Chapter 25: Overnight Stay
Dominic laughed as the smith and the boss shared stories of their trip, then realized that it was beginning to get late, and he hadn't made any arrangements for the night. With their usual smith back, he wouldn't be welcome to sleep in the forge Carriage, even if it was big enough, so he should start looking for a hotel now that he had his wages.
There was an inn nearby, but it was all marble walls, with guards at the doors in fancy armour and high levelled skill gems. That looked far too expensive for his wallet.
"Hey Tom, is there an inn here that I might actually be able to afford?" Dominic asked as he made sure he hadn't left anything in the other man's forge.
"That's the only one in town with an open room. I was going to stay there if you lot got delayed for the night. You're welcome to put up a hammock on the far side if you like, but I will warn you that I snore.
But if you can catch her, I think that our Gunner, Bella, has a friend here in town, and she will likely be staying over there. You might be able to get a couch with them. The farmers are always happy to have a real smith stay over for a few hours work." He suggested.
The gunner was still laughing with the ranger up near the front of the convoy as the locals unloaded the cargo. The guards' jobs weren't finished until the cargo was unloaded and paid for, while the smith was on duty until the carriages were fixed and good to go again.
They were lucky and didn't take much, if any, damage this time, so the boss hadn't requested anything of him after they arrived, he had just paid and left him with Tom, who was nursing his aching bones after being healed of his injuries.
Dominic waved goodbye to the smith, and hopped down from the oversized carriage with a shiver as he adjusted to the lack of heat from the forge.
"Bella, was it? I'm Dominic, the smith for the trip. Tom said that you might know a spot that I could rent a bed for a few nights. Somewhere more reasonable than that gaudy inn." Dominic asked as he approached the guards.