Last night's chapter.....this is my attempt to be like GRR Martin and have stories within stories. Generally, I like following one POV, but book 7 is going to follow the MC, otherworlders, and Konstantin. Konstantin's arc will be 3 or 4 chapters in book 7, with the Epilogue of book 7 being the confrontation.Soldier Seraphim chapter will be started after lunch!
Chapter 390: Konstantin
Konstantin finished pouring an ale for Dylan, a local potter who spent most of his afternoons at Konstantin’s bar complaining about how poorly his wares sold. It grated on Komstantin that the man worked a few hours in the morning, thinking he had accomplished something, and then spent the rest of the day drinking here. If the potter just put in a little effort and worked a few full days, his inventory would grow, increasing his sales. He wanted to shake some sense into the man, but that was not his calling these days. Maybe he should have gone with Eryk and Castile after the otherworlders. It would certainly be more exciting than listening to the economics of the pottery profession every afternoon.
The afternoon started to fade into twilight, and the locals who were too exhausted to cook for themselves or didn’t have a woman at home were starting to arrive. The odor of an honest day’s labor started to fill the common room, and the servers were getting busy. Konstantin backed off the bar as Anita arrived to take over pouring drinks, giving him time to step back and watch the flow of people. He took some coin and handed out room keys to a few regular merchants who passed through every week on their route. The monotony was a bit mind-numbing, but he forced an affable persona to the forefront as he interacted with the customers.
Three men walked into Adrian’s Rest in heavy cloaks. They caught Komstantin’s attention immediately; his danger sense crept up. Finally, something interesting, he thought. Their caramel skin meant they were likely from the south. Maybe they were assassins hired by the Empire. His blade, Shockwave, was hidden under the bar and within easy reach, and he had four knives on his person.
As the three men found seats in the corner, Konstantin nodded to Byron. Byron was a sellsword from Keisinia. He was once a captain in a mage lord’s personal guard, but that mage lord ended up blowing up half his tower. Byron thought it might be best to see the world rather than sign on with a new mage lord. Konstantin bonded with the gruff veteran, and while he was in Gramney, Konstantin gave him a room for free as long as he watched the common in the evening. It looked like his services might be needed tonight, Konstantin thought in anticipation. Byron nodded back and pretended to be more interested in his drink than the other patrons.
The three men ordered the special: herb-bread-and-butter-stuffed guinea pig with a spicy honey glaze with a side of potato slices fried in bacon fat. Gilda was experimenting with the meat for the special and couldn’t decide if she liked using the rabbit, chicken, or guinea pig. Konstantin preferred her thick, hearty beef stew to all these fancy dishes she made to attract wealthier patrons. Though he admitted that he had become partial to the pepper bread with the caramelized cheese baked into the crust. It was best slathered with one of the fancy spreads she made a few minutes out of the oven, when the crust had just cooled, but the center was still warm and spongy.
When the three foreigners ordered the local ale, Konstantin signaled to the old serving woman, Gretchen, that he would deliver the mugs to their table. Placing the mugs roughly on the table, Konstantin barked a greeting expectantly, “Greetings, you lads look to be a long way from home.”
The one in the middle with greasy black hair spoke. “We came to Gramney specifically to visit your inn,” he replied in accented speech. Konstantin guessed they were from the southern part of Gesedmuria, maybe even the Duchy of Gonshuia.
“Oh really? I should be honored,” Konstantin said, watching their feet for movement and their shoulders for tension. He could take the one on the left easily, and Byron could take the one on the right from behind…
“Yeah, we have been contracted to procure two bottles of Elven Ambrosia.” He placed a silver Adventurers Guild medallion on the table. “Heard you had good stock here, and it would save us from traveling up to the elven kingdom of Esenhem.”
The adrenaline faded from his veins and the old legionnaire tried to hide his disappointment. “Thirty gold a bottle,” he informed them. That was more than normal by a fair margin, but this group had gotten his hopes up for some exercise, only to shatter his fighting spirit.
The three adventurers left a short time later with their two bottles of elven whisky, quite content. The rest of the evening seemed to drag on. Mateo stopped by after he closed his shop and inundated Konstantin with stories of his customers from the day. All Konstantin could do was nod numbly through it and pretend to listen. Mateo only practiced with him once a week and was starting to develop a paunch. The boy was content with his new life, and he had a babe due soon, so there was no need to needle him. He wished Eryk were around because needling him usually helped lift his spirits.
When the common shut off the tap, the locals flooded out, and the patrons went to their rooms. Gilda was hard at work cleaning the kitchen and prepping for breakfast in the kitchens. After she was done, she would canvass the city and check in with their contacts. If the contacts didn’t catch the three southern adventurers entering the city, he would have to find new watchers for the gates. At least it was something to do.
Konstantin locked the door and left for Viridia’s villa. The streets were too well lit in this part of the city, and the patrols of the knight banners and their squires kept the ruffians away. There was nothing much exciting ever going on in Gramney. The king had an extensive network of informants and seemed to know of any plots before they came to fruition. It was a very boring city.
He reached the steps and was happy to see Viridia had changed the handles to silver tarnished with alchemist oil to appear like iron. He would check all the other entrances before he left to make sure she was not just placating him with the front door. The two guards halted him, and he grunted angrily in challenge. “Password,” the older one asked unperturbed.
Konstantin nodded. It had taken a two weeks to get the household guards to confirm his identity. With Castile and Viridia meddling in Empire politics and trade, and the Emperor already attempting to kill Castile, they needed to be vigilant and not take what their eyes saw for granted.
