A Soldier's Life - 273 - Dinner Discourse

Chapter 273: Dinner Discourse

As I stepped outside, my companions followed, and I was relieved to observe that none of them seemed overly intoxicated. Mateo began sharing intriguing details about our guide, Enyara.

He emphasized that she was a skilled tracker and had a long affiliation with the Guild. She often operated independently and was currently available for hire. Her skill set bore a resemblance to that of a Hound of Empire, but her expertise lay in tracking monsters rather than people.

Mateo's evident fascination with the elf concerned me, and I hoped that his infatuation would not complicate matters. I made it clear that I was not keen on adding her to our group, as I was already struggling to keep my own secrets.

“So why are we going to see a regent? Maveith wasn’t too forthcoming,” Blaze said conversationally as he walked by my side, drawing my attention.

I gave as little information as possible, but could already see the inevitability of Raelia revealing too much. Maybe I was going along because I wanted my friends to know. “The regent was curious about the famed legionnaires of the Telhian Empire. The young elf woman is an acquaintance of Maveith's who invited us.”

Thankfully, Maveith backed me up. “Her name is Raelia. She is nice, and you will like her. She was once a griffin rider, and she promised to show us her new young griffin.” I gave him a look that suggested he was disclosing too much information, and Maveith stopped speaking.

“She is an ambassador from Bartiradia. Best not to talk about any of our fights with the Bartiradians,” I said, my headache growing as I cut off Maveith. The Empire was currently at war with Esenhem and Bartiradia, so this shouldn’t alarm them as we had forsaken our oaths.

“If she has a griffin, is she still a Griffin Rider?” Mateo asked perceptively.

Maveith remained quiet, so I answered vaguely, “I think she used to be one.” Yes, this was not going to go well. Blaze was the one who had shot Raelia out of the sky in Macha during the siege.

“I always wanted to know what it would be like to fly. Is it like falling upwards?” Benito asked more to himself than the group. His slight lisp said he drank more than the others.

An entourage of catkin passed us on our left, causing the conversation to stop. The feline men and women had large yellow eyes and wore royal purple robes with royal blue sashes. Since we were in the wealthier part of the city, I assumed they were ambassadors. Perhaps even from Tsinga, where most of the catkins on the continent originated. 

We arrived at a blue-gray granite stone manor. Like all the architecture in the city, curves dominated the aesthetic, with not a single sharp angle showing. It was modest-looking from the street, and I guessed our regent was not prominent when compared to the other estates. Our escort halted at the entrance to stand guard. Attendants in pristine white uniforms adorned with small embroidered crests of a falcon in flight ushered us inside.

I led the way, following the attendants. The building appeared to be made from polished granite, and the hallways were decorated with mosaics made from hundreds of thousands of tiny semi-precious stones. The mosaic images were mostly nature scenes and extended from the floor to the high ceiling. It must have taken years to complete even one. My companions admired the images in awe, as they understood the time required to construct them.

Curious, I sent out an earth pulse to get a layout of the entire structure. It appeared larger than it seemed from the street and extended far back, with many rooms and private gardens outside, not visible from the street. It was three stories with organic curved corridors reminding me of branches on a tree. The basement was only a single level below us and connected to a water and sewer system.

There were nineteen people in my range besides our escorts. Most people were scattered through the satellite rooms, but four looked like guards, and three were seated at our likely destination, which appeared to be a dining hall.

Mateo walked into my back as I had stopped to examine the spell form’s feedback. “Is everything alright?” He asked alertly, thinking I had stopped due to danger.

“Yes. I just got lost in the mosaic mural,” I gestured to the waterfall mural on our right with naked elves swimming in the pool underneath it.

Our attendants paused, waiting patiently on us. Mateo was intently studying the image as I continued. The dining room was oval with one sizable circular window looking out onto a colorful garden. The night was settling, and soon it would be dark.

