Chapter 3 : A more wretched hive of scum and villany
Knowles Inn was founded a long ways south of Piata in the middle of a barren plain. The "Inn", if it could be called such, was so large that it could be it's own town. Built by bandits seeking a hiding place from the Hunters Guild and local authorities, it was riddled with secret undergound passages and some even claimed that one of these passages made it's way into the basement of Piata Academy. Those foolish enough to test if this theory was correct were never heard from again. The central area of Knowles Inn contained the Scorpirus, a Pub that had various sorts of customers and mercenaries. This is were Rune headed to, knowing full well he'd find his quarry. He still wore his white hooded cloak which covered most of his face, but traded in his robes for his green shirt, pants, black gloves and boots. It had been many years since he last wore these and he couldn't help but smile at how worn and dusty they looked. He stared at himself in a puddle of water nearby and began to reflect back when he started travelling with Alys. A small sigh escaped his lips at the memory of his friend, that crooked smile, mischievious eyes and sharp mind. Although he missed all of his friends, he found himself missing her the most. Snapping out of his reverie he headed across the square and into the Scorpirus.
When Rune entered the Pub he was assaulted by the sounds and smells of sweat, drinking and general body odor. This was more like it! He enjoyed the cleanliness of the mansion but missed the more earthy aroma's that came with traveling. He stood near the doorway for a moment, scanning the scene before him. The Pub was large enough to house a Flyer and even then it seemed to be filled to the brim with tables and assorted trophys from various bandits and mercenaries. Nearby a table crumbled to pieces as a Motavian and a Human brawled over what appeared to be a monetary dispute. The human gave a good kick the Motavian's solar plexes, doubling him over. The Motavian was then sent flying backwards into a darkened corner as the human drove his knee into the face of his opponent. Wiping his mouth, the merc turned to face Rune and grinned, showing with the lack of his teeth how many brawls he'd been in. With a husky voice that came with a hard life on the road he addressed the Esper.
"What do we have here? Fresh blood! Come here stranger and let Lars show you how to fit in!"
Rune just shook his head and pointed behind the man called Lars. The merc turned around just in time to catch a fist to the face as the Motavian had made his way back to his "sparring partner". Lars fell the ground and started to stand up to only be lifted off the ground and tossed towards the same corner the Motavian was in moments earlier. Rune stepped past the two combatants and headed to an empty seat near the back of the room to wait for his informant. He waited for no more than 5 minutes when from behind him he heard a "Pssst" sound. Turning halfway in the chair, Rune looked into the darkness behind him to see who he was waiting for.
"You have the information?"
A raspy chuckle came from the mysterious stranger "Yessss"
"Where is it?"
"Itsss in the tunnel underneath this very Inn. Head towardsss the scellar in the back and look for the wine cask with a blue rosssse. There you will find what you sssseeeek."
Rune chewed on this information for a moment. It was clear to him that this was an obvious trap, but he needed to get down in that tunnel to find it. Well if anything it would provided him a much needed break from the tedium at the mansion. Reaching into one of his pockets he took about 300 meseta and handed it to the shadowy figure. There was a rustling for a moment followed by the sound of the figure biting the meseta then silence. Rune waited a moment longer and made his way to cellar in the back. Surprisingly there weren't any guards near the door leading down into the cellar but with the rumor floating around, Rune suspected that was enough to keep any curiosities in check. He opened the door and started to make his way down the steps, almost immediately slipping on the damp stone. Getting himself steady, Rune made his way deeper in the earth soon having the smell of alcohol wafting over him like a cloud of fog. After what seemed like 20 minutes on a stairway that went down and wound around in a circle he made his way into the cellar. It didn't take long for him to locate the giant wine cask with a blue rose located on the center. He paused for a few moments to see if there any obvious levers or switches. Not finding any, he moved closer and began running his hands along the side until he came to a button located just to the right where the metal band held the cask together. Pressing it he stepped back as the oval part of the cask facing him roll away into a hidden alcove. Taking a deep breath, Rune stepped into the opening of the new passageway only to hear the sound of someone yelling followed by the sounds of metal on metal and gunfire. Someone was in trouble and from the sounds of it, they weren't going to win. Grumbling, Rune broke out into a run towards the sound, knowing that if he didn't interfere then whoever was out there wouldn't stand a chance.
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