SJ was unsure how long she had been asleep when Dave’s voice boomed inside her head.
“WAKE UP NOW,” he screamed.
When they had returned to the Inn, SJ had spent the day with Nexis as he drew out his plans for the auction house. It was like watching an architect at work. The details and design were amazing. SJ had been sure he could have just conjured the plan up but had enjoyed watching God at work as he planned and adjusted the designs. The main building would be single-storey, housing standard receiving areas for small goods. Several smaller offices were used for private viewings, and then, there was a larger side access for bulkier items, which was linked to a warehouse design.
He had also spent time writing a request for builders, and SJ had promised she would see Terence about coming to do the carpentry work. The Auction House would initially require two tellers, four labourers and a transference controller. SJ had to ask what a transference controller did. Nexis had explained the requirement for a being of lawful good or lawful neutral alignment who could be trusted to establish the transference links necessary to the other auction houses. Surprisingly, they didn’t need to be mages as the transference network was controlled centrally at the capital. Once the building is complete, Nexis would then be able to add the details to the auctioneer's register.
The evening had brought the usual influx of patrons, and it hadn’t taken long for Nexis to be called upon to join the merriment, playing his violin. By the time SJ had retired for the evening, it had been getting late, and she wanted to make sure she was up early to attend claw training with Jurgen.
Being disturbed so swiftly from her sleep, she shot up in bed, opening her eyes in panic. Coughing as she did, taking in a lung full of the thick, acrid smoke that was filling the room.
“At last. How did you not hear the explosion?” Dave said.
“What explosion? What’s happening?” SJ said, confused, coughing, and rolling off the bed to the floor. She could remember back to her time at junior school when the local fire station had brought a large red fire truck and briefed them all on what to do if they were ever in a house fire by staying close to the floor.
“The whole Inn shook from the explosion, and you managed to sleep through it. The thatch has caught fire,” Dave replied.
SJ looked up and could see the signs of flames eating at the underside of the thatched roof. Staying low, she crawled through to the other room. Grabbing her boots and dress from a chair where she had put them the previous evening. Wriggling into her dress and pulling her boots on. The flames were slowly eating away at the ceiling, and the beams' pitch was beginning to bubble. The weather in Killic, apart from the one deluge of rain she had witnessed, was always dry and warm, which meant the thatch would be bone dry.
She could hear a cry for help from another room. Coughing, she reached the door and fumbled, grabbing the handle. Unlocking the door, she threw it open. The corridor was empty, and she heard a scream from the room opposite. She was unaware of all those staying in the Inn, but several seemed to come and go regularly as people visited from Asterfal or the surrounding areas.
“Is anyone there?” she called, crawling over to the door. The smoke was now starting to fill the corridor.
“Help,” a male voice cried.
SJ tried the handle, and it was unlocked. Trying to push the door open, only moving a few inches.
“It’s blocked,” she called.
“A beam is blocking it,” the voice called.
“SJ,” Fhyliss called, coming from her accommodation and crawling along with Kerys close behind.
“A beam is blocking the door,” SJ called.
“We need Bert,” Kerys called.
“I can get in,” SJ said as she shrunk. Squeezing through the gap in the door, she entered the room. Inside, it reminded SJ of pictures of the bombings during the blitz in London. The rear of the room, where a wall had once been, was now missing. Scanning the room, a hole in the floor opened into the bar's main area below. The ceiling that once existed was now open air.
Scanning the room, she couldn’t see anybody. “Hello?” she called.
“Over here,” the male voice replied.
Following the voice, SJ turned and saw an arm sticking out from under a large wardrobe that had toppled over. She moved over to the arm. Thankfully, the room was clear of smoke that had escaped into the night sky. The floor looked weakened, not just where the hole had been blown cleanly through it, and she took off flying over, not trusting walking across the fragile remains. Landing next to the overturned wardrobe, she grew and peered over the top to find the face of a young man. His hair looked scorched, and his face blackened.
“My arms are trapped. I can’t push this thing off me,” he said.
SJ bent, grabbed the wardrobe, and slowly strained to lift it. Her strength was nothing special. The furniture was solid oak or similar wood. It wasn’t like the flatpack DIY she used to have back on Earth. The young man managed to move his arm and began helping to push it upwards until it was lifted high enough that he could wriggle out. SJ held the weight until he was clear, releasing it and huffing.
