Broadswords - 9. The Records

Broadswords

Chapter Nine
The Records

A week had passed since Birten had revealed to Kep that he'd be on a quest for at least twice that amount of time, and Kep had taken it upon himself to use that time to brush up on the current dragonslaying statistics in the kingdom. While he had been quite honest when he'd told the squire that he found dragonslaying fascinating, he wasn't well rounded in things such as who all of the slayers were and some of their biggest achievements.

Although Birten had recounted several of his own tales, he had never actually mentioned the name of the slayer he was partnered with. Kep learned his name to be Daegon, and his track record was rather impressive. He was one of the quickest risers in the ranks in Jhirdyr's modern history.

Through spending a few non-working hours each day in the city's main library, Kep had been able to pore through a handful of tomes regarding the subject. Despite his maybe-maybe-not jealousy of Daegon's relationship with Birten, Kep found some of his achievements to be the most exciting.

Also notable, of course, was Elan. He had been ranked number one for quite some time, and for good reason. Elan was well-known across much of the land, according to a partial biography of the slayer he found tucked amongst the stacks. He couldn't help but feel that many of the facts may have been embellished a bit, as some of it seemed too good to be true.

Even the ranking information itself, which was included in a book of charts and graphs versus a detailed narrative, was intriguing. The book, simply titled Dragonslaying Statistics, Jhirdyr, An Ongoing Account, was updated on a quarter-annual basis by the kingdom's official dragonslaying scribe. Due to that reason, it had to be directly requested from the librarian and could not be taken from the library. Even without giving exhaustive breakdowns of each slay, Kep found it the best way to bring himself up to speed on the history of the matter. He had thumbed through it each day so far.

"You going for a world record?" the librarian grumbled, handing Kep the book for the seventh straight day. Kep smiled politely but said nothing, taking the large volume carefully and hauling it to the nearest table.

He opened it eagerly, flipping to somewhere in the middle. He had started with the information from the year he was born, and read around three or four years' worth of data each day. He was now to the point of two years prior, which is when he knew Birten began his squireship. He had been looking forward to this information the most.

Each year was typically broken into four quadrants, one for each update added by the scribe. Occasionally there were supplemental entries if the ranking changed between the regular updates.

And there, in the first entry for that year, was Birten's name listed beneath Daegon's. Kep had made note that the box under Daegon's had remained empty for the first two years he had been a slayer. After that, the name Saldric had appeared for quite some time. In the last quarterly update he had read the day before, however, the box had once again been blank.

Kep was curious to what had happened with Saldric. He assumed he could obtain more information in one of the more standardized books within the library, but for now he wanted to focus on the basics.

He ran his fingers over Birten's name and wondered if the squire had ever leafed through these pages himself. Perhaps grinning at the first appearance of his name and feeling a sense of accomplishment, eager to share the sight with his friends.

His enthusiasm remained as he scanned the next few pages, each instance of Birten's name filling him with a sense of pride in knowing him. He felt an especially strong reaction when he reached the point where Birten and Daegon's names had moved up one slot from the previous entry. He had known it was coming, but it didn't stop the sense of elation that overcame him.

Whether or not Birten was a household name, it was exciting to him.

Although he had less material to cover in this go-round than in the days prior, he had apparently lost track of time. "Hate to rush you kid," the librarian said drily, appearing tableside, "but I have to lock up for lunch."

Kep was jolted from his thoughts, not noticing that he had been approached. "Lunch? What time is it?"

"Noon."

He jumped up immediately, almost knocking his chair down in the process. He should have opened the inn two hours ago. Not that there was often business that early, but any potential customers lost wouldn't help his pockets.

He stammered a quick apology to the librarian and rushed out the door and into the street. The library was a good twenty minutes from the inn. He could only hope that his brother wouldn't kill him over it.

As he neared his destination, he slowed his pace to a brisk walk. Catching his breath, he noticed a patron open the door with ease and enter Street Inn. His stomach dropped. Had he not locked up the night before?

But upon his own entrance, he noticed a decent smattering of customers inside. By far more than they'd ever had at one given time, even for the dinner "rush." And Sal was behind the bar. Serving drinks.

"Sal, what…?" he trailed off, joining his brother on the other side of the room. He looked around, seeing that everyone inside had been served their flagons, steins, and glasses. Nobody looked impatient or unsatisfied. It was almost as if he had been working the shift himself.

The older of the brothers glanced over. "Nice of you to show up," he said, with a shocking lack of sarcasm in his tone. "I was a little worried about you." Sal filled a glass with plum wine and slid it to one of the customers before him.

"I… what? What happened?" Kep was still confused. Had his brother really opened up shop by himself and manned the inn? If so, it was an absolute first.

Clearing a few empty containers from further down the bartop and placing them into a tub underneath, Sal shrugged. "You weren't in the attic when I woke up, and clearly weren't down here either. I waited about half an hour after opening time and at that point I figured I couldn't risk losing any business. I was a little nervous about running the front, but it turns out it's not so bad."

Kep surveyed his surroundings again, just to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Sure enough, there didn't seem to be any issues. It appeared his brother had been true to his claim and handled the place on his own. One question remained unanswered, though.

"How have you managed to run the front and the kitchen by yourself?" Kep asked. There was no way he could man the grills and food preparations in the other room and still be attentive to the guests. Even he himself wasn't that capable.

Sal smirked. He was proud of himself, and he didn't hide it. "Didn't you see the sign outside? I had to get creative."

Brow furrowed, Kep stepped back outside. There, tacked to the door, was a hastily scrawled note on a piece of parchment that he had apparently missed in his hurry to get inside.

Kitchen Closed
Drinks Half Off
Today Only

The words were messy but decipherable, and large enough to be read from the street. Anybody passing by would have noticed the sign. It explained why there were more patrons inside than normal for this time of day, or any time of day for that matter, but the promised discount made Kep feel slightly uneasy. He returned inside and back to his brother's side.

"Half off?"

A look of expectation crossed Sal's face, knowing Kep would question it, and he rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. It's a concerning concept, but look at how many people are in here. It's a marketing goldmine."

Kep, always the voice of reason, remained calm though a fire was burning within. Though becoming frustrated, his voice was steady. "It's not a goldmine if we're losing money. Half off means you're selling the drinks at cost. There's no profit."

Sal seemed to expect this too from his brother, having an answer ready. "Based on your own statement, we're technically not losing money. We're just not making any, either. But brother, look at the business! When have we ever seen so many customers? Even if we don't make money today, it's sure to keep them coming back in the future."

Indeed, Kep didn't recognize any of them. Sal's deal had certainly brought in new clientele. While the prospect of a day with zero profit was still worrisome, the idea could potentially prove fruitful. And, Kep had to remind himself, there would have been no business at all if it weren't for his brother. And an unexpectedly closed business would only hurt their reputation.

Despite whether or not the decision was a good one, Kep also had to admit that he was proud of Sal. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected to see his brother interacting with so many other people, least of all customers. Yet he did it with finesse. He looked happy, even. And Kep hadn't heard Sal speak this much in years.

He sat back for a while, watching his brother attend to each individual as they approached the bar. It was impressive. He made small talk, laughing in all the right places and lending an ear when necessary like a seasoned barkeep. It all seemed rather natural. Perhaps it was a trait that ran in the family. Kep never would have expected it from Sal, though.

His old friend Jeno's words ran through his head. You can't hope to open a treasure chest unless you search for the key. Maybe his brother's ability to handle the inn on his own for a few hours wasn't quite a treasure chest, but there had definitely been a key acquired that day.