13: Falcone Residence

The trip to the Temple was uneventful. I didn’t see anyone loitering, and it seemed as if no one was following me.

Upon entering, I removed my hood and approached the nearest priest.

“Hello, sir. I was hoping to have an audience with Elder Peter. My name is Trevor,” I said, bowing politely.

The priest seemed unsure if Elder Peter was available but went to ask.

As he stepped into the hallways leading past the rooms I knew were there, I decided now would be the perfect time to pray to the statue that dominated the main hall.

Kneeling before it, I closed my eyes.

“Dear Goddess of Fate, a lot has happened in a very short time. I thought we were on a good path forward, but now that wheel seems to be broken. I hope whatever fate has planned for me will work out.”

Opening my eyes and rising to my feet, I once again caught the smell of roast chicken. I was really starting to think this location just happened to be downwind of a regular food stall or restaurant.

Shrugging it off, I waited patiently for the priest to return. When he did, he informed me that the Elder would be out momentarily and that I was free to wait in the room where I had previously spoken with Elder Peter. He pointed towards the small meeting room.

After a short while, Elder Peter walked in with a warm smile on his face.

“Hello, Master Trevor. I hope you are doing well. Have you made any advancements in your class?” he asked.

“Uh, I have made some progress, Elder. However, that’s not the reason I’m here today,” I replied.

“Oh? Do tell then.” Elder Peter took a seat as I gave him a brief rundown of what I knew and what I had been told to expect.

The smile never left his face.

“Ah, I can see the concern of your friends; however, it’s likely not as bad as you expect. I’ve always found our Lord to be very reasonable,” he said. Immediately, I felt relieved. Was the whole situation being blown out of proportion? I wondered to myself.

“That said, I think it would be ill-advised to work at the Manor. From what you’ve explained about your class and the developments with the buff-giving food, it seems to me you’d be most valuable out in the wilds with an adventurer party or two,” he concluded.

“Elder, I was told that if I say no to Lord Falcone, I could essentially be trapped there,” I said, some worry returning to my voice.

“I see. Personally, I don’t think it will be a problem; however, if you are truly concerned, come see me this afternoon after your meeting at the Manor. If you do not arrive, I will visit the Manor to collect you and inform the Lord of our prior engagement,” he said with a smile. “Although, I truly don’t believe it will be an issue.”

This offered some much-needed reassurance.

“Thank you for everything, Elder. I should get going—I need to visit the Pavilion before I head to the Manor,” I said, rising from my chair and bowing.

A short while later, I left the Temple, hood pulled back over my head as I headed toward the Pavilion. It wasn’t a long walk, but I knew people had been watching me there before.

Approaching the Pavilion, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. Some groups were loitering near the entrance, but nothing seemed out of place. Deciding it was safe enough, I entered the Pavilion and removed my hood once inside.

"Ah, Young Trevor," a familiar voice called out. It was the man who had been here during my first visit—I never caught his name, unfortunately.

"Hello, sir. I was wondering if the Matron might see me today," I asked. "Something has come up that may affect future donations."

"That would be disappointing," he frowned. "But I’ll certainly see if she’s available. Please, have a seat."

A short while later, the Matron appeared with a stern look on her face.

“Hello, Trevor. Please follow me—we’ll talk in my office.”

Soon we were inside her office. I took a seat and began filling her in, much like I had with Elder Peter.

“My concern is this: if I am required to leave or work at the Manor, I didn’t want to steal the pot that was provided to me, so I made a stew to give you and return the pot,” I added, my voice heavy with concern.

The Matron laughed softly. “We wouldn’t be upset over an old pot. I appreciate your concern, but we understand that things happen.” There was still a chuckle in her voice.

“Having the Elder come to collect you is a smart move. I don’t believe you’ll be trapped, but we’ve heard and seen all sorts of things here at the Pavilion. I’ll take the stew from you today and still give you an empty pot in return. If you do need to leave, consider it a gift for your journey.”

With that, she stood, took the pot from me, and shortly returned with a clean, empty one.

“I must return to my patients now, but thank you for coming to visit. Honesty is in short supply these days. I wish you the best of luck.”

