I closed my fingers around the magical make believe money as the sun started to set and sighed.
With that, I perked up a bit, and whistled a carefree tune as I retraced my steps with my mental map all the way back to a semi decent pub-sorta-inn-sorta-eatery-kinda establishment that I’d seen during my little jaunt about the town.
Based on my own, albeit limited, understanding of how the settlement was set up I guessed my chosen establishment was in a fairly safe part of town. It wasn’t too far off the main road, was made of solid beams and plaster just a touch whiter than the building next to it, which meant it was well cared for, at least by current standards, and the roof didn’t have any gaps or holes either, which is more than I can say for a good chunk of the buildings in this town!
Now that I think about it, maybe that’s how this place got its name. Ariadholme, Airy at home. Coincidence? I think not!
Anyway, I strolled on up to the solid lookin’ front door, with its fresh coat of red paint accentuated with yellows and oranges thanks to the evening light, and continued on in.
The sign out front named this place the ‘Ornery Owl’ and the interior was, well, suited to match?
Off on the center of the left wall lazily burned a fire inside a decently spacious stone fireplace, with a small stack of logs for extra fuel piled a few feet away. About ten round tables with four to six solid utilitarian-looking chairs around each filled most of the room, save for the bar/front desk that sat directly across from me, the fire, obviously, and the stairs that led both up and down in the right corner.
As for decorations, there was maybe one painting if you could call it that, situated above the hearth, but it was so blackened from smoke or soot that I couldn’t really tell what it used to depict. Other than that, there were some pretty colorful ceramic bottles of various shapes and sizes behind the bar, and on the right most wall between the stairs sat, what I assumed to be the bar’s namesake; the stuffed and mounted head of the biggest frickin’ owl I’d ever seen! Also, most tables, especially those farther from the fire, had a single candle for light. No stick by the way, they just sorta plunked them dead center, and let them melt into place, but back to the owl.
Gray feathers were slicked back over the bulbous head that glared menacingly with fat yellow eyes from its permanent perch on the wall. It was easily twice the size of a bear’s head, and that black hooked beak looked like it’d be able to rip a good portion of somebody off if it ever clamped down for a bite. What really threw me was the little polished placard under it that simply read ‘Suzy’.
I mean, come on! Of all the names to give to a massive owl you had to go and dub it Suzy?
With my initial observations out of the way, I quietly shut the door behind myself, so as to not disturb the other patrons, of which there were a few, and strode on over to the counter where the beefest looking lady I’d ever seen tended to the dishes that a couple raucous revelers had just returned via a smaller version of the barkeep–probably her kid.
She glanced up at me with cold gray eyes, and before I could even say anything she grunted. “You’re new here. Wadda’ ya’ want?”
“Um. Well, yes, I am new here, so I was hoping to get a room.”
She sniffed. “Sorry, don’t take hope fer my services, you’ll have ta’ look elsewhere.”
With that the room behind me burst into laughter.
Mugs clacked down, hands slapped thighs and table tops, and the general assortment of burly and bawdy brutes that bedecked this business barked boorishly about our brief back and forth.
“Did ya hear Eda?”
“You bet your sweet granny’s prized goose I did!”
Then one made to impersonate this ‘Eda’ and did so poorly too. “We don’t take hope as payment! So’s get yer sorry rear outta here!”
And that was just the table closest to me. The others were sneering and looking kinda menacingly at me, while others made eyes toward the door, either as a suggestion or challenge to try to leave.
Now that I had reason to look them over, none appeared particularly dangerous. They weren’t in anything other than standard leather pants and cloth shirts, some had knives strapped to their belts, but that wasn’t any more dangerous to me than the rippling muscles they all possessed, since a quick sweep revealed their statuses weren’t anything special.
All in all, there are about fifteen guys here. If I modify the tase spell I could have them down in a snap so I’m not gonna worry about it.
I sighed, and pulled out my coin pouch. “So how much was the room again?”
Eda blew back a few strands of her loosely tied back silver hair and smirked. “What? Ya can take a joke I see? Didn’t look tha’ type. Alright then, a room fer one night’s twelve shills.”
My eyes widened. If I remember Craig’s explanation correctly, these rounded rectangles are what passes for coins. The bronze ones are the cheapest denomination and are named pieces, fifteen of them gets you a silver shill, and fifteen shills gets you a gold crown. The thing that’s throwing me is that a single shill is supposed to be enough to buy a day’s worth of food, and of what Craig gave me I’ve only got fifteen and change! And this lady wants twelve!
“Uhhh. Did you get robbed recently? Or did the economy crash when I wasn’t paying attention?”
“Pfft.”
She snickered, and the whole of the establishment once again broke out laughing with tankards crashing.
“Robbed? Did we let Eda get robbed?”
“Not on yer life sonny! Not on yer life!”
