A dim light from the candle put a shadow along his face as he looked down at the empty desktop, where only a bottle of whiskey and mug sat. Helos’ hands were brought to the temples of his head while his elbows rested along with the bottle and mug. He was slightly drunk, having drank nearly five shots downstairs in the bar area of the Knight’s Tavern. When the conversations down there had bored him, he sought refuge within his bedchamber, seeking the quietness that the candles gave. His mind was almost at ease just as a knock on the door alerted him to reality.
“What do you want?†The merchant spouted off with an agitated groan. He waited for a few seconds and became impatient with the quick lack of reply from whoever disturbed him, “Well, damn, come in!â€
The bartender didn’t wait any longer and quickly came through the door. The man was thick, wearing brown leather clothes that were common to most of the folks here in Gashmere. His face was rugged with a week old beard and his eyes were tired with black rings forming under. “Sorry Helos,†the man said with a quick nod, “the town guard has come to the tavern. Something is happening down at the caverns. They say a scourge of rats has poured out and are rather unusual.†The man checked the room, making sure that none other was upstairs when he already knew there wasn’t, “Something has frightened them out, and in their panic they are very hostile. I guess they’re rather big.â€
The merchant was not amused, “Why the hell does it matter to me?†He wondered on the question a minute, and forgot he was a rather prominent land owner here in Gashmere, and decided he might as well go hear what they had to say. He leaned up with a slow and not to urgent demeanor, mumbling to himself as he soon passed the bartender and went out the door leaving behind the whiskey.
Downstairs, the guards were speaking to the tavern as a whole. They were asking for support against the threat that was coming from the Amori Caves. They thought the rats were only the beginning and that their gut told them there was more to come. They needed willing fighters, healers, or whatever they could get – even if the people were drunk. Helos almost chuckled to his self as he listened and thought about how under-manned the Gashmere Guard had become. He then wondered who would go off on this adventure through the caves?
“What do you want?†The merchant spouted off with an agitated groan. He waited for a few seconds and became impatient with the quick lack of reply from whoever disturbed him, “Well, damn, come in!â€
The bartender didn’t wait any longer and quickly came through the door. The man was thick, wearing brown leather clothes that were common to most of the folks here in Gashmere. His face was rugged with a week old beard and his eyes were tired with black rings forming under. “Sorry Helos,†the man said with a quick nod, “the town guard has come to the tavern. Something is happening down at the caverns. They say a scourge of rats has poured out and are rather unusual.†The man checked the room, making sure that none other was upstairs when he already knew there wasn’t, “Something has frightened them out, and in their panic they are very hostile. I guess they’re rather big.â€
The merchant was not amused, “Why the hell does it matter to me?†He wondered on the question a minute, and forgot he was a rather prominent land owner here in Gashmere, and decided he might as well go hear what they had to say. He leaned up with a slow and not to urgent demeanor, mumbling to himself as he soon passed the bartender and went out the door leaving behind the whiskey.
Downstairs, the guards were speaking to the tavern as a whole. They were asking for support against the threat that was coming from the Amori Caves. They thought the rats were only the beginning and that their gut told them there was more to come. They needed willing fighters, healers, or whatever they could get – even if the people were drunk. Helos almost chuckled to his self as he listened and thought about how under-manned the Gashmere Guard had become. He then wondered who would go off on this adventure through the caves?