Chapterhopping...
Chapterhopping...
Chapter 1.04
Erin Solstice discovers a magically preserved pantry but accidentally breaks the spell, causing the food to rot. She then realizes Mr. Skeleton is missing and is ambushed by a Goblin, which she manages to defeat, all while being watched by other unseen figures.
Erin Solstice woke up in agonizing pain from her infected hand. Needing to relieve herself and clean the wound, she ventured outside The Wandering Inn. She followed a path to a small stream but became disoriented and lost in the plains for nearly two hours before finally finding her way back to the inn.
Back inside, Erin explored the kitchen more thoroughly and discovered a cupboard filled with perfectly preserved food, including flour, dried fruits, and spices. She noticed faint, glowing Runes on the wood, realizing they were the source of the preservation magic. However, as she touched one of the Runes, it flaked off, and the magical effect immediately ceased. The food within the cupboard instantly decayed into dust and rot, leaving Erin devastated by the loss of a vital resource.
Feeling increasingly paranoid and questioning why the previous inhabitants would leave such valuable food behind, Erin went upstairs to check on Mr. Skeleton. To her horror, she found the skeleton was gone. The disappearance sent her into a panic, making her feel like someone was toying with her.
Her fear was realized when a lone Goblin crept into the inn. The creature attacked, but Erin reacted quickly, smashing a chair over its head. She overpowered the stunned Goblin, beating it unconscious before dragging its body and throwing it out the front door. Unseen by Erin, a small female Goblin watched the failed attack from a distance, while a different Crouched Figure nearby revealed to himself that he had taken the skeleton for a project.
Erin discovers a cupboard filled with magically preserved food. While investigating, she accidentally scrapes off one of the preservation Runes, causing the magic to fail and all the food to instantly decay.
Erin goes to the second floor to check on the skeleton, only to discover that it is missing from the room. This discovery fuels her paranoia and fear that she is not alone.
A young woman from Earth who stumbles into a fantasy world and takes refuge in an abandoned inn.
aka Erin, the traveller +38
Small inn where Erin is present; currently occupied by her. Noted by the Watch as having been abandoned years ago but Erin is using it; the Drake and Klbkch enter here to investigate.
aka the inn, Abandoned hilltop inn +16
Small green humanoids with red eyes and sharp teeth that chased and slashed at Erin.
aka Goblins, little green things +7
A lone Goblin scout enters the inn and attacks Erin. She fights back, using a chair to knock the creature unconscious before throwing it out the front door.
From a distance, a small female Goblin is shown watching the inn. Elsewhere, a mysterious Crouched Figure reveals he was the one who took the skeleton.
The skeletal remains of a person that Erin discovered in an upstairs bedroom of the inn.
aka the skeleton, a pile of bones +1
A magic system using inscribed runes to imbue objects with effects; requires intact inscriptions to function.
aka runes, magic inscriptions +4
A small female Goblin who shadows the warriors and observes Erin, apparently driven by personal motives.
aka little Goblin, small Goblin +4
A stealthy, unknown individual who stole the skeleton from the inn.
aka Unknown observer, crouched figure +1
“Oh. Just a Goblin.”
“It could be flour. Or—alternatively, it could be cocaine.”
“Upstairs. Fine. Hello darkness my old enemy.”
“Question. How did Mr. Skeleton upstairs die?”
“It’s gone.”
“Wow. Magic.”
“It’s not fair. It’s not fair.”
“Am I afraid of dead people? Well yeah. But they can’t hurt me. Zombies can, but normal dead people can’t. It’s just a skeleton. I can take a look for signs of—of death, and then I’ll go sleep. Good plan. Let’s do it.”
“I’ve seen old kitchens in castles. I thought drawers and that kind of stuff only came later. This is, um, steel. Or at least iron. It looks like steel. Did they have a lot of steel in the medieval ages? Knights in armor, duh. But when were cheese graters invented? Is this place in the Dark Ages or past that? And can I get a light bulb somewhere around here?”
“Okay. Okay. What’s the problem? It was just a skeleton. Just a spooky, dead thing. And even if it did move—somehow, where would it go?”
“Is someone messing with me?”
“True, you’ve gotta leave stuff behind when you leave. Can’t carry everything. But you had good food still here. And more, in those other cupboards. And here’s a kitchen full of supplies…how expensive are good, sharp knives?”
“No, no. That’s impossible. It’s not here. It’s somewhere else. Besides, where could it hide? I checked all the rooms upstairs. So where could it be?”
“Because it was valuable? Because skeletons are so useful, sure. Maybe the Goblins did it. Can’t you eat bones? Or—someone else?”
“Huh. I guess it wore off. Or maybe they broke somehow? I wonder what they’re made of.”
“How long does it take for dust to get two inches deep?”
“No one leaves that behind. So why would anyone…?”
“That’s not right.”
“…It’s probably flour.”
“Maybe that’s a bad question.”
“Maybe I can cut the rest off somehow.”
“Is that…flour?”
“Here. Here…they’re everywhere.”
“That’s butter.”
“Silver? Or something glowy.”
“Go to hell!”
“Not knives.”
“Don’t do this to me! No—I just—”
“Either way.”
“Oh you’ve got to be shi—”
“Damn it.”
“Ow. Owch. Ow.”
“No, nonono—”
“Oh. Oh!”
“What the—”