Ultimate Level 1

“What the heck is a pineapple?” Fowl asked as the four of them stood outside The Heavenly Pineapple.

“It’s a rare fruit,” Max replied as he pointed at the spiky image of one on the side of the building. “They come from a land to the far east and are super sweet and amazing to bake with.”

The three turned to see him smiling, and they all groaned.

“Everything has to do with baking,” Batrire muttered as she motioned to Max to go ahead. “You’re paying for the stay, so you get to pick it.”

Max nodded as he strode in first, leading the way up the stone steps to a smell he recognized.

“Welcome!” A tall, muscular man waved at them from behind the counter. “Come inside and grab a seat, and I’ll be with you in a moment!”

Max waved back and led the others to a booth that gave them a good view of the room.

“This place is pretty nice,” Fowl admitted as they slid into the booth with a cushioned seat. “I mean, none of the places we ever stayed at had stone floors and padded arse rests.”

“And the table is immaculate,” Tanila pointed out as she ran her finger across the stone table. “I’m glad someone is feeling up to spending their winnings, as I doubt we could afford a place like this for long.”

Max just grinned as he looked around the room, which was well-lit and did not have the typical odour associated with an inn. The floor was immaculate, and the chairs all appeared in excellent condition.

“Forgive me. I needed to finish a quick count of things, but welcome to my inn. I am Alexander, and what can I do for the four of you?”

The man smiled as he put down four metal tankards with frothy ale and a small bowl with pineapple wedges.

“A treat for all first-time guests.”

Max’s eyes widened, and he picked up one of the toothpicks next to the bowl and speared a piece before putting it in his mouth.

“So good,” he moaned as the others quickly mimicked his action and nodded in agreement.

The middle-aged man grinned as he saw them enjoying the fruit.

“We are looking for a place to stay. Three rooms, food twice a day, and possibly a long-term agreement.”

Alexander’s grin grew as he bobbed his head. “I can do all of those things. I’m assuming you two are together?” he asked, gesturing at Fowl and Batrire.

They nodded, each trying to spear the last piece of pineapple with their toothpick.

“How long are you thinking?”

“I would say a month for now. It might go longer, but we feel that length would give us a good understanding of whether we need to stay or go elsewhere.”

The innkeeper nodded as his fingers tapped together, and he did the math in his head.

“For one month, three rooms, four people, two meals a day,” he paused and winked, “which includes ale and a slightly bigger bowl of pineapple once a week, it would run you three gold for the month.”

Fowl choked on the ale he had started to drink.

“Three gold?” Tanila asked, trying to keep her voice steady. “That seems a bit high.”

Chuckling, Alexander shrugged and stood straighter as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“I would guess this is your first time in the capital. Regardless, anything from two streets closer to the city center will see a price increase. Back toward the walls, I am sure you saw the other inns, mostly made of wood and some stone, looking slightly more run down. Their food is not as high quality, nor is their ale. I have on-site security, and your rooms will be turned down daily. Each night, when you return from whatever tasks or quests you embarked on, a tub will be in your room, ready to be used. On top of all that,” the blue-eyed, blond-haired man paused, taking a breath. “I have an on-site storage vault that can only be accessed when you and I are present. This is a higher-end luxury that some other inns will not have.”

Max shrugged, pulled out three coins, and set them on the table.

“We’ll take the month.”

“I am grateful for your decision and will have something special for dinner for the four of you tonight,” Alexander said as he picked up the coins and made them disappear. “Now, do you have other items that need to be brought to your rooms or…”

Shaking his head no, Max motioned to the the others.

“We have everything already in storage.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Very well. If you give me a few minutes, I will get your rooms ready and the paperwork prepared to sign.”

Alexander held out his hand toward Max. “It is a pleasure doing business with you…”

“Seth. And this is Tanila, Batrire, and Fowl.”

The man nodded, shaking Max and the others’ hands before bowing slightly.

“Enjoy your drink, and I’ll be back in a few minutes to show you four up to your rooms!”

“Three gold,” Fowl muttered before taking another drink. “Who would have thought a month could cost that much.”

“Relax,” Max replied. “We have the money, and the adventurer's guild is not that far of a walk from here. Besides, we all know how much Tanila needs a bath.”

Fowl and Batrire both snorted ale from their noses, spraying the table as Tanila turned a bright shade of red.

“I mean, she likes baths!”

Turning his head, Max saw the scowl that Tanila was giving him and tried to ignore the coughs and choking intermingled with laughter coming from the two dwarves.

“Seth… I’m going to make you pay for that,” she teased as she yanked on her braid and then groaned.

