The beach was eerily empty as I stalked up and down the coast. Fog rolled across the gentle waves below a sky of gray. The sun hid behind the clouds, barely basking the beach with any warmth. I pulled my coat tightly around me as brisk breezes blew wet sand across the beach. I rubbed my face, “There’s nothing out here, Kleeix.”
	“Can we get dinner now?” She grumbled, completely ignoring my comment.
	I sighed, kicking a bit of trash left on the beach aside, “Sure. You think the Leviathan would leave something behind. Not even a huge divot in the sand where the thing dragged itself onto land.”
	“It's a changeling type creature. It could have walked on a hundred tiny feet or even flew over the town.”
	With a nod, I started back towards town, my lead for more info now shot, “Maybe we need to find warmer waters to meet mermaids…” I crossed off a few notes, “I don’t think my adventure covers a trip to Hawaii.”
	“Hawaii?” Kleeix landed on my shoulder as I climbed a set of stairs onto the main road. A roundabout and benches sat at the shores edge at the main street’s end. I started up the road, looking for somewhere to eat. It would be dark soon and I had made little progress today.
	“It's a tropical vacation destination,” I explained, “Maybe once this is all over, we could take a trip there. I’ll have more than enough to rent a whole house for a month.”
	“Ugh, more talk of money?” Kleeix rolled her eyes.
	“It's just how it is here,” I said. She opened her mouth to speak, “No, I’m not moving to the fey lands,” She shut her mouth and pouted. A lot of businesses along the main street were already closing shop.
	Kleeix scanned the storefronts, “Good thing you got a book on the way here,” The bookstore had indeed closed down already. I had to wonder if they were clearing out the shop with how empty the store had been.
	“I got three.”
	“Of course you did, Reece the bookworm.”
	“Maybe I’ll be Reece the warrior soon, hm?” I picked up the mace I now wore on my hip. The shaft was wooden and the head was flanged in eight points with all hard angles. It was all diamond shaped. 
	Kleeix moved off of me, “Don’t let that iron thing touch me,” She hissed.
	“Sorry, sorry.”
	As I stopped by the front of a convenience store, peering inside at the slushie machine, one of the payphones by the front of it began to ring. I blinked at it, but no one else was around to answer. Curiosity came over me and I picked up the receiver, “H-hello?” I said into it. Kleeix leaned into the phone to listen in.
	“Reece, my dear, how are you?”
	“Maxine?” I guessed. Even through the crunchy audio of the phone, I could hear the witch grinning on the other end.
	“Yes, yes, it is I. How is your progress? Was Highrock fruitful?” The witch inquired.
	I frowned, “Kind of. Gargoyles and Leviathan. I did meet a pixie who is traveling with me now.”
	“Wonderful! Don’t let the pixie trick you, dear,” She cackled on the other end of the phone.
	“Hey!” Kleeix hissed, “I would… Try not to do any kind of mean trick to my human friend.”
	“If you say so, miss,” Maxine purred, “Where are you headed next, Reece?”
	“The Rhewbuck Shire. It will be a good opportunity to write about the races of men. I’ll look around for rumors about monsters too,” I replied quickly, “Elves will still be difficult to find, I’m sure.”
	“You will meet one at some point, I am sure. I will let you go. Please call me if you need anything,” The witch continued to purr.
	I nodded as if she could see me, “Of course. But I should be fine at the moment. Kleeix, do we need anything?”
	“Dinner,” She huffed.
	Maxine laughed, “Understandable. Make sure you treat her for dinner, Reece. Good evening, you two.”
	“Talk to you later,” The line went dead as soon as I said that, “I wonder how she knew I was right here.”
	“Who was that?” Kleeix asked as we continued down the street.
