The air grew warmer as the Frederic and Gustav followed the old man through the town. It seems as if they had been walking an hour or two, but the both of them knew it was not that simple. They could see a faint glow ahead of them. After a few moments it was clear that it was the glow of torches blowing in the night.
As they got closer to the torches they started to hear the sounds of laughter, conversation, and carousing. A few minutes later and both of the men found themselves in what they could only assume was the town square, or circle in this case. A ring of torches lit the square bright and Frederic observed the buildings around them.
There was a clinic, a bank, a small shop, a house that he could only assume was the town hall or some similar building, and finally, a brightly lit tavern where all of the laughter and voices they heard was coming from.
"As you can see," the old man said with a gesture, "tonight the entire town is gathered here in our tavern. With the exception of the two guards you met, one can never be too careful in times such as these. Come, you've come a long way to meet our other guest, of whom I am sure will be wanting to meet you."
"What's your angle, old man?" Frederic asked suddenly suspicious of the so called Elder. "Changed your tune from what you told us earlier. Said we'd have to meet with this "Story Teller" to determine if we'd be allowed to stay the night."
"Ohohoho I am so glad you asked, young man." The old man chuckled, his entire demeanor relaxed and friendly. "He used magic to tell me he was expecting you. That's that, if he says he was expecting you, then who am I to get in the way? You're welcome to stay the night, I am sure Mara has a room or two available upstairs in the tavern."
The old man's eyes glinted with a hint of greed for just a moment and then he sighed dramatically. "What's a town to do in times like these? Everything is expensive, including food. Please, honored guests, forgive us that we need your money to survive."
"Whatever, old man. Take us to food, I am starving!" Gustav said as his belly rumbled in agreement.
"Ohohoho! Of course! Come follow me, there is plenty of food to go around!" The odl man chortled in response as he led them into the tavern.
The brightly lit tavern assailed Frederic's eyes as he stepped into it. As his eyes got used to the light and focused, he was able to take in the entire tavern at once. It was a spacious affair with over a dozen booths and half as many tables. Almost every seat in the tavern was filled by some resident of the village.
Couples in booths at the corners of the tavern laughed and smiled as they talked. The tables were filled by families of four and sometimes six. Children laughed as they chased each other around the tables, parents looking on with mirth and some amusement.
Frederic found the atmosphere much to his liking. This is how a tavern should be, filled to the brim with laughter and content. A woman at the bar caught his attention when she shouted at them.
"Oi, mercenaries!" The woman dressed in loose green clothes shouted at them. "Come have a drink. It's on the house tonight...and honestly the bar has the only seats left in here! Ha ha ha!"
Frederic looked at Gustav and shrugged. They made their way to the bar, skillfully avoiding the children running around and drunk patrons staggering from the bar to their seats. Now that he was closer, he got a better look at the barmaid. She was wearing the garb typical of a barmaid. Loose green clothes with a white apron on the front, hers was very clean, indicating that food and drink did not spill freely when she handled it.
She had olive skin and a face with hard edges, as if she had seen many years of fighting or slept in the rough most of her life. She had blonde hair tied up in a braid behind her back. Her green eyes also seemed to be taking his measure as he took hers.
"Had a good look, merc?" She asked with a smile. "Drinks are on the house, food will cost you a couple of coppers....and I'm not for sale, but our last room is. Can I get you anything?"
Frederic almost cracked a smile. She was pretty good as far as barmaids went. Not too flirty, but still casually doing business. He was about to answer when Gustav spoke first.
"Food! How much food do you have! I need to eat!" Gustav boomed out, his voice matching impossibly large height and build in volume, startling a couple of the residents.
"Of course! We have a lovely stew on, and we have some roast left," she said, but after sizing him up she changed course. "Though a big guy like you might need a little bit more right? Marc, we need another hog!"
A gruff voice came from a swinging door behind her. "A whole hog? Who are you feeding?"
A man of average height with the same colored skin came out from the back and paused when he saw Gustav. Frederic noted he kept his beard neatly trimmed and his black hair cropped short. Possibly a former soldier, he'd have to see the man's stride before he could comment on it.
"Andorian Hill Giant eh?" The man peered at Frederic. "And judging by your nose....you must be a commoner from the Dynus Alliance of Merchants. Now I see why you said a whole hog Meredith. Awful hard to feed a hill giant with what we had left. Feh, mercenaries."
