Gregory had only made it through a quarter of the dirty dishes when he and Cooper were called back to the front of the manor to begin greeting guests. Olivander decided his improvised magical cooking golems were up to the task of tending dinner, and he decided to join them.
"Leviana Rhodes? How did I not know this was your home?" Olivander asked when he met the party's host.
"Olivander! It's been too long. You probably don't remember that my family originates in Serin because you never bothered to return any of my sister's letters or messages."
Gregory watched the exchange. He forgot that Olivander used to move in higher circles and would know the occasional lord or lady. It now made sense why Lady Rhodes had quickly agreed to his dumb stunt.
"I do fear that I owe your sister an apology. We met when I was young and impulsive—"
Gregory coughed, choking back a laugh. Olivander looked at him with a raised brow but didn't bother scolding him.
"I'm afraid that my studies in the capital pulled me away from so many other things. I just lost track of her," Olivander concluded.
"I will relay your apology if you'll permit me?"
"Please do. I'm afraid we won't be in the city very long. I would love to speak with Emily, but we'll soon be departing to continue our journey down to Mardareth "
"Your mother will be thrilled to see you!" Lady Rhodes said with a genuine smile.
"My mother will be less thrilled when I bring her the news," Olivander said, his brow creasing.
Gregory couldn't put his finger on it, but Olivander's demeanor changed slightly when Lady Rhodes brought up his mother. Perhaps they had a strained relationship?
"I did hear about your…rather abrupt departure from the capital. I'm sorry, Olivander."
"Please, please, none of that Lady Rhodes. I had a good run. Longer than the previous Arch-magus, anyway. It was about time I moved on."
"Very, well, if you insist, but please, call me Leviana. Your companions were telling me you'll be cooking dinner tonight. I'm interested to see what you're preparing. I never knew you were a chef."
"I'm honestly rather new to the art of cooking, but I have been practicing, and I daresay you won't be disappointed."
"Very good, Olivander. We'll talk more later. I should finish some final preparations. The guests should be arriving soon."
The trio made their way to the main entrance of the manor. There was a smaller room for coats and other storage off to the side, and the main entrance to the manor opened up onto a long hallway with an open sitting room directly across the hall from the doors. Artwork, suits of armor, pottery, and other things that wouldn't have been out of place in a museum lined the hall in either direction, making for a rather stately first impression.
The first person to arrive was a tall, straight-backed man in a stiff constables uniform. Gregory had a guest list and guessed the identity of the man.
"Constable General McKenzie, I hope you're doing well this evening. May I take your hat?"
"Certainly, young man."
McKenzie eyed Gregory and Cooper.
"You two must be the ones that Darren told me about. Best to avoid Burt, if you can. If I'm being honest, he's been a pain in my ass for the better part of a decade."
"Very wise advice, sir!" Olivander said, stepping in and ushering the constable general forward. "Allow me to guide you to the great hall. Along the way, you'll notice the classical art pieces on the wall. What you might not notice is that the corresponding artifacts displayed under each correspond to the same time period as the painting…"
Olivander led the man off, continuing to talk about the manor as if he owned the place.
The next guests were a couple, Reginald Aberson and Allison Foudes. Gregory liked them a lot. They were very friendly, and said they had been friends with Leviana for years, and could make their own way to the great hall.
The next person to arrive was a very handsome, tall man. He was the type of person Gregory had always imagined when hearing stories about great heroes.
While he had the build for it, Wentzle Grumel was very much not an adventurer. He was a businessman, and, according to the notes Gregory had, he was the owner of the largest spice trading company in the entire region.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Grumel. Lady Rhodes said you were the owner of a large spice trading company. That's quite the accomplishment for one so young."
Wentzle gave Gregory an assessing glance, then nodded.
"Thank you, young man," Wentzle said with his buttery smooth voice. "It's not an easy business to get into, but it's quite nice once you find your feet. I just recently took up the routes from a failed spice trader. It bumped my orders up by a third alone. Things are going quite well!"
