Alix awoke to a knocking sound, and then Mr Bones entered the room without waiting for a reply. It was going to take him a while longer yet to get used to the sight of a skeleton bowing before him, especially first thing in the morning.
“My lord,” his strange disembodied voice echoed around the room, “We have made good progress. There is something you might like to see.”
“Mmm,” Alix mumbled in reply. “Give me a moment,” he said, trying to think of anything to get the skeleton out of the room while he dressed.
“Of course, my lord,” Mr Bones replied and promptly left.
Alix tried going back to sleep, but between Tifayn’s nakedness pressed up against him, and the curiosity at what the skeletons had found, it was impossible. He unwrapped himself from her embrace, but she followed him out of the bed, proving she had been awake the entire time. She was completely unashamed of her nakedness as she stretched in the morning light, although she had nothing to be ashamed of with a body like hers. He tried not to stare as he got dressed but his gaze kept returning to all her curves.
“You don’t happen to have any coffee around here, do you?” he asked Tifayn when they were both dressed. The thought of another cup of what she called tea was already making his stomach churn.
“No, I don’t have any coffee, only tea. I have heard the nobles in Galdea prefer to drink coffee. It is pretty expensive, but it shouldn’t be too hard to get hold of some,” she replied. He heard the unspoken If we had money and his thoughts changed from the secrets hiding in the north tower to how he could get hold of some coin.
“I guess we can’t send the skeletons into town to buy some. I’ll see what stock of potions I have once I’ve cleared more of the grounds, then maybe I can sneak into town and sell them. I’ll sell as many as I need to get some coffee. Maybe I could even buy some beans and we can grow some of our own.” Even as he said it he realised what a foolish thought it was. He had no time to be growing coffee beans. If he had money to spare, he needed to spend it on more important things, like a new pair of clothes, or some proper food.
“If it is something master enjoys then I will make sure to find some beans, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go to Galdea. The King will have made sure that everyone knows your face and they will all have been instructed to deny you service.”
“I could grow a beard I guess, or make sure to cover myself up.”
“You will look even more conspicuous if you are walking around with your face covered. The people don’t take kindly to demons either so I would have difficulty traveling there as well.”
“Is there any other way we can make some money then?”
“There are a few other small villages near the mountain that I have traded with before. We will make less money there but it will be safer.”
“Great, let’s do that then,” Alix said, wondering why she hadn’t mentioned the villages sooner. He had thought they were abandoned miles from civilisation. “I’ll go and see what Mr Bones wants to show me, then I’ll get a full day in of clearing the grounds.” The thought of waking up to a cup of coffee was enough motivation to get him working double time.
Tifayn led the way out of the room and they found Mr Bones waiting for them silently outside. He set off ahead, leading them down the grand staircase to the ground floor. Alix could instantly tell a difference in the place. The majority of the debris had been cleared, the skeletons able to work tirelessly through the night, and the newly uncovered passageway Mr Bones led them down was freshly restored. It still needed further repairs the further down the passage they went, but they stopped before they had to start traversing the piles of rocks the skeletons hadn’t cleared yet. Mr Bones led them into a room he hadn’t been able to reach before but it was one he had known was there after loading the castle blueprints into his map, one he had been eager to reach. Armoury. The sleep left him in a rush at the thought of finally getting a good weapon.
“They wanted to see if any of their old weapons remained but it looks like most of them have been looted,” Mr Bones said. Half a dozen skeletons worked inside organising what remained. There were a few tarnished pieces of armour and some weapons that looked like they had been blackened in a fire. “I apologise for this, my lord. I regret that I wasn’t awakened to stop it from happening.”
“Is there anything here that can be of use?” Alix asked instead. Had Mr Bones really just dragged him here to see these scraps? What had happened to all of the old swords and the other various weapons and armour of the old Darknights? He had expected there to be a Darknight’s Greatsword lying around for him to inherit, but the once grand room was now full of shelves, empty apart from dust and debris.
“Of course, it can all be of use. With the ring you should be able to break it all down into core components. The blades and armour are old but they were made with the finest materials. We will work on making our way to the forge next. Take this for now,” Mr Bones replied, passing him a sheathed blade. “It is small but the only thing left that managed to weather the centuries.”
* Acquired Azurite Knife
Alix quickly checked the knife’s stats, but it didn’t look like it had any special abilities. He was just glad to see that it had a Power rating that wasn’t single digits. “Does it…do anything?” Alix asked, just in case he was missing something.
