Chương 38: Veiled Legacy

Ch. 38 - Veiled Legacy

"Wyatt! Over here!" Wyatt looked around the inn, spotting Lera sitting with some others on the far side. It had been some hours since they had parted ways with the Protean, and he and Kit had had a productive time—both with Isaek, and also at various market stalls. It was now late afternoon, and they had followed Lera's directions to find the Clipped Wing Inn. The Clipped Wing was quite an upmarket establishment from what Wyatt could tell.

Everything seemed intricate and overdone, with carvings on the wooden balustrades leading up to the second floor, to the clearly delineated areas, separated from one another by wooden partitions. There were multiple fireplaces going, and it cast everything in a cheery glow.

Pride of place in the centre of the Inn was a large kitchen and bar area, ringed on three sides with long countertops and stools, connecting onto the back of the inn on the fourth side, where large ovens and kitchen staff could be seen preparing meals. Wyatt headed over to where Lera was waving, Kit trotting at his heels. The Protean smiled warmly at him.

"Get everything sorted out okay?" Wyatt nodded with a broad smile.

"And then some." His second meeting with the [Merchant] Isaek had been even more profitable than the first. With the confidence boost of getting by the guard at the dungeon portal, Wyatt had been on a roll. It had helped that Isaek had been genuinely happy to see him—apparently he'd levelled a further time from selling out his stock of the dungeon fruit, and made a great deal of profit on top of that.

Isaek had already had some orders for more of the fruit from some customers, at a much higher markup than he'd originally sold them for. He'd been more than willing to renegotiate with Wyatt, particularly after learning that the fruit was seasonal, and that with Wyatt's new skill, [I Procure Only the Very Best], the quality of the new batch of fruit was assured. Wyatt had got the [Merchant] to up the buying price by two whole silver, and had left Isaek fifty-six gold richer.

Wyatt had neglected to mention that the dungeon fruit was colloquially called 'Bronze Nutsacks'. Lera beamed at him.

"That's excellent! Alright, introductions. You already know Celia and Theo of course. The Elf in armour is Kelar, our [Vanguard] and Captain, and the other Elf is Thrais—he's the craftsman I was telling you about. I was lucky, and he was still in the city. I've given him the bare bones of what you want, and he's willing to hear you out! The other two members of my team have business in the upper city, and couldn't make it. Everyone, this is Wyatt! And the fine lady at his side is named Inari."

Before Wyatt could offer greetings to the group, Celia lithely slid out of her seat at the table. Even if he half-expected it, he still stiffened slightly as she embraced him warmly. Celia squeezed, planting a kiss on his cheek. The [Mage] gave him a slightly wicked grin.

"Well, this isn't as private as I was picturing, but I'm still going to treat you to a drink! Any preferences?" Wyatt gently disentangled himself from her embrace, studiously not glancing at the way her soft curves filled out her robe. He cleared his throat.

"Ah, no?" Celia winked at him.

"Great! Everyone else, same again?" At the chorus of 'yeses', Celia hurried off to the bar. The elf, Kelar, looked curiously after Celia. He glanced at the others.

"What's that about, or do I not want to know?" Lera hesitated, the hint of a frown on her face. But it was Theo who answered, the [Rogue] rolling his eyes.

"It's just her whimsy, Kel. Just ignore it, or you'll embarrass the lad even more." Kelar grunted, shaking his head. He wasn't exactly what Wyatt pictured when he thought of Elves. Kelar had the ears, the fine—even beautiful—features of course, but it ended there. He looked … grizzled. He had the definite bulk of muscle on his shoulders and arms, and there was a number of scars on his hands and face. Kelar stood up, leaning across the table as he offered Wyatt his hand.

His grip was strong, like shaking hands with a block of granite.

"Wyatt, good to meet you. I'm glad Lera found you so quick—she was going on and on about how worried she was for days." Lera flinched, and she glared at her captain.

"I was not."

"You were. I didn't say I minded—it was a good distraction from that damned swamp." Lera flushed slightly, but then turned to the second elf.

"Thrais, Wyatt has some pretty clear-cut plans for what he wants done. But as I mentioned before, it's not exactly a regular proposal." Thrais sipped at his drink, nodding genially. He was a far more stereotypical elf, with long straight hair that was tied back, emphasising his pointed ears, and a far more slender frame that Kelar.

"It never is, with interesting jobs. As I said before, I don't mind, Lera. We do owe you at least one favour. As long as it doesn't turn out to be dangerous, we will oblige you." Lera beamed.

"I knew you would." Thrais looked at Wyatt appraisingly.

