I rose early the next morning and stumbled downstairs, rubbing my eyes as my mind tried to wake up. Thanks to a location with untapped potential, I had a new idea to help increase our sales and intended to pursue it.

Before falling asleep, I’d had time to read over the guild charter, rules, and regulations and had questions—a lot of questions. Some of the items in the paperwork seemed downright archaic, and this was by medieval standards. For instance, there were rules about the sizes of mugs, the style of beers and ales allowed, and things like how high the minimum head of foam should be. There were also rules about the types of chairs allowed, including how many and how they should be placed. I lived in a medieval society, but some of this stuff was downright dumb.

The problem with the stool regulation was that it referred to another document called the Tavern Regulatory Compendium, and that was missing. It was heavily implied that I should already have this.

We had cleaned this tavern from top to bottom, and I'd never come across any such documents. The upstairs bedrooms had contained nothing other than beds and a little lackluster furniture. There were no stashes of papers to be found.

It was only an hour after dawn, and Lady Churl was still in her little goblin bedroom. I wasn’t sure how she slept down there with all the banging around going on underground. It had quieted down after I’d left, but it was still unnerving. I needed to run this by Seraphina as soon as I next saw her.

I pulled the drapes open in the common room, and wan light spilled in to illuminate dust particles that floated around.

I slapped the pages on the bar top. Sir Garin popped in and wandered around the tavern floor. He pulled his ghost sword and went through some movements. He took up fighting stances, swung, lifted his other arm as if it held a shield, and did mock battle with my tables and chairs.

"Do you do this every morning?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Aye. Most times at night. Being a spectre bound to this world has extended hours of boredom.”

"I wish there were a way to free you."

"As do I. I am oddly cursed and bound to this world. Perhaps to you."

"Sorry," I offered, but it sounded lame. What else could I say to this paladin who had been a hero to the land and could now not pass beyond this realm and into another?

"Naught to be done about it, lad. Now, what's got you up at this hour? The stove’s not even fired up."

"I should take care of that," I said and made for the kitchen.

I stoked the fires in the stoves until they burned hot, put on a water kettle, then returned to the bar to find Garin still practicing his swordplay. He paused when he saw me and lowered his ghostly blade.

"Garin, have you ever heard of some of these guild rules?" I asked, gesturing to the pages scattered across the bar top.

The spectral paladin sheathed his sword and approached, his translucent form passing through a table on the way. He peered down at the documents. "I can't say that I have, lad. What sort of rules are they?"

I picked up one of the pages and read aloud. "Weight of Ale: All ale must be served in vessels that weigh no less than a stone, ensuring patrons feel the heft of their drink. Guild agents must inspect the vessels quarterly."

Garin's ghostly brow furrowed. "That's quite a strange rule. Never heard of such a thing in all my years."

"Right? And listen to this one about stools." I read a stool regulation to him.

"Oak stools?" Garin scoffed. "And what's this about a Tavern Regulatory Compendium? It sounds like a load of nonsense to me."

I nodded, setting the page down. "I think you're right. I suspect the baron might have fixed it, so the guild is coming after me unfairly."

"Aye, that sounds like something that weasel would do," Garin agreed. "What are you going to do about it, lad?"

"I'm going to figure out a way to fight this," I said, determination hardening my voice. "I won't let the baron bully me out of business."

"If anyone can do it, you can, lad. Want me to show you some moves?" Garin thrust his ghostly sword toward my gut.

"Not that kind of fighting, thank you," I said, but then reconsidered. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea. I'm heading for the capital in a few weeks. Should I learn how to swing a sword?"

"It's up to you, lad. I'll be happy to show you the basics. Find a sword you like, and we'll begin practicing in the mornings."

"I'll give it some thought. Thanks, Garin.

If I was going to be hitting the road soon, I might want to at least look like I knew how to hold a sword properly.

"Oh, darling." Ophelia appeared near Garin and strolled around the room, eyes on me, hands behind her back. "I would love to see you swinging about with a blade, but I would really rather see you in my husband's guise. I'll show you how to call up the dead."

I shook my head. "Give it up, Ophelia. I'm not going to parade around as him." I snapped my fingers as a thought crossed my mind. "The loud noise under the tavern. I don't suppose you could pass through the rocks and take a look for me?"

Lady Ophelia shook her head. "I'm afraid not, darling. I'm able to look in on the little goblin below but can go no farther."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Why not? I've seen you walk through walls and doors."

"We don't know, lad," Garin put in. "Something keeps us out."

I would have to ponder that at a later time. Right now, I had to keep the tavern afloat.

I wondered if I needed to lay off one of my employees temporarily, but thinking of how bad I’d felt when I was laid off before Morthisal had ejected me from my own body and sent me here, I knew I had to devise a better solution. I'd been mulling over my new plan while sipping a cup of coffee and eating some leftovers from the cooler. I wasn't sick of shrimp yet, but it wouldn't be much longer.

When Milo and Jessara arrived for their shifts, I pulled them aside. "I have an idea," I said. "What if we take the food wagon to where more people are? We could set up a place near the construction site for the orc fortress. We'll sell to them and anyone coming into the Everspring or passing by on the roads."

Milo's said. "That's a great idea, Mr. V. We could do it. We'll load up, set up the fires, warm the pans and griddle. I might be able to borrow a horse from my mom's stable to pull the wagon."

"That would be perfect, Milo. Thank you," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Make sure to pack lots of hot peppers. Orcs love them."

Later, Milo and Jessara helped me prepare the wagon for movement. I had never hitched a horse before, and I relied upon my old story of having a head wound and not remembering how to do it. Thankfully, Milo knew what he was doing.

