"How can you be so calm and collected?" Liz scrutinized his face, taking a seat opposite to him.
"Haste brings disaster, young lady. Also, you insisted on tagging along with us,"
Larry shrugged his shoulders and continued taking out small bites from his breakfast and gulped it down with the lemon-rosemary tea.
He had quite a few dealings with her kind in his youth, some of them had even led to romantic encounters late at night. He knew how to please a young erratic noblewoman.
"It has been two weeks, Larry. I bear all the expenses! At this point, and I know not, if there is a crystal antler out there in the woods," her grievings were barely a whisper.
They didn't realise they had company.
"Am I interrupting something?" Jane inquired, in a cheerful voice, completely discarding the air between them as she walked down the room.
His wife had a certain charm to her that organically drew him to ignore the young lass and return to their room (the one Jane had just walked out of), with her in his arms.
Them being the high-level individuals that they were, allowed them to retain their youth even in their mid-fifties!
But he was well aware that he couldn't act on his desires knowing that Jane would not be pleased.
Her wraith was something else. He would rather venture to the 15th floor in the dungeon in the city of Novara alone and face the earthen drake that guards the floor.
"Good morning, Liz," Jane said, taking her rightful seat beside him. Their eyes met and she gave him a playful smile completely aware of the gears grinding in his head.
He gracefully slid his plate to her as an offering.
"You don't have to worry about the Buck. They have terrible eating manners. I have seen some rabbit carcasses torn into pieces with not a shred of blood inside lettered in the forest yesterday. There is indeed a vampiric monster prowling in the woods. No doubt about it,"
Jane talked promptly, clearing the doubts without much fanfare.
"That's good then,"
"Sorry to break your fantasies young lady but the life of an adventurer is overly romanticized. Most do not even survive three years in the business. You should be glad that your father ensured that you remained safe while experiencing the life of an adventurer,"
"She is right. Our job is not just to bring the beast to your father but also to make sure that you remain safe,"
"Have you eaten yet?" Jane probed, receiving a cup of tea from the young lad working at the only inn inside the village.
She smiled knowing that the lad kept stealing glances at the girl sitting opposite to her. Poor lad, the young noble was way out of his league.
"Not yet,"
"What are you doing then? We are leaving for the forest in an hour. Fill your stomach. You don't want to fight a monster with an empty stomach." She ordered, expecting complete obedience.
***
Mariah and Rose kept walking on the road and soon Peter spotted a bunch of settlements covered by a large wooden parameter.
There were two guards stationed at the gate to the settlement.
"Miss Mariah! How long has it been since we have last seen you?" The guard exclaimed, standing on the left side. The other quickly nodded.
The duo was a combo of old and young. The man who spoke had an unshaven beard with a mix of grey and white and he lacked quite a lot of hair on his head.
His teeth were not the best thing to look at but his eyes were filled with a polite curiosity.
"It's good to see that you finally recovered by our own eyes even though the captain assured us that you were fine," the young guard in his early 20s added before setting his eyes on Peter. "He is a beautiful child, Miss."
"Yes indeed, it is good that he inherited his looks from you. Captain doesn't have the best mug to stare at," The old guy added before slapping his belly as he laughed loudly.
Mariah giggled. "The scar on his cheek isn't so bad."
"That's the only good thing about his face though." The old guard fired back with another bout full of laughter.
"Now then, that's plenty of talk. We won't hold you for long. I am sure you have plenty of places to be at,"
Mariah nodded before proceeding to pass the guards and enter inside.
"Let's visit the Inn first," She decided, Rose, being subtly happy about it went unnoticed.
It took them five minutes to reach the Inn. During this, they passed by a smithy, a carpentry, an herbal apothecary, and a place of worship, among plenty of single-story wooden houses.
Peter wanted to explore each of those but he contained his curiosity.
…
…
As Mariah pushed the heavy wooden door to step inside, Rose followed just behind, the scent of freshly baked bread, and sizzling bacon had Peter's tummy protesting.
The morning light streamed in through the open windows, casting long shadows across the worn wooden floorboards.
Directly ahead, a sturdy wooden counter stood, manned by a stout innkeeper who greeted them with a warm smile.
To their right, a narrow doorway led to the bustling kitchen, where the clatter of pots and pans could be heard as the cooks hurried about their morning tasks.
Along one wall, rows of sturdy tables and chairs were arranged haphazardly, each bearing the marks of countless meals and tankards of ale.
A few patrons sat scattered about, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of flickering candles set atop the tables.
Peter's gaze wandered to the staircase at the far end of the room, its wooden steps were worn smooth with footsteps.
It spiraled upward, disappearing into the dimly lit corridor above, promising a glimpse into the mysteries of the upper floors.
Despite the lack of glass windows, the space felt warm and inviting, filled with the comforting sounds of chatter and laughter.
...To be Continued