5.36 (1/2)

Ordinarily, on any other day, Erin would have been thrilled to have an inn full of guests. However, today just wasn’t that kind of day. She was tired, upset, ashamed of herself, and currently understaffed. Erin rushed from table to table with drinks as Drassi, Ishkr, and Lyonette all did the same. She was relieved none of the adventurers from Pallass were hungry, but everyone wanted a drink. They were sitting about, Drakes mainly, but a good number of Gnolls, chatting while the team leaders gathered around a table with Ilvriss and the other bigwigs, discussing strategy.

“Innkeep! Firebreath Whiskey for us over here!”

“Not for me! Rum if you have it!”

“Do you have any mild ales?”

“What about wine? Or…a fruit juice?”

That last came from a feathered bird-woman. Erin nearly dropped her tray when she saw the Garuda. The adventurers of Pallass hailed from the southern part of Izril, which was, again, mainly inhabited by Drakes and Gnolls. But exceptions always existed.

“We’ve got juice. What would you like?”

The Garuda brightened. She asked for Erin’s menu then choose some grape juice—which was one of the few juices Erin had, really. Fruit juice was expensive! Especially because it had a shorter shelf life than alcohol. Ironically, you could get a keg of alcohol for less than some good old-fashioned apple juice. Apple cider on the other hand…Erin wondered if she could find a nice farm around here willing to sell her fruits for cheap. Didn’t Ryoka say she’d visited a farm once?

She was distracting herself. Erin went over to her bar and filled a mug with juice. Mrsha popped up, surprising her.

“Oh, Mrsha. Do you want a drink?”

The little Gnoll shook her head. She took a mug, and filled it with ale. Then she scampered over to a table and offered it to a surprised Drake. Erin watched Mrsha run back. She felt her heart squeeze.

“You are so responsible! Good job!”

She patted Mrsha on the head and watched the Gnoll smile, then hurried back to the Garuda.

“Here’s your drink!”

“Thank you. I’d like to drink, but alcohol goes through me faster than normal. And it seems we’ll be busy soon.”

“You mean with fighting? The Raskghar are gone.”

The Garuda nodded. Her companions, Drakes with wings folded on their backs, blinked as Mrsha ran up with two mugs, slopping a bit over the sides. The Garuda sipped from her mug with her beak. She was strikingly brilliant—her feathers were a beautiful spring green color with white and slightly pink feathers patterning down her arms and legs.

Her entire body was covered in feathers and her clothing was minimal—like the Gnolls, she wore only enough for modesty. She had a shortsword by her side and carried what looked like a bag of holding at her belt and nothing else. She wasn’t even wearing armor like some of the Drakes who were practically clanking with metal.

“That’s true, Miss. But the dungeon remains. And that’s why we’re here. My team thought about entering it, but that’s not our usual forte so we held back. But duty is duty. Pardon me, I haven’t introduced myself. Bevussa Slenderscale. I’m with the Wings of Pallass.”

“Oh! The Gold-rank team? But you’re…and your name…”

Erin frowned, confused. Bevussa smiled.

“I’m adopted. My people are known as Garuda. They live on Chandrar almost exclusively, but I was abandoned as a chick and taken in by Drakes living in Pallass. Hence the name.”

Erin slapped her forehead.

“That makes sense! Sorry, I’m a bit muddled. I was fighting off giant angry Raskghar a few hours ago. I’m so glad you’re here. Your team are all Oldblood Drakes, aren’t they?”

She nodded at the others. The Drakes looked surprised that she knew the term for them. Bevussa smiled.

“Correct. We’re a rare group. I got in because I can fly. The others are all Oldblood, as is our, uh, leader.”

The Garuda nodded to the Drake who’d first introduced her group. Erin peered over at the Drake as she stood with the other adventurer leaders at the front of the group. The captain of The Wings of Pallass was tall for a Drake and striking with her wings folded at her back. Erin saw the other adventurers from Pallass giving her some respectful space.

“Wow. That’s cool. Sorry, I’d love to chat more, but I have to keep waiting tables.”

“Of course, Miss…”

The young woman turned and grinned.

“I’m Erin Solstice. This is my inn! Don’t mind the mess! Or the blood. Or the Hobs. We have a sign!”

She pointed at the prominent sign she’d propped up next to the bar. It was the copy of the one some of the adventurers had stared at as they’d entered the inn via Pallass. Bevussa eyed it.

“Huh. This is one weird inn. What do you think?”

She glanced at her teammates. The two Drakes stared at the Redfang Warriors who were doing their best not to attract any attention as they hauled the Cave Goblin—still tied to the chair—to a far corner of the room. One of the Drakes with purple scales and a scar running down the left side of her neck leaned over.

“We were told by that Watch Captain that this inn is unusual, Captain. It even has Antinium in it! Do you think all the inns in Liscor are like this? Or is this about the Antinium entering the dungeon?”

Bevussa grimaced and glanced around. All the other adventurers were busy gossiping. She leaned forwards.

“I told you not to call me that! When we’re in public, Issa’s the Captain, got it?”

“Sorry.”

Disgruntled, Bevussa leaned back in her chair and sipped from her drink. Probably every Gnoll in the room had heard her if they’d been listening in, but it was only the Drakes she was concerned about. She glanced around and then frowned.

“Why’s that Antinium staring at me?”

—-

The adventurers standing around the table were in rapid conference with the officials from Liscor. All of them were team captains and almost all of them were Silver-rank or higher. A few were Gold-rank and they intimidated Ceria. She felt squished as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Silver-ranks. Ceria also felt like a fraud as she looked around at the serious adventurers from Pallass.

