Hello Everyone!
This is the final part of the Meraket chapter. Soon, Mary and her companions are going to arrive at Bruno’s home!
Last time, they had just won a fight in the tavern “The Stern Mistress”. Bruno used the skin of the Bulette they’d defeated to devise himself a new armour, Aurum got a nice magical bell and Mary found a pretty golden brooch with a sapphire in the middle. It’s a new day now, and with it a new opportunity for adventure!
“Are you insane?!” was the shout that greeted Mary when she came down the tavern steps in the morning.
It was directed towards Rupert, the halfling bartender, and the person shouting was Reese, the Captain of the guards who’d helped them with the aftermath of last evening’s events.
“It’s on MY property and it’s MY right to do with it as I please!” Rupert was insisting.
Was that about the Bulette’s body again?
As it turned out, it wasn’t. Mary couldn’t believe her ears. Rupert was arguing about the hole in the ground. He wanted to keep it open and make it an attraction for people to pay in order to look in or go inside. Nothing that the Captain said could make him change his mind.
“I’m going to rename the tavern, too,” Rupert went on. “From now on it’s going to be ‘The Entrance fo the Underworld’. And it’s going to bring me so much money!”
Captain Reese rolled her eyes and cursed in an unknown dialect, then turned around and went away. Mary approached the excited halfling.
“Do you really think people will come to see the hole?” she asked.
“Of course they will! It’s an attraction!” he said.
“I’d be scared to go near a place where people died.”
“Well, there was only one casulty,” Rupert shrugged.
“Thanks to us!” Mary was beginning to see why Captain Reese was so irritated. “Who knows how many people would have died if we weren’t here! And what happens when we go on our way? There could be another attack at any moment.”
Rupert spread his arms wide.
“If there is another attack, I’d like them to break in from the same hole, not make another” he said. “Floor boards are expensive. Also,” he added and pointed at the guards, “Why do we pay those guys if not to protect us?”
Mary didn’t think she could convince him to close up the hole entirely. But it was really foolish to keep it open. Could she have him make a compromise?
Could she… make him?
She whispered the magic words and snapped her fingers. Rupert’s eyes unfocused and his lips widened into a smile.
“Look, we helped you guard your tavern, your property,” Mary said looking at him intently.
“Yes, you did. That was really nice of you” Rupert said much friendlier than before.
“I have an idea that could help you even more” she continued. “Why don’t you close the hole--no, no, not entirely, don’t worry, only with a… a grating. That way, there will be a barrier between here and whatever might come from the tunnel. You can still call the tavern ‘The Way’… no, pardon me, ‘The Entrance to the Underworld’, and show the hole to the customers, but it’ll be way safer. And… Oh!” Mary suddenly felt excited because she’d just had the perfect idea that could probably make Rupert accept it even after he’d realized that he’d been enchanted, “You can put a door in the grating and charge people if they wanted to go beyond it!”
Rupert tilted his head in contemplation. Mary waited with her heart beating fast. She’d never tried to convince someone that hard before!
“Captain Reese!” the halfling shouted out. “Call for the smith! We need to commission a grating!”
Bruno and Aurum joined Mary for breakfast. The dwarf had made his Bulette armour and it looked really impressive. There was something magical about it, too, but he just said it was ‘a cleric thing’ and waved it off.
At one point Rupert got up, crossed the room and stood in front of Mary with his arms crossed. The effect of her Charm Person must have just ended.
“You did some magic on me!” he said.
“Was the idea good?” Mary asked, looking over her plate. “Are you going to profit from it?”
He grumbled unintelligibly and went back to the counter.
“What was that about?” Bruno asked and Mary told them about the hole.
Soon, the tavern started filling up with people. It seemed that last night’s incident hadn’t scared the locals nearly as much as Mary had thought it would. A few people even tried to look in the hole but Rupert shooed them away because they didn’t have enough money to pay him.
Lady Kaire and Sir Genos joined the trio after most of the tables were already full. Following some polite pleasantries, Mary asked them what they were going to do now.
“We’re going to stay for a while” Lady Kaire said. “We helped with the drought but we can do so much more! We’re here to aid these people in the name of Edmund Bright, the rightful heir of the emperor Ignas II.”
She had slightly raised her voice as if reciting a well practiced speech. Some people had turned their heads to listen to her and Mary saw a few of the older folks nod in recognition.
“You know,” Lady Kaire continued, now almost not talking to Mary but to the tavern as a whole, “the happy times are coming back. Edmund Bright is coming of age in Zerakas tol. The young man’s eyes have the splendor of his grandfather Ignas. The days of the elves’ arrogance are coming to their end. Soon, Edmund will send an invitation to the heads of all of Eastern Erathos’ nations to bring back the old Alliance, and we’ll be one whole again.”
There was excitement and cheering from the crowd. People came to congratulate and thank Lady Kaire, ask her about Edmunt and tell her how “when emperor Ignas was alive there were no attacks on humble establishments like last night’s”.
“So that’s why they were here after all” Aurum murmured. “The drought was just an excuse.”
This is it. We have a capitalistic halfling and some political propaganda. This will end up SO well! :)
I hope you like reading these! I’m having so much fun writing them!
See you in the next adventure!
Take care and be well!
(Also, I made a chapter guide. You're welcome!)