Kaden walked through the ten foot tall gates to what had been the entrance to the zoo. And gasped. Builders worked everywhere, not the harsh, fast pace that had led the effort to adapt the zoo for refugees. They moved at a careful pace, polishing wood and carving stone.

And the buildings…

The stacks of minescule apartments that had housed the hundreds of refugees had been reworked, in some cases rebuilt. What remained was elegant. The wide paths of the zoo would let Trinity pass other beasts without even crowding. Every exhibit was now a complete multi-level abode next to a holding…pen? That wasn’t the right word. Habitat? Area? Each was a contained area where the Beast could relax.

It was so much nicer than Beast Control.

Where the Magma Tortoises had been, now a gentle pond rippled with fresh water that flowed through the different habitats.

“This is just the start. We can’t afford to fix everything right now, but there will be six suites with handlers and tenders to care for Beasts, a cooking staff to prepare meals for guests. And you haven’t seen the grand suite.” Sara led them deeper into the zoo, closer to the wall.

Now Kaden recognized that many buildings were dark. Clean, and carved and decorated, but not prepared for living. And a gradual worry began to build. The observatory had been rebuilt—at least the dome shape, and it was one building where builders worked.

“Underground housing,” Sara said. “It leads to a tasteful cave complex for light sensitive beasts, and some more…harsh housing for Beasts who won’t get along. It requires a staff of thirty, but the same staff will operate at full capacity.”

She stopped. Looked back to the Griffin’s tree where Queen Brownbeak had lived. A giant tree that would have been at home in the Grove, it towered over the zoo, and was visibile from outside Verona’s walls.

Druid magic had hollowed it out while keeping the tree strong and living, and when last Kaden had been here, a giant nest of bones and broken tree trunks had housed a single cracked egg. The tree was well over a hundred feet across and rose hundreds of feet into the air.

“How many rooms does one person need?” Kaden asked.

“The bottom floor is all administration. Housekeeping is its own building, there are basement apartments for all staff. Second floor is for the Zoo Keeper. We don’t have a plan for the six intervening ones. For now, they’re cleaned and empty. The top three floors you have to see.” Sara led them into a sweeping ground floor with glass tile on the floor and cherry desks everywhere, with wide, soft chairs and rugs forming paths.

“This is temporary,” Sara said, pointing to a Portal arch. “The enchanted lift doesn’t work, it’s been driving our workers crazy. The Mage Tower has been out every day for a week to look at it.”

The Portal activated.

Sara motioned, and Kaden went through, with Ashi close behind.

He almost couldn’t breathe. Living wood floors with pixie lights hidden so they cast deep shadows Eclipse would love and Trella would use as shortcuts. An intricate Heatstone in the center of the room rippled through patterns. Verona’s winters could be bitter, and windows ringed the entire floor. A spiral staircase circled the HeatStone to rise up, and Kaden climbed to find himself on a level with six smaller apartment, each with beds and baths and balconies formed of tree limbs that let him look out over Verona.

The top level was an exercise in excess Branches rose up to form the posters of a bed larger than any of Trella’s adventures could use. The floor was open, completely open, and a weather enchantment kept it clear. But the sky above was open, and with a thought, the summer breeze hit Kaden.

“Don’t walk near the edges, the mana barriers aren’t completely functional. It won’t kill a centurion. It might kill anyone else.” Sara stepped up beside him. “What do you think?”

“It’s overwhelming. Who the hell needs this much space?”

Sara put her hand on his shoulder. “This is your place.”

“I like it.” Ashi rose up to hover higher and higher. “I approve. I will sleep here.”

“This is Kaden’s floor,” Sara said. “You and I can choose rooms from below. They’re larger than the guest towers at the Holding.”

Ashi didn’t answer.

More than anything, he wanted to share it with Trella. They had shared impossible dreams about eating twice a day, or getting classes, or even having six coppers for winter coats. Now, the City lay beneath him on one side, the wilds beyond on the other. She would love it.

“I need a moment alone.”

“Alone is not good. No one ever drowned in sorrow while they swam with friends.” Ashi looked to Sara. “You have known him longer. Alone?”

Sara didn’t answer Ashi. Instead, she reached up, put her arms around him, and hugged him. “One day. One day not even that long away.”

It was easy for Sara to say.

She hadn’t been the one to activate the linked spell that killed Trella.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

But was it really what Trella would want? Kaden knew better. Trella would have forced him to sing for Ravena. Trella would have organized an orgy. Trella would have lived. And she would again.

Right now, he was going to do it for her. “I’ll stay here tonight, but not alone. This is too nice to keep to myself. I’ll cook dinner here for all of you. There’s plenty of beds below. I already have a home, this should be the place Centurions tell each other about.”

“Are you saying that because of the money?” Sara asked. “You’re worried about our investors and how to pay them back? Or what happens if the business falters and you’re suddenly responsible for the livelyhood of dozens of commoners? Or are you afraid you’ll be disgraced and unable to show your face in Verona?”

“I am now.” Kaden said. “Who’s paying for all this? You know I’m not. I was happy, even honored to invest in you. You’re going to make Centurion. A few thousand gold right now? Nothing over the course of centuries. But this?”

Kaden shook his head. “I was going to make it a petting zoo.”

“That idea was terrible,” Ashi said to Sara. “This is luxury worthy of the librarians of Vichor.”

Sometimes, he delighted in frustrating Sara. Trella would definitely approve. “I want a petting zoo. I’m going to tell the Builders to stop working on the caves and build me a petting zoo. The caves can wait.”

“If I pushed him off the edge, no one would know,” Sara said. “I’ll say ‘What? Kaden is missing? Last I saw him, he was looking for a Builder to discuss petting zoos. I hope he comes back.’ I’ll inherit the Holding. And BirchHome. And there will not be a petting zoo.”