“Neptune’s spear,” Konstantin said, and the pair slid their hands to their blades. “Good, just testing you. It is Fortuna’s Kiss today,” he said. The password changed based on the day of the week. The two guards looked nervously at each other. “Go ahead,” Konstantin encouraged. He had spoken the wrong password, so they were supposed to ask a follow-up question.
“Who was Castile’s first porter?” the older guard asked.
“That would be Plinius,” Veridia answered for the guard. The door swung open, and Viridia stood there with a furrowed brow. “I thought you were coming early to have dinner with the children and me?”
“Had some interesting travelers at the inn and wanted to make sure they were not going to cause trouble,” he said, stretching the truth.
“Well, Marius is waiting for his lessons,” the enchanting woman said, smiling and covering her irritation well.
Konstantin stepped past the guards, and Viridia smirked and didn’t move. He knew what she wanted, wrapped her up, and pulled her into the villa, taking her in a passionate kiss. Now that Dominic was a few months old, her libido was insatiable. Viridia’s hands tried to convince Konstantin to skip training with Marius, but she could wait until after he got some exercise. He gave her a suggestive squeeze and stepped out of her disappointed reach.
He met Marius in the gardens under glowstone lights. Moths and insects buzzed in the air, and the young man swatted them away irritably. “Why can’t we practice midday? The bugs are horrendous at night,” the boy complained.
“That is precisely why,” Konstantin intoned. “If you want to be a true master, you need to fight with distractions. Every time you slap one of the insects, it will be followed with a slap from my blade.”
The boy worshipped Konstantin and nodded in response to the challenge. The session would not be a challenge for Konstantin, though. It was a test of his patience, and he had to keep reminding himself that Marius was not a legionnaire. The practice lasted three hours, and both were covered in numerous bug bites and soaked in sweat from the unseasonably hot, humid air. The boy was getting better but wouldn’t test him for a few more years. Maybe Bryon would want to spar in the morning.
“I think mother’s patience is at an end,” Marius said, panting. Konstantin looked up at the balcony, and Viridia stood in her sheer nightgown, leaving little to the imagination. Konstantin gave Marius a few things to improve on before retreating to the villa.
Viridia called down as he passed under her, “Don’t bathe, I like it when you are all sweaty!” An hour later, Viridia was contentedly sleeping in her expansive bed. The sheets would be laundered and dried by the staff in the morning. He checked on her, making sure she was fast asleep before heading to use the baths. It would be cold water, but welcome.
He paused at the door to Viridia’s office and entered. Castile and Viridia did much of their plotting in here, and it contained her business ledgers and correspondence with her contacts across the continent. He didn’t hesitate, going for the secret compartment, opening it with his spell form. The lock clicked, and he gripped the sconce to remove the stone covering.
He took a seat and a glowstone from a pouch and started going through the stack of papers. There were three stacks: business contracts, her secret ledger of informants, and correspondence from those informants. It was the latter that Konstantin was interested in.
He stopped at the first as it was an informant in the Imperial Palace spying on Emperor Octavius. The Emperor’s new wife had birthed a son. Konstantin shook his head, seeing it was dated over a month ago. Castile was a fool for not telling Eryk this. He could see why, as the boy would rush off to save her and likely get himself killed, but he knew the boy had had feelings for Mage Renna. If Eryk ever learned Castile withheld this news from him, he would never trust Castile again.
He kept going through the correspondence and stopped again. It wasn’t the only news the pair were keeping secret. There was a letter from Linus, the company’s old medic. He was working for Duchess Veronica in Sobral. The letter provided many updates, some direct from the Duchess herself, as Castile had formed an alliance with the young woman. But what angered Konstantin the most was that Hounds had passed through the city on assignment. The Pack was headed south to keep a watch on the goblin city.
“How long have you known about the secret cache?” Viridia’s voice made him look up. Her bare silhouette stood in the archway.
“Since the first night we spent together,” he replied honestly. It was met with a slight nob from Viridia.
“You are going, aren’t you?” she said resignedly.
“This news is old? Why didn’t you tell me?” he said levelly.
“You know why,” Viridia said irritably.
“Yes, I going,” Konstantin said, putting the papers back.
“Can you wait for the others to return at least? Eryk…” Viridia started to say.
“No, this is something I can do on my own. Something I need to do on my own,” the veteran said.
“Dominic needs a father…” Viridia started to say.
“And I will be back before he is walking,” Konstantin answered. He walked past the beautiful woman, their naked bodies touching briefly. That is what this relationship was, Konstantin thought. An animalistic lust. Otherwise, how could someone so young desire a washed-up legionnaire who had gone completely white?” He dressed, stopped by Dominic’s crib briefly, kissing his forehead, and then left the villa.
Konstantin stared at the maps on the wall in Eryk’s room at Adrian’s Rest. They covered this half of the continent and had small notes posted throughout. He was familiarizing himself with the changes that had occurred over the last year. Gilda walked into the room in her overweight, aged form, and Mateo followed. Both were dressed and ready for travel. “I’m going alone,” he said after glancing at them.
“This is not something you can do alone,” Mateo said, grinning.
“What he said,” Gilda added.
He looked at them both seriously. “No. Firth is mine,” he said with finality as he walked past them. He had a long ride ahead of him.
© Copyrighted 2024-2026 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No permission is granted to translate, copy, or repost this original work of fiction. If you're reading this outside my Patreon, it has been stolen without my consent and infringes on DMCA rights. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removing or changing this notice indicates you're aware of the DMCA violation. No permission is given to use my original work for AI training.