Each one of them was an accredited leader of a Silver-rank team. Hell, even Pallass’ bronze-rank adventurers looked like they knew how to fight. Maybe the Drakes had a different standard for adventurers because Ceria had never seen so many scars on a Bronze-rank adventurer before. She shifted, stepped on someone’s tail, and winced. It was packed! At least the discussion taking place wasn’t that involved.

Halrac, Jelaqua, Ylawes, and four other Gold-rank Captains stood around the table. One of them, the huge Drake wearing plate armor who was the leader of the Flamewardens, spoke. His voice rasped and every time he coughed, smoke or blue flames issued from his mouth. He had a lot of space around him, despite the press of bodies.

“We’re honored to help, Wall Lord. And we’ve been appraised of Liscor’s situation. Our teams have studied the recordings of the Face-Eater Moth attack and we’re aware of the annual flooding. Obviously.”

Ilvriss nodded. The Wall Lord straightened in his chair, looking around importantly.

“And I thank you on behalf of Liscor. As Wall Lord of Salazsar, I personally guarantee all of the bounties promised by the Adventurer’s Guild will be met. Tell me, do you have a plan of attack?”

Halrac, Jelaqua, and Ylawes all shifted, looking annoyed. But the Captain of the Flamewardens nodded decisively.

“We have a clear dynamic to how this dungeon must be conquered. If these…Raskghar are strongest at night, we adventurers must move by day. Our team will enter as soon as day breaks. Until then, we will prepare. I’m told this inn isn’t part of Liscor. Where might we seek lodgings inside the city?”

The Wall Lord grimaced.

“There are a number of inns within the premises of Liscor. They are already quite full, but I personally reside at the Tailless Thief. I will speak with the innkeeper and see if any rooms can be made available. As for the other teams, they may have to seek lodgings with Celum if no more rooms can be found within Liscor.”

“Celum? Isn’t that a Human city a hundred miles north of here?”

The other adventurers were astonished. Ilvriss nodded coolly.

“It is. But this inn is unique. The magic door that transported you all here from Pallass will also transport anyone from Liscor to Celum.”

The adventurers stared at the door they’d entered and murmured. Ceria felt a bit of pride—even the Gold-ranks looked impressed. One of the Silver-rank Captains spoke up.

“Does the innkeeper have any rooms to let here?”

“Sadly, I believe they’re all occupied. By Goblins, no less.”

Ilvriss sighed. He looked around at the adventurers.

“I will remind you all that Liscor is allied with the local Antinium Hive. Furthermore, this inn itself has proven itself…useful, so the laws of Miss Solstice, the Human who owns it, are also to be respected. Aside from that, I am honored to see so many brave souls from Pallass arriving to assist Liscor in its hour of need. I personally wish you the best of luck in your expedition into the dungeon.”

“Thank you, Wall Lord.”

The Flamewarden’s Captain inclined his head and Ilvriss did the same. The Gold-rank adventurer looked at Jelaqua.

“We have a limited window of time before we commence the dungeon raid. Does the Adventurer’s Guild have any guides or maps of the dungeon, Miss Selphid? Or can we buy the information from your team?”

Jelaqua folded her arms, her tail tangling the legs of the Drakes standing beside her as it lashed.

“Bold, aren’t you? I thought only the Silver-rank teams were crazy enough to go into a dungeon without prepping.”

The Drake met her eyes levelly.

“We’re ready to fight. And my team hardly intends to go in alone.”

“Exactly. We’ve discussed the issue amongst ourselves and we’ve elected to go in strong. We’ll hit the rift the Raskghar came from. Not as one, but as a united front, yes?”

Another Gold-rank adventurer spoke up. Jelaqua glanced at the Gnoll.

“Your team too? I get that there’s safety in numbers, but this dungeon isn’t something to be underestimated! Fine, if it’s three Gold-rank teams or something…hells, how many are going in today?”

The adventurers looked at each other. The Flamewarden’s Captain bared his teeth and spat a bit of flame.

“Everyone.”

—-

Over a hundred adventurers in her inn. Maybe two hundred? No. Over a hundred. Erin tried to guesstimate the numbers as she ran figures in her head. Guesstimate was a word, wasn’t it? It didn’t sound like it should be one. It sounded…fake.

And they were all going into the dungeon. All at once. Faced with that news, the other teams decided they’d join in too. After all, there might not be safety in numbers all the time, but if an army of adventurers was going in to save the missing Gnolls, you didn’t want to be the one team that stayed behind.

Erin’s stomach hurt as she thought of the missing Gnolls. It hurt harder as she remembered the Raskghar attack. She pushed the feeling down as she waved her hands desperately, trying to attract the attention of the mob of adventurers as they headed for the door to Liscor. They’d already left coins on the table for the drinks Erin saw Lyonette sweeping them up and wondered how much they’d made already.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!”

They all looked at her. Erin smiled, feeling a bit of sweat run down her back.

“Uh. Hi. I’m Erin Solstice. I run this inn. I uh, hope you all go into the dungeon safe and sound.”

They stared at her. Awkwardly, Erin fumbled with a jar of thick blue soup and held it up.

“The thing is—I also sell stuff to adventurers. My inn is connected to an [Alchemist]’s shop in Celum, and I sell other stuff! Like magic food. I have this soup that makes you warm—uh, keeps you warm. It’s magic. And I have another dish that makes your skin tougher! Come back and try it! I’m selling it at a discount to anyone that needs it. [Guardsmen], adventurers—anyone!”

She looked at Zevara, who was waiting by the door with Relc and Klbkch. The Watch Captain eyed the blue soup and shuddered, but gave Erin a slight nod. The adventurers murmured and some came over to try her Corusdeer soup. Erin had a feeling that no one would want that soup when they entered the dungeon, so she willingly gave out samples and answered questions about whether her food would conflict with other magical enchantments and how long it would last and so on.