“An Azurite blade doesn’t need to do anything, its benefit is that it is resilient and it will never dull or break under duress from a lesser blade,” Mr Bones explained. “It will serve you well until the forge is running again.”
Drawing the blade from the sheath, he found it was crafted from a sinister black material that shone with an oily gloss. Streaks of bright blue cut through the material in lightning like patterns. Despite the small size of the blade, Alix felt safer already.
“Thanks, this should help with clearing the grounds as well. Do you know if there are there any other tools around here I can use? I should probably see if I can craft simpler things first and get some practise in before moving on to blades. Maybe I will be able to find some ores to help with that, or at least cut some wood to light the forge.”
“There is a storage room we just uncovered by the front entrance that looked like it had a few serviceable tools inside.”
“Great, thanks,” Alix replied, leaving the skeletons to their work while he went to find the tools. They were making swift progress, and he began to feel pressure to keep up with them. His accomplishments so far didn’t feel like enough. He had to work harder. Still, it wasn’t his fault there had been so many distractions.
The door to the storage room opened noisily on dry hinges. The room was musty and everything was covered in dust and cobwebs, but he found a selection of useable tools; a pickaxe, an axe and a range of shovels and hammers. He grabbed a hammer to start with.
“I will leave you to it then,” Tifayn said once he was armed with his new tools. “I will probably go foraging later to replenish the stores. I wasn’t expecting you for a few months yet so I hadn’t stockpiled enough. I guess it is lucky that we don’t need to feed an army of skeletons as well.”
Alix breathed a sigh of relief as Tifayn walked away. At any second he was worried he would say something to alert her to the two hiding in the north tower, or that she would suddenly reveal that she could read his thoughts. He had yet to think of how he would broach the subject with her, but he was going to have to think of something soon. Brant would recover in a day or two and he was eager to question him.
Once outside, he forced himself not to look towards the north tower. He felt like he could feel eyes on him with every step he took. As calmly as he could, he made his way to another overgrown corner of the grounds he was eager to clear. The outer wall wasn’t just three straight lines surrounding the castle, but a large series of curves and angles, hiding nooks and new grounds around every bend. There were even other smaller walls that cut across the grounds, separating them into different areas. The one he wanted to work on looked like it had once been quite a spectacular place, a garden for rest and relaxation. There were paths and courtyards, stone ornaments and benches, but all was now overgrown with tall swaying grasses, ferns and other bushes he couldn’t name. A few ponds and streams cut through the grounds, but they were thick with weeds and sluggish.
Alix lost track of time as he worked, the Azurite blade cutting through everything with ease. He was surprised at just how many materials he managed to harvest from the overgrown mass. Blackberries that had grown wild and out of control produced Thorns, the constant Aloe (which every plant seemed to produce in different quantities), and Blackberry Fruit, which he was able to dismantle into Blackberry Seeds. Thorns hadn’t been in any of the recipes he had read, but if it was harvestable then it had to have some use. He couldn’t see what good it would do to plant the seeds, so when the Dismantle option appeared again, he checked it out.
* Obtained Seed Oil
Alix didn’t know if that was a cooking or potion crafting ingredient, but it sounded more useful than the plain seeds. Clearing the blackberries exposed a courtyard paved with flagstones, along with a stone bench that was green with moss. He managed to tear it off in one large carpet, but he was disappointed when it yielded nothing but a large amount of Aloe. With the bench cleared, he took a short rest, and he found himself facing the north tower and its dark windows. The slates that had been loose and falling off the day before had miraculously realigned themselves.
Unable to sit peacefully with the thought of Tifayn, or someone else, watching him, he soon got back to work, and came across another familiar plant, although it wasn’t the familiar one he was hoping. He was harvesting things so quickly that the process had become automatic and he only stopped to check on what he had collected every so often, but one thing caught his eye due to its odd normality. He was expecting to find fantastical herbs and plants, but instead his activity log read:
* Obtained Wheat
It was then he realised that all the bread he had seen had been purple. So far he hadn’t thought to ask Tifayn why she cooked such loafs, he had just assumed that different ingredients existed here, but with wheat growing in the grounds, he would have to ask her why she wasn’t using it.
