Chapter 6

"Welcome to the, er, Welcome Inn." A bored voice greeted Jane as she entered the inn. "Only 4 Argenta a night, 5 if you require breakfast and dinner. Mounts are extra depending on what it is."

Jane instantly recognised the voice, it was the "I'm dead inside and customer service killed me" voice of so many young people forced to deal with demanding customers. It was coming from a young girl, no more than 15, who was leaning on a long bar at the back of the large room.

"Stellaire!" A sharp voice came from behind a door near the bar. "That is not how we greet our guests." Accompanying the voice was a chubby woman in a spotless white apron.

The blonde teenager sighed dramatically before turning to her mother.

"That was exactly what you told me to say!"

The matronly woman looked up at the ceiling before sighing to herself, a mirror of her daughter.

"It's the way you said it, how many times do I have to explain!"

"Maybe you shouldn't tell me off in front of the customer?"

Embarrassment warred with anger for a brief moment on the innkeeper's face before she turned to Jane with a slight nod and a professional smile.

"Honoured guest, will you require food tonight?" She asked, insisting heavily on the word guest with a glance at her daughter. The tall thin girl just shrugged slightly.

"Yes please." Replied Jane, slightly bemused by the duo.

"Very well, then I shall be in the kitchen. I leave you in the enthusiastic hands of Stellaire, my daughter."

The lanky blonde in question stuck her tongue out at her mother's retreating back and whispered "worth it" to herself before turning to Jane. She straightened up and smiled over the countertop. She was taller than Jane, and thin, not unhealthily thin but nothing like the agreeable plumpness of her mother. She had a striking face, all angles and sharp cheekbones that softened as she smiled.

"So, dinner and a room is five, do you have a mount?"

"No, just me I'm afraid. What about drinks?"

"Beer, wine and cider are two Cupra a mug, and you get one with your dinner, spirits are more depending on what you want."

"And which one do you suggest?"

Stellaire looked flatly at Jane.

"And how would I know? I'm still a child."

Jane cocked her head slightly and looked intently at her young bartender until the poor girl started shifting nervously.

"The wine. The beer isn't bad but the cider tastes like muddy water that someone dipped an apple in once."

"One mug of wine then, thanks," Jane said.

"Do you wish to pay now?"

It was Jane's turn to shift nervously, as while she had a few coins she had no idea if they were legal currency here, nor their value if they were. As the room was empty she poured the contents of her money pouch straight onto the countertop. Out spilt her two gold, five silver and sixteen copper coins. Stellaire raised an eyebrow but didn't comment

"Euh, say I'm a traveller who isn't familiar with the local currency, what would I have?"

Stellaire looked down at the coins in front of her.

"Three Aurum, five Argenta, and sixteen Cupra, the silver ones are worth five Argenta each. How far away are you from that you don’t know that?"

Jane just winked and pushed one silver and four copper coins over to Stellaire.

“Another one please.”

Jane downed her drinks and moved over to a table. After a while, she received her stew and another mug of wine. She tasted the stew, it was heaven after seven days of dried fruits and went down perfectly with the thick crusty bread and her mug of wine. As she was wiping up the last of the sauce with the last of her bread a tall thin man pushed the door open.

Jane immediately identified him. [Master of the House]. So probably the owner of the inn. He was also obviously Stellaire's father. He stopped at Jane's table and bowed slightly.

"Honoured guest, are you perchance an adventurer?" He asked, his eyes darting to the hammer leaning against the table.

"I am, but I only started a week or so ago," Jane replied slowly.

"Excellent, excellent, just what I require! An adventurer debutante ready for a nice easy quest! What say you to one whole Aurum in exchange for solving our little [Wild Dog] problem?" He enthusiastically thrust out his hand as he spoke. Jane grasped it firmly and nodded.

"Tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow, but first we drink! Stellaire! A round of our finest for the brave adventurer!"

Stellaire rolled her eyes as she grabbed a dusty bottle off the shelf behind the bar and served two small glasses. She brought them over with the bottle on a small tray and slid the tray in front of her father as he pulled up a chair. Even sitting down he towered over Jane, and it was easy to see where Stellaire got her looks. He was a good looking man, but more than anything else he seemed to radiate joy.

"I am Taiyo, I assume you have met Astrea, my lovely wife, and Stellaire, our daughter. Might I know the name of the heroic adventurer who will save my Welcome Inn?"

Jane hesitated. This was an opportunity to reinvent herself, to not just be boring Jane but someone new and exciting. But what name should she give? Something about knowledge maybe? What was the Greek for knowledge again? Or maybe something more modern, at least modern to her time.

"Akaisha Wainwright."

"A toast then, to victory on the morrow!"

The pair raised their glasses and threw back the contents. It burned agreeably down Akaisha's throat. They slammed the glasses down on the table and Taiyo roared "Another!"

She was more than slightly tipsy as she meandered upstairs to sleep. Breakfast was a simple affair, some bread and cold meats and she left soon after. Her bag on her back, her hammer on her shoulder, a stomach full of food and Jane was ready for a quest. Taiyo had informed her that the [Wild Dog]s had been seen mostly east of the Inn, so that was where she started searching.

