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Lightbringer
Chapter 11
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Two men who didn't look conspicuous at all were standing across the street from The Rosemoon Inn. They were dressed in plain gray cloaks with their hoods up to obscure their faces, one of them leaning against the wall of a building and the other with his back to the inn facing the man leaning on the wall. Both were armed if you were to look closely enough, but they hid their weapons fairly well from cursory glances.
"What the hell is so special about this place that we've gotta watch it so closely this fucking early in the morning?" asked the guy with his back to the inn.
"Shut up! Someone might hear you, dumbass," growled the second man, then quieter he said, "Weren't you listening to the instructions earlier? It's got something to do with the other guys who were attacked last night." He crossed his arms and relaxed in an effort to try and look like he belonged where he was. It really was very early in the morning, what with the sun only beginning to emerge from its nightly slumber, and the streets were practically empty.
"You know, they probably just picked a dumb fight with the wrong person. They were always lacking in discipline and causing trouble for the rest of us."
"In the middle of our fields?" said the other incredulously, eyes darting around the empty street anxiously.
"Well... alright, maybe not. But I never really liked those guys anyway. Assholes, the lot of 'em, so good riddance I say," replied the first adamantly, shaking his head.
"They were our fellows, and they're dead now. You oughta be more respectful."
The first guy snorted. "They were assholes."
"Count your lucky stars that it wasn't you out there when it happened!" snarled the second guy.
The first guy shrugged. "Yeah. I think I will count them. And you know what? I think my lucky stars are also telling me that we don't need two people watching the same entrance so I'm going to go inside. They're probably cooking up some breakfast in there, or are about to, and I very much want to eat something."
"What?!" blurted out the guy leaning on the wall, standing up straight as his hands fell to his sides and balled into fists. He glared at the other man, as if it would get him to start acting appropriately.
"You deaf now?"
"Y-You can't do that! Damn it man! Stop playing around, this is serious. One false move and we could be dead like those other guys. Dead."
"Well, I'd rather have a full belly and then die than live another minute out here in the cold, empty street with you on an empty stomach," and with that said he walked into The Rose Moon Inn without so much as a backwards glance at his companion.
"Fuck!" the one left outside said under his breath. He wanted to punch his annoyingly flippant partner in the face, but he couldn't very well leave his post to do so. Someone needed to be out here to keep an eye out. With a frustrated sigh, he continued his vigil and really hoped this wouldn't turn out badly for them.
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Lucifer used [Teleportation] – he realized it a more discrete way to travel magically than [Gate] – and appeared in the alley behind The Rose Moon Inn, grateful that nobody was there to witness his arrival, and made his way around the building to enter through the front. There was a back door entrance to the inn, but he figured it would be frowned upon by Otto if he was seen walking in that way since he guessed that it went into the kitchens or something.
Besides, it was early in the morning, and Otto probably slept back there too so he didn't want to wake up the innkeeper if he still happened to be sleeping.
His mind preoccupied with the events that occurred in the cemetery, Lucifer didn't pay much heed to the lone man across the street who seemed to stiffen up at his sudden appearance.
Once inside, the angel noted there was one person at the bar, which was a bit odd since it was so early but he didn't think much of it. Perhaps it was someone who was also staying at the inn and had woken up early. He could smell the aroma of cooking food, though he wasn't sure if that was a lingering smell from yesterday or if it was a new smell coming from the kitchens right now.
The man at the bar had his hood partially pulled back, revealing a curly mess of black hair and when he turned to look at Lucifer he regarded the armored warrior with his brown eyes for only a few seconds before giving a nod and returning to staring at the door that led into the kitchens.
Lucifer didn't spare him another glance as he made his way up the steps and was in his room shortly, shafts of gentle morning light pouring in from between the window slats. His eyes immediately went to the lone figure still in bed. The elf was awake.
Kiah sat up slowly as Lucifer entered and removed his helmet, the piece of armor disappearing into his inventory in a brief flash of light, revealing his spiky white hair and his handsome face. Golden eyes met deep blue.
"Good morning, Kiah," he greeted her with a brilliant smile, still on a high after everything that happened at the Exam. "How are you feeling?"
"Good... morning?" Kiah pulled her legs up and hugged them to her chest while still partially under the covers. She still found it strange that she was being treated so kindly by a human, and she wasn't sure if she'd get used to it anytime soon. "I feel... better." Her voice was soft and timid, like it had been since she had first started speaking to him.
He was just glad that she was no longer a crying mess and seemed to be regaining a little bit of vitality compared to when he found her. It was a wonder what a little healing magic and some food could do in a little over a day. Lucifer went and refilled her water again with his magical pitcher. It was quickly becoming a routine, and he mused that perhaps he should be called the Waterbringer instead of his usual angelic title.
He handed her a cup of water, which she gratefully accepted and finished in a few gulps.
"Do you feel rested enough to head outside for a change? I imagine you must be getting a little... stir crazy," he said as he proceeded to remove the rest of his armor, leaving only the white, gold-trimmed robes that he wore underneath. He wouldn't need it for a while, he thought.
"Maybe... a little." She looked unsure. She hadn't even left her bed to go to the bathroom. Thankfully elves had a hardier constitution than humans, and were able to go longer periods without needing to relieve themselves, but it had been a while since she had so the pressure was certainly mounting. As a slave, she had been used to going in a bucket that was usually placed near wherever she was assigned to sleep, but there were no buckets in the room she was in so she had been holding it all this time.
She thought about asking Lucifer for a bucket, but then thought better of it. Why would he want her to relieve herself in a bucket that would be staying in the same room as him? Obviously he would be against such an idea. She would just have to tough it out for now and then maybe relieve herself outside somewhere when she had some time.
Lucifer went to his barely used bed and laid down, staring up at the ceiling, reminded that it was not the most comfortable bed and curious as to how Kiah was finding the accommodations. He resolved to ask her later at some point.
"Think on it. No pressure. Though I can't imagine you're having much fun cooped up in here," he said.
Her head turned so she could better see him. "Fun...?" she repeated, her body starting to squirm a little now that her thoughts had touched upon her need to go to the bathroom. Hopefully she could distract herself enough to lessen the pressure.
"Indeed. Fun! You know, pass the time enjoyably doing something entertaining and... stimulating..." he trailed off as his thoughts turned a bit lewd and if he could've blushed, he would've. Fiercely. He shook off such thoughts and pushed on, "Ahem... uh... yeah so you know. Reading. Playing games. Singing. Listening to music. That sort of thing."
Kiah considered his words. She had done things like that when she was younger, when her enclave in the great forest was still peaceful and happy and her life was easy and carefree. But that felt like a lifetime ago now, and a world away.
"Anyway," Lucifer broke the silence that had settled, "If you're feeling up to it, you can head out with me later. Stretch your legs a bit. Get some fresh air and all."
"But..." she hesitated, a worried look crossing her pale features. "Is it safe?"
Lucifer didn't answer right away, which made the elf worry even more. "Well, no one seems to have picked up on us yet, but I suppose it's too early to say if they're trying to track you down or not. But don't worry, I'll keep you safe, and I suppose you can also wear a little disguise too if that'll make you feel better."
