KuliKuli wrapped the cloak around her firmly, her eyes gncing toward her friend. Janette sat facing her, both wearing rge bck cloaks and scarfs to conceal their faces, with the Nekomata given a hood to keep her cat ears hidden. Both of them sat in silence, rocking gently in the carriage as they patiently waited to arrive toward their destination, with only the sounds of horse hooves walking past their left and numerous civilians speaking loudly in these crowded sections of the town. The surrounding noise began to fade in the background, with both women sharing curious looks with the same question in mind.

  The carriage came to an abrupt stop as Janette leaned over, nearly falling out of her seat. "Oomph!"

  "You okay?" KuliKuli whispered to her, offering to help her up when her friend waved her hand in refusal.

  "Fine, I'm fine." She muttered back, adjusting herself as they listened to the sound of a pair of stallions grunting. It was shortly accompanied by a pair of boots hopping off the front bench and walking towards them. The door clicked and was swiftly pulled open as a dwarf greeted the pair with a grin.

  "Right, hop out you two." Nyitzcha tilted her head, stepping to one side as KuliKuli gently stepped out first. She looked around, spotting the immediate contrast of the location they found themselves in.

  Compared to the rest of the town, this pce seemed more desote and depressing. The streets were patchy with sidewalks cking the cobblestone as the people adapted to dirt paths instead. The road was patchy and full of potholes, and there was this lingering stench in the air that caused the Nekomata to pinch her nose shut as her stomach turned at just a whiff. Gone were the mp posts, the two-story buildings and variety of humans, elves and dwarves walking around. The voices of casual conversation, bargaining, and advertising were completely absent. Now that she noticed this, she spun around to see that there were hardly any people roaming around with just a pair of orcs in ragged clothes making idle chat at a street corner. Many of the buildings seemed aged or incomplete, with missing doors or exposed rooms with the bricks crumpled or broken down by sheer force from an outside impact.

  "Where are we?" She asked.

  Janette stepped out and pulled her scarf up to cover her nose. "Bleh, smells like the bck district."

  "Surprised you still remember this pce." Nyiztcha remarked, shutting the door behind them.

  "Hard to forget with a smell like that." Janette groaned, nearly gagging as she covered her mouth much to her small friend's delight.

  "Haha! Ye git use to it, sorry ss. I know ye git a sharper nose then we do, forgive the stench. Dey never fix the sewage down 'ere." She grinned, motioning them to follow her.

  Janette looked at her friend and made a gesture toward her hood. KuliKuli nodded and tugged her hood down out of caution, lifting her scarf over her mouth and nose so that only their eyes were revealed. Her ears twitched as they picked up on some curious sounds, such as the sound of children pying and running around talking in weird gibberish.

  They followed the dirt sidewalk and passed by what looked like a campsite of Saurians. At first gnce they looked like people in a green or turquoise color, but as the Nekomata squinted her eyes she picked up on several immediate details. There were four Saurians sat around a campfire for warmth, staring at the cackling bze with empty eyes when one of them raised her head. The two locked eyes for a brief moment which startled the Nekomata. They may look human, but their skin consists of tiny smooth scales covering their body, with simir facial features like eyes facing forward and ears on the sides of its head which seemed to imitate the appearance of humans, elves and dwarves. But its nose appeared to be an upright snout with two tiny little slits for nostrils, and its eyes were a sharp orange color with round pupils. When it noticed her, the Saurian stuck out its forked blue tongue as the corners of its mouth curled upwards in a sort of grin.

  KuliKuli looked to her left and right, pausing before waving shyly back at the creature. The saurian seemed amused by her, tilting its head before nudging its friend, who's body shared a lime green complexion with a patch of fuzzy yellow hair that looked like straw or hay draped over its eyes. It combed its hair back with its webbed fingers before spotting her and revealing its pinkish forked tongue in return. All four of them wore hardly any clothing aside from torn up shorts, with slim physiques and beautiful bck spotted patterns over their arms and legs, and they all shared the same creamy color over their chest.

  "Keep movin' missy, don't want them to catch on to yer taste." Nyitzcha hurried over, dragging KuliKuli by her arm to remove her of their presence.

  KuliKuli nearly toppled over, catching her bance as she struggled to keep up with her. Nightfall was soon approaching as the sky burned an orange bze hours before dusk settled in. They turned around the corner walking past the two orcs who followed them with their eerie brown eyes. She shuddered under their watch, keeping her head down with Janette scooting past.

  "Where are you taking us?" She asked, her yellow eyes scanning their surroundings spotting more and more stranger creatures as they explored deeper into the road.

  "This way." Nyitzcha grumbled, pushing her feline friend into a narrow alleyway. She rolled her eyes as KuliKuli crashed against a barrel, recoiling back into her. The dwarf tapped her foot and shot her finger out as the Nekomata shriveled and followed her direction. They snuck around to the back of a brick building where, much to KuliKuli's surprise, they discovered a dimly lit ntern standing beside a wooden hatch. Ignoring the surrounding mess of trash and sludge leaning beside the wall close to them, the girls carefully stepped around to approach the door. KuliKuli peered into the ntern with squinting eyes as she stared into the ntern. She expected to see a candle or glitterbugs flying around, but the source of light seemed absent as there stood a spherical ball of purple light humming as it glowed softly.