	I stepped into a pizza place on a whim with her still sitting on my shoulder. I quickly got in the short line, “Maxine Hamilton, my benefactor on this adventure,” I explained, “She’s the daughter of one of the richest demi-humans and a master of conjuration, pretty much the mother of teleportation magic as it is today. Her mother does a lot of humanitarian projects. This seems to be an extension of that.”
	“Where does their money come from?” Kleeix wondered aloud.
	“They produce a lot of demi-human specific products. From shampoo for beastman fur or scales, to clothes for shorter races like goblins, and of course clothes for bigger races like cyclopes,” I explained, “A lot of magical paraphernalia is produced by their businesses too. Mass produced wands and cloaks for fledgling or poorer wizards and reagents for potions and spells,” I continued to prattle off.
	“Sir?” The teenage orc at the order counter was giving me an odd look, “W-who are you talking to?”
	“Huh?” I shook myself, it was my turn, “You don’t see–” I looked at my shoulder and saw Kleeix giving me the biggest grin I had seen without her signature silver glow around her. It practically screamed ‘gotcha, idiot.’ My eyes fluttered, “Sorry, cursed by fey. Sometimes I see myself back at the lectern answering questions when I’m going about my life. Can I get a small pizza? Chicken, pineapple, onion, and barbeque sauce, please.”
	He stared at me and picked at one of his filed down tusks, “Y-yeah. It’ll be twenty minutes.”
	I paid and took a seat in the little waiting area. Kleeix shifted nervously on my shoulder, “Uh. You lie easily, huh?”
	“It's nothing,” I whispered, not wanting to divulge.
	“Sorry…” She whined as she sat with her hands in her lap. We sat silently for a while. The smell of pizza filled the air, “I’m remembering why I was so distrusting of people in years long past,” I glanced at her, urging her to continue, “I nearly was slaughtered by poachers and monster hunters in the old world. I didn’t realize they were lying through their teeth the whole time,” She hugged her legs against her chest.
	“You can’t lie?” I guessed, “Are all fey like that?”
	“Yeah. I take everything as truths, too. Facial expressions, things I’m told, all of that,” She sighed, “It's our nature. You think I’m just naive, huh?”
	“No I don’t. I want to trust people too,” I whispered.
	We paused for a moment before she spoke again, “Can I trust you?”
	“...I hope you think so.”
	“Reece?” The cashier interrupted us, presenting me with the pizza box. 
	I nodded and grabbed it before heading out the door and looking for somewhere quiet to eat. Off the main road and in a disused park, I found a gazebo to sit on the stairs of to share the pizza at. I cleared my throat after taking a few bites, “How do you like it?”
	“I don’t get why we put fruit on this,” The pixie chuckled as she ate some of the pineapple by itself.
	I smirked, “Tomatoes are a fruit too, ya know?”
	“No joke?” She looked at the savory sauce, “Wild. You’re not–”
	“I’m not lying nor joking,” It was my turn to chuckle, “Come on, finish eating so we can get out of here before the rain comes.”
	“Sure,” Kleeix ate some cheese and chicken off of her slice, “You’re not mad, right?”
	I smiled, “As long as you aren’t, I’m not.”
	“I just hate a lot of your tall folks’ society is all. It just doesn't make sense at all,” She sighed, “So backwards and barbaric and evil even.”
	“It’s just how it is. Maybe this isn’t the best system, but what else can we do? I wish we could be more altruistic like you fey, but we toil and work for our possessions. I’m working even now. I’m trading with people constantly, I’m trading with you even.”
	“You are?”
	I nodded, “I’m trading you food for your company and friendship, don’t you think?”
	“Okay, now you’re lying,” She chuckled, “That’s not a trade. We’d both give friendship and food to one another without pause.”
	I found myself smiling, “I guess my thoughts were right.”
	“About what? You’re speaking like a satyr now.”
	“I just thought I was lucky to meet you, is all,” I grinned, “Wanna tell me more about satyrs? You mentioned sprites yesterday too.”
	Kleeix perked up, “Yeah, I’ve got stories about both.”

