章 3: {Chapter 3: The First Customers }
The next few days passed with nothing eventful happening. Mainly, Hannah and I created a small menu of foods and a separate one for the large selection of drinks we had so that we were prepared for any travelers. Each morning, I'd wake up to a divine breakfast, made by Hannah, and enjoy the soft warmth of an ale. Then I'd use the daily drawing I got before staying manned at the bar incase anyone showed up. The sad thing about the daily draw was that they didn't accumulate. For example, I hadn't used the one I got when we had arrive here and thus didn't have two of them the next day. It only stayed at a total of 1 daily draw. 3 days have passed till now and I had made sure to use it after my breakfast.
The first pull had given me a [Title] called The Bartender. Weird but it gave me innate knowledge of all the different liquors, a respectable amount of knowledge about cooking and even opened me up to small details of body language. It was helpful but was a change almost minutely perceptible that I never saw before.
The second pull had given me a mask to change my facial structure but my hair, hair color, eyes and eye color always stayed the same. This was a boon that I basked in, helping me hide my identity even better.
The third and final pull had given me a strange stand up box that reached my chest and after fiddling with it for a while, I learned it played music. Hannah had later told me what it was exactly. It was called a jukebox and from the music selections she saw, it was apparently filled with music compositions from this worlds most popular writers. 'This worlds' part of that explanation left me curious about Hannah's origins but I left it to her to tell me when she felt like it. Nonetheless, it was a great addition to the tavern.
As I stood at the dar, savoring a soft but delicious wine with Hannah standing behind me, the bell chimed as it announced the arrival of a potential customer. Four individuals walked in, looking like an adventurers party, heading over to the bar.
Two men and two woman. Of the guys, there seemed to be a swordsmen with a shield and the other seemed to be somekind of mage. Of the girls, there was a rogue-ish lady with a bow and the other was fully covered except for her eyes. She was obviously hiding her identity and I had no plans of figuring it out.
The swordsmen stood about 6' 5", had reddened white skin, short blonde hair, a trimmed beard of the same color and deep green eyes. The mage was about my height, 5' 9", had pale white skin, long black hair, a smooth clean shave and almost gray, blue eyes. The archer wore unrestricting yet revealing clothes, had braided bright light red hair that reached just above her butt, yellow-ish hazel eyes and kept a light perpetual smile on her lips. The mysterious woman had red eyes that seemed to glimmer in the taverns soft lights and her apparel did little to hid her seductively thick figure.
"Morning, I'm surprised to see a tavern like this opened up in the middle of nowhere. What is the rates for your rooms and food?" The swordsmen waved to me and asked.
"Yeah, I just opened up about a day ago. For both room and board, It would be 3 Copper Coins per person each day. You each get your own room if you'd like and get to eat what's on the daily menu. For 5 Copper Coins, you get access to our VIP rooms." I nodded to the man and explained.
"Really? This isn't a joke is?" The mage quickly leaned on the bar and gripped its edges, his knuckles going white from his grip and his eyes sparkling with hope.
"No. This is not a joke..." I gave the mage a confused look.
"Sorry about him, we have been traveling for a while and haven't stopped till now. Considering the appearance of this tavern, one can only assume it'd be expensive. Yet, to our surprise, the prices are cheaper than most taverns." The swordsmen put a hand on the mages should and he gave me a sheepish smile.
"I tell you what, give me 16 Copper Coins and I'll let you all stay in the VIP rooms and pick one meal from my menu. Consider it the first customers discount." I chuckled and spoke with a shrug.
The mage visibly shook for a moment before digging out 1 Silver Coin and 1 Copper Coin before quickly placing them on the bar counter. I took the coins and tossed them into a safe box while Hannah distributed the Keys to our first customers. As soon as Hannah gave directions to their rooms, the mage almost took off running up the stairs. The archer chuckled at his antics. The mysterious woman walked up to the swordsman before tapping on his shoulder. When he turned to her, he was met with her pleading look. The man sighed and turned to me.
"How do you feel about the northern races?" He asked with a serious and wary expression.
"Prejudice isn't good for buisness. That's my honest opinion." I answered the man with a light tone and smile, glancing between him and the woman.
He glanced back, sighed and turned back to me with tightened lips. "Would you have anything for vampires?" He asked with palpable hesitancy.
"Actually, we have troll blood, doe blood, wines made with blood and even a few branded hybrid blood delicacies." Hannah chipped in with a smile.
"I'd like some of your blood wine, please." The woman spoke, her voice heavy with a northerners accent.
"That'll be 2 Copper Coins." Hannah nodded as I started preparing the drink.
The others started ordering and after payment, Hannah started cooking the meals and I served their drinks. The woman decided to take a table but the swordsmen decided to sit at the bar and order an ale. After a bit of thought, I pulled a low alcohol content liquor off the shelf behind me, 2 shot glasses and proceeded to poor a shot for me and the swordsmen, free of charge.
"The names William. Welcome to my tavern, The Sleeping Mug." I greeted, pushing a shot to them man as I grabbed my own.