An oval table, matching the room's shape, dominated the center, capable of seating over twenty, but the only place settings were at one end of the table. Raelia sat tall in an emerald gown next to a matronly-looking elf woman with streaks of gray in her auburn hair. On the other side of her was an older elf male with nearly white hair. The pair was immaculately dressed to match Raelia. Even with their fresh clothes, my companions were considerably underdressed.

Raelia stood, looking regal. My companions, especially Mateo, were captivated by the young elf woman. I had seen her covered in blood and smelling like two-month-old underwear, so I wasn’t as enamored. She did look even better than she did on the street this morning, though. 

In her poor Telhian, she introduced us. “May I present the adventurers: Maveith of the Stoneskin Clan. Eryk Marco. Blaze Neptune. Mateo Evander. Benito Vesta.” She smirked at me when she introduced Maveith first, but I was okay with being second as it fit my narrative. On the other hand, how she knew the names of my companions concerned me. I didn’t even know their last names before this moment.

“Blaze Neptune?” I heard Benito whisper to Blaze.

“I am bastard born under Neptune’s Tear full glory,” he whispered back.

Raelia ignored the lack of etiquette from my whispering companions and introduced the regent, “My aunt, Regent Maeralya Glavien of Bragoas. And her consort, Mage Laeroth Araro.”

Not knowing what to do, I bowed respectively in their direction and addressed them in formal Elvish, We kindly thank you for the invitation and the warmth of your home. We look forward to a wonderful dinner. Please accept this as a token of our appreciation for your hospitality.” I produced a bottle from underneath my manticore cloak.

“What did he say?” Benito asked a little too loudly. Blaze elbowed him to shut up.

An attendant came forward, took the bottle of Caelorian wine from my hand, and brought it to the regent. Her consort looked just as interested in it as she was in studying the relief work. Raelia was dumbstruck by her aunt’s whispers, and her eyes snapped back to mine, surprise clearly evident. I had never shared any of the wine with her in the Shimmering Labyrinth.

The regent spoke in Telhian, much more practiced than Raelia’s speech. “Remarkable. A truly monumental gift, and I hope our offerings at dinner can match the generosity you have shown, Adventurer Eryk Marco. Please sit next to my consort and have your companions sit as well.”

We moved to take our seats, Maveith to my right in a specially prepared seat for his girth. When everyone was seated, the first food was brought out: some white fish with an aromatic red dipping sauce. There were only four squares of fish, and my men consumed the small portion in seconds, washing them down with sweet water. I ate more slowly, on guard for the forthcoming conversation. At least Maveith had been given a double portion.

Laeroth opened with a question after watching us eat. “So, you were legionnaires of the Empire? Did you fight the army of Esenhem?”

Maeralya was more diplomatic, giving her consort a harsh glare. “I apologize for Laeroth’s rudeness. We lost many fine young men and women in the war. Some were his students.”

Lareoth’s tone turned sharp, “The failure was only that half the regents sent support for the occupation. If the Assembly had voted for a joint resolution to…”

Maeralya put her hand on his arm to stop his rant. “He is upset with our tortuously slow political workings. The Assembly of Regents was not keen on invading the Telhian Empire. Only a few regents pulled their city’s forces together to address the—threat. I sent three hundred soldiers and mages from Bragoas, half of whom have been killed.” The woman was talking conversationally, but I could see her own underlying anger at the loss. What had Raelia dragged us here for? Some type of verbal abuse?

“No. It is understandable. When your people hear our accent, we have not been well-received for good reason.” I replied, almost switching to Elvish but keeping the conversation in Telhian for my companions.

The regent nodded, finding my response fitting. “Are you referring to Artiria’s Guildmaster in particular? He lost a brother and has petitioned the Assembly that no Telhian-born Adventurer be allowed in Esenhem for the next hundred years.”

I looked at Raelia, and she shifted uncomfortably, clearly caught off guard by the direction of the conversation. Maybe she hadn’t known her aunt and consort would be condemning us for the actions of the Empire.

