Their first stop was an unassuming moderate sized building that they had to get through an alley to reach.
There was something special about this establishment, something that could only be found in this particular place.
When they entered, they were greeted by a more business feel compared to the coziness of Taryn's place.
The tables each had five chairs surrounding them and had folded napkins atop pristine white plates.
The room was softly lit was a single main overhead lamp, a wide globe-like structure that brightened up the room along with a few other wall installations.
There was no electricity in this world so Wise simply assumed that the lights used an Energy-Crystal or something similar.
Unlike most restaurants, this one had a special area which was the main reason Wise hand wandered in.
By the right side of the room stood the only thing that made this place special, a stage, and on that stage currently was an old man with a lute in hand.
Today was music night meaning all guests at this restaurant will have a chance to perform at intervals.
But the girls did not know that yet…
"They have a live performance?" Esme asked as she glanced at the stage.
Wise nodded. "Something like that."
Freya then held onto his arm and began to pull him towards the side of the room. "That seat looks nice, doesn't it?"
"Sure," Wise said, allowing himself to be led to the seat.
Once they sat down, Wise couldn't help but glance at the old man every now and then. He looked familiar and yet Wise could not place where he had seen him.
His hands skillfully went over the strings of the lute, creating a joyous tune like no other.
He was murmuring a tune along with it as well, a popular song and soon the crowd began to sing along.
On the old willow road
Where our sorrows were told
One fateful clash
And the wicked one was bashed
Armies destroyed
Dynasties broken
Ah, a sweet liberation
A hero untold
Pulled in by the heavy allure of the song, the customers began to sing along with him. It was a popular song almost every child and adult on the continent knew.
The story of the most notable clash between the demon king and the hero, the battle that put a temporary halt to his plans of world domination.
"On the old willow road!"
"We're our sorrows are told!"
"One fateful clash!"
They all sang in drunken mirth as they lifted their mugs high. The old man doubled down in his efforts, his hands moving even faster over the strings until the song finally came to an end.
A wave of applause followed and the man bowed. When he raised his head, Wise finally realized where he had seen him.
'Stanley's partner? Who would have known I would meet him in such a place...'
The serving girl, a young Ork, walked up to their table with a notepad as well as four wooden plaques in hand.
"Good evening, have you decided on what you want to order?"
They all proceeded to request their food which the woman duly noted, but before leaving, she handed a card to each of them.
"What is this for?" Daphne asked, eyeing the card suspiciously.
The wooden card was old, worn out from continuous use. On its surface was a drawing of three instruments, a violin, a drum and a lute.
The woman smiled warmly, revealing her elongated canines. "Tonight is our music night, all guests get to perform."
"I'm not singing," Daphne replied, causing the woman to smile nervously.
"It's tradition…"
"And so? Fuc—"
Daphne was about to fire back, no doubt saying something very unnecessary when Freya grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled her to her chest.
"Mmmm!" Daphne let out an incoherent grunt.
"What? You're saying you will perform?"
"Mm mm mmm!!!"
"She'll perform," Freya said with a smile.
Wise watched the two of them in astonishment, Freya was the only one capable of handling Daphne this way.
If another person tried it…
Let's just say that, Dpahne could be very, very scary.
Esme too seemed surprised, she conspicuously shifted her chair a bit farther from both of them, just in case something was going to happen.
Freya finally let go of Dapnne after the serving girl had left, Daphne took a deep breath as though she had been seconds away from suffocating.
She then paused and organized her rumpled clothes before speaking. "Freya… do you want to die?"
"Hmm?" Freya smiled coyly. "You want to have a certain someone all to yourself while we perform?"
Daphne stared at her for a moment longer, before sighing tiredly and placing her head on the desk, resting them in her arms.
But before she did, Wise could have sworn that her cheeks were a little redder.
**
The stage had been quiet for far too long and so before their food was ready, one of the workers came forward and stared at the crowd.
"Number thirty one, please come on stage."
Wise checked his card and saw a bold '39' written on it.
"Oh, it's me?" Esme said, rising up to her feet to walk up to the stage.
Noble ladies were often extensively trained in the arts, ranging from painting to dance and even music, so Wise was curious as to what she would do.
Esme climbed up to the wooden stage and sat on the tall stool.
The worker leaned closer to listen to any requests she had, if she had any before leaving the stage.
Esme cleared her throat and held the microphone close to her lips with both hands.
"Good evening everyone," She said with a smile. "The song I'm going to sing is titled, Pride of the Fallen."
When Esme began her song, the crowd was immediately pulled in by the tempo of her voice. She sang masterfully, her voice
adjusting to the wordings with perfect rhythm.
She would lower the tone of her voice in an instant when the song demanded it and raise it to a point most couldn't reach with such perfect mastery.
Her voice was otherworldly, a voice that could provoke the very angels to listen.
A light golden glow suddenly began to emerge from her body as she gave her full concentration to the song.
A shimmering barrier…
Esme was subconsciously using her ability.
Soon, she began to encapsulate the emotion of the songstress so much so that it was as though the story behind the song was being retold.
The story of the lost city.
Although a masterfully written song, pride of the fallen was not a very popular song, yet those who knew it knew its meaning.
It spoke of a city, a race as well as an entire ecosystem that was lost.
A prideful people cursed to vanish into obscurity... Children and their parents ceased to exist based on the flaws of a few.
Some say they committed a sin against the gods, others say they simply imploded upon themselves.
But many believe that the Watherins are not truly lost, just waiting…
For the day they would once again rise and exact their vengeance upon the world that rejected them.