We were of course a little off from where we intended to come out but it was a simple thing to find the road and follow it into town.We did not need to be afraid of monsters or bandits this close to town. We walked for another hour and found the road. It didn't take too long from there to walk to the town. We walked up to the gates and got in the short line for entry. The guards asked us where we came from and we told the Lancia. They also needed a copper coin each as payment for entry. We paid the toll from the few coppers we had gotten off of the goblins and walked through the gates. We then went to the bank of the town so that I could break my gold coins into smaller coins to make it easier to purchase the supplies we needed. We asked around town to see where the best place to stay was and the teller at the bank said the Greenstone Inn three blocks down the road was a nice place to stay. He said that we should try the house ale that the Inn was known for.

We made our way to the Greenstone Inn and asked the innkeeper if they had any rooms available. He said yes they had one room available. We had a silent discussion and saw that we had no other option but to say yes if we didn't want to scour the town in search of another Inn. We also asked about baths and food. We were told that when we wished a maid would bring up supper for us and she would also prepare the bathing room for us when we were ready to use it. The room, baths, and food came out to three bronze for the two nights I intended to stay. We would be able to stay as long as we wanted as long as we kept paying. Breakfast was also included with the price of the room.

The first thing we wanted to do was to check out the room and see what the sleeping situation was going to be. We had the maid show us the way to the room. It was upstairs on the second floor at the end of a hall. Once we got to the door she unlocked it and gave us a key. It was room number eleven. The room was pretty small. It had a double bed in the left corner and a small table with a chair. I knew that technically we could both sleep in the bed at the same time but I knew that wasn't going to be allowed. Before the maid left we asked her to please start heating the bathwater for us because we wanted to wash off the grime from our travels.

I told Sora that I would sleep on the floor and she just nodded. As if that was to be expected. We sat in the room quietly passing the time until the maid came back to tell us that the bath was ready for us. We set down all of our baggage and equipment which wasn't much and made our way back down stairs to the bath. I would let Sora go in first. She went into the private room and I waited for her on the other side of the door. It took her about half an hour to finish up with her bath. She was even more breathtaking after the bath. She said she would wait for me in the room. I went through the door and saw the steel tub sitting there with fresh water waiting for me. The steam coming off the top was very enticing. I hadn’t had a bath in a long time. The church let us bathe on average once every other week. They couldn't waste water on the likes of us orphans and I had never had a hot bath. It was always cold water left over from the Church Father and other members of the clergy. I walked over to the tub. It was so nice and warm and there were bars of soap that smelled like flowers next to the tubs I soaped up my body and hair and then washed off.

After I had gotten rid of all of the grime from my almost weeks long travel I just relaxed in the bath until the water turned cold. I then got out of the tub and made my way over to my clothes and the stack of towels next to them. I dried myself off with the towel and then caught my reflection in a mirror. I looked even more gaunt then normal. My face looked haggard from my escape and then the trek through the woods. I would need to try to fill out some now that I wasn't a poor beggar any more. A few good meals and a couple nights in the Inn should have me more than back to normal. I threw on my clothes and headed back up to the room.

Before I could make my way up to the room the maid asked if we would like our supper right now or if we wanted to wait until later. I decided that after a bath was the perfect time for a meal. The maid said she would have our food brought up to us in just a few minutes. I made my way the rest of the way upstairs. I knocked on the door and Sora let me in. I told her that supper would be brought up in just a minute. I sat in the chair while Sora sat on the bed. In just a few minutes there was a knock on the door and the maid brought in a steaming tray of food. We were served large bowls of stew with large slabs of bread on the side. We ate the food with a voracious hunger. We both drank a tankard of the house ale we had been told about by the bank teller with our supper. To top off what was a feast compared to what we had been eating over the last few days was a huge slice of fresh apple pie. Both of us let out satisfied moans when we were done eating. We had not talked much over dinner but it was a companionable silence. We had grown accustomed to each others company over the last week and we were comfortable with each other. We finished off our ale and I called for the maid to take away the tray and dishes. When she was gone me and Sora decided it was time to get to bed. We were both tired and it had been a long journey.

