Once we passed the gatehouse inspection, Kalistra practically dragged me back to the tavern.

Bernetta, who was manning the reception desk, covered her mouth politely to stifle her laugh when she saw what the cat girl was doing to me.

"She's scary when she's hungry," I explained with a shrug.

The tavern keeper nodded sympathetically at my plight. "I shall inform the kitchen staff to prepare a hearty feast for one hungry cat girl," she announced.

Kalistra's ears twitched at our light banter. She couldn't help being hungry after eating that birds feed for lunch! Undeterred, the cat girl continued to forcefully pull on my arm and led me to the VIP room.

Thankfully, the room was not occupied and thus, we were able to claim it for ourselves.

Bernetta followed us to the VIP room and then closed the door behind us.

Once she left, Kalistra nosily pulled my seat from under the table and roughly shoved me into it.

"-1 Health." Ow. "Don't you think you're going a little overboard?" I asked her.

My master's tail lashed back and forth dangerously. Her eyes glowed. "You don't win a war on an empty stomach," she hissed.

Bila laughed out loud. "And I thought I was dangerous when I'm starving," she commented.

Kalistra hissed again. She finally took her seat to my right. She absentmindedly extended her claws and almost started scratching on the table when the cat girl suddenly remembered where she was. Kalistra immediately retracted her claws and leaned her head on the table instead.

I was really amused at her antics. Away from her burdens and responsibilities to maintain a proper image as the heir to a prestigious dojo, Kalistra was acting like an ordinary teenager. I exchanged a knowing glance with Bila, who kept quiet.

Our honey meads were brought to us quickly. The food, unfortunately, took a good ten minutes to arrive.

Poor Kalistra's ears were downcast. She kept wincing as if she was experiencing pangs of hunger. Suddenly, she sprang back to life when she heard the door open again.

Bernetta entered the VIP room with a small entourage of servers, each of whom was carrying a large tray burdened with food.

Before we knew it, our table for 12 was filled with dishes of food. There were a half dozen platters of fish alone; each was served in a different style as I saw some had spicy sauce while others were steamed or fried. Shrimp and calamari were served similarly. Of course, we also received big bowls of fish soup plus garlic bread.

Without a word to me, my bodyguards passed over their soups to me. Neither cat girl was stupid enough to fill her stomach with soup when such delicious entrees were before their eyes!

Since I had a problem with the fish bones and thus, would not eat fish, I was perfectly fine with this arrangement. I was content to fill my belly with soup and bread.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. The rest of my party entered the VIP room.

"I thought you will wait for us to return before starting dinner," Van remarked.

Bila pointed a paw across the table. "We had to feed a starving monster before she went on a rampage."

The paladin imagined the havoc Kalistra could create and he winced. "Point taken," he admitted and quietly took his seat. The others also took their seats.

I looked around the table and saw that Yradmin and Sanhewa were missing.

When I pointed this out, Rijana said with a shrug, "We invited them to dine with us but they both declined."

I nodded. The mage probably wanted to report back to the Magic Guild ASAP. The hunter saw himself as a merc-for-hire and probably didn't want to give me, or the city residents, the wrong impression of having any interest in a closer relationship with me. "So how was your exploration of Chilworth?" I asked.

Van, Rijana, Bjoukia, and Bjoukin exchanged glances. In unison, they gave me a thumbs-up!

Bjoukin spoke up. "There was a tiny village with a few houses at Chilworth. When we inquired about the ruins, the residents knew what we were talking about and led us to the entrance, which turned out to be a cave. However, a bear decided to make its den in that cave and we decided to leave it alone for now."

"Excellent work!" I praised them. "Tomorrow, we will depart for Chilworth after breakfast. Can we hire a guide from the village to take us there again?" I asked.

Bjoukin shook his head. "No need. I already know the way to return to the cave."

I nodded in appreciation at the ranger. I was happy to save some coin for this mission. I looked at the table and noticed that the plates were empty. "You guys want seconds?" I asked with a wink. Since the Magic Guild was paying for our meal, I may as well run up the tab.

Kalistra's ears perked up. She cleared her throat and said calmly, "Yes, please."

Bila rose from her seat. "I'll go make the request." She left the room.

While waiting for the additional food to arrive, I caught Rijana's eye and said, "I had a duel with Delkon today."

Everyone in the room froze. It was madness for me to duel a master mage.

"Why?" Rijana asked in a calm tone of voice.

"He allowed me to copy Invisibility and Lightning Bolt from his spellbook. He wanted me to practice using those spells," I explained.

