The voice was muffled, but loud enough to startle them. They looked around but still couldn’t see anyone until Naomi took noticed of the scratching from beneath the cart. Together, Mina and Tom lifted it to reveal the man trapped beneath. He was an older man whose balding head was turning gray; he had a large bulbous nose set above thin lips. Once the man was clear of the cart, he laid on the road, panting, his ankle swollen so much his shoe was squeezing the skin.
“Thank the Gods, I thought I would die beneath that wretched thing,” he moaned as Mina and Darcy helped him to his feet and wailed when he saw the dead horse. “Oh, no! Poor Shawn! For a good creature to have such a fate…”
There wasn’t anything Darcy could do for the horse, but she could help the man with a healing spell. The swollen red skin reduced in size until it was back to normal. He tested it on the ground, giving it his full weight, and then he beamed in gratitude at Darcy. “Thank you, dear Sister. I’m as good as new and eager to be home before the wolves come back.”
At the mention of wolves, Sally glanced around as if one would show up right then. “Is that what happened?”
“Aye, miss, wolves, and in broad daylight too.”
The man introduced himself as Erns, a local merchant from River’s Edge. The previous day he had been on his way to a nearby farm for produce when the wolves attacked the horse and cart. Shawn panicked and ran off the road which threw Erns from the buckboard and twisted his ankle when he landed. The cart overturned, taking Shawn with it, likely breaking a leg that prevented the horse from fleeing. Hearing the pursuing wolves coming closer and unable to run or defend himself, Erns crawled to the cart and managed to bring it down over him before they arrived. They ignored the upside-down cart in favor of the easy meal of a fallen horse.
“Poor horse,” Naomi said sadly. Sally couldn’t tell if she was sadder for the horse than she was for not getting to loot the cart.
“I spent the night and day beneath under there thinking this is where I would meet my end,” Erns said, taking Darcy’s hand in his to express his gratitude. “How can I repay you for saving my life?”
“We’re on our way to River’s Edge,” Darcy told him, a bit embarrassed by the man’s indebtedness. “If you can take us there, that will more than enough repayment.”
“Take you to River’s Edge? Of course! Of course! Follow me!”
***
Erns took them along a path that wasn’t on the map. It branched off from the main road, having been created from many years of carts journeys and traveling villagers. Erns explained it was a shortcut that led directly to the village, cutting through the forest and along the river where the village had been settled (hence the name River’s Edge). It was a fishing and farming community that used the river as a means to carry their goods to other villages downstream and, further along toward the sea, was Everguard. The path cut nearly an hour off their travel time, and the village was a welcome sight for all of them. Especially since Erns had been telling them about the trouble the village had been facing.
“Usually it’s more lively than this,” Erns told them as they neared the village. Only a few people were outside their homes doing necessary chores. They greeted Erns as he passed, but all the while, they looked around with nervous eyes. Their group drew some looks, but the people were more focused on the trees beyond the village.
“It started two days ago,” he had told them. He spoke jovially as if they were his dearest friends of many years, but now his voice took on a worried edge. “We’ve had our usual share of trouble with wolves like any village. The occasional beast would steal a goat or a goose that strayed too far from the village, but since two days ago, they’ve been attacking people. They stole the Miller’s son right from his mother’s arms, killed all of Master Alveres’s livestock, and chased children into their homes. Why, the night before a wolf even smashed through the blacksmith’s window and would have savaged his wife if Smith had not his hammer in hand. And many have suffered injury defending their homes and families. The Mayor has sent word requesting the aid of the kingsmen, but I believe it would be better to hire hunters to rid us of the creatures.”
“We were attacked by wolves last night,” Naomi piped up, despite Darcy’s to sign for Naomi to be quiet. “Three of them attacked us while we were camping, but we killed them before they could kill us.”
Erns looked impressed. “Four women and a man camping alone in the woods. It seems strange, but you’ll hear no more from me about it. As far as I am concerned, you are good folk who saved my life. And able to handle yourselves well, I see.” He eyed their weapons and their armor of leather and metal.
