I lost track of time as I explored the sunny town of Willowshire, enjoying every moment of what felt like normality. In. Sense that not everything was trying to kill me for once. Once I got used to how everyone dressed it seems like any other town, that I had been too. Shops, bakeries, hell I even walked past a barbershop where one man was led back in a chair having a shave.
The smell off sweet roasted pine was everywhere and it made my stomach growl so loudly that I worried that people would notice. I had the occasional look from passers by, most likely curious at the man wearing strange clothes that was walking around town but aside from that everyone left me to it. I only wished I had a bit of coin.
The town of Willowshire was beautiful and I found myself often at times transfixed on the architecture, they were such beautiful buildings that I often had to remind myself that I had not travelled back in time.
I was window shopping at one of the bakeries that sat on the outer edge of town, the window was large and unfrosted, the breads and pastries on display combined with that freshly baked smell enough to send my stomach churn even more than it already was.
“Can I help you?”
The stern voice warned my attention straight away. When I turned I was greeted by a man that was wearing a full boy of chainmail underneath a green and white tunic, with diagonal stripes. The man also wore a metal helmet and looked less than impressed with me, dark eyes looked out from underneath the shadow cast by the helmet, accompanied by greying eyebrows and wrinkled forehead.
“No thank you, I am ok.” I said, not really knowing what else to do in this situation.
“I’ve had a complaint of a stranger gawping through windows, the merchants are not happy and neither are the locals. So I will ask again, is there anything I can do for you?”
“Oh,” I said looking around, there were a few people who had stopped to watch the exchange between me and this man. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to cause any alarm. I am just waiting for a friend, he is completing a trade, when I have my coin, I will be on my way.” My eyes glanced at the large window beside me, a shiny bread roll catching my attention with some kind of berry mixed in with it for good measure, it looked delicious. “Maybe I will grab something from here first.”
The man eyed me up and down with an untrusting gaze, I wondered if this moment if he could a cess information on me like I could other people and creatures.
“You are dressed funny, are you not from around here?”
“I am not, as I said we are just passing through.”
“We?”
“Sorry me and my friend who is the trader.” It was too much hard work to explain I also had a shadow reaver by the name of Raven currently hiding in my shadow.
There was a moments pause as the man looked me up and down once again.
“Very well, make sure when you are done you dont hand around longer than needed. Some of the townsfolk are worried about you. Make sure you keep out of trouble and please for the love of god, stop staring through the windows.”
“Sorry,” I said, “I didn’t mean to upset anyone, it is just nice to be in such a vibrant town,” I looked at the man and offered him a polite smile. “You see I have travelled a very long way and this is the first time I have seen any kind of town in a long time.”
“Fair enough,” he said, “Oh and one more thing. That sword of yours looks pretty dangerous. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to hand out over to me. Just to be on the safe side.” He reached out his hand expectantly, seeing little option I removed my sword and passed it to him.
"It’s heavier than it looks,” He inspected the weapon for a moment before returning his gaze to me. "Make sure you stop by the guards station on your way out of town, you will be able to collect it there. Providing there is no trouble, you are fine to pass through.”
“Thank you,” I said, “I’ll be sure to do that."
The guard turned and walked away with my sword inland and I continued to stand around awkwardly watching the world go by. Scores of men and woman passed by, dressed fairly well in tunics of varying styles. A group of children were knelt in a circle on the other side of the street, tossing something onto the ground between them and cheering intermittently, all with huge smiles on their face apart from one boy who looked fed up, I presumed he wasn’t having much luck with the game.
“Making friends I see,” Dave’s familiar voice was one that I was happy to hear and looking down beside me, he stood with his hands on his hips, like he was about to give me a scolding.
“The guard just asked me to keep out of trouble, he was quite polite actually, he’s taken my sword to the guards room and said I can pick it up when we leave.”
Dave rolled his eyes, so far back that his pupils nearly completely vanished while simultaneously letting out a huge sigh.
“What have I done” I asked shaking my head at him, half smiling.
“You are so naive to the world, that guard will likely charge you for the privelidge of giving you your sword back, I tried to get bakc as fast as I could but I was too late and you were too forthgiving. Honestly I am amazed you have made it this far. Do you not learn anything from where you are from?”
I couldn't help but laugh at the imp as he shook his head in disbelief.