Standing, the man took in the damage in the room. Flames still licked at the thatch at the edges where it had caught fire. There was no way that SJ or the man could move the thick beam that blocked the room's only entrance. Moving to the edge of the remaining floor, SJ looked out to the street below, where the scattered remains of the glass, stonework and several furniture items were now strewn. A crowd had started to form at the rear of the Inn, and as they stood there, she felt the first signs of a deluge of water beginning to fall, noticing several beings flourishing their hands. One she recognised from the first day she had sought directions to the meadow, she thought his name was Kevin.
SJ watched a cart with hay drawn up alongside the building as the water mages continued to make heavy clouds appear and fall onto the burning building, beginning to douse the flames.
“Can you jump down?” SJ asked the man.
He looked down at the cart nervously before composing himself before leaping, landing with a heavy groan. As he did, SJ shrunk and took off, flying down, landing next to the cart, and growing again. Kerys, Fhyliss, and Bert had made it outside and around the back, looking at the damage wrought on the Inn.
The young man began to climb from the back of the cart where he had landed when the furious form of Kerys stormed towards him.
“What on Amathera have you done to my Inn?” Kerys shouted, staring at the young, dishevelled, and singed man. His black hair was sticking up, and the streaks of soot on his face reminded SJ of cartoons where the villain's bombs exploded in their faces.
“I did nothing,” he started to splutter in response.
“Then how do you explain that?” Kerys screamed at him, pointing at the Inn. When Kerys shouted, the young man winced and stepped back. It didn’t help that Bert stood by her side with his towering, powerful form.
“I was only completing the instructions my master had given me," he stammered.
“What instructions? What were you asked to do?” Kerys continued to shout.
“I was supposed to mix and deliver them to an alchemist, Master Rui. I was following the instructions.”
“Are you really that stupid?” Kerys blurted.
“What?” the man replied, looking upset at the comment.
“You were asked to mix alchemical components delivered to an alchemist. Did anything ring in your head that seemed suspicious?”
The man’s cheeks went red, even under the soot covering his face. “I didn’t consider it. I am so sorry. I was just after the experience.”
"Let me guess. You are a Legionnaire," Kerys huffed in annoyance.
"I am why? What has that got to do with it?" he said defensively.
“Experience chasers with no consideration, that is why. What the hell did you even mix?”
“The solutions I was given,” he replied nervously.
“What solutions?” Kerys screamed, going from plain angry to furious. Her wrath was palpable, and the man winced at her outburst.
“Erm. One was called Plerus, and the other Santine,” he stammered.
“Plerus, you had Plerus in my Inn. It’s one of the most unstable alchemical solutions you can handle. And you thought staying in my inn mixing alchemical solutions would be perfectly fine?”
“I was only completing a quest.”
“A quest that has destroyed my business," Kerys screamed, pointing her finger at him.
“I am sorry. I had no idea what would happen. I didn’t know what they were capable of.”
“Do you bother asking or checking when taking on quests?”
“I had a list of instructions I was told to follow.”
“Do you still have them?”
Darren dug the instructions from his pocket and handed them to Kerys.
“Watch out,” Dave said.
SJ glanced, hearing the cracking of wood. The area where the wardrobe had fallen now slid from the building as the remaining floor gave way.
“Move,” SJ shouted, pushing the young man away as the wardrobe crashed onto the cart, splintering it. The burning wardrobe having set the straw on fire.
One of the Mages moved their spell to cover the area, dampening the flames. It was strange watching black miniature storm clouds move around and empty their contents at will. Turning back, she saw the young man lying face-first on the ground where he had landed.
“Sorry,” SJ said, looking at his sprawled figure.
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Rolling over, he climbed back to his feet and dusted himself down.
“Even new alchemists are informed of the dangers of certain components. Have you never been trained?”
“I only recently started.”
Sighing deeply, Kerys closed her eyes for several seconds before opening them again. “Who is going to pay for the damages to my Inn?” she continued berating the young man.
Only the odd patch on the inn remained burning since most flames had been extinguished. Apart from the obvious damage caused by the explosion from the outside, the Inn didn’t look too badly damaged. She wasn't a structural engineer, so she couldn’t be sure.
“I have money,” the young man answered. “I can pay.”
Kerys’s eyes narrowed. “How much?” she asked, hands on her hips, leaning towards him.