Blaze gave me a hand sign, and I nodded, permitting him to speak. “Eryk and Maveith were not part of our company for the battle.” He indicated to the Mateo and Benito, “We did engage the soldiers from Esenhem under the Emperor’s banner. At the time, we were guarding the northern flank, and we never saw combat against your people. After the Emperor was slain, we took it as an opportunity to shed the shackles of the Empire.” Blaze was surprisingly—very diplomatic. I almost expected him to reveal it was he who had slain the Emperor, but he didn’t go that far.

Laeroth did not look placated, his neck veins bulging, wanting to say more. Maeralya ignored his seething and calmly asked, “Why did you become adventurers?”

Benito, not realizing he shouldn’t be talking, spoke, “We became adventurers because we are going to rescue Maveith’s sister in the Boutan Caliphate.” It was not like it was a huge secret, but the entire table froze. By Raelia’s expression, Maveith hadn’t told her.

Regent Maeralya broke the awkward silence, “That is certainly a noble endeavor.” Her tone had doubts about our chances of success. “Are you planning to delve into any more dungeons in the future?” The realization suddenly struck why we were here. They wanted information about the Shimmering Labyrinth. I could piece it together now with their interest in the wine and the fact that Raelia must have told them a lot about the dungeon, but she had never seen the entrance.

“Perhaps. We have to cross nearly the entire length of the Caliphate to look for Zorana. Do you know anything about the dungeons of the Caliphate?” Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Blaze stopping Benito from talking with a soft elbow jab.

The Regent was smiling, but I could see past the mask. There was a hidden purpose to our being here. The next dish had been placed before us. A white meat with green sauce for dipping. “The orcs believe the dungeons are sacred. A way of testing true warriors. A warrior must complete seven of the eleven dungeons in the Caliphate to be tattooed by the clerics. A warlord must complete all eleven plus a twelfth alone.”

“So, we could all become orc warlords?” Mateo asked, his plate already clean, but his eyes had been wandering to Raelia most of the meal.

“No, the twelfth dungeon is not accessible to outsiders, and the Supreme Cleric is the only one who grants entry. Even orcs who have completed the first eleven are sometimes denied an attempt. Just like every other nation, there are politics at play in the Caliphate.”

“Does that include the Pathfinders?” I asked.

The regent shook her head. “No, the Pathfinders are special family units that train together. Their tattoos are focused on stealth. The elite warriors of the Caliphate are few, but they are some of the strongest warriors on the continent. Their tattoos enhance their speed, strength, and endurance,” Maeralya informed us patiently.

I nodded and realized the orcs I had seen fight in the Coliseum were the elite fighters of the Caliphate. Recalling the fight, I had surmised they would have defeated the Imperial Legionnaires if they hadn’t been drained of aether and had been given equal arms and armor.

Laeroth stood and feigned discomfort, “I think the meal has disagreed with me. I think I will retire for the evening.” It was clear why he was leaving, as Regent Maeralya was being civil with ex-Telhian legionnaires. I was surprised Raelia had been so quiet this evening. She was sitting dutifully and had not participated in the conversation.

The conversation remained centered on the Caliphate, and Regent Maeralya was eager to share the social structure of the orcs with me. I had read some books, but words could never do justice to actual experience, and the regent had traveled extensively in the Caliphate during her time as regent.

“The orcs have a tiered class system. The best way to think of the Caliphate is like a flock of sheep,” she started. “The sheep are the citizens that need to be protected by the shepherds, who are the clerics. The warlords, elite warriors, and pathfinders are guard dogs directed by the shepherds. The sheep are docile and expected to always obey. You will find the orc citizens to be non-confrontational for the most part. Their warrior caste, however, is always seeking to validate themselves.” I couldn’t tell if the regent respected or looked down on the orc society.