“That’s one way to do business. I wonder how many teams will buy from you. We’ll be buying some of your Scale Soup before we go.”

Jelaqua strolled over as the press of adventurers broke up around Erin. The [Innkeeper] stared into her mostly empty jar.

“It’s called Scale Salad now, actually, Jelaqua. I finally figured out how to make it taste a little better. The soup still has all those crunchy bits in it, but the salad’s…well it’s still got crunchy bits, but it tastes palatable. If crunchy.”

“Hey, whatever works. I can turn my taste buds off. And I think any adventurer would gargle rocks if it meant they’d survive an arrow to the chest.”

Jelaqua smiled. The Selphid looked at the press of adventurers lined up to leave Erin’s inn through either doorway and shook her head.

“Dead gods, what a mess. I guess this is a good thing but—damn it, I can’t say I enjoy seeing this.”

“What? All the other adventurers?”

The Selphid nodded, looking miserable.

“Competition. I feel like a stomach ulcer for saying it, but it’s true. All these other teams means we’ve got a lot less of a chance of making it big on the dungeon. Saving the Gnolls would be great, but—”

The Selphid shrugged. Erin nodded slowly. Jelaqua and her team—and Griffon Hunt—had invested a lot into this dungeon. They’d worked tirelessly. It had to be hard seeing so many adventurers come in right when they felt like they were making progress.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. The people come first. And it’s not like they’re stealing anything.”

Jelaqua smiled crookedly. Seborn came over and Moore edged around all the Drakes.

“Looks like we’re entering the dungeon. How much of that foul soup do you have, Erin?”

“I made it taste better! It’s a salad now—well, it looks like a salad if you squint. I’ll have to make a lot more today.”

Moore rumbled as he bent down, looking serious.

“Just be sure to take care of your inn first, Erin. I heard the Watch Captain speaking to Olesm and her [Guardsmen]. Liscor will be fortifying while the adventurers go in. You should do the same. We will be here tonight, but it would be better if you made some preparations. Especially for young Mrsha.”

Erin nodded seriously.

“I will, Moore. Don’t worry. That’s on the top of my list. That’s why I’m pitching to the adventurers, actually.”

It was for the money. Of course, Erin appreciated money in any circumstances, but right now she was desperate for as much as she could get. The Halfseekers left her inn with the Horns and the rest of the adventurers. They wanted to talk more with the new adventurers and most of them had agreed to meet up in the Adventurer’s Guild after they found a place to stay. That news made Selys swear a blue streak and mutter about crowds as long as an ancestor’s tail. She ran off after saying the briefest of goodbyes to Erin.

Suddenly, Erin’s inn was empty. She stared around and saw Lyonette, Drassi, and Ishkr cleaning up with Mrsha dutifully helping. The Redfang Goblins were sitting in a corner with the little Cave Goblin, chattering amongst themselves, and Bird and Klbkch were talking to each other. Aside from that, everyone had gone.

Erin sighed and felt a bit of the mad energy leave her. She looked around and realized that the room was lighter. The sun was rising into the sky and with it came light. Erin blinked at it and realized she hadn’t slept since the Raskghar attack! She wobbled and sat down at a table.

Only now did she feel exhausted. Only now did she remember last night, and let herself give into a bit of the guilt and fear that had been flooding her. Erin rested her forehead on her arm, suddenly too tired to move, but too worn down to sleep.

It was there that Rabbiteater found Erin. The Hob shuffled over, his water cloak swirling around his shoulders. The other Hobs were busy patting Headscratcher’s muscles and pestering Numbtongue to play them music on the mostly broken guitar. But Rabbiteater had noticed Erin’s slump and came over to check if she was dead. She was not, and when she saw the Hob come over, Erin sat up.

“Rabbiteater. Are you okay?”

The Redfang Warrior nodded. Erin eyed him from head to toe. He looked okay. But she remembered him kneeling on the ground, covered in blood as the Raskghar attacked. She spoke softly.

“I feel pretty useless.”

Rabbiteater stared down at Erin. Rather predictably, he didn’t say anything. He hesitated, and then pulled up a chair next to Erin. She glanced up and saw his red eyes staring at her.

Goblins had pupils. It was just that their eyes looked uniformly red at a distance. However, Erin had stared at enough Goblins to know that the whites of their eyes were red, as were the cornea. The pupils, by contrast, were the darkest part of their eyes. She saw Rabbiteater’s focus on her now. The Hob waited for Erin to speak.

“You saved me last night. You and the others. If you hadn’t been there, the Raskghar would have killed me.”

Headscratcher didn’t respond. Erin stared down at her hands.

“You saved me. I didn’t do…anything. I threw pots and pans and knives and those Raskghar just blocked or ignored everything. I’m sorry, Rabbiteater. If you hadn’t blocked them, they would have gutted me in a moment. I was so scared I couldn’t even use my aura on them.”

Erin remembered trying. She remembered throwing her kitchen knife, watching it slice the Raskghar’s arm, as useless as spit. She’d thrown a frying pan at the Raskghar next, but it had done almost nothing. For the first time Erin had been acutely aware of her weakness. She was an [Innkeeper]. Not a warrior. And the Hobs had nearly lost a fight against the Raskghar themselves. After a while, Erin went on.

“I was so very glad to see everyone was okay. Even Ilvriss’s jerk face. He is a good leader, you know. He just happens to be racist, arrogant, and hate cake. But he does care about Liscor.”

Rabbiteater nodded. Erin sighed and rubbed at her eyes.

