Night was still a few hours off when we arrived at Mitrikov’s Respite, but the horses were exhausted from the day’s travel. We could theoretically reach Etron that night, but the likelihood of complications increased with each hour we traveled. A horse could break its ankle in an unseen pothole, or I could fall asleep at the reins.
As planned, we stopped at that inn. A trail for horses and carriages led from the main road to the stables behind Mitrikov’s Respite, and we parked our three carriages next to that large wooden structure.
Mitrikov’s Respite was a three-story-tall building which was allegedly built more than six hundred years ago. According to local legend, the Hero’s Party stopped at this inn when Mitrikov the Great Mage complained about his feet hurting after walking a few hours south of the city now known as Etron. Though Etron, Sondrith, and Yomotsu could have kept walking for many days to come, they agreed to stop for the night at a small shack on the side of the road.
The inn was certainly not a shack when I saw it in 630 YK. It was made of sturdy wood, and its location so close to the main road assured that everyone passing by could see it. In the game, it was typical for players traveling south from Etron to spend a night at Mitrikov’s Respite.
Standing in the shadow cast by the tall inn, I disembarked from the carriage. I unlatched the panting horses from their harnesses with ease. Six years of living outside had made me an expert on the subject. The horses charged with pulling my carriage, Prometheus and Epimetheus, were swiftly tied to hitching posts within the stables.
With that task completed, I headed toward the inn with Eadric. The other two members of our party stayed back with the carriages for their own reasons. As we walked, Eadric looked to me and asked, “So, how was the journey for you?”
“Contemplative, mostly,” I answered. “Though, I did discover something really interesting.”
“What is it?”
“This ring I found is actually an artifact of great power. We shouldn’t talk about it here, but I think this ring will prove to be a great asset in the days to come.”
Eadric muttered a statement of understanding as we stepped into the inn. The inside of Mitrikov’s Respite was much more spacious than one would expect. Standing on the first floor, I could see all the way to the ceiling of the third floor. The rooms were on the second and third floors, and I could see the doors to the rooms from the entrance.
A woman who seemed to be in her mid-thirties with a light red hair stood behind a bar located off to one side of the common room. With a mug in one hand and a dish towel in the other, the Innkeeper sized us up out of the corner of her eye. Several massive barrels laying on their side could be seen behind the Innkeeper. Metal spigots had been tapped into the lower portion of the barrels from which he could dispense various alcoholic drinks.
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Chairs and tables were scattered across the common room, and a few travelers sat at these tables with warm meals and room-temperature drinks held in weary hands. Two men dressed in traveler’s leathers talked amongst themselves at a table pulled off to one of the common room’s corners, and another table was occupied by a family composed of a mother and three children. Everyone sitting at these tables took notice of us as we entered the inn.
Eadric and I approached the Innkeeper, who looked pointedly at Eadric and asked, “You three lookin’ to stay the night?”
Why do they always assume that he’s in charge just because he’s significantly older than me?
Eadric answered, “Yes, we’re looking for room and board for three people.”
The Innkeeper answered with practiced familiarity. “It’s three silver for your own room, fifty copper for a spot in the common room.” As she finished his sentence, she gestured toward a spot near the fireplace that was bereft of tables and chairs.
“How many rooms are available?” Eadric asked.
“Five on the top floor, one on the middle floor,” the Innkeeper said.
Looking up, I noticed that each floor held five rooms, meaning that there were ten rooms available at Mitrikov’s Respite. Four rooms on the second floor were occupied.
I made a gesture with my hand and said, “We’ll take all six. I don’t want anyone to bother me when I’m sleeping. That’ll be eighteen silver coins, right? We also need to keep four horses and two wagons in your stable, how much…?”
With that, I worked out the bill with the Innkeeper. She was confused at the prospect of a fifteen-year-old asking to rent out six rooms for one night, but she didn’t turn her nose up at the money. Losing eighteen silver coins seemed paltry to me, considering the vast amount of money in my carriage, and the significant number of coins I intended to spend in the next month.
Once I had paid the Innkeeper and received six room keys, I took a seat at one of the tables and started absentmindedly flipping through my book on the life of Etron. Little did I know, that would soon become one of the most eventful nights of my life.
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Blood stained her shirt where the arrow had grazed her ribs, and she was exhausted from riding at full speed for so long. Fear quickened her breath just as much as the exhaustion, however. She scanned the horizon and every traveler she passed on the road. She pulled her cloak tight to prevent anyone from seeing her features at a distance.
More than anything, the girl wanted to stop and plead for help from the travelers passing by and greeting her with a smile, but she knew that there could be a killer hiding behind any of those unassuming expressions. She didn’t know who she could trust ever since that town guardsman tried to clamp his hand against her mouth. When she ran for help, they shot her with an arrow.
They were after her, and she didn’t know why. A group with the power to control two members of the town guard had tried to kill her. At the center of it all, Haydith Thorn had no idea why anyone wanted her dead.