Realm of Monsters

“Kitty, stop pacing around everywhere, you are making the dogs go crazy,” Gidget said.

“They shouldn’t even be in the living room. They should be leashed in the shed,” Kithina complained.

The two black hounds bounced back and forth between Kithina. Their tongues lolled out in excitement. Their large size threatened to tumble Kithina over if she wasn’t careful.

“They are just happy to see you. You’ve been at that dorm for months and you rarely drop by,” Gidget said.

“I love them too, but you know how aggressive they are with strangers and my friends will be here any minute now,” Kithina said.

“I’ll get Skobby to grab them in a minute,” Gidget said.

“He should have leashed them over an hour ago,” Kithina grumbled.

“Give your little brother a break, he’s been studying very hard for the civics entrance exam.”

“You need to do more than just study to get into one of the four academies.”

“Like what?” Skobby said, coming out from his room. He crossed his arms, “Go on oh great mage, please shower us with your hard-earned wisdom, that is if you haven’t been too busy daydreaming in your classes.”

Kithina raised three fingers, “Money, connections with one Named House or another, or most importantly, intelligence. I got into my academy with the latter,” Kithina grinned.

“You mean magic, dumbass.” Skobby chuckled.

“Oh it’s on pipsqueak,” Kithina cracked her knuckles.

“Stop it, both of you. What are you even doing, Kitty? Your brother is only 14, but you’re an adult now. Start acting like one,” Gidget scolded.

“Mom, I’m only 18, cut me some slack,” Kithina said and closed her eyes.

A pale outline of yellow scales appeared over her skin. Ktihina opened her eyes and smiled, “I’ll let him hit me first.”

“Mom, she’s using magic again!” Skobby backed away.

“Kithina, what did I say about using magic in the house? Last time you broke my favorite vase,” Gidget placed her hands on her hips.

“That was an accident.” Kithina sighed, “Fine, whatever.” The yellow scales faded away.

“Where’s dad anyway? He should be here by now.”

“You know he went to pick up some wine for dinner. He’ll be back any minute. Stop worrying, the food is cooked, the table is set, and you’re already dressed in your best. Just relax,” Gidget said.

Kithina grabbed the hem of her red dress. She bit her lip, “How do I look? Be honest.”

“Like a red tomato,” Skobby laughed.

“Quiet! Go put the dogs in your room, now,” Gidget ordered.

“Fiiine,” he groaned.

He grabbed the two hounds’ leashes and wrestled them into the room. There was something strangely amusing of seeing a 3 and a half-foot dwarf trying to pull two playful mastiffs towards him. When their mom wasn’t looking Kithina stuck her tongue out at Skobby as he dragged the dogs away.

Gidget waited until Skobby was shut in his room. She then turned to Kithina with a smile, “You look beautiful honey, I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Kithina’s eyes widened, “What?”

“Oh please, you wouldn’t be so worked up if there wasn’t some special boy,” Gidget said.

“Mom, please,” Kithina frowned.

Gidget raised her hands in mock surrender, “I get it, you don’t want to talk about him. But, if he’s coming over the least you could do is give us a heads up, that way your father doesn’t end up embarrassing you in front of him, yeah?”

“You can’t tell dad, he’ll just get all awkward about it,” Kithina grimaced.

“Trust me, I won’t. But, I do need to know a little bit if I’m to stop your father from blabbering during dinner.”

“Okay, fine. Just promise me you won’t freak out,” Kithina grabbed her hand.

“Kitty, I’m on your side. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Mom.”

“Okay, okay, I promise. Now, what’s his name?”

Kithina froze. If her mom found out that a son of House Veres, one of the most prominent families in the entire city, would be coming to their small home she’d definitely freak out in an instant. Kithina needed to start a little simpler.

“I’ll introduce you to all of them when they arrive. Let’s just say he’s special,” Kithina made a crooked smile.

“What do you mean special? Is he talented?” Gidget raised an eyebrow.

“Very much. He’s one of the best students in my class.”

“Wow, impressive. More importantly, how does he treat you?”

“When we first met he was a bit standoffish, but he turned out to be a really nice person. You should definitely give him a chance.”

Gidget narrowed her eyes, “Kitty, what are you not telling me? Spill it.”

Damn, her mom was too perceptive. She needed a diversion.

Kithina slumped her shoulders, “Remember, don’t freak out... He’s a hybrid.”