“I can’t believe how unprepared I was. I thought I could do something if I got attacked. But I keep relying on you guys. It’s a class thing. But I should have done more to prepare. I hope you leveled from the fighting at least.”

She looked up. Rabbiteater nodded.

“That’s good. Really. I haven’t slept yet. But I don’t think I will. As innkeeping goes, defending my inn doesn’t seem like it earns me many levels. Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you.”

Rabbiteater shrugged and smiled. That was the Redfang Warriors for you. They were casual—no, modest about what they did. Erin sighed. Then she leaned over. She gave Rabbiteater a one-armed hug and the Hobgoblin froze. Erin grinned.

“You’re too shy, you know that? You and all the other Goblins.”

Then she got down to business. Namely, the business of defending her inn. Erin’s brows drew together sharply as she thought. The Raskghar would come back. Krshia had told everyone that. The full moon hadn’t even been full yesterday. That meant there would be more nights of attacks. More fighting. Erin was determined that last night’s desperate struggle wouldn’t happen again.

She needed defenses. More defenses than just Bird, that was. It was funny. She’d invested in an Antinium watch tower, Hobgoblin security, and she had two adventuring teams under her roof, but Erin hadn’t yet done anything as simple as setting out some traps. Surely there were some she could buy or manufacture, right?

Erin thought about traps. She thought about boiling oil, pitfalls, giant walls of spikes that swung out, and then thought about how realistic any of that was.

“Mm. Nope. I don’t have the budget for any of that. And I’m on a time limit. What can I put out that’ll really inconvenience a Raskghar coming my way?”

Rabbiteater scratched his head.

“Nail? Sharp rock?”

“Nails? I guess. That’d really hurt, yeah. Sharp rocks…caltrops, maybe? But who makes caltrops? Really? No, there’s gotta be something—”

Erin snapped her fingers together.

“Bear traps! Landmines? Nope. Bear traps. Uh…attack runes? I don’t think I’ve got time to hire anyone for those. So bear traps. They have those in Liscor, right? Krshia knows a lot of [Hunters]. She’s got to have something like that in stock. Hey, Lyonette! I need you to go shopping for something!”

Lyonette looked up, her arms full of empty mugs. She came over as Erin found a piece of parchment and began to write an order on it.

“What’s up, Erin?”

“I need you to buy something pronto. To defend the inn. Go to Krshia and see if she knows where they sell bear traps, okay?”

“Bear what?”

“Bear traps. They have them here, don’t they? Big, spiky things that go snap when something steps on them?”

Erin looked expectantly at Lyonette. The Human girl looked at Rabbiteater and the Hobgoblin shrugged. Erin’s face fell.

“Wait, they don’t have them?”

“Maybe they do. What do they look like?”

The [Innkeeper] frowned. She turned the bit of parchment over and fiddled with the stick of charcoal.

“Well, they’re like two steel jaws that close on anything that steps on them. I know it’s really cruel to animals, but if I was hunting like, giant Rock Crabs or something really evil…like a Troll? I’d use one of these. It looks…like this. See?”

Erin sketched out the bear trap on the parchment and held it up. Rabbiteater took the sketch Erin had made and looked at it dubiously. He tilted his head, frowned, and then turned the parchment upside down. That didn’t help.

“Hey, it’s not that bad!”

Lyonette looked at the parchment and frowned.

“It…are those teeth? I have no idea how that thing works. The teeth come together? How?”

“With a mechanism in the center! It’s like—okay, look. You have this thing here and if you step on it, the trap closes. Over your foot. Or your hand, I guess. Any part of you that lands on the trap, really. Look—does this make sense?”

Erin grumbled as she snatched the parchment back from Rabbiteater. She made another sketch and Rabbiteater began to see what she was talking about. Well, if she put it like that, it was easy, wasn’t it? Two spiky sides would close on anything that stepped on the little thing in the center. Unfortunately—

He grunted and shook his head. Erin looked disappointed.

“What? Why not?”

Rabbiteater pointed to the blueprints and pointed. He mimed the jaws of the bear trap closing on his foot and threw up his hands in surprise. Then he shrugged. Lyonette, who’d been frowning at the trap, came to the same conclusion and put it more succinctly.

“Erin, that trap won’t work. If someone steps in it, sure, it’ll hurt, but unless those blades are incredibly sharp, it won’t do that much damage. I guess it’d do some damage if it snapped really hard, but most times you’ll just step on that and…well, it might slow someone down.”

Erin was incredulous.

“On a bear trap? No way! Those jaws will snap shut and you won’t be able to open them!”

“Sure you can. You just pull the thing apart.”

“No, you can’t. See? It has these springs that’ll hold the jaws closed—”

“Springs? You mean…it jumps up or something?”

And then Erin ran into a problem. She paused as both Lyonette and Rabbiteater looked at her without a hint of comprehension on their faces.

“No, not spring. Springs. You know, the spiral things? Very flexible? Holds things together? Bouncy?”

She didn’t do a good job explaining what she meant. But it soon became clear that springs, or rather, the coiled version of springs that went in bed mattresses and so on, didn’t exist in this world. At least to Lyonette and Rabbiteater’s understanding.

“I’ve never seen one of those things before, Erin. You say this is a little metal coil all wrapped up, right? That sounds like very difficult work, even for a good [Blacksmith].”

“You’re right. You’re right.”

Erin groaned as she thought about how hard making a small spring would be. There was no mass production in this world, after all! She tore up the bear trap blueprints in disgust.

“Great! So I can’t defend this inn. Unless they make landmines here? How am I supposed to guard the inn this time?”

“Well, why not barricade the door?”

Lyonette looked towards the door. The Raskghar had smashed into the inn through the door last time, breaking the wooden latch on the door. Erin looked up.