Cooper led Wentzle to the great hall as Olivander returned.
"Did I miss anything? I passed the man Cooper just led away and a couple who seemed to know Leviana well."
"Not really. The man you just passed, Wentzle Grumel, is a spice trader."
Olivander's eyebrows perked up at that.
"Really? Perhaps I should talk to him. I'm really enjoying this cooking thing, and adding a few new spices to the mix would not go amiss."
Gregory was going to respond when someone entered the still open doorway.
"Olivander Casumus!?"
Gregory turned to find a bearded man that looked, as far as he could tell, near Olivander's age. Maybe a few years older.
"Belethor, the Master of Illusions! To think I would actually see you again."
"Why are you here, Olivander?"
"Cooking for a dinner party, if you can believe it."
"Knowing you, that's the truth. It's not quite ridiculous enough to be one of your lies."
"That's rich, coming from the self-professed master of illusion magic. Although I suppose you would be the one to know a thing or two about lying."
The bearded man grimaced at Olivander, and then simply vanished.
"Where did he go?" Gregory asked, looking around.
"Oh, he left as soon as he saw me. We have never gotten along. He can create illusions with as much ease as I create portals."
"Or furniture. Can we start calling you 'Olivander, the Master of Chairs?'"
"Only if I can start calling you 'Gregory, the Village Idiot.'"
"Sounds good to me."
Olivander sighed when the next guest knocked on the door.
"Good day! I'm Gloria Westing, and this is Elizabeth Callen, we're here for Leviana's party."
Gregory recalled Gloria's description. She was the heiress to a family of manufacturing barons within Serin and the surrounding region.
Elizabeth was written on his sheet, but he didn't have any details about her. He suspected Gloria might have invited her to meet Leviana.
Neither woman was carrying anything that Gregory could help with, so he just greeted them.
"Good day, Miss Westing, Miss Callen. Would you like an escort to the great hall?"
"No need. I've been there several times and can guide us. Thank you though," Gloria said.
Gloria and Elizabeth departed and Cooper arrived back shortly after that.
"Just one more person, right?"
"Should be, Burt said nine, including Leviana," Olivander said.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
When the last guest arrived a few minutes later, Gregory had a front row view to see the range of looks and emotions written on Olivander's face as he took in the person at the door.
"Oh, hi Gregory, Olivander, Cooper. Fancy meeting you all here."
"Jeremy! Great to see you again. Can I take your coat?"
"Wha…how…who?" Olivander couldn't put any words together.
"Is your friend alright, Gregory? He seems like he's having some trouble."
"What are you doing here, Jeremy!?" Olivander finally said, snapping out of his moment of stupor.
"Just visiting my good friend Leviana."
"How do you know Leviana? Have you even ever been to Serin before this week?"
"I work in Serin, Olivander. It pays to know the important people in town!"
Olivander was left speechless, and Gregory reveled in the feeling without giving away his involvement in Jeremy's presence.
"Allow me to show you to the great hall, Jeremy," Gregory said with a smile.
Gregory and Jeremy departed, leaving the flustered Olivander behind with Cooper.
"What is happening here?" Olivander asked.
He looked at Cooper to see if he had any ideas, but the dog was busy licking the side of his leg with enthusiasm. Olivander sighed and made his way back to the kitchen.
* * *
Gregory stood in the great hall with Cooper sitting next to him. They were out of the way but close at hand, ready to refill drinks or assist with anything Lady Rhodes' guests needed.
"Thank you all so much for coming! It's time for me to do a little explaining. If you know me well, which some of you do, you'll know this isn't my usual sort of party. I have brought you all together here because I could sense opportunity! Opportunity for business connections, and the opportunity to have a bit of fun while getting to know each other.
