One More Night

The Rumbling Din was different during the day. It was just around sun-up, and the place was unsettlingly empty. Just last night, almost every table in the tavern was occupied, and all sort of creatures occupying them. From the kitchen, the cook could be heard chopping some foodstuff for the afternoon meal. A pleasant aroma wafted deliciously from his stovetop. A barmaid was sweeping the floors, and the barkeep was restocking his bottles and kegs. At the middle of the tavern, a man was bent over some stools, busy at work nailing and mending them, most probably due to a recent tavern brawl. The small man was hammering furiously, struggling to punch the last bit of a stubborn nail through. Reis approached the man.

“Where is everyone?” Reis asked. The man paused his hammering, and looked up, revealing a familiar face. It was the attendant of the stable, and apparently he attended beyond the stables too.

“Good morning, good sir. Most folk stop by here nary a night or two, resting, then to gather supplies, and restock. Fieri indeed is a town along the way of the Travellers’ Road, and the folks you met last night would probably have been well on their way by now,” the man explained.

Reis walked to him, and beckoned for the tool. Warily, the man handed it to him, and after a careful look, Reis raised the hammer and with one swift stroke, the tough nail struck home.

“There,” Reis said, returning the hammer. The man took it and grinned toothily.

“Where could I gather some trail rations to restock mine? I need about a week’s worth,” Reis asked.

“There is a little store around the next block that sells what a journeyman’s needs. It has big green sign hanging, so you won’t miss it,” the man told him.

“Right. But first, how does one get a breakfast around here?”

* * * *

After a hearty breakfast of spiced porridge, Reis decided to explore the town and restock his supplies. Before that, he stopped by the stables to see to his horse. Sabre was munching on some fresh hay, and his brushed black velvety coat glistened brightly in the sun. Reis walked to the town centre opposite of the Rumbling Din, made certain by a non-working fountain and a few broken long benches encircling it. A few cobblestones are missing here and there, but otherwise, Reis could imagine the town in its glorious heyday – placed in the middle of a crossroads of three kingdoms – now replaced with alternate routes and teleportation spells.

It was not long before Reis spotted the shop with the green sign on it.

“Frederick Fourwind’s Adventurers’ Supplies,” Reis read the sign above the door. Another sign on the door says ‘Open’, and he stepped inside.

An old man was dozing when Reis stepped inside. A little bell that hung on the store-side door jingled and woke him up.

“What the– Owh! Jolly! A customer!” the spritely old man sprang up, ran from beind the counter and shook Reis’ hand.

“You look like a young endeavouring adventurer, so welcome to Frederick Fourwind’s Adventurers’ Supplies. I’m Frederick Fourwind Sr., at your service,” the old man said with a curt bow.

“Right. I’m Reis Alderron, and I was referred to this place when I asked for some trail rations to be restocked.”

“Trail rations? Aye! We have aplenty. I’ll get those from the back. Feel free to browse around,” Frederick said.

Reis looked around. Shelves, albeit dusty, lined the store, holding a myriad of gadgets well-suited for any adventure one might encounter. Hunting knives, sharpeners, flint steel, and wire snares lined one shelf, while leather bags, saddlebag attachments, belts, and ropes lined another. Other shelves contained assorted gadgets that some Reis knew and some he had never seen before. Reis picked a medium sized four-pint leather waterskin and studied it. It was a bit dusty, but it was of good quality and would be a good addition to the existing smaller waterskin he already has. He took it and placed it at the counter. Reis walked over to the shelves with the odd gadgets on them. He saw a clockwork trinket, which he did not understand what function it serves, some phials, specimen collection tools, and more ticking gadgets with gears in them.

“I got what you need right here,” Frederick said with armfuls of packages. “I got my supplies from those traders that came through here, and you’re in luck. These came in yesterday,” the old man said as he laid the packages on the counter. He took one and undid the string that bound the package. He opened the beeswax coated heavy paper to reveal a thick sweet-smelling loaf of bread, dotted with nuts, raisins, berries, and some other dried fruits.

“’Tis a fine bread right here. Hard to come by, as those bakers from Vangia makes so little of this. Finest wheat, barley, oats, and rye milled for their flour; kneaded with honey instead of water, then ‘ya throw in lotsa nuts and them dried fruits and bake. Glazed with more honey after, this is worth its weight in gold!” Frederick proudly proclaimed. He took out a clean knife and cut a small chunk.

“Here. Have a taste,” the old man offered. Reis took the small chunk and ate it. At that moment, sweetness exploded in his mouth as he chewed on the chewy bread.

“Finally, a new trail ration I could live with. How long will this bread last?” Reis asked.

“If ‘ya keep it here in this paper, and keep it from getting wet, it’ll last you for three weeks,”

“Excellent. I’ll take it,” Reis said.

“Absolutely. That’s three silver pieces a slice. How may slices do you need?”

“I’ll take two loaves,”

The old man shot a very surprised look.

“And this waterskin,” Reis added.

* * * *

After keeping the item he had bought in the locker near the stables with the rest of his belongings, Reis returned to his room at the inn above the tavern. When he left that morning, Rianna was still asleep on the bed, but Reis returned to an empty, well-made room. He sat on the bed and took out a map and a piece of graphite stick wrapped in leather strips from one of the leather pouches on his belt. With his knife, Reis sharpened the graphite strip slightly, and wrote markings on the map that was laid out on the bed. He marked out his travel thus far, stopping at the town of Fieri, and plotted his route to Nadaran at dawn tomorrow. Satisfied, he kept the map and the writing instrument back to its place. Reis decided to spend some time by doing maintenance work on his gear. He drew his broadsword and tested its sharpness. Reis produced a whetstone from a flap on the scabbard, and then he took some water from the porcelain washbowl and wetted the whetstone. After that, Reis spent the rest of the evening sharpening and oiling his sword, knife, and dagger.

He would spend one more night in the relative luxury of the inn, and ate another supper in the relative luxury of the tavern. He would eat hot meals and drink more of the excellent cold ale and wine in the company of the travelers for one more night, and sleep in the soft, thick down mattress for one more night. If he is lucky, Rianna will join him again, all in all for just one more night, before hitting the road again tomorrow for Nadaran in the bare wilderness.