She was squirming a bit more noticeably now. Her attempts at trying to ignore the call of nature that was now growing within her were failing. She couldn't very well relieve herself in bed, especially with Lucifer right there a mere few feet away. That would be awful! She tried really hard to stamp down the feeling of needing to go and swallowed hard. "I... guess."
"Great! It's settled then." Lucifer exclaimed as he sat up and turned to smile at her, his smile instantly turning brittle at the sight of her squirming around uncomfortably. Eyes narrowing ever so slightly, he asked, "Are you... okay?"
Her cheeks flushed heavily as she lowered her head. "I..." she hesitated, bowing her head and not looking him in the eye. "I need to go."
Lucifer was confused. She looked almost like she was feverish and about to have a seizure or something, but she had looked fine only a moment ago. What had happened? And what did she mean by need to go? Did she want to leave his company? Had she decided she was done with him? Perhaps he had said something to upset her, though he couldn't think of what it could have been. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.
"Okay," he said seriously. "Where do you need to go?"
Kiah turned away and mumbled something.
"What was that?" Even his super hearing had failed to catch that one, impressively enough.
"To go pee," she whispered, still not looking at him.
"Oh." Lucifer said, then his golden eyes rounded in sudden understanding. "OH!"
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Leinas stirred, barely breaking through the surface of consciousness. Her body felt heavy as iron, and her mind dull like the worn out edge of a long overused blade. She drifted, half-asleep, across a cool expanse of a starless night sky. She couldn't remember where she was or what she was doing, but she had the strangest feeling that she was far away from home and doing something very important.
She groaned as the heaviness of her body weighed on her. It was uncomfortable. She willed herself to wake up, to break out of this strange darkness that surrounded her, but it felt like she was struggling to emerge from the depths of quicksand. She tried harder.
Echoes of sound abruptly began to reverberate across the void that surrounded her. Voices. Familiar voices. But she couldn't make out what they were saying. They were echoing too much and the words seemed to all blend together incoherently. She tried to concentrate on them, trying to make sense of it. The effort was draining.
Slowly, the sounds began to sharpen somewhat and the voices became clear enough for her to make them out. They sounded familiar, yet she couldn't quite remember who they belonged to. There were two voices. No. Three. And they seemed to be talking about her.
"What happens now?" asked a male voice.
"We return Lady Rockbruise to her family, where she can seek medical aid for that... injury," said a second voice, "And then we take some much needed rest ourselves."
Injury? She was injured? There was a faint pain that filtered through the void accompanied by a flash of memory. A piercing otherworldly scream. Blood everywhere. Exhaustion. Pain. They were fleeting glimpses into what had happened to injure her, she could tell that much, but she couldn't see it in its entirety and so didn't really know what injury they spoke of.
The third voice was also male. "We're almost there. If we move quickly, we should be able to reach the Rockbruise Estate before sundown tomorrow. They'll know what to do."
"Do you think they'll reward us for carrying her back?" asked the first.
There was the sound of a smack, followed by a brief grunt of pain. "Ow!" said the first voice.
"Don't be stupid. We're soldiers who serve the House of Rockbruise. We are only doing our duty to our Lady and her family," scolded the second voice.
"I agree. Reward or not, we are fulfilling our duty as men sworn to her service, and to the service of her House," added the third.
"I was just thinking that it was possible they'd give us some kind of reward, you know? A little extra. Not that I was actually expecting anything," the first voice defended himself. "They just might give us something is all I was trying to say."
There was a snort from someone, but then silence ensued and Leinas wondered if she had somehow lost the ability to hear them again. She tried to concentrate on the feeling of hearing, as strange as that concept was to grasp in her disembodied state.
There was a distant crackling sound in the background. Was that a fire?
The second voice spoke again. His voice seemed the most familiar of the three. "I'm worried about her."
"Lady Rockbruise? She's strong. You know that," said the third.
"Far stronger than all of us. I mean did you see her take on that thing?" the first said with awe.
"Yeah, yeah. But that injury..." said the second, sounding genuinely troubled. "It... doesn't appear to be healing. I don't think it's natural."
"Aye," agreed the first.
Another silence. At this point Leinas was feeling extremely worried. What injury were they speaking of? She wanted to know. She needed to know. She tried to will herself to wake up, but couldn't, no matter how hard she pushed. She tried to speak to them, to ask them for help, but nothing happened and she remained silent. The heaviness of the darkness around her was too much to overcome.
"I'm sure they'll find someone who can heal it," replied the third voice confidently. "They're nobility. They can afford to call on the best healers from across the Empire if need be. And this is Lady Leinas we're talking about, the jewel of her family. They'll fix her up in no time. Nothing to worry about."
"I hope you're right," said the second, lingering doubt in his voice.
The voices suddenly faded and Leinas felt herself getting very tired. Too tired to keep pushing to stay afloat and conscious. It wasn't long until she fell back into the deeper parts of the void and slumbered once more. Her worries momentarily forgotten.
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Lucifer regarded the elf with a bit of awkwardness and some amusement as she returned to the room after being informed of where the bathroom was and plopped down quietly on the end of her bed facing the door. But he didn't know what to say to her so he kept silent.
Kiah, for her part, remained fixated on something on the floor as her hands idly played with the hem of her cloak. It was the only piece of clothing that she had, something that Lucifer had gifted to her. The fabric was comfortable enough on her skin, far better than the rough rags that she had been forced to wear before, so she was grateful for it.
The angel took note of the cloak, realizing that she definitely needed to get some more clothes besides it. And underwear. He remembered that she wasn't wearing any. Again, if he was capable of blushing, his face would be incredibly red. Thank goodness that was no longer a possibility. He sighed in relief and tried not to think too much about an underwear-less elf.
The elf turned her head and eyed him curiously, hearing his sigh. Her cheeks were still a bit pink from earlier. "W-What is it?"
"Nothing!" he said a little too quickly, then caught himself and added in a more measured tone, "Ahem. Nothing you should concern yourself over, Kiah."
She gave him a strange look that he couldn't quite place.
"Are you hungry?" he quickly changed the subject. "I think Otto is making breakfast downstairs. We can go down and eat together."
"Otto?" Her brow furrowed.
Oh. Right. She didn't know who that was because she hadn't met the man yet. "He's the innkeeper here at The Rose Moon Inn. He was... concerned about you, the first night we arrived, so I think he'd appreciate seeing you with his own eyes and making sure you're okay."
She looked down at her hands in her lap. "He's... human too?" She sounded scared.
"Yes. He seems to be a nice enough guy, a little rough around the edges and maybe distant and guarded, but nice." Lucifer was on his feet and by Kiah's side, extending an arm out to the young woman. "Come on. You can meet him for yourself. It'll be fine. I promise."
Her dark blue eyes studied his hand for a moment before she reluctantly took it and allowed him to help her to her feet, which Lucifer noted were bare as they pattered softly on the wood floor.
"Hold on," he said as she had already taken a couple of steps to the door. She stopped obediently. Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a pair of simple leather boots and handed them to her.
