The contract
Night settled softly over Kaelmoor Kingdom.
The streets, which glowed in the daylight with warm lanterns and the bustling movement of demi-humans and beastfolk, slowly fell quiet.
Only the subtle hum of night-patrol guards and the distant chatter of innkeepers remained.
Voltaro and his team stayed in an inn located near the inner wall—one of the safer, more well-maintained districts offered to foreign guests.
The innkeeper, a gentle demi-human woman with fox-like ears, prepared rooms for them with great respect. Kaelmoor, unlike Eldrath, carried an atmosphere of discipline, pride, and strangely… tranquility.
After dinner, Voltaro, Raven, Selena, Eran, and a few guards gathered inside a large rented room. Raven closed the window shutters, ensuring privacy before speaking.
Raven crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall.
“Voltaro,” he said in a low voice, “the king of Kaelmoor… he doesn’t seem like a tyrant.”
Voltaro raised an eyebrow. Raven rarely spoke gently of leaders, especially after everything they had seen in Eldrath. Raven wasn’t wrong, however. King Toran of Kaelmoor carried himself with a calm, honest aura, his eyes firm but untainted by malice.
Voltaro replied softly, “I sensed the same. His gaze was steady, like someone who’s protecting his people, not enslaving them.”
Selena sat beside the fire, nodding.
“Kaelmoor feels peaceful. The soldiers are disciplined, the citizens are relaxed… nothing feels forced.”
Raven straightened.
“Exactly why I think we shouldn’t leave after just tonight. Something here doesn’t add up. A kingdom like this shouldn’t have suffered the attacks and disappearances we heard about on the way.”
Voltaro looked at the group, raising a hand to ensure full attention.
“We don’t leave tomorrow night.”
The team grew silent.
Voltaro continued, “We’re staying a few more days… or even months if needed. I want to investigate this kingdom properly. Peace can be a mask. We need to know what’s beneath it.”
Selena’s eyes sharpened.
“So we sign the contract tomorrow… and then we start digging into the kingdom’s secrets?”
Voltaro nodded.
“Exactly. And to do that, we need eyes on the ground.”
He turned his gaze toward Eran.
“Eran.”
The young scout stood straight, understanding even before Voltaro spoke further.
“Yes, my lord.”
Voltaro spoke clearly.
“Starting tomorrow, you will scout the kingdom. Not in shadow form. Act like a normal citizen. Blend in. Study how the kingdom really functions—its markets, its guards, the flow of goods, and the behavior of its people.”
Eran placed his fist to his chest.
“Understood.”
Raven added, his tone serious, “Keep your senses sharp. Something doesn’t fit here. A kingdom doesn’t fall into chaos from inside unless something—or someone—is influencing it.”
Voltaro took a long breath.
They needed information.
And Kaelmoor felt like a place with hidden layers.
The Next Morning
The palace of Kaelmoor gleamed under the rising sun. Its tall marble walls shimmered like silver, and guardian beast-statues lined the entrance. Voltaro and his team entered the grand hall where King Toran waited, flanked by his trusted generals.
The king welcomed them warmly.
“Voltaro of Ashenveli,” Toran said, extending his hand, “let us create a bridge of prosperity between our lands.”
Voltaro shook the king’s hand firmly.
The two leaders sat across a long polished table. Scrolls were brought forward—agreements for exchange of tools, food, medicinal herbs, and Kaelmoor’s famed beast-armors.
Voltaro read the documents, then nodded.
“Everything here is fair.”
Toran smiled.
“Your people will benefit. And your village’s rapid rise… it is impressive. I am eager to see Ashenveli grow stronger.”
Selena whispered to Raven softly, “He speaks like he truly wants peace.”
Raven muttered back, “Yes. But a good king alone cannot stop hidden enemies.”
They all signed the contract. Kaelmoor’s trading official stamped the agreement, and the tension lifted.
King Toran exhaled softly.
“Welcome, friends of Kaelmoor. May this be the beginning of a long alliance.”
Voltaro bowed his head politely.
But inside… the investigation had just begun.
---
Eran Begins His Scouting
Eran slipped into the bustling streets that afternoon, dressed like a typical traveler. The kingdom’s markets were lively—stall owners shouting, beastfolk children running around, guards chatting casually. Everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
Eran kept scanning the crowds.
He noticed something strange.
Some guards had bite marks on their arms… deep ones.
Others looked sleep-deprived, patrolling with anxious expressions.
Yet no one talked about it. The citizens acted like nothing was wrong.
Eran approached a fruit seller, pretending to be curious.
“Is everything peaceful in Kaelmoor?” he asked politely.
The old beast-folk man nodded quickly.
“Yes, yes! Peaceful! Very peaceful!”
But his eyes trembled.
Fear.
Hidden fear.
Eran bought some fruit and continued walking.
He heard whispers in an alley.
Two soldiers talking quietly.
“Another one last night…”
“Keep your voice down! If the captain hears—”
Eran slowed his pace.
“The beast is getting bolder,” one soldier whispered.
“Even the elites couldn’t track it.”
“If the king finds out—”
Eran’s pulse quickened.
A beast?
A creature powerful enough to attack soldiers?
He pretended to walk past, not drawing attention. But the whispers burned into his memory.
He spent hours walking the city, gathering bits and pieces.
Every sign pointed to the same truth:
Kaelmoor was under attack… not from humans or kingdoms, but from a beast losing control.
A dangerous one.
Perhaps corrupted.
Perhaps something much worse.
---
Nightfall: Eran Reports Back
Back at the inn, Voltaro and the others sat around a round table when Eran returned.
Eran bowed.
“My lord. I’ve discovered something.”
Voltaro gestured for him to speak.
Eran inhaled deeply.
“This kingdom… is peaceful on the surface. But the guards are on edge. Some are injured. Many look terrified.”
Raven leaned forward.
“So they’re hiding something.”
Eran nodded.
“I overheard soldiers whispering. They said… a beast is behind the horrible events in Kaelmoor.”
Selena’s expression tightened.
“A beast? What kind?”
Eran shook his head.
“I don’t know yet. But whatever it is… the soldiers fear it more than war.”
Voltaro’s eyes sharpened.
A beast capable of destabilizing an entire kingdom…
That wasn’t normal.
Raven spoke in a low, dark tone.
“If a beast is causing the damage… then someone is manipulating it.”
Voltaro nodded slowly.
Something sinister was lurking beneath the peaceful surface of Kaelmoor.
Something the king himself might not know.
Something dangerous enough to shatter the kingdom from within.
Voltaro stood.
“We stay.”
His team looked at him with determination.
Voltaro’s voice held a cold edge.
“Tomorrow we begin a deeper investigation. If a beast is behind this… we’ll find it. And we will see who controls it.”
Selena raised her staff slightly.
“Kaelmoor might need us more than they know.”
Raven smirked.
“Good. I was getting bored anyway.”
Voltaro looked toward the window, where the moon illuminated the kingdom walls.
Too be continue...