Call of the Abyss [Book 2 Complete]

Julia glanced around as she entered. There was a large, open room with a desk at the front that flowed into an eatery through a low arch with both tables and bar seating available. The restaurant portion seemed around half-filled, which she guessed was low based on it being near dinner time.

A stout woman approached the desk, emerging from a door behind, which must have led to the kitchens, judging by the clinking and clanging she heard from the open door. The woman was an elf with brown hair loosely braided and thrown over one shoulder. She wore a gray tunic with a clean, white apron over it, and she had a friendly face that spoke of a kindly demeanor.

"Greetings! Are you here to eat or to stay?" she asked enthusiastically with a smile.

"Hi, both, ideally," Julia said, approaching the desk and returning the smile.

"Wonderful! How long, and for how many?" the woman asked, flipping through an open ledger.

"Got five in our group. Any shared rooms that can accommodate us? We'd also be fine with two rooms if each has two beds," Julia said.

"We've got a suite, yes. It's a little more expensive than two individual double rooms, but you get the benefit of a shared space. If you take the two double rooms, there's pretty much only space for sleeping," she explained, turning various pages in the ledger.

Julia looked back at the elves and received a nod from Talnîr in return.

"We'll take the suite," she confirmed.

"Thank the Gods! Give me a minute to get things together here…" she said, frantically writing in her ledger.

"Business slow?" Julia asked, glancing toward the dining room.

"Huh, what gave you that idea?" the innkeeper chuckled, not looking up from her work.

"Dining room's a little empty for the time. Also sounds like you've got plenty of space available," Julia remarked.

"Aye, times are tough, that's for true," the innkeeper grumbled.

"Any particular reason for that?" Julia asked.

The innkeeper looked up, stopping her work, and seeming to notice—really notice—Julia and her companions for the first time.

"Not from around here?" she asked.

"Nope. Just arrived about a week ago. We're adventurers by trade," Julia replied, slightly startled by the innkeeper's sudden attention.

"What brought you here? Sure as shit ain't jobs in the South Quarter, let alone adventurer jobs," the innkeeper asked while chuckling, as if she'd made a joke to herself.

"Gonna be staying in this town for a while. Wanted to get a feel for it. We also heard that there were lots of elves in this section of the city," Julia said, gesturing toward her companions with her head.

"Course there are—it's the only place we can be," the woman scoffed.

"How do you mean?" Julia asked.

"Can't own property anywhere else, humans won't rent to us anywhere else, et cetera. Past year or so has seen a huge 'migration' of elves from their homes all over the city to this congested Quarter.

"But, forgive me—I was getting your room arranged, not whining," she said, closing her ledger and grabbing a ring of keys from the wall.

"There are four keys here—sorry, it's all I've got. You'll have to share. We've got baths on each floor. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included, but they don't roll over. You miss a meal, you lose that money, so make sure you show up if you wanna eat," she said, holding the keys out in one hand and extending her other hand, palm up.

Julia took the keys and placed a few coins in her empty hand.

"Name's Verona, if you need anything. My husband, Ereth, helps out in the kitchen in the morning and tends the bar in the evening. Either of us can help if you need anything, but probably just skip Ereth—he'll send you to me anyway," she said with a giggle. "Your rooms are on the fourth floor, last door on the right.

"If I may, I'd suggest having a meal and turning in. You don't want to be out at night—it's dangerous, especially farther south."

Verona delivered the last warning dramatically as she left through the door to the kitchens, not lingering to answer any further questions.

Julia exchanged looks with the elves and proceeded into the dining room.

Wilfred wiped the sweat from his brow with a damp cloth, dabbing it all the way across his shining head, which reflected the fading light through the window. He was quite proud of his head's polish, always a stickler for proper presentation.

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He placed the rag down on its designated dish at the edge of his desk, lest the damp warp the wood. He arched his back, stretching it out after a long day of—surprise—paperwork. Sometimes he wondered whether administration was the correct path for him.

He'd been a hopeful for Mithril when the Guild Master recruited him for the Vice Master's desk. He'd thought it folly at the time, but the Master had a way with words, and he had found himself persuaded. Lo and behold, the work suited him. That said, it did not suit his body. Hunching over this desk all day, barely moving, surely wasn't good for him.

He stood to extend his stretch and shake the wrinkles out after sitting all day when he heard a faint knock on his door. He knew the knock force and pattern of all his administrative staff, so he knew immediately that it wasn't one of them. The hesitancy of the knock also spoke of someone either unsure or nervous.

He straightened and, deciding he was already up, strode over and opened the door himself rather than just calling. He was surprised to see Elaine, the student from Julia's job the other day, standing before him. She appeared nervous but excited, as if something drove her to his office against her better judgment.

"Well, this is quite a surprise. Welcome, Elaine. What can I help you with?" he asked with a polite smile.

"Um…do you mind if—uh…" she stammered, glancing repeatedly at his office interior.