I took out my sleep roll and laid down on the floor. Sora on the other hand got the whole bed to herself. I wasn't very upset. I was happy to be in a safe place where I could get a full night of sleep without worrying about standing guard. I slowly drifted off to sleep and that was when the dream started. I was in an all black space. Nothing was there but the darkness of the void but even as I felt that there was nothing there I felt a presence pressing in on me. I felt as if a huge mountain was pressing me down. It was a dream but I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. Then it appeared it was a shadow. Dark as night, darker even than the void around me. In that darkness I saw two blazing red eyes staring through me. It was as if I was naked before this being. As suddenly as the image appeared it was gone. I was left with just the void and a mystery as to what I had just witnessed. Sleep enveloped me and I was consumed by darkness.

We both slept late into the morning. This was the first time in a long time that either of us had slept in a bed and it was a much better bed than the one I had at the orphanage. I got a vague sense that something had happened in my dream but it was like my dream was covered in fog. I could feel that something was there but I couldn't place my finger on what it was. It didn't do well to dwell on dreams so I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and got out of bed. We needed to get some new gear and a horse. That was the plan for today. Tomorrow we would get the food and other supplies we needed for the rest of the journey. We made our way down the stairs and into the dining room of the inn. We sat at a table in the corner. There were quite a few people in the dining room so we wanted to avoid too much scrutiny for now. I was trying to lay low and Sora seemed to want to do the same thing. None of them paid us any attention, which was fine by me. The maid came over to our table and asked us if we would like to have breakfast. We said yes that would be great and she left to go and get it. Sora and I talked about the plan for today. We also both need new clothes. I was in a tattered shirt and pants. I didn’t even have any shoes. Soar’s clothes were in better condition than mine, but we could both do with a couple sets of travel clothes. Some light armor and maybe a new weapon would also be nice to have, but I didn't want to spend everything I had and leave me penniless once again. We had a breakfast of eggs and bacon with a side of bread that was served with butter and jam. It was a great meal and we were starting to feel better after days of almost starvation. The maid came back to our table and took away our dirty dishes. She came back and asked “ Is there anything else I can get for you?” “ Nothing right now, thanks.” I said “ We could use some directions to a shop where we could get some travel supplies. Also a place where we could look at some light armor and some weapons.” She replied “ I know just the place two blocks down the road is a general store where you should be able to get anything you need for a journey. There is also an armorer not too far from there that has a big sign with a hammer and anvil." " Thanks for the information.” I said. We made our way across the dining room. There was a group of rough looking men having a boisterous time in the middle of the room. We tried to steer clear of them. We had just about made it to the door when one of the big oafs made a move to grab Sora's long red tail. She was too quick and moved her tail out of the way before he managed to grab hold of it. “ What's wrong, pretty lady?” the man slurred, “ I just wanted to touch it.” “ Don’t defile my beautiful tail with your dirty hands, human.” “Who are you calling a human you filthy mutt?” the man said. A smaller man that was sitting at the head of the idiots table said “ Don’t mind Oskar Miss, he doesn't mean anything by it.” The idiot that we now knew was named Oskar immediately stopped with his actions and said. “ Yes, I am terribly sorry, Miss. Please don't take what I did to heart. I've had a little too much to drink and wasn't thinking.” Sora looked like she wanted to protest and make a big deal about it but she looked my way and I made a subtle shake of the head. I said “It’s no problem we were just going” The man that I assumed was their leader nodded and said “Thank you for your understanding. If we meet again may it be under more pleasant circumstances.” Me and Sora turned from him and walked away.

