Chapter 4 – A Morning Surprise

Thankfully I did everything I wanted just in time as the darkness of the night started to set in into the town. Sasha and I went back to the inn just before it got dark. Although there were only six people inside, excluding the innkeeper, it was pretty festive; all five of my fellow Otherworlders gathered at a table and were eating and drinking as they laughed out loud. Cathelyn was still rocking a chair at the side, fiddling with a necklace.

Well, they seemed to be having fun, at least I now know that there’s no immediate problem with the food. I went to the bar where the innkeeper was standing while Sasha joined the rest. I extended my hand towards him and said, “Hey, I didn’t get to know your name; I am Lorn.”

He shook my hand and said, “Ceres.”

“Nice to meet you, Ceres. You see, me and my friend are quite hungry. Could you fix us four plates of your best dishes?”

Ceres nodded. “Right away.”

I waited for a while as I watched Zeus try to carry the drunken Erik away from the table, but the bearded man seemed too drunk to care about his well-being, so he kept fumbling his way out of Zeus’s grasp.

“There you go.”

I turned around and saw Ceres placing four wooden plates with hot food on the bar. As I went to grab the plates, I felt a hand on my shoulder, followed by the foul smell of beer. “You’re a great guy. Thanks for the food.”

I removed his hand away. “The food is not for you. In fact, I think you should sit down and have a cup of water.”

Erik sounded out mildly angry, “Come on, why don't you share some?”

Before I could respond, Zeus came in between us and placed both his hands on Erik’s shoulder. He said, “ I think our friend here is right, Erik. Why don’t you sit down and rest?”

The intimidation seemed to sobber Erik a bit as he nodded absently and proceeded to walk away.

“Our friend? I am your friend now?” I asked.

Zeus turned around and looked me up and down as he seemed to inspect my new leather attire. “My bad,” he said after taking in my new armor and sword. “If it bothered you, consider it me spouting nonsense.”

I let out a small laugh. “I was just messing around.” I reached towards his hand. “Happy to make friends with you, Zeus.

He shook my hand. “Same here.”

Pointing towards Erik, I said, “Can’t say the same about him. Say honestly, do I look that easy to push around?”

Smiling, Zeus just shrugged. I sighed and went to pick up the plates.

“What do you need this amount of food for? I don’t think you’re getting this food for our group.” Zeus asked.

“If you help me, I will tell you,” I answered.

He contemplated for a second, then said, “Alright, what do I need to do.”

I placed the plates back on the table. “Start with holding the plates.”

As Zeus started to pick up the plates of food, I went around the inn and picked up two lit sconces off a wall to use as torches. When I was taking the sconces, Cathelyn, who was supposedly sitting at the back, had gotten up and approached me. “You’re awfully busy despite being in the current situation.” She asked, “What is it that got you so worked up?”

“I also got a few questions of my own,” I said. “But it seems we are both busy, so why don’t I answer that question of yours and you answer a question of mine?”

She nodded her head. “Fine, go ahead.”

“The town is abnormally strange. Not just with the monsters, the people themselves seem to be hiding something they don’t want us to see. I am not quite sure the reason, but something is not sitting right with me, so I am going out snooping.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She grunted. “You didn’t actually find out much, but since we had a deal, what is that you want to know?”

“How the hell did we end up in prison? because from the context of the information I heard when they let us out was, they captured us.”

“They splashed us with tranquilizing powder the moment they spotted us.” She said, “We all were transported to the same place outside the town, but all of you were unconscious except me. When I was about to wake you up, the townsfolk suddenly assaulted and accused us of kidnapping a few teenagers, and they wouldn’t listen at all when I said we were just transported. I had to follow with their demands just for your group’s sake.”

I rubbed my eyes as I took in this mess of information. “So basically, they drugged us, dragged us into prison with the pretense we kidnapped some people, then let us go like that.”

Cathelyn nodded her head. “Exactly.”

“Great, this town is becoming weirder by the minute.” I moved around her after taking two sconces to act like torches. “Since I answered your question, I will go now.”

While heading towards the door, I motioned for Zeus to follow with my head. Out again of the inn, this time in the dark night, I walked in the town towards where I had spotted the guards earlier.

