Storystudying...
Storystudying...
Chapter 1.50
Fully recovered, Erin actively runs The Wandering Inn with the help of Toren, who proves to be an excellent waiter and dishwasher. Olesm visits to share that he leveled up from solving Erin's chess puzzle, but the pleasant evening is shattered when Pawn arrives at the inn severely mutilated.
Fully recovered from her recent injuries, Erin Solstice is back in her element actively running The Wandering Inn. With business booming, she busies herself cooking massive meals to feed the growing number of adventurers frequenting her establishment. This crowd includes familiar faces from the Horns of Hammerad, such as Ceria, Gerial, and Calruz, as well as a newly introduced Silver-rank team called Kyrial's Vanguard, led by the adventurer Gregor.
To help manage the heavy workload, Erin's reassembled skeletal creation, Toren, has taken on a significant role. Toren proves to be a highly competent and tireless addition to the inn, efficiently working as a waiter and dishwasher to keep the patrons satisfied. Meanwhile, Ceria contributes to the inn's lively atmosphere by using her wand to cast Illumination, a complex Tier 2 spell that bathes the common room in widespread light.
Amidst the bustling evening, Olesm visits the inn bearing good news. The Drake reveals that he successfully leveled up twice after managing to solve the difficult chess puzzle Erin had previously set up, proving the strategic benefits of her challenges.
However, the cheerful atmosphere is abruptly shattered by a grim arrival. An unnamed Antinium Worker enters The Wandering Inn escorting Pawn. To the horror of those present, Pawn is severely mutilated; the Antinium is missing three of his arms, part of a leg, and one of his antennae, ending the chapter on a dark and shocking note.
Erin cooks massive meals to feed the influx of adventurers at the inn, including the newly introduced Kyrial's Vanguard.
Fully reassembled, Toren acts as a highly competent waiter and dishwasher, helping Erin manage the inn's patrons.
A young woman from Earth who stumbles into a fantasy world and takes refuge in an abandoned inn.
aka Erin, the traveller +64
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 +27
A half-Elf mage belonging to the Horns of Hammerad who offers Ryoka a taboo alternative for her leg.
aka Ceria, Springwalker +7
Ceria uses her wand to cast the Tier 2 spell Illumination, providing widespread light for the inn.
Olesm reveals that he successfully solved Erin's chess puzzle, resulting in him leveling up twice.
Escorted by another Worker, Pawn arrives at the inn severely mutilated, missing three arms, part of a leg, and one antenna.
The skeletal remains of a person that Erin discovered in an upstairs bedroom of the inn.
aka the skeleton, a pile of bones +18
A Human mage from Wistram Academy, specialized in Elementalist and Illusionary schools, who admits to necromancy.
aka the mage, Mister Mage +35
An Antinium Senior Guardsman in the city’s watch; arrives at Erin’s door and greets her.
aka Senior Guardsman Klbkch, ant-man +29
A powerful and savage Goblin warrior who breaks into The Wandering Inn and attacks Erin, serving as the chapter's primary antagonist.
aka The Chieftain, the Goblin +11
A burly, axe-wielding Silver-rank captain who refuses to enter the Ruins of Albez.
aka the axe-captain, Captain of the Silver-rank team +1
The aristocratic captain of the Silver Spears who seeks out Ryoka Griffin.
aka Yvlon, Captain of the Silver Spears +4
A Human whose past racist remarks are remembered by Erin.
aka Archer Captain, the archer-captain +3
A Silver-rank [Mage] captain who decides against exploring the Ruins of Albez.
aka Captain Menes, the mage captain +2
A polite, blue-scaled Drake who is the highest-leveled [Tactician] in Liscor. He is roped into playing a high-stakes chess game against Erin by his uncle, Lism.
aka The Olesm, the Drake +6
An Antinium Worker who exhibits Aberration-like behavior by creating rhythmic noises, but remains peaceful.
aka Worker, the clicking Worker +14
An unnamed Antinium Worker who escorts Pawn.
aka the Worker, the Antinium +1
A city adjacent to the Floodplains, culturally aligned with Drakes and not friendly to Humans.
aka City of Liscor, the city +8
A type of street in Liscor that hosts numerous market stalls where goods are sold.
