Realm Lord
Chapter 82: Food...Oh Sweet Food

Chapter 82: Food...Oh Sweet Food

Now, Arthur and Aziel sat cross-legged on cushions that had been pulled from the explorers’ packs, surrounded by an assortment of dehydrated food packets in various states of consumption. The meals weren’t particularly appetizing—mostly bland protein concentrates and dried fruits reconstituted with hot water—but Arthur was just glad to be eating.

"Not exactly five-star dining," Jonas had apologized when serving them, "but it keeps you going."

Arthur didn’t care. The food might taste only marginally better than burnt monster meat, but it was safe. It hadn’t tried to kill him first. It didn’t come from a creature twisted by corruption. And most importantly, he hadn’t had to fight for it. These simple facts elevated the humble meal to a feast in his estimation.

Beside him, Aziel had abandoned all pretense of civility. He had given way to something primal and desperate as he tore into the food packets with single-minded focus. He shoveled reconstituted stew into his mouth with such abandon that half of it missed its target, leaving streaks across his already filthy face. When one packet was empty, he’d immediately reach for another, barely pausing to breathe between bites.

The exploration team watched this display with expressions ranging from shock to mild concern. Jake’s eyebrows had practically disappeared into his hairline, while Lara’s professional mask had slipped to reveal genuine alarm at the ferocity of Aziel’s appetite.

"Easy there," Kay cautioned, passing Aziel a canteen of water. "You’ll make yourself sick eating that fast."

The warning fell on deaf ears. Aziel snatched the canteen and tilted his head back, gulping the water with the same desperate intensity with which he’d attacked the food. Rivulets escaped the corners of his mouth, trailing down his neck and soaking the already grimy collar of his shirt.

Kay watched this display with a raised eyebrow before letting out a low, bemused laugh. "When was the last time you two had something to eat or drink?"

Arthur paused his own eating—which, while enthusiastic, at least maintained some semblance of human table manners. He swallowed the mouthful of reconstituted beans and rice before answering.

"Um... I guess about a week," he replied, dabbing at his mouth with the back of his hand. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he added, "Which isn’t that bad, considering when I first showed up to this realm, I hadn’t eaten anything but roses for about three weeks..."

He gave a small, self-deprecating giggle that seemed at odds with the hardship he was describing so casually. "But still, my stomach wasn’t exactly happy about another hiatus on eating."

Arthur returned to his meal with renewed focus, missing the shocked expressions that passed between the four explorers. Even Kay, who had seemed perpetually disinterested, straightened slightly at this casual revelation of extreme deprivation.

"Roses? For three weeks?" Jake muttered under his breath, his voice a mixture of horror and disbelief.

Jonas’s gentle expression somehow softened even further, the big man’s eyes filling with a compassion that seemed too tender for his intimidating frame. "Well, you can go ahead and eat your fill now," he said, his deep voice rumbling through the small chamber. "We’ve got enough to share."

Arthur didn’t need to be told twice. He returned to his meal with grateful enthusiasm, though he maintained enough awareness of his surroundings to notice the concerned glances the explorers exchanged over his and Aziel’s heads.

It took nearly half an hour for them to satiate their ravenous hunger. By the time they finished, a significant dent had been made in the exploration team’s supplies, though none of their hosts made any comment about this fact. Aziel had finally slowed his frantic consumption and now lay sprawled on his back, one hand resting on his distended stomach, a look of blissful contentment on his face.

Arthur sat more upright, his posture relaxing as the combination of healing, food, and water began to restore some semblance of normalcy to his battered body. For the first time in a while, he felt something approaching human again—his wounds healed, his stomach full, his thirst quenched. These simple comforts, so long denied, had an almost intoxicating effect.

Yet despite these momentary pleasures, Arthur couldn’t allow himself to be lulled into complacency. The danger hadn’t passed; they had merely found a temporary haven in the eye of the storm. The knight was still out there, and the castle’s twisted corridors still surrounded them on all sides.

He leaned forward, his expression shifting from gratitude to serious determination as he addressed Lara’s team. "Alright, it’s our turn to ask some questions."

The explorers paused in their various activities—Lara checking supplies, Jonas gathering empty food packets. They regarded Arthur with renewed attention, their expressions recalibrating from casual hospitality to professional focus. Well, most of them did. Jonas maintained his gentle smile, seemingly incapable of a more severe expression, while Kay looked as though he might be sleeping where he sat propped against the wall, eyes half-closed and arms folded across his chest.

"Go on..." Lara prompted, setting aside her inventory checklist and giving Arthur her full attention.

"We’re here with you guys now," Arthur began, his voice steady and direct. "I’m not stupid. You guys are an exploration team of high-level chosen apart of one of the biggest guilds backed by the government." He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Lara’s. "We need to know everything you know about our situation and how to escape this place... or if we even can."

Lara held his gaze for a long moment, as if measuring his readiness for the information she possessed. Then she took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling with deliberate motion.

"All right, let’s start from the top," she said, settling into a more comfortable position. Her tone shifted to something more formal, reminiscent of a military briefing or an academic lecture.

What followed was a comprehensive summary of everything the exploration team had learned during their two weeks trapped within the castle’s shifting walls. The fundamental principle that they’d already observed—that the castle changed rooms every time a door was shut—was confirmed by Lara’s explanation. She further elaborated that doors seemed programmed to force themselves shut after someone passed through them, which was why they had wedged the bathroom door open with a piece of broken stone.

"We’ve mapped out several configurations," Jake added, producing a worn journal filled with diagrams and notes. "There’s no pattern to it, it’s completely random."

Lara nodded in agreement before continuing. "We’re not certain about much, but based on our experience as chosen and the historical records we’ve studied, we’ve developed a working theory."

According to Lara, the realm they were in had possessed its own system of magical abilities before its demise—a system very different from the realm powers that chosen ones like them wielded. The indigenous inhabitants had utilized elaborate spell circles and runes to channel magical energies, creating effects that, while limited compared to realm powers, were still significant.

"Their magic was largely environmental and situational," Jake elaborated, his voice taking on the animated quality of someone discussing a subject of personal fascination. "They couldn’t just manifest energy or manipulate elements directly like we can. Instead, they created intricate systems of symbols and correspondences that, when arranged correctly, would produce specific magical effects."

Lara nodded. "Based on what we’ve seen, it’s not impossible that this entire castle is under a spell created before the fall of the realm—a massive one that has somehow persisted even as the realm itself collapsed."

She went on to explain a crucial aspect of this realm’s magical system: spells required physical anchors or totems to remain active. These objects served as anchors for the magical energies, sustaining the spell’s effect over time. If these anchors were destroyed, the spell would collapse.

"Usually these totems would be small objects of little significance beyond their function," Lara continued, her hands sketching shapes in the air as she spoke. "Often hidden in plain sight or disguised as ordinary decorative elements."

Kay, who had appeared to be sleeping, suddenly spoke without opening his eyes. "In simple terms, if our theory is correct, all we have to do to escape this castle is find these totems and destroy them."

Arthur leaned forward, hope rising in his chest for the first time since entering this nightmare. "That... actually sounds straightforward enough."

"It would be," Lara agreed, her expression tempering his optimism, "except for one rather significant problem."

Kay opened one eye lazily. "We have no idea what the totems are."

"Or how many there might be," Jake added.

"Or where they’re hidden," Jonas completed with an apologetic smile.