I wake up early enough that the only other person active in the building is the inn's owner. He's preparing to cook breakfast for the current guests and silently trying to rouse the rest of his staff. It's a small group and once they are started working he notices me, as I take a seat at the bar. He brings over some poached eggs, bread, and bacon.
“You're up early, have someplace you need to be?”
“No, just habit.”
“Ahh, yes, now I recognize you. You were with those mercenaries that left yesterday. Why, didn't you head out with them, or is that something you'd rather not talk about?”
“I have some work to do solo. I'm heading out as soon as some armor I've requested is finished. Today I'm grabbing a map and traveling gear, know any place that you would recommend?”
Even though I checked some of the stores yesterday, it would be a good idea to ask a local. As an innkeeper, I figure he would probably know about this. He does, and names a few trustworthy cartographers and a few to avoid. He also tells me which general stores have the best gear according to what he's heard from guests here. He asks if I have any good war stories to tell, but now people are starting to wake up and he has to get to work taking orders and cooking. Having finished my breakfast I turn to leave, but as a parting shot he calls out to me, “Perhaps during dinner, you must have seen some neat things out there.”
Could be worse, he could have figured out who I was, then the whole town would probably be asking me the same question. I do have a few stories I don't mind telling though, mostly about other men in the company.
While shopping I find much more in the way of enchanted supplies than I was expecting, they must be easy to make with the price they are being sold at. I keep it simple though; tent, a pair of torches, bedroll, flint, tinder and a pack large enough to hold all of that and a fair supply of travel rations.
On my way to the cartographer's, the streets begin to crowd up. A cloaked man begins walking very close to me. “You shouldn't have roughed up our boys yesterday.”
“Hmm?”
“If you don't want any trouble you will leave town today.”
“I'll leave when I'm ready to.”
“You'll leave today.” So that is what the belt Norrin gave me feels like, I sense that the man is pulling a knife. Almost like someone only I can hear is calling out, 'Knife to your left!' I can probably draw my mace and drop him before he can stab me, and I don't have the patience to deal with him in any other way if he doesn't back off.
“Keep the knife to yourself, if you like chewing your own food.”
I turn toward him just enough to see the look of surprise on his face, both of his hands are still completely concealed by his cloak. He turns and disappears into the crowd. I should see how long Dartac is going to take with my armor, might want him to hurry. I should probably tell the watch about this encounter as well.
I wonder how many days of 'fun' I'll be having in this town.
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