Chapter 74 - Filled To The Brim

Time held no meaning for an undead such as a lich, they would persist as long as the earth still held firm under their feet. Still, even though they had all the time in the world, that did not keep them from feeling impatient. Right now, that was exactly what Professor Kal was feeling as he milled about a large, cavernous room.

He was currently on the tenth floor of the undead dungeon, in what the adventurers called the 'Overlord's Chambers'. It was an area where, if you wished to continue further down, you would have to defeat the monster that resided here. It was said there were no other way to open the door without first slaying the beast, and now Professor Kal would be able to confirm that statement.

He had tried to open the solid door with every spell he could think of in his extensive arsenal, nothing seemed to put a dent in it. Whatever mechanics dictated the operation of the dungeons prevented him from bypassing certain areas. There had been some traps and puzzles that he simply brute forced his way through, but it seemed that he would be unable to do so here. Thus, he was forced to wait until whatever beast or monster reigned dominion over this room resurrected, so that he may kill it once more.

It wasn't as if he lacked things to do, he had collected several samples during his journey here, his storage ring now nearly filled to the brim. It was just that he felt the strong urge to reconnect with a possible old friend and having to wade through endless annoyances along the way perturbed him greatly.

With a click, he opened up a silver timepiece. The little hand had already made a complete revolution around the face, his curious gaze only causing its steady march to seemingly slow even further. He closed it with a forceful 'snap', returning it to his oversized chest pocket. With nothing better to do, he summoned a simple skeleton while pulling out a small bottle of 'holy water' he had taken from one of the adventurers. He supposed performing a few experiments while he waited couldn't hurt.

…..

The shining city, Säravast, was cloaked within a gloomy atmosphere. The dreadful chilly weather was not the only thing the residents had on their minds. Word was spreading that the Kingdom of Amine had invaded their kingdom with no warning, bypassing the formal declaration of war and conducting a surprise attack. Although they had known that the relationship between their two countries were tenuous, it wasn't so bad as to go to war, at least as far as they knew.

The heralds posted around the city spoke of the unprovoked and vicious attack on the fortress city of Nox. Although they had fought valiantly, the city defenders were unable to hold back the invaders, and the city fell within a week. To any of those that knew the entire truth, they could say that the city had neglected its defensive infrastructure over the last several decades of peace. They were entirely ill-prepared for a sudden attack numbering in the tens of thousands.

All of these events put the Crown in a very poor light, even the common folk could see their weakness, let alone the noble families that sought to increase their own power. Already, there were movements within the Royal Court of Morgania, those with less than savory ambitions would never let such an opportunity pass them by.

Of course, all the posturing and plotting of the supercilious nobles had little to do with those that were barely scraping by. They were more concerned over where they would get their next meal and if they were going to be forced to die for a country that they felt cared little about them. With those thoughts and worries, the somber atmosphere pervaded almost every aspect of their lives, but should one travel to a newly renovated inn, they would feel a much livelier mood.

Looking at the inn from the slush covered street, there were hardly an open plot of land for one to walk on. A forest of canvas tents had grown practically overnight, their occupants, too many to fit inside the inn itself, sat around campfires that kept the winter chill at bay. This was actually not an uncommon sight throughout the city at the moment. The streets were lined with hundreds of travelers that had been affected by the sudden war and forced to either find a room, which was nearly impossible, or to camp out within the urban jungle itself.

Some of the savvier landowners were charging a small fee for those that wished to occupy a small portion of the lots they owned, profiting off the chaos of war in their own way. Being products of families of merchants, Ryan and Ben had taken the lead when it came to managing the sudden influx of business showing up at their doorstep. But even with their limited experience, they found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people.

"You know what, if you want something better, get your ass out there and go kill it. Bring it in here and we'll cook it for you!" Sarah Treffle admonished another patron of their newly opened inn before stomping back into the kitchen.

This was the fifth person, in just as many minutes, that had complained about the bland food being served in the small restaurant part of the inn. Most people expected good food in the event that they had to pay for it, but with the entire city experiencing such a situation it only made sense that a food shortage was imminent. Prices had soared, so even though Professor Kal had left them with a considerable sum, they were still finding it difficult to buy what they needed.

