The path Draven walked was created by the carriages and adventurer's group. It was a peaceful path flanked by giant trees that provided the much-needed shade for the tired travelers. Sarah picked up several blueberries from the bushes near the path and ate them to get enough strength to reach Veland.
She hoped to see a carriage so they could hitchhike. It was unfortunate that not a single carriage came their way. Thus, by the time they reached the outskirts of Veland, the sun had set on the distant horizon behind the city walls.
Boom!
The claps of thunder resonated, followed by flashes of lightning. Coupled with the howling sound of the wind, nature informed them about the upcoming heavy rain. They hurried towards the gates where two exhausted guards leaned on the gates, trying to light the torches in their hands.
Noticing the two of them approaching the gate, a soldier with a thick mustache handed over the torch to the soldier next to him before walking towards Draven and Sarah,
"Sta-"
Draven handed over the couple of etherials more than the required etherials cutting off the soldier's sentence.
"Grrrmmm" the soldier cleared his throat and quickly put the extra etherials into his pocket,
"Welcome too Veland"
Sarah wasn't surprised by the corrupted guards. From her experience, she knew that if the guards did their job without taking bribes, the authorities would have an easier time catching the criminals. For instance, they had Black Knight's armor and fifty thousand etherials with them. In case the soldiers searched them as they were supposed to, they would have found Draven had something to do with the killing or at least detained him for carrying suspicious things. Instead, the soldier took four etherials bribes and let them in.
"This place is rotten" Margoth snickered in his head,
As soon as they entered the city, they saw several groups of soldiers patrolling the streets carrying torches. There were cities and kingdoms in Etheria that had street lamps powered by 'Meerian' energy. Fortunately for Draven, Veland wasn't one of them. It was mostly due to the higher count of thieves in Veland. The thieves would even steal billboards hanging outside of stores let alone a couple of hundred etherials worth street lamps.
Because of this, the streets were lit with torches dipped in oil. They dimly lit the streets with the shade of orange. The street before Draven was straight without having any curves or deviations where a group of soldiers was walking towards them.
"They are probably looking for any suspicious activity" Sarah whispered,
Rather than making his way to the town square as he did before, Draven turned to his right and walked around the bakery building built with red bricks. Draven and Sarah took advantage of the shadows, disappearing from the main street.
Draven sneaked behind the buildings to avoid the patrolling guards. All the buildings he passed by were gloomy, silent, and cheerless until he reached his destination. He walked through the gap between the two buildings to see a board saying 'Martha's Inn' hanging from the narrow pole next to the building.
From the outside, the inn looked humble, homey, and folksy. Stacked stones and tree trunks made up most of the building's outer structure.
It was impossible to see through the large, stained glass windows, but the clinking of beer glasses and the music from within could be felt outside.
As they entered the tavern through the heavily used wooden door after an old man, they were welcomed by dancing people and the aromas of roasted meats. The bartender, who was a plumpy man with hardly any neck, was engaged in a conversation but still managed to welcome them with a wink.
The inn was as enchanting inside as it was on the outside. Rounded, stone beams supported the upper floor and the candles attached to them. The walls were clear of anything, though signs did show plenty of things used to hang on the walls, though they've probably been knocked off by customers who had too much to drink.
Because of the recent events and the upcoming heavy rain, the tavern itself was packed. Adventurers seemed to be the primary clientele here, which was often a good sign. Several long tables were occupied by what looked like couples, lone travelers, and anybody else who enjoys great company.
The other, smaller tables were also occupied by a few exhausted soldiers who indulged in great food and drinks, while some leaned on the wall behind them to take a quick nap. Even most of the stools at the bar were occupied, though nobody seemed to mind more company.
Draven did hear rumors about this tavern, supposedly it's famous for
alcoholic drinks. It was evident judging by the number of cups, tankards, and glasses on the table.
"I am hungry!" Margoth's shout felt like a hammer hitting his head.
It had been ages since Draven felt hunger or any usual feelings a human should feel. All he ever felt since his family was murdered was rage, pure bubbling rage.
When Margoth was hungry, it would affect Draven's ability to fight. Because of that reason, Draven decided to get something for Margoth to eat. He and Sarah managed to find a seat next to each other at the bar counter,
"What can I get you?"