Kiah's face registered surprise. Though simple in design, the boots appeared to be of good quality leather. "What-"
"I don't want you walking around outside without shoes," he explained. She might step on something nasty or dangerous and it would simply be irresponsible for him if he allowed her to do so.
"Thank you," she managed to say as she put the boots on the floor and maneuvered her feet one at a time into them.
Lucifer noticed that she had pretty good balance and didn't need to use him for support as she stood one-legged for a few moments to put them on.
The boots were too big and her feet were swimming in them, but she wasn't going to complain about another gift from the man who had saved her. She would make do and get used to them. It was more than she had before. To her astonishment, the boots glowed briefly and then changed in size to accommodate her feet, and they quickly felt perfectly snug.
"I was hoping that would happen," said Lucifer with a grin. He hadn't been entirely sure if it would work that way. Since equipment in YGGDRASIL were all technically one-size-fits-all, with various shapes and sizes able to use the same piece of equipment if passed around, he had a hunch that there would be some kind of magical resizing that would occur here in this new world to mimic that. That was the theory anyway, and it turned out to be true.
"Thank you," Kiah said again, a little louder this time. One of her ears stuck out from her hair from looking down at her feet, exposing the longer and sharper tip compared to human ears.
Lucifer reached out and adjusted her hair to hide it, causing the elf to stiffen at the gesture and her cheeks to flush again.
"It'll be best if we can hide your ears for now," Lucifer said calmly, not really making much of her reaction. "Come, let's eat and be on our way. We've lots to do and see." The angel then opened the door and ushered her out.
Otto was waiting on the man Lucifer saw at the bar earlier, who had ordered quite a big meal and was drinking something steaming out of a cup. The man didn't pay them any mind as he hungrily dug into his food. He appeared to already be more than halfway through it.
The innkeeper moved over to the two of them when they took a seat on the opposite end of the bar from the only other patron. Otto's eyes regarded the girl closely, and were it not for the fact that Lucifer felt he meant no harm and that he had shown concern for the girl a couple of times before, the angel would have been upset at the man's obvious staring.
"Hello miss... Kiah, was it?" the innkeeper glanced at Lucifer, who gave him a nod. The man returned to looking at the raven-haired girl. "You're looking recovered. Are you feeling okay?" asked the innkeeper in his gruff voice. He seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being, as Lucifer had noted before.
Kiah nodded quietly but didn't speak, and she didn't look the innkeeper in the eyes. She inched closer to Lucifer, taking comfort in his presence, but she didn't reach out for him.
The innkeeper noticed the subtle movement, and after another moment, the big man nodded as well and then turned his attention to Lucifer, his spiky hair as white as winter snow. "You want your daily meals, I take it?"
"Yes, please. Thank you, Otto." Lucifer gave him a warm smile.
Otto grunted and left for the kitchens, returning with two bowls of steaming hot stew that he placed in front of them. "Chicken stew this time," he stated. "Drinks?" he looked at Lucifer expectantly, apparently concluding that the girl had no interest in speaking with him at all, not that he seemed to take offense to that.
"What do you have... that isn't alcoholic?" Lucifer asked. It was definitely too early to be drinking alcohol.
"I have coffee, tea, and water," stated the big man flatly.
"No juice?" Lucifer asked hopefully. It certainly wasn't an extensive menu to choose from.
"No juice." Otto's eyes bore into his own as if daring him to make a comment about his lack of juice.
Lucifer, unperturbed, glanced to the elf next to him, her ears hidden by her raven black hair. "Well, Kiah... what do you want?"
Kiah looked up at him and then quietly said in a hopeful tone, "Tea?"
"Tea it is." Lucifer repeated louder with a chuckle.
Otto grunted.
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Father Julius Hawkins entered the Healing Ward of the Temple of Water carrying a basket full of fresh bandages, ointments, and various healing concoctions. It was the beginning of his shift on healing duty and his first order of business was to check on the status of three boys who had been brought in earlier that morning. Apparently, they had sustained some serious injuries while fighting the undead in the cemetery, a thought that made Julius shiver nervously.
As a holy man, he of course believed in the divine power of the Four Gods and with their power he knew that he could smite and repel any enemies of darkness or the undead if he needed to. That being said, he had never in his life been in a fight, and had never before seen an undead or a creature of darkness either. Well, outside of books and illustrations, that is.
If he didn't have to fight at all for the entirety of his life, he would be most grateful. The thought of facing off against the undead made him anxious, even if there were many guards and other priests and a giant wall between him and the restless, mindless dead of the cemetery. He hoped he would never have to face them, and he applauded all those who risked their lives to fight against the undead.
He approached the first bed and pulled the curtain aside, placing his basket gently next to the boy. He had some wounds on his face that were covered in bandages, and it looked like the wound needed to be dressed again.
The boy was asleep, and remained that way throughout the ministrations of the priest. That was a good thing considering that it would have probably been painful for the boy if he had been awake for it, especially when he tended to the wounds on his face. The wounds were healing slowly, but they were still there and ran deep and the healing ointments only relieved some of the pain.
Julius continued to dress the other wounds across the boy's body. When he was finished, he moved on to the next and did the same. This one wasn't hurt too bad and would probably be able to leave the next day. And he was actually half-awake when Julius was finished with him. When the priest moved to leave, the boy spoke and the priest stopped to listen.
"I saw it," whispered the boy, who was staring straight ahead and not at the priest. He had a strange look in his eyes.
Julius turned, basket of healing items tucked under an arm, and smiled at the young boy. "Good morning. What's your name, young man?"
"I saw it," repeated the boy, still whispering.
Julius's smile faltered. "Ah... What did you see?"
"Death," the boy said eerily.
Julius felt a shiver run down his spine. Blinking some more, he said, "I heard you were fighting the undead in the cemetery last night." Perhaps that was what the boy had meant. He had seen the undead, and they nearly died themselves in their fight against them. So, in a way, the boy did in fact see death in one form or another. Yes, he thought that made sense.
The boy finally shifted his gaze to the priest, his eyes looking shell-shocked. "Are angels real, Father?" The boy's voice was a touch louder now, but still a whisper.
Julius raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Angels are very real. They are divine beings who inhabit another world." Temple doctrine stated that they weren't any different than other creatures of this world, only that they had their own world and that they were beings of divinity, much like demons had their own world and were beings of darkness. However, there were some, like those in the Theocracy, who believed the angels to be divine messengers and servants of the Gods themselves.
"I saw one. I swear I saw it," said the boy.
Julius shifted on his feet. "You... saw an angel?" he asked tentatively.
The boy nodded, his expression very serious. He didn't have a hint of a smile or any indication that he was joking around, like boys his age often did. "I saw it," he repeated.
"That's nice," said Julius, still smiling, though it didn't quite reach his eyes now. He found it odd that the boy didn't seem to be happy about seeing an angel. Most people would be awed and possibly excited he thought. It wasn't everyday that someone got to see one. Though why someone had summoned an angel here was a mystery to him.
The boy regarded him quietly, and the priest felt a little uncomfortable for it. "It was black," said the boy.
