Chapter 54: My name is Valerius Kael-Voss

"State your name and what business ye’ve got with House Osric!" Keren’s voice boomed right across the clearing. "The pass is closed to travelers, so turn it about!"

The Lithari held up two broad, four-fingered hands, palms outward, showing he carried no visible steel. His face twisted into a wide, strangely expressive grin, revealing teeth as black and dense as obsidian.

"Peace, surface-dwellers! No need to stand on such alert", the traveler called back, his voice unexpectedly smooth, carrying a strange rhythmic lilt like stones clicking together in a river current. My name is Valerius Kael-Voss. I travel light, I travel alone, and I assure you that my blood is much too cold to be spilled over a simple misunderstanding."

Keren didn’t lower his guard an inch. "Ye’re a long way from the deep fissures, Valerius. What does a Lithari want with a noble house in the Reach, then?"

Valerius patted the thick leather satchels strapped to his mount with a rhythmic, affectionate tap, a keen, calculating light gleaming within his completely black, lidless eyes.

"I am, first and foremost, a seeker of anomalies, my good sir! And I must tell you, your delightful little valley is practically screaming with energetic resonance," he declared, his voice lilting with a smooth, playful cadence.

"Why, merely a few hours ago, the great mountain cliff city down the pass suffered a rather... let us call it asevere structural disagreementdue to the sudden, boisterous battle that erupted. Naturally, practicing the art of self-preservation, I gracefully escaped the chaos and wandered into the safety of these ancient woods."

He leaned forward, his obsidian-toothed smirk growing as he sniffed the crisp alpine air, his look drifting directly past Keren towards the seclusion cabins where the atmosphere was still heavily warping.

"Which brings us to the present! You see, my dear friend, we Lithari possess a rather exquisite sensitivity toward the magnificent convergence of Vitre," Valerius continued, spreading his arms wide in a grand, theatrical flourish.

"When the internal energy of the world decides to congregate with such spectacular density, it invariably indicates that the underlying geology—the very bones of the earth—is phenomenally rich in Vitre-infused minerals and pristine stone. Or, perhaps, that someone nearby is doing something terribly fascinating with their power.

Naturally, as a humble pursuer of such occurrences, I simply tracked the regular vibrations of this power. It led me on a most delightful trek all the way up this winding trail, you see, and deposited me right at the doorstep of this... uniquely rustic settlement you have built. A bit heavy on the timber, maybe, but charming nonetheless!"

Keren shifted his stance, grabbing hold of his twin hatchets in a warning sign.

"If ye’re just here to scavenge around or cause trouble, friend, ye’ve picked the wrong damn gates to knock on."

Valerius didn’t flinch at the sudden warning movement. Instead, he let out a rich, melodic chuckle that sounded like river pebbles tumbling over one another, throwing his hands up in a fluid gesture of grand innocence.

"Scavenge? Cause trouble? Oh, peace, folks, perish the thought!" He placed a hand over his chest, his wide, obsidian grin never wavering. "I am a craftsman, my good captain! An artisan of the deep! A man of my talents doesn’tscavenge—I create art! Beauty!.

"You see, a convergence of Vitre this beautifully volatile is an absolute masterpiece of nature, but left unchecked? It’s a tragedy waiting to happen. The ambient energy will fracture that fragile timber of yours, warp your foundations, and blow the literal top right off this lovely little mountain."

He leaned in closer over his mount, his pitch-black eyes dancing with genuine, professional fervor as he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial lilt.

"But stabilize it? Anchor that raw, wild power into the bedrock using proper, high-density lithic conductors? Ah, now that is where I come in. I don’t want your coin, friend. I want theopportunity. Let me study this anomaly, let me work with the unique minerals bleeding into your soil, and I will reinforce this entire outpost so tightly that the high heavens themselves couldn’t shake it. I scratch your back, you secure my research, and your rustic little fort doesn’t implode. A highly pragmatic arrangement, wouldn’t you say?"

The quiet that followed Valerius’ pitch was heavy, interrupted only by the soft movement of leaves and forest brush. Out in the brush, Keren’s scout detachment took a synchronized, predatory step closer.

The lean, shadowy warriors adjusted their grips on their unique dual-edged daggers and short-swords, their eyes fixed vigilantly on the massive, thick-furred beast and its strange rider.

Up on the watchtower, Keren didn’t lower his guard, his hand still on his hatchets. Crouched slightly in an agile, effortless stance, his sharp, almost vulpine features were set in a mask of pure observation.

His restless, emerald-green eyes flicked over the traveler, utterly immune to the theatrical charm. He looked down at the Lithari over the iron-oak battlements, his long raven-black hair shifting slightly in the mountain breeze.

Keren spat into the dirt, his voice carryin’ a cold, cuttin’ edge that sliced right through Valerius’s smooth cadence.

"Ye talk a hell of a lot for a mole-man who just crawled out of his hole," Keren grunted, narrowing his eyes. "And check your view, stranger. To me, ye just look like a highly capable, smooth-talkin’ distraction."

Before Valerius could offer another witty retort, the heavy locking bar of the main gates slid back with a dull, scraping crunch. The massive doors swung open just wide enough for a single silhouette to step through.

Bramm walked out into the clearing.

He kept his pace slow and steady, his eyes locked on the stranger. Outwardly, he looked completely unbothered, but his mind was spinning in thought.

’Well, damn,’Bramm thought, his jaw tightening slightly. ’So that’s what a Lithari looks like. Slate skin, those weird white growths... Keren wasn’t kidding. I’ve heard the stories about the reclusive bastards down in the deep fissures, but I never thought I’d actually see one standing in the sun. Let alone in the northern territories.