After checking into their rooms, the four of them had left for the adventurer’s guild.

It was a difficult choice for all as they saw the beds and layout of their room. Each room had a stone tub with a spigot that provided warm water at the turn of a handle.

“What would have been so bad about taking a quick nap?” Fowl said with a grumble as they walked on the sidewalks next to the paved streets. “I have gotten used to taking one or two a day.”

“Sleeping your life away won’t help us get a higher level,” Batrire replied as she glanced inside a shop’s window they were walking by. “Besides, there is much to see and shopping to do.”

Fowl muttered to himself as he dragged Batrire along, not letting her stop and enter the clothing shop she was keenly interested in.

“This makes Rumstant look so small and… backwater,” Max said as he pointed at a shop. “Every building here is made from nothing but stone. I think Alexander was right when he mentioned how it transitioned this way. Even the sidewalks and streets are an impressive thing to behold.”

“Magic,” Tanila stated as she pointed to the bricks they were walking on. “They use magic to cut these and enchant them. Helps them to last longer and not need to be replaced.”

Nodding as if he knew that, Max watched the guards who stood at the corners of the streets, directing the flow of carts, buggies, wagons, and horses.

People were everywhere, with vendors trying to entice travelers into their shops. Some handed out snacks or drinks, offering more inside.

Everything from clothing, food, armor, weapons, magical supplies, and more was for sale.

He had heard about how large and prosperous the capital was but had never expected to see it with his own eyes.

“Stop looking at everything with googly fish eyes, or someone will think you are an easy mark,” Tanila whispered as she took his arm in hers. “This is just like Rumstant was. Think of it like that.”

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Max forced himself to think that way. A block later, he started to feel that she was right. This was just like Rumstant. That was until he saw the adventurer guild as it came into view.

The adventurer guild they would use was in the middle of the southwestern quarter of Peltagow. It made the one from Rumstant look like the redheaded stepchild.

The walls surrounding it were taller, easily forty feet high, and decorated with statues on top. Along the walls were stone murals of battles etched into the entire length.

Behind the walls lay a massive one-mile square campus that housed the adventurer guild and pristinely kept grass and other public areas. The gate they entered was guarded by four people in plate armor, each holding a massive halberd and a sword on their hip.

“Your mouth is open,” Tanila teased, causing Max to check and realize she was joking.

“It’s huge… I mean even more so than I had believed. Like what will the main one…”

Max realized he had forgotten something. Stopping where he was, he ignored that he jolted Tanila to a stop and turned, looking to the northeast.

“Where is it?”

“The tower?” Tanila asked.

“Yes! Why can’t I see it? Why is there…” Max paused, moving his head, and then his one eye went wide. “Magic?”

Tanila nodded and gave him a playful smile.

“The tower is covered by magic. The one in the Elven capital is just like it. You cannot see it until you get close enough.”

She took her hand, placed the elbow of her other on it, and moved it around slightly. “Imagine this was the tower, which took up your view daily. It might seem great, but after a while, something happens. I don’t know what exactly, but it drove men and women mad. They felt compelled to attempt it. Even though they didn’t have a skill that would allow them to survive, men and women and even some children rushed off into the tower.”

She paused, wringing her hands together. “It took a few years to solve that problem, but now you cannot see it until you enter that section of town. It is also why they have guards at the tower entrance. To keep people out who shouldn’t attempt it.”

Letting himself be pulled toward the adventurer hall, Max couldn’t help but glance back at where he knew the tower had to be.

Soon. We will be there soon…

The four of them met with the attendant that the guards had told them to find. The dwarf was going over their documents and double-checking everything written on the paper they had received when they turned in Private Felix along with Lydia’s head.

Their report was short, and after it was verified, they were given a small payment of coins and told that the items the caravan had returned with would be gone through. Eventually, someone would contact them about their percentage earned by its recovery.

“I will be back in a moment.”

The four nodded as the attendant left, taking their tokens and paperwork.

“This place is huge,” Max whispered, even though the chance of being heard over the buzz of noise was minimal. “There are twice as many counters and attendants as in Rumstant. Where does all this money come from to pay for all this?”

Tanila and Batrire turned and gave him a questioning look.

“You don’t know?”

Max glanced between the two of them and shook his head.

Batrire bit her lip and then motioned to Tanila.

“All this is from the gods… every bit of this. The quests we do, the points we earn, the coins we are given. Everything we do is for them.”

Max’s blank look never changed. He gave a slight shoulder shrug and shook his head.contemporary romance

“What in a dwarf’s arse does that mean?”

Batrire sighed and shook her head.

“Wait till we get back to the inn. This is going to take a bit.”

done.co