"EVERYTHING!" Margoth shouted in his head,
"I'll take two specials," asked Draven,
"That'd be 10 etherials"
Draven grabbed a handful of etherials from his pocket and placed ten etherials on the counter. He didn't touch the sack filled with etherials as he kept it between the two stools.
Seeing Draven has some coins left in his hand, the bartender quickly suggested trying their best drink,
"She'll take that" The bartender poured a freshly brewed beer into a mug from a miniature barrel,
"Here you go miss" the bartender gave the mug to Sarah. She was so thirsty that she chugged the mug in a couple of seconds.
"Two specials!" the bartender slapped the wall behind him,
The downpour started producing a loud buzzing sound while they were waiting for the food to arrive. The rain, cozy atmosphere, and chillness brought by the rain were a perfect combination for the soldiers and the adventurers to get drunk till they see birds around them.
The young girls serving the food and drinks to the customers started to let out squeals and cussing words due to the misbehaving drunken soldiers as well as some adventurers.
This was why Draven used to hate places such as this. Now however he got used to it and until someone decides to mess with him, he would normally mind his own business.
"Here you go" the bartender served Draven and Sarah the special, which was roasted turkey meat with a side of sauteed carrots, beans, and chunks of potatoes. For a special, this meal looked rather normal. Draven wasn't a food critic so he began to eat it using the wooden fork and knife provided alongside the dish.
The fork looked sturdy and the knife looked clean enough for Sarah to eat without complaining although she used to eat in the most prestigious dinings in Etheria.
As soon as Draven sliced the meat and put it into his mouth, it disappeared. Morgoth was absorbing the food in a flash. Thus, Draven finished his dish in a matter of minutes.
"MORE!" The bartender was slightly surprised when Draven ordered one more special but he was happy to take another five etherials from him.
Thut!
Everything was going smooth until Sarah broke her wooden fork in half. Not only she broke it but also dropped it to the ground,
"Let me grab that for you" a bald tall mean-looking man with a long scar across his eyes picked up the fork. The smile on the bartender's face vanished instantly.
"Thank…thank you" Sarah meekly said,
Hearing her girly voice, the man pulled back the fork,
"Young miss" the man focused on the face shaded by the cloak covering her face,
"Idiot" the man shouted at the bartender,
"How can she eat without a fork?"
The bartender had a shaky smile on his face as the man turned his gaze back to Sarah,
"Let me help you miss" the man reached out to grab the food when Draven grabbed his wrist,
"She doesn't need any help, take a walk"
"Puny weaklings, kill them Draven" Margoth growled in his head. The ancient god sounded more pissed than usual, probably because they interrupted his meals.
Draven let go of his hand and focused back on eating until the man put his hand on his shoulder,
"Was I talking to you?" The man tried to squeeze Draven's shoulder, only to see that no matter how much pressure he applied, he couldn't feel the flesh being pressed. Draven on the other hand didn't even turn around,
"You have a choice, asshole. You can either leave my sight with no broken bones or you lackeys can carry you broken ass in a bucket"
As he said, Draven felt a strange sensation in his body.
"Bitch whatchu said?" The man's raucous voice was loud enough to draw the customers' attention. Everyone loved an inn fight which was pretty common in establishments such as this. Mainly the adventurers would be the ones to start the fight as they usually didn't stay in one kingdom for so long. Hence, they weren't afraid of getting arrested by the authorities. Typically once they leave the city gates, the soldiers hardly give any damn.
"Now I will count to three, one"
Crack!
Before even counting to two, Draven grabbed the man's hand on his shoulder and twisted it.
"AHHHH!" The man screamed in agony but his scream was abruptly cut short as Draven slammed his head on the edge of the table.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
Those who accompanied the man were too shocked, looking at Draven slamming the man's face repeatedly onto the table until he stopped squirming. The blood oozed out of the man's broken skull as he crumpled to the ground.
[Ding! Legend increased]
[The host has earned 20 Legend Points]
Once again he felt the strange sensation all over his body, followed by the mechanical voice of the entity in his mind.
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Bear with me my wonderful readers,
I don't like to write filler pointless chapters so every chapter you read is connected to the story, even this tavern fight which you might think of as cliche. Trust me, it's not.
Thank you for supporting me. Please leave your thoughts in the comment.