“What the hell is he doing here?” Alix said with genuine surprise. “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 after leaving him to face the wrath of the Galdeans alone. 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, in sharp contrast to Alix’s dirt covered clothes. 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 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 such a mess, although he couldn’t help but remember Leon’s insistence that none of what was happening to them was real, so why did he care? 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 inside the castle, not to mention alerting the skeletons. He could only imagine the chaos at them seeing the Solknight.
“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.
“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 properly 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 the Solknight. 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.
“I didn’t believe it when I was told you had just been abandoned her. This entire thing is barbaric, don’t you think? No matter how much I complain, they don’t listen. 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. 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 god 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.” Leon seemed to be handling things better now than he had been before. He no longer seemed to be wandering around, detached from reality.
“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. When Leon passed back the mug, he analysed it with the ring.
[Galdean Ale, 4.8%. Intoxicant]
“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. I’m forced out of bed everything morning to train. My every move is watched, and whenever I unlock one of those skill option things, it sets of a hour long debate about which one I should choose. It all feels a bit childish to me. I was never much in to games. 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 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 everything 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 replenish your health, but it will give your stamina a boost. It will do until I can find some coffee.”
“I thought you might be craving some home comforts 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? I’m starting to think there is much they are hiding from me.”
“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.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“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 are up and that is why they felt no remorse about leaving you here. I didn’t believe them of course, but then they said that the powers of the ring would ensure you could at least fend for yourself. I wonder why mine seems to be silent in comparison?”
“I find the ring doesn’t like to be very forthcoming with information unless I ask first. Maybe you should give that a go.”
“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? I have to say Alix, I would have abandoned this place instantly.”
“There was a horrible storm when they dumped me here so I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I’ve just been trying to tidy the place up mostly. I was working on clearing the grounds 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.”
“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. “There are other seats you know.”
“This is for your own protection. 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 one 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 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 hoped he would be able to craft another set of clothes soon so he didn’t have to worry about keeping the same pair clean and dry.
“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 Babyl, 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 high school, and I hated those days.”
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, so he turned his attention back to his drink.
“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.
“This is such a crazy situation, isn’t it?” Alix suddenly thought as he looked around the room. “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 basic 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, and it was almost enjoyable if he forgot about what it was leading up to.
“Well that’s a weight off my mind at least,” 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 fifteen percent alcohol but they managed to handle it like weak beer. 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.
Alix 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 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 them. 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. Succumbing to her advances felt like it would mean he was giving up on ever returning home.