Fantasy Danger and deceit (Completed)

[ArcticFox]

"YOU are annoyed with ME!" Logan practically screamed in her ear. "You are the one that got herself stuck in this mess for no reason! And now I'm wasting my time to help you out instead of doing something useful!" But, when she mentioned a mouse, his tone quickly changed and volume lowered. "Oh, a mouse. Yes, go get it. Carefully." He whispered.

The mouse was standing on its hind legs, turned away from Louisa, three steps far from the wall. It seemed to be sniffing the air. She could climb down and try to creep up on it or she could try to leap directly at the small animal from the height she now had.

- Jump!
- Sneak!

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa bit her tongue, ignoring the flare of anger in her belly. She couldn't get distracted now, not when she was so close. Without another word, Louisa carefully climbed down the other side in attempt to catch the mouse by surprise. Jumping, she feared, might result in an injury - too risky. Her movements were much more controlled now, focused; it was like she'd stalked prey many times before.

Which she had, growing up at home with her father. He would often take her hunting with him and, while she was rarely able to get her own kill (not for a lack of accuracy or stealth), her overall progress throughout the years had made him proud enough to pass down their family short bow. Words of wisdom drifted through her mind, telling her to be careful; be silent; be swift.

She had to get that mouse!

 

[ArcticFox]

Thankfully Louisa had previous training in tracking and sneaking upon her prey. The prey this time was just a tiny mouse, though, which made sneaking up on it twice as difficult. As she got near it, it turned around and spotted her, its nose nervously bobbing. It was just about to spring off and run, when Louisa threw herself at it and then rolling with the momentum.

--

She was back inside the storage room in a blink, the process of returning her not lasting anywhere near the one needed to get her in there. The mouse was gone, if she managed to grab it, or if she just barely touched it, she did not know and it did not matter now. She was back in her world and she was now positively starving.

"Are you alright?" Logan approached her, extending his hand toward her to help her off the floor. He did not have a frustrated look on his face, as one might expect, but one of concern.

- Let him help you.
- Don't let him.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa blinked owlishly as she looked around the room and then at Logan's outstretched hand. The travel back had been a little disorienting; not only did she have her eyes open for it, it was much quicker a process than when she had entered the strange realm. But her head settled in seconds.

Louisa nearly wished it hadn't, for now all she could focus on was how hungry she was.

"I'm alright," Louisa stood up on her own, "but thank you for your concern and helping me get out of there." She sounded sincere, though it was probably the need for food that had stamped down her annoyance from before. As if on cue her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten.

 

[ArcticFox]

Logan crossed his hands and gave her an angry look. "I wouldn't need to save you if you hadn't been so careless." He huffed and spun on his heels, taking the book from the floor and moving to replace it on the shelf. Over his shoulder he said to Louisa. "It's dark outside, you've been in there for hours, even though it might have seemed a shorter time. I'll take you to your home and you can tell me about the plain as we walk."

He passed by her then, expecting her to follow and opened the doors to the storage room. Louisa did not have a designated place to sleep yet. She did not know anyone in the city and she did not yet find Alden's informant. Her best choice for the night would be a tavern. She did not know the location of any, though, except The Mermaid and that was not a good place for a lady to be in.

- Ask Logan to help you find a tavern.
- Ask Logan if you can sleep at his place.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"As I said before," Louisa said through gritted teeth, "it was not my fault." Her stomach rumbled again, reminding her that there were more pressing matters at hand - like filling her belly - than arguing with Logan. She sighed.

"I don't live here in Myrr, so there is nowhere for me to go. I don't suppose you know of some cheap taverns?" Quickly, she added, "Not The Mermaid or anything like it. Something... respectable, fit for a lady." She followed him to the door, hoping he'd have at least some idea of where she could stay that wouldn't completely drain her pockets.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Do I look like a guide?" Logan arched one annoyed eyebrow at her. Though his annoyance quickly dissipated and in a calmer manner he continued. "I can take you to the square. There are a couple inns there, I'm sure one of them will have a room available."

The truth was, getting a room in Lower Myrr after night already fell was quite a difficult task. The cheaper taverns filled quickly and the only ones left by then were either not at all proportionately expensive ones, or extremely filthy ones. Louisa did not know it at the time, but would keep it in mind for latter days.

