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Project: TheirWorld – Chapter 007 - Part 2

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When Talking to Horses and Weird Old Drunks

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TheirWorld

As she had seen the tavern earlier, Guin headed in that direction with a twinge of irritation. Just what kind of quest was this, to force her, as a child, to buy alcohol for some nasty drunk man in order to go to school? What a stupid old fashioned thought, Guin, she scolded herself and went about her objective.

A wooden sign post with a wheel and the words “Ginny’s Saddle House” painted in blue and gold lettering hung from the front of the presumed tavern. From the outside, it seemed like an average tavern out of any old fantasy setting; from outside, she could still hear lively music playing, people talking in boisterous voices, and glasses clinking outside the thin walls. Eye twitching at the fact that it was still mid day in the game, she pushed to door open and stepped in.

All at once she was hit by the smells of smoke, cheap beer, and rotten food. Guin gagged and coughed as her body adjusted to change in atmosphere, and she tried to see through the fog of smoke in the tavern. It surprised her that there was anything going on in the small town tavern – forget the fact that the sun was still high in the sky.

“Well what do we have here?” Guin squinted at the curly red haired woman who was speaking to her from behind the bar, saying “You don’t belong here brave little imp! If you aren’t looking for a good whipping, you’d best turn that little bum right around and walk through those doors you just came in!”

“I just -”

“Git!” The woman didn’t give her time to ask about the ale – though Guin suspected she wouldn’t have sold anything from the tavern to a child. Clicking her tongue, Guin turned on her heels and walked back out the door. Grateful for the fresh air, she took in a deep breath and looked around. Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting, she thought. So then. How was she to get the cider ale?

Placing her hands on her hips, she pouted. If she wasn’t allowed to enter the front door, then maybe there was a back door – or some other way in. A mischievous grin spread across her face. Circling around to one side of the building, she search for her quarry. Lucky for her, her guess was right about there being other ways in. Finding two other doors and a few windows she thought she could reach, she began to play out various scenarios in her head. Scenarios became plans as she took stock of the tools and abilities that she had at her disposal.

Crawling up some barrels that had been conveniently stacked near one of the windows, she peered into a dusty window. As luck would have it, it looked like the window went into the store room. Cracking the window open and propping it up with a stick, she found that her small body came in handy for the task. Pulling herself up and over the frame, legs first, she landed as delicately as she could.

Those years spent breaking into her own house as a teenager came in handy.

The store room itself was full of dust, and smelled musty. The next steps would be a bit more tricky. Figuring that she wouldn’t find the beer in the store room, she eventually found a stair that she assumed would lead to a cellar – which it did. Silently applauding her success and praying that no one would come down while she was there, she rubbed her arms in the chill of the cellar.

Identifying four large wooden barrels sitting horizontally on rack that she presumed to be stilled beer casks, she quietly shuffled over to them. While Guin wasn’t unfamiliar with wines and beers – even so far as having friends that were brewers on Earth – she had become rather allergic to hops in her later life. It had been a while since she had sampled any ales, and hoped that she could pick the right one out just by the taste – though she wasn’t sure if she even had allergies in the game.

To the far side of the room were an assortment of tavern dishes. Pulling down a mug, she began to taste what came out of each of the barrels. The first two just tasted like a light, water lager and a thick dark stout. The third, however, had a distinct apple flavor. Just to be sure, she tried the fourth beer, and it turned out to be some very citrusy, hop heavy amber ale. Feeling that is was safe to go with the contents of the third barrel, she grabbed one of the flagons that were – conveniently – located in a basket under the rack, and filled it. Nodding in satisfaction, she ran up the stairs as quietly as she could, and managed to crawl through the window undetected.

She landed softly on the grass to the tune of a “DING!”.

> [Stealth] Rank – Beginner [Stealth – Burglary] Rank – Beginner

Stifling a laugh, Guin flicked the windows away and delivered the ale to the Gate Keeper. He looked at her with suspicion, tried the ale, and laughed.

“Ya really do need ‘ta go to school – there ain’t any way that Ol’ Ginny let you buy this off ‘her – which means ya stole it, little scoundrel!” His laughter boomed. “I should really have that there sheriff come over ‘ere and tie ya’s hands in knots! Suddenly Guin’s heart sank. Was she supposed to have turned this quest down? The man eyed her. “But, yeh did well. This is good stuff yeh got me here – and I really do ‘ppreciate yeh goin’ through all that trouble. So, out of the goodness of me heart, I won’t be tellin’ no one. I’ll even let’cha in the gate!"

> >

With a sigh of relief, Guin said, “Thank you! Please don’t make me do that again, though!"

He laughed again as she went into the gate. There were at least three teachers on the outside of the school – maybe more, if she had been more confident in being able to differentiate between teachers and students. One, a tall, shirtless valkyrian wearing loose green pants tied with a gold cloth, was off to the side, watching to children in a sand pit, fighting. Another was a young woman sitting with a group under a tree with what looked to be pots and other plants. The last was a mature garule woman who was dressed kind of like a pirate, and looked to be teaching archery to kids and adults alike.

Before she could go any further, however, she heard her alarm go off. It was eleven o’clock, and she still had work in the morning. Sighing, she turned back toward the house.

In TheirWorld, the basics actually mattered. While you would live without eating and sleeping in a bed, you gained debuffs for logging out without having a proper bed or setting up camp. The more dangerous the place, the higher the penalties. For better or worse, it was a game that seriously had an obsession with buffs and de-buffs more than anything else. Trudging back to her house in the woods, she told her mother – who was giving her a rather disapproving look – her plan to sleep. Settling into bed, Guin pulled up the menu and logged off.