34 | The Recruitment Tavern

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XXXIV | THE RECRUITMENT TAVERN

    The recruitment tavern was, in a sense, an exclusive club for casters, extravagant in design and exuding with power associated with casting. Instead of the standard two-storey wooden building Kael normally associated with taverns, he stood in front of a large stone behemoth, with pillars supporting a crisp white covering above the porch. Next to a large door, two guards stood like erected statues. This wasn't a tavern. It was a temple!

    "You're gonna catch a fly," Nox said with a chuckle.

    Kael stopped gawping, clamping his mouth shut. "This is the recruitment tavern?"

    Nox crossed his arms behind his head. "Not what you expect, huh? Let's go inside and see what we can find you."

    "Okay." Kael watched the white pillars as he walked forward, resisting the urge to touch their rippled edges. Nox greeted the guards, who let him in without even needing to look at his license. As they entered the large doorway, Kael was greeted by a great expanse of a smooth marbled floor. Tables for meals were bolted to the ground, and a large, wide staircase led up to what Kael suspected was a sleeping area. 

    Kael's eyes were drawn to massive paintings from the Rudimentary Age hanging on all walls, displaying discoloured figures of landforms and animals. It would have cost a fortune to get all of those unless they were forgeries.

    "Glarid!" Nox's voice bounced off the cold walls. Kael jumped, his skin prickling at how silent the place seemed to be. "I know you're here!"

    Something crashed from behind a marble counter. A groan was followed by a beefy arm slapping the surface.

   "We're closed!" a gruff voice said in annoyance. "Get out!"

   Nox winked at Kael before leading him towards the counter, where a disheveled man popped up from behind. His long, dark hair fell to his shoulders, connecting with a bushy beard partway through; a few strands fell into his light brown eyes, clearly annoying him. Pushing them up, he sighed.

    "Oh, it's you," he muttered. "You want a mission, you know where to find them. There was no need to wake me up."

    "Oh, but there was." Nox gestured to Kael, and Glarid's eyes narrowed. "Glarid, this here's Kael. He's got community service and was wondering if you had a job for him."

    "I didn't know Kly had a son." Glarid grunted. "Did he finally settle down, or is this his illegitimate love child? Took long enough. Who's next? You or Darron?"

    Kael's mouth dropped open, and he gave Nox a look expressed in such a way that he didn't have to voice his question: Is this guy serious?

    Nox laughed, taking a seat on a tall stool. "You got a good sense of humour, Glarid. It's one of the reasons I like you."

    Glarid shot Nox a glare. "I'm not kidding."

    Nox shook his head with a smile. "Come take a seat, Kael." Then, to Glarid, "He's Kly's brother."

    Glarid grunted, not disappointed by his wrong speculation. "Close enough. Now, what you here for?"

    "Like I said," Nox replied. "He needs some work to do. He'll come back next week and the week after that. Community service."

    "He's a troublemaker, eh? Then I don't need him."

    Kael awkwardly twiddled with his thumb. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't known what job he would get for his community service, and with Nox being the mentor in charge of the floor he resided at, he hadn't been sure if he would be able to fulfill his punishment. He was surprised Nox had even considered taking him to find a job.

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