered as to what else the goats were weak against.

“I suppose it is common in this town," Zarin said, deducing from her mask. “Have the dwarves been mining from the mountain as well?"

The servant shook her head. “No. The mountain does not have them. However, the dwarves do need it to fire their furnaces and traded with human merchants for it." At a brief glance, she then spotted the hunter's musket. “Is that your weapon? Never seen the like before. What craft is it made of?"

“Nothing that you need to know," Zarin firmly replied and took a bite of the muffin. “Just a tool to get things done. Anyway, don't you have other customers to attend to?"

The servant didn't say a word anymore and left, her face as soured as vinegar by the hunter's manner. The hunter then watched the goat vanish into the kitchen and never saw her again.

After a meal, Zarin rented a room and slept for the night. The last thing that left in his thought was how good and tasty the muffin was.

====----====

The fireflies glowed in the gentle night. Forest lit the path for the chimaera to stroll in the clear, gemstone stars. She had come to inspect the kingdom of her realm. A kingdom housed of animals and birds where all respect her power.

Evyrax the chimaera had the realm to herself. She had the birds as eyes and ears to the world, her beasts as armies to mass under her wing. Trees like walls that protect her border and untapped resources that none dare to invade. Everything was already provided for her and more. All except for one thing.

Her trail had led Evyrax back to the edge of the forest where she could see the open fields and mountains that stretched far from the horizon. Her thoughts were with the hunter for the plan that she had made for so long had already set into motion. Whatever came after next, she knew that there was no going back from this. For her, she was now an enemy to the people that bound in her perfect realm.

A robin appeared in the sky and landed on her talon. It had a red-orange colour on the chest and bluish grey lines that appear at the neck. It chirped in a melody, bringing music into life.

“Welcome back, my friend," Evyrax said, smiling. She was relieved that the robin was safe from harm and brought out some sunflower seeds. “Are you done what I told you? Did you spread the word?"

The robin approached to her talon hand and nibbled on the snack. It replied with a soft chirp, sounding pleased of its completed task.

Evyrax was joyous of the news and never expected her plan to be running smoother. She gently rubbed its neck, being careful to not harm the creature from her talon.

“You did a splendid job, but there is more to be done. So rest now, little one. For tomorrow we shall begin the process."

The robin chirped with assurance and flew out from her talon, heading off deep into the woods. As it vanished into the darkness, she spotted another flying creature heading towards to her.

And another.

And another.

And another.

A flock of birds began to appear. It was going to be a long night.