My magic instructor was drinking from her mug and she nearly spat out the mead. "How . . . generous of him," she said after taking a moment to collect her wits. Rijana wasn't sure if she should feel honored that Councilor Delkon would entrust her pupil with his spellbook or angry that he would usurp her role as my magic instructor. But since Delkon Jawsul WAS a member of the Leadership Council, there was nothing she could do about it. After all, who could she complain to about this breach of tradition?

"He took me to his private training hall and we fought a match. Delkon limited his repertoire to Fifth-Tier air magic or lower. He started with Invisibility to avoid my melee attacks. Before the match started, though, he created several Walls of Airs and pinned me down when I accidentally backed into them. Then we exchanged Lightning Bolts," I recalled the specifics of my duel.

Rijana raised her hand. "Let me get this straight. You actually exchanged Lightning Bolt with an Air magic specialist?" Her eyebrows were raised and the expression on her face left no doubt what she thought of my action.

"Yes," I nodded.

"How much damage was done by each spell?"

"60 from him after factoring in my small Resistance to Electricity. 10 from me after a 50% reduction."

Rijana shook her head. "This is the reason why you shouldn't attack an Air mage with air magic. His skill level is obviously maxed out at level 10. Lightning Bolt does 1d8 damage per skill level. His specialty in air magic gives him a bonus in causing damage while he can reduce damage received from air magic. Therefore, Lightning Bolt for Lightning Bolt was an especially bad trade. You should have cast Fireball instead," she explained.

"I understood," I nodded.

"Now what do you mean Delkon took you to his private training hall?"

"He has a magic ring that creates a portal to his own training hall in the Plane of Air," I explained.

"Wow!" she gasped. It was unheard of for any mage to carry his own portable training hall.

Suddenly, Bernetta and several servers returned with more food.

The cat girls resumed their combat for their favorite dishes.

I was already full from having three bowls of soup. I simply sat and watched my companions finish the food on the table.

Soon, the horn blew seven times in the distance. Bernetta entered with an anxious look on her face.

"We're finished," I said with a smile. No doubt she wanted to use the VIP room to seat important guests. Furthermore, we had stayed for over an hour and it was time for us to relinquish the room to other VIP guests.

The tavern owner gave me a smile of gratitude as we quickly vacated the room.

When we returned to the lobby, I turned around and said, "I'm going to bed early. It's been a long day." I waved my hand and walked up the stairs.

The cat girls followed me.

I unlocked the door to my guest room and flopped, belly first, into my bed. I soon fell asleep.

***

The pain registered in my mind and my fight-or-flight response automatically kicked in. My eyes opened and my body became tense. Finally, my brain located the source of the pain--in my right shoulder. I relaxed as I read the pop-up message: "-1 Health." "Good morning, Kalistra," I said calmly.

"Oh, good! You're awake now," the evil minx replied nonchalantly.

"No thanks to you," I muttered quietly.

"Say what?" her eyes glowed menacingly.

"Nothing. What time is it?"

"The seventh horn."

Wow, that meant I slept for 12 hours! No wonder I felt like a different person this morning! I stretched my arms above my head and took a deep breath. I couldn't recall the last time I awoke from Kalistra's claw-poke in the same bed two mornings in a row. Um . . . actually, never. I turned my head and looked at my bodyguard. "I'm still in Southampton, right?" I asked hesitantly.

*Wham* Kalistra smacked me in the back of my skull. "-1 Health." Ow! "What did you do that for?"

"You're implicitly doubting my ability to guard you and keep you safe. I took offense at that remark and acted accordingly," she replied while her tail flickered dangerously.

I rolled my eyes. It was too early in the morning for me to walk on eggshells with Kalistra. I looked at the ground and saw that Bila was still sleeping, curled up, on the floor. I got off my bed and quietly approached her. I went down on one knee and gently shook her shoulder. "It's time to get up," I said.

The tall cat girl opened her eyes and stared at me. She sat upright and, without warning, wrapped her arms around me. She rubbed her face against me and started purring. "Good morning, master."

Hiss!

I heard Kalistra's warning behind my back and quickly pushed Bila away to break her embrace. I didn't want the two to start a catfight! "We need to go downstairs and break our fast. Also, I don't anticipate staying here another night. So make sure we leave nothing personal in this room," I ordered. For emphasis, I put on my backpack, which was still loaded with travel provisions.

The two cat girls obeyed my order and made sure the room was empty of our belongings. When we left our room, we saw our companions standing in the hallway.

"About time you guys showed up!" Bjoukia said in a cheerful tone of voice.

"Good morning!" I replied. "After we finish exploring the ruins today, we will head over to the Magic Guild for transportation to London. So make sure you take all your belongings with you when we leave this tavern," I warned them.

