Chapter 2095: An Odd Hotel

Eryman was not in any way prepared for what he found when he was brought over to the Dollhouse to set him up with what the bunnies informed him was the "Presidential Suite".

First off, he walked in the door, and found that the desk clerk was a Supreme Ranked construct, somewhere between a Gargoyle and an Epic Golem.

That was definitely unexpected.

Then there were the "Dolls" the puppet type constructs that carried the amenities tray, and the welcome gifts to the room, as he didn’t have any luggage.

Naturally, very few would, unless they had completely overloaded their storage space, or had an unfortunate System that didn’t grant one. But it was somehow still part of the ritual of checking in to have the staff accompany you to your room.

Karl was following a few steps behind, letting Lala do all the talking. She was happy to introduce everything to the Legend, and to set up reservations for the nine o clock dinner showing in the theatre.

That was the last showing of the evening, as it ran until nearly midnight, including the scheduled play and the dances.

But it was the most fun, and it came with everything that he could want, including unlimited food and drinks from their special menu. The Legendary Paladin turned out to be quite a foodie, at least when Lala was around to encourage him, and he had made it all the way to his room before he realized that none of his Paladins had been informed of his change of location.

"Would you like for us to send them to your suite or arrange rooms for them nearby? The suite can be altered to have servants quarters, but it’s not designed for a twenty person group.

Most of the rooms are designed for five."

Eryman shook his head. "No, arrange rooms of them somewhere, and make sure that they’re comfortable. I will inform them that they’re off duty for the evening, and we will catch up in the morning.

Then, I will go check on the spears, and tour the city.

No need to provide an escort for that, I’ll have the Paladins to keep the annoying people away."

Lala nodded. "If you run into trouble, just call for the Wrath Demons. They look kind of scary, but they’re actually very kind and helpful about beating up annoying people."

Of course they were. They were Wrath Demons. Asking them to beat up annoying people was practically giving them an extra birthday gift in the middle of the year. But the Legend didn’t say anything as Lala rambled on about the things he needed to see in the city, and all the great stuff that he could find if he knew where to look.

That was the trick in the Darklight Host village. There were so many craftsmen that if you wanted something special, you were usually going to someone’s house to find it.

They would put regular stock at the store, and the best stuff would be gone in an instant.

But they could make you whatever you wanted, and you just had to know who to ask to get it. Some could do it, but it would be expensive, others were new, and would do it cheaper. But some couldn’t as they lacked the affinity for the benefit that you wanted.

Most of the time, people would still just go to the store and ask.

But knowing the members of the Darklight Host came with benefits, and being on good terms with one craftsman would help you get on good terms with their friends.

Getting connected to a rune master, a smith, an alchemist and anyone else that you could would make your whole life easier.

In fact, it could send you on a whole new set of adventures.

Craftsmen needed strange and rare items, and they had the most uncanny way of finding out where they might be. However, they rarely intended to get them by themselves, so they would ask people they knew, especially ones who needed something they made, to go do it for them.

And so, having craftsmen as friends became a never ending source of side quests.

The more talented your friend group got, the more interesting the quests got, and the more powerful the rewards became. Both from the craftsmen, and from the tasks that were necessary to find the things that they wanted.

Just like the more formal Clan Quests, it was a reason to go find things you couldn’t use, in exchange for ones you could. A motivating factor that brought out many more people than simple curiosity.

Unfortunately for Eryman, he did not get to enjoy his new room for long, before one of his informants was knocking at the door.

Lala opened it, and a young man in a black cloak stepped inside.

His nameplate was hidden, Karl noticed. Not gone, but to his eyes, the name was clearly a fake, and the class showed warrior, while it should be Rogue.

He hesitated before speaking, as he saw that Karl and a bunny were still in the room, as well as one of the creepy doll constructs that were the hotel’s hallmark. Eryman motioned for him to speak, knowing what it was likely to be about, and wanting Karl to hear it.

"Lord Eryman, there is an issue. The Alliance’s defensive triggers have pulled in members from as far east as Gralpedrin. They’re nearly at the edge of the Almeixei Sect’s territory now, and it’s starting to look like the situation is going to blow into the open.

There were seventeen assassinations of Elders in the last week, and over a thousand Acolytes dead across all sides of the fighting.

The Conclave wants to know if you’re returning with your Paladins or if you’re going to sit out the battle?"

Eryman took out a small notepad and added the report to his notes.

"No, I will not be getting involved. At least not yet. If the Free Port makes a move, there is a good chance that the alliances will try to topple the church. That must not happen. Report back that I am here to watch the tournament.

Nothing else. They will get the message."