She had expected to wander mostly aimlessly for hours, owing to her complete lack of tracking skills or [Skills], but after only a few minutes she came across two brown dogs. As she approached them they fled. Jane ran after them and saw them enter a large hole in the ground. She slowed as she approached the hole and noticed that the air seemed to shimmer slightly, almost like the air above a hot road mixed with the rainbow colours of petrol. When Jane was close enough she reached out and touched the shimmer with a fingertip. As she felt nothing she steeled herself, prepared her sledgehammer and strode down through the mirage.

You have entered the [Den of the Mother of Dogs].

For a hole in the ground the Den was surprisingly well built. Regularly cut flagstones on the floor, rough stone walls and, for some reason, wooden planks on the ceiling. Strangely the corridor didn't seem to slope downwards, even though she had walked down into a hole. Jane walked slowly down the corridor until she reached a large archway separating the corridor from a large room with the two short brown haired dogs from earlier. She placed her bag on the floor just before the arch and readied her sledgehammer. She quickly threw out two [Identify]s. Both simply showed [Wild Dog].

[Identify] has reached level 2.

"Alright Jane, game face on. Time to be Akaisha."

Akaisha rolled her shoulders and lept at the closest enemy, slamming her weapon down on the surprised dog's skull. It exploded in a fountain of gore and stone. Stunned by the splattering of blood and brains that splashed her face Akaisha barely reacted as the second dog snarled ferociously and lept at her. She barely managed to get her arm in front of her throat before she had it ripped open. She screamed in pain and dropped her weapon. The weight of the dog locked onto her arm nearly dragged her to the floor.

Akaisha dropped to one knee and grabbed the [Wild Dog] in a chokehold. She gritted her teeth as the jaws clamped on her forearm shifted. The dog realised it wasn't going to kill Akaisha before losing consciousness and let go of her arm. It shook its way out of the hold and made some distance from Akaisha. She gingerly tested her right hand. It was painful but usable. Akaisha picked up the sledgehammer at her feet and stood up.

The two opponents circled each other slowly. Akaisha swung wildly and missed. The remaining dog dived in low, aiming for Akaisha's ankle. She sidestepped and kicked at the [Wild Dog]'s flank. It scrambled sideways, lessening the blow. It snarled, Akaisha's blood visible on its teeth. Akaisha growled herself and lashed out. She swung the hammer again and again without managing to hit her target. She was tiring fast with the weight of her hammer. She shifted her grip, one hand at the base of the handle and one near the head. As soon as she paused her assault the dog lept at her throat.

She jabbed her weapon forwards into its snout. The [Wild Dog] dropped to the floor and Akaisha stamped down on one of its legs. There was a loud crack and a howl. Stepping back Akaisha shifted her grip again and swung her sledgehammer into the downed dog's head. After a few seconds to ensure that it was really dead she dropped to her knees, breathing hard. Thankfully she had taken out the first dog in a single opening blow, she would never have beaten the two together.

[Beginner Militiaman] level increased to 7.

Strength + 1

Dexterity + 1

Agility + 1

Endurance + 3

Perception + 1

Intelligence + 3

Willpower + 0

Sociability + 1

[Combat Style: Sledgehammer] increased to level 9

She frowned slightly and pulled up her Health Stats.

Health

170/235

Health Regen

1.16

Mana

245/245

Mana Regen

1.47

That one bite had hit her hard. She kept looking at the bar until her Health ticked up twice, she concluded that the Regen must be about per minute, so she would require an hour to recover her lost health, and three and a half hours to recuperate from zero, assuming that she wasn’t dead obviously. While she didn’t want to go and fight without all of her health she didn’t want to spend too long in this [Den] either. Jane walked back over to her bag and pulled it up onto her shoulders, then returned to collect her hammer. By the time she was ready to move on the two corpses had dissipated leaving their loot. Jane put the handful of copper coins, Cupra, in her pouch and then stood and stared at the tomato and lettuce sandwich sitting on a wooden plate that sat where the second [Wild Dog] had died. She picked up the sandwich and took a bite, it was fresh and crunchy. She quickly swallowed the rest of the sandwich.

[Sandwich] consumed, 25 Health recovered.

That really surprised Jane, although maybe it shouldn’t have. It was a magic sandwich that appeared out of a dog after its death. Why would any of that be normal? Feeling much better she resolved to head in deeper. After another short corridor there was an identical archway to the previous one. Jane dropped off her bag before the arch again and peeked into the room, throwing out [Identify]. Two [Wild Dogs] near the arch and a larger, darker furred [Alpha Wild Dog]. That was a lot, especially considering how hard the fight against one was. She had to try, she could probably run.

Akaisha shook herself out, hammer at the ready. The two dogs at the front were close together, maybe she could destroy one and swiftly turn on to the second before the alpha got in on her. She had to try.

