...

...

"Calden!"

I woke up with a start upon hearing my name, looking around frantically, breathing heavily under my mouth mask. After a few seconds, I realised I had been dreaming.. there was no way I could of heard my name from THAT voice.. That was the reason I was there, sleeping at the back of a fishing boat heading for the docks of a place I'd rather not have visited. I sighed, trying to ignore the awful smell of fish whilst I attempted to recall why I was there, as I groggily got up from my position. The cool sea breeze helped to put my mind to focus.. I froze as the reason why I was currently hitching a lift on a stinky fishing boat filled my mind, bringing me back into a concentrated sadness. Kaida.

My best friend had vanished. I groaned as everything came back to me. She had gone on yet another trip back to her hometown to find her brother. I hated her going out so much, whether it was another quest to find him or to search for some other artefact for her dragon hobby. I could understand why she went out so much, I was just as passionate about the study of magic as she was about dragons, dragon artefacts and everything dragon related. Most considered them a dead species but she was certain that some still existed somewhere. I supported her completely with her hobby, but the amount of trips did annoy me. I tried to calm myself, it was no point getting angry when thinking about her when it was my current goal to find her. It was a week after she had first headed out back to her hometown.. and I hadn't seen her since. My thoughts were interrupted as the fisherman, who had kindly allowed to take me to my destination for free, tapped my shoulder and pointed ahead of us. The island was in the distance, and we were heading straight for it. I straightened my posture, put my hands into my pockets and prepared myself for the arrival at the city I had heard so much about. Y'nori.

Bustling, richly decorated streets and dull, packed slums made up the majority of the island, with the rest of it being covered in lush green forests and tall mountains, as old as time. Y'nori was surrounded with beaches, with the sand being lightly kissed by the waves every time they made their way up the shore. A huge dock sat at the front of the island, with ships of all kinds constantly crawling into and out of it. Tourists and traders arrived everyday to the island, generating an almost infinite amount of income for its ruling government, not that it needed it. Kaida had described her disgust at the fact that Y'nori had so much money, but spent none of it in the slums where it was needed most. The main streets were apparently decorated with materials that were rare and expensive in our lands, and the middle and upper classes had clothing that was even more impressive than most royals wore. But every time she told her tales of her homeland, I was confused at why I had never heard of Y'nori before. It seemed to have burst into the limelight out of nowhere, attracting everybody who had money towards the island of expensive products and lifestyles. But I wanted to know how it gained the money to improve its status so quickly. Where had it found the money to throw into its looks and economy?

This question and Kaida's previous descriptions of the island circled around my thoughts as the boat pulled into the harbour. I gave the kind fisherman a small tip of gold coins and a polite nod, before pulling up my mask. My short brown hair blew in the wind and my long coat flew behind me as I walked swiftly along the dock made of wooden planks. The mask and coat gave me an mysterious look that hid my identity, and made me warm on my travels, that certainly helped during my visit to Y'nori. The cold sea air made everything cold along the seafront, everybody had multiple layers of expensive clothing on. As I stepped onto dry land, I scanned the street before me and my eyes widened at the sight. Gravel lay beneath everybody's feet, as most towns and cities do, but everything else practically shouted "money" at you. Tall buildings, with quartz where wool would normally be used and gold blocks wherever it seemed fit, lined the sidewalks of Y'nori, sheltering the streets from the cold air. Quartz and gold were incredibly hard to come by, and went for very high prices where it was found. Y'nori seemed to use the materials wherever possible. Market stalls, with everything you could imagine, sat at the sides of the roads. Finely made compasses and watches, clothing and fabrics made of lapis and emeralds, intricate redstone contraptions were being demonstrated to passersby. I made my way through the crowd as quickly as I could, desperate to move away from all the people. Although I wasn't shy, I felt uncomfortable in situations where I was crowded or didn't have enough space. As I politely pushed past the visitors, I noticed diamond necklaces, dresses and gloves made from the finest spider silk, impressive coats and jackets of carefully dyed sheep wool, sturdy but stylish shoes from the leather of cows used purely for clothing purposes. Everybody seemed happy, with couples inspecting the various stalls with amazement as they clutched one anothers arms, children running through the streets to watch the redstone toy demonstrations, stall owners calling to potential customers as they charmed them with grins and compliments, and locals chatting to neighbours about the latest town gossip. I had to admire the atmosphere of the area. But I reminded myself that my girlfriend was missing within this city, so it couldn't be all cheerful. Besides, I hadn't seen the slums yet and I was making a judgement from the first street. As I looked around just up the main street away from the busy market, I knew that I would be more successful in my search if I got a good night's sleep and a filling meal before I begun. There was no point running straight into the investigation, I'd attract too much attention to myself and get arrested or something. I had yet to see any government officials or guards. There had to be a reason why there weren't idiots running riot. I sighed, hoping Kaida would be alright another night. I didn't understand why she'd go missing now of all visits to Y'nori, it wasn't like this was her first. Though something about this town was making me feel uneasy, despite the first appearance. I turned, spotting a decent looking inn a few houses along. It seemed friendly enough and there were enough people in there to show it was a popular choice for new arrivals and locals. Hoping there were tables free, I adjusted my mask, took a deep breath and walked in.