“Well yeah, I could do that. I could put a big honking bar across the door, and maybe the [Reinforced Structure] Skill would hold it, but what about my windows?”

“What about them? We can barricade them too. There’s already shutters on them.”

Lyonette nodded to the glass windows. Erin made a face.

“Yeah, but the shutters are in the inside. Which means that anyone smashing through’s already broken the glass.”

The [Princess] and Hob stared at Erin.

“So?”

“So, glass is expensive! Do you know how much Klbkch charged me last time to fix all that? I don’t want my windows broken in! Plus, those shutters aren’t made to hold out angry Raskghar.”

“Hm. Well, in that case…”

Lyonette trailed off. Rabbiteater frowned at the windows. He pointed to the window and mimed hammering. Erin sighed.

“Yes, Rabbiteater. That’s what we’re saying. But it won’t save the glass!”

Rabbiteater shook his head. He put up his hand and mimed a window. Erin frowned as Rabbiteater stood on one side of the imaginary window and then walked around. He began hammering…on the outside.

“Oh! You mean, put on shutters on the outside! Rabbiteater, that’s genius!”

Erin sat up in delight. That would work! All she had to do was install big defensive shutters on the outside of her inn. She could close them if she knew something was going to hit her inn—and then open them if it was all safe! Lyonette frowned.

“That’s a good idea, Rabbiteater. But putting shutters on the outside also means we can’t open them to look around at something right next to the inn. And that’s dangerous.”

“Right, right. Um—okay, what about this? We put the shutters on the ground floor windows, but leave the second floor open? I’m pretty sure my windows can’t be broken by arrows. Unless, like, it’s Halrac shooting them or something.”

Lyonette looked at Rabbiteater. The Hob scratched his head. Then both nodded. Erin clapped her hands.

“Alright! That’s phase one! Reinforce the inn! Lyonette, we’ll need some good wood, more nails, and maybe another hammer from Krshia.”

“I can pick those up. What’s phase two for the inn?”

“Uh—let me think it over for a bit.”

Erin stood up and paced about the inn. She was feeling a bit better now, and Rabbiteater and Lyonette both went outside to see how much wood the windows would need. Erin walked back and forth, trying to figure out what she could do. She discarded all of the impractical ideas or the things that’d take too much time.

Really, when you got down to it, the only way to defend her inn was to have enough people inside of it with weapons ready in case something attacked. Erin could build traps in her inn, but it would be easier to have something disposable. So she discarded bear traps and thought about potions. By the time Lyonette came back, Erin had a second plan ready.

“Essentially, I want a big box full of potions and alchemy…grenades? Right here. And Bird gets some of his own in case he’s attacked in his watch tower. And I want a lock on the door leading to the tower so he can get back in the inn if there’s a lot of monsters, like the moths.”

It was what she’d already done, except that Erin was doubling down on supplies. She found her money bags and poured gold pieces onto the table.

“We need a bigger defense budget. We should have, like four Tripvine Bags at all time. And those explosive potions! Octavia can’t make them. I don’t think she knows how. So…we need to go grab some from a better [Alchemist] in the city.”

“She’s not going to like that.”

“Well, she doesn’t have to know. As for the door lock—”

“Not a good idea.”

“Why not? If Bird’s in trouble—”

“A lock’s too much to work with, Erin. And Bird will forget the key. Why not just make it a door bar?”

“That is a reasonable suggestion.”

Both Erin and Lyonette looked up. Klbkch had walked over. He had stayed in the inn, mainly to explain to Bird exactly what a Garuda was and why he was not allowed to talk about shooting Bevussa or any of the Drakes with wings. Klbkch listened to the rest of Erin’s ideas and nodded when she finished.

“All of these additions seem like practical, simple measures that may save your life. I could send a Worker to make the improvements today if you wish.”

Erin waved a hand dismissively.

“What, barricading windows and making a door bar? I could figure out how to do that myself with [Advanced Crafting]. Just give me a few bits of wood and uh, maybe Rabbiteater can carve it a bit? I don’t like splinters. Okay, and maybe I could use some things from Krshia. Lyonette, can you see if she sells…door bar handles? And get me some screws? You do know what screws are, right?”

After Lyonette had gone, Erin turned to Klbkch. The Antinium was looking about the inn.

“Hey Klbkch. Are you okay?”

He turned and nodded precisely at her.

“I am well, Erin. Last night’s fighting did not extend to the Hive, and I was only made aware of the attack after a Street Runner was sent to the Hive. I was not injured. I was, however, concerned about you and your inn. As was Pawn. And Belgrade. And Anand.”

“Tell them I’m alright, okay?”

“I shall convey your words. However…your preparations for tonight’s defense are somewhat troubling.”

“It’s not enough?”

The Antinium paused as he looked around the inn.

“Given your budget and the time available, I would imagine that it is quite appropriate for any lesser crisis. But for a larger catastrophe, such as the invasion of the Face-Eater Moths?”

Erin nodded seriously.

“Yeah. It probably would be like last time. Which we survived! But I could do more. I’ve really been thinking about getting some enchanting done on my inn, actually. But none of the [Mages] I know have the ability to enchant things. I was going to see if anyone from Pallass could do it, but it’s been so busy—”

“No [Enchanter] would be able to perform more than rudimentary wards by nightfall anyways. That is a decent long-term plan. May I offer you a short-term one?”

Erin paused.

“Go on.”

Klbkch studied the inn, his head sweeping slowly down the long common room.

“I assume you intend to put on a play tonight?”

“Not tonight. I’ll tell Wesle and the others. It’s too dangerous to think about.”

“Very wise. That will aid my suggestion as well. I would like to send a squad of Painted Soldiers to your inn. They would be led by Pawn. In addition, they would be accompanied by several Workers armed with bows.”