  KuliKuli cocked her head, her curiosity driving her to tap the ntern when Nyitzcha swatted her paw away.

  "Ay! Paws t' yerself, ss." Nyitzcha held her voice with Janette and KuliKuli peaking over her shoulder as the trio watched the source of light seemingly stand up and yawn. It rubbed its eyes as the glow surrounding its figure began to flicker. KuliKuli gasped, catching a glimpse of what she could best describe as a woman no bigger than an index finger. She stammered and fell back, hissing as the tiny woman's dress unraveled into two pairs of wings as she flew out from her ntern, hovering above them.

  "Oh? Z'that you, Niz-cha? You look like you've grown but shouldn't you be getting taller, not wider?" It spoke with a light giggle and a squeaky voice, turning its attention to Janette. "Janette! So good to see you again!"

  Janette waved back. "Hiiii! I love your hair."

  "Aww, how I missed you coming around here." The tiny pixie beamed, literally glowing with joy.

  Nyitzcha breathed in slowly, her shoulders dropping as she sighed aloud. "Haaaa... Tootsie. Always fills me with joy t'see yer mug."

  Tootsie sprung a cheeky grin, bobbing her head side to side. Her tiny translucent wings fluttered behind her with a light buzz noise. She stretched her neck out to look over her companion's head, spotting the wide-eyed cat girl behind her. "You brought a new friend? Is she new around here? No, wait!"

  KuliKuli gasped as the pixie flew around her friends, buzzing right over her nose. She appeared to be rubbing her chin in deep thought before snapping her fingers. "I got it! You're the Nekomata everyone is yapping about!"

  "So much for keeping a low profile." Janette muttered, rolling her eyes and pcing her hand on her hip. "How did you hear about us?"

  "Where to begin?" She scratched her violet hair which sprung out from her greenish skin like wheatgrass. It was impossible to tell where she was looking from their perspectives, not just from her tiny form but due to her night bck eyes. They were completely enveloped in a bck color, devoid of any pupils. As KuliKuli paid careful attention to the pixie's appearance, she noticed several peculiar details.

  The pixie appeared to be naked, but its nude figure was covered in a web-like substance that hugged her chest and waist like a skin-tight dress. A pattern of marks that sprung from her skin decorated her arms, shoulders, face and legs. She was barefoot as she descended until she stood on KuliKuli's nose, leaning forward and stroking her skin with her tiny green hand.

  "Soooooo neat! The texture feels just like that of humans and elves, not as rough as dwarves and gnomes. I bet that comes in handy for cuddles." Tootsie winked, her wings wrapping around her body like a comfortable veil. She jumped back, hovering inches away from her as she glowed into a purple ball of light.

  Without hesitation, the Nekomata cupped her paws, trapping the pixie within much to her friend's shock.

  "Wha-What are you doing!?" Janette held her head, pulling away in fear.

  KuliKuli immediately pulled her paws away in fear. "Sorrysorrysorry! I... huh? Where did she go?"

  "Right here, cutie." KuliKuli turned her head as Tootsie sat on her shoulder, reaching out to tap her nose. "Boop! It's going to take more than that to catch me."

  "What are you?" She asked, watching the pixie as she hovered between the group.

  Tootsie spun around in pce, performing a curtsey toward her new friend. "I am a pixie, call me Tootsie! I take it I am your first pixie? Good, this is the first for both of us! I've heard of Neko's before but seeing one here... wow!"

  Nyitzcha crossed her arms. "Tootsie, y'know why we here."

  The pixie spun around with a knowing smile across her face. "Hehe, yes indeed yes indeed! Oh I would be most delighted, I only wish I could be a fly on the wall for this, but as! I must remain here."

  "It's her job." Janette reassured her friend after noticing her troubled look. "Good old Tootsie here serves as the watcher of the hub."

  "Easy on the words, Jay. I'm still quite young after all." Tootsie added with a gleeful look. "Right-o! If it's Mistress that you seek, then you best be on your way! Stand close and keep those peepers open for me, please."

  Janette nodded, with KuliKuli nervously standing beside her and Nyitzcha. Tootsie hummed a little tune as she danced over their heads, bouncing around as tiny bits of dust began to rain over them. KuliKuli cupped her mouth with the intent to follow their directions, keeping her eyes open wide despite the image of yellow dust clouding her vision. She felt nothing at first, no sign of irritation, only a funny tingle in her head.

  "A bit of pixie dust and presto! Now off you go, watch your step and mind the roof! It's good seeing you again Jay, don't be a stranger!" Tootsie waved them goodbye, snapping her fingers as the hatch sprung open by itself. KuliKuli peered inside finding an empty celr only for the vision to drift away. Blinking her eyes helped the vision change, like an illusion masking the true appearance of clean wooden steps descending into a stone tunnel inside. The girls followed through hearing the hatch close and lock behind them as one by one, torches began to illuminate the dark hall leading to a strange metal door.

