We stepped through the doors of Bear’s Head Inn, and I was immediately surprised by how clean everything looked. Considering the rough exterior, I hadn’t expected much. The wooden floor was swept, and while the place had a roughness to it, it felt strangely welcoming. The inn was mostly empty, with just a few people sitting around the tables, some of them lazily drinking.

A tough-looking girl was working, moving between tables and carrying plates. She was nothing like the serving girls back in the capital. Not that I’d seen many of them. Her short red hair stood out against her tanned skin, and her athletic build suggested she could hold her own in a fight. There was a hardened edge to her, something that made it clear this was no place for pleasantries.

At the back of the bar, a huge bald man was filling mugs, his arms thick as tree trunks. He watched us approach, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Lance offered a casual greeting. "Hey there." He kept his voice low, leaning in as he whispered, "We’re looking to sell some things."

The man didn’t respond right away, just looked us over, taking his time to size us up. After a moment, he gave a small nod and signaled toward the back door. "Go ‘round the back," he said, his voice a deep rumble. "I’ll be there in a minute."

Without another word, we obeyed, slipping through the door and entering a surprisingly empty kitchen. It was dimly lit, but the air was warm from the nearby hearth. We found some stools and sat down, waiting for the man to join us. A few moments later, he walked in, wiping his hands with a rag. He tossed the rag onto one of the stools and leaned against the counter.

"So, what do you need?" he asked, his tone gruff but not unkind.

Lance didn’t waste time. He turned to me and gave a slight nod, signaling me to hand him the bag. I opened it, and Lance took out one of the vials containing a blessing.

The man’s eyes narrowed as soon as he saw it. "Five Golden Lions," he said flatly.

Lance’s face twisted in outrage. "Five?" he spat. "You know even the worst of them go for at least thirty-five."

The man didn’t flinch. "Trading them’s illegal," he said, his voice low. "I risk a whole lot just by talkin’ ‘bout it."

Lance and the man went back and forth for a few minutes, bantering over the price. Finally, Lance gave in, though I could tell he wasn’t happy about it. "Seven," Lance said. "I’m not taking less."

The man nodded, accepting the deal. I noticed Lance didn’t take the other blessings to sell. After that, he pulled out a few pieces of jewelry and some gems we had brought with us. More bargaining ensued, but eventually, they settled on three extra Golden Lions, seven Golden Cubs, 4 Silver Wolves, a room, food, and a bed for the night, along with some information.

The man leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "If you’re lookin’ to stay outta sight, Vermilion Post’s your best bet. It’s a few days on foot, but far enough from the port that you’ll avoid most trouble. Though not everyone’s got what it takes to travel those lands."

After receiving a key each for a room, Lance motioned for me to follow him, and we left the inn, heading toward the place where we could get some equipment. Following the directions we were given, we soon reached a crude smithy. It wasn’t much, just a few open stands where leather and metal pieces were on display, ranging in quality from barely passable to outright shoddy.

Lance didn’t waste any time. He pointed out two pairs of strong gloves and a few pieces of leather armor for me. I tried them on, making sure they fit before putting them aside. I had to admit the entire selection didn’t look too impressive.

"How much?" Lance asked, his voice tight with impatience.

The smith, a grizzled man with deep-set eyes, barely glanced at us before answering, "Two Golden Cubs for the lot."

Lance’s face darkened. "Two? For this?"

The man didn’t even blink. "Materials are hard to come by out here. Prices are what they are."

I could see Lance biting back his frustration, his jaw clenched. But after a tense moment, he finally agreed, though both of us walked away feeling like we had been cheated. Again.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

We stepped out of the smithy. The air was crisp, and I felt the weight of the gloves and leather armor on me. As we made our way back toward the inn, I couldn’t help but glance around the town. Every building looked like it had been patched up a hundred times, the wood worn and aged.

"Do you think we could explore a bit?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "Get familiar with the place?"

Lance glanced at me, his eyebrows furrowing. "I don’t know…"

"Come on," I pressed. "It’s still early, and we’re going to be here for at least a night. We might as well know what’s around."

