Heir to a Bloody Throne

Chapter Twelve

"Here." Valor looked uncomprehendingly at the small bag that was placed in his hand, which clinked with the weight of coins. "It's a week's wages- you've only worked two days, but I think you deserve the extra for saving my life." Notch winked at him "Try not to spend it all in one place." Valor blinked after him as he walked away, squeezing the bag slightly and listening to the coins jingle inside. He had completely forgotten that people worked for money.

The rest of his workday had gone without incident, the majority of it being the transport of the chunks of gold up through the tunnels. Despite having worked harder, Valor wasn't nearly as tired, likely due to the adrenaline of their fight. He should be able to slip out tonight.

Slipping the bag of coins into his pocket, Valor wandered out of the dining hall and into the small town. He had the money, he might as well spend it. What sort of things were there here to spend money on? He wasn't sure how much things would cost, but Notch had treated the payment as a significant amount, so it must be enough for something.

Valor spied a lit building on the side of the road, and set a course towards it. The tavern would be a good place to spend his evening. As well as spending some of his money, he may be able to pick up on some rumors from the likely-drunken miners.

While the tavern was busy, likely the busiest establishment in the village, the low population caused even this chaos to be less than that of the marketplace in Hadleigh. Valor was able to make out a few distinct conversations, and he made his way up to the bar to order a drink. After observing several miners doing so first, he got one of his own, and paid for it before retreating to an empty table.

He drank it slowly as he listened to the conversations around him, searching for anything that might be of use, but all that was being discussed was the miners' personal lives and day's work. More than a few glances were sent in his direction, and Valor tried not to watch them so obviously. Hopefully he was only a subject of interest due to being a newcomer.

"Hey!" A man sank into the seat next to him, and Valor jumped, nearly upsetting his drink. "Val, ain't ya?"

"Yes, I... that's me." Valor coughed slightly. "Can I help you?"

"No, no, sorry t' disturb, I jus' wanted 'ta ask ye somethin'." The man was disheveled and covered in soot, traits that the majority of the men in the room shared. "It's true that ye killed a creep'r with a pickaxe?" Valor blinked. Who had Notch told?

"Yes, I did." The man whooped, and Valor shrunk in his seat a bit as heads turned to look at them.

"Incredible! Th' men told me you saved th' foreman's life, killed the beastie with a single blow." The man gestured as if swinging a pickaxe. "Ya haf'ta let me buy you a drink."

"Oh." Valor felt a smile creep onto his face. "That's quite alright, I have one already."

"Nonsense!" The man stood, marching off towards the bartender to order him a drink. Valor took a sip from his mug, thinking this over. Being friendly with some of the other miners may cause them to offer up some information they previously would not, so it would be wise of him to accept their hospitality. With this plan in mind, Valor drained the rest of his drink as the man returned, plunking another mug onto the table next to him.

"Where did you hear about that?" Valor asked, out of curiosity more than anything else.

"A buddy o' mine heard th' treasurer discussin' it. Was it in th' tunnels?"

"We broke into a cave by mistake, and decided to explore it." Valor chose to leave out his pleading and begging. "We were attacked by zombies, and as we were fending them off the... creeper appeared." He took a hold of the new ale and took a drink. The men at nearby tables were watching him again, and he raised his voice slightly to be heard. "Notch froze, but I didn't know what it was, so I just attacked it. I'm lucky to have killed it on the first blow, hmm? Notch insisted we get out after that, and he sealed off the cavern. That was when he told me what it was."