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Diamondback's Nest

Despite of what Aranis had warned about the area, it did not seem to be a place of danger at first, but like most of the land, it was ravaged and was left untidy.

The place, as Aranis said, was flat and near a river, which was still clear and full of fish. There was a forest nearby, which looked uninviting, but other than that, it did not have any harm for them to settle near the forest, both for hunting and farming needs. The place was not as bad as they thought at first, and seeing how it was inviting made them want to start a settlement there more. Who wouldn't want a place near a forest and a river?

It was apparent that the opportunity was something they could not pass, so the group, with some settlers, set up camp near the future settlement while discussing the future of their new place. Some started to make assumptions of making it into a bigger place, while some others preferred it to be free for everyone, especially since they had many chaos races as settlers.

While many of the settlers were, in many ways, felt relieved that they were given a chance to start anew, it wasn't the case with Narati. Raine and Karkas knew that the Fa'ar had endured during these past two days, but losing a friend and parting with another, although temporary, started to overwhelm him. He lost his usual cheerfulness and started sulking in his tent, tinkering with objects silently. Raine, who knew him longer, sympathized with him, but it wasn't the case for Karkas.

In the croc's eyes, Narati, despite of being a tortured soul, had no reason to be sulking too much, as it would be fatal one day. He felt that, despite of all that had been through, Jek's death turned him into someone who would die faster, due to having no will to life. But, forcing his want to the Fa'ar wouldn't do him much good. It would end up causing more harm to him.

Knowing how that started to affect his life, Karkas and Raine sat by a table and discussed how to deal with Narati.

"I know he's 16, and I know Jek's his first true loss, but he can't just sit in that tent, playing with his toys, and not eating," said Karkas. "He will die before he knows it."

"Have suggestions?"

"Hmm...I don't think I have one, though," replied Karkas. "How about a spar?"

"You do know he can't do close combat, right? You'll end up hurting him even more, and I'm not talking about his state of mind."

"I know, I know...how about swimming?"

"Can rats swim?"

"I thought all mammals can swim, with training."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

Raine sighed. "I wish Aranis was here. I mean, I know she has responsibilities, but Nara is a special case."

"I wish he knows how to use that goddamn lance, so at least he can divert his attention away from Jek."

"Why not blow things up, like he usually does?"

"And destroying our food sources? I prefer not. However, he is not our concern right now. What are we going to be?"

"You mean?"

"This settlement. What are we going to be? I know you and Jek were trying to expand your mercenary works and doing some promotions, but we haven't even had a name for this place yet."

"Let me think about it. I don't think Jek minded if the name sounds stupid. He was not someone who liked names anyway. I can't blame him, though. I asked him why his name was 'Jek' instead of 'Jack' despite of it sounding the same, and he couldn't give me a proper answer except 'I'm a beast race, not a human', or something like that."

"Is our name a problem?"

"Not for me, at least. But now...what?"

"How about 'rivertown'? We are beside a river."

"To bland, to be honest. It's like the most unoriginal name ever. I feel I should call it 'Blue River'."

"That sounds like a song title to me. And besides, the river's clear, not blue."

"Any suggestions, then?"

They both were thinking hard of names that slowly became more ridiculous as time went on, making them too embarrassed to say it. But as they were thinking hard, they did not see a snake slithering towards the table. It had no hostile intent, just crossing about, and the beast races understood what it wanted. It climbed the table, trying to go past the two thinkers, when Karkas looked down and said, "Diamondback?"

"Diamondback? A snake's name? Well, that might..."

Raine then looked down and saw the snake, which made him tense. Karkas noticed his tense and said, "It's just a snake."

"Diamondbacks are venomous, Karkas! Don't let it bite you!"

Karkas cleared his throat and pointed to himself, to which Raine realized what he meant and relaxed.

"Oh...you're a reptile."

"That, and this snake is not agitated. She's not rattling its tail, right?"

"She?"

"She's pregnant...with eggs. I think she's trying to find a nice corner to lay her eggs. But, I don't think anyone will think twice since they are not reptiles like me. Except the crocs, of course."

Karkas lifted the snake, which was surprisingly docile and wrapped around the croc gently, without any intention to choke him. He then walked around, trying to find a rock at the edge of the settlement, and set it down there. It immediately went into the rock and curled inside.

"Isn't it beautiful?" said Karkas.

"I don't know how you like snakes, but I believe you if you like crocodiles or gators."

"Just because I'm a crocodilian, that doesn't mean I have to like my less evolved cousin, right? And besides, snakes are believed to bring good luck, at least for the reptiles, anyway."

Then an idea came into Karkas. "Oh yeah, that's it!"

"What is it?"

"Diamondback's Nest. That's what we'll call this place."

"What the hell? That sounds ridiculous."

"It has many meanings. Aside from this obvious reference, the name can also indicate that we are dangerous, and not to be underestimated. Rattlesnakes are docile, but they are also deadly if provoked."