"Lera has given me a few details of what you want, of course, but I'll ask you for more information if I may. Here, take a seat." Wyatt slid into the proffered seat across from the elf.

"Thanks, and of course." Celia arrived back in a rush, carrying a large tray filled with different drinks. Lera rolled her eyes at the green-skinned Protean.

"Celia, you could have just asked the barmaid to bring it over. You don't have to carry it yourself." Celia flashed the table an impish smile.

"That takes too long, they are kind of swamped at the moment. Everyone is here planning about heading to the third floor. Alright, take your drinks! Wyatt, I got you something extra special." Celia winked at Wyatt as she slid a crystal glass of amber liquid in front of him. Lera groaned when she saw the glass. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Celia …" The [Mage] looked defensive.

"What?" Lera shook her head, then looked seriously at Wyatt.

"Go slow with that, alright? That's a magical spirit, Uisge, and far more potent than what you would be used to." Celia laughed lightly, holding a hand up to her mouth.

"Listen to the mother hen." Lera paused, and slowly turned to look at Celia. Her eyes went a darker shade of blue as she lifted a hand, so smoothly that Celia didn't react to it at first. Then Lera cocked her forefinger behind her thumb, and flicked her fellow Protean on the forehead. Celia yelped, reeling back, as she clutched at her head. She glared at Lera reproachfully.

"That was uncalled for!" Lera fired back, glaring just as hard." You are uncalled for!" Celia muttered under her breath, something about staking claims, as she slid sulkily into her seat. She sniffed.

"Fine. I'll behave." There was a momentary silence, and then Theo chuckled softly. The awkwardness broken, Wyatt lifted the glass to his mouth, taking a cautious sip. His eyes widened, and he took a second taste. It burned his mouth, but in a pleasant way, the complexity of flavours far beyond anything he'd tried before. The closest thing he could compare it to would be bourbon, but this was far smoother.

Wyatt had never really been into spirits, mainly only having had his Gramps' cider, but this was something he could get used to. It was strong as well, Wyatt feeling the buzz straight away. However nice, he decided to take Lera's advice and take it slowly. Thrais leant forward, eyeing Wyatt's drink appreciatively.

"Enjoy that, Wyatt. Your first taste of Uisge is a thing to remember. Now, do you mind if I ask you more about this project? Lera has already told me that it's you-know-where. A project there would usually be a hard no, but a favour is a favour." Wyatt hurriedly swallowed his sip, coughing a little as the strong spirit stung his throat. His voice was a little hoarse as he answered the elf.

"I really appreciate it. And sure, ask away." Thrais waved the thanks aside.

"I haven't told you my price yet, so hold off on that. What kind of structure are we talking about?" Wyatt lay down the details of the farmhouse, his voice growing in enthusiasm. He described the lower floor, the mostly intact stone walls, and the far more damaged second floor. Wyatt didn't have the measurements for the dimensions of the building, but he could describe the layout accurately enough. He even mentioned the missing veranda and deck around the outside. Thrais stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm … it might be safer and quicker just to gut the entire second floor, start afresh. That is, if you are right and there doesn't need to be much maintenance on the lower walls."

"Really?" Thrais nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Really. I have a Skill, [Client's Vision]. It gives me a solid idea of what you describe, letting me know how difficult a job is likely to be, and if there are any hidden surprises. In this case, nothing is jumping out at me except that we will need a number of support beams on the ground floor." Wyatt was impressed, and getting excited. He'd been originally picturing a slow rebuild, doing what he could, where he could.

"There was a fair bit of rubble on the ground floor, but I got most of it out. There's still some, but too big for me to move on my own." Lera had been listening closely, and she piped up, smiling cheerfully.

"I could help with that! It wouldn't take me long." Kelar cleared his throat, but gently. He'd been listening with interest.

"We have our own plans, Lera, remember? We can't detour to the first floor when everyone is rushing to the third." Lera's face fell.

"Oh. Yeah. I just thought that if Thrais needed help with the heavy lifting …" Thrais shook his head good-naturedly.

"Thank you, Lera, but if we take the job it will be fine. My team and I can handle it." Wyatt looked at Thrais curiously. He had drained half his glass of Uisge by now, and was feeling pleasantly convivial towards everyone.

"How many people are on your team, Thrais?"

"Four others, all like me, elves. Now, is there a source of timber nearby to the build?" Wyatt nodded, taking another sip from his glass. It really did taste excellent, and he wondered if he could get away with ordering another. He did have a lot of gold in his bag of holding after all.

"There is. Quite a large wood, actually." Wyatt described the massive trees to Thrais, and the elf's eyes lit up. He laughed ruefully.