Lance sighed, clearly having his doubts, but after a moment, he gave a short nod. "Fine. But we shouldn’t stay out for too long."

We wandered through the narrow dirt roads of the small town. Every corner we turned looked the same—patched-up wooden buildings, people with scars and scowls, eyes following us as we passed. The town had a sense of unease, like the people here were constantly on guard. It was unsettling.

As we were walking, a man in a hood approached from the opposite direction, his head down and shoulders hunched. I didn’t think much of him until he brushed past Lance, bumping him hard with his shoulder.

"Hey!" Lance snapped, turning to glare at the man.

The man didn’t respond, but showed a big black clawed hand while walking, his pace unchanging.

Lance looked ready to chase after him, but I placed a hand on his arm. "Let it go," I said. "He’s not worth it."

Lance hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, fine. Let’s just head back to the inn."

It was getting darker, and neither of us liked the idea of being out too late in a place like this. We took the long way back though, exploring a last bit before returning. As we neared the inn, Lance suddenly stopped. His face paled as his hand moved to pat his side, and then, with a look of realization, he cursed under his breath.

"What is it?" I asked, confused.

Before I could say anything else, Lance turned and started running back the way we came.

I stood there, not knowing what to do. Part of me wanted to go after him, but I was tired. Sighing, I turned and made my way into the inn.

Inside, the only people around were the huge innkeeper and the tough-looking serving girl from earlier. They were locked in a heated argument near the bar. The girl noticed me walk in, scoffed, and stormed out, nearly pushing me out of the way, the door slamming behind her.

I approached the man, who waved a dismissive hand. "Don’t worry ’bout her," he grumbled. "She wasn’t any good anyway." Then, he turned to me with a grin. "Want a drink? I need one myself, and it’s always better to drink with company."

I smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. "Sure, why not?"

He poured us both a mug of something strong-smelling, and we clinked them together before taking a drink. The warmth of the liquid spread through me, relaxing some of the tension in my shoulders.

I glanced around the inn, thinking again about the people I’d seen in the town. "Why are there so many Vamyr here?" I asked.

The innkeeper chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Didn’t you sell me a blessing just this morning?"

I felt my face redden with embarrassment. "Yeah, but… I mean, it’s still weird to see so many people with them."

He leaned back, his eyes almost closed as if he was weighing how much to tell me. "Many of the folks here used to work for the kingdom, one way or another. Some of ‘em left, some are escaping for their own reasons." He took a long sip of his drink before continuing. "But out here, in the Outskirts? There’s blessings to be had. Monsters leave ‘em behind sometimes, and with the kingdom so far away, folks take the chance to grab ‘em for themselves."

I frowned. "Does the kingdom not care about that?"

The innkeeper shrugged. "They don’t like it, but they don’t do much about it either. Truth is, they need strong, expendable people out here, conquering land and maybe finding another World Tree." He grinned at me over the rim of his mug. "So they turn a blind eye. Mostly."

"Has anyone found one?" I asked, curious.

"Not here," he replied, shaking his head. "But people keep hopin’."

Just then, the door swung open, and Lance stormed in, his face a mix of frustration and defeat. He stomped over to the bar and collapsed onto the stool beside me.

"What happened?" I asked, a little annoyed at the way he’d gone without explanation.

Lance shook his head, his voice low. "That guy from earlier must’ve taken my purse."

The innkeeper laughed, a deep, throaty sound. "If that’s the case, it’s probably gone for good. Consider it a lesson, kid."

I felt my stomach drop. Lance had almost all of our money. I had a few Silver Wolves and Pups left, but nothing that would last us long. Still, Lance didn’t seem too rattled, so I tried to comfort myself with the thought of the blessings and valuables still in our bag. After all, it was still far more than I ever had in my life.

"Just give me a drink," Lance muttered, motioning for the man to pour him one.

We spent the rest of the evening talking about the road to Vermilion Post and what we should be on the lookout for. The innkeeper offered some tips, but mostly warned us to stay on our guard.

That night, as I lay down on my bed in the small room the inn had given us, I couldn’t help but smile. Despite everything—the danger, the uncertainty—these last few days had been the most exciting of my life.