The Wheat had the Dismantle option so he selected that and the Wheat was converted into Wheat Flour in his inventory. He made sure to hold some back so he could replant it. He had collected a large variety of seeds now, enough to start a respectable garden. He didn’t really have the time to become a farmer, but they still needed to eat. There was a greenhouse on the far wall that would be of help if he could clear the way. It looked like it was in sore need of repair though, but he didn’t know how he would get hold of glass out here. Maybe he could scavenge some broken windows from the castle. He didn’t need to use all the rooms anyway. As long as he had a warm bed, he would be fine. All the other comforts were just a bonus. It helped that Tifayn insisted on sleeping next to him.
The grounds continued to fight him as he worked his way deeper. He came across a patch of grass that he almost stepped through, until he noticed the edges of each leaf glinting in the sunlight like the edge of a sharp blade. With the Azurite blade he carefully cut down a few leaves and fed them to the ring.
* Obtained Steelgrass
“What is Steelgrass?” Alix asked the ring, after trying and failing to dismantle it any further.
“It is pretty self-explanatory, is it not?” the ring replied with its
usual level of usefulness. “It is a forgeable component. With the junk the skeletons found in the armoury, you should be able to make something half-way decent if you throw in some Steelgrass, or if you harvest enough of it you can turn it into a blade by itself.”
“A blade of grass? That would be pretty cool. Maybe I could practise making one of those before working with rarer components.”
Alix tried to carefully harvest as much of it as he could, but he still finished with both hands covered in tiny nicks. It was a handy component but it wasn’t really something he wanted growing out of control. Once the grounds were fully cleared, he would have to keep an eye on its regrowth.
Some of the bushes he moved on to were almost as thick as wood but the Azurite Knife managed to cut through then with ease. Some of the thicker pieces produced Fibre, something he could use for crafting rope, or hopefully clothes if he could find a crafting recipe for them. When he got tired of working with the knife, he took out the hammer. It was about time he practised harvesting other materials.
The rocks turned out not to be as exciting as the plants. There wasn’t much they could be broken down into other than Sand. For some stupid reason he thought he might have been able to work the rocks into blocks for the castle, or find gold in the rubble, but despite feeling like he had fallen into a Harvest Moon game, things weren’t going to be that easy. He would have to look elsewhere for proper building materials, or valuable gems. The Sand might be of use in the forge, but for now it was just weighing him down. He felt its weight greater than all the plant materials combined.
One rock cracked open at the swing of his hammer. It was dark and knobbly, picked from a stagnant stream he was trying to clear, one of a few water features he wanted to get running again. The two halves opened in his hand, revealing a purple crystal centre. He tapped the surface with the hammer and a new item appeared in his inventory.
* Obtained +10 Purple Fluorite.
That sounds useful. Now that he knew what it looked like, he tried to find more, but the stream was empty. He cleared the overgrowth and it gurgled back to life, the centuries of grime washing away.
Alix switched back to his knife and tried to clear the path to the greenhouse. He had always wanted a garden but back in the city there hadn’t been any space for one. Now he had plenty of exotic new seeds to try and grow, but he didn’t know if he could justify the time tending to them. Even if he established a garden, it would be long dead by the time the next Darknight showed up.
A curious flower produced Poppymilk but he didn’t think it would be anything he could use to mellow Tifayn’s tea. It was an ingredient he had read about in Practical Potions, one that had many restorative properties.
He was mere metres from the greenhouse, one that looked like a long glass mansion, when he heard a voice calling across the garden.
“Alix!” the voice called, a man’s voice. He had only heard a few voices in this world and recognised it instantly, although it was the last one he had expected to hear.
Alix looked across the garden and spotted Leon entering the open gates on top of a wagon.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Alix said to nobody in particular. “I’m really going to have to fix those damn gates.” That was twice now that someone had just been able to walk right on in unchallenged.
When he saw that Leon was alone and that no soldiers appeared behind him, Alix headed towards the gates before Evory could swoop down and attack him, but he made sure to stick the hammer through a loop on his belt and keep the unsheathed Azurite Knife in his hand.
The last time he had seen Leon, the man was being dragged away by castle staff. What had brought him here, to this rundown castle in the mountains? How had he found the castle in the first place? He felt a rising panic that the king had gone back on his promise of giving him five years, but when he reached the gates, Alix saw that Leon had truly come alone, apart from the horse drawn wagon he was driving.
Leon jumped down from the seat, wearing a blindingly bright suit of silver and gold armour. He looked like he was doing well for himself, which was about as much as Alix should have expected, with all the resources of the kingdom behind him. Suddenly his Azurite Knife felt very insufficient.