"Black?" repeated Julius. Surely he wasn't talking about...
"The angel. It was bla... it had black wings," the boy seemed to correct himself, and he looked like he was trying to remember something. "It was dressed in gray, or silver. But its wings were black."
Julius swallowed. Blinked. That wasn't right. Angels, from what he knew of them, always had white wings. He had never heard of an angel with black wings before. Perhaps he was traumatized by his near-death encounter with the undead and was hallucinating or dreaming about such things. The poor boy.
"Listen, my boy, angels don't have black wings," he explained like someone would to a child who misunderstood something that should be common knowledge.
"This one did," the boy stated firmly. There was a fierce look to his eye, one that said that he believed what he was saying with all his being.
"Ah..." Julius didn't know what else to say. That was a look of someone who would not be persuaded otherwise, no matter what anyone said. Perhaps the boy just needed some more rest to sort things out and recover from the incident. The trauma was clearly still very fresh in his young mind. "I see. Well, I should go tend to your other friend," the priest excused himself lamely.
The boy didn't appear to mind and the priest stepped away and slid the curtain to hide him away from sight.
Taking a few deep breaths, Julius shook his head and continued on to the last of the boys. That was a weird interaction, he had to admit. But he couldn't blame the boy for it, not after knowing what he had been through. It had been quite an ordeal, no doubt, and the boy's mind must have been playing tricks on him or something. Besides, the boy was still young and sometimes prone to flights of fancy, especially when it came to the adventurers that many young kids looked up to.
When he pulled back the curtain to administer to the third boy, he was thankfully asleep and Julius worked to reapply the healing ointments and replace the bandages all along his arms and his chest, where deep gashes in the boy's flesh were slowly mending. This one was definitely the most injured of the three. The wounds were ugly red, black, and purple things that stretched across his youthful skin.
Julius, still partially distracted by the second boy's strange words and claims of seeing a dark angel in the cemetery of all places, accidentally pushed too hard when he was reapplying the ointment to one of the wounds, causing some of the scabs to break and fresh blood to leak out of the small portion of it that was now reopened. The boy hissed and his eyes fluttered open, and the priest silently berated himself for losing concentration and causing the boy unnecessary pain. Gods forgive him.
"I'm sorry," Julius said as he quickly tried to stanch the bleeding. It wasn't anything serious, thankfully.
"It's... okay... Father," the boy said, though he winced and hissed at the slight pain each time Julius dabbed a paste that worked to stop the bleeding.
"There. That should do it. I apologize, my boy, I was... distracted," Julius said with an apologetic smile.
The boy simply nodded.
When the wound was tended to again, Julius began to pack up. He had other patients to get to. "There. All done," the priest said, "You should get some more rest. It helps to speed up your body's healing."
"Father," the boy said hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Are angels real?"
Julius stared at the boy. What were the odds that the two boys would ask the same thing? "W-Why yes, yes they are. Why do you ask?" he finally managed to respond after the boy gave him a curious look.
The boy appeared to think for a moment, but then looked away. "Nevermind... sorry. It's... It's probably nothing."
"Tell me," Julius said earnestly, suddenly interested. Unless the boys had conspired to give the same make-believe story, which wasn't out of the realm of possibility, he couldn't ignore it if they happened to actually see an angel somewhere. Especially now that two people were claiming to have seen it. Perhaps he'd talk to the second boy again later, once his more pressing duties were finished. But at least he could get a few more details out of this one and then corroborate it with the other's description.
The boy seemed uncertain, then spoke slowly. "Back in... the cemetery... we were about to die." He paused, taking in a deep breath as if to calm himself.
"Go on," Julius encouraged him gently, slowly taking a seat at the edge of the bed.
The boy's brown eyes stared directly into Julius's. "We were about to die, but we were saved... I think."
"You were saved?" repeated Julius carefully.
Nodding, the boy was somber as he continued, "By an angel. An angel with black wings."
Julius's heart was now beginning to gallop in his chest. "Please," he said with an encouraging smile, "Tell me more."
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The cool morning air was already starting to warm as the sun slowly rose into the sky. Kiah clutched the hem of Lucifer's sleeve in a tight grip as they walked through the streets of Oldaven. She was a step behind the golden-eyed man with spiky white hair, peering carefully from around his torso at the city as it slowly came to life around them.
She had always seen it from a distance at the farm, with its high walls and large stone buildings. Pillars of smoke rose from countless chimneys in the winter. She always imagined what it would be like to live there, a place so very different from anything she had ever known. Never would she have thought to actually see it for herself.
There were so many people. Too many. It made her feel very uneasy. Some of them looked their way, and she desperately tried to avoid meeting their eyes like she had been told at the farm. She was very much aware of how her hair moved as they walked and she kept adjusting it for fear of her ears being exposed on accident and possibly causing them any trouble.
Lucifer kept reassuring her that after some thought he figured even if people saw her ears, they were very unlikely to do anything. And even if they did actually do anything, he'd protect her. The way he had said it so calmly had made her feel better, but it didn't get rid of the feeling of unease completely. Plus it was far better to avoid trouble in the first place.
They were heading for the Grand Market in the middle of the city, according to Lucifer, and it was there that she would be able to get more clothes for herself. She protested at first, saying that she was fine with what she had and he didn't have to go through the trouble, but he would have none of it. She did have to admit that having no underwear was a little... embarrassing, and uncomfortable, but only if she thought about it.
Which she definitely had been for the last half hour while they walked. She kept readjusting the bottom of her cloak, not that it was riding high or anything since the cloak went down to her knees. And between her constant adjustments to her cloak, looking around at the city, and keeping her hair in check, she was very fidgety. Not that Lucifer seemed to mind.
"We're here," said Lucifer as they rounded yet another corner. There had been so many that she had lost count.
Kiah had heard the sounds and breathed in the smells of the market well before they reached it, and the anticipation and apprehension had been building because of it, but to finally see it was something else and she stopped in her tracks, causing Lucifer to stop as well because she was still clinging to his sleeve.
Colors. So very many colors. The multitudes of colors that assaulted her eyes were astounding, and beautiful in a way. Then there was the actual size of the market itself. It spanned the entirety of the main square at the heart of the city. There had to be close to two hundred stalls, maybe more, selling all sorts of things. And food! There was a lot of food. Even though she had just eaten at the inn, the stew hadn't been that flavorful, and from the smell of the foods found here she was sure that she would enjoy the taste of whatever food was available.
She came to the realization that the food Lucifer had brought for her last night was probably from somewhere in the Grand Market, and she secretly hoped they could get some more. Not that she would ever actually ask for any, especially since they had just eaten. She didn't want to appear needy or anything like that. She didn't want Lucifer to think she would be too much of a burden for him, financially or otherwise, or else he might think to abandon her.
The thought of it made her extremely anxious and she found herself grabbing Lucifer's arm along with the hem of his sleeve and holding him even tighter than she had before, as if he were going to disappear on her right then and there. It was a terrifying thought, to be lost in this crowd of people alone. The most people she had ever seen in one place.
He turned and smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm not going anywhere," he reminded her, as if reading her mind, and she shot him a grateful look.