"All right, that'll be five silvers." Marc said looking at Frederic." You can pay my wife when the food is ready."
"Will you be needing a room, mercs" The woman smiled as her husband back to what Frederic could only assume was the kitchen.
"Yes, for at least a night." Frederic answered.
"I'm Meredith, as my husband so helpfully informed you," she said rolling her eyes before flashing him a smile." Welcome to the Tavern of Everything Everywhere! Strange name, I know, but it will make sense soon. I promise. Between you and me though? I call it TEE for short, hahaha! Anyways, it will be one crown for the night."
Frederic frowned. One crown was expensive. He had fifteen, but a crown was worth at least a thousand silvers. Not to mention gold and platinum. You need a hundred silvers to make one gold and then a hundred gold to make one platinum. And here she was, asking a crown worth a hundred platinum.
"It's not just for the room, but the food too. I refuse to let my husband undersell the hog he's about to feed your giant friend." Meredith explained, answering the question he was about to ask. "It's a Mother hog."
Frederic's eyes widened in understanding. A Mother hog was no small thing. Just as humans could wield magic and age less the more magic they wield, so too do animals and monsters benefit. Regular animals are classified into five categories.
You have Commons, which are animals unattuned to any magic and without much intelligence. Then you have Soldiers. These are monsters not only attuned with magic, but also instinctually grow their magic as they age. Then you have Mothers and Fathers.
Mothers and Fathers are animals who have grown powerful enough to evolve. There are definitely differences between both, but the main issue is how rare a Mother is. Mothers can replenish an entire horde with any tier of animal below or above them. To kill a Mother classed animal is to desiccate your herd, outright crippling its ability to produce more mana based members.
Eating a Common is fine, but for humans who have acclimatized and grown their power to a later stage, it's bland and flavorless. It is considered a sign of disrespect and rudeness for a host to serve an Acclimated meat from a Common. That being said, Gustav would have been okay with a Soldier-level hog.
"We can't accept this!" Frederic almost shouted at Meredith. "We would have been fine with just a regular Soldier! I--"
"Shh, it's okay." Meredith placed a finger against his lips and smiled. "I'm sure your friend is starving. The cost of the Mother is included in the cost of one crown, though at a discounted rate. You have the Story Teller to thank for that. And speaking of..."
Wheezing and coughing could be heard from the stairs. The sound of boots hitting each staircase echoed as the whole tavern went silent. Slowly the tavern goers got to their feet and waited. Frederic watched with great interest as a gnarled hand that looked as if it belonged to a tree grasped the corner of the wall leading to the stairs.
A hooded figure stepped down from the stairs into full view. Frederic noticed they were wearing brown traveler's boots, obviously well worn, but in meticulous condition. The cloak they wore hid their face from prying eyes, but Frederic did get a glimpse of his clothes from underneath. In fact, he found it interesting that the person in question wore a very elaborate cloth armor under his cloak.
All the patrons in the tavern bowed towards the person whom Frederic inferred was the Story Teller in question. The Story Teller raised their hand and Frederic was shocked when he spoke.
"Please, my friends, there is no need to bow to me. I am not a Lord or a King, nor am I an Emperor or a Conqueror. I am merely one of you." The Story Teller's voice was that of a young male, but that hand reaching out towards the people contrasted that greatly! Then he turned to Frederic and Gustav. "And to you, young mercenaries, please enjoy your food. You will learn everything you came here for and more, but I do ask that you have patience. Everything will be told in time. Speaking of, it looks like your food is ready, please, enjoy."
Marc came out of the kitchen with a giant plate. On that plate was the roasted Mother hog covered in some thick sauce that was still dribbling down and pooling on the plate. Roasted vegetables of all kinds of varieties surrounded the hog that lied upon a bed of leafy greens. The plate was placed between Frederic and Gustav. Meredith plonked two pints of ale down in front of both of them.
"Order's up! Enjoy the meal, mercs." Meredith winked as she walked away to join her husband in a whispered conversation.
"Ha ha ha! Gustav likes what he sees! Gustav like kind lady!" Gustav shouted in glee as he dug into the boar with gusto. Frederic sighed and then started in on the hog too. Might as well enjoy a good meal while he still had time.