“And what’s all this about tha’ econo-ma-whatsit? How’s one ta crash it anyhow?”
“Beats me brother, but this newcomer is bloody great!”
I sighed again, and slowly turned back to Eda, who, despite her grim expression, had a bright glint in her eye. I had to force myself not to facepalm. “By any chance are you hoping that I know a song or something to help you pass the time?” Eda perked up, and for the first time cracked a smile–though it came across far more intimidating than I think she intended. “Quick on tha’ uptake' too!” She reached under the bar and withdrew a battered violin. “Do ya play?” I puffed myself up. “Do I play? Do I play?” Holy crap, do I play? I feel like I might’ve but I can't remember. Why can I never remember anything about my past on the old Earth? I know I got what felt like the whole of human knowledge in that dream, but that was a dream! Uggh. I took the instrument off the bar. “One way to find out.” I gave the old instrument a moment’s inspection, drew the slightly bent bow across the strings to test, cringed at the shrill noise it made, and then sighed for a third time. Never easy is it? But I guess this is a communal instrument, and given the patron’s personalities, I can’t figure out if they found it like this or made it that way on a lark. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I sniffed moseyed off to the corner near the fire, and went through the list of spell’s I’d learned until I recalled the repair spell from the order discipline. A thought was, of course, all it took to activate it, and in a small blue flash the violin and its bow were both back in pristine condition. Hushed murmurs went through my audience as some caught sight of my magic from behind my back, which seemed to spur all to notice the change in the instrument’s quality when I turned around. I ignored them, and after a few minutes of tuning, thanks to musical memories I was pulling out of God knows where, I was ready to play. But what to play? I doubt they’d like anything modern, or fancy, given their dispositions, but I’m seriously blanking any violin songs that aren’t fancy! What the heck me?! Why are my memories so hot and cold? Until a minute ago I’d barely even thought about violins let alone the knowledge and skill needed to tune one! I muttered. “And now I have to play.” So they’ll just have to settle for fancy! With no further adieu, I set bow to strings and began what I assumed was this world’s first rendition of Vivaldi’s four seasons. Beginning with the cheerful and comforting spring section the tavern seemed to return to life. Granted they were keeping their voices down so as to not disturb my intense focus or the song that they’d never heard before. Time passed faster than I was aware, and I soon let spring fade away as I quietly transitioned into the slow chords of summer that gradually built into a much faster tempo before fading off and then building once again. I don’t know how I was doing it, let alone remembering all the notes and actions since I hadn’t acquired the ability yet, but I continued on nevertheless. Summer soon, well, fell, and in its place came autumn. Cheery yet a touch melancholic, it too started slow and gentle and echoed parts of the melody from spring in an effort to call to mind the falling of leaves before letting that die into something even quieter and more somber. At this point the tavern goers started to shift in their seats as more of their attention was drawn to me, and it was here that the tune changed again to more of a sad march toward winter. Winter started fast and eerie. A repetitive loop that built up and then stilled drilled the chill of the season into the hearts of my listeners, freezing all lingering conversation and drawing the last of the holdout’s focus to me. The song soon reached a part where the ice gave way to a nostalgic melody recalling the year gone by before snowballing into a faster finale that concluded with the dining hall in dead silence. I let out a long deep breath, half a sigh of relief and satisfaction as I slowly reopened my eyes. I’d had them shut so tight that my vision popped with stars, but since my enhanced awareness kept me apprised of the room’s going ons I knew that I’d left them stupefied. Yeah, I’m still surprised too. Even my brain’s tingling from the effort. But go me, I guess. In the silence I walked over to Eda, and quietly returned the violin as I asked the halted hostess. “So about that room?” She blinked once. Reached in a deep apron pocket, and plucked out a brass key with the number seven crudely carved into it. She pointed to the staircase going up, and I nodded my thanks. I glanced back once just to make sure she didn’t want any money, but she said not a word, so I shrugged and headed upstairs. The hall was narrow and sets of doors ran all the way down to a single room at the end. Each had a small sconce that held a candle which illuminated the room numbers painted in a similar color to the front door. I meandered my way down, checking each door for my assigned abode, and stopped at the fourth door on the left. I inserted the key, swung the portal wide with nary a creek, and peered into a comfortable enough one person room that contained little more than a bed, with a trunk at the end, and a nightstand that boasted an unlit candle. There was a small shuttered window, but given the cool breeze that crept in I was well aware there was no glass in it. I stretched, shut and locked my chamber, set down my bag, and rubbed my face as I mumbled. “Man, I got so absorbed in that song I forgot how ridiculously long it is. Oh well, if all it takes to learn something new about myself is the better part of an hour, then I’m fine with that.” I then pulled out that strange coin