When we reached Wolfwater, Noele immediately retired to bed. She was far too exhausted to deal with my shit— I was paraphrasing, of course. But the meaning of the message was the same. She was visibly more tired than either of the other two adventurers who accompanied her to Arelioth’s Pass, even though they had all experienced mostly the same battles.
Garron escorted her back to her house, but Saros stayed behind. The Gnome Inventor wasn’t sticking around me because he wanted to… he made it abundantly clear multiple times as he followed me to my restaurant. Instead, he accompanied me because he still needed to write up a report about the incident at Arelioth’s Pass for the Adventurer’s Guild.
I ensured he omitted a handful of details, of course. For example— I made him remove any mention of my involvement at any level. In this… slightly revised version of events, Guardian Angel Z357 hadn’t betrayed the three adventurers. In fact, he was written to be the one who saved the day. After flying off to deal with an unseen threat, he returned just in time to confront the revived and Void-empowered Lich King. And after a hard-fought, he came out victorious.
Saros wasn’t too happy about making these changes to the story. However, he eventually acquiesced, even if he grumbled about it the entire time.
“Why must you even tell the Adventurer’s Guild about what happened, anyways?” I asked with a raised brow as he continued scribbling away at his notebook in the lobby of the restaurant.
It was still morning. So Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant was empty. Except for Bucky who was already awake. She ecstatically greeted me when I returned, not knowing what had occurred overnight.
I fed her a handful of seeds as I glanced up at the Gnome Inventor sitting atop a table.
“Over the last month, I have carried out an extensive investigation into the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. They are growing bolder and bolder by the passing day, and their ideology is only spreading. But no one knows that. The current policy held by the Adventurer’s Guild is to ignore them. So this is my official petition to change that stance.”
Saros spoke softly, his gaze darkening as he slowed his writing. I drew back from Bucky and stared at him.
“Even an angel has descended from the heavens to fend off the Void. If the Adventurer’s Guild rejects my petition, then I know that it’s rotten from the inside…”
“Right.”
I watched as he sighed and lowered his head. The gnome looked tired— rightfully so. He had been desperately trying to prevent the revival of Ar’elith for a few weeks now. Or to be more accurate, he was incredibly relieved, which fed to his exhaustion.
Even if the First Lich King wasn’t technically dead since Arthur was still around. But I knew that the Gnome Inventor was glad he didn’t have to worry about a looming, impending apocalyptic event. He was still worried about the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. But to a significantly less extent than he was about Ar’elith.
Although… Saros was still partially upset about that.
I heard a set of footfalls approaching the main lobby from the kitchen. I looked back as Bucky tilted her head, and the gnome scowled. Two figures emerged from the back of the restaurant, wearing identical clothing.
The first was Harlan. A former guardsman, and the first employee I brought into my restaurant. He was relatively young. Like he was in his mid-twenties at the latest. Broad-shouldered, tall. He had calloused, olive skin that made it evidently clear that he had spent a substantial amount of time laboring under the sun.
Meanwhile, the second figure accompanying him was quite the polar opposite. He was slender and pale-skinned. An inch or so shorter than Harlan, but clearly older. Not in an insulting way. He looked like he was perhaps in his early-thirties. And yet, he wore a timeless gaze on his face.
He was Arthur. Previously known as Ar’elith. The former Lich King, and currently my third employee.
Saros harrumphed, looking away. He disapproved of my decision to hire the former Lich King as my bartender, but we agreed to keep Arthur’s old identity a secret. So the gnome didn’t make any snappy remarks, even if he refused to hide his displeasure on his face.
I strode up to my two employees with a smile.
“Thanks for lending Arthur some of your clothes, Harlan,” I said as I nodded gratefully. “I’ll compensate you for it, I promise.”
“Happy to help, Amelia. And you don’t have to worry about paying me back— you’ve done more than enough for me by giving me a place to stay.” Harlan grinned, giving me a thumbs-up.
Arthur hesitated as he shifted uncomfortably. The former Lich King was very much outside of his comfort zone here. But he was ready to learn.
I chuckled as I patted Harlan on the shoulders. “Be sure to show Arthur the ropes, alright?”