"It's still early in the morning, so it's not as crowded," he told her, "So we should get done with our business before it gets really busy. Crowds can be... troublesome."
"Okay," she said meekly.
They plunged into the market. There was a low ever-present buzz of conversation that filtered through the market, along with the occasional laughter or shouting. The sights, sounds, and smells were all quite overwhelming now that she was in the midst of it all and Kiah was glad she was keeping a hold of Lucifer because she felt like she might have gotten lost otherwise.
Lucifer spoke to a few of the merchants, who pointed them to a certain section of the market that was apparently more focused on women's clothing. It took them about ten minutes to make their way through the somewhat narrow passages between stalls – some of them looked more like huge tents than "stalls" – with Lucifer stopping at a few to take a look at some of the items being sold. He pointed out a few bits and trinkets to her that looked interesting as they walked, but she didn't say much, though she did take it all in.
She tried to ignore the curious glances cast her way by some of the people. Their attention to her made her anxious.
When they reached a row of stalls that were selling all manner of clothing for women, from dresses and shoes to cloaks and most importantly underwear, he turned to Kiah and told her to get what she needed. He would wait for her out in the passageway.
She stared at him. She had thought that he might pick stuff out for her and that would be that, but to actually have a choice in what she would wear was surprising. "I... get to choose?"
It was his turn to stare at her, an amused expression crossing his face briefly. "Of course. I'm not going to tell you what to wear," he said matter-of-factly, and then shrugged, "Besides, I have no idea about women's fashion or anything so even if you told me to choose, I'd probably pick something ugly or not your style."
"But... I don't know either," she replied with a frown. The problem with being given the choice was that she didn't know what to choose at all. She had never gone shopping before, and any clothing she had ever had was something someone else had given her. Whether it was clothes the other elves had made for her or clothes that her masters had made her wear, the fact remained that someone had done the choosing for her and she simply wore it without complaint.
Lucifer sighed. "I suppose that's a problem. Thankfully, the solution is simple enough. We ask for professional help."
He walked into the nearest stall, one of those that was more like a big tent, a wide tarp of various blues, greens, and yellows covered the space. Wooden racks full of dresses, shirts, and pants packed the square space underneath the tarp, along with plenty of other items of clothing.
In the middle of it all was a small wooden desk, behind which sat an older woman with brown hair and a purple dress with black designs and highlights. Standing next to her was a young blonde woman in a simple frilly white dress. They appeared to be the vendors, and Lucifer approached them with Kiah following close behind.
It was the older lady with brown hair tied up into a bun who spoke first. Her brown eyes so dark to be almost black seemed to size them up, and her gaze stayed on Kiah for a few heartbeats longer than it had on Lucifer. The elf fidgeted under her gaze.
"Good morning, sir and madam!" the woman greeted enthusiastically, probably happy to have someone enter her sizable stall. It had been empty when they arrived. "Welcome to Vela's Vixen Vestments, I'm Vela. This is my assistant, Lana. What can we help you with today?"
"It's a fine morning indeed to see such lovely vixens as yourselves," Lucifer said, inclining his head and flashing them a winning smile as he leaned casually on the desk with his elbow.
Kiah was surprised at his suddenly flirtatious behavior, and she wasn't sure what to think of it.
Both women blushed visibly. The blonde giggled and clasped her hands cutely in front of her, returning Lucifer's smile with one of her own, and the brunette held a hand up to her mouth and looked coy while she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Oh my," said Vela, "This one's got quite the silver tongue on him, doesn't he? You're a lucky woman, dear." She glanced over at Kiah with playful envy.
The elf's cheeks went red for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "W-We're not..." she tried to say, but thankfully, Lucifer spoke and diverted their attention back to himself. Kiah kept quiet and busied herself with looking at the various clothes on sale next to her.
"Are all these made by you?" he asked curiously, his gaze sweeping across the rows of clothes.
Vela nodded. "Most of them. Some were made by a few of my business partners, others by Lana here," she gestured to the blonde, who smiled at him again. "But the majority of it is the product of my own hands."
"Excellent. Kiah here would like some help picking out some new clothes. And..." Lucifer faltered momentarily then pushed on, "Some underwear." His smile returned, reduced by a fraction.
The brunette smirked, one eyebrow raised as she glanced between the two mischievously. "We'd be happy to help, sir," Vela finally replied after a beat.
"I do have a budget," Lucifer said quickly, "For now, at least. I want to see what you come up with whatever I can get for this," he placed a pouch of money on the counter. It didn't sound all too heavy, and Vela's frown seemed to indicate that she had noticed. Lucifer continued undeterred, "If we're satisfied with what you've picked out for her, given this amount, I promise to return and spend a whole lot more. Perhaps I might even commission you to do some custom orders."
Kiah's head whipped around to look at him, not that he could see since she was behind him. She didn't know if he was being serious or not, but if he was, then that meant he was for whatever reason promising to buy her more things from this place in the future. Unless... there were other women in his life, which was entirely possible. Yes, that was probably it. He probably meant that he would purchase those for other women, not her. He wouldn't buy her more than she needed, that would be absurd, she thought. They had only just met after all, and she wasn't all that important to him surely.
She realized then how little she knew of him.
"Is that so?" Vela asked skeptically, sizing him up again. Her fingers tapped the wooden desk between them.
"Indeed. I can promise that much, on my word as Lord Lucifer Morningstar." He stood straight, golden eyes unwavering as they stared right back at Vela.
There was a long stretch of silence in which Kiah grew uncomfortable. She hoped there would be no trouble on her behalf.
"Very well, lord," the vendor finally said evenly as she swiped the rather small pouch of coins that he had put down, feeling its weight in her hand. There was a twinkle of excitement in her eye. "I accept the challenge."
"Good," said the golden-eyed man, sounding pleased. "Now, I do have some other errands to run. I trust you will take the utmost care of Kiah until I return?"
"But-" Kiah started to say, worry washing over her like a flood that threatened to drown her.
"Of course, lord," Vela assured him. "We will take very good care of her. And when you come back for her, I'm certain you'll be wanting to return here for more."
"We shall see," Lucifer said unimpressed. He turned on his heel and went up to Kiah, who was looking very much like she was going to break down in the middle of the place. And in fact, she was definitely feeling that way as terror gripped her that he might be abandoning her here with these strangers.
"You're... leaving... me...?" she said, sniffling and choking back sudden tears. She didn't know why she was abruptly crying. How did she get so attached so quickly? Here she was thinking about trying not to be too needy, and now she was being so incredibly needy. But she couldn't help it. Somehow the thought of him abandoning her was too much to bear. He had saved her, the one human to have shown her kindness and compassion, to have treated her as something more than property or a tool, and to be rejected by him would be worse than him not ever having saved her in the first place.
His face was unreadable as he stood in front of her, and she braced herself for whatever harsh words he might have to say, but then he reached out and pulled her into a hug. It felt really good. And she found herself relaxing in his embrace as he stroked her hair, though carefully so as not to expose her ears, and she sobbed into his chest.
