The large wooden double door opened without much protest as the inside atmosphere rushed to welcome us in. We stepped inside from the quickly darkening world outside. The floor below creaked with every stepped though barely audible over the rowdy adventurers. They sat around dozens of tables and enjoyed the endless tankards of ale. 

Zeraf and I were entranced by the fragrance of food wafting around. Whether or not the food was good was a question to be answered later. But the smell itself placed an invisible leash around my neck, pulling me in, beckoning me to order something. 

In the corner of my eye, a girl sat down by the bar. She appeared to be talking to the barman. The odd thing about the girl is that…she lacked any pigmentation. Not just her skin but her clothes too. And even her hair. What a peculiar encounter. 

I felt my arm being tugged, Zeraf was pulling at me to book into the inn. No choice but to go along with her. 

(‘’How may I help the two of you on this fine day? Are you by chance interested in checking into our inn?’’) A wide smile was spread across his face, hands cupped into one another. He seemed rather genuine, at least the reception is better than I expected.

(‘’Yes, we are planning to stay the night here. We will be staying for one night only.’’) I might have to haggle on the price. I heard inns and hotels outside of our town are quite dear. Maybe one gold coin should be enough.

(‘’I see. We happen to have some rooms open thankfully. If you are looking for a room with…you know what? I have you covered. The price is 10 silver coins!’’) What?! So cheap? This is nothing like the chief said, this is super affordable. Maybe this place is a franchise inn from the bigger cities. And what was with his phrasing? 

I handed over the ten silver coins which he in turn placed a key onto the desk. The number thirteen was engraved onto it just above the intricate set of teeth. It fit snuggly into a pocket on my right breast.

More wooden creaks plagued me as we ventured upstairs to where the rooms were. Various paintings and trophies were hung on the wall. A large tapestry occupied the wall in front of the landing. It depicted a baby surrounded by a fiery abyss. Children and mothers screamed as lightning struck from above. The tapestry was enough to send chills down my spine. Just below the art, a few words were inscribed. ‘’The birth of the destined child.’’

What is a destined child? If just looking at a depiction of it causes this much anxiety, I don’t want to know what would happen if someone like that existed. Maybe this will become a grand quest, to slay the destined child if one was ever to be birthed. 

(‘’Can you speed up? I have to take a shower, Abby!’’) Zeraf hurried from behind. She whined like a child, even her voice went to a slightly higher pitch. Even she can act girly huh? But alright, I can think about it another time.

At the very top of the stairs was a large corridor of doors. The floor was wooden lined with a long red carpet with various stands scattered across the corridor. On each table was a vase of roses that were in full bloom. This was much more comforting than the wasteland outside. 

Seven. Nine. Eleven. Ah, there it was, number thirteen. The numbers were made of metal and drilled into the wall in a way that still looked natural. Intricate carvings covered the door depicting a tree and vines-

(‘’OUT OF THE WAY ABBY!’’) She shoved me to the side, swinging the door open and dropping everything onto the floor. Zeraf disappeared behind the door of the bathroom at the opposite end of the room. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at her. 

I put my bag beside the chair in the room and grab some silver coins from the sack. They slid into my trouser pockets, this should be enough to get a filling dinner. I deserve it after fighting those toads. 

The trenchcoat slid off and landed on the cushioned armchair. I made sure to close the door gently after I left. Walking down the corridor was peaceful, this time I could enjoy the ambiance. Shadows danced along the hallway from up above. Small chandeliers hung just a little higher than me. The wax melted and dripped down the candle and caught in a small circular dish. As far as designs go this was quite simple, but that's what put the finishing touches on the decoration. It didn’t scream high class while keeping a clean front. 

I reached the stairs once more and descended them. The tapestry still loomed over me as I entered the reception hall. Nothing changed in the minutes that passed. The smell lingered, filling every corner of this room. 

