Tea Time

Rikkard opened his eyes to a stone ceiling. Confused, he turned his head. He was in a dark room, dimly lit by a candle that reflected off the walls. Other than the bed he was resting in, the room was mostly empty. His belongings were resting near a thick door.

Cautiously, he moved out of bed. His skin was damp and it had soaked the sheets. It didn't help that he was only wearing shorts. Walking over to the door, he straps the sword to his side. He twists the doorknob. It opens. Quietly, he peeks into the hallway

It was empty. He peeked his head out more. It was a stone hallway, with black torches that lined the walls. He listens carefully for anything. There was the flicking of the flames and some crickets chirping from outside.

Nighttime, maybe. Hopefully, nobody was awake. Need to get out of here fast. Checking both directions, he slips out of his room and moves quietly down the hallway.

All around him windows were boarded up, blocking the outside view. Wooden doors, which looked thicker than necessary, stretched out on either side of him. Cobwebs riddled the corners. The floor was damp and covered in cracks, which he did his best to avoid.

At the end was a pair of cobblestone stairs that spiraled upstairs. Taking one last look behind him, he climbs. When he made it to the top of the stairs, he paused. Whitestone pillars connected to smooth cobblestone flooring. The walls were painted in a color that looked liked someone just threw expensive wine all over it. Everything just looked so… clean.

Where the- No. Focus, Rikkard.

He scans the main hall. Right in front, were 2 very large doors. After checking the area around for a bit, he jogged to the door. He practically leaped the door and pulled at one of the handles.

"Glad to see you're awake now," a voice said from behind.

Rikkard swung around with a hand on his sword. Sitting at the top of a grand staircase in the back of the hall, was an old man. He wore a simple, clean white shirt and brown shorts.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Rikkard asked the old man, his hand not moving from his sword. Whether the old man noticed this or not, his face gave nothing away. He simply grinned and stroked his long white beard.

"I'd tell you, but you seem to be in a hurry to leave," The old man gleamed. "Go ahead! I won't stop you, but I'm going to have some tea. The answers you seek will be here when you return."

With that, he walked down the stairs. He walked down a side hall, where the clapping of his sandals slowly disappeared.

He should leave. That would have been the smart choice. But… He did want some answers. And the old man seemed to be willing to give him some.

Closing the door, Rikkard followed the old man down the hall. One of the doors at the end was open. He made his way there. Inside was a smalled library covered in slick black walls. Wood from a fireplace crackled as it illuminated the room. The old man, who sat in a chair near the fire, motioned him over.

When he sat down in a chair, he placed the sword to the side of the chair. Not far enough that he couldn't lob the old man's head if he needed to. Although looking at how skinny he was, he probably didn't need to use his sword.

The old man smiled as watched Rikkard fiddle with the sword. "Kalim, get us some. 2 scoops of sugar. Easy on the honey, please," the old man sang with a smirk.

"As you wish, sir," a voice responded behind Rikkard, causing him to snap his head. There was another person in the room, hiding in the shadows of the doors. As they stepped into the light, they removed their hood. It was a dark-skinned man with slick black hair, braided towards the back.

The man named Kalim walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a tray of tea. While he was setting them down on a table, Rikkard just stared at him in disbelief. He didn't even see this guy, let alone, hear this guy. No wonder the old man didn't look worried in the slightest.

They quietly drank the tea. All the while, the old man hummed to himself. His foot gently tapped the floor as his fingers rumbled against the cup. When he was done, he looked up in surprise at Rikkard.

"Ah! Almost forgot you were here! You're so quiet! And here I was thinking you wanted to have your questions answered," The old man exclaimed. "Well? Go ahead! I won't bite, unless you're made of lemon cake," He winked at the last part.

Rikkard frowned. "Ok… Fine. Who are and where am I?"

The old man stroked his beard. "Can't answer the first one as of now. However, the second one is simple: You're in Rales."

"How? When? What about the villagers? Is everyone alright? And…" Rikkard paused. "Corrupter! What happened to them? And have you seen a man called Graves? Is he-"

The old man cut him off with a wave of the hand. "Slow down, lad. You're throwing too many questions for this old man to answer." He poured himself another cup of tea before continuing.

"First, let me share with you something. Everything that happened, happened a week ago. You've been sleeping like a baby this whole time. Nearly thought you would've died at some point. Luckily, that wasn't the case."

A week? He's been sleeping that long?!

"The villagers are alright. Those who escaped the village are fine. And those who remained have perished. The Corrupters have been slain in the surrounding area."

Rikkard's head lowered as he sank into the chair. Some people didn't make it. He grimaced back at the image of Mr. Blackberry's corpse. Hopefully, the causalities were kept to a minimum. However…

"Was there an old man named Graves? Please… Tell me: Did he survive at least?" Rikkard asked with hope laced tightly on each word.

The old man didn't speak for a bit. He sipped his tea and stared at the flames of the fireplace. When he was done with his second cup, he stared right into Rikkard's eyes.

"Graves Volmont appeared on the list of casualties." The old man stated bluntly. No apology, no comfort, nothing to ease the blow of his words. Rikkard closed his eyes. It suspected as much, but deep down, he prayed that what he saw was only a dream.

"I know this is a lot to process, but I'm afraid time is of the essence, lad," the old man said. "Before I continue with anything else, you have a choice to make."

Rikkard raised his head a little. "What?"

The old man continued "You can leave this place. I can arrange for you and the villagers to go somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Anywhere you guys want to go, just name it, and you'll be there. Or..."

"Or?"

The old man gave him a long look in the eyes. "You can stay and hear the rest of the story. You can learn about the truth of this world. Why people get hurt by the Corrupter and what 'they' even are. But I need you to in or else…" the old man smiled as he drew an imaginary zipper across his lips.

The truth of this world? What the Corrupter truly are? It'd be a lie to say that Rikkard wasn't curious about the things that happened to the world and him. "Can I get a night to think it over? This is a little much," Rikkard asked standing up.

"Of course! But for one night only. The world waits for no man, Rikkard. Least of all a man too busy wallowing in the depths of despair to find a path forward. Think on that as you rest."

Rikkard frowned but not at the insult. How does the old man know my name? When he left the room, Kalim was standing outside the door. He only glanced at Rikkard before heading into the library and closing the door behind him.

Rikkard went back to the room from before and sat down on the bed. What a strange old man. He couldn't tell if he's serious or trying to crack a joke. More importantly, what should he do? Can he trust what he has to say? What would Graves want him to do?

Graves…

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

==

The next day, the old man was walking towards the door and softly speaking to Kalim before he heard a boy shout, "Wait up!"

They turned to see the boy race up the stairs to catch up with them. "Ok, I'll hear you out. But how I take this information is up to me, got it?" Rikkard said.

The old man simply chuckled "That's nice and all, but how about we get you a change of colors and a shower? You could kill a lion with that stench."