“I want to sell essence stones,” Elijah answered before he was directed to the counter where another woman in the same clothes but taller than her colleague stood. He presented the essence stones and told her that Junip recommended the store. The woman’s mood brightened when she heard Junip’s name and she offered 4,000 credits per stone. Hearing the amount, Elijah didn’t even try to haggle and accepted the price. Minutes later he walked out of the shop with 20,000 credits in his pockets and made his way to the guild headquarters. He was going to buy more rift slots.
Chapter Begin
The Eternal Flames headquarters was as busy as ever. Elijah pushed his way through the bustling crowd and took the stairs to the upper floor where he bought his first delving slot. This time five people stood in front of him and Elijah wondered if there were always people buying slots or if he was just unlucky each time he came here.
This time, there was no one causing a scene like Rick, the guy he had bought the slot from the last time. Elijah’s turn was twenty minutes later. He had overheard the conversation between the last customer and the female employee standing behind the counter and learned that a rift slot would cost him 5,000 credits each. Rick had mentioned that his party paid 5,000 credits for their slot but Elijah wasn’t sure if he remembered correctly. While I can buy four slots, I’m going to buy three and keep some money on me just in case.
“Are you a member of the Lepus guild?” The woman asked when she saw the ribbon around Elijah’s arm with the emblem of the Lepus guild on it. Elijah nodded before she continued. “Members of allied guilds get a discount on the slots,” she added.
Ah, I forgot about that. Kael or Aric told me. “How much is a slot with the discount?” Elijah asked.
“It’s 4,000 credits for each slot,” she skimmed through the calendar in front of her as she continued, “There’s a free slot by the end of this week. Would you like to purchase the slot or do you want a later delve?”
Elijah was surprised by the generous discount. He had planned to buy three slots, leaving him with 5,000 credits but if he bought four with the discount, he would only pay 1,000 credits more than he had intended to and still have 4,000 credits left.
“I’d like to buy four slots,” Elijah said while he took out the money from his overstuffed pouch. Much better. He thought as he felt the lighter weight hanging at his side. Hate it when my pockets are full. I should go to the bank at the next opportunity.
The woman was taken aback for a second before she began counting the money. After confirming that the amount was correct, she asked, “Which days would you prefer? Each customer is allowed to buy one slot per week. If you want to delve more frequently, it costs extra.”
You tell me that after I already paid? Elijah thought before he answered. “It doesn’t really matter. Just give me any available slot.” Looks like I’m going to be in Ravenholm for a month.
She put the money somewhere behind the counter inside a metal box before she asked for Elijah’s ID and noted it down to four slots. After that, she took a small card and wrote down the time of his slots before handing it to him. “Your next delve is in six days. Each next one after that is seven days later.”
“Thank you,” Elijah said while nodding. He put the card in his pocket before he asked her. “Is there a good restaurant you would recommend?”
She thought for a moment as she tapped with a finger on her upturned nose. “There’s a good one..” She looked Elijah in the eyes for a moment before she asked. “Do you like meat?”
“Who doesn’t?”
She snorted. “Too many,” she waved her hand. “It’s a small store down the street. There are a few tables outside the restaurant and only like six or seven seats inside. Joe’s Legs, you won’t miss it.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Joe’s Legs?” Elijah asked, “What kind of name is that?”
The woman only shrugged before Elijah thanked her and followed her directions.
As the employee had told him, the restaurant was fairly small, and while there were six seats inside, several waiters were walking between a dozen tables in front of the small building, taking orders and serving customers.
One of the waiters, a man dressed in a black vest with a white shirt under it and trews in the same color noticed Elijah looking at the restaurant and called over to him while serving a pair of customers two plates filled with meat and what looked like rice. “Welcome, welcome! What would you like, dear customer?”
Elijah looked at the tables around them and noticed that the majority had the same meal as the two customers the waiter just served. “The same as them,” he said with a smile. The waiter’s good mood was infectious.
Hearing the order, the waiter told Elijah to take a seat and that his meal would be ready in ten minutes. He shouted the order to another employer inside the building before he called out to another passerby who ignored the man and walked away. Looks like he’s responsible for attracting new customers.
Seeing that the seats outside were all full, Elijah went inside to look for one. A group of four occupied two of the tables while a man Elijah had seen before sat at the other. Ah, it’s the guy with the turquoise fire hair. The man had been standing in line when Elijah had visited the Eternal Flames headquarters for the first time to buy his first rift slot. The same flame burned on his head as the blue-skinned man sat at the table with two plates of meat in front of him. He was stuffing the food into him at a speed Elijah thought was absolutely unhealthy but it looked like the guy had no problem devouring the entire food himself.
What Elijah found the most odd was the fact that the meat was raw. Is he burning the meat inside his body?
Just as Elijah dismissed the guy and turned around to try his luck outside again, he turned around and looked Elijah in the eyes. Elijah saw how the man glanced outside before he called over the chattering of the other group. “Need a seat?” He gestured at the other chair at the table before he placed the remaining meat of the first plate on the second to make space for Elijah.
“Delver?” He asked as Elijah sat down.
Elijah nodded before he said, “I saw you in the headquarters.”
“I am Iktus,” Iktus said while he continued eating his second plate of meat.
“Elijah,” Elijah introduced himself. “Have you been into the rift already?”
“It’s fun,” Iktus shoved another piece of meat inside him. “Three times already.” He looked at the empty table in front of Elijah before his eyes wandered around the store. He looked at Elijah and then at his food.
“Want a bite?”
Elijah shook his head, declining the offer as he had already ordered. A few minutes later his food arrived. The food looked delicious. The meat looked nothing like the raw meat Iktus was eating and was covered in spices Elijah didn’t recognize. The rice-like food next to the meat looked plain but a quick taste told Elijah that it was an excellent addition to the meat and the sauce it was covered in.
“I’ve been into the rift only once,” Elijah said between two mouthfuls as he picked up the topic from earlier. “It wasn’t that difficult but left me drained.”
Iktus looked at Elijah’s food with obvious distaste as he asked, “Why drained? And how can you eat that?” He nodded at the food.
Elijah gestured at his food instead, “How can you eat that? It’s raw meat!”
“I am cooking it inside me,” Iktus replied.
“Thought so…,” Elijah muttered with a full mouth. He swallowed his food before he explained, “The monsters weren’t that strong but I had to rest several times to clear the rift.”
“Good achievement, delving into the rift alone,” Iktus commented. “If I weren’t eating the orcs, I would take longer too.”
He’s eating the orcs? Elijah thought as he remembered the pungent smell of their blood and their hideous odor. The thought of Iktus eating raw meat was a lot more pleasant compared to that idea.
“I never decline free food,” Iktus said with a full mouth.
“Are you from around here?” Elijah decided to change the topic.
Iktus shook his head. “From the capital. I wanted to see the world, get away from my family and all that.”
“I’m as far away as I can be from anyone I know,” Elijah said.
Iktus didn’t comment on Elijah’s words and Elijah didn’t ask about the problems Iktus had with his family. They continued to chat for another hour and ordered a second round of food. Iktus was the first one to leave and after exchanging their IDs, he paid and left the store.
While Iktus had his fair share of oddities, Elijah found the simple guy somehow refreshing and enjoyed the chat. After finishing his food, he also paid for the meal and went to the inn he was staying at.
Now how should I spend the next six days?