Mike sat down on the cold stone floor, his hand on his forehead, his brows forming a deep frown.
"There's always been a gap between the stones here, it's not new." explained the innkeeper. "I swear on my name that I'll find the one who stole it by tomorrow. This crime will not go unpunished, I give you my word, Mike."
Lycaon studied the hollow from up close, even pushing the long shelves away from the wall. Ice cold air was coming from the opening. "Do you know who could've entered the cellar without your permission?"
"This is the only key that could've opened the door. Maybe you could say they unlocked it with a lockpick or something similar, but there are servants in the dining hall all night long. No one could've come in at night." He tried to calm down the merchant as best he could, assuring him that justice would be done. "Whoever stole it is not getting away from this town, not if he is still inside now." The innkeeper called one of the servants still carrying the red wine. "You there! Put that down and alert Saul. Tell him to have as many men as he can gather on the streets, and keep an eye out for anyone that might try to leave. Tonight and the next day, no one leaves Melov'era."
Yes, sir, I'll see to it."
"When was the last time you checked the cellar, specifically this white wine?" Mike asked the two.
"Last night, roughly the same hour, before going home."
"I cannot believe I've traveled all this way, thousands of kilometers through hell and back, for this one thing, and now I find out it's been stolen a couple of hours before my arrival."
This accident would greatly impact all of Melov'era, as the villagers would lose valuable materials that they had no way of naturally obtaining, except through Gleeful Mike, such as metals. Despite the fact that he already traded a large quantity of goods in total during the day, and through much of the night, all of the rarer resources were to be given for the white wine, since it was by far and away the most sought after item the village could offer. Great rulers throughout the world ardently awaited their yearly bulk of this exact wine, believed by many to have healing properties.
"I'm starting to think it wasn't someone from inside that sneaked in here and stole such a large quantity of wine" he said, grabbing the attention of the others. "This isn't just a gap between the stones on the wall, it's more of a tunnel." he said, taking Mike's candle to illuminate it. "Yeah, there's no end to it in sight."
"So what you're saying is that someone from inside that hole stole it. What kind of human being would live in a crevice less than a meter wide, in complete darkness?" said the innkeeper.
"You'd be shocked at the creatures I've come across during my travels. This world doesn't lack beasts and abominations." replied the merchant.
"We must first make sure there isn't anyone in the village hiding away in their house with our wine."
"Who could do that? There is no one in Melov'era that I know who would commit such a crime. And what's more, where would they even keep such a vast quantity? You'd need a house just for it."
"Running away with it would certainly be unfeasible, well, at least if you weren't Mike." added Lycaon.
The reason Mike always finds enough space for all he's carrying is Fang. He wouldn't be able to travel such distances with such a burden on a more normal mount. None of the villagers would have a similar creature, the only one available to them being the standard horse, and even that in limited numbers.
Lycaon went inside the tunnel, barely able to fit inside, even if he was of average build. The other two reluctantly followed him, guided by the candlelight.
"It gets even narrower from here on out. I suggest we stop here for now, seeing as we have insufficient tools for the task." said the innkeeper.
Lycaon heeded his words, extending his hand as far out as possible. "No, it doesn't look like it'll end any time soon. I could go further, but ... you two would have to remain here." He went back to the others. "We first need to tell everyone else about this place. Mike, how many days can you stay with us for?"
The merchant tsked, trying to come up with a number. "At most I can linger for a week, but that would mean I'd have to go straight for the border when I leave and lose all of the towns and cities of Elgacai." he considered for a moment. "And what if you won't find it by then? This passage could go on forever. I could die in the wilderness from this."
"I'll ask Saul for his thoughts on the matter, maybe he can come up with a better plan. Someone else will have to take care of the sheep tomorrow, hopefully he can see to that as well. I'll do my best to prepare for the undertaking, maybe I'll gather some people to come too."
"Let's hope they don't spoil the wine until then." said the inkeeper. "What kind of monster would live in the absence of all light yet thirst for high quality white wine only? This must be the work of man!"
...
Afterwards, Lycaon took his leave, letting the innkeeper arrange a room for Mike to spend the night in. The night air made him shiver as he made for the family house. The plain with his apple tree, on which he pastured his flock, came into view, now empty and gloomy in the dead of night. He was walking the outskirts of town, as he would usually do when he had no business in its center, able to marvel at nature's serenity.
Slowly opening the front door not to wake his siblings up, he made his way into his room upstairs, where he found his dog Wool sleeping on the floor.
Tomorrow, he would have to venture deeper into the tunnel and possibly encounter some of the abominations Mike would often evoke in his stories. Lycaon put the hat he bought earlier on the desk, hoping tomorrow he would meet Nell and give it to her.