Chapter 38: Dinner With Trouble
The moment Kai and Andre sat down, Alice grabbed a menu.
"Ready to order."
Raj stared at her.
"You haven't even looked at it."
"I already know what I want."
"You say that every time."
"And every time I'm right."
Raj sighed the sigh of someone who had suffered this exact conversation many times before.
"Pay first."
Alice smiled and pulled out a wallet.
Raj immediately reached for it.
Alice immediately put it back.
"Food first."
Raj's eye twitched.
"Alice."
"Food."
"Alice."
"Food."
Raj slowly inhaled.
Then exhaled.
Then walked away before committing a crime.
Andre watched the exchange.
"She's scary."
"Very."
Kai agreed.
The moment Raj disappeared into the kitchen, Alice rested her chin on her hand.
"My name's Alice."
"We heard."
"That girl over there has no respect for her elders."
Raj shouted from the kitchen.
"WE'RE THE SAME AGE!"
Alice ignored her.
Then she looked directly at Kai.
"What brings you two here?"
The question caught both Kai and Andre off guard.
Alice pointed at them.
"The clothes."
She pointed at Kai.
"The way you look around at everything."
Then she pointed at Andre.
"And him."
"What about me?" Andre asked.
"You look like someone who's been kicked out of multiple cities."
"...Fair."
Alice nodded.
"So. Travelers?"
Kai exchanged a glance with Andre.
There wasn't much reason to hide it.
"Something like that."
"Go on."
And so Kai began explaining.
The forest.
Meeting Lee.
The monster.
Yggdrasil.
The prison.
The demon attack.
The cultists.
The coup.
Everything.
Alice listened surprisingly carefully.
She stopped joking.
Stopped smiling.
Stopped interrupting.
When Kai mentioned the demon attack beneath Yggdrasil, her expression became noticeably more serious.
A few minutes later Raj returned carrying several plates.
Andre's eyes immediately lit up.
The others barely had time to thank her before he started eating.
Raj sat beside Alice.
Then glanced toward Kai.
"Continue."
Kai did.
He explained how Akshay had been framed.
How cultists had infiltrated Yggdrasil.
How a mysterious organization seemed to be operating behind the scenes.
How they were sent here carrying a letter.
By the time he finished, Andre had already consumed enough food to bankrupt a small business.
Silence settled over the table.
Alice tapped a finger against the wooden surface.
"A secret organization."
"That's what Akshay believes."
"And you're here to deliver a letter to the Queen?"
Kai nodded.
"Yeah."
Raj suddenly opened her mouth.
"Alice, that's literally—"
Alice's hand immediately covered it.
Raj's muffled protests filled the room.
Alice smiled.
"If you finish that sentence, I won't pay."
Raj froze.
The anger vanished instantly.
She sat back down.
Visibly furious.
But silent.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
That was suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Alice noticed.
Then immediately changed the subject.
"I can help."
Kai blinked.
"You can?"
"Of course."
"How?"
Alice grinned.
"There used to be an older version of the Queen's residence before renovations."
Raj slowly lowered her head onto the table.
As if she could physically feel where this conversation was going.
Alice continued.
"There are old maintenance routes."
"Secret passages."
"Hidden hallways."
"Places most people don't know about."
Kai leaned forward.
"You know where they are?"
"Maybe."
Raj made a noise somewhere between a groan and a prayer.
Alice ignored her.
"If you follow me, I can get you directly to the Queen."
Andre finally looked up from his food.
His mouth was full.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Nice."
Kai wasn't entirely convinced.
But it was still better than standing outside the palace gates.
Eventually the food disappeared.
Mostly because Andre ate it.
The plates were practically spotless.
Alice stood up.
"Let's go."
Raj immediately stood as well.
"Payment."
Alice froze.
The room became quiet.
Kai watched.
Andre watched.
Several nearby customers watched.
Alice slowly turned around.
"About that."
Raj crossed her arms.
"No."
Alice leaned closer and whispered something.
Nobody else heard it.
Raj's expression changed instantly.
The anger disappeared.
The frustration vanished.
Even the hostility faded.
She simply sighed.
"Fine."
Kai stared.
"What did you say?"
"State secret."
That somehow raised more questions.
Not fewer.
Alice immediately dragged Raj towards the exit.
"Raj, you're coming too."
"What?"
"Adventure."
"I have work."
"Adventure."
"My boss is literally right there."
The restaurant owner looked up.
He was remarkably bald.
Round too.
Almost egg-shaped.
Alice waved cheerfully.
"I'm borrowing Raj."
The owner opened his mouth.
But never got the chance to finish his sentence.
Outside, the neon lights of Asphyxia illuminated the streets.
Alice walked confidently through the crowds.
Raj followed reluctantly.
Kai and Andre followed behind them.
After a few minutes, Andre moved ahead of the group.
Walking backwards.
Talking nonstop.
"This city is amazing."
Alice nodded.
"It is."
"The lights."
"Yes."
"The buildings."
"Yes."
"The food."
"Mostly yes."
Andre pointed dramatically.
"This place is way better than Yggdrasil."
Alice looked strangely proud.
As if she'd personally built the city.
Then she noticed something ahead.
A slight smile appeared.
"Andre."
"Hm?"
"See you."
"What?"
Andre took one more step backward.
And vanished.
Followed by a scream.
"AAAAAAAAAA—"
The scream grew distant.
Very distant.
Kai ran forward.
An open manhole sat in the middle of the street.
Andre was gone.
Completely gone.
Kai looked inside.
Darkness.
Then a faint voice echoed upward.
"WHY ARE THERE ALLIGATORS DOWN HERE?!"
A pause.
Then—
"WAIT WHY ARE THEY WOMEN?!"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Alice quickly stepped around the manhole.
"Anyway."
Kai stared at her.
"You did that on purpose."
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
Raj sighed.
"She's mean."
Kai was concerned about Andre.
But Alice looked entirely unapologetic.
Then handed two filthy cloaks to Kai and Raj.
"Wear these."
Kai looked disgusted.
"What is this?"
"Fashion."
"It's dirty."
"Slum fashion."
"That's not better."
But after a few minutes, both reluctantly put them on.
Alice nodded approvingly.
"Perfect."
The group continued deeper into the city.
Toward a district where the lights became dimmer.
The roads became rougher.
And the buildings became older.
The slums.
And somewhere ahead—
The Queen of Asphyxia awaited them.
Or so Kai believed.
While down in the sewers... is Andre