The Soul Keeper

It took me a moment to regain my composure. "Sorry," I said, instinctively stepping back. My temper had flared up almost instantly. I touched my chest; I could feel the restless souls – they were affecting my mood.

"It's fine," Asher said after a short while. "I was just a little surprised."

"It's not fine." I replied, taking a deep breath. "Asher, we need to get that primal core – as fast as possible."

He raised his eyebrows as the other two stared in confusion. Naturally, I hadn't told Victoria anything about primal cores and Lucius had only learned about them yesterday.

"Why?" Asher asked after a short moment of silence. I could see that he wasn't looking forward to it.

"The Matriarch gave me a soul." I said after a moment's hesitation. "An incredibly old and powerful one. More so than the phoenix." I shivered as I remembered how I felt when she let me take it. As it joined the other souls within me, I had almost lost consciousness. "One that belonged to an ancient wyvern." I sighed. "I need the primal core to control its power."

Asher nodded somewhat lost in thought, as Victoria slowly got up and approached one of the bookshelves lining the wall. With a thoughtful expression, she reached for a book and flipped through its pages. "I don't have any records on ancient wyverns." She mumbled. "Are you sure the Matriarch didn't lie to you?"

I nodded. "It used to live far away from here." I said softly, remembering the memories that flashed before my eyes as it melted into my chest. "I doubt it ever came near this city when it was alive." With a sigh, I got up and approached the window. I could see the bustling streets below. People were on their way, Ereth, players and other local races somehow lived in harmony.

"When can we get going?" I asked after a watching them for a while.

Asher sighed. "Tomorrow." He said, opening his interface and showing us the map. "It's quite far from here, so we'll have to fly if we want to go there in a reasonable timeframe." He glanced at Victoria. "You're not exactly a fighter, as far as I understand."

She shook her head. "No, I'd be useless in battle." She sighed. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on the boys."

"I'd appreciate it." I said with a bitter smile. "I should probably go back to the inn," I added after a moment. "I'm sure some of them will start worrying about me."

Asher nodded while Lucius seemed bothered, again. I glanced at his sour expression but chose to ignore him. While he did have valid reasons to be concerned, I wasn't going to abandon Vincent and the others. I couldn't even imagine how much that would break Alina's heart…

With such thoughts filling my mind, I bid the group a good night and headed to the inn. The sun had set already, though I couldn't see the stars from all the city lights. They reminded me of Mrs. Carrie's house. I couldn't see the stars from my window there either.

It didn't take long for me to feel out of place – even more so than before. With my dark grey ceremonial clothes and black cloak, I stood out in this white and golden city. I could hear faint whispers as I passed by the crowds and I could see the subtle looks they gave me.

I braved the looks and the attention and only breathed a sigh of relief when I arrived at the inn. As I pushed the door and stepped inside, the reek of alcohol assaulted my nostrils. I coughed and closed the door behind me.

"Welcome, I guess." The bartender's annoyed voice sounded. Covering my nose and mouth with my cloak, I looked around. I wasn't even surprised when I found the entire group passed out at our table. More bottles than I could count were just scattered everywhere.

"I… don't even want to ask." I mumbled as the bartender stepped around the counter to come stand with me.

"Good choice." She said. Her voice was lifeless, and her expression was filled with annoyance.

"I'll take them to their rooms." I said with a sigh. "I'm sorry for all the trouble they've caused so far."

She just shook her head. "Not your fault." She opened the windows to let some fresh air in. "But let me tell you, if you hadn't won that last match, I would have kicked each and every one of them onto the streets the moment they started drinking." Clearly annoyed, she grabbed a wet cloth from the counter.

I had no words – I didn't even know how to apologise to her. With a sigh, I approached the group. They reeked of alcohol, their white clothes had stains on them, and I was fairly sure some of those were from puking.

"I don't want to deal with this." I mumbled, clenching my fists. "Can't I leave you guys alone for a couple of hours?" I could feel anger, annoyance and other feelings welling up inside me. I breathed through my gritted teeth. "Even you, Alina. Vincent…"

"They never had to deal with consequences, had they?" The bartender asked as she cleaned the spilled dinks. I shook my head as a reply. As far as I knew, none of them ever had to deal with any real consequences back at home. Their rich families could fix any mistake they made while their connections would allow them to get their hands on anything they wanted. Back at home, getting drunk like this would have meant nothing.

"Maybe it's time they learn then." She said, gathering the broken glass shards on the ground. Her words only served to fuel my anger. "Maybe." I mumbled. Leaving them here to wake up hungover and with muscle pain started to seem like a brilliant idea.

"Asher," I reached out to him. It was much easier now that he was so close. He responded almost immediately, with worry filling his voice.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" I could feel his anxiety.

"No, can we get going now?" I asked as I forced my expression to remain calm. I didn't want the bartender to think I was going insane.

"Why?" He asked after a moment's hesitation. I rolled my eyes, why did he have to ask so many things? Why did he have to answer my questions with more questions?

"I'll tell you on the way. Meet me at the gates, bring Lucius with you." I severed the connection and glanced at the tired, annoyed and angry bartender.

"I have to go." I said, taking some coin out of my inventory. "Take this as an apology and please keep my room booked – I'll probably come back in a couple of days."

She took the coins after a moment's hesitation. "Sure, but don't you think they should be the ones apologizing?" She asked, tilting her head towards the unconscious group. I shrugged. "If they do, feel free to accept any help and money they offer – you deserve much more than that for putting up with them for so long."

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she pocketed the money. "I can't say you're wrong, so…" She shrugged. "Safe travels, Matriarch's Champion."