"Of course, of course. Please," he said, holding the door open for her.

They moved over to the small sitting room, sitting on the couches across from each other. Though, 'couch' was a generous descriptor—they were wooden benches with thin cushions. Regardless, Wilfred sat silently, waiting patiently for Elaine to broach whatever subject had brought her.

Rather than speak, she handed him a sheet of vellum—did she take it from the school?

"What's this?" he asked, beginning to skim over it.

"It's the notification I received when I acquired a new Skill. I rewrote it as best as I could remember it, but it might not be one hundred percent accurate," she explained.

"I see…what is 'the Eidolon' and this business about a 'fragment of a fragment'? I've never seen messages like this from the System," he mused, more thinking aloud than conversing.

"Ah, that's a relief. I wondered if it was my lack of experience that was the issue," Elaine said with obvious vindication.

She demonstrated her Skill by conjuring flaming runes above her palm, which quickly formed into a softly glowing ball of light.

"Fire Runes, huh? Fascinating. How exactly did you acquire this Skill, and what do you wish from me? Advice? I must confess—magic is not my strongest subject," he admitted.

"Actually, the advice I was hoping for was specifically about how I acquired the Skill. You see, Julia gave me some coaching while we were shadowing, and it was through practicing what she suggested that this skill materialized.

"I don't…I mean, what do I do? The Runes are incredible! They'll expand my skillset dramatically! But adventurers hold their secrets and power closely, right? Would it be right of me to show off this Skill? Surely it must be some closely-guarded secret…" she said, her eyes brightening and then dimming in sequence.

"Hmm…well, you're right that many do keep their secrets close to their chests. However, if Julia taught you these things during the shadow, it was in the presence of the other students, your teacher, and two other adventurer parties. If it were some secret she was guarding closely, do you think she would have taught it to you in such circumstances—or at all?

"I think she probably taught you this Skill so that you could make use of it. I don't know what she would think about you teaching it to others, but at least when it comes to using it, I think you have nothing to worry about," he explained with a smile.

"Really?! Thanks Mr. Vice Master! I'm going to keep practicing and get really good at using them so that I can show Julia the next time I see her!" Elaine exclaimed, bouncing to her feet and rushing toward the door.

Wilfred chuckled at the difference between how timidly she'd entered and how boldly she left—she hadn't even waited for a dismissal. It was nice to see promising kids advancing, and Elaine had a good head on her shoulders. Not only was she reserved about sharing secrets that weren't hers, she had fought her fear and come to him directly rather than entrusting what she thought might be a secret with a lower-level administrator.

"The kids will carry us all to a brighter future," he whispered under his breath in satisfaction.

"Truly, they carry our brightest hopes," came a voice from the direction of Wilfred's desk.

He jumped to his feet and instinctively assumed a combat stance as he spun toward his desk, spying the intruder sitting in his chair, as if he owned it. He was a silver-haired elf with bright gray eyes that almost seemed to glow in the waning evening light. He wore a black cloak that covered all but his head and legs, which he crossed in front of him as if he had no cares in the world.

"Master Mahven," Wilfred said with a sigh, relaxing. "You have your own office, should you desire somewhere to haunt, yes?"

"Ah, you're such a stickler, Fred. What good is haunting without victims?" he retorted with a coy smile.

Wilfred shook his head. As strange as it was, this was normal for the Guild Master of the Vazreth branch, always showing up unexpectedly and departing in exactly the same manner. Wilfred wasn't sure he'd ever actually said 'goodbye' to Master Mahven. He would just disappear when he'd said what he wanted to say.

"Regardless, I assume you're here for a purpose—besides stressing me?" Wilfred asked with a raised brow.

Mahven spun the chair around, his arms crossed before him, and stared out the huge window overlooking the square below. He was silent for several minutes, which Wilfred allowed to elapse unbroken. Typically, if Master Mahven needed such time to collect his thoughts, he was going to say something worth paying attention to.

"It's been an interesting week, hasn't it?" Mahven declared, suddenly breaking the silence. "Some interesting folks have blown in from who-knows-where. I wonder what effect they will have on this city. A seed blown by the wind to sow new life in a barren field? Or perhaps a glowing coal carried on the wind to ignite a dead and dry forest…"

Wilfred's expression turned serious—the metaphors didn't distract from what he knew Master Mahven was referencing.

"You think the smoldering will ignite?" he asked with trepidation.

"What I wonder is not whether it will ignite—it will. You can only push people so far before there's a rebound, a reaction. What I'm wondering is whether these new arrivals will be the ignition source. They will affect this city, one way or another," he said cryptically.

"And? When the conflagration ignites, when the burning begins, what will you do?" Wilfred asked, despite already knowing the answer.

Master Mahven spun the chair slowly around until he was looking Wilfred in the eye, a wicked smile on his face.

"What I must," he said, and Wilfred knew he meant it.