Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress' Knights Tournament

Chapter 24

The early morning sun glared down on Caspian as he wandered the streets of Axium. He was looking for the inn that Erica was staying at. With everything that had happened, he couldn't remember the precise location, but he was sure that it was somewhere within this section of the city.

He'd left Elincia to the other sorceresses. She would be safe there, he knew. Elincia had also mentioned that she had something she needed to do.

The streets weren't busy. With the first day of the festival done and over with, Caspian assumed that most of the population was currently nursing a nasty hangover. With the streets clear, he was able to make good time and quickly find the place where Erica and her entourage were residing.

The Boar's Hat was an older tavern. The building showed its age. Bricks were fading, the roof had clearly been retiled several times as many of the tiles were different colors, and the entrance door appeared weathered. As he stepped onto the raised platform, the wooden planks beneath him creaked ominously. He ignored this and walked into the tavern.

Several patrons were already up. Some appeared to be eating breakfast while reading the newspaper, and others appeared to be, as he suspected, nursing a bad hangover. Walking past several worn down round tables, Caspian walked up to the bar, where the barkeeper was wide awake and wearing a belligerent expression.

No rest for the weary, I suppose.

"Excuse me," Caspian said. "Which room can I find Erica in?"

The man placed his hands on the table, palms splayed, and frowned at him. "What'll ya be havin?"

Caspian frowned. "I'm not here for breakfast. I'd simply like to find Erica."

"If you ain't gonna order something, I ain't got no reason to answer yer questions."

Caspian struggled to keep a lid on his emotions. The reason this man was acting this way was because nobody was paying attention to them, and he could afford to be a jerk. While Caspian didn't know this man, the innkeeper clearly knew him. It was no surprise, really, but it did grate on his nerves.

He was just about to tell this man where he could shove it—

"Caspian?"

—when a voice spoke up behind him.

Caspian stood up and turned around. Derek stood before him. He was dressed, as always, in his red suit of armor, and the giant claymore that he carried hung easily from his back. Caspian wondered if the man ever took that armor off.

"Derek, I was looking for you."

"Oh? You were looking for me?" Derek didn't look surprised, nor did he sound shocked. "I'm guessing you'd like me to train you." It wasn't a question.

"Uh, yes. How did you—?"

"Erica told me that you might stop by and ask for training. She's already gone to meet with Elincia."

"Oh..."

"Hey, Derek," Collafloore called out as he came down the stairs. "Do you know where—oh! Caspian. What are you doing here?"

"Caspian has come to me for training." Derek's chest seemed to swell with pride. "I'm going to be training him."

Collafloore looked uninspired. "Well, that's nice. Now, could you tell me where my sister is?"

"She went with Erica," Derek said, his shoulders slumping.

"Damn that woman," Collafloore swore. "She's always wandering off with Tiffania!"

"So," Derek turned back to Caspian, "Are you ready to begin training?"

"Um..." Caspian needed a moment to respond properly. "Yes. I'm ready."