I’d found, and flipped it around between my fingers. “Now then, shall we test this thing out?” On a hunch, I held it up to my eye and circulated some mana up my arm and through the tiny artifact. Within moments the darkness created before my eye by the back of the coin gave way to an unobstructed view of… the darkness outside. I twisted around, and peered downstairs, but for some reason most of the bar was empty and the only ones who remained were crying for whatever reason. What the heck? Did I actually play horribly? No, that can’t be it, they would’ve stopped me if it had, so maybe someone had a personal emergency? They all seemed pretty chummy so maybe they went to help? I grimaced, then shrugged. “It’s none of my business, so unless they ask for help I’ll assume they can handle it.” I then turned the coin in the direction of the big tower at the center of town, since that’s where Calden and company were probably staying, but the darkness of night obscured my attempt. I frowned, channeled more mana since I knew it had multiple functions, and soon the image changed to reveal the tower’s interior. I grinned. “Oh! Looks like they’re in a meeting. What good timing!” # In a wide, stone walled room, around a long oval table on the tower’s fourth floor sat four figures, two big and two small. At the table’s head was a large rotund human man with a bushy brown beard and mane that made him seem more bear than man. He wore a lavish red tunic with a gold chained amulet around his neck that depicted a swan holding a scroll in its beak. To his immediate right and left sat the much smaller Calden and Ysdra. Calden wore a serious expression and a getup similar to the bulbous baronette only his tunic was green, and he didn’t have a gold amulet. Ysdra was in a fancy blue dress with a wide skirt and countless ruffles and frills, but unlike Calden she was frowning with arms crossed. Lastly to Calden’s right sat Carmella, her green robe replaced with an orange one of similar quality. No one else occupied the room, and the only light was provided by a chandelier that hung over the center of the long table, which meant that the occupants, who were crowded at one end, were partially obscured in darkness. Baronette Barigg pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “So for the last time. You were rescued by a mysterious and powerful entity, and you’ve led that very being into my domain, and now claim it’s seeking an artifact? Is that it? Is there anything else? Like a pink dragon hankering for honeyed ham getting ready to burn Ariadholme to the ground?” Carmella grimaced, and leaned back in her seat. “Trust me, I think it’s plenty ridiculous too, but after experiencing that.” She glanced at Calden, further soured her expression at his obvious apprehension, and continued. “Being’s power for myself I can guarantee the legitimacy of this claim. I can even swear on my certification from the magic tower!” The Baronette turned away and stared into the shadows that obscured the far wall for a long moment. Then he looked to Calden. “And you say that this being is definitely benign?” “I swear it upon my family name and upon the very soul they saved.” The Baronette opened his eyes wide, then glanced at Ysdra. “You as well?” She shrunk a little, and clutched an arm. “My soul wasn’t saved, but if they hadn’t intervened I would have probably died from the effort of trying to help Calden.” “I see.” He gave the table his undivided attention, then asked without looking up. “And what of this artifact? Do we know what it is? What it does? Or if anyone else is after it?” Carmella shook her head. “No to all. Though I hate to admit it, I honestly think it’s already in Anon’s hands. Unless it was locked away or guarded by a demon or similarly powerful entity, there’s no way that being wouldn’t have already found and claimed it.” The Baronette nodded. “I understand. Then our efforts should first be to locate this Anon Amos, and then to negotiate for the artifact?” Carmella lowered her head and eyes. “That’s correct. Force is futile. Death is irrelevant. There is no other recourse.” # I groaned and flopped back onto the bed. “Uggh. Looks like I gravely misunderstood what they meant when they called my staff an artifact.” And now they want to find me to get this imaginary treasure that I don’t even have! All I’ve got is this dinky coin! And it’s still useful so I don’t really want to part with it yet, not that they’d be looking for it, right?. I slipped the coin into my pocket, and rolled over. “I thought for sure they’d skip town and head home, but if they’re looking for me I’ll have to respond in kind. So what am I going to do? Leave Ariadholme? Hide and watch from a distance? Help them out? There are pro’s and con’s to everything but the pain is having to choose!” # Somewhere, in a dark corner of Ariadholme, several shadows gathered. The first among them whispered. “What have you learned? Report.” The second bowed. “The Dresdeth brat is still alive as is his entire escort. The bandits Sorren went with were captured and they are now all prisoners in the tower’s dungeon.” The third groaned. “I knew we shouldn’t have sent him. Anything else?” “Only that they apparently encountered a powerful being, and that there’s an artifact in Ariadholme.” The fourth gasped. “What? Really?” “Yes. Though they know not where either the being or the artifact are, only that they are likely together.” The first tapped a foot, then snorted. “Fine. You and I will work to complete the plan as originally ordained. The other two are to seek this artifact. It could well prove useful.” The third shifted uncomfortably. “What of this rumored being?” “You are an elite. If you remain careful, no one can find you. Now, get to work!”