We just wanted to confirm it The Patron of the Sun took large strides to cross the distance to Randidly but he stopped almost five meters away His eyes were complex as he looked at him You know in retrospect it was quite strange that I seized upon the idea of becoming one of your Patrons so quickly You were an unproven commodity despite your accomplishments Yet now
Randy shook their head emphatically earning a laugh from Bethyl Durro the ogre chef leaned over and peeked his massive left head into the back room Everything okay back there
Course Darro Bethyl patted Randy on the head and stood No donÆt give me those bleeding heart eyes you canÆt hug Randy SheÆs all mine you know she gets skittish around strangers who smell like fry oil
And whose fault is it that I smell like this Darro muttered as he leaned away A fresh sizzle from the griddle indicated he had laid out more food onto the hot surface IÆve worked here for six months How am I a stranger
With Bethyl returning to work in the front of the diner Randy fretfully looked at the mushy leeks Some small amount of panic remained but they suspected that their anxiety wasnÆt always entirely genuine Sometimes a panic attack rose just to make sure that Bethyl would stay and calm them
Setting aside that disquieting thought Randy rolled all the mushy leeks into the trash Then they walked out the back and walked up the familiar path to the hill above the previously desolate portion of the badlands that the refugee group and the three wagons had stopped
Randy paused halfway up and looked back Eleven months had completely transformed the area
The largest and most presentable of the buildings was BÆs Crossing the sprawling diner that now anchored this position on the map for all the refugee groups on Expira A large squat clean looking exterior was surrounded by a sea of shanty buildings mostly small stalls and houses where other refugees had taken RandyÆs cue and started food stalls of their own Most of the food they served was supplied by BÆs Crossing which meant it was massaged gently by RandyÆs ability and given the highest chance of tasting delicious
Which meant they currently made quite a bit of money by staying here So much so that they had to hire a desperate frogperson accountant to keep track of their assets But it hadnÆt started out that way
Eleven months ago after the largest of the wagons left the area Bethyl had been forced by a mob to give up her wagon In a way Randy had liked the development suddenly they and Bethyl were crowded together and sleeping in small caves trying to avoid attention from unsavory characters However Bethyl had been in a horrible constricting mood She snapped and raged in equal measure showering Randy with attention sure but all of it poisonous and sour
Randy worked up their nerve and told Bethyl about the special cloud and Takeyhands Needless to say the older woman had been more bemused than negative at the idea that weather and a small animal urged Randy to set up a food stand and use their ability to refine the food But Bethyl had been motivated by the fact the monkey had brought cuts of meat and fresh vegetables
At the very least Bethyl had sighed as they erected a small tent they wouldnÆt have to starve So she set up the kitchen area and allowed Randy to down whatever magic they needed to the supplies On the first day BÆs Crossing opened below the hill and served not a single customer Afterward they distributed the unsold food to some of the surrounding refugees who hadnÆt been motivated or determined enough to follow when the wagons left
They didnÆt sell anything for the next week but only because the squatters crowded around the stand during the day scaring away all of the small groups of refugees that passed through Those squatters wanted a source of free food all for themselves and liked the look of Bethyl and RandyÆs new enterprise
The situation was eventually broken open on the eighth day by a Lizakh warrior who wandered through His nose led him to the stand where he was stopped by some of the squatters and told that if he knew what was good for them he would turn around The Lizakh warrior had laughed in their faces
When push came to shove he shattered one manÆs arm and cut off anotherÆs ankle
Desperate Bethyl offered him a job as a guard And strangely enough Kirkrik Rrshk said yes
Chapter 1935
Kirkrik Rrshk spent the next morning shooing away the sour squatters who hadnÆt been willing to give up on the delicious food after eating it for a week They tried to ambush him once but he responded with that same golden laugh and fought off seven humans They cursed him as lizard scum and swore their revenge
When Kirkrik came back Bethyl patted his back You might not look like us but youÆve got more humanity than all those shits combined
Kirkrik laughed awkward but warm
Within a month word had spread to the small sized refugee camps that BÆs Crossing was the best place to restock either leaving the Northern Zones or before you tried to get back into civilized lands It just so happened that it was only about twenty miles Southwest of a major entry point Most groups would adjust their routes to stop by and try some of the food The guides told other refugee trains their encounters with the place and even more medium sized groups began to swing through
During that period it was the time without any large groups gathered outside their rather hastily assembled tent that was the most dangerous Twice they were robbed with several individuals more powerful than Kirkrik giving them no choice but to silently give a portion of their money
Two and a half months after they began the arrival of two groups at the same time overburdened BÆs CrossingÆs productive capabilities to the point that most customers left dissatisfied with the service they had received Randy panicked but Bethyl just recruited some reliable migrant laborers to dig the foundation and construct an actual building to house tables and the kitchen area She also had the foresight to add a rather large warehouse to the side
Four months saw them hire more and more employees mostly non human refugees that wandered Expira At the time Randy had been somewhat touched and told Bethyl that she liked how many weirdos they hired
Bethyl laughed and mussed her hair Well yes thatÆs an added benefit But IÆm more worried about us getting robbed again These refugees we are probably the first people to show them kindness And they will settle their families down around us so long as we feed and pay them When robbers come the next time we wonÆt be alone
At six months two things of note happened The first was that a merchant from Zone 32 that wanted to set up a shop next to BÆs Crossing Bethyl offered to rent him the still abandoned warehouse and recommend some good employees and the deal was signed within the day Second the increase in foot traffic as BÆs Crossing became something of a tourist destination meant that the restaurant area needed to be expanded again Which meant that more individuals needed to be hired to keep the operation running smoothly
Six and a half months since the beginning of their venture a large group of bandits rode into town with dollar signs in their eyes Contrary to BethylÆs hopes the group of migrants didnÆt step out of their driftwood and sheet metal hovels in valiant defense of the store The bandit group sauntered to the front of BÆs Crossing and kicked in the door Randy practically had to use all of their weight to keep Kirkrik from rushing out there and facing them all alone
She still remembered how hot his scales felt how furious his eyes were
To RandyÆs surprise Bethyl didnÆt seem fazed by how many rough looking bandits filed into the diner She just smiled and asked what they would like Perhaps annoyed by the proprietress’s response the squat man who led the group of bandits brought a gauntleted fist down on a table The mundane wood shattered and splintered BethylÆs smile did not the back area two tall individuals road in on strange chitinous creatures They had to stoop so as not to knock their foreheads against the ceiling They werenÆt identical oneÆs mount was squat and hoppy while the others possessed long limbs and an ungainly gait Bethyl gestured to them happily These as IÆm sure youÆll recognize are some of the GhosthoundÆs riders TheyÆve been kind enough to agree to stay here for the foreseeable future