“There's me getting some coin so I can pay you and you are already wasting it.’
“Does that mean you were able to sell you wares?” I asked, curious as to how busy Dave and Vera had been while they were away from me.
“It does,” Dave said with a wry smile, he looked around confusedly,
“Where is Raven? Some of this coin is hers.”
“She is having a little downtime,” I said. “She isn't happy with my decision to come here and wanted us to go direct to find Ruby's camp.”
“She is head strong that one, bit of a nightmare if you ask me.” Dave said, I much prefer dealiong with you.” He leant in and raised a hand to cup the side of his mouth as he spoke at a whiser. “She is very stabby stabby, makes me and Vera very nervous, its in her nature, you know her kind.”
“Well I would much prefer if you didn't speak about her to me when she isnt with me, its not very fair. Besides if not for Raven, I would not be standing here today, which means you wouldn't either.”
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“Very well, I didn't mean to cause any offence,” Dave said coyly.
“Where is Vera?” Ia sked, I couldnt see her accross the town square, or in any of the shops from where I stood.
“I told her to treat herself, so she has taken herself to the spa. I am going to try and see if there is anything else on my cart I can sell, I've got a trader appraising it now which is why I came to find you.” He unclipped the buckles on the oversised bag that was strapped to his back and slid out of the shoulder straps with a large, over the top groan. He then opened it up and rumaged inside, whatever it was seemed to be in the bottom of the bag as I worried that he would fall into the bag, only his legs poking out of the top.
“Ah, here we go,” His voice was muffled as he re-emerged withn a coin purse in his hand, it was a shiny purple material with a gold piece of rope pulling it tightly shut. He gave it a shake before his face lit up like a kid on christmas day.
“Here is your pay for ewscorting us here, you may as way take Raven's too, i'm sure you won't be dishonest with it although it is upto you how you split it.” He leant in towards me again before saying, maybe split it ssixty fourty or maybe even seventy thirty, with his hand cusped to the side of his mask. Little did he know that Raven could hear everything he was saying crystal clear and I was half surprised that she didn't leap from the shadows and stabby stab him as he had put it there and then.
“I’ll split it fifty fifty,” I said stretching out a hand to accept my reward and Dave dropped the coin bag into my palm.
*Coin bag added*
*30 gold coins added*
Thirty gold coins, I wonder what that would get me around here. I looked down at my battered shoes, one of the first things I would be getting was a pair of boots that I could walk in comfortably.
“Thank you Dave,”
“Thank you Silas,” Dave gave me a polite nod, ''I am glad our paths crossed, our luck certainly seems to have changed since we met you in our cave.''
“That it has,” I said as I gave him a slight nod in return.
Dave smiled once again before heading off, ''I will see you around Silas, thanks again for all your help.''
*Side Quest Completed*
A little tick came up and it flashed up with a small amount of experience points, not enough to level up. Raven would be pleased that the side quest was done and we could be on our way.
“I don’t know about you but I could use a drink.” I said aloud as if talking to myself. An older woman, walking past with her hair tucked into the deep hood of her red cloak gave me a confused look and I chuckled to myself. Raven still was hiding in my shadow and while she was I decided that after the detour that I more than deserved a drink in the local tavern. It was on the opposite side of the town square, it was a warm day and more than anything I needed a refreshment. Besides, what was the worst that could happen.
As I approached, the sound of raucous laughter was suppressed by the tavern walls, looking up there was a tavern sign with a hand painted picture of a haggard woman, her face covered in wrinkles that hid her eyes like a shar-pei. She was holding a tankard in her hand, with gnarled, elongated fingers wrapping around it. Underneath in gold fanciful lettering was the words, ‘The Old Hag’.
“How charming,” I said under my breath as I took a step towards the dark wood door and pushed it open, the door was heavier than I thought it would be as it slowly crept open. The laughter in side growing in volume.
I couldn’t help but smile, the atmosphere was boisterous and electric, reminding me of my local pub, not that I was an overly social guy back home. But it made me feel that perhaps this world was not as different from mine as I first thought.
The first thing I noticed were that the people inside were happy, jovial, people sitting at tables, deep in conversation as if they were the only people in the room. In between the tables people were up on their feet dancing along joyfully to the music that was playing. On the far side of the room a slender woman with a green dress and long wavy brown hair stood tapping her foot on a platform as she played a fast paced tune with a fiddle. Next to her sat on a small stool a larger man with pale blue skin, tapped his hands energetically tapped along on a small drum with his hands.
