With the eternal smoke of Mt Fugra backdropping the sky behind him and the soft clomp of his camel's feet on the sand beckoning the lone rider’s arrival as he crossed over the last dune to Rofvil.

Rofvil.

Smack dab in the middle of bloody nowhere with nothing but sand, sand, rocks, and more sand on all sides. No unique or interesting scenery to break up the view and not even a minor dungeon located anywhere in the desert void.

It was the kind of place kingdoms would actively pass on snatching. The kind of place no goons would be spared the effort of being sent. The kind of place where boredom was just as likely to kill a man as the monsters.

But by golly was it home.

As the lone rider came into view, the bored looking diblaju guarding the entrance passed him a glance. Her eyes drifted back to the plain desert view before they suddenly filled with recognition. Her wings on her back started flapping like a dog’s tail in excitement.

“Ey Stevie!” She called out to him.

The felixi on camelback returned the call in an upbeat shout. “Slyvia! How you doing? How's the guarding business goin’ for ya?”

“Same as always! But it’ll get better down at Garlo’s!”

“Ain’t that the truth!” He laughed as she opened the gate for him. “Meet you there later, pop you a drink!”

“I’ll be holding you to it!” She waved him off as the chorus of sandbirds and the bustle of people milling about Main Street sang the song of the tiny desert town.

Soon, a collection of joyful greetings joined in said song.

“Stevie!”

“Oi! Stevie!”

“Yo Stevie!”

“Stevie! Ow ya goin’?!”

“Hey Stevie!

Stevie answered the greetings just as readily as they came in, if not faster.

“Hey Yumi!”

“Erkul!”

“Gixy, how you doin, girl!”

“Zeethu! How's the wife?”

He stopped next to a large rock near the middle of town. A naturally formed hole was embedded into the side which had been expanded over the years by people. A pair of wooden doors had been built to block the entrance, although everyone knew they were never locked.

“Take care of Bessie, will ya kid?” He said as he passed the reins to someone who couldn’t have been younger than fifty.

He kicked the swinging doors open and stepped inside with a dramatic pose. “Hey everybody! Guess who’s back in town!”

A chorus of cheers erupted from the bar as everyone started shouting greetings, making toasts, and, in one felixi’s case, failing drunkenly off of the table they were standing on.

He walked down the tables, gladly shaking hands or tails with those he passed. “Rita! Marvin! Give ‘er here! Athena! Those wings look beautiful today baby!”

As he neared the bar, he spotted the lone parton nesting a dark purple drink. Several empty glasses were strewn about the bar and on the floor. An unpleasant aura premiated their being, killing the mood of the joyous saloon. Only Stevie seemed immune to her soul crushing mood, as he cracked a smile and sauntered over to the bar next to her.

“Kyla! How's my favorite niece doin’!”

Her response was a guttural growl that sounded more like the mating call of a hartusk than something an actual human would make.

“Aw c’mon now! Don’t be like that! Tell your uncle Steevie everything!”

She didn’t respond.

The bartender, a huge man with arms that looked more suited to play catch with boulders than tending drinks, served the felixi a drink. “Steevie.” He said, his voice lacking its usual joviality.

“Garlo! My good man! How’s the bar life treating you!” The felixi jovially raised his class.

Garlo didn’t lighten up.“We need to talk .”

“What is it, my big man!”

“It’s Xylia. She’s gone missing.”

Steevie put down his drink. “Oh boy.” He glanced at Kyla. “How long?”

“A few days. Vanished one night, we sent a search party the next day but couldn’t find her.”

“Cricky, that would mean…” His ears flickered in the holes of his squashy hat. He contemplated his words for a moment before speaking, “I went ‘round there earlier, the monsters seemed real worked up about something.” Garlo and especially Kyla tensed. Steevie patted Kyla on the back. “But don’t cha worry! Leave it to your Ol’ uncle Steevie, and I’ll have her back before you can say “two shrimps on a barbie!””

Kyla raised her head and tried to say “Two shrimps on a barbie” but she was so drunk it came out more as “Shoe slips on a baby.”

Steevie smiled. “See, what I’d tell ya!” He downed the rest of his drink in one gulp. “I’ll be back before you even sober up! Save a drink for me!” He left the bar in a cloud of dust that really wasn’t all that impressive considering the clouds of dust that always flowed through the town.