	The sun had crested below the horizon by the time we left the park. I hurried through the empty streets back to the tall church on the edge of town. I was surprised to see most of the demi-human population of the town heading there too. It wasn’t that many since it was a small town, maybe a little more than two dozen. I got a few glances from a family of goblins, but no one paid me much mind. I stepped into the main room of the church where chandeliers hung overhead and tall candle sticks lined the pews, their candles burning softly. The glossy wood reflected the lights and faces of the worried folks. It made sense the gargoyles would hold a mass on Sunday evening rather than the morning. I took a seat in the back pews and brought out my journal. I made addendums to my pixie writing adding in their inability to lie. Through my prodding, I learned that fey could not tell an outright untruth. Kleeix did however show she could lie through omission and could twist words. ‘A common trick by less than savory fey creatures,’ She had explained.

	Name: Sprite
Type: Fey
Rarity: Uncommon
Disposition: Varies wildly
Habitat: Fey lands and human settlements
Notes: Usually invisible, these tiny creatures are the most common denizen of the fey wilds. Unlike the other fey, they are spawned from humans and other intelligent creatures. They are where the folk tale of ‘a fairy being born when a baby laughs’ comes from. These creatures are formed from many things, mostly strong emotions and become a Sprite of that emotion. They generally are unintelligent, but when some of the same emotion clusters together, they gain sentience and can even speak. This is where the voice inside people’s heads can come from, usually random, unrelated urges and thoughts are whispered by these creatures. They can stick to a human and continue to feed into a single emotion to feed off of and grow further. Eventually, they will venture back to the fey wilds and be formed into a true fey like a fairy, pixie, red cap, hag, satyr, and so on.

	Kleeix nodded as I finished recounting my notes, “Sounds good. This is almost fun.”
	“It is a day of rest,” Carlisle sighed as he sat on the pew next to me, “Why do you insist on working?”
	“My time here is short,” I replied to the gargoyle, “I’m trying to do everything I can. I’ll have plenty of time to rest on the train.”
	“What’s the train like?” Agatha asked, a bit of wonder in her young eyes. 
	I scratched my head as I put my journal away, “Well…”
	“You sit in this big rumbling carriage,” Kleeix spread her hands wide, “And you get this big room to yourself, and you go to another carriage to get food, and snacks, and you can sleep in the big cabin you get and relax and just watch the scenery go by!”
	The young gargoyle looked awestruck, “Father, can we go on the train? When the fall is here and the night is longer?”
	Carlisle sighed, “Perhaps. This is for you, Reece,” He handed me a book, it was plain to see by the golden cross on its face that it was a bible, “Take care of it. I need to go out on watch soon. May your wandering prove fruitful.”
	“I’m a little nervous, honestly. I can only hope the other towns I set foot in are as great as this one,” I gave him a smile as I put the book in my bag.
	“Keep Deuteronomy 31:8 in mind, Reece. The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forget you. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Goodbye, come visit on your way home, hm?” The stone-faced man smiled warmly. He took his daughter’s hand and brought her to the front where another gargoyle was sitting. 
	“Will we be staying long?” Kleeix asked, obviously getting antsy as she fluttered about, “Don’t we have a train to catch?”
	“Not long,” I stood as someone began to play the organ, filling the church with music. I slipped into a side room before heading upstairs to collect my things. I didn’t see any of the busy gargoyles, but a small container with a slice of cake in it had been left with my things. Thanks, a note read in superb handwriting. I smiled and slipped it into my bag, a little saddened I wasn’t able to bid farewell to the others.

	In the dark and cold, the rain pitter pattered on the roof over my head and drained into the puddles surrounding the train station. Kleeix and I were the only ones waiting for a train. Weariness was starting to take hold after a day of wandering about the town. I thumbed through my journal and read through my unfinished satyr entry. Fairy, high fey, beastmen, wizards, humans, halflings, dwarves, gnomes, and elves were all started but I wanted first hand accounts of these. It didn’t seem likely I would meet a satyr, “So they just party all day?” I asked.
	Kleeix was quietly playing her little instrument, “Right. Drinking, debauchery, music, brawls, they’re wild. Not a place for you. Either of us, really.”
	“Is their music like yours?”
	“They play flutes mostly. They’re superb for it.”
	“Got it. Anything else I should note? Any powers?”
	Kleeix chuckled, “There’s a saying amongst fey; when the party gets going, and you hear the satyrs’ cloven feet on the tiles, it's time to make yourself scarce. Doesn’t rhyme in your human tongue, of course.”
	I smiled, “I see. Let’s see here.”

	Name: Satyr
Type: Beastman (Fey)
Rarity: Rare
Disposition: Chaotic, drunk, wild
Habitat: Fey Lands, parties	
Notes: Satyrs appear as humanoids with curly hair, goat horns, and goat legs. They’re generally rather hairy so are thought to be a form of beastman. They are fantastic flute players and their music is said to be heard all over the feywilds. Where satyrs go, parties full of drinking, brawling, debauchery, and even music all follow. Where parties are full of these things, satyrs appear, even in the physical world. According to an old saying, when satyrs appear at a party, it's time to leave. When in solitude, satyrs are surprisingly docile and shy. 
	My recent learning about fey creatures being tied to emotions has led me to believe they represent an unrestrained emotional state when partying and the opposite when alone. Perhaps they are naturally introverts and extroverts only when drunk?