The woman must have been playing for some time, her hair sticking to her sweat covered face, but she wore an enchanting smile that told me that she was at her happiest when playing music to a crowd.
The room itself was quite a sight, it had the feel of an old English pub, the walls and floor all clad in wood that had a light brown colour to it. Small windows were dotted on three of the four walls, with a criss cross pattern on the inside. To my right there was a large open fire, that thankfully was not on, a huge stove sitting in the centre of it, it gave the tavern a nice fragrant smell of smoke and embers that helped to hide the sweat from the patrons that were dancing around. The atmosphere was more akin to the middle of the night and not in the middle of the day but I couldn’t help but mile as I looked around, watching everyone enjoy themselves.
The bar was on the left, with a group of older men, stood in conversation with each other as they leant against the air. As I approached I could feel the eyes of some locals falling on me, my cheeks felt a flash of warmth, I didn’t like being the centre of attention and all I wanted was a drink. Besides I knew that I could not stay for long, we had already took a detour and we could do with getting back on track to find Ruby, along with the news of one of the chaos blade fragment locations.
“How can I help you love?” The man on the other side of the bar was big and burly but he had a more feminine, friendly voice than his size would imply.
“Can I get a beer?” I asked. I was almost shaking in anticipation.
“Sorry a what now?” The bar keep asked, “Never heard of a beer before.”
“Oh,” I said, taken aback, this wasn’t the response that I expected. I looked around the room at everyone else, wondering what it was they were drinking from their tankards. “Sorry, I’m not from around here,”
“Well tell me something that is obvious.” The bar keep smiled, his demeanour friendly which I was thankful for. “I can’t for you a beer but I can pour you a tankard of the finest, honey mead you will taste in Willowshire. Well we are the only tavern in the town so there’s not much competition but,” He started pouring a tankard of mead from the cask behind him without me asking, “If we did have other taverns it would still be the best mead around.”
Mead made senses far as I knew mead was the same as beer and it frothed slightly at the rim of the tankard, so it certainly looked as close to beer as I would get and it more than would do. “Thank you so much,” I said, as I accepted the metal tankard, it was heavy, with the mead in. “What do I owe you for this?”
“two silver dreymar.” He said with a polite smile. He leant against the bar with one hand while placing his other on his hip whilst waiting. A cream dirtied cloth sitting over his shoulder that I assumed he used for wiping down the side of the bar.
Placing the tankard down I took out the purple coin purse that Dave had given me and took a look inside, I presumed they were dreymar, but they were all gold coins. “I only have this.” I pulled out one of the coins. “Will one of these do?”
“Of course it will, we can give you change you know, we are not primitive around here.”
“If you don’t mind me asking how many silver dreymar, make a gold one?” I asked.
“Blimey, just how far away re you from?” The barm a laughed taking the gold coin from me. His hands dwarfed my own, but were surprisingly soft to the touch. “One gold dreymar is worth four, silver dreymar.”
That seemed easy enough to remember. “Thank you,” I said, “No need to give me any change back.”
“Well let me return my thanks,” The bar keep said, “Tell me stranger what is your name?”
“Silas.”
“Pleasure to meet you Silas, my name is Geovana, welcome to The Old Hag.”
“Pleasure to meet you Geovana,” I said as I raised the tankard to my lips. I took a sip of the honey mead, and the first thing that hit me was the sweetness. It was like drinking liquid honey, but with a strong, almost burning sensation as it went down my throat. The taste was intense, and I could feel the alcohol warming my chest. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't unpleasant either. There was a slight bitterness that balanced out the sweetness, and a hint of something floral that I couldn't quite place. As I took another sip, I realised that this was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. It was strong, almost too strong it forced a nervous cough from me as I finished my first taste.
Geovana laughed, “Don’t worry you will get used to it. Will put hair on your chest that drink.” He turned and started serving two of the older men that were waiting for him to fill their tankards.
They both eyed me suspiciously, glowering through untrusting eyes. Instinctively I offered them both a nervous smile and raised my tankard to them both before taking another swig. The drink was harsh but it was something I was more than will ing to get used to.