"Docile? Isn't a rattlesnake very aggressive?"

"Like I said, only if you provoke them. Just like me," said Karkas with a smile.

"Okay, suit yourself. Diamondback's Nest it is. Let's hope no one give a shit about it, or we're screwed."

Surprisingly, no one care about the town's name. All they cared about was to expand and start trading with other settlements. Name was the least of their worries. One of them even admitted that they would give an even worse and plain name for a settlement, and that Diamondback's Nest sounded like 'concealed danger', something Karkas meant.

Over the next three days, Karkas and Raine tried to offer their services to nearby settlements, with mixed results. Some required easy tasks and paid decently for some people, but not for a settlement. Despite of the new recruits giving out exceptional performance themselves, it wasn't enough to make people believe that a mercenary group opened store just recently.

On competition, the place had no other mercenary or hunter groups due to the peaceful area that had almost no raiders or bandits problems, unlike the region they once were. This almost made Raine decide to stop being mercenaries and be farmers and traders, which could give the settlement ample resources to build.

But their main concern was Narati. It had been five days since they arrived, but he was still sulking and prefer to stay inside his tent, tinkering with junks he gathered before the travel. They still thought that the Fa'ar was still mourning about Jek, but when asked, he gave a cryptic answer.

"No, this is not about Jek anymore. This is about me."

Raine and Karkas kept discussing about his well-being. He ate less and he was even more determined to create grenades and other stuffs. Early morning, he tried one, which exploded in a safe distance from Diamondback's Nest. Raine sneaked around to see him, and saw how he coped.

"While I must say, that explosion was not as spectacular, it was destructive," said Raine while drinking a mug of beer. "But Nara...I'm worried about him."

"What? Psychotic lapse again?"

"No, not that. I never see him looked so...angry. After the explosive came off, he threw another and another, with a face full of rage. I can see a Fa'ar being angry, but not because of feelings."

"They are usually angry because we fucked their shit up."

"That's one way to say that. But this time, his rage is like...someone who cannot do anything and forced to watch. I'm worried."

"He's blaming himself," said Karkas with a sigh. "I should've known. We saw the wolf died in front of our eyes, and he was desperately trying to save him, even though he's a lost cause."

"So, he didn't just know...but saw? Fuck. That's going to be heavy on Nara."

"He gotta live with that."

"Uh, excuse me? Are you two looking for work?"

They both turned to look at the source of the voice. It came from an old Fa'ar, who clearly wasn't from around there. His fur was light brown with a bit of white, indicating his age. Unlike Narati, his fur was shaggier and unkempt. Also, Raine noticed that the Fa'ar was, in many ways, almost naked, and reminded the human on how Narati clothes were during their first encounter. He wore nothing underneath his cloak except a loincloth, which covered his private parts. He was also wearing many piercings and earrings so much that it looked so tribal in nature. All he carried was a travelling staff with a pouch tied at the top of it. A light traveler.

"Yes? Do you need something?" asked Raine.

"I heard you're fine with Chaos Races, so I assume you're fine with my request."

"As long as you have the muns," said Karkas.

"I can promise you the muns, but I need you to do your job first."

Karkas and Raine looked towards each other, and said, "Okay. What is on your mind?"

"There is a ruin of a castle, near the sea, where age had taken its toll on it. Inside is a treasure that has been forgotten by so many, yet no one dared to approach, for it is guarded by a terrifying and ferocious guardian. But, I guess you two don't like stories and legends, so let me get this straight. I want you to take that treasure and bring it to me."

"So, you can snatch it right under our noses, is that it?" said Karkas.

"Why would I want to do that?!" said the Fa'ar. "Not every Fa'ar is a backstabbing idiot."

"Yeah, we both have someone like that. But, it's better than sitting here waiting for this settlement to be built anyways, so I guess we'll take the risk."

"You will?"

"So, what beast are we expecting?"

"It's not something you can defeat alone, so the two of you need to go there. Just be careful. I don't know the beast's strength or danger, but if you two underestimate it, it will shred you to pieces."

"We'll be careful. How much muns are we talking here?"

The Fa'ar then pulled the pouch from the tip of the staff and gave them that. Raine opened it and looked inside, in which he smiled and nodded.

"Is it likely that we're going to die?"

"Most likely. Yet, if you survive, that is yours," said the Fa'ar.

"We'll take it, we won't die, and we assure you that. We made a promise to someone, and we will have that promise fulfilled."

"Good luck, then."

Raine and Karkas didn't know what they would face, but at least they could take their mind off from Narati's problem and their own settlement's plight. The Fa'ar then gave them a map detailing the castle ruins, and walked away while asking for food.

Both set off immediately, with good supplies for travel and weapons if necessary. They travelled away without thinking twice, given the sum of muns they could get.

If only they knew that it was more than what they bargained for....