With the horse hitched and the supplies loaded, we made our way through the town, wagon creaking and pans and utensils clattering around as the wagon rolled to a spot outside the palisade. A few hundred feet across from us, the orcs had made great strides in getting their fortress ready. Most of the walls were up and they were heaving a large door into place, constructed of logs and bound in thick twine. I waved and got a wave back from one of the orcs. I was pretty sure it was Urzan or Moktar.

I spotted Alic drilling nearby with a squad of his men and women. I was pleasantly surprised to see Raynard among them. He had stopped at the tavern a few nights back, and I had given him a little encouragement, with the help of Garin, to try to join the city guard. It looked like he'd passed whatever test Alic had thrown at him and was now practicing footwork with them.

Raynard looked up, caught my eye, and offered a quick smile. I gave a little nod in return.

We set up the food wagon near the road and waited. It didn't take long for some of the people of Everspring to wander out and see what we were serving. A farmer bringing some goods for the market stopped and bought an onion burger. I collected his coins and he set off with a happy sigh as he bit into his early lunch.

We had set up the fryer station, and I hadn’t given up on sausage poppers. The smell of frying cornmeal filled the air, attracting customers. Soon, we had a line outside our food wagon, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Jessara had put a huge pile of shrimp in a bowl and placed it in a small crate filled with ice chunks. That should keep it cold as long as it didn't get too hot today.

"Come and get it!" I called to a few traders passing, turning into my usual showboat self. "Hot, fresh food, right here!"

Once the humans working on the fort got wind of fresh, hot food near them, a steady line started making their way to the food wagon to join the others. Before long, I could barely keep up with orders.

I was quite pleased as they kept coming. I alternated sending Milo and Jessara back to get more supplies, which Lady Churl was chopping and prepping.

As I turned the onion burgers on the grill, heavy footsteps approached. I looked up to find Urzan lumbering to the wagon with his buddy Moktar at his side.

"Good see you, Varix!" Urzan said, and showed his tusks.

“Urzan. My favorite orc. How have you been?”

“Urzan busy with fort! Protect Everspring! What is food today?"

"Well, you've come to the right place, Urzan," I said, returning his grin. "I was thinking of you and brought a lot of peppers. What can I get for you?"

Urzan reached into a thick pouch on his dark leather belt and pulled out a wad of coins. He counted out a substantial amount and handed them to me. “You feed whole pack!”

“Uh. How many are we talking?”

Urzan turned and pointed toward the fort. A whole line of orcs had come out to stare toward the food truck.

“Oh, shit,” I said under my breath.

I nodded and stared at the coins. If I’d had more time to develop my idea, I would have been more prepared. I hadn't realized at least two dozen orcs were now working on the fort.

There was nothing like trial by fire, I supposed.

“You got it, Urzan. We'll get them fed and happy in no time." I turned to Milo and said, "Milo, run back to the tavern as quickly as you can. Let Lady Churl know we need more food prepped. Tell her to pull Grondak off whatever he's working on and have him help with the prep."

At the mention of Grondak, Urzan's eyes lit up. "How Grondak with soft job?"

"He's a good worker. As a matter of fact, he fits in well and works hard. He's been a real asset to the tavern."

Urzan nodded, looking pleased. "Good! Grondak need learn hard work!”

I didn’t mention that the orcs at the camp appeared to be working a hell of a lot harder than Grondak.

"Milo, when you return to the tavern, make sure to bring back more of the shrimp," I added. "The orcs love them cooked in butter with garlic and hot peppers. And get every bun you can find. We'll have to hit the market later to have enough for dinner."

After we had fed the orcs, Alic swung by for a bite to eat. I greeted him warmly, and asked, "I haven't seen Caden and Mira since they stopped at the tavern the other day."

Caden leaned. "They've been busy with the gnolls. The caves are extensive, and they're working on putting in some guide ropes so no one gets lost down there."

"Have they seen this lost city?"

Alic shrugged. "Not yet, but they haven't had me to help them find it. Caden couldn't find his sword scabbard if it weren't attached to his belt." Alic laughed.

I told Alic about the loud noises I'd heard last night and his brow furrowed. "They shook the entire building?"

"Felt like it."

"That's troubling," he said. "I'll let Mira and Caden know. Seraphina is working on a direction stone to ensure they head toward town once they go into that old bear cave. I understand a small entrance opens to multiple large caverns from there. It gets pretty twisty underground. Twisty and dark." Alic shuddered. "You can think you're going one direction, but you're going the opposite way."

"Oh. How's Raynard doing?" I asked and pointed at his squad.

"That kid is a real asset. I wasn't sure about him at first, but a few days ago, he tried out for the town guard again, and let me tell you. He put on a good show with his sword. I was impressed."

I nodded and couldn't help but smile. Garin would be happy to hear his advice to Raynard had paid off.

Alic waved as he returned to work, biting into a massive double onion burger as he walked away.

As I continued cooking, I couldn't help but breathe another massive sigh of relief. We were going to sell a ton of shrimp before they went bad, and this was turning out to be a fantastic day for business.

The afternoon flew by in a blur of sizzling food and happy customers. Milo and Jessara worked alongside me, keeping up with the steady stream of orders. The orcs, in particular, seemed thrilled with the spicy garlic shrimp, and we went through our supply at an astonishing rate.

"This might have just saved the tavern," I said as we got ready to wrap up our lunch rush. "We've served more food today than we have in weeks."

We loaded up the remaining supplies and cleaned the pans. As we prepared to head back to the tavern, I looked over at the fort, where the orcs were still hard at work. "We'll be back again soon!" I called out to them, waving goodbye.