My eyes scanned the room but the innkeeper was nowhere to be found. He must’ve gone on break. Perhaps I may find him in the dining hall. Even the reception hall was filled with various paintings. It seemed like they were all filled with adventuring groups and famous visitors. I could spot a few merchants among them too. Profits must be high if he can keep prices this low this far away from major towns.

A few steps brought me over to the root of the smell. A small bar was directly opposite the entrance. At the far edge was a long desk with waiters chatting cheerily with customers. Behind the counter was another door where passionate screams fueled the laughter outside. 

This must be the spirit of adventuring. Risking your life for your earn and then forming connections with those that make you enjoy living. I could get used to this, maybe the countryside wasn’t meant for me to begin with.

A white gleam caught my eye and pulled my whole attention. It was the girl from before, she hadn’t moved from the bar. I headed towards her, but as I neared the innkeeper came into view. He was sitting right beside her and they seemed to be merrily chatting. 

(‘’Uhm…Do you three have room for one more?’’) My voice trembled and broke. I felt like a fool! 

The pigmentless girl looked up at me with a soft smile on her face. Now I could get a closer look at her. In her short hair, two small horns were sprouted which were void black. (‘’Sure. Have a seat!’’) Her voice was calm yet warm. 

(‘’I believe I met you and your female partner earlier at the front. Have you two settled into the room fine?’’) His smile never faded from earlier, and his hands still remained cupped. I can see why business is booming when such a friendly person runs this establishment. 

(‘’I haven’t gotten a chance to see the room very well. Zeraf ran straight into the shower and I simply left my luggage. By any chance do you know how I could order?’’) I answered his question as politely as possible. But my hunger spilled into our conversation, making me seem like a glutton.

He snapped his fingers and a waiter brought over a platter filled with many colored types of meat. (‘’My treat! You two were simply so adorable together I just can’t resist myself!’’) Maybe he was too kind. And what does he mean by adorable? Do we really look like a couple? Aww shucks, my cheeks must’ve reddened.

But I couldn’t let that get in the way of my delicious meal. It was arranged to look like a rose with different shades of pink and red. I grabbed three slices and placed them on my tongue. A single chew was enough to bring out every flavour. But what was this…cheese? (‘’Mr. Innkeeper? How did you get red cheese?’’) He blinked at me for a few seconds before he giggled to himself. Even the barman seemed amused.

(‘’I am not supposed to be telling you this but we imbued our cheese with red wine in the process of the cheese being made. It's something my family has done for generations. It brings forth so many more flavours right?’’) He whispered close to my ear until he backed off with a proud smirk. I shook my head up and down and gulped down the rest of the food. 

They stared at me baffled at the amount I just fit into my mouth. These stares were not much different from than ones I got in Shiwick, it was even a little nostalgic. 

I ordered a glass of wine to enjoy as they talked about the surroundings. It was quite enjoyable to listen to.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 

A little time passed before I spotted a certain werewolf girl. Her hair remained slightly damp and all that covered her was a large white t-shirt. Several wet patches across her body stuck onto the shirt, making it see-through, though she didn’t seem to notice.

Her face fell in horror as blood trickled from my nose, this was a little too erotic for me to handle. Zeraf ran and cleaned off the blood with a tissue. Her breasts were barely hidden by the collar of the shirt and swinging from side to side as she moved. (‘’G-Get off me!’’) How can she be like this after the constant barrage of attacks that threaten my life? She is really odd.

Zeraf grabbed a chair and placed it right beside me. The innkeeper clicked his fingers once more and a platter was delivered to Zeraf. She spared no second to dig into the meal.

(‘’Now that we are all here let’s begin the introductions! My name is Nigel and I am the owner of this inn.’’) He initiated the introductions and the white girl followed suit.

(‘’It is lovely both of you, my name is Ghost. As you can guess, I am a ghost.’’) A ghost?? Like a dead spirit? A little spooky.

(‘’My name is Ross. I work here as a barman.’’) The muscular man presented himself while cleaning a glass. 