"Well, what did you see in the plain? I know about the demon and the wall. What else was there?" Logan asked as they walked through the streets toward the main square.

- Answer and ask him the question he owes you.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa resisted the urge to snap - the pain in her stomach was beginning to fuel her bad mood, now, rather than distract her from it. She was glad she did, though, when Logan agreed to help her. As frustrating as he was to deal with, he didn't seem to be all bad at heart. At least he's got some redeeming qualities, Louisa mused, walking alongside him.

"Before I noticed the mouse, I saw a pond in the distance. Behind it was some sort of... castle, I think." She wrapped her cloak around herself as they walked, emulating a blanket. Alongside hungry, Louisa was pretty tired. She'd had a long day. "It was dark, warped like the trees so I'm not entirely sure - oh, the trees! They were so strange. Twisted, kind of like spirals, and the grass was such a pretty shade of purple." After informing him of what she'd seen, Louisa spared him a glance. "The spice merchant you used to work for... what is the biggest skeleton in his closet?"

 

[ArcticFox]

As soon as she mentioned the castle, Logan stopped walking. He stood in the street, letting Louisa walk past him, his gaze lost in the distance. Then a childlike grin appeared on his face, making him look ten years younger than he was.

"I can't believe it." He said quizzically, but did not bother explaining anything to her. He shook his head dismissively as he continued walking. It was clear that asking him about this would not yield any results. Clearing his throat, back to reality, Logan asked her. "So, what did you want to know about Myrr?" When Louisa stated her question he frowned. "Ah, he has too many."

Logan started his story right away only finishing when they walked onto the town square. He talked about Lazario, the merchant that he worked for for the past year. He had a residence in Upper city, but had many business in Lower city, where there were no taxes and all kinds of contraband goods could be imported. He dealt with all manner of goods, but what drew Louisa's attention was Logan's mention of relics. Apparently Lazario had a passion for collecting old things, from cursed swords up to half burnt books of one forgotten religion or another. Logan worked for him mostly because he paid good coin, but he fought with him on every occasion, not liking the man's principles in the least.

"But, I'm done with that. Finding a new employer for a mage isn't that difficult." He shrugged. "Well... this is a tavern here." He gestured with his chin to the open doors of one of the inns in the square. Three Legged Mare said the sign above the doors. The place seemed to be packed with people and there was a cheerful tune of some local song seeping outside. "If you don't find a room here search in of the other inns." He gestured vaguely around. "Don't go beyond the square at night if it's your first time here." For a moment the young mage stood in place as if contemplating what to say. When he made up his mind he opened his mouth again. "If you ever feel like wanting to be a part of another experiment, look for me in The Mermaid after midday." Then he offered a small salute and turned around leaving Louisa in front of the tavern.

- Go inside.
- Go after Logan.
- Go somewhere else.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa ceased walking not long after he did, realizing he'd stopped several steps back. At the look on his face her eyebrows raised; Logan actually looked happy. Not brooding, sulking, or upset in any way. She smiled some, finding that happy was a good look on him.

She fell back into step beside him. Back to business. As he told her about Lozario, several things piqued her interest; Lozario knew both Upper and Lower Myrr and had access to them, plus was a collector or artifacts. Yes, she figured right away that she'd asked the right question. Louisa meant to step towards the door but paused, curious to what Logan might say next.

Another experiment? Louisa didn't know about that, but... well, actually, her little adventure had been rather fun in hindsight. She, not a mage by any means, got to explore part of the world that people like Logan drew their magic from. It would make for an excellent conversation piece, for sure. That thought alone was enough to make up her mind: she'd meet with Logan again. "Will do," she said.

And then he'd saluted, which drew a small snort of amusement out of her the second his back was turned. Logan wasn't a bad guy, no. Just... awkward.

With that thought, Louisa turned and headed inside the Three Legged Mare.

 

[ArcticFox]

As soon as she entered the tavern the source of commotion revealed itself. Or herself. A young female bard was dancing atop of one table, fiddling her violin and singing in a very melodic voice. The words of the song were in common tongue and most of the patrons sang along, throwing money at her feet and raising their beer mugs in salutations. Everyone seemed in a rather good mood.