Ashi flashed with bright blue mana.

Kaden’s feet floated up as he hovered. And drifted. And began to lazily spin until he was upside down. “Very funny, let me down.”

“You disrespect the effort. It is beneath you.” Ashi wasn’t even exerting herself.

“Fine.” Kaden tried not to laugh. “You win. Just a hotel.”

“You have got to teach me that spell.” Sara grabbed Kaden’s hands and twisted him upright. “It’s so useful. And why don’t you do that to monsters?”

Ashi drifted slowly down, her skin returning to tan as she used mana. “It is not for combat. The System denies such uses, but it does let me expend mana when I have too much. You have little talent for magic, perhaps even less than Kaden, but I say I will try.”

A crystalline messenger bird skimmed through the mana barrier to alight on Sara, and she smiled. “Eve is done. She just got out of the execution chamber.”

“Tell her to go to the side entrance to Beast Control,” Kaden said. “I know it well enough.”

When the Dungeon had flooded him with feelings, he hadn’t needed to think of the individual components of the Portal spell. No, Mana Loop, Remote Mana Loop, and Sharpen had come as one, with only the weaving needing attention.

Kaden could easily have opened a portal to Beast Control’s back bay or the customer disservice entrance, but those wouldn’t do. He focused and willed it into being. A slightly out of round portal snapped into existence revealing the alleyway. “Getting better at it.”

“Indeed.” Ashi didn’t hide the pride in her voice.

Eve came stumbling down the alley, propping herself up with a silver staff topped with a clear gemstone. Her normally white robes were streaked with blood and clots and chunks of flesh, and she clutched Vip to her chest like Vip was holding her up.

She eyed the portal with distrust, until Sara stepped in front of it. “It’s possibly safe.”

When Eve stepped through, it drained fifty points of mana in one go, like a fist to the gut.

Kaden let the portal close, and no longer felt like there was a dagger in his side. “See? Perfectly safe.”

“You made that?” Eve asked. Then softened her expression. “Well done. I had no idea you were capable. Your portals have always been less functional and more decoration.”

“Thanks.” Kaden tried not to stare. “There’s probably baths in the level below. I mean, there’s one over there, but you’d probably want more privacy. Sara, can anyone in the city look in?”

“Of course not! I mean, not after Mom had that addressed. There’s a nice young member of the Storm Mages who will get to earn six levels back and knows better than to peep on her now. Why don’t we order dinner, let Eve clean up, and deal with some business?” Sara hadn’t taken her eyes off the way Eve dripped. “And of course, we can get things tidied up.”

Eve looked herself up and down like she hadn’t taken it all in. “The Blood Moon is always thirsty. Always.” She banished the staff to Inventory and gently set Vip down.

*Sick* Vip’s assessment of Eve probably wasn’t wrong.

“The Blood Mages of Vichor have told me stories,” Ashi said. “Come, we will make sure you are clean. The memories will never wash away, but you will not need to wear the stains forever.”

Eve had never been one to be rattled. One of her talents, [Unshakeable] allowed her to maintain focus in almost all situations. Kaden looked to Sara and nodded. He’d be fine here. He summoned Trinity so the TriTerror could amble about, sniffing, peering, and generally investigating.

Kaden’s will, that Trinity not destroy anything, would be enough.

He added a desire to not have her fall off.

And a desire for her not to go rampaging through the grounds.

And pulled her back into his soul.

Where were his Beasts supposed to stay?

Two bells had run before Sara returned. She’d changed into more comfortable clothing, and Eve wore tan pants and a shirt that hung off of her, barely fitting. “Where did you get—”

Sara and Ashi sent him a glare that was practically a shared [Skill], but it was Sara who spoke. “Kaden, why don’t you let Ashi and Eve enjoy a quiet meal here? There are people who would like to meet you, downstairs. I’ll be down for the meal.”

Kaden took the portal to the ground floor.

He wasn’t suprised at all to see Mistress Scylla sitting at one of the desks. He’d gathered from Sara’s comments she was involved. How, exactly, he wasn’t clear. “Ma’am.”

“Kaden. We’ve been quite busy since the Surge ended. Has Sara given you the tour?”

“Some.” He’d always been honest with Mistress Scylla, and believed she’d be honest. “I agreed to let Sara run the renovation. Did your daughter hire you? Who is paying for this? How much does it cost? Where did you get the workers? When does it open? How can we possibly keep this going?”

“Would you like a seat?” Mistress Scylla waved with a tentacle, and an attendant rushed over to bring a chair. “Kaden, I’d like you to meet Daveed Kela, he’s a [Hotel Manager] with three decades of experience and, thanks to the surge, no hotel.”

Kaden shook the man’s hand. “I imagined something smaller. With fewer problems.”

“This? This is not large. You’ll never have more than ninety six guests, twenty five beasts, and fifty staff on hand. At least, not to start. We project a maximum of a hundred staff, and that would be for full Centurion parties, where every third guest desires a personal attendant.” Mr. Kela began to lecture, almost rant about the intricacies of balancing guests, budgets, menus, staffing, handlers for beasts.

After a good thirty minutes, Mistress Scylla interrupted. “Daveed, I’m sorry, but Kaden and I must be at the dinner.”

“I could use some dinner,” Kaden said.

“It’s not just your dinner.” Mistress Scylla stood. “We’ve been using them as proving tests for the first guests. This is your opportunity to meet your other investors. And it’s more. You’re level twenty five. Second tier. Up until now there’s been little direction to your life. Grow stronger has been your only purpose.”

Kaden had thought this. Wren had said it in so many words. “And now?

“Now, that changes. But how it changes is for you to decide.”