  Nyitzcha gave it a few knocks, waiting for a small tch at waist height to open as a pair of eyes peeked through. They lit up as they recognized the dwarf, the tch sliding closed as a pair of locks could be heard being undone before the door was pried open by a small man with bandage wrappings masking its face, leaving its eyes exposed. He waved for them to enter, ushering them through with gray cwed hands and a raspy voice. "Enter, enter!"

  KuliKuli stepped inside, looking around with wide eyes as she entered a wide-open celr filled with music and redecorated into gathering of different races joined by alcoholic beverages and serviced by beautiful waitresses with skin-tight clothing. A bulky-looking orc with tusks protruding from his bottom lip raised his mug to join his friends at the table, which consisted of shorter men with pointed ears, gray skin and red eyes. over the next table sat a pair of scrawny looking creatures devoid of muscle or fat, their stick-like bodies wrapped in shrewd clothe wrappings stitched together clumsily with leather paddings adorned over their chests. Janette recognized those paddings belonging to a set of leather armor, properly equipped by low-ranking city guards as shoulder ptes. It seemed that these pair of goblins repurposed their findings as a means to present themselves as somewhat dress whilst possibly reveling in their 'trophy' as goblins tend to do.

  KuliKuli bumped into a fancily dressed figure, apologizing as he spun around with his handsome gray face and red eyes matching her timid gaze. He smiled and stepped aside, gesturing for her to pass through. She nodded and was guided by Nyitzcha and Janette to an avaible table where as soon as they sat, they were met with a busty waitress in a green kirtle and white gown. She paused upon recognizing Nyitzcha and smiled as she met Janette. "Ladies, what can I help you with?"

  "We're here to see Nihja." Nyitzcha responded with her hand knocking on the wooden table, struggling to accommodate over the stool she sat on. "Ugh, an' gimme a taller stool."

  Janette snorted, receiving an icy gre from her friend. The waitress nodded and returned with a taller stool for Nyitzcha to sit at the table in the right height.

  "Who?" KuliKuli leaned in to ask, raising her voice so that they could hear her over the music. They were seated at the front of the room, facing a stage where a band of musicians were performing with drums, flutes, and a lute. The music came to an end as a beautiful women stepped into the stage and was met with appuse by both staff and customers alike. She was thin woman with elegant curvy red hair that bounced with each step, with fair skin and piercing ocean blue eyes that captivated everyone's attention with just a gnce. She licked her ruby red lips, clearing her throat with her hands tracing down her hourgss waistline in preparation as the musicians began to py a somber little tune for her.

  When she spoke, the tavern sat in silence listening to her captivating voice as she began to sing for them.

  "A young man walked through the forest. With his quiver and hunting bow."

  "He heard a young girl singing. And followed the sound below."

  "There he found the maiden. Who lives in the willow."

  "He called to her as she listened from a ring of toadstools red."

  "'Come with me my maiden, come from thy willow bed'"

  "She looked at him serenely, and only shook her head."

  "See me now, a ray of light in the moondance."

  "See me now, I cannot leave this pce."

  "Hear me now, a strain of song in the forest."

  "Don't ask me to follow where you lead."

  The singer paused and held herself in a trance like state, swaying her body with the gentle beating rhythm of the drums as the bald continued its music until she was ready.

  "A young man walked in the forest. With a flower and coat of green."

  "His love had hair like fire, her eyes an emerald sheen."

  "She wrapped herself in beauty, so young and so serene."

  "He stood there under the willow, and he gave her the yellow bloom."

  "Girl my heart you've captured. Oh, I would be your groom."

  "She said she's wed him never. Not near, not far, nor soon."

  "See me now, a ray of light in the moondance."

  "See me now, I cannot leave this pce."

  "Hear me now, a strain of song in the forest."

  "Don't ask me to follow where you lead."

  The tavern sprung to life with whistling and thunderous appuse, leaving the singer rather breathless. She bowed her head and thanked them, turned around to thank the musicians, and calmly stepped down from the stage.

  "That's the one." Nyitzcha pointed her finger directly toward the singer, watching as she was approached by the waitress whispering in her ear. Her eyes lit up as she saw them, and soon the singer approached them with a greeting.

  "Nyitzcha! Janette! Hi, it's great seeing you two again. Janette mostly, heh." Nihja giggled, fanning herself.

  "Feeling is mutual." Nyitzcha snorted, reaching out and pulling the hood away from KuliKuli. Her cat ears spung up, twitching and flickering as they immediately caught Nihja's attention.

  "You're the-" She caught herself with a hand over her mouth as Nyitzcha quickly pulled the hood back over her face. The singer's red lips curved into a dimpled smile as she stood up from her stool with her eyes falling on KuliKuli. "We have a lot to discuss then. Welcome to the Night Dwellers Hub! I'm Nihja, it's a pleasure to meet the monster girl who gave the councilmen of Kershin Market a good fright!"

  Sylver