Chapter 335: Catching up (1/2)
The food was marvelous, truly. Ilea couldn’t finish it all but stored the rest in her necklace. “You’re a goddess, Keyla.” She said, cleaning her mouth with a napkin.
“They’re getting there.” Keyla said, having tried most of the dishes too, “Not quite perfection but I don’t manage it with every dish either.”
They had told each other about the major things happening in the past year, Ilea talking most of the time due to her vastly more dangerous lifestyle. Keyla had mostly just cooked, though the rebuilding of the city as well as the new festivities were a subject too. “Come on, tell me at least what class he is.” Ilea pried but the cook was stubborn.
“Of course you care about his class…,” Keyla rolled her eyes, the two having moved on to red wine. The cook was a little tipsy but Ilea didn’t feel anything, alcohol a poison that didn’t affect her anymore. She didn’t care much. The taste of the beverages was still nice. “He’s tall, strong and handsome. Yet when we’re alone he is sensitive and vulnerable, Ilea. He’s such a dear friend. I see the way he looks at me too but still he hasn’t asked me out. I’m beginning to wonder…,”
“Don’t wonder, you ask him. I’ll have a dress made for you, get some flowers or a sword, whatever he would like and just ask him. Life is too short to worry about it. Trust me, most men would love to be asked out.”
“How do you know? You’re not a man.” Keyla said, defensively.
“Oh?” Ilea raised her eyebrows, moving closer to the cook, “Are you afraid too then? I know because every time I asked a guy out, he either said yes or told me he had no interest. What’s the point in wondering when you could know?”
“You make a compelling argument.” Keyla said, Ilea appearing behind her as ash slowly formed around the two, her mouth moving to her ear.
She spoke in a whisper, “Just think of him… wrapping his arms around you, holding you, taking off your clothes, piece by piece. Kissing your neck…,” She was pushed away with a yelp, the dragon like being red in her face as her heart thrummed in her chest.
“Ok… alright, I’ll… think about it.” She said, Ilea sitting back in her chair, pouring herself another glass of beer.
“You should.” She said and raised her glass.
Keyla needed a minute to calm down, tapping the table, “I was thinking of opening more restaurants. They proved it today, at least three of them could be chefs.”
“Then do it. Talk to Claire about the money and locations.” Ilea said.
“Really?” Keyla asked, exceedingly happy. “That’s going to be a lot of work… then again, it’s been a little boring lately.”
“Talk to her in a couple days, she’ll have more funds than now.” Ilea said, the cook giving her a mischievous look.
“Now, if only I could take out that baker…,” The cook murmured to herself, Ilea enjoying her beer as she turned and looked out the window, the top floor of the Golden Drake having a view over most of the city. Many of the distant buildings seemed new to her but with the walls standing, the people had no way to build but up or down.
Could add another wall…, She wondered about the logistics and nearly got a headache. Leave that with the builder brains. Focus on punching and healing things. She smiled, finishing her beer. Noon had passed and she had a couple things on her list that she wanted to do that day. “It’s been wonderful Keyla, I’ll have to check in with Claire soon, otherwise she’ll have me hanged.”
“I won’t keep you. I’m very happy to see you alive and well, Ilea.” The cook said and got up, walking over to her and grabbing her in a hug. She rubbed her back harder and harder, Ilea raising an eyebrow at that, “Oh, sorry.” Keyla said embarrassed, “You just, your muscles are like steel. No kidding you improved your power in the north. Make sure not to get caught up again this time, let me know if someone pressures you, I’ll deal with them.” She said and let go, looking at Ilea with fierce reptile eyes.
“I’ll be back in a week or so for the food, don’t overwork yourself.” Ilea said, the cook just waving her off before Ilea vanished and appeared above the restaurant. The black flag with a golden drake head in its midst was flowing lazily in the cold winter wind, the suns shining down onto the city.
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Claire was finally done with the new permits, an additional chunk of their Haven restructured for food growth. At least the population is finally stabilizing, took long enough. Refugees were still coming in but compared to the initial flood of the first four months, it was barely a trickle by now. Sulivhaan wanted to keep Eregar’s Haven Hand owned, imperial mages still not allowed inside. Which in turn meant the Hand had to hire nature mages or train them to take care of all the fields and growth.
