Chapter 123: Minds Clear, Bellies Full, Body Rested
The doors to the Snake Pitt Inn swung open, startling a few of the customers who already sat enjoying their Ale. A beast of a man holding a bloodied axe entered, his face stern as he searched the bar area. Axel grunted as he placed his axe behind his shield on his back. He walked forwards, followed by his comrades Ger and Ronan.
Ger threw a small pouch of coins at the innkeeper. "We require a room." He did not stop for an answer, his aura demanded the keeper’s full attention, and the group’s dishevelled and dangerous appearance meant that a simple no was out of the question. The innkeeper sighed, leaving briefly and returning with a key he placed on the bar. He did not speak the room number, for there were many witnessing the interaction.
If there were to be a death that night from the locals taking a disliking to these bandits, the innkeeper knew it would be his usual customers to lose their lives, not the other way around. Ronan appeared then and smiled, grabbing the key and leading the way to the rooms. As soon as they opened the door, they dropped their weapons and collapsed onto various spots. Ronan slumped on the sofa in front of the fireplace; Axel lay down on the bed with a loud thud, starfishing with a sigh as Ger followed Ronan to the couch and threw his legs to the side so he could sit down.
Ronan relaxed his head into the sofa while Ger stared into the unlit fireplace, loathing himself for his failures. The most distrustful person had been a part of their group, even became ’friends’ with the princess and kept up her ruse as they escaped the clutches of the Flori. It took them a few days to evade the elves with Cilv’s help and a week to leave Direwood forest.
But the last morning of their ’stay’ in the mystical forest, the shapeshifter was gone. The men waited for an hour, stupidly believing Cilv to be hunting. But when that hour ran long, Ger was the first to feel his heart drop. He checked his cloak for the gemstone, their bags and the surroundings in a panicked state. He cried out, awakening the dreary morning of the forest creatures and animals that inhabited the trees nearby.
Since then, they had been following Cilv’s trail. Though there were many times, she seemed to have led them off course and into dangerous territories. Since leaving, they had fought man and beast alike; the most recent was a group of trolls that Ger knew the shapeshifter sent their way. Trolls preferred to stick to their homes, yet they were travelling the day they encountered them. After their near-death experiences, the group were escaped with their lives and decided to rest and regroup.
Just before entering Kuramji, the men were met with a group of thugs who they were quick to get rid of. Their moods plummeted as they arrived at the Snake Pitt Inn, revealing their latest fight of blood and dirt coating their outfits. Through their journey back to Kuramji, they managed to steal some horses from a village in the night, leaving a few coins for their troubles.
Ger sighed and smacked the armrest in anger. There was one job Evanna left him, and he screwed it up. They lost the gem and Cilv.
"Let us rest today, Ger. We need our minds clear, our bellies full, and our bodies rested before we tackle our next task of getting that gemstone back," Axel said from the bed in which he lay. He closed his eyes, his hands resting on his stomach. Axel could almost hear the negative thoughts Ger was thinking from there. If Ger’s mind was not busy with plans and recklessly following after Cilv’s well-planned traps, then he would sigh or break anything in his way.