As I entered, I was pleased to find it was much warmer than it was outside. The walls were decorated with paintings of the mountains and beaches of Y'nori, impressive I had to say. As well as spruce wood chairs and tables, there were booths surrounding the area which were furnished with wool for comfort. The atmosphere seemed friendly enough, people were chatting, drinking, staring at me in my strange attire, but that was normal for me. It also seemed to be a mix of the well dressed locals and much more undressed visitors to the island that drank there. I relaxed slightly, though always on my guard, and sat myself down at one of the barstools. The novelty of the stranger coming into the bar wore off and people started to get back to their quiet conversations. I sighed and leant forward, staring at the bar surface. My mind was full of thoughts of what might have happened to Kaida, the comforting thought of home and how much I'd rather be in my neighbourhood bar than an unfamiliar inn like this. I looked around at the others in the bar, studying them intently. There were a few couples chatting happily within their own booths, with their thick coats beside them as they gazed across the tables at each other. I shuddered but also felt a tinge of jealousy. I'd always hoped for a partner but never had the time to settle down to find one. Kaida and I were more like brother and sister than potential lovers, and she was exactly like me, full of energy and always travelling. The lights were bright and friendly above me, not like the dingy, much darker lighting that reminded me of home. You could tell the inn was made a welcoming image for newcomers, with the bar matching that theme. I turned back around and noticed the signs for booking rooms. "10 gold nuggets a night". A reasonable price, especially with the special offer underneath of "Only 50 gold nuggets to book ahead for the whole week!"

The barman finished dealing another customer and slowly made his way over to me. He was a large fellow, with a bald head and messy apron covering a simple shirt and trousers. However, you could tell he had the same access to money as the rest of the locals had, with a golden ring through one ear.

The man grunted then asked, "So, what'll it be, fella?"

"A bottle of your local ale, please". I spoke clearly and loudly, making sure not to muffle my voice through my mask. I always had ale, and I thought it would good to try the local version of it. He bent beneath the bar surface and brought up the bottle, cold and fresh.

"That'll be 5 nuggets, mate."

I fished in one of my various pockets for a bit, muttering under my breath in annoyance until I found the required currency. My hands brushed against the cold metal of the rapier hidden in my coat a few times, reminding me that I had a job to do where it might be needed if things became dirty. The man nodded as he checked them over then, handed me the bottle then walked down to the other end of the bar to serve the next man. I unscrewed the top of the bottle then took a long sip of the cold, refreshing liquid. It wasn't too bad, a bit bitter for my liking and it definitely didn't compare to the strong ale back home or the various sweet tasting potions that were produced in the local brewers up the road from my house. I sat there for a while with my bottle, staring down as I thought of Kaida and listened to the calm voices around me. Suddenly, the peace was interrupted as the door to the bar flew open with a slam against the wall and loud laughter filled the room as a squad of armoured men clambered through the door. Everybody in the room looked up as they entered, then returned to their conversations much more quietly than before as the guards walked up to the bar. I groaned to myself and pulled my mask tighter around my face. I knew they'd be trouble, the very thing I wanted to avoid, and boy, was I right...

Hey guys, Battle here. I hope you like the first chapter of this story. It's my first fanfiction but I felt I'd start writing about something more familiar to me after years of roleplaying on Minecraft servers. I did post another story with a similar title on here with a much smaller first chapter but I scrapped it and made improvements to the chapter. Please leave a review, I do need the feedback! I'll probably update this weekly, or earlier if I feel like it. :3

Thanks for reading!