“Workers? Wait, you want to protect my inn with them? I’ll accept of course! But do you want to be paid or…?”

Klbkch shook his head.

“Consider it an act of friendship. And practicality. Your inn has aided Liscor’s Hive in more ways than I can state, Erin. However, I would like to keep this arrangement secret. Very secret, in light of the current controversy surrounding Liscor’s Hive. The fact that Workers are being armed is to be most secret of all.”

He stared at Erin. She nodded slowly.

“So they’ll stay here tonight?”

“And leave just after dawn. Watch Captain Zevara has already requested a group of Soldiers patrol through Liscor tonight as a precaution. Pawn’s group will be part of that unit.”

This all sounded dicey to Erin, but she wasn’t in a position to refuse. Maybe Klbkch was just being cautious. Arming Workers. It didn’t sound that bad to Erin, but then she remembered that Workers using bows had been part of the Antinium’s strategy in the Antinium Wars.

“Okay, Klbkch. I accept. Thank you.”

“There is no need for thanks. I will excuse myself. I have much work to do in Liscor.”

Klbkch nodded to Erin. He strode through the door. She stared after him as he walked through the rainy streets. Sometimes it felt like Klbkch was more of a stranger than when she had met in the old days. She wished she could sit with him and Relc for a while over a plate of pasta. Then she shook her head.

“Well, I guess the Raskghar are really going to get a surprise if they attack tonight.”

“I’m sure I’ll feel better.”

Lyonette came over. She hadn’t quite been eavesdropping. Erin turned to her.

“Yeah. But the Antinium are just for now. I do want to make upgrading the inn a priority, Lyonette. Not just with structural stuff and enchantments. I’d like some real guards, the kind that will be here all the time. I can’t always hope there’ll be adventurers or Goblins or Antinium in my inn.”

The Human young woman eyed Erin warily.

“What then? You don’t mean something like Toren, do you?”

Erin paused.

“No. I think…no. Well, if Pisces…no. Probably not. I was really thinking about Golems.”

“Golems? How much do you think they cost, Erin?”

“Um…”

The two stared at each other. Erin laughed.

“It’s just a thought! But really, Lyonette, I am a bit worried. We’ll have Antinium here and I’ll be staying the night, but the Raskghar could still do a lot of damage. And there is…”

She and Lyonette both looked at Mrsha. The Gnoll was playing with her ball, bouncing it against a wall and running about. Erin sighed worriedly.

“I wouldn’t risk her at all. Even if I’m like, 99% safe I don’t want to take a chance.”

“Neither do I. But your inn will be the most well-defended spot I can think of. What else could you do?”

Erin paused. She frowned at Mrsha, and then looked to the magic door of her inn.

“Well, I can think of a way to make her just a bit safer. So right after dinner, here’s what we’ll do…”

—-

The Redfang Warriors did not feel good. It wasn’t the aftermath of fighting the Raskghar that bothered them—they actually felt over the moon about that, so to speak. Headscratcher’s changing classes to a [Berserker] and Numbtongue’s [Bard] class was the best news they’d had in a long time.

No, it was seeing all those adventurers that made the Hobgoblins feel bad. There was something about a room full of hostile glances that didn’t do much for the nerves, incredibly enough. More than one team from Pallass had looked like they’d been ready to attack the Redfang Warriors right then and there. Of course, they’d given the same look to the Antinium.

Shorthilt’s stomach still felt bad, but it was restoring itself to something approaching normal as he squatted on the floor, staring at the Cave Goblin. She was still secured to the chair. There would be no sudden escape where she wriggled free—the Redfangs knew how to tie a knot properly. When you tied an Eater Goat to a pole to lure Gargoyles, the last thing you wanted was an angry goat getting loose and munching your face off.

He was confident in his knot. Still, Shorthilt checked again just to be sure. His attention to detail and caution was why he was the group’s best warrior with a sword. He nodded as he found the bindings secure, and then looked at the others. They stared back.

Grimly. Now the adventurers were gone, now that the Raskghar had retreated, at least for the moment, the Redfang Goblins were faced with one last task. The problem of what to do with the Cave Goblin. She’d gone very still with fear when the adventurers had arrived. She’d been terrified the entire time, really. Now the little Cave Goblin sat on her chair, practically panting with fear as the Hobs deliberated what should be done about her.

The logical thing to do, as Badarrow pointed out, would be to toss the Cave Goblin in the water. Without untying her from the chair. After all, there were only two things that could really be done with the little Goblin. The Redfangs couldn’t keep her here. She was the enemy! No matter how securely Shorthilt’s knots were, even if they locked her in the basement, the Redfangs knew from experience how resourceful a desperate Goblin could be.

And a Goblin who escaped in the middle of the night could kill anyone with a knife in the back. No, that was far too dangerous. Goblins didn’t keep prisoners, anyways. So that left letting her go or killing her. And letting her go was a stupid idea. So that left killing her.

It was the smart thing to do, but none of the Redfang Warriors wanted to do it. They were proud warriors! Just killing an enemy Goblin was…well, it was wrong. They’d kill another of their people if they had to, in battle, but not like this. After all, she was the enemy, but she was a Goblin. Like them!

Then again, the little Cave Goblin and her tribe was so not-Goblin that the Redfangs really didn’t know what to do. She and her tribe served the Raskghar! They obeyed a Chieftain who was not a Goblin—they didn’t even have any Hobs! They didn’t even remember Hobs!

It was pitiful. Pitiful and depressing and sad. However, the facts remained that the little Cave Goblin was an enemy in no small way. Letting her go would mean the other Goblins and perhaps the Raskghar would know too much. They owed Erin Solstice more than words could say. So the Redfangs were forcing themselves to come to a difficult decision.

