Anthony woke up early, excited to start the day with a morning hunt. He had only dealt with a fourth of the herd, leaving a lot more to be hunted. Which meant that he could quickly test out the Leatherworker skills.
The excitement would die out the moment he left the wagon and took a look around.
The Antelopes were no more. Technically, he could see them, but they were no longer within his reach. He saw the remnants, several miles on the opposite direction. They would need to reverse their course to chase them, and Anthony was not willing to sacrifice traveling time for something that was not even certain.
Thus, the wagon started moving early that morning, just right after breakfast and Irene's brief walk outside with the pups. Because of the decision, along with the nice weather, they covered more ground, than any of the previous days.
They traveled in full speed, until very late afternoon, when they slowed down after seeing man-made structures after quite a while. It was a wooden fence that encased a large piece of land containing domesticated cattle and horses.
The decrease in speed got Irene's attention and curious as to why, she looked out of the window.
"There must be someone living nearby." she commented.
The sight of the fences brought the same feeling to her. After days of seeing the wilds, it was relieving and comforting, spotting signs of human habitation.
"We are almost as Semrus Village." replied Anthony.
Upon receiving the information, Irene turned her gaze onward. And in the distance, she saw the settlement, containing several houses and other buildings.
"We're going to stop there for the night." said Anthony
Once again, it seemed like a calculated estimation on his part, but he was as surprised as Irene. He knew that they were going to pass the village at some point, yet he had no idea when. The map did not show how far, in real life, the locations were from each other.
Their arrival caught many eyes. Likely due to the outfit he was wearing and the handsome-looking wagon. The shy Irene closed the windows at the first sight of people.
It was clear that it was nothing like the forest village. Semros looked like a street taken off a large town. The houses were larger and, although made with the same materials, were better made. There was a tavern and an inn, and there were also other wagons present, indicating they were not the only travelers making a stop-over.
As soon as their wagon stopped, the innkeeper sprung out the door to greet them.
"Sir, do you plan to stay here for the night?" a short, fat man, he was dwarfed by even the horses. But his sophisticated way of speaking and moving, more than made up for it.
"Yes, give me your best room." Anthony responded with his own attempt of appearing high-end.
"Well then, sir, let Hector find a place for your wagon."
A lad from behind the innkeep stepped forward and offered to find a spot to park the wagon. Anthony gratefully accepted, dismounted and went over the back to help Irene step out.
"What about the puppies?" she said with a tug on her forehead. David was in her arms as usual, while the wolf pups were at the top of the steps, wanting but afraid to make a descent.
"I'll take 'em." he scooped the two up, and along with the young woman followed the innkeeper inside.
Numerous scent greeted them by the door. The smell of smoke, of ale, and of wood filled the air of the large hall inside. The counter was preceded by empty tables that most likely see action only during the night. Adjacent to the door was the stairs leading to the rooms in the next floor.
"How much for a single night?" the innkeep had now gotten over the other side of the counter. Only his upper chest could be seen.
"Three silver coins… " he glanced at the pups and with much hesitation informed him "…. but we do not allow pets inside."
Of course, Irene was fast to react. She tugged on his tunic and with just her eyes told if he could do something about it.
[Are you sure you want to buy Navian Imperial Silver Coin x5?]
[You have spent Tokens x250]
The sharp sound of metal hitting wood sounded, as Anthony slapped something against the counter.
"Will this take care of that?" he removed his hand and revealed the glistening sliver coins depicting the face of the Navian Emperor.
"Imperial ones?"
"Oh …you don't accept this?" Anthony was too late to realize his mistake. He had forgotten he was still in Thelessian territory. Him possessing Imperial silver coins would arouse suspicion.
"No… do not worry. We might need this coins someday." to his relief, the innkeeper seemed not to mind. "You can keep your puppies."
Right after, the man led them upstairs and into a corridor of rooms, most of which were occupied. Theirs was one of the two of the farthest, located at the dead end. It was also one of the two of the largest and definitely worth the money.
"Should you need me, I'm just downstairs."
The size of the room was doubled that of the wagon, and although not as cozy, was not as suffocating. The ceiling and the walls were far apart, and they could stretch their body out without bumping into something.
The bed, though not as soft, was larger and could more than accommodate them. On the left side of the room was a small fireplace, a table, a closet, and a mirror at the wall.
Irene, after laying the baby in the bed, went straight for the window. The village street was still busy early evening and could be seen in its entirety right where she was peeking out of.
"Let's eat, so we could rest early." unlike her, Anthony was tired and rearing to lay on the bed.
"Can we eat something fancy tonight?"