A large, competent Silver-rank adventuring party led by Calruz.
aka The Horns, Silver-rank team +5
A species of large, sentient insectoid people; one arrives at Erin’s door with a companion.
aka giant insect, Ants +28
A sapient species possessing Elven traits.
aka Half-Elf, half-Elves
A massive, bull-like sapient species.
aka Minotaurs, the Minotaur
A sapient reptilian species dominant in regions south of Liscor, generally unfriendly to Humans.
aka lizards, giant lizards +3
A species of tall, bipedal hyena-like humanoids covered in fur.
aka hyena-people, dog-people +8
A species of which Erin Solstice is a member.
aka Humans, smooth skin +4
Undead creatures referenced as prior threats near the inn.
aka skeleton, undead skeletons +2
A branch of magic dealing with the dead, considered dangerous and illegal.
aka [Necromancer], [Necromancers] +4
A complex Tier 2 spell used to cast widespread light.
aka [Illumination]
A magical wand wielded by Ceria.
aka wand
The Human vice-captain of the Horns of Hammerad.
aka the vice-captain, vice-captain of the Horns of Hammerad +10
One of the [Mages] in the Horns of Hammerad.
aka the wispy-haired [Mage], the [Mage] Sostrom +5
The Minotaur captain of the Horns of Hammerad, who wields a massive battleaxe.
aka the Minotaur, Beriad of the House of Minos +16
A Gnoll shopkeeper in Liscor who is friendly with Erin.
aka the Gnoll, Gnoll [Shopkeeper] +2
“I obey my Queen.”
“The King. It’s about the King. The king is smart. He—”
“Whu?”
“Whu?”
“Hrgh.”
“Mm.”
“The king…the king is smart. He uses something. His head?”
“Ow. Ow. Ow!”
“Oh—thanks.”
“Oh no.”
“[Illumination]. No—perhaps I’m doing it wrong?”
“And of course, it’s up to the Wistram mage to do it. Is it a hard spell? Yes! Then let the half-Elf do it! Don’t get any of the other mages. Ceria’s got it covered!”
“Toren! Stop that!”
“Ooh, is that a wand?”
“Yes it is. Would you like to see?”
“That is so cool!”
“Is it really okay if I touch it?”
“It’s not that fragile. Go ahead. And it’s not that expensive. Sort of expensive, but the real thing is far, uh, ‘cooler’.”
“Ah! Cold!”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Go away, Toren! Go get us something to drink.”
“You’re most kind. And this looks delicious.”
“I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t expect you to touch the wand tip. Have you never seen one before?”
“No—sorry. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to touch them.”
“It was my fault. I forget how much non-mages don’t know.”
“All the magic of the wand is channeled through the tip. That’s why it glows or reacts depending on the spell stored. It’s also why you should never break a wand because it will trigger the spell.”
“Won’t that freeze your arm?”
“Oh, no. I can deactivate the magic. I only activated it because, well—your skeleton surprised me.”
“Sorry about that. He keeps doing that no matter how much I tell him not to.”
“Toren! How are we supposed to drink it like that? Don’t fill the cups all the way to the top, just almost!”
“This is good!”
“I know, right? It’s from this fruit I found around here. Anyways, here. Breakfast is served!”
“Well. This looks…lovely. Thank you for making breakfast so early, Miss Solstice. And I’m late in saying it, but good morning.”
“Oh. Thank you!”
“Oh. Wait! I know this one!”
“Um…Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo? Is that right?”
“What—what was that?”
“I was trying to say good morning in your language. Or maybe it’s just hello. Did I get it right…?”
“My language?”
“Elvish, right?”
“I once went to a Lord of the Rings chess tournament because I heard a national champion played there. People wouldn’t play me unless I could at least say ‘hello’.”
“Miss Erin, I’m not sure what you might be thinking but—I’m not an Elf.”
“You’re not? Oh man. I just thought—”
“I’m not an Elf. I’m a half-Elf. And besides which, you wouldn’t see—an Elf anywhere.”
“Really? Why not?”
“No one has seen an Elf for thousands of years. Tens of thousands. They all died long ago. That bit you spoke—was a joke, right?”
“Oh. Um—yes?”
“Well, I’m, uh, really sorry about the mix up. I just thought you looked so amazing and, um—are half-Elves like Elves? Or—or is there anything I should know?”
“I didn’t know what you people—I mean, what you could eat. If you need something special, I can get it. Anyways, we’ve got salad. Um…there are some tomato-like things I bought from the market, carrots…lots of soup. And, uh, I’ve got bread and cheese if you want to eat that.”
“I can eat meat, you know.”
“So you eat meat?”
“I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but my people aren’t averse to eating meat. I quite enjoy pork, for instance, especially when it’s been properly cooked. Or when it’s not.”
“Really? That’s so weird.”
