Chapter 23: Chapter 23

David was heading to the city of Vilgenour, as he had caught wind from a fellow paladin that there was mischief happening among the noble echelons there.

He had entered the city easily, as the corruption ran deep and the guards were not payed well enough to properly care about protecting the ones that lived within the walls.

So he made his way around the city slowly, rumors of his appearance spreading where he walked, and finally at lunch he made his way to the noble district.

Before entering, he cast a spell- detect good and evil, that would allow him to sense those pure of heart from those rotten of soul within fifty meters- and walked down the row of noble mansions, hoping to find if anything would give him a clue. It seems his prayers were answered, as when he walked past the sixth gate, he smelled a vile stench so potent it made him sick. He had to pause slightly before he collected himself and turned to face the gate. He approached it, and after a short round of introductions with the guards was admitted inside. He had arrived 'by chance' two minutes before they were to dine, and after short pleasantries, all the guests were escorted to the long table. 

Then he experienced being assaulted by random questions that were consistently trivial and pointless. He could not answer any such questions with the truth however, as doing so was a sure way to get himself branded a brute. So he played in the petty and silly games of words that held more meaning then spoken, and words that had no meanings whatsoever. He had been asked to give his opinions on some foolish political plot, what he made of it and the like, when he noticed a figure from the corner of his eye.

An assassin? He wondered. Then the silhouette dove down, from ceiling to wall to floor, yet its feet never hit the ground as it bounced on its hands, jumped over the backrest of the seat infront of him and slid into place as smooth as a ghost. He was shocked at the efficacy of such a maneuver, the execution was so perfect that the neighboring seats noticed not its arrival. His arrival. Then he mouthed with a wide grin about his dazzling display of acrobatics. And that's when Lokurt noticed his sudden pause and the arrival of his new guest.

When questioned about his identity, he fabricated one so fluently that even David himself almost believed it. Had he not've had his amulet of resistance, he would've thought a charm had been cast in the hall.

David believed him some form of politician. That was, until the meal had been served.

Noble decorum in table manners all stemmed from one goal- to be graceful. There was a standard protocol to follow when wielding utensils not because of strictness, but because of standard, as anything below a certain level of grace would be considered brutish. 

What the cat eared man before him displayed was nothing of the noble table mannerisms, and nothing if not graceful. The way he handled the utensils in his hands was an art form. He would switch between different holds so fluently, the utensils nary moved unless they he intended them to, and his expression throughout remained aloof.

This was not what Elijah had been taught by Ferwen.

His performance enraptured all the viewers, as they watched on in awe and were enraptured by the movement of his hands. None would dare say that his performance was unbecoming.

Elijah had a hard time not snickering.

So his performance continued, for each course he would change his method. For the first he would use his instruments like a puppeteer, all his movement from above like moving strings. For the second, using a spoon, when he took soup the water didn't ripple in the slightest, and it looked like the liquid just materialized in the cutlery. For the third his hands moved like magic all around the utensils, making them look as though they were floating. For the fourth he did it like clockwork, making precise incisions while rotating and switching between hands so fluently it looked natural. For the fourth he ate normally but occasionally took sips from his glass like a connoisseur while continuing to use both utensils with one hand. During all this he would make polite conversation and speak while pausing imperceptibly to insert food that never remained more then an instant, and his chewing was unnoticeable. Not even a speck of the food ever inches twords his clothes. He had fully captured the essence of showing off in table manners. 

Mission complete.

You are reading story Elijah at novel35.com

Before the fifth and final course would be a musical performance break.

When everyone had gathered, David used his ability Divine Sense to perceive if evil lay about. What he got was a retching stench, as he sensed several of those present were at the epitomy of evil, but then a clear heavenly note rang in his ears, turning into a duet that drowned out the symphony playing. He looked for the source of the noise, as it signified the peak of good, and his gaze settled on Elijah.

That, David thought as a warm smile spread his face, was not what I expected.

Elijah sensed the gaze on him, and saw the man looking over intensely. The man gestured with his head for Elijah to come, before he stood up and left.

Elijah snuck out like a shadow, wading through the crowd of people unnoticed by a single one. Exiting the building, he saw the cloaked figure with his helmet under his arm and his back to him. He turned around as Elijah made himself known.

"Greetings," the man said, "you may call me David."

"Hello David! I'm Elijah! What's up?"

David looked up, to see what Elijah was referring to, and Elijah had a hard time trying not to laugh. It was getting darker as the sun was beginning to set.

"Well," he said, returning his gaze downwards, "there's something I would like to ask you- what do you feel about demons and cults?"

"I love them!"

"Pardon?" David was taken aback as it was not the answer he expected.

"They're great for experience, the first level/tier Whatever that I got was from killing them!"

David made a dumb face before he tossed his head back and roared in laughter. His short close cropped silvery hair reflected a sheen in the setting sun, and his eyes, a striking blue, refocused on Elijah as he said, "would you like to have a good time with me then?"

You can find story with these keywords: Elijah, Read Elijah, Elijah novel, Elijah book, Elijah story, Elijah full, Elijah Latest Chapter