Adventurer’s Haven

“And lastly, don’t go out at night unaccompanied,” Harrow finished informing her guests of the rules. “Any questions?”

“How do we know monsters won’t attack while we’re sleeping?” a young rogue asked.

“Oh, some will probably try, but we’re prepared for that,” she replied confidently.

“Ummm…how exactly?”

“Spells are our first line of defense. Most monsters on this level are repelled by them.”

“And the ones that aren’t?” A dark-haired mage quirked up his eyebrow.

“We fight.” Harrow grinned fiercely.

“We…?” The rogue’s eyes darted around.

“Not you.” Harrow waved dismissively. “We,” she gestured to indicate a row of people behind her. “Meet tonight’s crew.”

“Gawain.” A behemoth of a man stepped forward, arms crossed, a scabbard glinting at his hip.

“Bromli.” A dwarf pulled an impressive axe from his back, swinging it through the air. He chuckled deeply when the rogue took a quick step back.

“Clarice.” A tall mage gave a nod to the guests. A purple spark of magic darted between her hands then wrapped behind her, causing her plum-colored cloak to ripple.

“The four of us will be alerted by any attempts to breach the defensive spells.” Harrow held up her arm to display a swirl of purple magic around her wrist.

Clarice smiled smugly. It was a difficult spell to master, let alone over such a large area and weaving multiple people into the alert system. It’s why Harrow paid her excessively.

The mage among her guests whistled appreciatively.

“Don’t worry, you’re completely safe at Adventurer’s Haven.” Harrow turned to the large wooden doors, big enough to accommodate all sizes of guests. “Follow me to your rooms.”

…

Gawain kicked his feet up by the fire. “What’s the wager for tonight?”

“My bet’s on two foolish monsters trying to attack, but completely repelled by my spells.” Clarice idly twisted magic between her fingers, as was her habit.

Bromli took a swig from his mug before setting it down a bit roughly, beer sloshing. “I think we’ll have ourselves a fight this night.”

Clarice rolled her eyes. Bromli always bet on a fight. The dwarf was an adrenaline junkie, but he was someone you could rely on to watch your back in a battle.

“My money’s on a quiet night,” Harrow proclaimed with a wicked grin.

The group groaned.

“You know you can’t say the ‘Q’ word,” Gawain said, standing. “I’m going to polish my sword.” He left to get his whetstone.

Harrow chuckled, before sipping her house-made mead. It was a recipe she’d perfected over decades, and the guests always raved about it.

Clarice lifted a glass in her direction. “To our quiet night.”

…

What do you think of the story so far? Who is your favorite character? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks so much for reading!

-Clever&WTF