Chapter 448 Food, Shelter, And Privacy

With the matter of Kilot's safety finished, Doevm, Elero, and Frey retreated to the inn where they had been staying during their visit to the Polyglint Mines. They almost passed it by; they weren't used to seeing it brightly lit up. Usually when they retreated back, they would be so exhausted that it was a struggle to get to their rooms. The stairs leading up to the second story often seemed like the last circle of hell to their shaking legs, however in the event of flooding they proved to be a dry blessing.

Doevm pushed open the doors and strolled into a sea of noise, light, and people. Although the quality of Dwarven craftsmanship had stood up against the earthquake, some damages were unavoidable, such as the minor flooding. The innkeeper displayed an unusual amount of courtesy towards their neighbors-turned-refugees by placing a sign on the window, which read: "free rooms to any residence of the Polyglint Mines". The food, on the other hand, was a few coppers higher than Doevm remembered. 'I guess a business will always be a business,' he thought as he ordered a quick bite and poached a table.

While they waited for their food, Doevm kept a good watch on his surroundings. He had to hand it to the Dwarves. Humans would always be dreary after even the slightest tragedy, but in the face of this earthquake, these Dwarves' enthusiasm proved robust, save for the occasional grumblings about wet shoes and socks. Most customers came in and out quickly, eager to get back to their homes and contribute to the communal effort with their buckets and mops. The mines were everyone's home after all.

"Here you are," the waitress placed a few bowls of oatmeal on the table then hurried back to the kitchen to keep up with the orders.

"Dragon Hoard finally left the shopping district," Doevm overheard a bar patron who was sat with a tankard of ale next to his drinking buddy.

The shrunken barkeep hobbled over to the two friends with more drinks before they could even ask for more: "Most have been asking about the lifts." His voice was gravelly from a life of smoking.

The last Dwarf, who hadn't spoken yet, nodded. "Luckily the stone slabs and the pipes seem to be the most significant damage, but when do you think the lifts will get untangled? There are miles and miles of mithril chains, and we can't break the links. Why? They're god damned mithril! Where are our master blacksmiths? They could handle it."

The barkeep calmly listened to their complaints while tapping the counter.

"Oh, right," one of the two patrons realized that they hadn't paid for their drinks and slid a gold coin over.

The barkeep pocketed the coin with a yellow-toothed smile. "The master blacksmiths are all too busy to help. You know the type, don't you? They'll lock themselves up in their forge for days, and for good reason too. It's like everyone is asking for weapons these days. First the Fracture, then this earthquake...I can feel a war coming in my old bones."

The two patrons laughed. "Or you've drunk too much of that floodwater."

The barkeep chuckled. "I only drank a little bit. I was sleeping. What do you want from me?"

"Some soberness would be nice. Don't you have to take care of yourself in your old age?"

The barkeep snorted. "Look at me! I'm a Dwarf! Sober? What the fuck is that? Can I drink it?"

Doevm quickly finished his appetizer, paid, and strolled up the stairs with Elero and Frey close behind him. They all shared a single room, although not the bed. They were used to sleeping on the hard ground, although Elero had claimed the bed since she paid for the room.

"How did you guys know where we were?" Elero asked as they walked down the hallway. She fished a keyring out of her pocket and began whirling it around her finger.

"I came back at the same time as you," Frey explained. "I figured the earthquake meant that Doevm had opened another legacy."

Elero frowned and reflectively glanced at Doevm. "That's the same reason I came back. You were just watching the whole time?"

Doevm nodded.

Elero frowned: "I could have used some help."

Frey shrugged. "You were just kneeling there. I thought you must have had a plan or something, but apparently not."

It was brief, but Doevm caught Elero averting her gaze. She cleared her throat and said, "W-well it worked out in the end and that's what matters. Thanks Frey. By the way, our room is a few doors down."

Frey, who had stopped in front of room 202, slowly looked down the way at 220 and scratched the back of his head. "Don't mention it," Frey said. "Doevm helped too."

"Oh he did? I didn't see him behind you," Elero said. "I recognized the spear though."

As the group arrived, Doevm swiped the key off of Elero's finger and unlocked the door. "I need some quiet for a little bit. Both of you guard the door."

Before either of them could respond he slowly creaked the wooden door shut behind him.

"What was that about?" Frey's voice sneaked its way through the thin walls, yet another consequence of a cheap room. There was only a moth-eaten blanket to cover the twin-sized bed, a nightstand, and a little mirror on top of it. There were no windows. Light filtered through the stagnant air from three light crystals crudely embedded in the ceiling.

While not included with the room, three sleeping bags lay empty on the ground, two of them messy while Olpi's was neatly made. Thomas no longer needed his sleeping bag.

"I don't know. Let's just let him figure it out," Elero responded to Frey's question after a period of silence.

Doevm quietly locked the door, let out a long sigh, and plopped himself down at the foot of the bed. He could still feel his heart beating from the sight of the assassin sprinting at Elero's back. He loosened the collar of his buttoned up shirt. Even though the room had no heating and he was still drenched, his base-layer seemed to be enough.

After a day of fighting through monsters to get to his father's legacy, training in soul magic, clamoring back to Kilot, and fending off an assassin, the bed called out for Doevm's warm embrace. He slapped himself awake. There were still two matters to attend to after all.

First and foremost, he wanted to curse at himself. While Kilot's products were important, they were only secondary to information about the gods and soul magic, yet somehow he hadn't thought about the easiest method of obtaining the aforementioned information until now. Unfortunately, the easiest method was also the hardest. After all, there was only one person who could tell Doevm the rules of the gods' game.

Mana gathered around Doevm's hands as he spread his arms outwards and executed a short series of whistles. An intangible membrane spread out to the corners of the room, making it so that neither light nor sound could leave the premises. He then called out the name: "Maker."