It wasn’t easy. But at last, even Headscratcher bowed his head. They picked up the little Goblin as she was tied to the chair. They wouldn’t drown her—that was cruel. Badarrow would shoot her instead. One arrow through the head was quicker. Badarrow’s face was very blank as he strung his bow.

The Cave Goblin screamed and writhed as the Hobs picked her up. She’d heard the entire discussion of course. The Redfangs hadn’t bothered to hide what they were talking about. After all, what would be crueler than hiding the truth? They marched towards the door of the inn. They could toss her body in the lake afterwards. Better that than become one of Pisces’ undead. If they could, they’d probably dispose of the other Cave Goblin’s bodies that way too.

The little Cave Goblin wriggled desperately and shrieked as the Redfangs carried her. Her efforts made no difference to the Hobs. Unfortunately, the noise and commotion attracted a worse sort of problem. The worst person to be present in this moment, actually.

Erin Solstice turned her head as the Hobs marched past her with death in their faces. She stared at the Cave Goblin.

“I’m an idiot. I nearly forgot about her! Hey, Headscratcher! Hold up!”

The young woman intercepted the group of Goblins. She stared at the thrashing Cave Goblin with concern.

“Is she alright?”

The Hobs nodded. They looked at each other in silent anguish. Numbtongue signaled rapidly. Pretend. Go along with her until they had a chance to go outside. The other Hobs nodded slightly. Erin didn’t notice. They turned and put the Goblin on the ground. The Cave Goblin babbled wildly, but Erin couldn’t understand. She bent.

“Hello. I’m Erin. And you’re the Goblin that attacked my inn. I’m not angry about it. Well, I’m sort of angry, but I’m not going to hurt you. What’s your name?”

The Cave Goblin screamed for help and tried to indicate the Redfangs with her head. Erin looked at Headscratcher.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bathroom.”

Numbtongue spoke the lie quietly. Erin nodded.

“Oh. Sorry. You’re taking her out?”

The Redfangs nodded. They picked the Cave Goblin up. The Cave Goblin shook her head wildly. Erin frowned.

“Hold up. Not bathroom? Can she understand me?”

“No.”

Numbtongue didn’t have to lie there, but the Cave Goblin was doing everything in her power to tell Erin that something was wrong. The [Innkeeper] frowned at her wide eyes and rapid babble in Goblin.

“She seems upset. I guess you guys really scared her. Maybe put her down, okay? What’s her name?”

All the Redfangs froze. Her name? But Erin treated the question as if it were the most natural thing to ask. She looked expectantly at Numbtongue who knew from his questioning. The Hob visibly hesitated before answering.

“Pebblesnatch.”

The other Hobs tried to forget the name as soon as they heard it. Erin smiled.

“Pebblesnatch? That’s cute! Hey Pebblesnatch, we don’t mean any harm. We—”

She extended her hand. Instantly, Pebblesnatch’s head shot forwards and she bit.

“Whoa!”

The small Cave Goblin’s teeth snapped together, narrowly missing Erin’s fingers as she snatched her hand back. Badarrow growled in fury and cuffed Pebblesnatch, making her screech in pain. Instantly, Erin smacked him on the shoulder.

“Don’t do that!”

Erin stared at the Cave Goblin. Pebblesnatch had abandoned hope. Now she was trying to bite, kicking wildly, determined to do some harm before the end. Erin looked at the Redfangs with a frown.

“She seems really upset. You haven’t been hitting her, have you? I told you to be nice to her!”

The Redfang Warriors stared at Erin. ‘Nice’ wasn’t a word they’d ever had to employ as warriors of Garen’s tribe. Nor was it something they thought of as necessary when dealing with their own kind, especially enemy tribes. In this case, ‘nice’ had nearly lost Erin a finger. And nice wasn’t about to happen later. They looked away.

“Bathroom.”

Numbtongue spoke the word and the Hobs lifted Pebblesnatch. Instantly, she peed on them. Headscratcher and Rabbiteater shouted with disgust and nearly dropped the Cave Goblin. Erin leapt away.

“Aw, gross! I’m sorry I stopped you! Quick, take her out and dunk her in the water. I’ll—hey, Drassi!”

“What? Why do I have to clean that up? Make Ishkr!”

“I can smell it better than you can. You clean it up!”

Now. The Redfangs left Erin and the two arguing employees and ran for the door. Pebblesnatch screamed. She screamed and screamed, with the truest terror in her voice as the Hobs tried not to listen. Then she started to cry. And Erin’s head turned. She stared at the Cave Goblin’s face, and suddenly picked up all the little clues—the panic and fear, the tense body language of the Hobs—and spoke.

“Wait.”

The word sapped the momentum from the air. The Hobs slowed and turned. Erin stood up and walked over. She stared at Pebblesnatch who was sobbing in the chair. Then she looked at Headscratcher.

“Headscratcher, are you really going to take her to the bathroom?”

The Hob avoided Erin’s gaze. She narrowed her eyes and then her eyes widened.

“Are you letting her go? No—oh no. You can’t!”

She reached for Pebblesnatch. Instantly, Headscratcher grabbed Erin. He pinned her arms in a bear hug and spoke.

“Go!”

The Redfangs moved. Or rather, they tried to. The air was thick and heavy and their footsteps dragged. Erin, who had been too afraid to use her aura on the Raskghar, kicked and struggled in Headscratcher’s grasp, holding the Hobs in place with all of her might.

“No! No, Headscratcher! There’s a better way! Don’t kill her! You can let her go!”