"I promise I'll be back, Kiah. Don't worry so much. Didn't I come back every time I went out yesterday?" he said quietly so that only she could hear.
She nodded, her tears dampening his white robe.
"I just have to take care of a few things, Kiah. I promise to be back soon. In the meantime, these lovely ladies will help you get what you need. You'll be safe with them, trust me. You do trust me, right?"
She nodded again, though she still clung to him tightly, and he made no move to push her away.
"Is everything alright, Lord Morningstar?" asked Vela carefully from somewhere behind Lucifer.
"Yes. Everything's fine," he said calmly, "She's just not used to being on her own in public."
"Aw... how precious," said Vela's assistant, Lana. "We'll take good care of you, Kiah. Don't you worry about a thing!"
Lucifer finally made to pull away and Kiah reluctantly let him go. He smiled at her and then winked. "See you soon." And with one last look at Vela and Lana, conveying that they better take care of her or else, he walked out into the rest of the market.
Kiah held her hands together and shifted uneasily as the two other women came up to her.
"We've got our work cut out for us," said Vela as she looked the still sniffling timid raven haired girl up and down. "Lana, get the measuring tape. Let's get started."
=x=x=x=x=X=x=x=x=x=
Lucifer worked his way through the morning crowd at the market, walking with a purpose. Soon he found himself among some food stalls that he recognized from yesterday and he purchased a few items with the little remaining coin that he had – after this purchase, he was down to his last two silver coins and twelve coppers.
When he thought nobody was looking, he quickly placed his purchases and the coin purse into his dimensional inventory for safekeeping, grateful that he had such a thing. It was so very convenient.
With that little errand out of the way, he now focused on the big task at hand. He walked back towards the north end of the market and then left the market altogether, passing by the castle and weaving left and right through a few streets until he was somewhere between the market and the Guild Hall. There weren't too many people about in this area at this time of day. And then, when he rounded a corner and saw that nobody was within sight, he vanished using [Greater Invisibility].
He didn't go anywhere afterwards, however. He stepped off to the side and simply waited, arms crossed as he leaned against a building. There was a man following him, and based on how pitifully the stalker tried to hide himself and mask his presence, Lucifer was able to conclude that the man was no real threat to him.
He didn't wait long as a man in a gray cloak hurriedly turned the corner, took a few quick steps down the street, and then stopped abruptly. He appeared to be slightly out of breath. His head swiveled around as if looking for something, or someone, and then he cursed. Several times.
When the man turned to walk back the way he came, muttering something to himself, Lucifer calmly walked up to him while still invisible, wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders, and then cancelled his invisibility.
The man yelped and reflexively tried to jump away, but Lucifer's arm held him tight and kept him from moving anywhere. The man's light brown eyes were wide as saucers as they stared at the golden-eyed man with pure white hair who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Let's have a little chat, shall we?" Lucifer said genially.
The man's breathing began to quicken as the panic started to set in. And then his hand reached for one of the daggers hidden in his cloak.
"I wouldn't-" Lucifer began to say, but then the man had already brandished the dagger and stabbed him in the gut, only for the dagger to fail to pierce even the white robes that he wore. "-do that. If I were you."
The man's eyes bulged as he strained to push the dagger pressed against Lucifer's gut, but it simply wouldn't pierce through the thin fabric. "How...?" the man asked weakly.
"No, no. I'm the one asking questions here, not you." Lucifer admonished, and then sighed as the man pulled the dagger back and tried to stab him again and again. "Really?" Lucifer said in disbelief after the fifth time the man tried to stab him. "It's not going to work no matter how many times you try. You're not strong enough."
"Th-This... can't b-be... happening..." the man stammered, shaking his head in dismay. Then in desperation he lunged for Lucifer's throat, only for the dagger to once again be turned away as if by some unseen force.
"Okay, that's enough," snapped Lucifer as he grabbed the blade of the dagger with a firm grip, the sharp edges not cutting him at all, and with a quick twist he broke the man's wrist, since his hand was clasped so tight around the handle, and tore the blade off from the hilt with ease. He casually flung the blade into the nearest stone wall, the metal embedding deep into the stone with a small cloud of dust and web of cracks emanated from where the dagger was now buried.
"Ahhh!" the man yelled painfully as he gingerly clutched his now broken wrist with his other hand. The hilt of the useless dagger clattered to the ground. "Y-You broke my wrist!"
Lucifer extracted his arm from around the man's shoulders, spun around, grabbed a fistful of the front of the man's cloak and, seeing that there was still nobody around, said, "[Teleportation]." The spell was of the Fifth Tier and allowed for instant travel to and from destinations that the caster was familiar with, or anywhere within line of sight really, though he had not tested its limitations thoroughly yet. Something for another time.
The two of them disappeared in the blink of an eye, reappearing a little over five thousand feet above the city. The wind gusted loudly, buffeting the man but seemingly not affecting Lucifer as much. The white robes worn by the angel were moving as if it were being gently touched by a simple breeze, and Lucifer appeared to be perfectly at ease despite their surroundings.
"What the hell?!" cried the man in the gray cloak, bewildered and very much afraid. He was looking frantically around, his hands suddenly scrabbling and grasping at Lucifer's arm for dear life as he became acutely aware that they were now somewhere very high up. He was so scared about the fact that he was hanging in the middle of the air by Lucifer's hand that he barely even registered that Lucifer had giant feathered wings flapping behind him.
"We're now a few thousand feet over the city of Oldaven," Lucifer informed the man casually. "You know, I've always wanted to interrogate a bad guy like this. I've seen various iterations of it in movies and such. Thanks for giving me my first opportunity to try it out."
"This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real..." the man kept repeating to himself over and over as he shut his eyes tightly.
"We're going to play a little game, you and I," Lucifer continued, his golden eyes glowing, a menacing smile slowly spreading across his face. The man whimpered. "I'm going to ask you a question, and you're going to answer. If I like your answer, I'll ask another question until I'm out of questions. If I don't like your answer, I drop you. If you answer all my questions and I don't drop you before we're done, well then I guess you get to live. Pretty simple, really."
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! P-Please don't drop me!" he pleaded, tears streaming down his face. "Please! I'll... I'll tell you anything! Anything at all. I'll do anything you want! Name it!"
Lucifer shook his head, looking disappointed. "Well this isn't as fun if you don't resist. I was hoping you'd resist even little and I'd get to drop you at least once," he frowned, and the man gave him a look that said he thought that Lucifer was crazy.
Shrugging, Lucifer said, "Alright. Let's see how well you play this game. First question: why are you following me?"
=x=x=x=x=X=x=x=x=x=
Jircniv opened his eyes. He was now two days removed from the events at the Anoch residence, where he had gained the services of a promising new Imperial Knight and what he hoped was the allegiance of an up and coming noble family. While currently middling in influence and status, the Anochs were on the rise and would hopefully serve him well in the days to come. It also didn't hurt that the other nobles who were at the party were probably both intrigued by his attendance and now at least somewhat interested in earning his favor like the Anoch family after the show he had put on.
It was still not enough. He needed more allies. More support. Time was so short.
