The Dungeon Inn - English

B02C22 - Acceptance

Albert's troops were on their way to their tent and like everyone else, they were discussing the fight.

"How disappointing. I thought Sarah would be stronger."

"Mia, don't even think about challenging Sven. Have you already forgotten what Albert told you back then?"

"But Winfried, don't you want to know if he's stronger? Maybe he can teach us something too."

"Mia, Winfried is right. Paul did it quite cleverly too. He let Marco and the others face the hurtful facts and at the same time protected their reputations. You won't be able to do that so easily."

"But if I challenge Sarah or Bruno now, it shouldn't be a problem."

"I would be careful with Sarah. Something wasn't right about the fight."

"What do you mean by that, Viktor?"

"Paul tried to disarm her, it didn't work, but her hand seemed unnatural."

"Unnatural?"

"I don't know what it was myself."

"Hmm, then she would be a worthwhile target."

"Mia! Did you even listen to us?"

"Yeah, yeah, I won't do anything. But if that's standard procedure for training, I could try it with the guild members in Watch City."

"And earn the wrath of the guild master that way? Have you already forgotten that he used to be gold rank?"

"Winfried is right again, Mia. Winter is coming and we shouldn't fall even further out of favor with Marco. He certainly wouldn't approve of you challenging someone from Watch City out of curiosity."

I had also retreated to the cave with my companions. Paul briefly intercepted us on the way.

"I'm sorry, Marco, for making a fool of you like that. I knew, of course, that you still had a lot of experience to gain, but I wanted your companions not to hold back and to give it their all. That's how I was able to discover your pearl. I hope you can forgive me for this."

"It's fine."

Paul had bowed and raised his head in relief.

"I still have a few things to take care of, see you later."

With that, he disappeared back upstairs to the craftsmen.

"As if we're going to forgive him so easily for humiliating our master Marco like that."

"We don't want any trouble, Sarah, let's leave it at that."

"You're too kind-hearted, Master Marco. That could be your downfall one day."

"Sir, I have to agree with Sarah. You shouldn't be careless, maybe there was more to it. But what's more, Sarah, how did you withstand the disarmament? I would have thought it would work on you."

"It's very simple. Master Marco forbade me from attacking with magic, but he didn't say I wasn't allowed to use it. I simply froze my hand. My ice can even withstand sword blows, now that we're close to winter. So he had no chance of disarming me. But there's nothing I can do when he jumps around so quickly."

Days later, Paul called me over.

"It's finally time for you to inspect everything and give me permission to leave."

I went through each room with him again and checked that everything was there. First the small storage room at the cave entrance. A lot of things were stored here that you might need quickly at the counter, like paper and simple medicinal herbs.

"What kind of thick book is that?"

"Oh, it's a reference book for you. You all passed the knowledge test, but maybe you're unsure about one or two things, then you can look it up. Of course, it doesn't say everything, but at least the most important things are there."

"Then why did we have to learn it all by heart?"

"Because it has to be available in a hectic situation. If you have to search for a long time, it might be too late."

Then we went out to the counter. A few important things were kept in a narrow compartment underneath. The room in front of it was empty because it was only used for the queue. We had already used the quest board on the left extensively. They had put benches on the wall opposite the counter in case the wait was longer. So there was nothing to complain about.

We turned our attention to the catering area. All the tables and chairs were now in place. A fireplace had also been set up on the north side. The kitchen was fully equipped, but up until now I was always chased out of it when I wanted to try it out because someone was always doing something in it. There was an oven at the entrance. If you wanted to let off heat quickly, you could open a slot to the outside. That would also heat up the wall to the catering room and thus support the fireplace a little. Next to it, under the windows, were the cooking areas. On the wall facing east were the shelves for all the ingredients. In the middle of the room was a large table where you could prepare them. On the west side, towards the counter, the dishes were stored and you could put the finished food on a shelf. A small bell hung next to it so you could give a signal outside. You could also knock on the wood of the slider. That left the last wall in the south, which contained everything else, including a small water basin where we could clean the dishes. The disadvantage, however, was that you had to fetch the water from the cave with a bucket. So you found a few wooden buckets not too far away.

Then we went upstairs. As agreed, the guest rooms each had four beds, small shelves at the foot of the bed and a table and chairs in the middle. Nothing earth-shattering. The infirmary was simple, just a few beds and chairs. In the meeting room there were several long tables with chairs. If there was a large group, you could simply push them together. There were also benches on the wall. So you had a lot of freedom in how you set up the meeting. In my office there were lots of shelves to store all the important documents. A large desk with a chair behind it greeted us as we entered. In front of it was a somewhat low table with shorter benches on three sides. The side facing the table obviously didn't have a bench, so it was up to me whether I sat at the desk during a meeting or joined the others on the bench. The whole furnishings made a simple but not inferior impression. As an adventurer, you weren't a big shot, and so the guild wasn't luxurious. But that didn't bother me, in fact I felt more comfortable that way.

The attic had a separate part for the carrier pigeons, as expected, and the rest could be used as storage.

"I think it all fits. I can't think of anything else that's missing."

"Very good. Then I'll pass on the good news right away, as some are already anxiously waiting to finally be able to return home. I'll also say goodbye to you tomorrow."