Entering the inn, it wasn't an overly large establishment. The floor was made of glossy smooth stone so smooth one would have thought it was made of glass, with low-backed chairs placed surrounding round tables five to one, enough to seat almost a Hundred people without being overcrowded.

At the front of the room, the floor was raised into a three-leveled stage, with runes drawn into the stage floor and ceiling to amplify sound and give good lighting.

A few patrons were in attendance,—probably workers on their breaks. He also made out a group of soldiers having drinks at one side of the bar.

The bar was set up at the side of the establishment. A counter with a man who looked in his mid-twenties manning it.

Approaching the bar. Damien took a seat and nodded at the barman in greeting.

"Good day, haven't seen your face before," The barman greeted, picking a cup and then using one of the napkins to clean it.

"My first time in the city," Damien replied while his eyes roamed around the establishment.

"You come for the pilgrimage?" The man inquired. He picked up another cup after he was done with the first.

"Nah," Damien answered. "Just sightseeing. Why do you ask?"

"Been having them pilgrims coming in for weeks now, wanting to witness the chosen make his announcement,"

"Announcement?"

"There's been skirmishes between soldiers of Tashin and the warlord Tarim's sand vipers. Tarim challenged chosen Ymal to a duel set two days from now." The man answered.

"......," Damien raised an eyebrow.

Seeing the lack of recognition, the barman explained.

"Tarim's a warlord from far away. Came around and decided to assert ownership of the area. Goon's been raiding caravans coming in and out of the city for weeks now. The Chosen sends some of the cult's executioners. They destroyed one of Tarim's camps. The warlord then retaliated by throwing the heads of a patrol squad at the city gates, with a challenge for the chosen In front of the traffic at the gate, Says to fight him warrior to warrior," The man finished.

"Seems this place is going to be getting interesting soon," Damien said.

"The Chosen's supposed to announce his reply in two days."

"Aren't you worried about your chosen? That he might lose," Damien said.

"Ymal's chosen for a reason, became a lord realm cultivator so young at age thirty-four. Rumour's been circulating that he's closing in on monarch tier soon," The barman answered with pride.

Damien just nodded. Becoming a lord at age thirty-four was impressive, but he'd seen young scions doing that in their twenties, so maybe not that impressive.

"Oh, I'm sorry," The barman took on an embarrassed expression. "Forgot to take your order."

"No offense taken," Damien said, "What do you have?"

The man brought out three bottles.

"Stock's been low these hard times because of the raids, so there's not much. We have the scal wine, brown sand scorpion venom mixed with white wine. Hits like a cart at full speed," He pointed to one bottle on the leftmost side that was filled with brown liquid.

He then pointed to another bottle in the middle. This one looked like a purple liquid inside a bottle that looked almost as tiny as a potion bottle.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"We also have rustleaf wine. One gulp and you're knocked out cold. I'd advise you to take it watered down."

He finally pointed to the last bottle. This one looked like a medium-sized bottle filled with green liquid.

"Heaven's touch. Once taken, you'll feel the touch of heaven on you," Damien smiled at the terrible naming sense. "People have gotten enlightenment just from drinking this," Damien raised an eyebrow at that.

"As much as I like the sales pitch, I'm not looking for something you sell to your everyday customers. Gimme the really hot stuff," He said.

The barman looked at him for a moment before nodding, bringing out a bottle, this one was filled with black liquid. "Dark wine. Strong stuff. Not for people under the adept stage" He said.

Damien gave him a weary sigh. "I've seen this done a dozen times. A customer walks in and asks for something extra special, and you give them something not too heavy, but heavy enough to satisfy them," he looked the man in the eye. "Try again,"

The barman sighed, "People be asking for heavy things their body can't take. Heard stories of some people dying because they wanted to take some of the good stuff," He brought forward a bottle from the shelf behind him. This one had a liquid that almost looked like water, but an experienced eye would take notice of the difference.

"Won't sell this to you without evidence that you can handle it, can't have you collapsing in the establishment because you couldn't take it. One sip and if you can't handle it, I'll give you the black wine, deal?"

Damien didn't want to argue, so he just agreed.

Pouring out the alcohol into a tiny shot glass, he handed it to Damien. Collecting it, he took the glass and swallowed it in one full gulp. Done, he looked at the barman.

"If I didn't know better, I'd have thought you were trying to play me."

The barman looked surprised. "Not gonna lie, was expecting a reaction, but we gonna see if you can handle another shot," He poured another and handed it to Damien. After finishing, Damien looked at the barman, who now had a completely shocked face. "Desert lord protect us,"

"What?" Damien asked.

"You just drank a glass and still look as if you just took water," The man said, shock slowly turning to fear.

"Wasn't that heavy?" Damien, for some reason, didn't understand why the man was afraid; he was okay.

"Even the chosen couldn't drink like that without reacting," The man said, making Damien fully understand what he had just done.

The barman now sounded scared. "What are you!" The man exclaimed in a trembling voice.

The few patrons in the inn were now beginning to take interest, even the group of soldiers having their drinks on the other side of the establishment.

At that time, Damien knew his anonymity was now on a ticking clock, he decided it was time to leave.

"I'll find my way out," He said.

He stood up, turned around, and made his way towards the door.

The barman standing there, looking like someone had just murdered his mother in his front.

********

Salur wouldn't count himself as overly observant. But one would have to be blind not to spot strange when strange stares them in the eye.

Ever since the foreign young man entered the inn, he could tell something was off about him. Wasn't hard to figure out that he wasn't from the city. Shoulder-length grey hair on a face that looked to still be in its twenties, and when he looked at their table, Salur could also spot the eerily matching grey eyes.

The man was trying to play off as ordinary, but any soldier worth his weapon could spot the way he carried himself. Confidence in the way he walked combined with height that was rare in a city like this. He was wearing baggy desert clothes, but Salur could still tell that he had an athletic build.

He watched the man as he approached the bar and struck up a conversation with the barman.

With the conversations going on at his table, he couldn't hear what the man and the barman were talking about from across the room. He could infuse his ears with energy to make it easier to listen in, but that would bring attention from the other soldiers around, He didn't want that yet.

"Salur," He turned at the call of his name, looking at Kars beside him. "Noticed you've been distracted by the new arrival." Kars nodded at the strange man "What's wrong?"

Salur didn't want to raise a false alarm, so he just shrugged, "I like the hair."

Kars could tell he was lying, but he didn't pry any further. Salur then decided to leave the strange man alone for now and concentrate on his table.

Taking a drink, he tuned in to the conversations happening on his table.

".....was at the gate when it happened, he just walked up and threw the heads at our feet. Nearly wet myself thinking we at the gate were gonna be next, never came close to death like that before."

"The chosen's gonna take care of him soon."

"I hope so, or it's our heads that might be rolling next."

"Your newest wife would not like that, as she might have to start looking for a new money maker again,"

They all laughed at that.

"What are you?!" A loud wail jolted Salur and the others.

Looking over at the side, he spotted the barman looking at the strange man with fear in his eyes. By this time the man was already aware of the other patrons' attention.

Standing up, the man turned around and left.

"What was all that about?" One of the soldiers at his table asked.

"No idea."

The others went back to their conversations. Only Salur's attention was between the inn's entrance and the barman.

While Kar's was between Salur and the inn's entrance.