Ding
“Welcome” replied Harry, the innkeeper, to the ringing of the entrance bell, without needing to look there. Still, Harry didn't want to make the guests feel offended. After all, guests meant money, so he looked up and smiled toward the entrance.
It was a little late, and people were returning from a hard day. Most men came to the city's inns and bars, looking to relax and unwind after a tough day's work.
To his surprise, the person who had just entered was not one of his regular customers. Harry was almost certain that he wasn't even a local.
The mayor has been trying for many years to expand the town and attract new residents. Unfortunately, the remote location of the city together with its difficult access due to the poor infrastructure of the surrounding roads, has meant that his dream remains a dream.
Harry would bet a silver coin that, without the existence of a dungeon a few miles from here, the town wouldn't even be a town.
The innkeeper got rid of his thoughts and focused on his soon-to-be customer.
“Hello traveler, you must have been traveling all day. Would you like a room, or maybe something to eat?”
"Both. The trip has been long, and I am running out of provisions"
“Ohh. If that's the case, I can recommend a store where you can stock up on everything you need, I'm sure they'll give you a discount if you go on my behalf. How many nights would you like to stay? We have the best rooms in the kingdom. I'm Harry, the owner"
“Matt. For now, I'll stay one night. Tomorrow, I will decide whether to spend more time. Now, I just want to eat something and get some sleep"
“It seems that the provisions have not been the best food. Don’t worry, we have a cook with high-level skills, I’m sure you’ll like it”
Zack doubted that was true.
Zack's palate aside, accustomed to modern food, the reason he had chosen this place was because it seemed cheap. After selling some of the herbs he had collected this afternoon, the money was not as much as he had imagined. Tomorrow, he will have to see if there is a store that buys them at a better price.
The innkeeper boasted about his inn while he ordered one of the employees to go to the kitchen to get something to eat. Zack sat at one of the dining room tables and began to wait.
With nothing better to do, he began to observe the inn´s decorations.
The interior seemed old, but instead of giving it a decadent and dilapidated appearance, it had a rustic atmosphere. As if, despite the flow of time, the inn had been well cared for over the years. Each element of the premises gave the image of having always been there, unchanged for a long time.
A little while later, one of the inn's employees placed a plate of food in front of him, along with something to drink.
Zack looked at the piece of cake that had been placed in front of him with curiosity.
“This is one of our best-selling dishes: meatloaf. Test it. I assure you that you will not be disappointed” said the employee with confidence.
Zack took the cutlery from the table and awkwardly put a piece of the cake in his mouth, before the expectant look of the waiter.
If he had the choice, he would prefer to eat alone, but he didn't want to leave a wrong impression upon arriving.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
When the piece of meatloaf reached his mouth, Zack opened his eyes, surprised.
…It was not bad.
In his opinion, the dish was nothing special and lacked spices to give it flavor, but it was palatable. Definitely much better than the extremely seasoned food of the palace, or the simple breakfasts and meals of the magic tower.
“So, what do you think?” The waiter who had misinterpreted Zack's expression asked proudly.
“It's the best meatloaf, I've ever eaten in this world” If Zack were in his world, no one would dare sell something like that. This kind of meatloaf could hardly be considered homemade food in his world, but here, Zack considered it a rare delight.
"I knew it. Our meatloaf is so popular that we often sell out before dinner. You are very lucky that there were still some left in the kitchen” the waiter boasted as if he had made it himself. Satisfied with his response, he walked away, leaving Zack to eat in peace.
…Or so I would have liked.
A few minutes later, as Zack was savoring his dinner, a commotion sounded outside the inn. Most customers got up from their seats and went to see what was happening.
Zack tried to focus on his food for a few minutes, but the noise outside didn't seem to stop. With a sigh, he got up and went to see what the commotion was about.
When he left the inn, the noise was even louder than he thought.
A group of people had gathered a few meters away and were surrounding something.
As he approached, Zack saw a child passed out on the ground. The crowd was surrounding the boy, but no one seemed to come forward to help. Seeing this, Zack accelerated his steps and approached the boy.
Zack has read many books, not only in this world but in his as well. Among the many books he has read, some included knowledge about first aid.
Upon reaching where the boy was, he laid him on his back and verified that he was breathing and had a pulse. He approached his chest and tried to listen to his heartbeat.
Some people seemed to try to stop him, but in the end, no one did anything.
DUM
BA-DUM
BA-DUM
Hearing the heartbeat, Zack relaxed. Fortunately, it was not cardiorespiratory arrest.
Zack looked up.
Although it was afternoon, it was still very hot. (Most likely, the boy had fainted from a syncope due to the strong temperatures) he thought as he prepared to carry the boy to a colder place under the watchful eye of the crowd of spectators.
He approached the shade of a tree and placed him there, lying face down with his head slightly inclined, and with his legs raised in a V shape, at 45 degrees.
He also checked if he had anything in his mouth to prevent him from swallowing it. Now, all he could do was wait for him to regain consciousness.
Zack would like to eat again, but some unfriendly glances in the crowd would probably prevent him from doing so.
Not everyone liked him touching the boy, even if he seemed to know what he was doing.
"Hmm"
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the boy to wake up. Seeing that he was trying to get up, Zack grabbed him and asked him to stay like that longer. It is not good for an recently unconscious person to sit up too quickly. That could lead to severe dizziness, vomiting, or nausea, and make it difficult to recover from.
Zack heard a noise in the distance and looked to see what was happening. A woman was running towards them, accompanied by a group of children.
After a while, Zack found out what had happened. Apparently, the child passed out and was playing with his friends when he suddenly fell unconscious to the ground. The other children, getting scared, attracted the attention of the adults, who told them to call the boy's mother while they stayed watching him.
Upon hearing what Zack had done from the mouths of the people who had witnessed it, the woman approached him crying and thanked him profusely for her help.
Zack rejected the woman's invitation to her house and returned to the inn to finish his meatloaf. It was the only semi-decent meal he had enjoyed in some time. He didn't want to waste it.
Unfortunately, by the time it arrived at their table, the food had already cooled down, and the flavor had deteriorated.
Zack sighed but still ate it. He didn't have the habit of wasting food.
After his dinner, he decided to head to his room.
The escape into the river was highly difficult, and on more than one occasion he thought about giving up. The possibility of being able to rest in a real bed made him quite excited.
The interior of the room was quite similar to the place where he rested in the magic tower. A bed, a table, a chair, a small trunk to store his possessions, and a window to the outside was all there was. The only difference is that instead of having stone walls, the room, like the rest of the Inn, was made of wood, and the window was somewhat larger, and more light entered the interior.
knock knock
Just as he was going to go to bed, Zack heard the sound of the door. So, with terrible fatigue, and very little enthusiasm, he went to open the door.
In front of his room, two women were waiting for him. Zack recognized one of them as the mother of the child who fainted. Before Zack could say anything, the second woman grabbed his hands, and said with teary eyes:
"Please. My son has a high fever. Please help him”