“You look fancy,” Alix couldn’t help but remark.
“They refuse to give me any other damn clothes. It’s an absolute nightmare here, Alix. I can’t believe they left you here. It looks like a shithole,” Leon said at the sight of the place. Alix felt underdressed next to him, but he was glad he didn’t have to walk around in such heavy, bulky armour all day. He felt a slight bond with Leon over their mutual suffering over clothing.
“It’s pretty rough but I’m doing alright. I don’t have much else to do but fix the place up. How did you find me?” Alix asked.
“It’s a long story. Is there anywhere we can go to sit down? My ass is raw from sitting on this wagon so long,” Leon replied. Alix noticed his cheeks were flushed. Had he been drinking?
Alix suddenly felt embarrassed that the place was in such a mess. There wasn’t really any place comfortable to sit apart from in Tifayn’s rooms, but he wanted to at least ask her permission first before inviting the Solknight in.
“The place doesn’t really look any better inside but I should be able to find us some seats,” Alix replied, calling silently on the ring. Is there any way to contact Mr Bones?
Of course. Speak and he will hear you, the ring replied, speaking only to him.
Alix thought of Mr Bones and sent out a message. Mr Bones, could you bring me two chairs?
At once, my lord, a reply came instantly.
“What have you got in the wagon?” Alix asked while the chairs were on their way. The wagon was sturdily built, with metal rimmed wheels and gold filigree inlaid in the wood. A white sheet covered the arched ribs, emblazoned with a golden sun. It wasn’t a subtle look at all, but he imaged the king wouldn’t have let the Solknight travel in anything less. He wondered again how Leon had managed to find the place, and travel without a guard. He had played enough RPGs to know that the situation wasn’t normal. It felt like a weird glitch in a game.
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“You won’t believe it Alix. It’s my birthday, but apparently, they don’t celebrate birthdays here. You are the only one that understands. They don’t deny me anything, and apparently neither of us can touch each other for five years, so they had no choice but to tell me where you were and how to get here. I told them to fill me a wagon with drink and send me on my way, and no one was to follow me if they weren’t going to join in with the party.”
Just as Leon finished his story, Mr Bones appeared out of the front door with a plush leather chair carried under each arm. The chairs were large and unwieldy but he caried them as if they were nothing. The skeletons had unnatural strength, despite their appearance and form, some strange magic binding them together.
Before Alix got a chance to explain, Leon drew his sword. They had only been in this world a short while, but even though Leon had already been given a glorious sword, he obviously hadn’t been trained how to use it yet, or he was already too drunk to be of any threat. He held it with a shaking hand and trembling muscles, although Alix was sure he still looked like he had gained some since he had seen Leon last. Looks like his training has started already, while I’m here digging in the dirt.
“Don’t worry Leon. I’m sure you have been given maids or something in Galdea. Mr Bones is my equivalent here. You can trust him,” Alix said, trying to calm Leon. Leon looked at Alix like he had completely lost his mind, but he slowly put away his after Mr Bones had deposited the chairs and stepped back without any threat.
“Don’t even get me started on the maids,” Leon said, climbing back into the wagon and re-emerging with a small barrel under his arm, and two mugs. “Every single one of them has tits like watermelons and dotes on me like a child. It’s ridiculous.” He took the barrel and sat in one of the leather seats. The wood creaked under the weight of his armour but the legs held. Leon rested the barrel on his leg, placed a mug under its spout and turned the tap. A golden liquid poured out. Leon passed him the foamy beer.
Alix took it gratefully, all thoughts of coffee evaporating from his mind. If there was beer here, he could live without the coffee. He took a sip of the beer as Leon poured himself a mug. He looked like he had downed a few already. The beer was light, and would have been refreshing if it wasn’t lukewarm. Beer that wasn’t cold wasn’t beer in his opinion. Still, it was a drink so he kept on sipping at it. He felt a weight lifting off his shoulders as the alcohol washed over him.
Leon quickly drained his mug and poured himself another. The keg would soon be empty at this point but it looked like his wagon was full of enough alcohol to kill them both.
“Did they tell you anything more about what’s going on here?” Alix asked once they were comfortably seated and warmed by the drink. “I tried asking the king more questions but they got rid of me pretty quick after you left.”