Overseers had to be added to make sure they didn’t do anything stupid as well as water mages, earth mages, a couple fire mages as well as anything else that might be useful. The fact that they were allowed to sell to businesses directly made the whole ordeal more than profitable, the surrounding lands would require quite a bit more mana to make even remotely fertile and yielding. Some of course still tried, private organizations as well as some imperial operations. The latter struggled much more, needing their constant permits and licenses from the empire.
The offices had been absent for the first three months and since then they were simply overwhelmed. To think Sulivhaan’s clause in the initial contract to allow the Hand to offer permits and buy grounds on their own to help rebuild and revitalize the city had paid off ridiculously well. The officers involved in the negotiation luckily didn’t think much on the long term. Claire didn’t have the numbers, the war preventing the empire to even collect them but she had no doubt Ravenhall was already one of the economic strongholds in all of Lys.
With Virilya under siege, perhaps even in the top three. With the size and recent history it was more than she had hoped for. I should really train some more with Trian. She reminded herself, her personal power lagging behind due to all the work. Claire had hoped for it to slow down a little once things were running smoothly but opportunities just kept presenting themselves.
The same was true for the other leaders at least. She was glad for Trian’s help with the nobles, especially those coming in from the capital and nearby. As long as none of the remaining Birmingales show up. The Shadowguard didn’t just protect the city against monsters. Baralia agents still made it to Ravenhall from time to time. The bounty the kingdom had put out had been lowered a couple months after its inception, meaning their resources were running low. Raiding imperial treasuries isn’t going to hold up forever.
She knew that slave trade and labor was the main economic power of the kingdom and with the war they had a massive influx of people but they hadn’t managed to overrun the capital, hadn’t built enough lasting bases in the empire’s lands and many of the cities south of Virilya had barely been bothered. Same with Ravenhall. People had been murdered, yes. Some abducted as well as food vaults burned but nothing to damage them with any lasting impact.
By now the guard and people were so well educated and prepared, most agents or rogue adventurers avoided the city altogether, found and executed in the span of mere days. She knew some remained but the Shadow’s Hand wasn’t feared for nothing. Nearly all their members had been part of not only monster subjugation quests. If anybody made too much trouble, a squad of their own was sent out to deal with them. Meeting with Dagon too later, She looked over the calendar in her notebook as she ascended the stairs to her office.
The plan had been to relocate to Viscera at some point but she simply felt more in touch with the politics and economics of the city while being near its center. Flipping the page, her eyes went wide. The book was put away, her steps speeding up as her armor appeared around her. What is that power? Did Verena come back yet again? Cless was still in her office, painting. Her runes informed her that the girl was fine, for now at least. Could it be that remaining demon?
The door swung open, Claire stepping inside, ready to activate all the defensive enchantments in the building to protect the girl. She looked at the intruder with her mana sight and tensed up, feeling the pure arcane exuding from the woman.
“Relax Claire, it’s me.” The voice was familiar, her mana sight deactivated before she looked at the familiar smirk of Ilea. She wore brown simple pants and a white shirt with embroideries near the chest and shoulders, her hair hung loosely down her back, black as a raven. The blue eyes were piercing as always but somehow she felt calm, looking at them. Ilea was sitting on the floor, her legs crossed as she watched the girl paint.
Matured? Deadly…, Claire couldn’t quite place the look, relaxing when Ilea turned her attention back to the painting, Cless was working on. Turning her mana sight back on, she put her work onto the table, seeing the familiar glow around the paintbrush and canvas, the girl’s magic growing by the day. Ilea on the other hand was covered in runes, shining bright. A spot near her back shined in a dark red glow. “You’re back.” Was all she managed, unable to identify the woman.
[Healer - ??]
She evolved. Two fifty? Three hundred even? She gulped, feeling inadequate with her own growth, her higher level being at two twenty. Only thanks to the demons that were still birthed or summoned in the lake down in the Haven. She stepped closer, the painting showing a man in spiked armor, needles floating around him as he faced down a horrible winged creature with a hideous distorted face. Gargoyles… he’s still in that castle.