Since her hood had been up when they came across Erns’s cart, Sally intended to keep it over her head for as long as they were in River’s Edge. Erns seemed friendly, but she had the feeling that his cordial manner would turn sour if he knew one of them was a half-elf.
“I’m sorry about the Miller’s son,” Darcy said. “Was anyone else killed?”
“Oh, yes! We have lost a few poor souls. Master Frest, the baker, was found dead along with his horses. The tavern keeper’s brother, Den, has suffered such a severe mauling that he died yesterday morning. And Madame Senna was killed in her own home! The door was forced open, and her throat torn out. Gods above, I can only pray that it happened so quickly she didn’t suffer.”
Sally noticed Darcy’s face tightening and could tell something was bothering her, and it wasn’t just the loss of life. Now she had a sinking suspicion that the attack from last night was more than just a random encounter. Was this a questline they were walking into?
It was midday by the time they arrived at the tavern. Like Smiley Pete’s tavern, it was two stories and made of stone rather than wood. There was, however, no warm smell of cooking food or spiced wine, which they all found themselves missing.
“Tell Master Benson I sent you to him, and he’ll treat you right,” Erns promised with a wink. “I’d take you to him myself, but my wife is home worrying for me, and I have to see about replacing my horse. Poor Shawn.”
“We’re sorry about the horse,” Darcy said politely. “And thank you for bringing us here. It would have been a long trip without your help.”
“Think nothing of it, my dear, it’s a small price for saving my life.”
There were only a few people inside drinking or eating: all eyes looked up as they entered, and curious stares followed them as they found a table. The man behind the bar, Master Benson, carried the usual weight attributed to all tavern owners, but he had far more hair than Pete and wore his weight well. When Darcy approached the bar, he regarded her with icy blue eyes that lacked the friendly warmth that Erns had carried for them.
“Hello,” Darcy said, taking the friendly approach. “Master Erns sent us. We need some rooms.”
Benson regarded her armor and face with an arched brow. “How many are some?”
“Two or three?” she said hopefully.
“You can have two,” Benson said stoutly. “Four gold.”
Darcy was impressed with herself for maintaining a calm face. Two gold a room was a bit pricier than she had anticipated. She was hoping to spend two to three gold, with enough for rations and meals. “We, uh, helped Master Erns after wolves attacked him.”
The innkeeper raised his eyebrows. “You saved Erns?”
“Yes sir, we did,” Darcy said, feeling a bit relieved.
Then his eyes narrowed. “I hate that bastard. He plowed my sister and wouldn’t marry her. Six gold!”
Darcy kept her teeth set in a tight grimace. So Master Erns wasn’t as popular as he had believed himself to be. “Surely we can work something out.”
“What’s there to work out? Six gold and the rooms are yours for the night.”
Darcy sighed, “How about just one room and meals for five?”
She left the counter with one gold coin left. The meals had cost extra, also for the sin of saving Erns’ life. When she sat down beside Sally, she was in a foul mood. “Bad new
s. Erns is an asshole, and the innkeeper is a bigger one. We have to cram into one room and enjoy dinner because it’s going to be slim pickings from here on out. We only have one gold piece left.”
Sally’s eyes widen. “Holy shit, that’s all of our money. How big is the room?”
“Some of us are sleeping on the floor regardless of how big it is,” Darcy said dourly.
Tom’s face hardened, and he started to rise. “Perhaps I should speak with him. He is intentionally overpricing us.”
“No, don’t do anything. You’ll only make it worse, and Sally, please, keep that hood up, or the price will skyrocket.”
Sally secured her hood, tugging it down until it almost hid her eyes. “Fine, I’ll be careful.”
A skinny waif of a girl brought them bowls of grayish soup with bits of meat floating in it. Instead of mulled wine or cider, she set a pitcher of lukewarm water on the counter as if it were a bucket of filth and walked away without a curtsy nor smile.
Mina stirred the soup with a wooden spoon in dismay. “I don’t think this is safe for human consumption.”