To the right of the entrance at the far end of the common room stood a bar where the innkeep was cleaning the glasses while swaying with the tune. He was a tall man with shaved off hair and kind eyes that were slightly tilted to reveal that he had some elven blood in him. The people of Myrr and the whole Arrethea continent were of various races and they all mixed. While there were occasional racial wars, most of the races lived in peace with each other and it was not uncommon to see a child with parents of different races. Especially in Myrr it seemed that they were divided by wealth only, as was sadly common throughout the lands.

- Approach the innkeep and ask for a room and a meal.
- Check out the bard first.

 

[Cartoonicat]

As Louisa stepped inside, the heat from so many bodies in one room hit her like a wall, though she wondered if there was a fireplace in there somewhere, too. She found it a nice atmosphere, if not incredibly loud, for the candles adorning the walls seemed to cast the interior with a warm glow. Instinctively, Louisa's eyes sought out the source of the commotion. When she spotted the bard dancing atop the table, Louisa walked a bit closer, curious.

She was certainly attractive, what with her short hair and pretty voice. Louisa found it hard to look away. The bard had energy - tons of it, it seemed - and Louisa ended up humming along to the tune. Her stomach growled, prodding her to go check with the innkeeper, but Louisa figured she could spare a few moments to enjoy the rest of the song.

 

[ArcticFox]

The bard finished her song with a theatrical bow to her audience. The men were blown away. they stood up and cheered and clapped. Strangely no one had tried to grab the dancing woman, like they did in the docks tavern. Either they were a different sort of crowd, though that was doubtful, or the woman was a different sort of woman. With a bright grin on her face she stepped down from the table as one very red faced man politely held out a hand to help her down. She nodded her thanks and then half walked half skipped away from the crowd. It seemed that the melody followed her even when she stopped playing, there was that air around her that only the best of bards had.

As she moved away from the patrons, she passed by Louisa, stopping to give her a polite nod. "Ah, a traveler." She said and her voice was like a song. "I know you are, I always recognize my kind! Did you come searching for a room?" She did not at all wait for Louisa to actually answer. "Hey, Zacharias, you have one room available for this lovely lady, don't you?"
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I don't!" The innkeep yelled back and his voice was all regret.
"Oh never mind, throw in an extra mattress, she can sleep in my room!" Most of the patrons looked at them then, some whistling in encouragement some blushing with all kinds of pictures creeping into their filthy minds. "I'm Miss Fortune, by the way." The bard introduced herself. "Stay here, traveler, trust me, they have the best food in whole of Lower Myrr." She certainly liked the sound of her own voice.

- Agree.
- Refuse.
- Introduce yourself.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa's eyes followed the bard all the way to where she stopped, which just so happened to be right in front of her. She blinked rapidly, stirring herself from her stupor, as she listened to the woman talk.

And, wow, she could talk.

It wasn't bad, though - no, not at all. With a song-like voice such as hers, Louisa was quite certain she could listen to this woman speak for hours and not have a single complaint. Only when the men in the tavern began whistling did she finally snap out of whatever reverie she'd fallen into. Her eyes widened and a furious blush crept up her neck.

Stay in a room with Miss Fortune, the pretty bard with a voice irresistible? Together? No, that sounded like a very bad idea. Very bad indeed. Louisa opened her mouth to decline, but found herself saying the exact opposite of what she'd wanted to. (Well, the opposite of what she should have said.)

"Sure," she smiled. "We'll have a sleepover, then."

Where had her common sense gone?

 

[ArcticFox]

"We will!" Miss Fortune smiled and took Louisa's hand squeezing it slightly. "But, first, food! I know that I am so hungry after that performance." She pulled Louisa after her to a table next to the bar and out of the way of the patrons. She set her violin on the unoccupied third chair and called. "Zacharias! Dinner, please!" She ordered, though in such a cheerful manner that everyone would break their legs in a hurry to obey her.

The innkeeper almost did. He hurried in the back to bring out the warm meal and soon enough the table was set for two. The Three Legged Mare really was not like The Mermaid at all. The table was clean and the food was as rich as it could be in the poorer part of the city. The stew was served in wooden bowls and it smelled of vegetables as unidentified chunks of meat floated in it. The bread was dark and cheap but very fresh and the roasted goat meat was very aromatic. It seemed like a play where it would be safe enough to eat.

Miss Fortune quickly dug into her portion, only stopping for a pause after she finished the stew. "So, what is your name, traveler? And what brought you here? Are you looking for fun, adventure, fame or fortune? Or maybe knowledge?"