Inside the hot and muggy kitchen, Laura and Richard were doing their best to keep up with the orders that continued to pour in. All they served were either hard tack bread, soup with little chunks of dried meat, or hot oatmeal with nothing but a few berries to add some sweetness. Of course, even in times of need, there was also ale to drink along with water.

"We're almost out of bread. Ben, can you go and get some more!" Laura shouted out to the young man on the other side of the room directing golems in washing the wooden dishes.

Ben's golems had improved in both looks and functionality over his many hours of practice. He now had a group of four ugly mounds of clay with almost perfect representations of human arms sticking out. Each one had four arms and could wash, rinse, and dry, with almost no mistakes. In the beginning, Ben had a small issue with regulating the strength of each one, resulting in several broken dishes. But that is why they were using simple wooden ones, they were cheap, sturdy, and easy to replace.

"I can't, I have to be here to control these things, unless you want to wash the dishes while I'm gone?" He said, loosing his concentration, resulting in a few wooden plates falling to the ground in pieces.

"Fine, I'll go see if Ryan has some spare time."

Laura wiped her hands on the dirty apron tied around her waist before tearing out of the kitchen to locate Ryan. He had taken the mantel of the inn's proprietor, taking charge of the day-to-day operations and budget. With that also came the headache of having to deal with any unruly customers.

Laura found him behind the front counter, having a heated debate with a mousy looking man with a monocle over one eye. The man looked very out of place due to his elaborate three-piece suit and polished black shoes.

"I'm telling you sir, we are completely full, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it!" Ryan spoke in an annoyed, forceful voice.

Losing the decorum of an upper class citizen, the man with the monocle cursed at the young man before turning around and leaving the inn, slamming the door behind him. Ryan shook his head then turned his attention to Laura who was standing off to the side, giving her a tired smile. "All day long it's like this." He spoke. "I'm about to bar the doors."

Laura returned his smile before replying. "Don't do that just yet, we need more flour."

She watched him as he physically deflated. When the light given off from the magical flames hit just right, she could have sworn to see a few grey hairs hidden within the others. She could understand the stress he was going through, she was experiencing much of the same. Ever since they had gotten to this city, they hadn't had a moment to truly rest. Professor Kal had bought the inn without consulting them in any way, then unceremoniously pawned it off on to them. Even Professor Treffle didn't dare to go against his word, so all they could do was what they were told.

On top of everything else, their homeland had suddenly gone to war. Usually, any citizens of the other country would be rounded up and kept under close watch under the suspicion of being spies. She had to think the only reason they hadn't been arrested as of yet was because of Princess Alessandria. The other stressor was the fact they couldn't communicate with their families, no messages would be able to get to Amine unless they paid an exorbitant amount to smuggle them in.

Worried about his wellbeing, Laura reached out and grasped his hand. The flour soiled his hand as well, but he didn't mind. The warmth from her touch comforted him, reminding him that he wasn't alone. He squeezed her hand a little, giving her a genuinely happy smile. "I'll be back in a little while then, maybe I can set it up to be delivered. We buy enough."

"All-right, I'll handle the front then." She said, leaning in to kiss his lips.

They had grown extremely close ever since the events at Swayzee and had just recently declared their feelings for each other. They both thought that it was truly a shame that they all had to work night and day and had no time to enjoy their newly founded relationship.

Pulling away from him, Laura's face was flushed with a light shade of pink. Ryan's looked much the same. With a little pep in his step, he turned toward the door. Before he could reach the center of the room, the double doors swung open, allowing the cold winter air to invade the warmth of the inn.

Standing there in a long white robe as pure as the snow gently falling outside, was a bespectacled man holding a leather bound notebook. His brown hair was neatly trimmed and held into place by a coating of hair-product that gave it an unnatural shine. His face was clean shaven and held no expression, he gave off an air of someone that was incapable of having fun, someone that had no room in their lives for anything but their duty.

Walking into the inn behind the serious looking man was an equally serious looking armored knight. His helmet was removed, but covering his body was white shining armor with gold accents. The symbol of the Church of the Dawn was engraved conspicuously on his chest, standing out for everyone to see. He closed the door behind them, returning to assume his position behind the robed man.

"I am Holy Priest Ardmane Unilith, this is Holy Paladin Daytonius Hargrove." The robe man stated, not making eye contact with either Ryan or Laura as he spoke. "I am here in an official capacity, and I require to speak with a.... Kalcifer, no last name given."