“How does one go from being a sheep to a guard dog?” Blaze asked inquisitively.

The regent put on a thin smile. “By proving oneself in a dungeon. But most commoner orcs who test a dungeon never exit.” The regent said with finality. She directed a question at me, “And your dungeon experiences? Are they extensive?”

I looked to Raelia, who had lost some of her regalness in the evening. She didn’t make eye contact with me and no longer sat nobly. She was realizing she had led us into an ambush. I decided to give the regent a taste of what she wanted. “We all spent time in the Shimmering Labyrinth in Caelora.” I indicated my companions. The regent let a smile escape, briefly revealing her true purpose for the dinner.

“All of you? We have some ancient texts that reference the famed dungeon. Is it as extensive as they indicate?” The elf women said, trying to contain her eagerness.

“Over one hundred rooms,” I replied unflinchingly. Blaze arched his eyebrow at me in revealing the dungeon, but he didn’t know Raelia had probably already told them. And if she did, then they knew about my impressive dimensional space.

“Amazing. That is the largest dungeon I have heard of. The merfolk have large dungeons beneath the seas, and there is the Black Sands dungeon on the other continent, but to my knowledge, none have more than forty rooms. We foolishly destroyed most of the dungeons in Esenhem centuries ago. It reduced monster scourges on the surface, but now just three remain.” She smiled, “Let me be forthright with you. We are negotiating a truce with the Telhian Empire. I want to know everything about the Shimmering Labyrinth you can tell me.”

“I thought you wanted Atlantium?” I responded evenly.

Regent Maeralya’s face slipped into a shocked expression. She would have been even more shocked if she had known I had been there when it was discovered. She slowly spoke. “We are already working on a pact to share what is uncovered there, but your people are still embattled about who will take the Emperor’s seat. If you have truly forsaken the Empire, knowledge of the Shimmering Labyrinth will be useful and something I can bring to the Assembly for inclusion in the treaty.”

Raelia spoke for the first time, “Perhaps you can question these three about their time in the Shimmering Labyrinth, and I can show Baldo to Maveith and Eryk.”

“I want to see the griffin, too,” Benito voiced loudly.

I sensed Raelia wanted to talk with Maveith and me privately. “After you answer the regent’s questions,” I told him. Benito looked disappointed he would have to wait, but he would get over it.

We followed Raelia up the stairs. I sent out an earth pulse and located the griffin curled into a ball in a room on the third floor. Due to the brevity of my first pulse and its small size, I had mistaken it for a dog. Raelia opened the door with a click, and the creature snapped awake, its eagle head focusing on us. Seeing Raelia, it bounded over to her, clearly excited.

As we entered the room behind her, it chirped and hissed at us, its feathers standing up, and it puffed itself up to confront the biggest threat—Maveith. “Baldo. Calm. Friend,” Raelia said the Elvish command words. The young griffon disagreed, keeping itself puffed out, but it stopped hissing at Maveith. “Griffins need a lot of familiarity to form trust in their first few months.”

I had carried this one’s egg for over a year. Maybe it had imprinted on me. I reached out my hand to pet it. Raelia looked about to warn me before its head darted forward and bit my hand, causing me to wince and restrain myself from killing it immediately—the ungrateful little bastard.

“Baldo. No. Release!” Raelia barked, more annoyed than worried about my hand. She knew I could heal myself and did not seem worried that her pet had pierced my hand. When it released me, its tongue cleaned my blood off its beak, appearing to savor the taste.

The little monster had almost pierced my hand through and had fractured a bone with its powerful bite. I funneled aether to heal the wound, and the bleeding stopped. Raelia looked a little concerned until the wound closed. She was stroking his feathers, “He needs time to acclimate to new people. We will have time on the road.”

“The road?” I asked, feeling confused.

“The road to the Caliphate. I am going to help rescue Maveith’s sister.”

“Excuse me? Who invited you?” I rasped in disbelief.