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We made our way out the door and followed the maids directions towards the general store. There was a sign outside that said Jacqueline’s General goods and Mercantile. This seemed to be the right place. We walked inside and there was a tall elf woman behind the counter organizing some boxes. She heard us come in and made her way around the counter to greet us. She had long blonde hair and a slender body that was common for that race. “Welcome to my shop . Is there anything I can help you find today?” The woman I assumed to be Jacqueline asked. “ We are looking for some basic supplies. We need camping gear and packs. We also need food for a couple weeks' travel as well as a couple of sets of good travel clothes for each of us.” “We should have everything you need in the back. I’ll go check and get a set of equipment ready for each of you.” Jacqueline said. She went into the back room and in ten minutes she returned. She had a tent, two packs, at least two weeks worth of food for two people, supplies and clothes for the both of us, and some other basic gear I hadn't thought to ask for. She said “ This should be just about everything a couple of travelers should need for a few weeks on the road.” I asked “ How much does all of this cost?” She replied “ two silver, 3 bronze, and 5 copper.” It sounded like a lot to me, but I had no real concept of how much things should cost. I doubted Sora would have any inkling either since she was either a noble or a royal.I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle to haggle over the price so I paid up. We walked out of the store with our goods stowed away in our packs that we now had slung over our shoulders. We decided it was best to head back to our room in the Inn to put our stuff away before heading down to the blacksmith to look for armor and weapons. I took the bags upstairs while Sora waited downstairs. I put the packs on the bed and made my way back downstairs. Sora was waiting for me and we headed out the door to see what this blacksmith had to offer. We made our way through the streets and we found the shop we had been directed to. We went inside and there was a burly dwarf hammering on a piece of iron. He looked to be making a blade for a knife. We waited quietly while he finished his work. He seemed not to even notice our presence. He turned around and with a start finally noticed us. “Well hello there I don’t often get new customers in my shop. The name is Galdor, is there anything in particular that you were looking for?” Surprised by his friendly demeanor I answered. “ Yes, me and my friend here were looking for a little light armor and perhaps a weapon for each of us.” Sora flinched at me, referring to us as friends but I didn’t let it bother me the more people thought we were simple traveling companions the easier it would be. “I’ve got a decent selection of leather armor that would fit either of you well. I also have a large variety of weapons to suit most preferences.” I had been thinking about what weapons I should consider. I had settled on a hand and a half sword and a dagger. I didn’t want anything too big and cumbersome. I also had no training. So this was the best option for me to start learning how to fight. I told Galdor what I was looking for and he brought out a sword that was 42 inches long and came to a sharp point along with a foot long dagger that I could use in combat or for day to day tasks. Sora sled to see the short swords and settled on one that was just under three feet long and she also picked out a dagger of about nine inches long. Galdor then brought out a set of simple leather armor for each of us. It was a dark brown almost black and would go over our arms, legs, and chest. It wasn’t the best looking armor he had but it should keep us both alive in a pinch. “How much for the two swords, daggers, and the armor.” I asked. He said “ For such a good customer and since you are purchasing so much at one time I will cut you a deal. Eight silver and nine bronze.” My eyes bulged from the price. Almost a full gold piece. It was more money than I had ever spent before. More money than I had even seen in my previous life, but it wasn’t something we had to have if we were going to be traveling and eventually becoming adventures. “ Alright. We will take it.” I told him. He said “ Very good, I knew you were a good man when I first saw you.” He brought us our weapons in their sheaths and the armor wrapped in paper. I paid him what he had asked for and we thanked him and made our way to the Inn. We had one more night to stay in town before we would start our trip in the morning. We walked back to our room and inspected our new gear making sure everything was ready for the morning. We had spent a lot of time out in town so it was almost supper time. Before we went down to eat we took turns with the bath. The maid came up and knocked on our door to let us know our meals were ready. We went down to the dining room and had a plate of roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots. It was delicious, rivaling even the stew from the night before. We finished up our meal at a leisurely pace. Enjoying the taste because we knew that food on the trail wouldn’t be as good as what we were enjoying tonight. After the meal we went back upstairs to get some sleep for the night. I took out the new sleeping roll I had bought that day. I had gotten rid of the one we had taken from the goblins. It was much more pleasant too because it didn’t stink and was a lot more comfortable. We drifted off to sleep dreaming of the amazing journey that we were about to begin.