#shirka

Odd, Shirka had covered an incredible expanse of the Shuriman desert in his travels, but he had yet to discover this place. He saw from his vantage point what appeared to be another temple, reminding him of the one he had made his home. Noticing someone appear in the entrance, seemingly leaving the place, Shirka immediately wrapped himself in light to conceal his presence.

The figure seemed to lose interest in whatever they were doing soon after, returning inside the structure. But the appearance caught Shirka off guard. Whether it was armor or not, he could not tell, but the creature that had appeared momentarily certainly did not appear human.

Sliding down the sand dune, Shirka approached, keeping up the guise of invisibility. It would serve him well until he learned what dwelled here.

Using blink, Shirka just barely managed to dodge one of the beast’s charges, appearing instead in the air a few feet back. He was still in the bear’s path at this point, but that was the plan.

Using gravity as windup, Shirka brought his heel down on the creature’s skull, delivering a savage overhead kick. Immediately, it smashed into the ground, a small crater appearing where it’s head hit.

But apparently, the attack wasn’t enough, even with Shirka’s empower magic. The bear stood again, rearing up on its hind legs and releasing a deafening roar.

Did these beasts have some sort of protection from physical attacks? Shirka’s blows should have been powerful enough to shatter boulders as large as his own guild hall.

The other nine bears were closing in, and the bear in front of Shirka only seemed angered by his attacks. What could he do?

Every now and then in his travels, Shirka visited small towns to stock up on supplies. After going around through the various stores and merchant stalls, Shirka found himself inside a tavern, approaching the bar area and sitting near a girl with bright orange hair, one of the establishment’s many patrons.

To Shirka’s dismay, the tavern didn’t serve grapes, which he had a sudden craving for. Well, it wasn’t necessarily sudden. If possible, Shirka would have grapes with every meal. Coming from the desert, a fruit so full of juice and flavor was a marvel to him.

Settling instead for some wine, bread, and cheese, Shirka pulled out his coin purse and paid the tavern server. After ordering, he swung around in his seat, back against the bar, hid bare torso facing the rest of the room. He watched the customers there out of boredom mostly, figuring he’d likely just end up eating and leaving right after.