Rijana turned around and showed me her pack. "We're way ahead of you," she smiled.

"I'm hungry. Let's go eat!" Bila said and grabbed my hand. She dragged me down the stairs like an impatient child.

When we reached the lobby, I walked over to Bernetta, who was already manning the reception desk. "We're leaving Southampton today. We're returning the keys to our guest rooms," I explained and placed the keys on the desk.

The tavern owner bowed deeply to me. "Then you must eat a hearty breakfast before you leave!" Bernetta left her station, hooked her arm through me, and led me to the VIP room.

As we passed by the common room, the patrons bowed respectfully to me. When we reached the VIP room, the hostess finally released my arm. "I'll be right back!" she promised and left.

I took my customary seat at the head of the table and my companions took their usual seats as well. "Is Yradmin coming with us?" I asked.

Bjoukin shook his head. "He said the contract has been completed."

Bila spoke up. "The deal was for him to help us locate the ruins near Southampton. Since we have done so, he probably thinks he has fulfilled his contract."

I nodded in acceptance of this explanation. Yradmin kept to himself during our search for the ruins yesterday and he made it clear that he wasn't going to continue to explore the ruins with us. "But you do know the way to reach the ruins from here, right?" I asked.

Bjoukin laughed. "I'm a ranger, remember?" he replied while pointing a finger at himself. "I can lead the way from Southampton to the ruins in Chilworth," he reassured me.

Suddenly, the door opened; Bernetta and a group of servers entered with our meals. Each of us received a bowl of seafood soup and freshly baked bread. "Please let me know if you need seconds," she smiled and then left the room.

We quickly devoured the delicious soup. It was clam chowder with plenty of potatoes and corn; there was a sweetness to the taste. The bread was soft and easy to digest. Small wonder, then, that everyone in the room took up Bernetta's offer for a second serving. After we finished our delicious meals, I placed a gold coin on the table as a generous tip for the staff. "Let's go," I ordered and we exited the VIP room.

As we passed by the reception desk in the lobby, Bernetta waved goodbye. "I bid you safe travels, Lord Mulligan." The workers at the tavern appeared in the lobby and bowed deeply in unison.

"Thank you!" I replied graciously and left The Trade Wind for the last time.

We made our way to the gatehouse and managed to leave Southampton before the eighth horn. Once we left the city, Bjoukin took the lead. We were a good five minutes away from Southampton when we heard someone running toward us.

I turned and saw that it was Sanhewa!

The blonde haired red mage was frantically waving her arms.

We stopped and waited for her catch up.

"I apologize for my lateness, Lord Mulligan!" Sanhewa huffed.

"I'm glad you made it," I smiled politely. I was hoping to leave the city without her but alas, it was not meant to be. She was a spy for the Leadership Council and frankly, I would prefer to keep information regarding the Ph'laen Ruins within my party.

We continued our trek to Chilworth but moved at a slower pace than before. I suspected that Bjoukin wanted to give Sanhewa time to regain her breath and I was perfectly fine with it.

When the small village of Chilworth was in sight, the ranger took a sharp right turn along the trail. We followed a row of trees and stopped in front of a small cave.

I put my hand on Bjoukin's shoulder and pulled him back slightly. I closed my eyes and triggered Spirit Sense. I felt a strong, brown aura just inside the opening of the cave. I opened my eyes and saw the notification: "Spirit sense SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP." "The bear is inside," I announced.

Kalistra's eyes glowed with delight at the thought of fighting a bear.

I noticed her eagerness and held up my hand. "I don't want to kill the bear unless it's 100% necessary. Kalistra, I want you to lure the bear out of the cave and get it to chase you. Then use your speed to lose the bear and double back here. The rest of us will hide and then enter the cave once the bear is gone."

Bjoukin smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. "Good plan," he praised. The elf did not wish to kill the bear, either, and he was glad that we will make the effort to avoid killing the innocent creature.

Kalistra, however, had a different reaction. Her ears were downcast and she frowned at my order. "Fine," she pouted.

The ranger took us to a group of nearby trees and we hid behind the trees.

Kalistra untied her scabbard and quietly entered the cave. She saw the bear was sleeping soundly. With an evil grin, the cat girl smacked her scabbard on the bear's paw. *WHAM*

The bear immediately awoke and roared in pain. It saw the source of its torment and started chasing Kalistra.

The cat girl purposely slowed her movement to allow the bear to catch up and then poured on the speed when it tried to swipe at her with its powerful claws. When Kalistra judged that she was a mile away from the cave, she jumped onto a tree branch and hopped away.

In the meantime, the rest of us left our hiding places and ran into the cave.