“Will do!”
The two of them started to prepare the tables and chairs for today. Even though that wasn’t really necessary, considering that the restaurant was still closed. We were only going to be opening again tomorrow. It was still Harlan’s day off, so he didn’t even need to do this. But he insisted on helping since he didn’t have anything else he needed to do.
I had been slightly worried about Arthur earlier. I urged him to rest— maybe take a nap for a few hours before he pushed himself to do anything. But he said he was feeling fully refreshed. He didn’t even feel like sleeping… which after a moment’s thought, made sense to me since he had been ‘asleep’ for quite a while now.
By ‘asleep’, I mean that he wasn’t alive. He had literally been dead for ten thousand years before I killed him a few months ago. So he probably wasn’t going to be taking a nap anytime in the next day or two.
I watched as my two employees swept over the restaurant, and Bucky scampered over to follow. She was bored of me now that I was out of food to feed her, so she went to investigate the next most interesting thing. I shook my head as I turned to face Saros.
The Gnome Inventor was packing up his things, preparing to leave. He hopped off the table he had been sitting on, and I eyed him curiously.
“You’re going?”
“No, I’m getting up to stay— of course I’m going!” Saros snorted as he glanced back at me. “I finished my report, so I’m going to pass out for the next twenty-four hours. When I wake up, you better have some booze prepared for me here.”
“I’ll even give you a discount.” I smirked back at him. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he exited the restaurant. I could hear him grumbling about how I wasn’t even giving him free drinks, but the door closed behind him, and he was gone.
I settled back into a chair as the door swiveled open and close for a moment. And then it swung open as a figure hobbled into the restaurant. I blinked as Bucky clucked, looking back at our newest visitor.
“Oh, you’re finally here,” I remarked casually. “Welcome back, Dorien.”
I greeted the [Druid] as he just stared at me. His jaw dropped, before he blinked a few times and regained his composure. He approached me with wide eyes.
“How did you arrive back in Wolfwater before me? No— where did you even go? You disappeared without saying a word!”
I got back to my feet. “That’s not true. I said I’ll be right back.”
“And you didn’t return!” Dorien exclaimed. “You vanished, and I waited for you for over an hour!”
I just shrugged. “Sorry about that— but I had to deal with a few things. And apparently they were more troublesome than I thought they’d be.”
The [Druid] narrowed his eyes at me, peering suspiciously. But he couldn’t decipher the meaning behind my cryptic words. Not unless he could read my mind. I approached him as I waved a hand dismissively.
“Anyways, all that matters is you’re here now. So, where are the bees?” I asked as I tilted my head at him.
“They’re—” he started.
But a voice interrupted him. We glanced back to stare at Harlan standing by the bar with a frown. Arthur stood by his side, looking just as lost as Dorien and I.
“Bees?” Harlan asked, furrowing his brows. “What bees?”
“Bees— you know, the one that makes honey?” I waved a hand dismissively. “We’ll be setting up one of their hives here right outside of the restaurant.”
“You’re doing… what?” Harlan stared at me in shock.
“And they’re no ordinary bees either— they’re bastion bees,” Dorien added as he rubbed his temples. “I have no idea how she did it, but she managed to convince Quebi to give her a few workers for their honey.”
Arthur looked as confused as ever. He didn’t visibly react beyond glancing around, puzzled. However, Harlan’s jaw dropped.
“Bastion bees? You can’t be serious, right? I thought they were on the brink of extinction!”
“They are,” Dorien said with a nod. “And they’re also waiting for you right outside of Wolfwater, Amelia.”
Harlan sighed as he murmured to himself. “This is insane— first an angel, and now bastion bees? At least you’re mostly normal, right Arthur?”
Arthur just winced at that. “I’m… uh…”
But before he could reply, I dusted my hands off as I turned to Dorien. I strode forward with a grin plastered onto my face.
“Well, let’s go fetch my bees— we don’t want to keep them waiting for too long.”