- Try to answer as many questions as you are able, even though you are starving.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Something caught in Louisa's throat at the light squeeze of her hand - regret, apprehension, or excitement, Louisa couldn't tell. Probably a mixture of all three. Her stomach rumbled when the meal was set out, and Louisa had to exercise all of her will not to dive in like a heathen. It was so tasty though, and she was so hungry. After downing a few bites of meat in as lady-like a manner as she could, Louisa finally began to answer the questions.

"Louisa," she said simply, scooping another spoonful before pausing mid-bite. "Louisa Marie De Rosa is my full name," she explained, then downed the next bite. One more. Two more. "I'm here looking for someone. A-... distant relative." Louisa could curse herself for nearly forgetting her cover story. The food was just too good, the room too comfortable, and the girl too pretty. She had to focus.

And focus she did, on that last question. What was Louisa there for? She couldn't very well tell the truth - not to a stranger, at least. While she mulled it out in her head, Louisa took another bite of stew.

"Adventure," she said. That seemed a safe best as any, and it wasn't exactly a lie.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Ah, adventure!" Miss Fortune smiled charmingly. "Isn't that what all of us seek." Their meal was eaten and the number of the patrons of the inn had dwindled. Some of them still remained, eating and drinking. The ginger haired woman yawned, politely placing a hand over her mouth. "Well, I've had my fill of adventure for the night." She stated and then stood up to leave. "The meal and the bed for the night are on me. Third door from the left." She winked.

Louisa could only watch as Miss Fortune turned to leave, walking up the stairs ever so slowly. The sway of her hips was followed by a multitude of eyes and not one drunken patron sighed as a lovestruck teenager. The innkeeper started to move the plates from the table. Louisa was starting to feel sleepy.

- Go to sleep.

 

[Cartoonicat]

With her belly full of warm stew and the knowledge she had a place to sleep for the night, Louisa felt her body finally relax. "Thank you," she offered Miss Fortune a grateful smile. How lucky had she been to stumble across someone so generous?

Now that she was thinking with a clear head, though, Louisa made it a point to avert her eyes from Miss as she walked up the stairs. She couldn't let herself get distracted - she'd done enough of that already.

And with that, Louisa stifled a yawn with her hand and stood, before following Miss up the stairs.

Time for sleep.

 

[ArcticFox]

When she woke up in the morning, the bard was not there. Louisa had slept on a spare straw mattress laid on the floorboards, while Miss slept in a bed, which did not look much better than Louisa's sleeping place. The bedding was neatly folded now and the bard's violin and clothes were also missing. Louisa had woken up pretty late, as she went to sleep equally as late last night, exhausted from all the work.

Her day yesterday was not very productive. She did not learn much about anything except the fat merchant. She met two new people, one of them very friendly and the other quite the opposite. She had to make some progress today. Thankfully she did not spend much money since she got here, but Miss Fortune clearly said she had a bed and meal for one night, she did not mention anything more than that.

Walking down into the common room, Louisa did not notice the bard's presence there either. As the inkeep saw her look he called out. "Miss Fortune left this morning. If you want her room for tonight you can have it. Three silver a night for the room and dinner." Louisa could take the offer or try to find a room elsewhere. This wasn't incredibly cheap, but it also wasn't that expensive considering that the food was tasty and the room was clean.

For that day she had to decide on which path she wanted to take. It was close to noon so she could go and meet with Logan. Though he will be in that tavern every noon as he said. She could also go and meet with Ka'ron and try to get some information about the city, he seemed like a learned man. But, the most pressing matter on her hand was finding the contact. There was a marketplace south of the square which would probably be filled with all sorts of people. It was as good of a place as any to look.

- Take the room for the desired amount of time and decide where to go.
- Don't take the room and decide where to go.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa thought about it briefly before agreeing to book the room. That would leave her with forty-two silver pieces, but she felt it was worth it if it was in exchange for such good food and a warm atmosphere. The bedding didn't seem to bad either - anything was better than sleeping outside, though.

Best of all, it was clean.

"Sure, I'll take the room. Thanks-... Zacharias, was it?" She offered him a sweet smile, grateful.

After paying the three silver fee, Louisa exited the Three Legged Mare and decided to investigate the marketplace, just South of the town square. Perhaps she'd stumble across a clue, there, as to where Alden's contact might be.