“I barely understand any of it. They worship me like some kind of god. I can’t even go for a shit without causing a fuss. They tell me we are going to have to fight in five years, to save their world tree or something. The church seems to be in control of the whole thing, but I’m not really keen on the Cardinal. He is very intense.” At least Leon seemed to be handling things better now than he had been before.
“I guess they will have you training day and night. It looks like they have outfitted you well,” Alix said, passing his mug over for a refill after he realised he had drained his own already. The beer almost felt like a comfort from home. His tolerance had been pretty good before, and it only seemed to be greater here, or else the beer was weaker. When Leon passed back the mug, he analysed it with the ring.
* Galdean Beer, 3%.
Alix sighed. He had hoped his tolerance had magically increased but it looked like the beer was just weaker than he was used to.
“One of the first things they gave me was this sword. It’s called Solas, the Hero’s Sword, according to the ring. They are handy things, aren’t they? It’s like something out of a game,” Leon said, holding up his hand to look at his own silver ring. “It is a bit of a joke that they didn’t give you anything else. I asked everyone I could why they treated you so poorly, but every time I mentioned your name, they acted like I had farted in their cereal. They gave me more than enough wealth to last me ten lifetimes, lands of my own and rooms in the castle, an army of servants and the greatest trainers in the land. I’m still useless with the sword, but I don’t think I am going to be given a choice in the matter. They mean for us to fight in five years’ time, and they are going to train me mercilessly until that day. I’m sure the king will send some guards to fetch me eventually, but until then he can get fucked. I’m exhausted and I just want to drink on my birthday. I’ll be almost thirty in five years. I don’t really know what they expect of me after that.”
“Well, there is plenty of time to worry about all that later. At least we seem to have powers that the others don’t, and these rings. I wouldn’t have much of a chance without it. The crafting is a particularly handy feature,” Alix said, eager to move the conversation away from the future.
“Crafting? No one told me anything about that. They have only just begun explaining all the Skills they are expecting me to learn. The church have it all planned out for me already. The map is handy feature though. It would have taken me days to find this place otherwise.”
“Well I haven’t tried wielding a sword yet, I’m going to have to forge one first, but the rings can do a lot more than that.” Alix thought it would be easier to show Leon instead of explaining. He bent down and picked some flowers growing nearby. Then he tapped the flower on the ring and it disappeared in a flash of light.
* Obtained 1 Sweetwater
“What just happened?” Leon asked, staring at where the flower had just been.
“The ring can break things down into craftable materials. I’ve only tried making various potions so far but I think it will be an invaluable skill. We probably aren’t immune to anything here. Here, try this.” Alix crafted a quick potion, dragging an Aloe ono the Sweetwater. It created a Tonic which he pulled from his inventory. It appeared as a small glass vial filled with a faintly pink liquid.
“What is it?” Leon asked as Alix passed it over.
“It’s just a basic tonic. It won’t heal you or anything, just give your stamina a boost. It will do until I can find some coffee.”
“I thought you might be craving some so I brought a few bags of beans. I sure know I was miserable until I thought to ask for it. It’s a weird place isn’t it? Half of it seems so familiar while the other half is completely alien.”
Alix was stunned at how casually Leon mentioned it, after everything he had planned to get hold of some.
“That would be great. You have no idea how much of a nightmare it is to get anything around here. I feel bad that I don’t have a gift for you, but as you can see I’m not exactly living the luxurious life.”
“If you can teach me how to use the ring then that will be a good enough gift, as long as you drink with me as well.”
“That will be easy enough.”
The vial was fully sealed, but it had a pinched top on one end. Leon snapped it off with his thumb and it disappeared in a shower of sparks. He drained the contents and the vial vanished.
“Tasty.” Leon bent down and picked a flower. He tapped it on the ring and it disappeared. “Fascinating. I wonder why they didn’t tell me about this before?”
“They can probably give you more potions than you could ever craft yourself, and enough money to buy more than you could ever use. I guess with those sorts of resources, all this becomes a waste of time.”
“I hate feeling like I am in their debt.”
“I’m sure if you ask the ring for guidance, it will help you. Just take some of the money they gave you and go your own way. I doubt you would be harmed in any way. I bet if we drank that whole wagon dry it wouldn’t kill us.”
“They told me something about that, when I asked where they had taken you. They said no harm could come to us before the five years were up. They left you here because they knew you would find shelter of some kind, and that the ring would help you. I wonder why mine seems to be silent in comparison? I don’t think they wanted you to know this, but it is impossible for anyone else to attack us. Any sword that comes towards you will fall harmlessly to the side. That makes me wonder how they are going to train me if they can’t swing at me properly. I never really played that many games before but it’s feeling an awful lot like one.”
