Act 2: Upheaval I - The Werewolf

"With a lot of coffee."

She smiles at Steve.

Konrad looks at Amber like "What?"

"Still? Let's hope they make up their minds quickly. Fewer tourney applicants means fewer people to keep an eye on. At least, I hope so."

"Unless...which ones are the most conciliatory? Which ones are trying to bring people together, and which are the top fighters?"

"I cannot speak for their martial ability," Zawistowski says. "As for who are the most ‘conciliatory’... Jaropelk Ziobro -- the previous Szef from Zdetermiwa -- was one of them, but Nadzieja Zerva challenged him in single combat and took his place. He's serving as one of her advisors now. The Szefowie from Lekkomysl and Agres are also known for their diplomatic tendencies."

Konrad nods. "And what about Nadzieja? The same, or different?"

"Hmm. I'm not sure yet. It's only been a year since she's become the new Szef."

"Hm. She is a monk, we can probably count on her to at least use some force to bring them together, if needed. It hardly helps her monastic tradition to draw lines in the sand."

He nods. "I think I've heard all there is that can help, for now."

"Was there anything else?" Zawistowski asks the others.

"I can't think of anything else except where everyone is forming up to launch the hunt. We should at least introduce ourselves. Less likely to be accidental skirmishes."

"They are planning to leave the Arena at seven o'clock this evening. I will send word in advance that you will be there to introduce yourselves. Do not be late, or they'll make your lives difficult."

"Thank you for your help. Hopefully next time we see you we'll have good news."

"The Space Hamster, then. Let's get going."

"Yeah, see you," Amber says.

The administrator rises from her chair.

"Good luck," she tells the party.

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3:52 PM 4th of April 422
Odwaz, Myr

The adventurers leave the City Hall and walk towards the Market District, where the Space Hamster Inn is located. Konrad--being the only person who has visited this city before--is the most suited to guide his companions through the labyrinthine streets of Odwaz. Although he takes a few wrong turns, it doesn't take too long before the party reaches their destination.

The Space Hamster is a large establishment that occupies two buildings; the first one is the tavern itself, which is full of patrons at the moment, and the second is a large inn that must accommodate at least a hundred rooms, spread on three floors.

Once the party enters the tavern, they are greeted by a chaotic scene; men and women of all ages, drinking, eating, singing and laughing. Almost all the tables are taken, and there are many patrons waiting for their drinks at the counter. The air smells like beer, cooked meat, spices, cheese, human sweat and other unintelligible aromas. A cacophony of a few dozens of conversations overwhelm the adventurers' ears. Fluffle can't resist and he pops out of Amber's hood to take a look.

All the waitresses are swamped by the amount of orders they have to handle, but there is one bulky man behind the bar who's not doing anything. Around fifty years old, he's sitting on a stool with his head on the counter and a mug full of beer in his right hand.

"It's over!" he laments. "It's all over! Bye bye Space Hamster! Bye bye my dream! May Oblivion take me and rescue me from an eternity of shame!"

Everyone ignores him.

Seeing anyone in pain doesn't sit right with Steve so he makes his way through the crowd without hesitation and when at the old man he says, "Hello, my name is Steve. Why are you so upset?"

The man, with a huge black beard, raises his head from the counter to look at the young mage. There are a few tears at the corner of his eyes.

"Because the Space Hamster will soon fade away!" he exclaims in Wytrawly. "No, people won't even call it that anymore. They'll call it the Dry Hamster! A sad alehouse that couldn't even afford to sell ale! All is lost! Let my tears flood this place! It'd be better than seeing it close down."

He drinks from his mug and puts his head back against to counter to weep. A few customers look at Steve and smile, amused by the scene.

Amber, not understanding a word of this, observes the rest of the tavern instead. She catches the eyes of a few men, but most of them realize how young she is and go back to their previous conversation. However, two of them are still teenagers and if it wasn't for Mihai's presence at her side, they most likely would try to talk to her.

"Place won't be able to sell ale anymore." - he explains to her - "The man is... distraught."

He makes sure not to leave her side.

The mage looks around at the people with their drinks and food and then looks at the mug in the man's hand before looking at him in a very confused manner. "I don't understand, it looks like you have plenty of alcohol to me."

Konrad addresses the man behind his seated friend, standing. "Why man?" he asks, baffled. "Look around! It's certainly not from lack of patrons."

"What, is he running out of beer?" Amber asks.
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"I have only a few more barrels of ale left!" the man replies. "I was supposed to receive a delivery last week, but they never came. I've tried to hire a few mercenaries to fetch me some, but they're too busy drinking my last reserves."

"And ‘whoring’," a patron retorts. "Don't forget that!"

"Yes, mock the miserable fate that awaits me!" the heavy man shouts. He drinks from his mug and then faces the mages again. "See? This is the kind of treatment I must endure during this drought."

He wipes away a few tears and finally notices the party members' equipment. He blink a few times.

"Would... would you happen to be mercenaries?" he asks.

His eyes are full of hope.

Steve looks at the others and says, "We are yes, but we are currently working another job. Why, what did you have in mind?"

"Please, I beseech you! There is a brewery a couple of hours out of town. If you would be so kind to go there and bring back enough barrels to last me until the end of the festivities, I would be eternally grateful to you. Oh, and I'd offer you a great reward of course!"

"Why would you need mercenaries for a simple porter job?"

"Bandits! Wretched excuses of human beings. They prowl the roads when a Tournament is near, and traveling without protection amounts to idiocy."

"We don't really have time right now but if that changes we might return. That's the best I can do for now."

The answer clearly saddens him. He looks down at his half-empty mug.

"Well... I hope you find luck on your path."