Tipping the Scale

The Making of a Plan (Part 3)

While going down, she noticed some of the men returning from dinner, reminding her that she hadn't had any food since the day before. Normally it was Crystal who would make sure she ate in time, but with her being gone the whole day, Lidea had forgotten about it. The smell of stew wafted her way and her stomach began to growl. Now that she wasn't going to live in the infirmary anymore, she would have to get used to taking her meals at the communal mess hall. Figuring this was as good a time as any, she followed her nose to one of the buildings closest to the exercise field. It had been taken care of better than the others. The white façade had been mostly freed from the blueish moss and even a freshly painted sign had been hung depicting a rearing white stallion with a pull of beer.

If she hadn't been standing in an underground city, she could have envisioned it being one of the many taverns lining the streets of the capital city.

Her hand hovered over the doorknob, as she tried to calm her nerves. Rationally she understood that there was no reason for her apprehension, but the thought of being the only outsider among them made her stomach churn. Or maybe that was just her hunger.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself and pushed through the door without a second thought. Inside she was met by a cacophony of voices, and the familiar smell of food and drink. The room was filled with circular wooden tables, each of which was packed with people. Most seemed to have finished their meals and were now enjoying each other's company while having some beer and playing cards. Looking at her surroundings, she could almost imagine herself standing in a pub above ground instead of this makeshift mess hall.

Yet, at a closer look, she could make out the remnants of what had once been a noble's sitting room.

Some pieces of heraldic wood paneling still remained higher on the wall, but it was the ceiling that gave the biggest insight. Painted completely in expensive blues, it depicted a peaceful scenery of colorful dragons flying around the centerpiece of the room. A great chandelier, adorned with rubies and rhinestones that had somehow survived any sticky hands through the years.

She didn't immediately notice when a hush fell over the crowd. Pulling her attention away from the plafond, she saw how most of the men had turned to stare at her. They were probably wondering at her presence, but she wasn't in the mood to explain herself and decided to ignore them instead.

They will get used to me eventually.

Their eyes made her uncomfortable, and she hurriedly picked her way through the crowd. Trying desperately not to trip over any stray legs. Finally, she reached the doorway leading to the connecting room, in which she could see the end of a short cue. Joining the line, she let her eyes wander over the table that they were slowly moving towards. She was glad to see a variety of food to choose from, but couldn't help staring at some of the platters which were suspended in the air. An inscribed crystal laid beneath them and glowed a feint orange. Lidea had heard of inscription magic before. From what she understood, it was a technique through which magicians embedded a piece of their magic into an object. The book had told her, that its invention had been a breakthrough for the magical realm. All who held magic were limited to those kinds for which they held aptitude. Be it water magic, invisibility, or something as stupid as running fast. Yet inscribed objects could be activated by all varieties of magic. Making it possible for magicians to use skills that had previously been out of reach.

None of the people around her seemed to be as entranced by the display of magic, as she was. Which was to be expected as all of them had some sort of magic ability and had presumably been educated on the subject. Looking from face to face, she didn't find anyone with whom she was acquainted enough to ask further questions. Instead, she made a mental note to look into it later, when she returned to her reading.