Max stepped into the Town of Willowbrook, immediately relaxed by the nice atmosphere the town spread through its streets, like a soothing lullaby. Next to him, Snickers stood a little bit lost in his thoughts.
“Everything okay?” Max asked.
“Yeah… It’s just…” Snickers fought against himself looking for the right words. “Let’s go for a drink! And I’ll tell you more, it is easier not only for humans but for my kind as well to talk when we drink a little bit first.”
“Let’s go then!”
The one thing, Max had learned the best in this world was how to find an inn in a matter of seconds. First, he stood silent, his eyes closed focusing on the surrounding sounds.
“Dry meat! Super Cheap!” forward.
"One night with one of the ladies..." behind them.
“Tomatoes! Bread!” on the left.
"Only 1 silver for the best night of your life!" behind once again. Max shook his head, he needed to focus.
“3 MORE FOR THE GUYS BEHIND!” the next street on the right.
“Found it!” Max smiled.
“Yes, I’m waiting for you,” Snickers stood under a sign that said: “Redscale Dragon’s Inn”
“Why didn't you say something!?” Max yelled.
“It’s always funny seeing you do that.”
“You’re gonna buy yourself the goddamn ale!”
“You still owe me for the unwanted tits!” Snickers complained on their way to the inn.
“Ahh!” Snickers slammed the tankard on the table, and with his left hand, he swiped over his mouth. “That’s some good stuff!”
“That was your 5th, you sure you’re going to be alright?” Max asked, still on his first one.
“I already told ya!” Snickers was visibly drunk. “Kobolds don’t get drunk that easily!” he burped. “Another one here!"
“So what was it that you wanted to tell me?”
“It’s a long and depressive story, I think I have to drink a couple more to open up. I hope you understand.”
“Sure, no problem.”
The drinking continued late in the night.
“Oh-ooh-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-ooh-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-ooh-whoa-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh…”
Max stood on one of the tables, a big crowd around him.
“You know you love me (yo), I know you care (uh-huh)
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Just shout whenever (yo), and I'll be there (uh-huh)
You are my love (yo), you are my heart (uh-huh)
And we will never, ever, ever be apart (yo, uh-huh)”
The crowd stood in silence, watching Max singing with his weird dance moves.
"Baby, baby, baby, oh"
Like, "Baby, baby, baby, no"
Like, "Baby, baby, baby, oh"
I thought you'd always be mine, mine”
“Yo, get him off that table, that shit sucks!”
“Boo!” a piece of bread flew by Max, and then a piece of tomato, a small piece of meat, and other vegetables. It was time to get off the table. “There isn’t a world where Justin Bieber is loved I guess.”
At the same table, Snickers was sitting, or sleeping more or less. Hearing the loud Boos! he jumped up from his chair.
“I was born in a cave close to this town.”
Now the crowd that gathered around the table stopped in place and listened carefully to Snickers.
“The thing I remember about the cave is that it was small and dark, a very harsh environment for a softy like me. It was filled with jagged rocks and there was barely any light, every day was a struggle for survival. My parents were low-ranking kobolds, tasked with hard labor and constantly subjected to the whims of the stronger kobolds who ruled the cave with an iron fist!”
Max listened carefully, not interrupting, and the entire inn did the same.
"From a young age, I learned the hard truths of my existence. Food was scarce, and competition for it was fierce. The weak were often left to fend for themselves, and acts of kindness were rare. But somehow we always pulled through, finding a way to scrape by even when things seemed impossible. My small stature and quick reflexes often helped me avoid the worst of the cave’s dangers.
But, one fateful day, while exploring the farthest reaches of the cave to find something to eat, I stumbled upon a hidden passage. A faint glow fought through the cracks. I followed it, hoping that the discovery of what was there could change my life forever. And it did. The passage led me to a massive cave, ancient cave, with treasures beyond your wildest dreams. In the center of the cave, lay a magnificent red-scaled dragon, its scales were shining in the dim light.”
Max looked at the faces of the people around the table, their eyes wide, their mouths opened. Snickers got them all hypnotized in his story.
“I watched him for some time, he didn’t notice me being there. I sneaked to the far wall of the cavern and took some gold, filled my pockets with it, they felt so heavy, it made my trousers fall off my ass. But the feeling and the weight of gold felt nice, I pushed through the crack and heard the Dragon roar. I peeked inside, he was awake, he knew that someone had stolen his treasure, and with a defeating roar that echoed through the cave system he flew away.”
“Don’t tell me he killed your folk because of that?” Max looked sad and worried about the end of the story.
“No…”
“So what did you do with the money?”
“That’s the thing. I went to this inn, but it carried another name. I drank for 7 days and 7 nights, and before I realized it, I had spent all the money. I snuck back to the cave, but I couldn’t find the passage to the Dragon’s nest, without gold and with a guilty conscience I couldn’t return home. So I left.”
“You left because you spent all the money, the money no one knew you even found?”
“I KNEW ABOUT IT OKAY?!” he yelled. “My family could’ve eaten for years not worrying about anything if I went home first,” he took a sip of ale.
A man in the inn put a hand on Snicker’s shoulder. “Can you tell me,” the man began. “Where did the dragon leave when you saw it fly off?”
“No idea, who knows, dragons are stupid!”
“Did you know, that a dragon can smell his coin from miles away? And will always return for it?” another hand gently put on his other shoulder, and squeezed him a tiny bit.
“Uhm… no?”
“YOU!” one of the guys shouted, pointing a trembling finger at Snickers. “You brought that monster upon us! It was you!! Back then it had destroyed everything!!!”
Chaos erupted in the inn as the men in there attacked Max and Snickers. Max quickly realized that Snickers’ discovery had set off a chain of events that led to the dragon’s awakening and the destruction of this town.
Max pulled Snickers by his hand and ran straight toward the exit. “Run! Idiot! Run!” he yelled for Snickers to move his legs, but because he was so drunk it took some time for him to react. Max knew when he realized what was going on, when his eyes became big like coffee mugs, and when he ran faster than Max. “Don’t leave me here, this is your fault!”
“I can’t carry you, run faster Max! Run! Hero! Run!”