"I'm Migard. An A-Rank adventure from up north." He smiled, picked up the glass and bumped its edge with mine before we both downed it.
"Damn... that was smooth. The dangerous kind of smooth." Migard commented as he savored the flavor.
"Taverns are for a good drink, warm food and a place to rest. I'd be ashamed if I didn't have the best ale, mead or spirits at the least." I chuckled my words.
"Aye, those are the three most important things in a tavern. Especially one in the middle of nowhere at that." He nodded in amusement.
"So, if you don't mind me asking. What are you guys doing so far south? You're on the otherside of the continent right now, surely the journey wasn't easy." I tried to make small talk.
"Sorry, I can't disclose anything right now. However, I can say that depending on what happens, you might see us again soon." He smile, tapping the counter next to his shot glass.
I chuckled and poured another shot for each of us. As I grabbed the glass, I felt a shiver down my spine. Glancing back, a moody Hannah glared at me with squinted eyes.
"Ahhh.. haha.. Did you need something, Hannah?" I asked with a nervous chuckle.
"My Lord, despite how well your doing, please do not give out what is basically free money." She pursed her lips and stared at the shot glass in my hand.
"Right... my bad." I nodded, throwing 4 Copper Coins into the safe box.
Her squinted eyes narrowed before she let out an annoyed huff, walking passed me with the archer and vampires meals. Migard raised a brow at me.
"Angering the wife is never a good idea, Mr William." He chuckled and downed his shot.
Hannah stumbled and almost fell face first but caught herself in time. Luckily, she didn't spill the plates of food. I felt my cheeks warm up as I held back from spitting my shot out and Migard seemed to realize his blunder as his two female companions giggled.
"My bad. You two were just bickering like a married couple. It honestly reminded me of my parents." He apologized with a nostalgic smile.
"No. Your alright. We ar-" I shook my head and tried to explain but the mage came running down the stairs, abruptly cutting me off.
"I'm saying this now and I refuse to be denied! When we travel in this area, no matter how far, we need to stop here." The man shook in excitement, now wearing a clean dark purple robe and had wet hair.
"What is that supposed to mean?" The archer asked him, moments away from taking her first bite.
"You'll understand when you check out your room." He said ominously and with a nod to himself, he shot back up stairs.
"What is he on about?" Migard asked, pointing his thumb at the stairs.
"I think he just got done experiencing the rain style shower." I answered thoughtfully.
"Rain what?" The archer asked, her spoon mere inches from her mouth, filled with the first bite of stew.
"Rain style shower. The water falls from directly over your head in little droplets. Honestly, it's my favorite thing I've experienced recently." I chuckled, freely answering her question.
The vampire downed her blood wine, stood up and speed walked to the stairs. I smiled, knowing exactly what she was going to do. Truly, those showers were absolutely heavenly.
"Anything else that is a bit different?" Migard asked as I threw 2 more Copper Coins in the safe box and poured 2 more shots.
"I've never been to another tavern before, so I can't really give you a heads up." I shrugged to him, drinking my shot after speaking.
"Maybe Miss Hannah wo-" Migard began, his eye's shifting to the Dark Maid walking behind the bar but was cut off by the archer.
"AM I FUCKING CRYING BECAUSE OF A STEW!" She yelled, tears falling down.
"That would be caused by the a herb called 'Reminiscent Bloom'. It can cause the food to taste like a childhood dish, resulting in making its consumers cry because of latent emotions." Hannah cheerfully gave some useful trivia.
"Its... It's so damn good! *sob* *nom*" She nodded and just let go as she ate the stew.
"How much for a mug of your best ale." Migard looked at me and said desperately.
"2 Copper Coins." I held up two fingers.
He handed over 2 Copper Coins and I got her a mug of Sleeping Dwarf Ale. Soon, the archer finished her meal and Migard was already on his 5th mug, hanging halfway on the bar counter. The mage came down for a meal and the archer convinced him to try the stew. Moments later, the mage was crying like a little baby. The vampire lady fell victim to the stew next and before long, the adventurers we hammered. With Hannah's help, the archer got everyone to their rooms and turned in for the night. When it was just me and Hannah, Lu seemingly phased into existence with only on tail visible and it matched her beautiful fur coat.
As Lu laid on the bat counter, I began cleaning up the area. The bell at the door chimed again, this time a single person walked in. It was a man that wore a cloak that stopped at the middle of his back. A metal half mask covered his face from the nose down, his body cloaked in black clothes with lightweight metal plates covering his vital points. Two daggers rested on the sides of his hips and a shortsword rested horizontally on his back just below the torso. His dull brown eyes were sharp, devoid of emotion and filled with rational calculation.
The way the man walked spoke of his confidence but betrayed the fact that his guard was up. Lu raised her head, staring at the visitor with squinted eyes. The man gave the fox a single dismissive glance before sitting right in front of me at the bar.
"What can I do for you?" I asked him nonchalantly.
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