Private Tales A Night's Rest and a Day's Work

[Tereth Adathar]

The sun was setting and Tereth stepped into the inn and tavern to find that it was already well beyond bustling with people. The air smelled of sweat, stale ale, and stale smoke, but it was pretty much what he had come to expect from a place like this. More importantly, it was affordable for a night's room, and that was why he was here.

He'd wandered into town looking for work, and knew that this was just the kind of place to find it. Whether that was a strong arm for some physical labor, a sword for protection, or something else entirely, there was always someone that needed something. It was just a matter of finding who and what.

Ale and stew, he said to the innkeeper as he slipped onto one of the few available stools at the counter. He slipped a few coppers across to the man who looked to him with a wide smile.

Well, of course, stranger! he declared, turning back in the direction of the food and drink. Tereth was now within spitting distance of the stew, and the smell that emanated from it made his stomach growl and churn. It smelled good, and he now realized just how hungry he was.

 

[Shael]

There was a time when Shale would have found it unthinkable to ever be in a city frequented by humans. However, over time she had come to realize that not all humans shared the sentiments of the people of Vel Anir. While the wars had left both sides bloody, the revolution led by the Dreadlords changed the dynamics dramatically. Even so, she would never forgive the crimes of the past.

With the war slowed down for now, Shale found herself in this city thought to be home to humans and other races alike. Though it boasted of such, a few recent events had people on edge. Prejudice simmered just beneath and there were odd glances and side eyes cast the way of elves and other races.

Rumor had it that there were multiple cases of citizens going missing and being found weeks later in the forest that bordered the city. Their corpses appeared entirely mangled, as if slashed by a large beast. Half of them or more were usually eaten, but there was no trace as to what was causing the killings.

Though the citizens were panicking, the mayor was oddly lackadaisical about the situation. No official guards or hunting groups had been mustered, and any odd citizen that ventured in to solve the problem never came back. It was all chalked up to nothing more than ‘hysteria’ over one or two people running away and their stories being hyperbolized.

When not fighting in a war, Shale had skills she could put to use for coin. As a result, she found herself in this tavern, staring at a notice posted up on the wall. It called for any monster hunters to seek what was killing the citizens with the promise of gold collected by the loved ones of the victims.

The elf barely got done reading when a group of local guards entered. They were chatting among one another, making their way to the counter to order drinks. One of the guards broke away and walked towards Shale, stepping past her to tear the notice off the wall.

The elf opened her mouth to speak, but she knew better than to start a scene with a human guard in a crowded tavern. Instead, she turned her head to regard the guard as he walked back to join his friends.

“These fuckin’ people won’t give it a rest,” The guard grumbled as he sat down at the counter, “More of these signs.”

“Mayor should make it a crime at this point to put these up.”

“Aye,” The man responded, ordering himself an ale, “Visits to the city have been dwindling and this is gonna scare more away.”

Tereth Adathar

 

[Tereth Adathar]

Tereth looked over in the direction of the guard as he tore down one of the notices, grumbling and shoving the paper aside. It struck him as odd that someone would be so against people putting up a notice that they were stating it should be outlawed. Surely an overreaction, no?

His eyes darted back a moment later to the woman who looked as if she had been reading the contract and wanted to confront the guards. She held her tongue - probably wisely - and he did the same, but frowned and scanned back toward the guards again.

Something about the whole situation didn't quite feel right, but poking around on jobs like this was something that was well within his wheelhouse.

His food and drink was slid across the bar to him and he thanked the bartender before glancing once more in the direction of the elven woman.

He motioned for her to come over toward him and he hoped she would do so. She'd read the notice, and that was a first step at the least.

Do you mind if I ask what that notice said? he asked, deciding that being direct and polite was probably the best route to take. I'll buy you a drink, he offered, which struck him as a fair trade.

His eyes flicked back over toward the guards again, tilting his head slightly and trying to place what exactly it was about them that seemed out of place. Maybe it was just their attitude. So cavalier about what was going on? It seemed unbefitting or perhaps he was just reading into things. After all, he'd met more than his share of corrupt guards over the decades.

 

[Shael]

Shale eyed the man motioning for her to take a seat suspiciously. She was in no mood to entertain some random human man. However, her gaze flicked down to his state of attire and the weapons he carried. He was clearly someone that traveled quite a bit and had the makings of a ranger like herself. While she didn’t like most humans, Shale could entertain in the appreciation of a shared occupation. Plus, he wasn’t giving off any creepy vibes.

The elf moved closer, relaxing a bit more when she heard his question, “Must have coin to throw around if you’re bartering so cheap,” She said as she took the seat next to him. Her gaze briefly looked past him to the guards before she turned to him again, “It was a notice about the disappearances,” She explained, “Suppose there has been a new person that went missing.”

Shale wasn’t about to tell him about the reward. She wanted to chase after this and had no desire to share the spoils.

“I’ll take an ale,” She said all the same. What the man didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

 

[Tereth Adathar]

He shrugged as she talked about bartering cheap. Ale's a quick way to loosen tongues. But I'm probably not supposed to say that part out loud, he said, grunting a snicker to himself as he ate up the stew, taking a few sips of his own ale as well.

True to his word, he slipped a few copper across the counter to cover her ale as his mind mulled over what she had to say. Missing people? So monster or bandits? Or just some other sentient who liked hurting people, maybe? He may not have known about the reward from the contract itself, but he assumed there was one. People with missing relatives or friends were usually willing to pay to get them back.

Question is: why would the guards care enough to take it down? he muttered aloud. If the there were fake flyers that went up, guards couldn't usually be bothered to take them down. The fact that they did so meant, what? They'd been told to do so? Someone higher up had said something about it?

All seems weird to me, he said after a moment, shaking his head and going back to his food. He glanced over at her, noting her garb and gear as well. Ranger or sellsword maybe.

You looking for work too? he asked.