Sitting up on his bed, fine silk sheets falling off his delicate frame, the young prince looked around at the room that was all his own.
It was laughably too large for someone of his size, not that he really minded, and even the bed made of rare and exquisitely carved ebony wood could have fit four grown humans comfortably across. Jircniv was most definitely not a grown human. He had years to go before he would be considered such. Physically speaking, at least. Mentally, many would consider him older and wiser than he ought to be, and they would be pretty divided in thinking if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
With a great big yawn revealing pearly white teeth, he leaned back with his arms up and stretched. He went through the mental checklist of the things he wanted to accomplish that day as he slid out of bed. Half of the day he was sure to spend reading, like he always did. There was so much more he needed to learn about the world, and time was growing short.
He went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. When he emerged, a respectful knock on his door gave him pause for only a second before he called for them to enter. Unsurprisingly, it was Peter, his trustworthy butler.
"A very good morning to you, your highness," greeted the old servant as he bowed deeply.
Jircniv simply nodded in reply as he padded over to the ornate wooden dresser made of another dark wood, similar but not exactly to the one that made up his bed. He picked out his clothes for the day, setting them atop the dresser. Most of the time he let Peter decide for him, but today he felt like choosing his own outfit. Once he was finished, he made his way back to the edge of the bed.
"An excellent choice, your highness," commented the butler, stepping forward and carefully taking the chosen clothes into his gloved hands. He approached the young prince, laid the clothes he had picked out next to him, and gently began to undress him.
Jircniv blinked, his clear purple eyes looking straight at the butler and yet not quite seeing him, lost in his endless thoughts.
When he blinked again, the butler had finished and Jircniv was now out of his pajamas and wearing the outfit he had chosen.
He got to his feet, adjusted his clothes a bit to fit more comfortably, and then walked over to the full length mirror in the corner of his room. He looked himself over once, patting down a few slight folds, and nodded approvingly. "Thank you, Peter," he spoke his first words of the day.
"Your highness," the butler bowed. "Will you be having breakfast in here or...?" Jircniv could of course eat wherever he wanted, he was the master of the house.
"In my study, Peter," replied the prince. "And I'm hungry," he added. He really was feeling quite famished, even though he ate a big dinner like he normally did last night. A side effect of thinking too hard for too long, which was most of his waking hours.
"I shall have a heavy breakfast sent to your study straightaway, your highness. "
Jircniv walked to the door, where the butler held it open for him, and made his way to his study.
When the butler appeared at the study some time later, pushing a cart with several trays of food and drink, Jircniv was already deep into a heavy tome on the history of Imperial laws as he sat quietly at his desk. The prince made no move to acknowledge the old servant as he entered and pushed the cart to a halt beside the prince's desk. Standing up straight and placing his hands behind the small of his back, the butler waited quietly for his master.
Finally, the prince placed a bookmark on the page he was at and shut the book with a light thud. Sliding it off to the side, he leaned back in his chair, and Peter was already on the move as he placed the trays in an organized fashion in front of the prince.
"Anything to report?" the prince said as he waited for his breakfast to be served.
"A letter arrived for you, your highness," answered the butler. "Delivered by Felix."
That got Jircniv's attention. Felix was one of the Imperial Family's falcons and, more importantly, was the one used exclusively by his mother. His eyes fixated on the butler, who had anticipated the reaction of his master and already held out the letter in question, having furnished it out of one of his pockets. The Imperial Family crest was stamped on to the wax seal that held it shut.
The prince deftly snatched the letter from the old butler's hands and broke open the seal, pulling out the handwritten note contained within. It was his mother's handwriting. He'd recognize it anywhere. His eyes narrowed as he read, face tightening, and he let out a breath. When he was done, he read the letter a second time, eyes hard and calculating.
"Peter. How soon can we be ready to leave for the capital?" asked the prince, his eyes never leaving the letter in his hands.
"Will we be staying long, your highness?"
"No. I doubt it will be for very long. Perhaps only a few days at most."
"Then I can have everything ready within the hour."
"Do it. And send word to Nimble at the Anoch Estate to meet us at the capital too."
The butler bowed and hurriedly, but still respectfully, left the room.
Jircniv placed the letter on top of the book he had been reading and began to dig into the large spread of food in front of him. He ate quicker and less politely than he normally would, not that there was anyone there to even notice.
Time was really short indeed.
=x=x=x=x=X=x=x=x=x=
Kiah was poked, prodded, and measured by the two women, embarrassed and ashamed all the while as they casually remarked on her body as if they didn't think she could hear, or perhaps they thought she'd appreciate what they were saying. She did not. But she quietly endured and cooperated whenever needed so that she could get this all over with.
Surprisingly, she didn't feel as apprehensive or as angry being alone with these humans as she thought she might be. Whether that was because Lucifer had seemingly trusted them with her, or because they were women and therefore not at all like the terrible and cruel men she had interacted with at the farm, the elf wasn't sure. It probably helped that they did act friendly enough.
When they were finished, and the elf breathed a sigh of relief for that, Lana was instructed by the older woman to gather a few specific items from their stock that Kiah was supposed to try on and see if she liked. That left Vela with the elf, who fidgeted uncomfortably under the intense gaze of said woman.
"So. You need underwear, huh?" Vela asked with a mischievous grin.
Kiah gave her wide-eyed a nod. She didn't like where this was going.
Vela's grin inched wider. "What happened to your old underwear?"
Kiah's face was beet red as she shook her head. She didn't trust herself to speak.
"Something happen to them...?" the older woman trailed off and Kiah did not like what she was insinuating. Vela's grin improbably widened further at the girl's reactions. "Was it him? Did he... destroy your underwear?"
Kiah spluttered and shook her head vigorously, looking simultaneously aghast and embarrassed. "N-No!" she managed to say rather forcefully. "Th-That's not-"
"Oh, so you can speak? Come now, dear. You can tell me. I can keep a secret," the woman interrupted Kiah's attempt at explaining her situation, licking her lips, her tone conspiratorial. "I bet he's quite the man in the bed-"
"Here!" Lana said excitedly, placing a pile of clothes on the desk upon her return from scouring their inventory.
Kiah thought she was about ready to die from embarrassment and silently thanked the blonde for her timely arrival, though she wished that she had been even faster. Not that it mattered now.
Vela looked disappointed, her grin disappearing.
Lana continued to speak, "I've got a few things that'll look great on you. You'll like 'em! I think. Hopefully. Anyway, fitting room's in the back in a privacy tent. You ready to try them on?" Then the blonde blinked as she looked between the two, noting the looks on their faces. "Did something happen?"
Kiah hurriedly grabbed the pile of clothes the blonde had picked out and made her way towards the fitting room without saying a word. She really hoped Lucifer wouldn't take too long to come back.
=x=x=x=x=X=x=x=x=x=
Eggert, known affectionately by his friends as "Egg," watched as their target left the inn with that pale black-haired girl in tow. She was quite attractive, and he had found it rather difficult to keep from ogling her earlier. He needed to maintain his cover and try not to get noticed, and he was sure that ogling her was going invite closer scrutiny from his target, the white-haired man that was with her.