A little bit north of the town, around a lit brazier, three guards were warming themselves. I called them guards because they all wore the same attire, chainmail armor around the chests, chausses over the legs, and nasal helmets on their heads.

After switching with Zeus, giving him the sconces, and taking the plates, I approached the three guards. One of them noticed me. He turned towards me and shouted. “Stop there. What do you want?”

I continued walking towards them as they unsheathed their swords. “Stop!” They shouted.

When I was close enough for me to see their faces, I stopped. The guards were all middle-aged men with beards on their faces. I showed them the plates in my hand and said, “I am here to offer some food, you know I am an Otherworlder, and I thought I could offer you, guards, some food in exchange for some info about the terrain around since it seems I will be leaving tomorrow while monsters are still around.”

They exchanged looks, and just as one was about to talk, I got near them and said, “Come on guys, help me out here. I just need some advice so I would live out of there. I also came with goodwill and food.”

One of the guards sighed. “Let’s just help him a bit, and then he can be on his way. What do you say, Cletus, Fion?” He then stared me right in the eyes. “If they agree, you’re leaving right after, and you’re tasting the food first.”

When all parties agreed, and the guards sheathed back their swords, I placed the plates down, turned towards Zeus, who was behind me, and as I took a scone from his hand, I whispered, “Sorry to trouble you, Zeus, but could you go back to the inn. On your way there, check if anyone is following you and when you reach the inn, dally outside a bit and see if anyone is around.”

Zeus responded, “Sure, but you really owe me an explanation after.”

I nodded in response, and he went back towards the inn.

“Where is your friend going?” Asked the guard, who first agreed to help me.

“He is going back to the inn. He was originally helping me just to deliver the plates. Your food is getting cold, by the way, gentlemen.”

As our agreement said, I took a spoonful of every plate to prove there was nothing wrong with them, and then they started digging in. Food was quickly disappearing, and words were coming out. Much to my disappointment, they didn’t give me any helpful info. They claimed they didn’t know what type of monster was attacking, they couldn’t describe them since they never took a close look, and they also don’t know where they came from or where their nest or habitat was. The only useful thing I got out, was when I am leaving; I should leave northward since no monsters ever attack that path.

“There’s not much else we know, so I think we are done.” Said one of the guards.

“Alright.” I acknowledged. “Just one more question.”

“Go ahead.” The guard motioned with his head.

“Why are there no children in this town? I barely saw a young couple when I was walking around.”

The guard tried to sneak a look with the other, but I took notice. He then after said, “That’s how it is in this town. We are quite unlucky with the birth rate. Now, I hope you stop distracting us and leave.”

Nodding, I began to walk away. “It was a nice talk, talk care.”

When I reached the inn, no one of my fellow Otherworlders was in the hall. I checked with the innkeeper, and he said they all went to sleep. Since there was nothing to do, for now, I had him show me my room upstairs. The room was small. It consisted only of a wooden bed frame with a straw mattress, an oak cupboard, a chest box, and a window to the side. And there was actually a mirror inside. I took a look, and my appearance didn’t change much. I thought that having a magical core would make me more muscular or something, but there was no change. I was still a bit tall, had a relatively fit body, a triangular face, and curly black hair.

Feeling a bit tired, I decided to call it a day and go to sleep. I went to bed in my armor with my sword in my embrace in case anything happened since the people of the town have been giving me the spooks since I came here. I laid on the uncomfortable straw mattress, but it didn’t hinder me from sleeping; I had slept on worse.

I snoozed for what felt like a few seconds, only for loud shouting, which seemed to come from downstairs to wake me wide up. I looked out of the window, and the sun hadn’t come up, only the morning mist covering the view.

Grabbing the new sword, I went out of my room and downstairs. There, Cathelyn was arguing with the mayor whom I had seen yesterday.

“I am not waking anyone up. The damn sun didn't even rise yet,” Cathelyn shouted.

“I’m sorry, but we told you that you would have to leave today,” The mayor stated. “Please wake your companions up, or we will do.”

Right before Cathelyn could respond, we heard a loud, frightening screech coming from outside, one that I could swear no human could replicate and was confident no animal I knew could make. Even from upstairs, I could hear the loud thumping noise as the thing approached the inn and finally saw the abomination of a beast causing the noise when it crashed in from the entrance.