"I'm a bad Elf, for all that it's an irritating stereotype. I shouldn't be so excited about chopping down such ancient trees, but I am a [Woodworker] first and foremost." Wyatt finished off his drink, eyeing the empty glass regretfully.

"So you can harvest enough from the woods nearby? I thought I would have to purchase everything myself, but Lera said it would be too expensive." Thrais nodded in agreement.

"She was right. Far, far too expensive—and also impractical. My team is already going to cost you quite a lot, even with the discount I'm going to give you. So yes, we can harvest the lumber ourselves. Two of us running the sawmill, one drying and seasoning the timber, and two doing the building." Thrais nodded in satisfaction as he pictured it.

"So if you can afford us, we should be able to get the build done in short order."

"How long would it take you do you think? I mean, I know you don't have a plan or anything yet." Thrais looked thoughtful for a few seconds.

"Let's see … if everything went well, and we weren't held up by any inclement weather … perhaps five to seven days." Wyatt stared. If he hadn't already finished his drink, he felt he would have sprayed it across the table.

"You're joking." Under the table, Kit spoke softly to him.

'Skills, Wyatt. I can tell this Elf is quite high level.' Thrais smiled confidently.

"We can work fast. And it's so much easier if we can cut and harvest timber right next to the project. And as for the price …" Thrais looked at Wyatt speculatively.

"… thirty gold." The Adventurers sitting around the table all winced, giving Wyatt some variation of a sympathetic look. The only one that didn't was Lera, and that was only because she knew roughly how much gold he had been expecting to get from Isaek. Even so Wyatt grimaced. He glanced down at Kit.

"Easy come, easy go I guess." Kit didn't answer, but she gave him a rueful nod of agreement. Thrais held up a hand.

"Look, I can perhaps do instalments, but I would need a guarantee—even for a friend of Lera's. And thirty gold is cheap for the quality of work you get." Wyatt nodded, smiling slightly.

"I can pay that." There was a slight pause as the Adventurers looked at Wyatt in surprise. Then Celia whistled, grinning.

"Damn. I should have got you to buy me a drink instead of the other way around." Thrais just blinked at Wyatt, taken aback.

"You can?"

"Yep. Is that the only cost? Do I need to cover supplies, or meals?" Thrais shook his head.

"No, we can look after ourselves. Although if you want to provide meals, we won't argue." Lera laughed softly.

"It's nice of you to offer, Wyatt, but let Thrais and his team handle their own meals. They are used to meals from [Expert Cooks], not your honest fare." Thrais laughed as well.

"Don't make us sound so stuck up, Lera." The blue Protean blew the Elf a kiss, then sighed.

"I wish I could come with you, but Kelar is right. We are going to be too busy." Wyatt looked at her with regret. He would have liked her to join them as well.

"So when are you heading to the third floor?" Kelar leant forward, his face stoic, but his eyes were excited.

"As soon as possible, tomorrow if we can swing it. Too many teams have left already. If we wait much longer, we are in danger of missing out."

"Do you know what's there?" Theo folded his arms.

"Some kind of crypt, from the early reports I managed to get hold of. Everyone is keeping things tight to the chest, even with the guild. It's why the city has gone overboard with the damn checkpoints. But it sounds like the place is crawling with the undead. I even heard a whisper of a vampire sighting." Wyatt leant forward, interested enough that it actually overshadowed his excitement of having the farmhouse rebuilt.

"Vampires? Really?"

"Yes, but I hope that the report is wrong. They aren't something I want to tangle with if I can help it." Wyatt frowned, thinking.

"But if it is true, wouldn't it be alright?" Theo cocked his head, but he was hiding a smile.

"How so?"

"Well, if it was a sealed crypt, and there was nothing inside by undead … don't vampires need blood?" Kelar barked out an approving laugh.

"You got there faster than a few of us! It's the only reason we are comfortable with rushing our preparations. If there are any, they should be weak." Celia nodded cheerfully.

"As long as they haven't been feasting on any low-level Adventurers, you mean. A lot more have gone in than have come out yet." Everyone stared at Celia for a moment. Then Lera wrapped an arm around the other Proteans neck, and started to rub hard at her head.

"Thanks so much for that, Celia. You just jinxed it!"

"No I didn't! Hey, stop that! Lera, stop, that hurts!" When the two Proteans were eventually pulled apart, a new round of drinks were ordered for the table. The mood was celebratory, both for the opportunity of the new dungeon discovery, and for Wyatt striking a deal with Thrais. Both groups would be entering at the same time, but bound for different floors. In the meantime though, Wyatt enjoyed the novelty of drinking and enjoying himself with them all.

He even ordered another glass of Uisge, which may have been a mistake in hindsight.