	“Good,” Kleeix nodded before perking up, “Hear that?”
	It took a moment, but I soon heard the sounds of a locomotion coming down the tracks. I sighed, ready to get off this hard, metal bench and into a nice, warm bed, “Keep yourself hidden until we’re inside,” I ordered, “I don’t need either of us to be kicked off since you insisted on only one ticket.”
	“Yeah, yeah,” She slipped herself into my coat’s breast pocket. I could feel her getting comfortable, “I need to make some walls for this pocket. I could put a hammock in here and everything.”
	“We’ll see what we can find,” I chuckled. 
The train came to a stop in front of me. It was the usual model based on early trains but powered by mana reactors. It carried more than a dozen train cars, all of a nice crimson color. A few lights were on inside the cars, but a lot had been turned off for the night. It was about nine at night now. As the train stopped, the front vehicle hissed as steam escaped it. A dwarven conductor helped a small family of gnomes off the train before looking around then right at me, “All aboard,” He chuckled before checking a golden watch and a sheet of paper.
	I nodded before quickly showing him my ticket, “I don’t imagine there are a lot of stops around here.”
	“Most folks are headed to the mountain, same as you,” He hole punched the ticket, “Car four, go up the stairs to the second floor and you’ll find four-one-two. Breakfast starts at six.”
	“Thank you,” I stepped inside and the train slowly started moving. The horn blew and I made my way to car four but not until I bought a shower card from train three where there were a few bigger bathrooms and a lounge. I stepped up a thin staircase to a row of thin doors all flanked my lights. I found 412 and stepped inside.
	The room was much smaller than the last. There was only a little bit of standing room right inside the door that had two stairs down to where a single seat sofa was next to a table. To my left and right was some cabinets where I could store my things. I left some space open for Kleeix to camp out at, “Why is the room so small?” The pixie asked.
	“I just got a simple sleeper car,” I explained as I pulled a knob on the table and lowered it. I took the cushions on the seat and laid them out for the bed, “It's only a two day trip, plus its cheaper. Not like you need a whole bed, either, right?”
	“So you get better accommodations if you spend more?”
	“That’s generally how it is,” I nodded, “Better quality food, bigger rooms, faster tech. You’ll hit a plateau when it comes to price and quality. Like they say wine is the best at around fifty bucks or so. Past that you’re just paying for a brand name.”
	Kleeix laid out her mat, “I don’t get it.”
	“It's fine,” I laid out the bottom sheet, the upper sheet, and a wool blanket from storage in the room, “I’m gonna do some reading before bed.”
	The pixie’s glow dimmed as she rolled over and away from the tiny lamp I turned on. I closed the shade on the window, protecting me from the inky darkness outside, “Night,” She covered herself up.
	“G’night.”