“What is this? Dirty dishwater?” Sally was staring at the concoction in horror. As much as she hated Stinky Pete, he had least provided good food in his tavern.
Only Naomi was brave enough to venture a taste. She licked her spoon and winced. “It tastes like nasty feet.”
From the corner of her eye, Sally saw that Darcy was about to boil. She reached out to touch her hand just as she was standing. “Don’t. It’ll be fine…”
“Screw that! That asswipe back there price gouges me and makes me pay two gold for food I wouldn’t feed to a dog,” Darcy said as she wrenched her hand free from Sally’s.
Tom stood with his hand held out a placating hand towards the wrathful Cleric. “Let me speak to him. You’re too angry.”
Darcy almost growled at him. “I’ll take care of it.”
Sally stood, catching Darcy’s arm and turning her around. “Stop, just stop it. Let Tom handle it. You go over there, and you’ll get us run out of town.”
She nodded at Tom for him to leave before Darcy could get away from her. Sally coaxed her stepsister to sit down while maintaining a grip on her. Darcy sat down, but it was with an exasperated sigh.
“Alright, I’m fine. You can let go of me,” Darcy muttered, flexing her hands as if she wanted to choke someone.
“I will when Tom comes back. Right now, calm down and breathe through your nose or something.”
“Are all the taverns in this world run by assholes? Stinky Pete sells out his customers, and now Benson cheats them.” Darcy moaned, raking both hands through hair as if she could pull it out by the root.
“Let us just see what Tom says when he comes back,” Sally said as she looked over her shoulder to see the prince standing at the counter, having a serious discussion with Benson. The tavern owner was shaking his head and had his thick arms crossed over his chest. It didn’t look promising.
Sally leaned in and whispered. “In the game, did the River’s Edge have a wolf problem?”
Darcy momentarily distracted from her fury, blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in topic. “Uh, no. Wolves are common random encounters, but there was never a quest line specifically involving them.”
Catching onto where Sally was going, Mina leaned in whispering, “Erns said the problem with the wolves started two days ago. We’ve been in this world for two days. Coincidence?”
Darcy looked between then, her mouth forming to say no, but stopped, thinking. “I don’t know. It might be, or it could be one of the differences between the actual game and this world. Things aren’t happening as they should be, and I don’t know if it’s because of us or something else…where’s Naomi?”
The three of them looked to where Naomi had been sitting just moments ago. Now there was only an empty chair.
“Mina, why didn’t you keep an eye on her?” Darcy rounded on the Barbarian.
“What? No one told me to be responsible for her!” Mina blurted out.
“Go look for her and find her before she causes trouble!” Darcy said, nearly standing to try to loom over Mina. It was a failed effort as even sitting down Mina was still almost eye level with a standing Darcy.
Red-faced, Mina stood up and stormed through the doors, muttering something about leashes and how she was not someone’s mother. The door slammed shut behind her, nearly rattling on the hinges. Sally flinched at the slam and turned back to see Darcy with her head in both hands.
“God, everything was going right yesterday,” she moaned into her palms. “We made such good time yesterday, and I thought we would be okay until we got to Everguard. Then the wolves attacked us, and River’s Edge turns out to be a pimple on the ass-end of nowhere, and now Naomi pulls a runner when we need to keep low the most.”
“It’ll be alright. Naomi couldn’t have gone far, and Tom is smoothing things over with the innkeeper,” Sally said, rubbing Darcy’s shoulder. “You’ve done great to get us this far, and surely you didn’t think we wouldn’t run into problems along the way? You do this to yourself sometimes. You get so worked up, and get mad when it doesn’t go the way you planned. Remember when you threw your Dungeon Master’s Guide at Larry’s head?”
Darcy raised her head to give Sally a mournful look. “I’d been planning that campaign for months, and he ruined everything by killing off the NPC that was the linchpin in the whole plot. He had this shit-eating grin on his face because he knew what he was doing. I’m glad I knocked out his teeth.”
