Chapter 101: I thought I was smarter
After the long, tense conversation downstairs with Sera and the Dwarf, the group finally peeled themselves away from the common room and headed for their assigned quarters. The air was thick with silence as they climbed the old wooden stairs, boots thudding softly against the aged steps. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts—Marcus especially, trailing behind with slumped shoulders and a troubled expression. He didn’t even try to hide the bitterness brewing in him.
When they reached the hallway, the Dwarf pointed them toward two modest rooms at the far end.
"This one’s for the boys," he grunted, gesturing toward a slightly larger room on the right. "And this one’s for the ladies."
The rooms weren’t anything fancy—just two beds in each, a small table, and a couple of chairs—but they were clean and warm. The boys—Liam, Marcus, and Jason—stepped into theirs, tossing down their gear one after another.
Jason flopped onto the nearest bed. "So... we just got roped into a 47-day death march because someone couldn’t keep it in his pants."
"Shut up, Jason," Marcus mumbled, not even lifting his head as he sank into the mattress.
Meanwhile, Eleanor and Sophia entered their own room across the hall. Sophia set her things down neatly while Eleanor leaned against the wall, arms folded and eyes scanning the corners like she expected hidden eyes behind the woodwork.
"This place gives me weird vibes," Sophia muttered. "Feels like we’re being watched."
"We probably are," Eleanor replied, her voice calm but sharp. "That dwarf’s eyes don’t miss much."
Back in the boys’ room, Liam rolled his neck and glanced around. "We should freshen up. There’s a washroom down the hall."
No one argued.