She cracked her neck and lept. Her hammer crashed down onto the first dog's back, unused to her stats she overshot. Ignoring her error she dived sideways and crashed into the second dog. They both went down in a tangle. Akaisha twisted herself on top and drove the handle of her hammer down, crushing the dog's throat. She had barely done enough to finish her second opponent when she was tackled by the Alpha. She rolled until she hit the wall and pulled herself up. The first stage was done, time to duel the Alpha.

The [Alpha Wild Dog] howled and began to glow red. It lept forwards and Akaisha swung at it. She clipped its shoulder and twisted with the swing out of the way. The dark-furred dog struck Akaisha in the shoulder before slamming into the wall. Both of them scrambled backwards, Akaisha keeping her back to a wall. The alpha attacked again, this time slashing with its front claws. They traded blows, both getting mauled but neither managing to land a decisive blow. Akaisha was bleeding from dozens of cuts while the alpha dog had lost an eye and was limping heavily. Akaisha flashed up her Health window. Only 87 health left. She needed to end it fast.

She rushed forwards, her hammer low to the ground, and the last enemy jumped to meet her. She planted her feet and swung upwards, catching her opponent off guard. The blow to the head sent the [Alpha Wild Dog] careening into the wall. It dropped, stunned. Jane rushed over and hammered down repeatedly into the alpha's head until it was thoroughly pulped. She staggered a few steps away, breathing hard, and looked at her health again, only 61 left. She was bleeding out, slowly, but too fast to get back to the Inn. None of the dead dogs dropped any food either. She walked slowly over to her bag, trying to get her breathing back under control. She pulled the vial of red liquid out.

“I really hope this is a potion or whatever Darell called them.” she said out loud before popping the wax seal, pulling out the cork and downing the mixture.

[Minor Potion of Health] consumed, 300 health recovered.

[Beginner Militiaman] level increased to 9.

Strength + 1

Dexterity + 0

Agility + 1

Endurance + 0

Perception + 1

Intelligence + 0

Willpower + 0

Sociability + 0

[Combat Style: Sledgehammer] increased to level 15

She felt like a flash of fire had torn through her body only to be replaced with a feeling much like a refreshing mist on a hot day. The feeling faded swiftly and left her feeling fully healthy, although still fatigued from the fights. She gathered up the dropped coins, twenty-odd Cupra and six small silver coins, probably Argenta. She sat for a while in the room, almost meditating as she recovered physically. After around twenty minutes she collected her bag and weapon and headed on to the next room.

The same corridor led to the same arch again so she did the same again. Only a single enemy this time. A [Mother of Dogs].

[Identify] increased to level 3

“You know what, Advancement System, don’t show every skill up, that's going to get annoying. Maybe just tell me I’ve capped a skill or something.” Jane waited to see if she would get a response, then shrugged when she didn’t.

She looked at the [Mother of Dogs] in trepidation. If each room was supposed to be harder, and there were three enemies in the previous room, then how strong was this monstrosity? And it was monstrous, far larger than even the Alpha, and fat. Her, for the monstrosity was visibly female, hind legs were tiny enough to appear vestigial while its forelegs seemed too long with too many joints. Her distended belly roiled with what Jane hoped were puppies, all clawing at the inside to get out. She had greying fur that was coming out in clumps, and slimy sweat oozed from the bare patches of skin. The Mothers tail was extremely long and tipped with spikes like some kind of dinosaur, and perpetually on the move, darting around the room.

Jane swallowed loudly as she gazed upon the hideous creature, feeling her resolve start to slip away. She gently lowered her rucksack to the ground and hefted the reassuring weight of her sledgehammer. Same plan, as she didn’t know what to do. Jump, smash, smash some more. Not the head though, the abomination's head was too high, out of her reach, and besides, her skull was probably too thick to make a single hit fatal.

Akaisha, determined Akaisha, adventurer Akaisha, was ready. She lept, hammer raised to the sky and slammed it down on the Mother’s right forelimb. She rolled under a blow from the left and came up in time to sidestep a strike from the tail. She danced around the tail and forelegs as best she could, taking nicks here and there but not managing to hit back. She gritted her teeth and stepped into a blow from the tail, narrowly avoiding the spikes, to get in a solid hit on the injured foreleg. Throwing herself backwards she dodged a paw that would probably have knocked her clean out, or even taken her head off. With one less limb to avoid she started getting a few light hits in until she realised that she was an idiot.

She rolled under a blow from the left leg and ran to the Mother’s rear. Before the creature could react she shattered the base of the tail. The [Mother of Dogs] threw herself into a roll that took Akaisha by surprise and lashed out with her remaining paw. With no room to dodge she slid her grip on her hammer and raised it in a hasty block. The handle snapped from the blow and Akaisha staggered backwards. She threw the now useless hammerhead at the twisted creature's head and flipped the leftover in her hands. She ran at the abomination and jumped, the jagged shard of wood held in a two-handed icepick grip. She rammed it into the mutated dog's jugular with all her strength and held on as the dying dog shook and squirmed. She was still holding on as the whole mutated mess dissolved into nothingness.

[Beginner Militiaman] level increased to 10.

Strength + 0

Dexterity + 0

Agility + 0

Endurance + 0

Perception + 0

Intelligence + 1

Willpower + 1

Sociability + 0