He ate his rather bland meal slowly, though it did fill the hole in his belly, hoping that it would give him some time to converse with the innkeeper. Otto, he thought his name was, though Egg wasn't quite sure despite the fact that he had asked the man for his name earlier that morning. He was pretty bad with names. Well, guy names at least. He remembered the pretty girl's name quite easily from what he had heard. Or at least how it was pronounced. Kee-Ah. Egg didn't know anyone else who had a name like that, so that already made her unique.
Trying to stay on task, he focused his attention on the innkeeper. His job today was simple: find out as much information as he could about the target, the innkeeper, and the inn. In that order. When he had first walked in, he had decided to talk about the inn with the innkeeper to see if that got him to open up any, asking him some innocuous questions about how long he'd had the inn and if it was still the original building and whatnot.
That had barely gotten any responses that were more than a handful of words from the grumpy innkeeper, who quite frankly scared the shit out of Egg. The man looked like he could beat him up, eat him, and then spit him out in more ways than there were days in a month. How anyone ever had a proper conversation with the man, Egg didn't know, but he refused to give up.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours, he did manage to learn that the innkeeper's name was Otto Wyndham, and that he had owned The Rose Moon Inn for almost twenty years now, which was quite long for an establishment like this. Though the age of the place was certainly starting to show now, Egg noted, as he glanced around at its slowly decaying state. It wouldn't be too long before it was too dilapidated to continue operating. Maybe another few years at most.
He had also learned that the man was working at the inn alone, but the innkeeper wouldn't say why. Something in the way the man reacted to the question made him think that there was a very interesting story behind it. Egg thought it best not to press too much on that though, in case the big guy got upset. He also didn't think it really mattered for his mission, but he did think it was a good bit of information to know that there was only one person on staff here.
After a while, Egg finished his meal and was drinking some tea while quietly observing Otto serve the few other people who came in. At one point, the big guy came over and asked him if he was going to order anything else, but the way he said it implied that he better order something else if he was planning to continue sitting at the bar. With a nervous smile, and thinking quickly, Egg asked if he could rent a room.
"Seven coppers a night," the big guy said, sounding like there was no chance for negotiation. "Your meal and drinks cost two coppers."
It was expensive given the quality of the inn, but Egg furnished the necessary coins quickly. "Great. How many rooms do you have available anyway?"
"You're in room ten," Otto said as he placed a key on the counter and swept up the offered coins with one of his big hands, ignoring Egg's question.
"Got it. Thanks, Otto," replied Egg in as friendly a manner as he could.
The big guy grunted and proceeded to deal with the handful of other customers.
When he finished his tea, Egg decided to go up and check on his room. He figured he may as well stay the night since he already paid, and he hoped that the captain would reimburse him for the expense. It was purchased in the process of fulfilling his mission after all.
As he climbed the steps to the second floor, it occurred to him that maybe he could figure out which room was the target's, and if possible even break in. He tried the first door – Room One – and found that it was locked. Glancing around furtively, he furnished a lock picking kit from a pouch hidden underneath his cloak and strapped to his waist. It didn't take him long to open it up, only to find it empty and unused.
He moved on to the next room diagonally across – Room Five – and repeated the process, getting the same result. He continued down the line until he reached Room Two, and it was in front of that room that he got the strangest sensation that he shouldn't be there. The feeling was strong, telling him that he should keep very far away. Worriedly, he fumbled for the necklace that hung around his neck and glanced at the crude stone pendant. It was glowing.
That meant there were magic barriers or wards active here. This had to be the target's room. The target was supposedly a magic caster, so it only made sense, and considering that all the other rooms were empty, Egg was willing to bet that the target, that girl, and himself were the only people staying at the inn.
He stared at the door and frowned. There was no way he was getting in there with a regular set of lock picks, and especially with whatever protective barriers or wards were placed on it. He did have one item that might help though, something given to him by the captain expressly for this purpose.
Glancing down the L-shaped hallway to make sure he was alone, even though he knew that he was, he reached for one of the daggers on his hip. His skin prickled when he touched it thanks to the magical energy enchanted within the dagger. This was a valuable weapon against magic users because it could dispel any magic barriers or wards up to the Third Tier. Egg didn't even want to think how much the captain had paid for it.
Taking a breath to steel himself, he readied the dagger and then, ignoring with all his might the very strong urge that washed over him to run away, stabbed the dagger straight into the middle of the door. Immediately he felt resistance as the dagger seemed to catch on something, but it was definitely not the wood of the door. There was a sudden loud crackle of magical energy and bright beams of light flared outward from where the dagger was hitting on something about an inch above the wood.
Egg's hand shook as the dagger vibrated violently and then to his astonishment promptly disintegrated as he was thrown back forcefully into the wall behind him in a bright burst of energy. The wind knocked out of him, Egg crumpled to the ground and gasped for breath, groaning in pain. That was not what he was expecting to happen and fear slowly crept into him as he processed what had occurred. If the dagger couldn't pierce through whatever protected the door, that meant that whatever was cast on it was magic of at least the Fourth Tier.
He didn't even think twice about the magic dagger that was now lost forever, so preoccupied was he with the realization of the strength of the man they were targeting.
There were very few people in the entire Empire who could cast magic higher than the Third Tier. And apparently, the target was one of them. This was bad. This was very, very bad. A magic caster of at least the Fourth Tier was a formidable opponent. He needed to tell the captain immediately. More importantly, he needed to get the hell out of there before the target returned. Egg didn't think the man would take kindly to finding him in front of his door like this.
Grimacing as he got to his feet, he steadied himself with a hand on the wall. At least he'd be able to warn the captain and the others before they did anything rash. He hoped that Derek wouldn't do anything stupid to get caught while he was tailing the target through the city, and he now felt a little foolish at how he had acted towards his friend earlier.
Slowly, he moved down the hall and then turned the corner. He froze up, however, when he came face-to-face with the last person in the world he wanted to see right then.
"Hello, Egg," greeted the man with glowing golden eyes and hair as snowy white as the fine silk robes he wore.
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AN: Thanks to the coronavirus, I've had a lot of time to write lately. I hope you're all staying healthy and safe out there! And yes, I realize the plot is moving a bit slow... like I've mentioned before it's a bit of a vice of mine as a writer that I get a bit bogged down with scenes and details.
As Nabe once said to Ainz: I will endeavor to improve... or something like that. :) I do think I'm moving a little faster than the earlier part of the story, if only barely haha :) next chapter is already partially written so should be out fairly soon too. More significant plot progress in this next one. Hoping to be done with the Oldaven arc in a few more chapters and get out more into this brand spanking New World.
Note on NW currency: I've only now decided to make it simple and say 1 copper is $10.00, so that means 1 silver is $130, 1 gold is $1,300, 1 platinum is $13,000. Honestly hadn't really thought about currency too much until now. Heh. Also, YGGDRASIL:NW exchange rate is 1:2 so 1 YGGDRASIL gold coin is equal to 2 NW gold coins, which is $2,600. *EDITED*
So right now, Lucifer has $380 (2 silvers, 12 coppers) of NW currency in his pocket