“Easy. Don’t threaten it and it won’t attack.”
“Good thing you caught me. I’d forgotten—”
“Don’t worry about it. I made the same mistake earlier.”
“Good morning!”
“Thank you for the meal, ah, Miss…”
“Oh, just call me Erin. Anyways, I’ve got more food, so just shout if you need some.”
“Good food.”
“Isn’t it? Try the blue stuff.”
“It’s sweet!”
“Good service, food, and we’re not getting dirty looks every two seconds. We struck it lucky coming here.”
“Good thing we didn’t get into it with those Goblins.”
“Still—”
“What an odd innkeeper.”
“She’s definitely strange. Goblins and a skeleton. But Pisces is probably to blame for the skeleton. Still—Goblins.”
“Did you see what one of them was armed with? A…a jar of something?”
“It set off my [Dangersense] when it pulled it out. Guess what was in it? Acid. I had a look in the kitchen. She’s got jars of Acid Flies—a local creature around here. Looks like she’s been harvesting them as a food source.”
“Oh, stop being squeamish. Drakes eat them, and so do the Antinium, I bet. Not that we’d see the ant-men here, but I can see how it would be useful.”
“But the bugs—”
“Do you think she’d leave any of them alive? They were all dead. Honestly, you Humans—”
“Well, I get it. Bugs aren’t my favorite thing to eat either.”
“I’m not sure if she’s just absentminded or if she doesn’t realize how dangerous arming Goblins is. That acid can melt skin in seconds. But besides that, it’s odd to see her living so far out from the city.”
“Not too far. It was barely an hour’s walk even with us getting lost.”
“True. But monsters don’t care about distance. And that skeleton doesn’t look that powerful.”
“Maybe that’s all the protection she could afford.”
“In that case, she’s reckless or insane. Or—poor. Actually, She reminds me a bit of Ryoka.”
“In what way exactly?”
“They’re not too similar personality-wise, but…it’s just a hunch.”
“Well. So long as we’re here, monsters aren’t an issue. And this is a good inn.”
“Right. If we want to keep using it, we’d better spread the word to the others. If they come in and start something—”
“Got it. I’ll tell the others when I see them. You still working on the spell…?”
“Working on it. It’s complex. Give me two days and I’ll have it done. We probably have enough time for that, right?”
“Probably. Calruz and the others will meet to discuss tonight, but we’ll need to interview other adventurers and see what’s been found. You’ve got at least four days by my count.”
“Okay then—”
“Hey there!”
“Hey, Mr. Bull Guy.”
“I wasn’t sure if you ate meat. I’ve got some bacon. Made from pork—I think, so there’s no beef.”
“I can eat beef.”
“Also, Innkeeper. My name is Calruz, and I lead the Horns of Hammerad. Any title is fine, but—‘Bull Guy’—I would prefer you not call me that.”
“Oh no. Is it a racial thing? I’m sorry! I didn’t want to use your people’s word. What should I say instead?”
“We’re not bulls. Or cattle.”
“What are you, then?”
“A Minotaur.”
“Wow. I thought you were, but you look a lot different than the pictures.”
“What did you think I looked like, then?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Less—hairy. Sort of like a Human with a Minotaur’s head. And your horns are really cool.”
“I don’t know what kind of Minotaurs you’ve heard of. But I accept your mistake.”
“What?”
“Um. Do you like mazes?”
“You wash that.”
“I’m out of food!”
“Stay there! Wash the dishes!”
“Okay, make that ten sausages, and I need a bag of salt, too. Oh, and some cooking oil.”
“Is there anything else, Erin Solstice?”
“Um…”
“Hm. These are adventurers staying at your inn, yes? Then buy ale or something to drink, yes?”
“Ale? Oh, right! Sure! Give me a, uh, barrel of that.”
“It should be a keg for now. Transporting a barrel is hard, yes? And my Runner—he is overworked. He will not be able to transport your goods until tomorrow, even without a barrel to drive, yes?”
“What? Tomorrow?”
“Can’t you get it to me sooner? I’m out of food at the inn!”
“My apologies. But it is a busy time, yes? So many customers, which is good. But not for you, yes? I can lend you a cart, but that is all.”
“Hey! Hey! Hammer captain!”
“Why are we doing this again?”
“We’re here because we want to use this inn for planning and the innkeeper needs food. And because helping out is the polite thing to do.”
“Exactly. And it’s not that heavy.”
“This was not warrior’s work.”
“No, but it was necessary, and I appreciate it.”