"So please, mingle and enjoy yourselves, we'll get started with our first activity of the evening shortly! Oh, and please do not hesitate to ask Gregory and Cooper for anything you might need." Lady Rhodes gestured to the pair of them at the side of the room, next to a refreshments table.
Gregory, not knowing what to do, gave an awkward wave. He wasn't used to the direct attention and his palms had started to sweat. Cooper wagged his tail. He was used to getting attention, and he ate it up.
After that the eight guests broke into a few small groups to chat, with Leviana bouncing around to facilitate introductions and bring up business ideas.
The great hall was large, but there were few people, so Gregory had an easy time hearing what people were talking about.
Gloria Westing, the manufacturing heiress, was speaking with Wentzle Grumel, the spice trader, as Lady Rhodes joined them.
"Mr. Grumel, how is it that you transport all of your spice shipments? How do you store them for transport?" Gloria asked. She was a young, attractive woman, and Gregory tried not to make eye contact with her. He was decidedly not a ladies man, and feared embarrassing himself.
"You know, Miss Westing, that's something that most people take for granted. The real problem is weatherproofing. As you can imagine, we do most of our shipping through overland caravans. We do make heavy use of House Rhodes logistical support," Wentzle nodded towards Leviana in acknowledgment, "but even with perfect route and diviner supported predictions, we lose a fair amount of product due to weather."
"Really? Does the weather have that big of an impact on your business? I don't recall many storms of note in the region as of late."
"Oh yes. Many of the spices we buy and sell are quite sensitive to humidity and moisture. It's not so much about losing the spices completely, as you might expect with bad weather, but when a shipment is affected, we lose a sizable sum on the markup. The best sellers want top quality, and they're willing to pay for it. When a shipment encounters even moderately hard rainfall, some of our stock will be affected."
"That's actually one of the reasons I wanted you two to meet," Leviana interjected. "You might know that Gloria's family is heavily invested in manufacturing. What you might not know is they recently made huge strides in the manufacture of cheap and quite weatherproof enchanted jars."
"Really, that is quite interesting…"
Gregory stopped listening as he saw someone wave to him, holding up an empty wine glass.
He grabbed a fresh glass with the vintage Constable General McKenzie was drinking and approached. McKenzie was speaking with the illusionist, Belethor, but they paused when Gregory exchanged the empty glass.
"Thank you, young man. Belethor was telling me that your older companion is none other than the former Arch-magus."
"That's what he's told me."
"What is he doing here?" Belethor asked. He seemed very upset, but Gregory didn't know why he didn't like Olivander. Besides the obvious things.
"That's actually my fault, sir. My companion…" he gestured at Cooper, who was deftly balancing a tray of finger foods on his head. Gregory trailed off just watching the spectacle for a moment. Then he shook his head and continued.
"Sorry, my companion and I got into a bit of trouble with the man who was originally catering this party. As payment for our mistakes, we agreed to cater tonight. Olivander just decided to tag along."
"Burt," McKenzie said, assured the name would allay any questions.
Belethor chuckled. "Burt is a feisty one. I see, so your being here is mere happenstance. Well, I can't say I'm happy to have run into Olivander, but I'm glad he wasn't merely seeking me out. You just be careful around him, boy. He's always been trouble."
Gregory really wanted to ask why they were so at odds, but didn't think it was proper given his current station.
Gregory politely left the conversation. Over the next half hour, conversations started and stopped, with Gregory mostly lost in his own wandering thoughts.
"What are they talking about?" Cooper asked.
The thought projected into his mind broke him out of his revery. He looked at where Cooper was looking. Allison Foudes, a close friend of Leviana, was having a subdued but intense conversation with Wentzle Grumel.
"Can you hear them?" Gregory asked quietly.
"A bit. The man is asking the woman how she could do this to him. She's telling him he could have backed out any time. No good details."
After a few moments Allison and Wentzle's conversation was interrupted by Leviana announcing they would be starting the first activity.
Lady Rhodes hadn't mentioned that he and Cooper should do anything in particular during the events, so they stayed in the great hall.