“We might as well treat it like one. It makes it easier to wrap my head around it all,” Alix said, although the time had passed for wondering if this was a dream or not. Either he would wake up, or he had to face what was coming to him.
“That’s a good idea,” Leon said, then realised the first keg was already empty. He retrieved another one from the wagon and refilled their mugs. “What else have you been getting up to here? It doesn’t seem very fair that they aren’t giving you any help.”
“I’ve just been trying to tidy the place up mostly. I was working on clearing the grounds today, and most days. It might seem like a waste of time but I’m managing to harvest a lot of materials for crafting, and I think if I can figure that out, I will be alright. I should be able to craft anything that I need.”
“You don’t have anyone to train you though, and that seems like the most important thing. I hate to think you will be left here alone with no one but skeletons while I am being trained by the greatest the kingdom has to offer.”
“I’ve got five years to figure that out. Don’t worry about me,” Alix said, and just then Tifayn appeared.
Leon’s jaw dropped at the sight of her. “I thought you said it was only this skeleton that was waiting for you here?” he said, drinking in the sight of her.
“Well, the skeletons and her,” Alix mumbled. He was about to ask Mr Bones if he could find an extra chair but Tifayn took a seat in his lap.
“Who is your friend?” Tifayn asked, as she writhed around to get comfortable.
“This is the Solknight, Leon,” Alix replied, tensing for her reaction.
Tifayn was silent for a moment. “A Solknight has never stepped foot within these grounds. What brings you here?” she said coldly, pressing herself against Alix protectively.
“It is my birthday. I have just come to drink with Alix, if that is alright with you. Despite the differences that have been thrust upon us, he is the only that understands what I am going through, as he is going through it himself.”
In response Tifayn jumped up and rummaged around in the back of the wagon. She emerged with another mug and a larger cask under her arm. She carried it under her arm as if it was a pillow.
Alix wondered if Mr Bones had somehow heard his silent thought, as he appeared with another chair and Tifayn mercifully sat down in it.
“I hope you are looking after Alix,” Leon said, unable to keep his eyes off of her. Alix had to admit that he was still getting used to the sight of her himself. Everything about her was alluring, but Alix knew that behind her looks she was extremely skilled. She had managed to look after herself for a long time, and she had promised to teach him the sword. Now that he had seen Leon with a sword, he suddenly felt the urge to learn it himself. He didn’t want to be out done. He felt he could do better at it than Leon. It was suddenly and clearly obvious to him how much harder he would have to work to achieve even a fraction of what Leon had been handed.
“Of course. I do all that I can for master.”
“She sounds disturbingly like the maids back at the castle, Alix.” Leon whispered, but they could all hear him. “What about this castle though? It doesn’t look like its fit to live in.”
“I think it’s the best I’m going to get,” Alix replied, taking a sip of the beer, slowly getting used to the warm drink. At least it was carbonated. “I should warn you that there are more skeletons inside. They scared the hell out of me when I first saw them but they are surprisingly handy. They are restoring more of the place every day.”
“Well, I will be sure to help out where I can. If the king is going to give me all this money, I will do with it what I want.”
Alix didn’t know how sincere Leon’s offer would be in the days to come, but he appreciated the sentiment. Money would only be able to help him out so much anyway. There was nowhere nearby to spend it and no one to spend it on other than Tifayn and the dead.
“I think we should take this inside,“ Alix said, spotting clouds moving in on the horizon. He didn’t want to get caught out in the rain as he still didn’t have any other clothes to change in to. Leon probably didn’t expect him to spend the money on clothes and essentials but that’s what he would do with it if he had any.
“That sounds like a good idea, it’s starting to get cold out here. I’ve heard there are spells you can imbue armour and clothes with to protect against the weather but I guess they don’t want me getting too soft,” Leon said with a drunken laugh, the first one he had heard since arriving in this land, although he hadn’t said anything funny.
Alix got up from his chair and Mr Bones whisked them away as soon as they were all on their feet. Leon tried his best to keep his eyes averted from the skeleton and turned to Alix. “Can you help me unload the wagon? I made sure to fill it with enough food and drink to last us a fortnight,” Leon grinned. At his words, half a dozen skeletons appeared without warning. They began to unload the wagon as Alix led Leon inside. A line of skeletons followed them, carrying larger casks and baskets of food.