“Besides, if you didn’t help out, I wouldn’t be able to make lunch! This way, you can eat and complain at the same time, Mr. Grumpy!”
“Touché. She’s got you there, Calruz.”
“And you lot have this entire inn to yourself? We’ve barely standing room in our inn, and we’re sleeping three people to a room. Mind sharing?”
“Talk with the innkeeper, but we’ve occupied most of the second floor.”
“And we’re not giving up our rooms!”
“You told us, but I didn’t believe—”
“It’s not that uncommon. Other nations use the undead, although I’ve never heard of one serving drinks. What do you think, Byres?”
“I think…I’d rather have somewhere to sit and plan than cause a fuss and have to squeeze into a corner of the inn. Let’s drop it.”
“Well, we’re here a bit sooner than I thought, but shall we begin planning?”
“Winter is coming.”
“What do you mean, wait?”
“We’re not ready to go in, Calruz. We need supplies. We thought we could get them here, but prices are high and supply is low. Besides that, we need to send some scouting teams in. And there are other adventurers to consider letting join—”
“We know what’s in there. And the Ruins are less than an hour’s journey from the city! We don’t need supplies or scouts!”
“We agreed to come Calruz, but that doesn’t mean we put ourselves under your command. We’re all equals here, and we go in properly or we don’t go in at all.”
“There are some Silver-rank adventurers in the city. Some good ones that I know. It wouldn’t hurt to have them with us, and as Cervial said, we need time. A day or two of delay won’t lose us any time. Myself, I’m more concerned about our formations. Ceria has said she can learn the [Illumination] spell in time, but even if we get that cast, how will we approach the actual exploration phase? I’m not too keen on splitting up our vanguard—”
“You can’t be suggesting we keep our forces together. The time it would take—”
“Sit over there!”
“Pisces.”
“Ceria.”
“Hey, Pisces! Stop bothering my customers!”
“I must protest! My creation is not meant for menial tasks. Moreover, I am an accredited [Mage] and deserve to be treated—”
“Food!”
“Olesm?”
“Erin! I did it! I did it!”
“Did what?”
“I finally solved it!”
“It was the work of days—no, nearly a week! In the end, I had to lock myself away, but I did it! And I leveled! Twice!”
“Wait, twice? What?”
“Oh, you did it! Congratulations!”
“Um—I’m so sorry. I haven’t bathed or cleaned myself in a while. I was just so happy to have solved it I rushed over. But I did it at last! It was the greatest challenge I’ve had, and the rewards were—rewarding!”
“It took a week, huh?”
“Just a bit less than that, I believe.”
“Erin. Erin!”
“What is it?”
“There’s a sk-skeleton!”
“Yeah. That’s Toren.”
“Toren? It has a—what’s a skeleton doing here? Did that [Necromancer] summon it?”
“What? And you accepted it? But the undead—they’re so—dangerous! Besides, one skeleton isn’t worth all the food you’ve been feeding Pisces!”
“Oh really?”
“Their binding spells don’t last that long. Your average skeleton falls to pieces within a day or two of being animated, and even if the necromancer uses an indefinite binding, their spell fails the instant they take too much damage. And they’re surprisingly fragile!”
“Well, this one hasn’t fallen apart, and it’s been knocked to pieces once already.”
“Really? That’s not usual. Most come apart instantly if you do that. This one might be made to reassemble? Most mages don’t spend nearly that much mana on a lowly skeleton.”
“I think this one’s different. It’s smart enough to take orders and serve drinks for one thing.”
“True. And that’s odd too. It’s very intelligent—can it play chess, by any chance?”
“What?”
“Is that all you think about? You’re like me when I was a kid!”
“I didn’t think you would be so busy—I was hoping to play a game, but I wouldn’t want to take you away from your work. Where is that small Goblin or the Worker called Pawn?”
“I haven’t seen Rags and her crowd today. They must be doing Goblin-y things. But—the Workers probably won’t be coming for a while. There was an—incident with Pawn.”
“What happened?”
“Tell you later! Wait until everything slows down and then we can play a game of chess, okay?”
“Hey, good job. You’re not doing so bad.”
“Skeletons. They think they’re as good as people.”
“Whoa! Hey! Swords down!”
“These are my guests! Guests!”
“Antinium!”
“The Black Tide!”
“Don’t fight!”
“They’re part of Liscor! You hurt them, you make an enemy out of the city! They’re not here for a fight! These are the Worker-types.”
“Why are you here? I thought you couldn’t leave the city.”
“Pawn?”
“Yes, Innkeeper Solstice. But there is an issue—”