金瓶梅第2部

Tycondrius of Charm, Centurion Zenon Skyreaper, and Isidor the... snake ate at a restaurant called Olea Garden.

It was little better than street stall food... specifically a street stall that cheaply churned out hundreds of meals per sun.

Isidor was fed cheaply with a deal on an "endless" noodle dish, where he could finish a plate and ask for another. The ingredients for each plate was cheap enough, and Isidor ate worth... perhaps double the coin spent, had Tycon purchased the ingredients individually.

Tycon ordered the lamb. He received... a pathetically small portion of it. He also ordered some grilled chicken. That was slightly better.

Zenon consumed three entire baskets of bread, toasted with an acceptably copious amount of garlic, butter, and herbs.

Tycon thought the bread was good... though not three-baskets good.

The wine was good. The meal, overall, was... Ugh. It really was not.

...But Isidor and Zenon were happy. Good for them.

In the morning, Tycon would refill his stocks of dried herbs and spices at the market before they departed to the City of Silva. He and Zenon could hunt some wild boar or deer. He looked forward to impressing the Centurion with his campfire cooking.

During the meal, Zenon discovered that Isidor was not, in fact, human. He had pointed crocodile teeth, far more evident while he was eating. Anyroad, besides the hood, Isidor wasn't particularly hiding his features.

Tycon expected an immediate xenophobic bloodbath. Again, Zenon shattered all of the stereotypes Tycon knew of members of the Church when the Centurion only responded with excitement and good-natured curiosity. Zenon expressed that he had never met a mountain dwarf before.

Isidor was not a mountain dwarf. Tycon did not correct him.

Having lived amongst the Krakhammer dwarves for decades, Isidor was able to provide the answers to all of the Centurion's inquiries. The disguised Titan Snake was able to practice his Common, focusing on his accent. Zenon was able to gain knowledge of non-humans. Tycon was able to not think about how shite his meal was.

...

Afterward, Zenon led the group to his... dormitory room. The building was in disrepair-- but at least he wasn't the only one living in horrible conditions. A few low-level adepts walked past Sol Invictus, each of them minding their own business. They paid no special attention to Zenon other than offering a voiceless wave or nod of acknowledgment.

...Tycon had the sneaking suspicion that the Centurion did not have any friends.

The tall Librarian had to duck to avoid striking his head against the top of the door frame.

"Regulation haircut, regulation-trimmed mustache, and uniform polished to regulation standards," Tycon mused. "But not regulation height."

Zenon shrugged, "Yep, that makes me a failure."

Tycon narrowed his eyes, "I don't follow."

"It was a joke, man." The Librarian chuckled to himself, "Come on in, you two."

Isidor strolled in fearlessly. Tycon mused that if the humans had merely offered Isidor food, they would have gained enough of his trust to have the Titan Snake deliver himself to wherever the humans wished.

...Then he wouldn't have needed to go through all the trouble he had, in order to eradicate an entire Gold-Rank guild.

The Centurion's room was small, containing lockers, two desks, and having two bunk beds, a sleeping pad on the base, and a second accessible by a short ladder. A chair was set beside one of the beds, likely to allow Zenon's entire length to fit when he lied down.

"Brother Tyconnnn... He has....." Isidor pointed... at a stringed instrument on a wooden stand at the corner of the room.

"Oh, you guys wanna hear me play my guitar?" Zenon asked, almost giddy with excitement.

Tycon's mouth twitched... "Yes... If you would."

...

Tycon listened patiently to Zenon Skyreaper's musical talent. It wasn't... expert level, but if his class had been Musician, Tycon would have rated it around Bronze. Not horrid. He'd be able to earn some copper playing in the streets and... wouldn't have to starve in the woods like Sol Invictus' Ranger had.

The scaly, beardless dwarf that was Isidor... absolutely... loved it. He sat and stared, enthralled by Zenon's mastery of the arts.

...Tycon wondered if he was being too harsh in his judgment. Zenon and Isidor were both enjoying themselves, leaving only himself as miserable, worrying about what tomorrow would hold.

The warmth of being in the company of friends in good spirits was something Tycon hadn't had the chance to enjoy, as of late. One company-- he was integral to their murderous eradication. Then he sent his daughter off. And Lone got arrested for treason.

...And Isidor was leaving in the morning.

Tycon decided to change his mind. The music of the evening wasn't bad, at all.

Zenon played his guitar and he sang. The Centurion reminisced about his past (Tycon couldn't relate), and he shared his hopes and dreams. Most of all, he spoke about his hobbies-- most notably, watching gladiatorial battles in the coliseum at Caeruleum.

Tycon wondered if Zenon knew the legacy of Sol Invictus, though he wouldn't have been surprised if he did not. The young man was born in a different generation.

And besides the Centurion's extensive knowledge on the topic... he showed off his extensive... collection of... gladiator toys.

No... Zenon called it something else: his collection of 'figures,' an assortment of 5 or 6-ilm carved statuettes of assumedly real persons.

He politely, but firmly corrected Tycon when he suggested they were 'miniatures.' Apparently, there was a difference between the two. Tycon didn't know any better, so... 'figures', they were.

"Asuna, the Flash, is one of my favorites," He explained, handing a light-armored female model to Isidor.

Isidor held the figure in his open palms, knowing better than to attempt manipulating it.

"She is... pretty," Isidor held his palms out towards Tycon.

Tycon carefully picked up the figure by its base, scrutinizing it... "The attention to detail is very good. Though the art is static, the way her clothing is carved suggests dynamic movement. Wonderful."

He returned it to Zenon who nodded excitedly, "That's not all. Her underwear is visible, too. Check it out!"

With that, he popped off the figure's armor, revealing the... excruciatingly detailed intimates underneath.