6 Chapter 05: The Drunken Maiden (1/2)

As I made my way to the exit of the Guild Hall I almost forgot to ask Amaris about something important. I turned around and rushed back. Amaris!! Since it's so late, where can I find a Tavern to spend the night? As I asked this in a rush I tripped over my feet and fell down. Amaris Laughed. ”Hahaha, I can show you a few good places if you want.

I'll finish working in a few minutes.”

”That would be nice, I'll wait until you're done then.”

As I said there waiting for a few minutes Amaris finished working and got into her normal attire. It was just as daring, yet it suited her better.

She had a white, yellow dress with little glowing gems on the ends of the dress that matched her eye color.

Her hair was not pulled back anymore as it was hanging naturally down now.

To me, she was even more stunning being herself as she was in her working attire.

”What are you doing? Gazing in the distance like that?”

I was thinking about what would be waiting for me tomorrow.

”Don't worry the night is young and you still need to find a place to stay.”

Amaris grabbed my arm and pulled me along. I looked my eyes out as we entered the center of town, there were all kinds of small buildings and even campfires in the distance on the grass fields. ”It seems like they are rather hardcore, am I right?”

I pointed at the campfire as Amaris was wondering what I saw.

She put her arm around my shoulder and jokingly said. ”That will be you for long.”

This was when we arrived at a rowdy place called The Drinking Maiden.

”We have arrived, I'll go ask if they still have some rooms left. The owner of this place is a friend of mine”. Amaris said as she went in first. The gate had what you call an old western gate like in the wild west. the wooden gates opened through both sides as it didn't cover the entirety of the gate. This helped to spread those jolly sounds coming from inside.

I heard people laughing and singing, clattering glass against one another.

This felt familiar. I opened the door and looked around. There where all kinds of species. Not just Humans. There where, beastmen, Lizardman, Pigman, but no regular humans. What was up with that? Aren't Amaris and I regular human beings?

There where even hooded people giving a mysterious vibe.

I must say I felt a little out of place being here with no other humans around.

I saw Amaris talking with the lady behind the bar as she turned and called out to me.

”Yo Michael, get over here!”. Suddenly it was quiet. Not your normal bar quiet, I'm talking real quiet. Even so that when the towns bully dropped his victim of the night everyone could hear the victim fall.

I noticed everyone's eyes staring at me, but this didn't do me much as I was used to it because of my wheelchair in my past life. Having said that, this felt different. Their gazes pierced me as if I was kind of unwanted, at least I thought it was because I was an unfamiliar face in town. But hey, what do I know? Could it be because I'm just a regular human being?

”Michael I want you to meet my close friend, Lady Midnight. Alice Midnight. I'm from the Thumper family. ”So it's Alice ”Midnight” Thumper then madam?” That is correct! You can call me Midnight since you seem to be a friend of Amaris.”

The lady at the bar had a unique look to her as she was clearly a bunny demi-human.

Her ears where long and especially fluffy at the sides of her head as they could cover her butt and her skin was a soft, smooth and fluffy brown, grey an white. The thing that seemed odd yet cute to me is that she also had hair other than her fur. Her hair was black, covered a bit of her face as the left side was longer than the right side of her hair. As everything was combed to the left.

Her eyes were light blue, like the morning sky of my past life.

Her nose was wiggling up and down all cute like as she was sizing me up, while being curious and positive towards me.

Her work attire matched her hair and even her skin as it was all black with brown stripes running up from the bottom of her leggings to her top. She was being all bouncy which made her already impressive chest wiggled up and down at the same time.

”My girl here asked me if I might still have a room for you, as there will be a few opening up tomorrow it should be okay to make you share a room with one of the

co-workers or me if you don't mind of course. Midnight grinned as she continued.

If you want to stay for a night it's 6 copper, including breakfast and dinner this amounts to 15 copper. But when you decide you want to stay longer there will be a discount for a weekly, monthly or longer. So let me know by tomorrow if you like to stay here longer handsome. *wink*

”5 beer please!” A customer yelled in the distance

”Coming right up!” Midnight yelled back as she began preparing the beer.

Midnight winked at me as she hopped to another customer at her bar with the drinks they ordered. Wiggling around her fluffy tail. As the coast was now clear,

Amaris came closer to me as she needed to tell me something.

”It is my duty as her friend and towards a fresh face like yourself to let you know that it is a full moon tonight Michael. That means the attractiveness animals feel will be doubled. This means that you could be getting a lot of attention so please be cautious.”

”Aaww, you're worried about me? I'll be fine. I'll keep what you said to mind.

See you in the morning, Mary.” ”Don't say I didn't warn you...”

I waved goodbye as Amaris left the Tavern.

To make sure I could reserve a room for tomorrow I gave Midnight a silver coin when she got back getting some dirty dishes with her and gave me eighty-five copper back.

Amaris stormed back in the Tavern as she remembered that she would show me the room I would be staying at tonight. She showed me Midnight her room so I could get an impression of where to put a mattress as it was rather busy in The Drunken Maiden.

She left as it was late and I got ready for bed.

While figuring out where to put the mattress I was recollecting what had happened today.

”What kind of amazing world did I get myself into? I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings me. When I have hunted my first few Spirit Beasts I have to ask Amaris if she knows about these Ancestral Forest Ruins somewhere hidden in this area.

As I was managing my money and counted that I had four silver and eighty-five copper left. Took fifteen copper with me and put the remainder of it away under a loose wooden plank. ”Just in case someone would see me as an easy target,” I said to myself.

I had to collect a bit more information about this world.

What I knew right now was that I was in a world called Arganthes, that the Nation we all arrived in is called Kintheris and the town I am at right now is called Sharoo.

Other than that it seems that magic is a rather common usage here even though not everyone can use it. There where Beasts that use magic as well called Spirit Beasts that cause a constant threat to the living. which is why adventurers are tasked with bringing down their numbers. But before I would completely dive into combat I had to know what these beasts exactly where, how they formed and what was their connection with spirits in general. Thinking back at what Amaris said that the attractiveness doubles during the full moon, shouldn't it be six times as high compared to my world?

As the thought made me drift of into more explicit thoughts I got pulled out by tapping on the glass window. Tapping, tapping as I turned to look I couldn't see anything.

As it suddenly stopped I turned around for it to start again...

Knowing it was something trying to get in my heart began racing.

Turning towards the window I slowly opened it to meet a gorgeous looking bird,

black as the night itself it was difficult to spot. As it flapped its wings my heart calmed down, as a familliar voice filled my head once more. ”Nevermore.”

”Here we meet again, guided by my words. I thought it appropriate to turn into a bird.

Ebony as the night a Raven of some sort? Familiar I may seem... This is only a reflection of your dreams.”

”That explains why you talk in tongue famous for its lore? Edgar Ellen Poe, that man will help you hide in the shadows.”

All to make her pressence unknown, she chose a medium with a rather mysterious undertone.

Head my words as they will fall, like the sun before nightfall.

The Ruins in this forest to most unknown, will guide you to a tumbstone.

This tumbstone will contain a relic of origins unknown, once there insert your gemstone.

This will make it bond to your soul, like fire to coal.

Soon there will be a party forming, forming for expedition. Be sure to join as one of them as you take action.