The [Druid] rolled his eyes in response. “And yet, you left me all by myself for over an hour…"
MelasD
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When we reached Wolfwater, Noele immediately retired to bed. She was far too exhausted to deal with my shit— I was paraphrasing, of course. But the meaning of the message was the same. She was visibly more tired than either of the other two adventurers who accompanied her to Arelioth’s Pass, even though they had all experienced mostly the same battles.
Garron escorted her back to her house, but Saros stayed behind. The Gnome Inventor wasn’t sticking around me because he wanted to… he made it abundantly clear multiple times as he followed me to my restaurant. Instead, he accompanied me because he still needed to write up a report about the incident at Arelioth’s Pass for the Adventurer’s Guild.
I ensured he omitted a handful of details, of course. For example— I made him remove any mention of my involvement at any level. In this… slightly revised version of events, Guardian Angel Z357 hadn’t betrayed the three adventurers. In fact, he was written to be the one who saved the day. After flying off to deal with an unseen threat, he returned just in time to confront the revived and Void-empowered Lich King. And after a hard-fought, he came out victorious.
Saros wasn’t too happy about making these changes to the story. However, he eventually acquiesced, even if he grumbled about it the entire time.
“Why must you even tell the Adventurer’s Guild about what happened, anyways?” I asked with a raised brow as he continued scribbling away at his notebook in the lobby of the restaurant.
It was still morning. So Bucky’s Out of this World Restaurant was empty. Except for Bucky who was already awake. She ecstatically greeted me when I returned, not knowing what had occurred overnight.
I fed her a handful of seeds as I glanced up at the Gnome Inventor sitting atop a table.
“Over the last month, I have carried out an extensive investigation into the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. They are growing bolder and bolder by the passing day, and their ideology is only spreading. But no one knows that. The current policy held by the Adventurer’s Guild is to ignore them. So this is my official petition to change that stance.”
Saros spoke softly, his gaze darkening as he slowed his writing. I drew back from Bucky and stared at him.
“Even an angel has descended from the heavens to fend off the Void. If the Adventurer’s Guild rejects my petition, then I know that it’s rotten from the inside…”
“Right.”
I watched as he sighed and lowered his head. The gnome looked tired— rightfully so. He had been desperately trying to prevent the revival of Ar’elith for a few weeks now. Or to be more accurate, he was incredibly relieved, which fed to his exhaustion.
Even if the First Lich King wasn’t technically dead since Arthur was still around. But I knew that the Gnome Inventor was glad he didn’t have to worry about a looming, impending apocalyptic event. He was still worried about the Sect of the Abyssal Thorns. But to a significantly less extent than he was about Ar’elith.
Although… Saros was still partially upset about that.
I heard a set of footfalls approaching the main lobby from the kitchen. I looked back as Bucky tilted her head, and the gnome scowled. Two figures emerged from the back of the restaurant, wearing identical clothing.
The first was Harlan. A former guardsman, and the first employee I brought into my restaurant. He was relatively young. Like he was in his mid-twenties at the latest. Broad-shouldered, tall. He had calloused, olive skin that made it evidently clear that he had spent a substantial amount of time laboring under the sun.
Meanwhile, the second figure accompanying him was quite the polar opposite. He was slender and pale-skinned. An inch or so shorter than Harlan, but clearly older. Not in an insulting way. He looked like he was perhaps in his early-thirties. And yet, he wore a timeless gaze on his face.
He was Arthur. Previously known as Ar’elith. The former Lich King, and currently my third employee.
Saros harrumphed, looking away. He disapproved of my decision to hire the former Lich King as my bartender, but we agreed to keep Arthur’s old identity a secret. So the gnome didn’t make any snappy remarks, even if he refused to hide his displeasure on his face.
I strode up to my two employees with a smile.
“Thanks for lending Arthur some of your clothes, Harlan,” I said as I nodded gratefully. “I’ll compensate you for it, I promise.”
“Happy to help, Amelia. And you don’t have to worry about paying me back— you’ve done more than enough for me by giving me a place to stay.” Harlan grinned, giving me a thumbs-up.
Arthur hesitated as he shifted uncomfortably. The former Lich King was very much outside of his comfort zone here. But he was ready to learn.