Gidget placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “Is that all? You shouldn’t be worried about something like that. Love comes in all different shapes and sizes. I’m sorry you ever felt worried to tell me about something like that. And don’t worry too much about the infertility thing, not everyone has children anyway. Not that I’m saying to have children. Don’t have children. You’re too young for that.”

“Got it, thanks mom,” Kithina smiled. Crisis averted.

A knock rang on the door.

She did a double take, “That must be them.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go and greet your friends,” Gidget nudged Kithina forward.

“Right.” Ktihina ran.

She halted as she neared the door. She took a deep breath and smiled as brightly as she could, then opened the door, “Good evening, I’m glad you could make it!”

“Hey Kitty, you look nice,” Grolm smiled. He held a large cloth bag between his stubby fingers.

“Oh, it’s just you dad.” Ktihina’s smile fell flat.

Grolm frowned, “Hey, that’s not fair. I went all the way to the trade district just to bring you that fancy wine you like. Does your hardworking father not even deserve a welcome-home smile?”

“What took you so long anyway?” Kithina crossed her arms.

“I may have gotten a little carried away, hehe,” Grolm grinned.

“You bought Fire Breath, didn’t you?”

“Just one bottle. I first bought your wine, but then I noticed there was a sale on the Fire Breath and it’s a limited edition from Frost Rim. You know the dwarves up there make the best spirits. I don’t know what it is about that frozen city, but they always somehow manage to have the most delicious alcohol.”

“Dad, you can’t serve that to my friends, it’s too strong for them, it’s even too strong for me.”

“Relax, I still brought your wine bottle, your friends can have that. I’ll just have a bit of the Fire Breath.”

“I don’t want you getting drunk while my friends are here,” she groaned.

“Dear, just close the door and come here,” Gidget waved her husband over.

Grolm nodded and closed the door. He made sure not to make eye contact with Kithina. “Coming dear.”

“Your beard is a mess,” Gidget said.

She began to fix the weaves and wooden beads in her husband’s dark beard. Kithina grabbed the bag of alcohol and set it on the table, then proceeded to continue her pacing. Grolm looked at his daughter with a warm smile.

It had only been a few months but she had changed drastically. She was no longer that nervous wide-eyed girl from a year ago. Okay, perhaps she was, but she was confident now too. He still remembered the day that Kithina’s magic awoke. She had just visited his office. She wanted to talk to him, but he was too busy with his scribe work. Suddenly, a wind blew into the office and his papers went flying.

Kithina and Grolm had both been surprised. Grolm was a simple dwarf from a commoner’s background, but he knew magic when he saw it. Normally, it’d be difficult to have someone take a mageborn test. It required connections and ample money. He didn’t care. He scraped together what little savings he had and spoke with the few meager connections he had made through the years. Finally, after weeks of trying, he managed to get his Kitty into a mageborn test.

Kithina had been so worried, similar to how she was now. Grolm wasn’t, he never doubted his daughter. She passed the test and was set to attend the magic academy the next autumn. To think a year had passed since that test, how much she had grown. Despite being a commoner, Grolm had a mage daughter. He was so proud.

“My little mage,” Grolm whispered with a smile.

“Our little mage,” Gidget whispered back.

Another knock rang on the door.

“That has to be them!” Kithina dashed towards the door.

“There, all better,” Gidget said, patting Grolm’s cheek affectionately. “Now, let’s go meet our daughter’s friends.”

“Mm,” Grolm nodded.

“Good evening, I’m glad you could make it!” Kithina beamed.

Stryg, Plum, Callum and one of his maids, stood in the doorway.

“Good evening, Kithina,” Callum bowed. His maid bowed as well.

“Hey Kithina, thanks for inviting us!” Plum waved.

“Hello,” Stryg said.

“Kitty, invite them inside,” Gidget said.

“O-oh, uh, right, of course,” Kithina extended her arm, “Right this way. Welcome to my home.”

Kithina led them into the living room. “Please have a seat,” she gestured towards the couch.

“Thank you,” Callum said. The group sat down, except for the maid, who stood in the back.

“Well, are you going to introduce us?” Grolm asked.

Yeah,” Kithina stood back up and pointed towards her parents. “This is my mom and dad. These are my friends from the academy.”

“You can do better than that,” Grolm complained.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintances, this is Grolm, my husband, and you can call me Gidget,” she smiled. “May I have the honor of knowing your names?”

