Galaxy's First Ruler

Death Separation - Boneless Tavern

The smell of booze, meat, and fresh mud had still reigned the tavern. The buzz of Dreamers never stopped at this place unless a King Rank Dragon was roaming around.

To enter the Death Separation, one needed to go through this town. It being one of its kind, the Boneless Tavern was quite famous among Common to Baron level Dreamers for trades and, of course, for settling 'business'. The cacophony of fists striking jaws and hands smacking perky asses was at its peak in the middle of the day.

Creakkk!

"…"

The door to the tavern creaked, signaling a new arrival, and all heads turned to look. The difference between knowing and not knowing about the coming Dreamer could mean life and death for some. And the last traces of alcohol, if there was any, got gulped down as fast it could be.

Thump! Thump!!

The wooden floor sent the heavy vibrations from the footsteps to all the corners, and it was like a giant Dreamer was about to stomp on the entire tavern. But what came through the doors were two enormous barrels, hovering in the air.

Thump!

The Barrels moved up and down, as they moved towards the Bar, and the tense faces of the Dreamers within the tavern relaxed. Their clenched butts loosened, and some farts escaped the shackles because of nervousness. Before their laugh took over the entire seating area, everyone took another drink to calm their shuddering hands.

HAHAHAHA!!!

"Damn! It's just the Barrel Dwarf…"

"So it was him, Fuck! Bastard! Shouldn't he come from the backdoor…"

"Barrel Dwarf? Who is…"

The slurs about the Barrel Dwarf took over the forgotten topic the Dreamers were discussing. Some seemed quite familiar with the sight of barrels, but some were seeing them for the first time. It was apparent that the two barrels' arrival wasn't regular in the tavern.

The barrels, accompanied by the loud thumps, went behind the Bar and placed themselves in one corner. But from the small space between them, out came a gray-bearded dwarf, wearing only black shorts. His bare body was tanned, and the beast-like muscles could have put anyone to shame, if not for him being a dwarf.

One could hardly see the black eyes of the dwarf from afar. The thing that made him captivating was the long and ghastly scar running down from the top of his left eye to his chest, just above his heart. It was like a path of a dried-up river, coursing through his face and his neck.

He was Barrel Dwarf, the Booze supplier.

The Barrel Dwarf approached the old man behind the counter, who was making shots for the customers seated at the Bar and bowed. The old man had an ever annoyed expression on his face, and from the Barrel Dwarf's coming inside to placing the barrels, he had not spoken a single word. But as the Barrel Dwarf bowed, the old man gave him a brief look and nodded.

Creak!

Another door opened, but it attracted no eyes, for it was the one behind the Bar. A man with dark and heavy eyebags came out and beckoned the Barrel Dwarf towards the two chairs just beside the door. None knew what the exact work this man did for the old man in this tavern, and sometimes he could be seen all over the place, and sometimes nowhere. Some even jokingly said that he was like a shadow on a cloudy day, appearing and vanishing at a whim.

The Barrel Dwarf and the man sat down on the chair with a mug of hard liquor in their hands. The height of the dwarf only allowed the top of his head to be seen behind the counter, and the man seemed to be melted into the shadows of the dark corner. Whatever they were going to chat about couldn't be anywhere near interesting or useful to any Dreamers within the tavern. By the time the hired tantalizing beauties served another round of drinks, all of them had already forgotten the dwarf and eyebag-man's presence.

*

"You are early this time?"

The Barrel Dwarf reached into the pockets of his shorts, hearing the man's question, and took out a compass. The red needle inside couldn't be deader. As the Barrel Dwarf put the compass back, he whispered a few things to the man. The black-garbed man rubbed his eyes and took a mouthful of the drink.

"So that's how it is. Hmm! What did you find then?"

"Nothing! The statue over the tombstone was gone. Probably a Dungeon Break and there were traces of a C-Teleportation. The only clue I have is that House Firebird has something to do with it."

The Barrel Dwarf explained, drinking the last drops of the liquor. The man opposite him refilled their mugs and pointed out.

"House Venomous Rose sent a Count and a Viscount, along with a Blessed One inside the Death Separation."

"You think they had the same destination as the House Firebird?"

"Could be… They both have an Ancient Oracle."

The man with heavy eyebags held his chin, unsure of the connection. The Barrel Dwarf recalled the details about the House Venomous Rose and came to a conclusion.

"I will send two of my underlings to both the Houses…"

The Dwarf couldn't finish his words as both the person seated on the chair, and the old man serving drinks on the Bar, snapped their necks towards the sky. It was as if they were looking at something thousands of miles away.

"He failed, again. I just don't understand why he needs to growl just above the town. Sigh!"

The gray-bearded Dwarf heard the man's words and his helpless sigh. The Dwarf had come here many times in the last six months, always seeking some answers. So when the Sea of White Death's topic presented itself, he couldn't help himself but ask.

"What strength must one require for sailing beyond that Sea?"

"Strength? No… The old man only said something once about understanding a sentence."

The Barrel Dwarf felt his throat becoming dry as the man opposite him mentioned the old man. Forgetting the drink in his hand, he asked.

"What… What sentence?"

The man with eyebags leaned forward, his nose almost touching the scar on Dwarf's cheek.

"Death… is a liberty."