Leon’s goods were deposited in the hallway outside the rooms where it was cool, but he had one barrel brought inside with them, along with the barrel Tifayn carried under her arm, and a few baskets of food to soak up the alcohol. Leon stood around awkwardly until Mr Bones brought in the extra chairs for them to sit. With all the chairs, casks and baskets of food, there was barely any room to move.
They took their seats again and Leon filled his empty mug with a ruby red wine. Alix quickly drained his beer and poured himself some of the wine. It was exceptionally balanced, smooth but he could also taste the bite of the alcohol. He preferred that over something so smooth it tasted like juice.
“Wine was more my father’s drink, but this stuff is better than anything I have tried back home,” Leon said when the skeletons left them to it. “They gave me a personal mage, you know. All I’ve used him for so far is for chilling my beer,” he said, laughing again.
“Are they going to train you in magic as well?” Alix asked. That was one thing he would be jealous of, although he seemed to be doing alright in that regard already. He wished he had beer chilling magic over Necromancy though, but he already knew which one would come in handier in a fight.
“I think so, but I’m not looking forward to it. It feels awfully like going back to school, and I hated school.”
Alix wouldn’t have said that he loved school, but he had completed his bachelor’s degree. If magic had been an available course, he probably would have taken his studies further. His degree was in music but he didn’t think that would help him out here. He wondered then what had become of his guitar. Was it still lying out on the street? Had someone found it and pawned it? It was painful to think of. He had customised the thing himself and to him it had been priceless.
“Do you know any magic?” Alix asked Tifayn, wondering if she would be able to teach him something more wholesome than raising the dead.
“I know a little. With my help, along with the books and the ring, you should be able to accomplish much,” Tifayn replied, taking a sip of her wine while at the same time glaring daggers at Leon, as if she was trying to say how much better Alix was than him. The drink didn’t seem to be having any effect on her. The only way he could describe her was economical. He would like to see her loosen up a little, but it looked like they would need something stronger for that.
Alix felt a burst of excitement. Maybe this world wouldn’t be so bad after all. “This is quite a crazy situation. I wonder if there is any way for us to get back home?”
“I thought about that as well. I’ve asked a lot of questions, but I feel like everyone is holding back. The church answers my questions, but I never feel like I’ve learned anything. Maybe I need to be firmer with them. I will give them a good grilling when I get back, and see if I can get any help sent your way.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Leon. I’m actually enjoying myself here,” Alix said, realising the truth in his words as he spoke them. He was beginning to feel like he had a purpose here, something he had been lacking back home. His work and personal life were a disappointment, but here there was plenty for him to do, even if it did have a potential end point that would be upon them in no time.
“Well at least that’s a weight off my mind then,” Leon laughed. “I brought all the food I could carry for you anyway. They filled my pantry with more than I will ever be able to eat and they just throw it out when it goes off and replace it instantly. I was worried you were shivering under a bush or something while I was surrounded by luxury. It was a novelty at first but I’m sick of it already. Enough about that though. I want to hear about all the enjoyable things you have been up to.” Leon took a deep drink of his wine and waited for Alix to tell his story.
They continued drinking into the night, finding their tolerances actually were higher in Babyl, so they kept on drinking.
At one point, Alix heard a voice whispering in his head.
Do not tell the Solknight too much, the ring whispered as he was mentioning the skeletons he had raised from the crypts and his plans for them.
Why not? Alix asked silently. He couldn’t understand how anything he was saying could be considered secret. He expected Leon would be trained to use the ring a lot better than he already could himself. Raising the dead didn’t sound like anything the church would teach him about, but surely his ring had the ability to impart the knowledge to him if it was necessary.
You cannot forget that he is the enemy. In the castle he will be pampered and that is to your benefit. Already you are more skilled than he is, despite appearances.
I will be careful then. He probably won’t remember this conversation tomorrow morning anyway.
Hmm, was the last the ring said, and Alix got back to drinking.
Leon was red in the face long before they finished for the night, several barrels later. The wine was 15% but they had managed to handle it like weak beer, but the effects finally caught up with them in the early hours of the morning. When his speech was a slurred mess, he decided he was done for the night. It had been a good time, but he was desperate for bed. He had asked Mr Bones if there were any other rooms they could set up when it was apparent Leon was in no state to be heading anywhere, and no guards arrived to carry him home, and surprisingly he had said that there were.