 

[ArcticFox]

The markets were a busy place. A cobbled lane passed straight through it and connected with the main road and the various stalls were organized on the sides. People walked through the market, most of them gathered around the stalls, some of them in small groups, conversing. The stalls were grouped in different categories and it was very odd to see some sort of order in a city as unruly as Myrr.

If you went down the cobbled lane from the main road you could see the following groups of stalls on your left: fruit, vegetables, meat, spices and just at the beginning of the market, the part closest to Louisa, were the food stalls where busy cooks grilled all sorts of foods, from those familiar to those unknown. On the right side were some useful and some not so useful items: clothes, jewelry, sculptures, books and all sorts of trinkets. The merchants yelled out loud, introducing their wares, each and every one of them claiming that they had the best goods in the whole market.

There were a couple of guards patrolling the area and keeping some kind of order, though that did not stop an occasional argument or a even a fight to erupt. The guards did not really pay any attention to that. That must have been a common occurrence.

- Go to the food stalls.
- Go to the other stalls.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa scanned the marketplace, taking note of each thing she saw and hoping she'd remember it later. The food looked good. Fresh. It might be worth checking out since she hadn't eaten breakfast yet.

But she decided not to when she saw the stalls of miscellaneous items. It looked promising enough, for there were many trinkets and books strewn about the tables. She hummed, curious. On the off chance that whoever had stolen the Holy Book might be trying to sell it, she'd want to be there to locate the culprit. Though the chance itself was probably slim, Louisa headed in that direction anyway.

 

[ArcticFox]

There were some attempts to get at her coin pouches, as soon as she entered the market. Though none of them were as direct as Jace had been. One man had passed her by and slightly leaned toward her, but she managed to evade him and he was soon lost in the crowds. A beggar had pulled on her coat at some point, but she did not even catch a good look at him as the mass of people swept them away in separate directions. Some she did not even notice. When she approached the antiques stall she had only 40 silver coins in her pouches.

The merchant who sold the antiques gave her a look over and then his frown turned into a grin, as he spread his arms wide.

"Welcome, miss! What may I interest you in? A jewelry box, perhaps? Maybe a fine embroidered tablecloth?" He gestured to his wares.

Just when she was deciding what to ask abou, out of the corner of her eye Louisa could notice a person standing in the shadows next to a tent with rugs. He had blonde hair and a beard, dressed in leathers and smoking a pipe. He was most definitely looking her way. When she tried to get a closer look though, he had walked inside the tent already.

- Ask about the books.
- Go after the man.

 

[Cartoonicat]

The City - at least the lower part - of Myrr was quickly chipping away at Louisa's patience. So many thieves, grabby hands, drunks and perverts. She'd left the Thee Legged Mare in a wonderful mood but just a brief stroll through the marketplace had done well in soiling it.

She'd only been there a day and already could not wait to leave.

As she stopped in front of an antiquary stall, Louisa barely had time to take in the appearance of the merchant before something in her periphery caught her eye. A man with blonde hair and a beard. Was he smoking a pipe? Wait, was he looking at her? He most definitely was.

When he slipped back into the tent, Louisa felt the urge to follow him - but she also wanted to peruse the merchant's wares.

The Book. I must find the book.

She looked back at the merchant, adopting her usual sweet smile. It felt forced, though. Unnatural. "Sir, do you-... Ah, I'm sorry," Louisa said, changing her mind. If that man was Alden's contact, he'd been watching her for a reason. She couldn't risk letting him get away. "I'm needed elsewhere at the moment."

Louisa stepped back, expression apologetic despite whatever the merchant's reaction would be. Then, with purpose, she went after the man with the smoking pipe.

 

[ArcticFox]

The tent was made of bright orange fabric and there was a wooden sign hanging on a pole in front of the tent that had some strangely looking letters inscribed on it. Underneath that writing, in the much smaller font in the common tongue it read 'Fine dwarven rugs'. Louisa did not know that dwarves made rugs at all, let alone fine ones, but at the end, why shouldn't they. There were so many of them, they ought to be versed in many professions.

The tent flap was down and she could not see anything going on inside. The noise of the market drowned out pretty much everything, but still it seemed that inside the tent was eerily quiet. If the man went inside, he was either enveloped in some work, or he left the tent already. Or maybe he did not even go in and it was all her imagination.

- Enter the tent.
- Give up on it.