Both men entered Cypès’ inn, the lobby leading to a counter behind which stood a woman with short cropped red hair, white skin covered in battle scars, and a muscular body, the name Abigail written on the tag on her chest.

The place was entirely made with dark wood, yellow lamps covering the walls and plunging the ambiance into a dark one. The hall was small, Evan had difficulty holding Adam horizontally with the way his feet rubbed against the wall. 

They passed by a closed door while heading toward the counter, stopping briefly on their way when hubbub escaped the small gap under the door, light creating a yellow rectangle on the red carpeted floor. From the sound of beers clinking and boastful conversations, Adam could guess that behind the door was hiding the principal room, where food and drinks were served,  discussions were made and deals were sealed.

He took note of the way the inn had decided to separate the newcomers from the guests, but chose not to comment on it as they arrived before the receptionist. Or more like, the person responsible to turn around suspicious guests that would be no good for the business.

She scrutinized them both from head to toes, her amber eyes shining like those of a starved wolf as the light reflected on them. Adam felt Evan stiffen as she reached her calloused fingers toward the knight, seemingly wanting to touch his fluffy hair, ends curling from the dried sweat and thus peeking from under his hood. Before the slave could take a step back, however, she stopped a few centimeters away from Adam’s head, turning her palm up and rubbing her fingers and thumb to make a money gesture.

Evan relaxed his hold on Adam, letting out a silent exhale. He didn’t know why, but the thought of someone else touching his master quite irritated him, even more so if said person was a woman. He had been ready to bolt out of the door, heading for another inn with maybe an older receptionist, like a granny for example, but hadn’t needed to, Abigail only needing the down payment to rent a room.

Adam looked at the board behind the red-haired fighter, the prices displayed there.

The line for a room with double beds was crossed out, meaning they had rented them all already. Adam huffed, finding the situation cliche, before taking one gold coin from his inner pocket, handing it to the sly fox. The cheeky woman grinned before pocketing the money, knowing that the price was far too expensive for a single room with one bed only, but that Adam had no other choice.

The Cyprès’ inn was known for its discretion, never revealing to slave traders who resided between their walls. The guests, however, were another matter. They could spot anyone pleasing to the eyes and sell their information to the black market. It was still the most secure inn to sleep in for the night.

Adam had heard plenty of stories while he was roaming the streets about people renting a room for the night, only to wake up a few days later with an organ missing and some members as well, abandoned without their belongings in the slums. 

He had decided to spend a little more, but to have a peace of mind. Evan could protect him from the guests, but it would have been another matter with the receptionist if she had been allowed to capture them. Adam could tell she was a retired adventurer, surely around the rank of B or A now that she had suffered a heavy injury. Having retired as early as she had done meant that she must have bitten more that she could chew, leading to irreversible injuries. 

Adam took the key she threw at them, his jaw nearly dropping as the warrior just turned back to her weapons’ magazines, not even glancing back at them as she focused her attention on a variety of spears. The young man shook his head, feeling even more robbed of his money.

He glanced back at the key, seeing the number thirteen marked on it. Adam wasn’t superstitious, but he didn’t really like the coincidence. He nodded toward the stairs, signaling his carrier to hurry on his way. 

Evan slowly went up step by step, taking extra care as to not bump Adam’s head or feet against the wall, the man was already bruised enough. All the while, the knight felt like a damsel, being taken care of like fragile glass. The feeling was weird and he didn’t really like it. They were trained men, and they were both accustomed to being roughten up, there was no need to take so much precaution. He also knew that the slave was not one to care about others, from what he had inferred, so Adam could not guess his reason for doing so. His impassible face was not helping at all at understanding him.

The couple finally reached the end of the stairs, coming face to face with a shady hallway with closed doors on each side. There were twenty doors in total, the corridor coming to an end after ten on each side, the facing wall sporting a creepy painting of an old boat on a red sea with a magenta sky. The walls were covered in a bloody wallpaper with yellow flowers on it. 

The silent atmosphere contrasted the booming one from downstairs, nearly making them wish to turn on their heels and go chug down a few pints before coming back up. They still chose to continue their exploration and maybe risk their life or sanity. Both men weren’t loud places-friendly. 

As they walked down the aisle, looking for their room, Adam couldn’t help but shiver nervously as he saw suspicious stains on a few of the dark wooden doors. The floor was made of a rug the same color as the walls, looking torn on some places as if someone had planted their nails in it and were then dragged away, surely to be dismembered later.

Adam could perfectly see it happening, he just hoped Evan and he wouldn’t suffer such a fate.

Finally, Evan and his charge came to a stop before room thirteen. Adam took out the key and Evan bowed down, helping the knight reach the lock. Before Adam could even insert the key, however, the door opened by itself, letting them see the inside of the room.

Both men gulped, not ones to be fans of horror stories.

Hey dear readers, I was feeling up for some horror setting, hope you liked it!

What do you think will happen?

Thank you for the comments in the previous chapter, it really helped!

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