Chapter 83 Private
“The basement is split directly in half as you had in the plans.” Mister Mason explained. “Would you like to see the cellar and storage half first?”
“Yes.” Isaac agreed and let the stout man lead the way. The wall mounted lanterns lit the halls and stairways as they went. Oaken carpeted floors were silent as they walked through the empty manor. The large rugs that were used in place of nailed down carpets were color coded based on which area of the manor they were in. There was a color for the private areas of the second floor, a color for the scholarly third floor, a color for the open areas of the second floor, a color for the dining area of the first floor, a color for the sitting and guest areas of the first floor and a color for the private servants quarters area of the first floor. The kitchen was left bare so it would be easier to clean and soon the trio were walking on exposed hard oak floors.
Mister Mason had recommended ceramic tile flooring for the kitchen and other rooms that were prone to spills and messes but Isaac had opted against it. He disliked the uncaring feeling of ceramic floors and instead accepted the fact that magic might occasionally be needed to properly clean the oak flooring in some of those locations. The trio soon stopped at a floor access door to the cellar and storage area. Mister Mason awkwardly bent down and tried to haul the hatch open but it was quickly clear that the man was not up to the task, even so, he did not ask for assistance.
Isaac’s shadow expanded and darkened and a moment later a creature made of bones in an extravagant butler’s suit arrived. Shamesh bowed towards Isaac. “What might I assist you with, my Lord?” He asked Isaac before rising from his bow.
“Would you be so kind as to help Mister Mason with the door?” Isaac directed his physical and spiritual shadow.
Shamesh nodded deeply. “Should I use magic or mundane means, my Lord?”
“Mundane means. If it is too heavy for you then we will need to change the door.” Isaac explained. “Maybe make it out of ashwood?” Isaac added to himself. “Oak just matched the rest of the flooring.”
Mister Mason took one look at Shamesh and broke out in a cold sweat. He backed away as the bone golem took his place at the handle to the floor access door. Shamesh planted his feet and pulled. It took him a moment, and he was forced to shift his weight once he got it off the ground, but he was able to fully open the door and lean it against the wall where it latched open. “It’ll need to be lightened for servants to use it regularly. Especially smaller women.” Lenna commented.
Isaac inspected the door. “It doesn’t need to be as thick as the rest of the floor as long as it has more supports. The wood could be halved in thickness if the supports are tripled in number but halved in width as well. That should make it a third lighter or so.” He thought aloud and then looked at the foreman. “Is it too late to have you make that adjustment?”
“No, of course not, I aim to please, my Lord.” Mister Mason said with a bow. It was unclear if the glossiness on his skin was due to exertion or fear from being in the presence of Shamesh.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Isaac nodded. “Thank you.” He told the foreman and then turned to Shamesh. “Thank you, Shamesh, take some time to get acquainted with the manor but stay within the walls for now.”
Shamesh bowed towards Isaac again. “As you say, my Lord, I will take my leave.” He replied and then straightened. With a bow towards Lenna he was off to explore the open and empty house, a lone skeleton on a quest for exploration, in a freshly created and mostly abandoned building. The foreman visibly and audibly gulped as he processed that very fact. He was very glad, at that moment, that he was not also wandering the halls alone.
“Mister Mason, please continue.” Isaac directed the foreman and gestured down the stairwell.
“Yes, right this way please.” The foreman said and led the way into the cellar. The cellar was sectioned off into areas for different kinds of food to prevent contamination and one area was enchanted with strong cooling magics. It was not quite freezing temperatures but it was cold enough that the area had to be insulated to prevent it from cooling the area around it too much. There was an area set aside for general storage and the piping from the higher floors was accessible in the event it needed repairs in the future.
“Expertly done.” Isaac congratulated the man. “I left this part of the design up to you because I had no idea what the staff would need.”
“Thank you, your words of praise, especially considering the rest of your design, fills me with much joy.” Mister Mason replied. “Is there anything that needs to be addressed here before we move on?”
Isaac shook his head and looked at Lenna. “No. I think we are done here. Show us the other half, if you would.” Lenna told the man.
Mister Mason nodded and guided them back up to the first floor. They left the kitchen and soon found themselves in a back corner of the first floor that was out of the way of everything else. It was an area that would see very little foot traffic and thus was easy to miss. There was a door with a key in the lock. At present there wasn’t anything down there worth locking the door for but it was an omen about what would one day be on the other side of that door.
Mister Mason opened the door and nodded deeply towards them. “I am afraid that I lack certain intrinsic gifts necessary to join you any further.” He confessed. On the other side of the door was a spiral staircase that led to the second half of the basement, none of which was illuminated by any means. The total darkness informed anyone, who opened the door, exactly who that area was for.
“Thank you, Mister Mason. When Shamesh comes by, give him the key, would you?” Isaac replied.
Mister Mason swallowed at the mention of the monster Isaac treated like his head servant. “As you wish, I will wait here.” Mister Mason said with another deep nod towards them.
Isaac and Lenna walked down the spiral staircase into total blackness without any issue. Once at the bottom, everything opened up to reveal an almost entirely empty expanse. There were many pillars, some had pipes connected to them but most did not. All of the pillars had metal cylindrical cages of steel bars around them to prevent accidental impacts. “This is…” Lenna’s voice trailed off as she realized exactly why each of the columns were protected.
“A private sparing area.” Isaac confirmed. “We can have meditation mats and a couch brought in as well.” He pointed along the wall near the stairs so it would be out of the way. “I’m thinking right there for the couch. The meditation mats can be moved at any time so it doesn’t really matter where they end up.”
“Won’t the floor get torn up?” Lenna questioned. “Your boots have cleats and we are anything but gentle on, well, anything.”
“It will.” Isaac confirmed. “It can be repaired with magic as needed but the oak flooring will be fine against normal wear and tear. I haven’t figured out a way to have a private training area that is able to put up with our levels of stress. When I do, we can have it added.”
Lenna nodded. “I like it.” She told him with a smile. “I love it, actually. This entire place. I can’t wait to move in and call it home. Not having Leo’s cooking for breakfast every morning will take some getting used to though.”
Isaac laughed. “Yeah, I doubt there is any way that we could get him to move in.”
Isaac and Lenna spent the rest of their day spending another large chunk of their money. They went to the general store and ordered some of their furnishings, they ordered more at a carpenter’s shop who was the only human in the world who specialized in mushroomwood carpentry. He would be the one to make their bookshelves and wardrobes. They stopped by the Arbencroft estate to speak with the head maid and had her order in some other furnishings from the company that made and did maintenance on the Arbencroft’s couches and the like. Overall it took them the rest of the day and thousands of gold. Their last stop was to see Branden to make a request for a new piano to be ordered.