CHAPTER 99 He Beat Everyone

CHAPTER 99

He Beat Everyone

Rufus

It had been a long time since I’d directly visited Gren’s Keep. Or my family here.

Being the most powerful beastman in the Dark Enchanted Forest meant that a lot of people were interested in me. Needless to say, if I wasn’t traveling with Bronwynn and could use her as a shield against unwanted attention, then I would have rather slept in the wet bushes than chance coming here.

Even if I did miss my sister and wanted to spend more time with my niece and nephew.

“You can call me Brownie if you like.”

“And you can call me Jess.”

My bard shook hands with my sister, and Bronwynn immediately started asking the important questions.

“How did you know we’re here?”

Jessica put her fists on her hips. “This is Gren’s Keep! And by that, I mean the city guards are veritable gossips. I think half the town’s heard by now.”

I shivered, remembering the mob of challengers I’d had to fend off the last time. “Good to know.”

“Your drinks.” Olen, the owner of the Damp Gizzard, appeared beside our table and placed two drinks before us. Then he eyed Jessica expectantly.

“I’ll have a regular nettle tea, please, Olen. I need something soothing,” she said. “But just a small one; I can’t stay long.”

“How are the little ones?” I asked, picking up the foamy concoction that smelled like a warm hug in a cup. The nettle was a soft, deep, yet smooth flavor complemented by the faint sweetness of the honey. The whipped cream was sweet and foamy with magic. Bronwynn took a sip of hers and then licked the foam off her mouth with her tongue .

“Busy, like always.” Jessica chuckled. She was looking between me and the bard. “Are you wanting children?”

The question caught us off guard. I, conveniently, had already swallowed. My bard, however, was in the process of a second sip.

She coughed directly into her mug, sending the enchanted foam gently pluming up onto her face.

Jessica covered her mouth with her hand. She was just as much of a tease as … well, as I was. So I couldn’t fault her.

Without much thought, I reached out and rubbed my finger on Bronwynn’s cheek, scooping up a bit of the foam. It didn’t help much, so I pulled out a kerchief and let her run it down her face aggressively.

“Your family is just as straightforward as mine, it would seem,” she grumbled at me. To my sister, she said, “I’ve not really thought about it. Maybe one? I would need a stay-at-the-castle father to even consider it.”

She threw the words I’d said back at me, and for some reason, the idea made me blush now. I imagined for a second a tiny curly-haired toddler like Mimi running around the dungeon … She would destroy the place.

Maybe it really was time to get my own house? Somewhere close to the Great Road so Bronwynn could find her way home easier. Or, when the kids were old enough, we could just live with her in a vardo like Tinker Tate…

I resisted the urge to hide behind my own hands—I was not planning my entire future in my mind over dinner with my sister .

“We just started seeing each other, Jessica.” The words were accompanied by a stern look that I hoped said we should change the subject. Worrying that might actually inspire the opposite, I added, “When are you bringing the family to visit me in the Black Fortress?”

“Food’s up, and your drink, Jess.” Olen plopped everything down on the table.

My sister picked up her plain tea and sipped it happily. “It’ll have to be soon, now, won’t it? Or maybe we’ll wait and see what happens with General Knolith.”

“What do you mean?” I paused in the process of lifting my spoon full of highly anticipated and delicious soup.

“He came here a few days back, just before the rains. Lieutenant Patina was with him, and I’ll tell you that was a ladies’ night I won’t forget.” Jessica laughed and pushed back from the table, leaning against her backrest and folding her arms.

I put down my spoon and frowned. “What was the General of the East doing in the territory of the General of the West? Who’s guarding Kith Bog and Plittsmouth?”

That very morning I’d processed all of my notifications. I knew. There weren’t any flagged locations over the last week that were lacking in defense .

I’d even checked the border myself this morning.

“You’re asking if the general who went into closed-door cultivation for months is properly guarding his territory?” Jessica outright laughed. “The lizardkin only has that job because he’s trying for your job.”

Bronwynn lifted her licked-clean spoon in the air, drawing attention. “So why was Knolith here ?”

“He’d gone and spent a day in the dungeon leveling up and practicing with his newfound powers.” Jessica ran a claw around the rim of her mug. “And …”

“And?”

“He challenged anyone and everyone in the Keep to a duel.”

I gave in and rubbed the bridge of my nose like my dark liege tended to do. It helped, but only a little.

“How did he do?” Bronwynn piped up from the side. She had happily consumed half of her bowl of stew in the time it took me to try and wrap my head around the lizardkin general.

“Well …” Jessica’s smile faltered, but she regained herself.

I raised my eyebrows. “Well?”

My sister breathed a frustrated sigh. “He did well . He beat everyone, even General Quinton—”

“That’s not hard.” Olen leaned over from where he’d just dropped off food at a nearby table. “That tiger’s been talking about retiring all year … It’s time we get some fresh blood running things.”

The customers at his table shared a chuckle. They were two rabbitkin, one white and one black, both with adventuring attire and cutlasses at their hips. The white rabbitkin said, “He’s right; everyone knows Puma is practically the general already!”

“She’s been doing the bulk of the work for a year now,” the black rabbitkin added.

Olen resettled his platter, which still had two bowls of soup for a waiting table against the far wall. A mixed adventuring party of dwarf, catkin, and beastfolk were distracted talking amongst themselves and wouldn’t know that Olen was delaying delivering their dinner. “So I think it’s a good thing General Knolith defeated him so easily—it finally convinced Quinton that it was time.”

The entire conversation settled in my gut, wrenching my stomach. I had to push aside the momentary, overwhelming feelings of … jealousy? Envy . That Quinton could just finish up the year and retire with grace if he so chose.

But I had a dungeon waiting for me. A comfortable dungeon. With wine. And lurid romance novels … and patients.

But was I even needed these days? Truly? I mostly holed up down there because Keith had installed some enchantments that let me have a reprieve from the otherwise endless notifications that I had to deal with all day .

Feeling sorry for myself was helping no one, least of all me . I’d missed a bit of the conversation even, coming back to things when Bronwynn asked, “We all know Mistress Puma is the best, but how does everyone feel about General Knolith becoming the new commander general?”