LOCATION: THE CRUCIBLE, 50TH FLOOR
PLANET: LAPIS DIVINUS, ORION LUMINARY INSTITUTE
YEAR: 1 | DAY: ?? | TIME: ??
Torches and lanterns placed along the walkways throughout the village crackled as Mayor Halford led Kaela toward the tavern.
“I want to thank you for your help earlier,” the mayor said. “Not everyone would jump in and help save a stranger’s life like that.”
He turned his head back the way they had come for just a moment.
“Especially while enduring such scrutiny from those you’re helping. I am sorry about the way he—”
Kaela shook her head and reached out for the mayor’s shoulder.
“Think nothing of that,” she said. “They had no idea who I was or why I had appeared like that. They were right to be suspicious.”
The mayor chuckled.
“So should we still be suspicious? Or are you here to help?”
Kaela thought for a minute.
“I am not sure why I am here, if I’m being honest. But why don’t you tell me about your situation, and I’ll let you know if there’s anything in my power to assist you.”
“Fair enough,” the mayor said.
They approached a small tavern. The doors were closed, and Kaela could hear nothing from within. Whatever sort of tavern this was, there was no merriment going on at the moment.
Mayor Halford knocked on the door in a strange pattern. Three short knocks, a pause, then two more. Moments later the door inched open.
“All clear,” the mayor announced.
There was a moment more of silence, then the double doors swung open and Kaela was surprised to see dozens of people inside.
They started rushing around, lighting lanterns and ovens.
A wooden sign hung from the extended beam above the double doors. A once beautifully hand-painted image of a gray beer mug with a jagged line running from the lip to the base was fading from years of wear.
The sign declared the establishment as The Cracked Tankard.
Mayor Halford climbed the five stairs and stood to the side, inviting Kaela inside. A man and woman waited just through the doors.
“Edric and Aveline Talloway, this is Kaela Sirova. She helped with an attack at the southern barricades tonight. She’ll be my guest for dinner, and she’ll require rooms if you have any available.”
Aveline Talloway, hostess of The Cracked Tankard, looked Kaela up and down. Her nose bristled at the blood covering her armor.
“Why don’t we get you set with your room first, dear,” she said. “That way you can clean up before you settle in for your meal.”
Kaela smiled.
“Thank you, Mrs. Talloway. I appreciate it.”
“Oh please, call me Aveline. Follow me.”
As she led Kaela up two flights of stairs to her room, Kaela could hear people entering the tavern and ordering drinks already.
The sound of chairs sliding on the wooden floor and the smell of baking bread and roasting meats rose from the tavern below. She heard the crackling fire, newly lit in the large hearth.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
It was as if the entire town had been silent until the wolf attacks were over.
“Yet another mystery in this strange floor of The Crucible,” she muttered.
As she soaked in a wooden tub, letting the warm waters soothe her muscles, Kaela leaned her head back.
It was the first interactions she had with other people in months, but somehow she couldn’t shake a feeling that everything seemed just a little bit… off.
She determined to postpone judgment until she learned more.
Kaela got out of the bath, dried off, and dressed in the casual clothes that Aveline had laid out for her.
She descended the stairs and found the mayor at a table with three other men. One of them was the innkeeper Edric, Aveline’s husband.
“Ah, there she is,” Mayor Halford said loudly. The others at the table hushed their conversation immediately and turned their attention toward the newcomer.
Kaela sat down in the handcrafted wooden chair the mayor indicated, and a server brought over a pewter tankard of ale, setting it in front of Kaela.
“I hope you like ale,” Edric said. “We don’t have any wine right now. The vineyards—”
Mayor Halford reached out and put his hand over Edric’s forearm.
“We’ll get to all of that,” he said. “Let’s give Kaela a moment to catch her breath first, before we start unloading our problems on her.”
Kaela smiled knowingly.
Now this sounds more like The Crucible. A village with a bunch of problems I assume I’m supposed to help them fix…
The mayor continued.
“First, let’s get some food and drink in you, then we can talk about more serious matters.”
Kaela bobbed her head. She raised the mug to drink and inhaled before taking a long pull from the ale. It was actually a nicely rounded flavor.
Notes of citrus danced on her tongue, mixing perfectly with the lightly balanced bitterness of the hops.
“Mmm,” she said. “Compliments to your brewmaster. This is quite nice.”
The men at the table laughed loudly. When Kaela appeared confused, Edric explained.
“Brewmaster is normally a man’s work,” he said. “But Aveline comes from a long line of brewers in her family, and she adds some special ingredients that give the ale its unique flavor.”
“I see,” Kaela said, drinking again.
“People used to come from all around to purchase barrels of the stuff. Now, they…”
Mayor Halford waved his finger in the air.
“Come on, Edric. We can get into all of that later.”
Kaela set her beer down and looked at the men around her.
“If it’s all the same, please fill me in. There are a few things I’ve seen that appear strange, but you all seem quite capable. What is it that’s troubling such a quaint town?”
One more of those lessons from her father. Darian had driven into her long ago that when you need information from men, cater to their ego. It was often the quickest path to loosening tongues.
Edric Talloway slapped his hand on the mayor’s back.
“All because of our leader right here,” he said. “Marris became the mayor of Greyhaven three years ago when his father died, and he’s done a great job.”
Mayor Halford studied the head on his beer for a moment. Then, he appeared to make up his mind. He raised his eyes and looked at Kaela.
“You look like you can handle yourself in a fight. Is that true?”
Kaela nodded.
“I can hold my own. Yes. Why do you ask?”
Marris looked around at the tavern. There were around a hundred people at the tables now, eating and drinking. Shouting and laughing. Carrying on as if everything was perfectly fine.
He sighed.
“It started just over a year ago,” he said. “Every night, a few hours after night falls on Greyhaven, wolves come from nowhere and attack our town.”
He took another drink and continued.
“They come from different directions each time. Sometimes there are three, sometimes six. Once there were nine. Always multiples of three, come to think of it. They seem to test our defenses and then retreat.”
Edric snorted.
“Or they die. We prefer it when they die.”
The mayor nodded, but the forlorn look on his weathered face told Kaela that there was far more to this story.
She raised her hand, getting the attention of a server, and pointed to her empty mug. A few minutes later, the server brought over another tankard of ale.
Kaela leaned back in her chair, waiting to see just how much they were willing to tell a newly arrived stranger. Or how long it might take to earn their trust.
While she knew this was just another floor of The Crucible, the people here and the problems they were dealing with all felt so very real.
She took another sip of her ale.
And then there was this beer.
Such a sharply defined flavor profile, as if it stood out against the slightly dull backdrop of the town.
What was it about this flavor that drew her attention?
Still, there was no System message. No direction from The Crucible on what her objectives were in this place.
She determined to stay as long as it took to unravel the mysteries.
Not that she had any other choice.