They couldn’t. The Hobs moved slowly, growling with the effort it took. Shorthilt saw Drassi and Ishkr, frozen with shock at the sudden commotion. Ishkr wavered and Shorthilt drew his sword. The Gnoll froze and backed up.

The Hobs ignored Drassi and Ishkr. Neither of them could stop the Redfangs. Nor could Erin, no matter how much she tried to stop them with her aura. They’d do it quick. If she kicked them out—the Goblins tried not to think about it. It was like the artifacts, like Rabbiteater’s cloak. They had to do it and no one could stop them.

Do what you had to do. Pay the price later. That was what Garen Redfang had taught them.

“Don’t—stop—put me down! Headscratcher! Put me down!”

Erin was struggling. But it was too late. Numbtongue thrust the door open. Rabbiteater and Shorthilt marched to the door. Badarrow pulled an arrow from his quiver and closed his eyes. Erin went still, helpless in Headscratcher’s arms. She looked up into the Hob’s glistening eyes. When she spoke it was very calmly, in a carrying voice that reached across the inn.

“You’ll regret it for the rest of your lives, you know.”

All five Hobs stopped. It wasn’t the aura that held them. Erin stared at Numbtongue’s back. The rain was pouring in through the front of the inn, drenching the Hob.

“You don’t want to do this. I know you don’t. If you do it, you will regret it forever. Don’t kill her. Put her down.”

The Hobs wavered. They wanted to believe Erin. But letting Pebblesnatch go? Showing her mercy? All they could imagine was disaster. Erin spoke again, urgently.

“There’s another way. Believe me. Give me ten minutes and I’ll convince you. Ten minutes.”

And because they really didn’t want to, because they cared, because their souls told them to, the Redfang Warriors turned. Headscratcher put Erin down. He let go slowly. She turned to him. There was no reproach in her eyes. Just a deep sadness. That cut him harder than anger. Erin stared at Headscratcher, then at the other Redfang Warriors. None of them could meet her eyes. She took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

“Let’s play a game of chess.”

—-

A strange gathering took place around one of Erin’s tables. The young woman sat on one side, arranging a chess board and explaining to Headscratcher how the game worked as he sat on the other end of the table with the four other Redfangs around him. Drassi and Ishkr worked in the background, nervously glancing at the tableau every few seconds.

Pebblesnatch sat at a table close by, her head lolling. She was unconscious. The Cave Goblin had fainted, probably so she wouldn’t feel anything. Erin glanced at her as she finished placing pieces.

“You understand? Well, if you don’t, I’ll teach you as we play. Your pieces are white, so you go first. Move a pawn. Or a knight, if you want.”

Hesitantly, Headscratcher picked up a pawn and tried to remember all the confusing things Erin had said. He peered at the board and looked at his fellows for guidance. They stared at the board. At last, Badarrow pointed decisively. Headscratcher placed the pawn. Erin nodded.

“Pawn to F4. Bird’s Opening. That’s what it’s called. Bird uses this opening all of the time. Because of the name.”

She placed a pawn at E5. Erin smiled as Headscratcher blinked. Didn’t she just give him her pawn? He stared suspiciously at Erin, suspecting a trap. He was right of course, but Erin gestured at him.

“Your move. This is From’s Gambit, by the way.”

She waited patiently as the Hob stared at the other Goblins for help. They deliberated, and then Hob took the pawn. Erin instantly moved another pawn up to D6, offering Headscratcher yet another target.

The game began. Each time Headscratcher moved a piece hesitantly, Erin would instantly move a chess piece with supreme confidence. It was unnerving. Within moments she’d reversed Headscratcher’s lead and begun tearing apart his chess pieces. The Redfang Warrior’s playing grew slower and slower as he bent over the board, trying to find an escape from Erin’s relentless assault. But that was the game. As she played, Erin spoke. Conversationally. Casually, as if she were having nothing more than a chat.

“Don’t worry about winning this game. Or losing it either. It’s not about playing chess right now. I just use chess because it’s what I know. In a sense, it’s the only thing I know. I’m an [Innkeeper], right, but that’s only my class. Chess is what I’m good at. People used to call me a prodigy—which wasn’t really true—when I was a child. Well, a prodigy is only really good at chess. I’m far better than I was back then. Because I practice.”

She moved a piece. Headscratcher stared at her. He looked past Erin at Pebblesnatch. Erin went on, her voice pleasant.

“It’s odd, being good at something most people don’t care about. A lot of people say how stupid it is to be good at chess. Or how pointless it is to play a game every day for years, decades, to get good at the game. Sometimes I thought the same thing. But you know what? I like playing. There was a time when I got sick of it, but I came back because I love it. I like playing. I’m good at it. There’s something nice about being good at something. And here, in this world, I’m probably the best player of chess. In the world.”

It was such a casual thing to say. But unlike any other species or people in the world, the Redfangs took Erin at her word. They looked into her eyes and tensed up. The greatest chess player in the world sat in front of them. Erin laughed gently.

“Don’t worry. That doesn’t give me any Skills. Or classes. Chess is a game to me. Just a game. And this is just a fun match. I’m not trying to win repeatedly—I have the magic chessboard for that.”

She pointed at another chessboard, where the ghostly chess pieces sat, playing out a game that had taken place over the course of the week. Erin’s mysterious chess partner had been busy of late. The Goblins stared at her. Erin waited until Headscratcher moved a piece, then cut to the chase.

“So. Why were you going to kill her? Because she tried to kill you?”

She looked at Numbtongue. The Goblin hesitated.

“Because she is the enemy. She will tell the Raskghar what we do. What we are doing if she goes.”

Erin nodded. It was a reasonable fear.

“Why not keep her here?”

“How long? Forever? Little Goblins are cunning. She will escape. Throat cut in middle of the night.”