I chuckled as I patted Harlan on the shoulders. “Be sure to show Arthur the ropes, alright?”
“Will do!”
The two of them started to prepare the tables and chairs for today. Even though that wasn’t really necessary, considering that the restaurant was still closed. We were only going to be opening again tomorrow. It was still Harlan’s day off, so he didn’t even need to do this. But he insisted on helping since he didn’t have anything else he needed to do.
I had been slightly worried about Arthur earlier. I urged him to rest— maybe take a nap for a few hours before he pushed himself to do anything. But he said he was feeling fully refreshed. He didn’t even feel like sleeping… which after a moment’s thought, made sense to me since he had been ‘asleep’ for quite a while now.
By ‘asleep’, I mean that he wasn’t alive. He had literally been dead for ten thousand years before I killed him a few months ago. So he probably wasn’t going to be taking a nap anytime in the next day or two.
I watched as my two employees swept over the restaurant, and Bucky scampered over to follow. She was bored of me now that I was out of food to feed her, so she went to investigate the next most interesting thing. I shook my head as I turned to face Saros.
The Gnome Inventor was packing up his things, preparing to leave. He hopped off the table he had been sitting on, and I eyed him curiously.
“You’re going?”
“No, I’m getting up to stay— of course I’m going!” Saros snorted as he glanced back at me. “I finished my report, so I’m going to pass out for the next twenty-four hours. When I wake up, you better have some booze prepared for me here.”
“I’ll even give you a discount.” I smirked back at him. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he exited the restaurant. I could hear him grumbling about how I wasn’t even giving him free drinks, but the door closed behind him, and he was gone.
I settled back into a chair as the door swiveled open and close for a moment. And then it swung open as a figure hobbled into the restaurant. I blinked as Bucky clucked, looking back at our newest visitor.
“Oh, you’re finally here,” I remarked casually. “Welcome back, Dorien.”
I greeted the [Druid] as he just stared at me. His jaw dropped, before he blinked a few times and regained his composure. He approached me with wide eyes.
“How did you arrive back in Wolfwater before me? No— where did you even go? You disappeared without saying a word!”
I got back to my feet. “That’s not true. I said I’ll be right back.”
“And you didn’t return!” Dorien exclaimed. “You vanished, and I waited for you for over an hour!”
I just shrugged. “Sorry about that— but I had to deal with a few things. And apparently they were more troublesome than I thought they’d be.”
The [Druid] narrowed his eyes at me, peering suspiciously. But he couldn’t decipher the meaning behind my cryptic words. Not unless he could read my mind. I approached him as I waved a hand dismissively.
“Anyways, all that matters is you’re here now. So, where are the bees?” I asked as I tilted my head at him.
“They’re—” he started.
But a voice interrupted him. We glanced back to stare at Harlan standing by the bar with a frown. Arthur stood by his side, looking just as lost as Dorien and I.
“Bees?” Harlan asked, furrowing his brows. “What bees?”
“Bees— you know, the one that makes honey?” I waved a hand dismissively. “We’ll be setting up one of their hives here right outside of the restaurant.”
“You’re doing… what?” Harlan stared at me in shock.
“And they’re no ordinary bees either— they’re bastion bees,” Dorien added as he rubbed his temples. “I have no idea how she did it, but she managed to convince Quebi to give her a few workers for their honey.”
Arthur looked as confused as ever. He didn’t visibly react beyond glancing around, puzzled. However, Harlan’s jaw dropped.
“Bastion bees? You can’t be serious, right? I thought they were on the brink of extinction!”
“They are,” Dorien said with a nod. “And they’re also waiting for you right outside of Wolfwater, Amelia.”
Harlan sighed as he murmured to himself. “This is insane— first an angel, and now bastion bees? At least you’re mostly normal, right Arthur?”
Arthur just winced at that. “I’m… uh…”
But before he could reply, I dusted my hands off as I turned to Dorien. I strode forward with a grin plastered onto my face.
“Well, let’s go fetch my bees— we don’t want to keep them waiting for too long.”
The [Druid] rolled his eyes in response. “And yet, you left me all by myself for over an hour…"
MelasD
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