“How much will it cost to repair?”
“Bert?” Kerys asked, not taking her eyes off the young man.
“Erm. Structural integrity looks fine. Thatching is normally 3 copper per square foot. The whole roof needs replacing. The mason work for the walls, new beams, doors, decorating, flooring, any other damages ascertained due to the explosion, and compensation for lost business while repairs are underway. The standard work pattern should be able to get most things sorted in under a week if we get the full team on it. Ummmm… I would say 3 gold and 18 silver should cover everything, including labour costs.” Bert said.
“Are your cousins free at the moment?” Kerys asked.
“Stan and Shirley are just finishing a new build by the docks. The new owners are not moving in for two weeks until they get married, so they have room in the calendar. I will go and speak to them.”
“That would be appreciated,” Kerys said.
"Will do," Bert replied as he turned and walked off.
The young man’s face had become ashen once he heard the repair price.
SJ’s mouth opened in complete shock. She had known Bert since she arrived in town, and all she had ever assumed was that he was a bouncer at the bar.
“So, do you have the coin?” Kerys asked, raising her eyebrow.
He began to fumble with his belt pouch and count out coins. Then, letting out a deep sigh, he withdrew something from his inventory and handed it to Kerys. “Will this do as payment?”
Kerys frowned, taking the object from him. SJ could not see what it was as it changed hands.
“Where did you get this?” Kerys asked, her face now registering shock.
“I acquired it and had been keeping it for a rainy day.”
“A rainy day. Do you know what you even have here?”
“Yes.”
“And you know how much they are worth?”
“Yes.”
Kerys lifted the round gem and pointed it towards the moonlight while peering at it. “The cut looks good. Why have you never sold this?”
“I was saving it to place on the auction house when I needed to.”
“If you know the auction house process, you must know moonstones sell from 3 gold anywhere up to 7 for the purest cuts.”
“I am aware, yes. I have kept an eye on the prices.”
“What’s a moonstone?” SJ asked, intrigued.
“Specialist Druids use them at higher levels. They are how you bond pets to owners,” Fhyliss said, speaking for the first time. “Certain creatures are not pleased to be pets. Using a better cut moonstone can increase the success rate of them becoming as the owner wishes.”
The comment about pets made SJ think about the Wyvern Eggs she had left in her room.
“I need to check my room,” SJ said, panicking. Sprinting around the side of the Inn, she walked in the front entrance. The smell of the burnt thatch hung heavy in the air, and water now dripped from the ceiling as though the inside of the building was raining. The damage downstairs was minimal, apart from where the floor had collapsed, leaving a hole looking up and out into the night sky. Thankfully, the room was nearer a corner of the Inn, so it was not directly over the main common room section.
SJ cautiously made her way back up the stairs and to her room. The smoke had cleared, leaving a pungent, sweet, earthy smell from the burning thatch. Apart from the obvious missing thatch, the remainder of the structural beams appeared still in place. Walking into her room, she walked to her wardrobe. Removing the items she had been storing in there, she began sorting them out, placing the small chest with the Miniature Wyvern Eggs into her inventory as a priority.
She removed a spare blanket from the wardrobe and dropped the remaining items she couldn’t fit in her inventory onto it before bundling it up and carrying it back downstairs. The Mayor had arrived while she had been inside and now stood out of the front of the Inn with Kerys and the young man who looked terrified looking at the huge form of the Mayor.
“People make mistakes, Kerys. I am sure he didn’t realise what he was doing,” the Mayor said.
“He should still be locked up. He is a menace to the town if he doesn’t understand what he is handling.”
“Now. Now. Stay calm. I will deal with this. Please go and check on the damages inside. I will ensure that Wendil comes to see what is needed once he wakes up. We can’t have the Inn out of action. It is the hub of the town.”
“That would be appreciated, Mayor. Bert will get his cousins to come and start repairs as well.”
“Good. There is not much more I can do here until the morning. I am sorry for the damage, but at least it appears salvageable,” the Mayor said.
“Bert believes so. Yes.”
“Okay. I will send Wendil in the morning. Good night again,” the Mayor said as he began to walk away.
“What about him?” Kerys said, pointing at the man.
“He isn’t going anywhere,” he replied, smiling.
SJ hadn’t noticed, but two town guards had appeared at the man's side, SJ recognising Greb.
