Javvok was an important city located in the southwest part of the Griffon Kingdom, only a few hundreds of kilometers from its borders with the Blood desert. Friya had picked it because of its warm climate and abundance of natural resources.
Also, it was far enough away from the borders to not have through customs inspections every time they needed a gate and dimensional magic could be employed within the city borders. The lack of strict safety measures had allowed the city to grow over time, making it a blend of old and new architectures.
Unlike most cities of the Kingdom, Javvok wasn’t divided into rims, but into districts. The trading district occupied the center of the city and extended all the way to the four city gates.
Shops and their warehouses were usually adjacent, to allow the merchants to keep an eye on their supplies since dimensional items were a two-edged blade. Contrary to what one could expect, the slum district was right next to the market.
The bustling activity and the constant noise made it a horrible place to live. Yet it also made the housings so cheap that daily workers would manage to easily pay the rent and need only a few steps to reach their workplace, killing two birds with one stone.
The residential area was right past the slums, using parks as a buffer and to further reduce the interaction between social classes. Farmers lived outside the city, near the fields they worked on, and too far away for the stench their cattle made to affect the citizens.
The numerous guards patrolling the walls and the beautiful sight offered by the luscious forest that surrounded Javvok made the outer district the most expensive place to live.
Lith’s hotel, the Golden Dragon, was located in the outer district and occupied an entire twelve floor building. Friya had reserved the last floor of the hotel to enjoy the scenery and have an easier time moving by flight thanks to the rooftop doorway.
“What the fuck does this mean?” Lith said when he noticed that there were only four rooms on the twelfth floor.
“A woman needs some space. You’ll thank me once Kamila arrives. Poor girl, I bet you never brought her to a place this nice.” Friya scoffed at Lith’s cheapskate attitude.
“I work, she works, and whenever I get a leave, I’ve so much catching up to do that I don’t have time for this kind of shenanigans. I told you that I don’t go on vacation.”
“Good for you. It means you should have plenty of money since you never got the opportunity to spend it. Now stop whining and pick a room.” She said, offering the four numbered keys to him.
Lith actually picked three, giving the other two to Phloria and Quylla, to make sure that Friya would be as far away as possible from him.
“Very mature of you, Lith.” Friya said.
‘I’ve good news and bad news.’ Solus said while laughing her ass off at Lith’s expense.
‘Give me the bad news first.’ Lith inwardly moaned.
An image of the hotel’s brochure and its prices appeared in Lith’s mind. The sheer amount of zeroes almost burned through his wallet.
‘What about the good news?’ Lith was glad that he had managed to sell several of his lesser creations lately. Even though they weren’t made out of Orichalcum, his custom made Skinwalker armor was highly sought after.
‘Meals are included and the whole hotel is covered by an air blocking array. Your key makes it so that you’re the only one who can use dimensional magic or flight spells while in your room. It’s enough to satisfy even your levels of paranoia. Also, the walls are soundproof.’
‘Meaning?’
‘That once you engage Kamila in battle, you don’t have to worry about collateral damage.’ Solus thought.
Lith blushed at the remark. He already found it awkward when Solus played third wheel, but the idea that Quylla, whose room was adjacent to his, could hear something had completely escaped his mind.
Not knowing how to reply, he glossed over the matter and entered his room. It looked like a five-room apartment with a hallway, a living room big enough to host a small party, a dining room, a sauna, a king-sized bedroom, and a bathroom.
The walls were painted sunny yellow and the glass wall provided lots of natural light. The furniture was of a simple design but it was elegant and its quality wouldn’t make them look bad even in the Ernas house.
Every room was large, airy, and well-lit. It was the first time Lith was in a classy hotel, so he remained quite surprised noticing that there were small cabinets for toiletries and all the common items provided by the hotel but no wardrobes.
Rich people had no need for them since they would store everything inside their own dimensional amulets. It left plenty of space to decorate the room and made them appear even larger than they were.
‘Too bad there’s no kitchen. I bet they aim to milk the customers with the room service.’ Lith thought after touring his room.
He went back to the lobby, finding Quylla waiting alone in front of the floor’s Gate. The hotel had no elevator, it used a short-ranged dimensional device to allow people to move from one floor to another.
“Hey, Lith. How hard is it to clear a dungeon?” Quylla asked.
“For me, it’s mostly boring. You must forget all the crap about mystical rooms and treasures. It’s just a place infested with monsters. The only traps you’ll find are those the monsters laid, and the only loot you can earn belonged to those who failed to clear the dungeon.”
“That’s not what I asked you. I’m not looking for profits or excitement, only for the experience.”
“For you, the hardest part will be not falling for the traps, ambushes, and avoiding catching us along with the monsters in your spells. The good thing about going solo is that you don’t have to worry about anyone but yourself.” Lith said.
“Yeah, too bad that one mistake and you’re dead. No companions also mean that no one is looking out for you.” Quylla replied.
Lith shrugged while instinctively caressing Solus’s ring. He was never really alone.
After the others returned, they went to the roof and took flight, following Friya.
“Rothar caves are a bit far from the city, they are deep inside the Gelugan forest.” Friya said in her communication amulet. While flying at high speed it was the only way to keep in touch with others.
“We’ll have time to enjoy the scenery when we get back, now focus solely on following me and memorizing the course.” She sped up, moving south while avoiding flocks of birds and the magical beasts soaring through the sky in search of their lunch.
Normally the even green ceiling of the forest would have made it impossible for her to find the caves without a guide, but since there were monsters involved, Friya knew she could count on their help.
It took them just a couple of minutes of high-speed flight to notice a huge bald spot in the middle of the forest. It was exactly what Friya was looking for. Unlike what happened in fairy tales, monsters didn’t draw sustenance from thin air, allowing them to remain holed up in their dungeon 24/7.
They needed to eat, drink, and crap like anyone else which usually meant bad news for the local fauna.