(‘’Heyo! My name is Zeraf! I am the daughter of Shiwick’s chief!’’) What a loose way of introducing herself. Though that is part of her friendly nature. The three didn’t seem to mind it so I guess it's fine.

(‘’My name is Abaddon. And I am planning to win the Kings Game!’’) It sounded a lot dorkier than intended but I got my introduction over with. Mixed expressions from the four.

Zeraf was holding her laugh back, though her lips were bursting at the seams. Ross seemed deep in thought, maybe thinking back on his younger days. Nigel simply stared at me, not much to comment on what impression he was giving. Ghost seemed the happiest as she smiled from ear to ear. (‘’You are heading towards the Kings Game? Could you take me with you?’’) She asked earnestly placing her hand on my own. 

I looked at Zeraf who was still wolfing down food, she looked back up at me with a mouthful and nodded. (‘’Well, we don’t have any objections with you coming along. But tell us a bit about yourself.’’) She nodded and without hesitation, she went off.

(‘’A few days ago I woke up in the middle of the swamp, nothing around for miles. My memories were nowhere to be found, not a single thing was in my head. I took my chances and headed in one direction where I eventually stumbled onto this inn. Nigel was kind enough to provide a place for me to stay until a group of adventurers could take me to Bitum. That is why I asked to tag along with you which I am grateful you have allowed me to do!’’)

That is rather odd to have woken up in the middle of a swamp with no memories. I admire her resilience to traverse the harsh conditions to reach here. I was going to let her come along with us regardless of what she said, it’s just a bit more comforting knowing a little about eachother.

(‘’I understand your situation. We would be more than happy to take you with us. I hope we can be great travel companions!’’) My outstretched hand was met by her palm. 

(‘’Well then allow me to explain the path to you. The path is as follows: We must traverse through the rest of the swamp until we reach Lloesy woods. It would be a good opportunity to bask in nature.  After that though we will march through the Howling Desert, which is known for claiming many lives with its numerous creatures and dehydration. We must persevere and make it to Greenwyrm Jungle. This will most likely be the most dangerous part of the trip. The whole jungle is crawling with fantoms, it should be fine if we manage to remain hidden.’’) I hope they understood all that word vomit. 

(‘’And to end it off we will arrive at Helecta Port where a vessel will carry us to our destination!’’) I had to take a second to catch my breath. Ghost looked deep in thought in the meantime. 

(‘’I don’t know any of those places so you will have to take care of the navigation!’’) Ah, I forgot about that. Well, that isn’t much of a problem, Zeraf doesn’t know how to read a map to begin with, so I naturally fell into that role.

Ross and Nigel bounced questions off of each other for a few minutes. Ross slammed down four tankards of ale in front of each of us. (‘’Cheers for the long trip ahead!’’) We all clinked our tankards and drank all of the fruity alcohol. It burned a little on the way down but that is exactly what makes it so good. 

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 

After a little bit of drinking, Zeraf and I found ourselves trudging our way back to our rooms. The hallway swayed ever so slightly and the ground felt uneven. (‘’Zeraf? Who changed the floor?’’) 

(‘’Are you really drunk from just that? You light-weight!’’) 

(‘’Shhhh stop being so loud!! It hurts my head!’’) Why was she raising her voice? I was right beside her! Silly Zeraf.

She opened the door with one of her feet since her hands were full with me. Her hands were so strong and warm, I wish I could be wrapped in them.

We looked inside the room where our bed was. But there was a whole issue of… there only being one bed. Nigel must’ve made a mistake. But why is my face so red? Am I blushing from the thought of sleeping beside her? Gosh, but that would be so nice.

Looking at Zeraf felt like looking straight into a mirror. Her face was just as red as mine. She tugged at my shirt and bit down onto her finger. (‘’We could share the bed for tonight…’’) 

After those words escaped her small lips I felt my head spinning and the world shifting between light and dark. Embracing me with its dizzying spinning.

Clunk