Leon swung his arm around Mr Bones enthusiastically as if they were old friends. He tried to get the skeleton to join him for a drink, his earlier animosity completely forgotten. Suddenly skeletons were the most normal things in the world. He was led away to his room, and Alix quickly undressed and fell into bed.
Alix wanted to curl up and die when he woke the next morning. His mouth was thick and dry, and he could feel every single drink from the night before. He had to drag himself from bed to relieve himself before he burst. He was glad at least that the castle had some semblance of functional plumbing. He felt better after draining what felt like a few gallons, then he washed out his mouth with a drink from the tap in Tifayn’s kitchen. She still slept soundly in bed, looking no worse for wear. She was just as glamorous asleep as awake.
This hangover is going to kill me, he thought to himself. He tripped on the empty barrels rolling around the floor as he tried to make his way back to the bed. He couldn’t just sleep a hangover off anymore. They knocked him out for days, and these were days he didn’t want to waste.
Alix painfully brought up his inventory to try and craft a strong hangover cure. His health bar was still full so he didn’t think a healing potion would do much, but had learned many other potions, it just took him a moment to get his sluggish mind working enough to think of one.
There was a Restorative potion he had read about that was highly customisable depending on the ailment so he decided to combine a few ideas and see what happened. He started with a Healing Potion as a base, added some Sweetwater, Poppymilk, then a rare ingredient he had finally come across the day before called Golden Drop, and topped it off with a selection of herbs from the grounds; mint, fennel, rosemary and something called Veritas Root which he thought looked similar to turmeric.
* Obtained Vitality Draught
The vial appeared before him, filled with an opalescent liquid. He snapped off the lid and downed the watery contents.
The effects were instantaneous. His headache faded, and all the aches washed away from his body. He felt even better than new. Aches he hadn’t even realised were there were gone. He lay down and fell into a blissful nap.
Leon’s wails woke him a short while later. Alix let him suffer for a bit while he lazily dressed. He went to find Leon to give Tifayn privacy to get dressed, although she had already shown that she didn’t care if he looked or not. He didn’t know where Leon’s rooms were, but it didn’t take him long to find him. He only had to follow the moans.
When he found Leon curled up in a ball of pain, he crafted another Vitality Draught and passed it over to the suffering Solknight. “Here, drink this. I’ve invented the first cure for a hangover that actually works.”
Leon grabbed it, still only half aware of what he was doing, and downed the clear potion without taking a second glance at it. Alix left him to get dressed in private. His pristine armour from the day before was strewn all over the room Mr Bones had made up for him.
Alix felt a bit annoyed that he hadn’t been shown the room first himself. If there was a spare bed why had he been pushed to share one with Tifayn? He wasn’t really complaining though. Tifayn’s bed was the most comfortable place he had slept in years, even without her soft presence.
Leon emerged from his room and found Alix sitting with Tifayn at the table by the window in her rooms. She had a pot of tea on when he returned, and had just poured them a cup when he appeared.
“What the hell did you give me?” Leon asked Alix as he took a seat. He picked up the offered warm cup instinctively, but Alix silently motioned for Leon not to touch the brew. The sharp bitter drink was likely to send him straight back to bed.
“It was just a tonic I crafted. What’s wrong with it?”
“There is nothing wrong with it. I feel like a new man.”
“It looks like you are becoming awfully proficient with potions.” Tifayn said around a sip of tea.
The talk descended into Leon praising him for his skills, but he soon declared it was time for him to leave.
“If I stay any longer, the king might send the guards after me. I had a good time Alix. I hope you manage to look after yourself,” he said as the skeletons loaded his wagon with the empty barrels. One of the empty baskets of food had been refilled with some more of the hangover tonics. Alix had almost given him the recipe, before remembering the ring’s warning not to share too much. He had to hold on to every advantage he had. “And I hope Alix looks after you,” Leon said to Tifayn when he was seated.
“Of course he is, although I wish he would take greater responsibility,” she said, staring at Alix intently.
“Don’t be such a prude Alix. None of this is real anyway! Enjoy yourself!” Leon laughed as he whipped his horses into motion. He continued to laugh to himself until he vanished out of sight.
“I never thought I would say it, but the Solknight is very wise. You should enjoy yourself, Alix.” Tifayn purred his name is a rich voice he had never heard her use before.
For a moment he almost gave in to his weaknesses, but a voice within him held him back, refused to believe that none of it was real.