“Yeah, but remember, Dad grounded you for a whole month, and you had to help pay that Larry’s dental bill for a whole year?” Sally gently reminded her. “When you get worked up like this, you do and say things you regret later. Okay, here comes Tom. Maybe he has some good news for us.”
Tom looked at the empty seats. “Where’s Mina and Naomi?”
“Naomi ran off, and Mina went to go look for her. What did the tavern owner have to say?”
Tom sat down across from them and didn’t appear to have better news. “He’s a decent sort, though gruff. He told me there’s nothing to be done about the food because of the wolves. They attack anyone who leaves the village, and no one is willing to leave their homes unprotected to fetch supplies.”
“So he wasn’t full of it,” Darcy mumbled. “What did he say about the rooms?”
“He won’t lower the price, but he’s willing to let us have another room if we do some work for him. Such as clean his chimney, chopping wood, and tidy the pantry.”
Darcy and Sally gave him blank looks. They had grown up in the modern age with electric conveniences such as dishwashers, laundry machines, and vacuum cleaners and were blessed to have been born to families with disposable income that could hire home cleaners. The hard work that Tom was mentioning was inconceivable for them.
“How do you tidy a pantry?” Darcy asked dumbly. “I can wipe down counters and sweep the floor.”
“I don’t know how to chop wood,” Sally said a bit stunned.
“And do chimneys really need cleaning? I thought it all turned into smoke and floated away,” Darcy added.
Tom looked between the two of them and leaned in close. “I was hoping you knew. I’m a prince, remember? I had over a hundred servants clean for me.”
Darcy rubbed her temples, thinking. “Let’s wait until Mina and Naomi come back. Mina can handle the firewood, and didn’t they have little boys go up the chimney and scrub them with soap and water? Naomi’s little, she’ll fit up there.”
“But wasn’t that unhealthy?” Sally seemed to recall there was a poem from William Blake about it. Something about coffins and angels, if she recalled correctly.
Darcy shrugged dismissively. “The girl survived being nearly bitten in half by a werewolf and being mauled by an angry wolf. I think she can handle some soot in her lungs.”
***
The few people who were brave enough to go outdoors were giving Mina a generous berth, an
d that was just fine with her. She wasn’t interested in interacting with the local populace any more than she absolutely had to. Right now, she wanted to find Naomi and wring her neck for running off.
No, no, no! She pushed the anger down, refusing to let it take hold. What if she Raged and went on a rampage like that giant green monster from the comics?
This wasn’t her; she was not an angry person. She hated confrontations and always avoided conflict and drama. Her parents had taught her violence was never the solution and to compromise instead. And here she was in a magical world where she had to be violent to survive. Worse, it was expected of her because of her stupid class. The sooner they returned home, the better.
“Naomi! Where are you? Get out here now!” she called in a low growl. It was the tone of voice a person would use when they were angry with their dog. “If you don’t get out here right now, I’m going to…to…put you in a time out.”
She rounded a bend in the path between two buildings and saw a construction site. It was like someone was set up the frames of a building, but got bored and left to go do something else. The sides had been planked with lumber, and atop of it was the wooden frame of a tall steeple held up by a single pillar.
The structure creaked ominously as Mina drew closer and stared at it, taking in the means of construction. It had been thrown together through lackluster carpentry and barely supported itself. Her insight was odd as she never had any interest in architecture or house repair, so why was she seeing and noticing this at all? Damn, it was the game again. It had to be her Perception, but it was low with only plus one, probably Darcy would tell her that she had “rolled high.”
A man was sitting on a stack of lumber, smoking a pipe, with a tool kit sitting discarded by his feet. Mina didn’t see anyone else working on the construction, nor were there any barriers to tell people to keep their distance. What had drawn her attention, other than the evident construction hazards were the children playing within the empty husk. They were climbing through the windows and chasing each other in and out through the main doorway. Some of them were drawing on the wood with bits of charcoal, and a group of little girls were playing house with handmade dolls.
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