	Kleeix and I went to the diner cart. I thumbed through my journal idly as I waited to order for the two of us. There were a lot of types of people amongst the breakfast goers, but I found it awkward to approach any for an interview, especially this early. Kleeix’s glow was gone, signifying she was hiding herself. I got an order of pancakes, home fried potatoes, two strips of bacon, and scrambled eggs. A filling breakfast for us both. With a smaller plate, I gave Kleeix her share of food. I even put some coffee in a cup meant for sauce for her. We sat at a booth, two wide chairs fit for two or three sat across from one another with a table in between. 
	“Bean soup?” She smelled the bitter, black coffee, “You just… drink it?”
	I shrugged, “The caffeine helps. Here, put some sugar and creamer in yours.”
	“You don’t mind if we sit with you, do you, child?” An older dwarven woman stood at my table.
	“Of course not,” I gestured to the other side.
	The woman slid in first, her hair was a dark orange and was pulled behind her head in a large braid that went down to the middle of her back. Her nose was big and red and her cheeks were just as rosy. Her skin was pale and she wore a set of overalls over a lilac button up. Her plate was piled high with meat and carbs. The man was much the same. He had a golden rimmed monocle, a golf polo that was dyed lilac, and black slacks. His hair was cut short, but his large beard was bound by silver oblong tubes inlaid with green stones, “What an odd companion you have,” He noted in a gruff voice. He had a chicken fried steak on his plate along with a big plate of eggs.
	Kleeix looked shocked, “He can see me?” She whispered to me.
	I glanced at her then his monocle, “Magic lens?”
	“Aye. You have the right of it, boy,” He nodded, “Is she a familiar of yours?”
	“Don’t harass him, dear,” His wife hissed in dwarvish.
	I cracked a smile, “It’s no big deal,” I replied in the same tongue.
	She looked shocked, “You speak the runic tongue well!”
	“I write it better,” I finished plating up for the pixie, “The pixie here is Kleeix. She’s a free fey, not bound to me or anything. I’m Reece, an author, translator, and chronicler,” I prattled off.
	“Dain,” The man gestured to himself, “And Frauw. You said you were a chronicler?” The man asked, switching the conversation back to english for the confused looking pixie.
“Yes, I’ve done a lot of work chronicling major events by taking numerous accounts and wrapping them up into a narrative,” I quickly explained, “The Ballad of Sol Eater is the big one, but I did chronicle multiple dwarven kings.”
	“Oh, it is you! I thought I recognized your photo from the back of the book. That one is excellent,” Frauw smiled, “If I had my copy on hand I’d ask you to sign it, mister Gawain.”
	“Thank you. It was a lot of work.”
	Kleeix rolled her eyes, “Ugh, I’m surrounded by dorks.”
	“What are you working on now, Reece?” Dain ignored her.
	“A bestiary,” I presented my journal, “I’ve been commissioned by the Hamiltons to make one of every creature I can. I’m trying my best not to supplant any information from existing books for now.”
	“The Hamiltons?” Frauw’s brown eyes widened, “They’ve donated some wonderful items to our museum. Are you on your way to Rhewbuck, Reece?”
	“Yes, ma’am.”
	“Then you should pay us a visit! We run the old mining museum there. I’ll have you sign my book too,” She chuckled.
	Dain cleared his throat, “Could we… Help in any way? With your bestiary?”
	“Well, I don’t have dwarves written down yet. You’re free dwarves, right?” I asked as I once again neglected eating to write in my journal.
	“Oh, is it that obvious?” Frauw rubbed her bald chin and chuckled, “What do you want to know?”
	“Well, most dwarves I’ve talked to have been quite prideful and brash,” I started.
	“Don’t forget brave and hard headed,” Dain chuckled.
	We went back and forth, outlining how different the two types of dwarves can be. Soon enough, I had an entry.

	Name: Dwarf, Free
Type: Race of Man
Rarity: Common
Disposition: Stubborn, brash, courageous, proud
Habitat: Mines, towns, 
Notes: Probably the third most common race of men, behind humans and halflings, the Free dwarves are called this because they do not live in the same underground holds as their Clan brethren. Standing around four to five feet tall, these proud craftsmen are found in almost any city. They follow tradition rigidly, even if it's not as rigid as the Clan dwarves. They are more accepting of traditional magic through wizards as well as their runic magic. Both kinds of dwarves wear big, bushy beards that are decorated with precious stones and runes, but the difference lies with their women. Female Free dwarves wear nothing on their chin, while Clan dwarves make faux beards from their long, braided hair that is just as decorated, albeit much more clean and short. Free dwarves also tend to have darker hair, are about half a foot taller on average, are less distrusting of the other races, and more outgoing.

	“Sounds about right to me,” Frauw nodded, “I am glad we could help you, boy.”
	I smiled, “Of course, thank you,” I put my journal away, “I think that’s enough for today. I did tell Carlisle I’d rest,” My food was lukewarm now.
	Dain nodded, “Are you part dwarf?”
	I tilted my head, “I don’t think so. I had a dwarven mentor, though.”
	Frauw chuckled, “Ah, that must be how you got as studious as one. Come by the museum when we arrive, boy. We’ll give you a tour.”
	“I’ll be sure to.”
	The old couple left us happy, having had their fill of food and talk. I got to eating quickly, my stomach was growling. Kleeix looked at me, “Could you teach me to read?”
	“English? I could do that, I think. Can you read in the fey language?”
	“We don’t really have a written language, not most fey, at least,” She shrugged, “High fey write stuff down. I don’t really know how though.”
	“Then I’ll teach you to read and write,” I smiled, “Come on, we have a lot to do.”
	“After you eat.”
	“Right, eating,” I rubbed my face wearily.