I bowed respectfully and made my way toward the entrance. Before leaving, I turned back and asked, “Oh, I’m sorry—I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

“Alex. Have a great day, Trevor.”

Leaving the Pavilion, I looked around but still didn’t see anyone suspicious.

I returned to the house; Micca had already gone to work by then. I entered through the back door just in case. Leaving my travel cloak behind, I exited the house through the front door, letter in hand, and headed toward the Manor.

After what felt like forever, the gates of the Manor finally came into view. Approaching, I saw two guardsmen standing by the entrance. My heart hammered in my chest as I stepped forward, clutching the letter tightly.

"Hello, I was instructed to come to the Manor and present you with this letter of invitation." I handed the guard closest to me the letter.

He quickly looked me over. "No weapons on you?" he asked.

"No, sir. None."

"Very well. Follow me, and I’ll lead you to the atrium."

He opened the gate and started leading me up the main path toward the building. The garden was breathtaking—I had never seen such beautiful flowers. In fact, the whole place looked immaculate.

As we entered the main hall, I was equally shocked; it looked so fancy to me. Everything was pristine. The walls were adorned with artworks and portraits of what I could only assume were family members. Fresh flowers in vases were placed around the room, and a small cushioned bench sat by the door.

“Please wait here,” the guard ordered, standing silently beside me.

After a brief pause, a man in a fine suit approached—clearly a butler of some kind. “Who is this?” he asked the guard, ignoring me completely.

“He came with an invitation. Orphan named Trevor, sir,” the guard replied.

“Ah yes, the cook, I see. Follow me then.” Without another word to me, he turned and walked away.

I was led into another waiting room of sorts. It was small, with four chairs and a large doorway that was currently closed. “Wait here,” the man said, heading into the room—presumably to organise the meeting.

Waiting in the room was incredibly boring. I stayed there for what felt like a very long time, and unlike the main hall, this room had none of its beauty—not even a window.

With nothing else to do, I took a moment to check my status. What I saw brought me some joy. The stew had clearly been distributed at the Pavilion: twenty-three meal notifications and twenty-one healing notifications!

Notifications:

...

You have reached Level 9 in Arcane Chef

You have +2 unspent stat points

...

Yes! I thought to myself. I was so close to unlocking the new ability. I placed a point into Charisma, bringing it to ten, and another into Wisdom, raising it to twelve.

I was happy with my choices so far, and despite the rocky start, the class was progressing well.

I waited until late afternoon.

“You can enter now,” the butler said.

I stepped into a room that looked like a cross between a library and an office. Bookcases lined the walls, filled to the brim. By the window sat a single cushioned armchair, and in the centre of the room stood a large wooden desk that dominated the space. Behind it sat a portly elderly man—who I assumed was the Lord—seemingly in the middle of working on some paperwork.

“Stand there,” the butler said, pointing to a spot a fair distance from the desk. I did as I was told and waited, which again seemed to stretch on forever. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I stayed patient.

Eventually, the man spoke. “The cook, yes, rare class, confirmed by Simon.” He glanced down at the sheet again. “Yes, okay. Take him to the kitchens and have them deal with it. Thank you.”

I didn’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t that. I didn’t even get a word in—no greeting, nothing.

I was ushered out of the room by the butler, who then started walking away once he left the waiting area. This time, I didn’t follow—standing still, stunned by the meeting, if it could even be called that.

Noticing I wasn’t following, the butler turned around just as the door opened again. In came the guard, with Elder Peter following behind. I heard the butler mutter to himself, “Oh, what now,” before heading over to greet them.

“I beg your forgiveness,” Elder Peter began before the butler could speak. “You see, I had an appointment with young Master Trevor this afternoon at the Temple, which he seems to have missed. By all means, I would be happy to return him once it’s completed.” He said with a warm smile.

For a while, the butler looked perplexed by the situation. In the end, he agreed. “Come then, boy. I’ll show you to the kitchen on your return,” he said, beckoning me over since I hadn’t moved from my spot.

Taking the moment, I stepped forward without saying anything, looking to Elder Peter. He placed a hand gently on my shoulder. “We shall return in a few hours,” he said, turning and guiding me outside. The guard followed behind as we began to leave the grounds.