“Come on,” Greb said, ushering the man towards the barracks. "You have some explaining to do so we can write the report.”
Dropping his head, the man walked off with Greb and his colleague.
SJ suddenly remembered that Shelly and Nexis had been staying in the Inn and had not seen either. “Have you seen Shelly or Nexis?” she asked, panicking.
Fhyliss turned to look at her. “Yes. Shelly went to stay with her Uncle last night, and Nexis left when the bar closed. I have no idea where he went, though.”
Being thankful that Shelly was safe, SJ walked over to one of the benches. She wasn’t worried about Nexis, knowing that it was unlikely he could be damaged even if he had been present. Reaching the bench, she placed her belongings down, sitting heavily. Quite a gathering had turned out due to the incident, and as everything began to calm down, they started to walk off to their homes. Many muttered about being unable to get a drink or meal for the next few days. Kerys was busy talking to Fhyliss when Floretta appeared.
“Kitchen’s serviceable,” Floretta said.
“Really?” Kerys replied, hopefully.
“Yes. No damage. The enchantment still held.”
SJ was intrigued by the word enchantment.
“What enchantment?” SJ asked from where she sat.
“The kitchen is fireproofed for safety reasons,” Floretta replied, looking at her.
Every snippet of information or details was another small revelation into the workings of the Amathera. She had never considered fireproofing or similar. “Why only the kitchen?”
“Cost. Enchanters charge a lot of money for fireproofing, which must be renewed regularly due to mana seepage. Thankfully, it was only topped up a couple of weeks ago.”
“I bet it was Malaki who did this,” Kerys growled as she sat on the bench next to SJ, looking at the remains of her home and livelihood.
“Who is Malaki?” SJ asked.
“Malaki Fretun. He works in Asterfal for the chancellor. He has been after my rejuvinatus recipe for months, and I have always refused to accept his offers. Mayor Maxwell told me the other week about rumours he was planning something.”
SJ could remember the conversation in the bar not long after she had arrived in Killic. She had seen the towering form of the Major speak to Kerys and had assumed at the time that he had been threatening her or something similar initially.
“Was that when he visited the bar that night?” SJ asked.
“Yes,” Kerys replied, nodding. “He had heard through another councillor that Malaki was talking about getting hold of the recipe by any means as he wished to increase the productivity of Asterfal but reduce the costs of hiring. The last time I was in Asterfal, I had a run-in with him about it. It doesn’t matter how often I have told the man, he doesn’t take no for an answer. I have recently had several visits from his contacts pertaining to the purchase of the recipe. Each time, I have refused their offers. I am sure he is trying to drive my business under, so I have no option other than to accept his coin.” Kerys finished swearing vehemently.
“Are there no others that know the recipe?” SJ asked.
“It is a Gnomish brewer's secret. Only those of Gnomish origin know the recipe, and we are all sworn under oath. My family's oath binding is stronger than any to maintain secrecy, never mind the racial and profession oaths that also relate to it. Even if I wished to pass on the recipe and its details, I couldn’t without death being a potential outcome.”
“I see. Is he not aware of this?”
“Of course he is, but Malaki doesn’t care for others. He has only ever been interested in his own goals. He is an exceptionally skilled alchemist and has tried to replicate rejuvinatus himself, but he will never succeed. Thankfully.”
“He couldn’t stumble upon it by chance or through research?”
“He could get close, but the side effects would be quite devastating if he did. Some processes must be followed that he will never consider in a million lifetimes. If I was able to tell you, you would understand why.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I need to wait until the guard questions that idiot who mixed the solutions. I can’t believe he was so gullible as to fall for the plot. Unfortunately, over the years, I have met many who fall into the bracket of idiocy. At least in Killic, there are far fewer than when I lived in Asterfal.”
“I didn’t know you used to live in Asterfal.”
“I did for several years before moving to Killic to escape much of the chaos caused in the city. I also wanted to be away from the Guild's control.”
“Guild?”
“Yes. In Asterfal, to be able to operate a bar, you need to be a member of a Brewers Guild, and I was sick of paying the cut they took on profits. So, I moved to Killic instead. It was the best decision I ever made going independent.”
SJ looked at her display, now 03:00. “I need to find somewhere to stay.”
“We all do,” Fhyliss replied, sadness in her eyes as she looked at the Inn.