After some brief instruction, Lady Rhodes paired off the guests and sent them on their way. They had to solve a series of clues around the house and eventually come back to the great hall with a particular item. Gregory thought it sounded like a ton of fun.
"Lady Rhodes, might I ask you a question?"
"You may, Gregory. And please, just call me Leviana."
"Ahh, well, it just seems like," he awkwardly began, scratching his head sheepishly, "a scavenger hunt and a game of trivia don't really sound like anything I would consider high society activities. They do sound like a lot of fun though!"
"You're not wrong, on either count. I like it because I'm forcing people together who might not normally associate. My family prides itself on two things — our home city of Serin, and our mastery of logistical support. In this party, I'm arranging for people to meet and, I hope, ultimately form connections that benefit the city and region as a whole."
Gregory nodded along. He had thought it was a rather odd bunch of people.
"That makes sense. Is there anything you'd like us to do during these activities? Olivander has sealed himself inside the kitchen. He actually put up a barrier, and we can't get through. I guess he doesn't want to be bothered."
"I don't have anything for you to do, but, there are two of you, and you're here. Would you like to participate in the scavenger hunt?"
"Yes!!" Cooper said, and started hopping with enthusiasm.
"Absolutely!"
Leviana laughed at the pair. "Then be my guests. I used up all the starting clues, but you're starting late, so why don't you head up to the second floor. Enter the first door on your left and you'll see the second clue hanging on the wall. Have fun!"
She pointed them in the right direction and they sprinted away, eager to win.
* * *
Olivander had been a little flummoxed by the arrival of Jeremy, but it wasn't anything that he couldn't handle. He would figure out that man's true intentions in time. Whatever they were, he didn't really seem very dangerous.
After that little moment of bewilderment, things had been going great. That was of course until they all went immediately to hell.
He had combined several spells together with some artifice knowledge he had, and spare parts he found in a storage room off the kitchen. Together, he had made several cooking golems. He was quite proud of them. He had left them in charge when he went to the manor entrance, and when he came back, he found them tending the food with enthusiasm.
In fact, after trying a few things, he thought the dishes tasted better than before he left. It was at that point when he noticed there were four golems. Not the three he had assembled. Maybe he had miscounted?
When another walked around the corner with an armload of clean dishes, he knew he had a problem. Self replicating golems were never something you wanted, certainly not inside someone's home.
It was when he tried to destroy the golems that things went a brand new kind of sideways for him.
Olivander focused on one of the golems and tried to draw the power back out of it. His mana manipulation did nothing, and he received an unfortunate message.
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Cooking Golem has been blessed by Barranch, the god of feasts, its power cannot be claimed.
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"Barranch? Why would a god care about some sloppily thrown together cooking golems…"
The gods could grant blessings and boons, but typically were never seen or heard from. It was rare to see someone or something outside of their clergy with a divine boon or blessing.
One of the golems stopped what it was doing and walked up to Olivander. It surprised him by speaking.
"Olivander Casumus. You have done a great thing here. These feast golems are the greatest creation and contribution to the art of feasting since the ovens were invented. I, Barranch, would grant you a boon as thanks."
"Thank you, your…deific-ness. All I ask is that you remove the self replicating properties of these golems, they could cause some real problems left unchecked."
"It is done. That was something I should have noticed myself. Consider the removal of the self replicating a reward for your diligence. I will grant you a special boon for creating such a grand thing in my honor."
Olivander, for all he had done, had never spoken with a god before, and thought it was funny that the first one he would speak to, and get a boon from, was the god of feasts.
He thought it was significantly less funny when he received a new message.
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The god Barranch has blessed you with access to a holy class, you cannot unlock this class without undergoing a personal trial.
The god Barranch has triggered a personal trial at your location.
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"Oh no."
A bubble of magic sprang up, surrounding the entire kitchen and blocking access to it.