It wasn’t until we were stepping out the gate and heading back toward the Temple that the Elder spoke.

“So, how did it go?” he asked.

“Honestly, I don’t even know,” I replied, still confused. “He didn’t even address me. After several hours of waiting, I entered the office, and he just instructed the butler to take me to the kitchens. Then you showed up as we were leaving the room.” I shook my head, still trying to make sense of it all.

“I genuinely don’t know what was happening,” I concluded.

“Ah, I see,” Elder Peter said thoughtfully. “It’s not ideal, but you’ll have several hours before anyone starts expecting you back at the Manor. I’d say you’ll have until tomorrow before anyone really notices you haven’t returned. Use that time wisely. Best of luck, young Trevor.”

With that, Elder Peter gently patted me on the back, gave me a warm smile, and went his way.

I was left alone, still confused. I didn’t really understand what was going to happen, but feeling it would be better to talk to my friends than to figure it out on my own, I decided to head home first and grab my cloak. Then I’d make my way to the Inn—maybe I could slip into the kitchen through the back door without anyone noticing.

A short while later, now wearing the cloak, I approached the back door of the inn, hoping Geo had left it open.

I was in luck. Slipping inside, I removed my hood and made my way to the kitchen, avoiding the main room and the people there.

“You’re back already?” Geo asked when he saw me. “Have you been to the Manor already?”

“Uh, yes,” I said, then explained everything that had happened. I repeated the same when Micca came into the kitchen to place an order and noticed me.

“Well, what are you going to do?” Geo asked. “You won’t be able to hide out here or at home; they’ll check eventually.” Micca added.

“I really don’t know. That’s why I came to speak with you—to see what I should do, and honestly, to figure out what even happened, since it wasn’t entirely clear,” I replied, feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.

Geo spoke up. “Well, it sounds like they were going to have you work in the kitchen and just assumed you’d agreed—if what you say is accurate. But then the Elder showed up, with impeccable timing by the sounds of it.” He took a sip of what must have been mead before continuing.

“Honestly, the Elder’s bought you some time and probably caused a bit of confusion, unless that butler is particularly determined to track you down. So, you’ve got a few options: find somewhere else to hide for a few weeks, take a trip to another town and explore for a bit, or just go back to normal and hope they don’t show up tomorrow.”

I thought about it for a long while. Micca had to head back out front after Larry poked his head in, wondering what had happened.

“I really don’t know; I’d want to stay. I have friends here.”

“And we’re not going anywhere,” Geo added. “So even if you go travelling for a month or so, we’ll still be here.”

“I suppose, but I can’t afford to leave anyway, I’ve got four coppers to my name after buying all those supplies.”

Geo just nodded. “Yes, that would normally pose a problem. Hold on—wait here.”

Geo got up and left the kitchen, heading out front. A moment later, he returned with Larry of all people, and by the sounds of it, Larry was getting the full rundown of what had happened.

"I can get you on a caravan tomorrow morning," he stated simply after hearing Geo out. “It will cost you anywhere from one to five silver to come back, but I can get you out at sunrise when the gates open. I know a group heading out, and a couple of the merchants are staying here tonight.”

I was floored by this. It would be that easy? I didn’t even know where the next town was—but it would only be temporary, right?

“Okay," I said hesitantly. “How long should I leave for? I want to come back. My friends are here.”

Larry thought for a moment. "Honestly, at least a month, but taking longer won’t hurt. I'll have a job here for you when you return, kid." With that, Larry left the room, heading back to the main room.

I still had so many questions, but I wasn’t likely to get them answered right now.

"You should go get your stuff from the house. You'll probably sleep here tonight and leave in the morning with the merchants, I’d guess," said Geo, sipping his mead again.

Where even is the next town from here? How long is the journey? My mind was racing with questions.

Geo just laughed good-naturedly. "Get your stuff, come back, and we'll talk. I'll try to give you as much information as I know."

I was leaving the inn again through the back door, the hood back up over my head. How did it come to this? I would leave Dunhearth for the first time in my life.