Morcster Chef - B3 Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Magus swept down the streets of Seaview, his pink robes fluttering majestically behind him despite a stark lack of wind. People took one glance at him and quickly made way for the party.

They headed toward the seafront, turning down a busy street lined with dozens of shops. Magus led them up to a multistory building with a large crowd at its front. Tendrils of magic curled off his body, gently pushing in his way to the side.

Annoyed murmurs rose up from the crowd, but they silenced as soon as people realized who the magic belonged to. The Happy Sunflowers scrambled to keep up with Magus before the crowd sealed back up.

A slightly rotund man in a sleek suit stood at the front of the building, behind a wooden pillar with a thick book perched atop it. Behind him were dozens of tables full of dining patrons. He pushed a pair of round spectacles back on his nose as Magus approached.

“Do you have a reservation?”

Magus put a stack of gold on the counter. The portly man blinked and cleared his throat, snapping the book shut with a nod.

“Ah yes. I recognize you. Put the reservation in three weeks ago, I think. Follow me.”

He took them past the tables and up a flight of stairs to the second floor, where there were considerably fewer people. They stopped before a table overlooking the ocean below them.

“One of the finest views in the Brineview. A waiter will be along shortly to get your order.”

He disappeared back down the stairwell before any of them could respond. There weren’t quite enough chairs for everyone, so Arek grabbed one from a nearby table and pulled it over to sit down.

“You’ve been very busy,” Magus said, sitting down with his back facing the water. “I was not expecting to hear rumors about you aiding in stopping a monster horde in Red Mount. The ones about an orc chef squaring off against the Howler guild in the Floating Islands felt a bit more appropriate, but still somehow ended up being equally as surprising.”

“It wasn’t me,” Arek corrected. “It was Malissa. I kind of just stood there.”

“Maybe start from the beginning,” Magus suggested. “I’d like to have an understanding of what has happened these past few weeks.”

They obliged him. Belmont went through a detailed recounting of exactly what had happened. At first, Arek was slightly surprised at the detail which Belmont recalled everything. The man had memorized practically every single detail and miniscule interaction that he’d been present for.

Everything made a lot more sense when, a few minutes later, Belmont pulled a large book out of his extradimensional bag and started reading it out loud. Ming occasionally chimed in with her own additions to his retelling, but the rest of them stayed silent.

“What a story,” Magus said, rubbing his chin and shaking his head in a mixture of bewilderment and awe. “But, before I even think about any of that – Belmont, did you have the first portion of your diary memorized?”

“Of course. I just haven’t had a chance to get to the rest of it yet,” Belmont replied. “I wouldn’t want the information to be lost if the book were somehow damaged.”

“Do you memorize all of your diaries?” Arek asked.

“…yes?” Belmont replied, saying it as if the orc had grown deluded. “Why wouldn’t I? Any diary could hypothetically be destroyed or lost.”

“We should probably just move on,” Malissa suggested. “Magus, do you know anything more about the Howler guild?”

Magus raised a finger, then nodded at the staircase. They turned as a well dressed waiter approached their table bearing five menus. He placed them on the table before everyone.

“Would you like any refreshments?” the waiter asked.

“Water for all of us, please,” Malissa said.

“Of course. I’ll return shortly.”

“Actually, give us about ten minutes,” Magus said. “We have things to discuss in private.”

“Of course, sir,” the waiter said, inclining his head and heading back down the stairs. Magus flicked his fingers, summoning a shimmering blue dome around their table.

“Much of your story confirms the information I discovered,” Magus said, crossing his hands before him. “Their influence was significantly more extensive than I predicted. They’ve got enough influence in the Adventurer’s Guild to almost completely lock me out of my investigation, so I had to turn to some of my more unsavory contacts.”

“And?” Belmont pressed.

“The Howlers are indeed related to the monster hordes,” Magus said. “At least, all the information strongly points toward that. They’re trying to demolish or terrify any areas that they can’t get a foothold in. The ones that survive are in need of protection and the Adventurer’s Guild looks incompetent, so the Howlers can move in. They’ve done it to several cities already, although you and the other groups at Red Mount thwarted one of their attempts.”

“And the Adventurer’s Guild is so corrupt that they aren’t doing anything about it?” Malissa asked.

“It’s more like the good ones are so caught up in doing things properly that they won’t move until it’s too late,” Magus replied irritably. “They want to move through the courts, but with the Howler’s people slowing everything down, we’ll be too late to make any significant difference.”

“So can’t you just gather the other high ranking mages that would stand against them and make a move?” Arek asked.

“I’ve been working on that,” Magus replied, reaching into his bag and pulling out a handkerchief that had been squished up into a bundle. He unfurled it just enough to reveal a cracked green orb. “We’ve been scouring dungeons in populated areas, and we’ve already found three of these devices.”

“Bastards,” Belmont snarled. “And I bet there’s no evidence to link them to the Howlers.”

“None,” Magus admitted. “None beyond your anecdote from Red Mount, which is incredibly important – if we can actually get things to court. The Ox and his team have been strikingly unhelpful.”

Ming pressed her lips together.

“So what do we do?” Arek asked.

“About the Howlers? Nothing,” Magus replied. “You’ve done your part. You can’t square up against their highest ranking mages – they’ve got multiple A ranks in their guild. If anything, you might be called on for a court case once this is all over. However, there is something significantly more important for all of you that I’ve discovered.”