Gidget glanced around the couch. Four guests. Her daughter had said there would be three. Gidget looked at the maid standing in the back, Kithina probably hadn’t taken the pretty young woman into account.

The maid stood behind the seated handsome man. He had ruby eyes, pale skin, and dark black hair. He must be a vampire, she guessed. Most vampires were at least middle-class, this one seemed to be wealthy enough to have his own private maid, impressive to say the least.

“My name is Callum Veres, I’m happy to finally meet Kithina’s mother. I now know where she gets her beautiful red hair,” Callum smiled.

His compliment fell on deaf ears. The last thing Gidget heard was his surname. Her face paled and her smile became rigid.

“D-did you say V-veres? As in House Veres? One of the Great Houses of Hollow Shade?” Grolm asked.

Callum nodded, “The very same one.”

“I’ll be damned, an actual Veres in my home? The boys at the office are never gonna believe this,” Grolm laughed out loud and slapped his knee.

Kithina pinched the bridge of her nose. So much for slowly easing her parents into Callum’s background.

Gidget cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. “It’s an honor to have a scion of House Veres in our home. We have a modest home and not much to offer, but I humbly ask that you overlook our fault this one time. Our daughter neglected to inform us of your lineage. We would have done more had we known.”

“Please, do not worry about anything of the sort. You have a quaint little home,” Callum said. He patted the couch. A thread came loose. “Ehehe, yes. Um, it’s...nice.”

Callum was used to mansions, not an old house in the commoner district. He tried his best to hide his discomfort.

Gidget gave a sidelong glance of livid anger towards her daughter. Kithina swallowed in fear.

“Thank you so much for your kind words, I will not forget them,” Gidget bowed.

She’d deal with Kithinia’s idiocy later. For now she needed to be a good hostess. She turned to the pretty bespectacled drow.

“Hello, my name is Plumela, but you can call me Plum. I may be a mage, and therefore technically middle-class, but I was born a commoner, like you. So, don’t worry about any special formalities,” she grinned.

“It’s my pleasure to meet you Plum,” Gidget smiled.

“Plumela? Like the flower?” Grolm asked.

“Ah, yes. My mother was trained as a scribe and she loves reading books about botany and anything flower related. So much so that she named me after a flower,” Plum chuckled abashedly.

“What a coincidence, I’m a scribe myself. No wonder you and Kitty are friends,” Grolm said.

“I think we would have been friends anyway, I love Kithina’s or should I say Kitty’s, personality. She has a fiery temper that is always ready to fight.” Plum glanced over at Stryg, “Reminds me of someone I know.”

“And what can I call you?” Grolm asked Stryg.

Stryg was slumped on the couch, simply enjoying its comfiness. It had been a long day of personal training with Loh and all he wanted to do was eat and go home to a bed with an awaiting open-armed Feli. He wouldn’t have even come, but Plum dragged him. She insisted that he needed to go since Kithina had been kind enough to invite them all to dinner.

The sound of barking echoed through the house. Skobby’s bedroom door flung open as the two mastiffs bolted outside and straight into the living room. Kithina stood up in alarm.

“Get back here!” Skobby shouted.

It was too late, the hounds ran right at a frozen Plum. Stryg lurched forward in between them both. He raised his hands, flexed his claws, and hissed at the dogs. The mastiffs slid on the ground as they tried to backpedal away. They whined and trotted behind Skobby. He grabbed their leashes with haste.

“Thanks,” Plum whispered to him.

“Don’t mention it,” Stryg muttered.

“Dammit, Skobby, someone could have gotten hurt!” Kithina yelled.

“I’m sorry everyone, I took my eyes off them for one second and they somehow managed to escape,” Skobby bowed his head repeatedly.

“Those two rascals are always so hostile towards newcomers. But, I’ve never seen them act so terrified before,” Grolm said. He slowly looked over to the culprit.

Stryg stayed silent.

Plum spoke up, “My best friend isn’t much for words. You can call him Stryg.”

Gidget studied the mysterious stranger. He was slightly taller than the average goblin, but that was only where the differences began. His skin was a shade of blue, a teal perhaps. His hair was a pale grey, shining like silver where the light hit. The points of his ears were muted and his face’s sharp features were uncanny. Yet, it was his lilac eyes that were truly unsettling. They drew in any beholder and froze them with fear and wonder. This was undoubtedly him, the hybrid Kithina spoke of.