Ashes of the Fallen

Typical behavior, really… there were always a few people like them running around. Crowding doorways, blocking paths, standing on-top of an NPC so others couldn't interact with them… these people who were content with their selfish behavior were always in a game. If you played a game without these kinds of characters, it probably wasn't much of a game.

That's just how it was.

"Hey guys, think you could move over a bit?" I asked as politely as I could muster, while trying to contain my anger. I didn't have the patience for this shit, but the good citizen route would be my first attempt.

"What's it matter to you punk, mind your own damn business," said the man closest to me as the four of them turned around to face me.

"You're blocking the doorway," I stated plainly while locking eyes with the man who had spoken up. "I'm going through and you're in the way."

"Tsk, wait your turn," replied another man. "We were here first."

Ah, I couldn't help but wonder, what was the penalty for combat again?

My hand was itching as I started to gather electricity in my palm, the penalty for fighting within a town was somewhat severe, but I didn't care.

Then they all turned around and walked away.

"Huh," I whispered as I watched the four enter the tavern and occupy a table in the corner. My mouth agape, I released the lightning that had accumulated, letting it dissipate into the air as I was forced to shake my head to break my chain of thought.

"That was unexpected," I mumbled to myself.

Making my way over to the bar, I grabbed an empty stool near the middle and sat at the counter. Maybe I was too harsh on the four, and jumped the gun. They could have been indecisive, yet I was ready to send them to the graveyard.

Oh well, my intuition was usually right.

No harm, no foul, anyways.

"What will you be having?" asked the barkeep not long after I settled in.

"I'll have the potato stew, and a loaf of bread," I replied quickly as I relaxed my shoulders and set my arms on the counter. "Ah, and bring me a porter too, a stout porter preferably but any porter will do if you don't have a strong one."

"We have a good selection of ales and beers, quite a few porters to choose from," the barkeep stated with a smile. "I'll bring you the strongest one we have, it's quite good."

The wait was relatively short.

I suppose that was to be expected here, the service was fast and the food came out quickly. It honestly surprised me a bit. Well, to be fair, the food I ordered had probably been sitting in a large pot for hours, so I can't really compare that.

Looking around the tavern, the place had a nice, comforting layout.

The design was simplistic but efficient, spacious but not too distant. Everything felt connected while giving enough privacy for each guest. It was a good layout, one that I might have to borrow for Dragon's Breach. Opening my overlay schematic menu, I was able to trace the entire room out and save it for future use. I might not end up using it, but it didn't hurt to have an example for my own tavern.

I did like the efficiency.

Add in the décor and it was really a quaint little place, too.

There was a certain rustic flair combined with a bit of a modern touch, somewhat out of place though considering the time-frame that the game was supposed to be in. The building was a combination of stone and some type of concrete replica along with treated and painted wood. The style was more 1700's then 1100's, but it somehow worked. It was certainly a far cry from the wooden shacks of the Northern Triangle, and definitely more advanced than my log cabins and lodges.

Eh, but I liked my artistic touch a tad bit more.

Log cabins were always aesthetically pleasing to the eye, anyhow.

As I ate, I kept my head down while listening to the ongoing conversations all around me. One table off to the side, occupied by three women most likely in their mid-twenties based on appearances, were busy chit-chatting about their relationships.

That was hardly the least bit interesting.

They weren't worth listening to.

Another table, a mixed group of three males and two females, were discussing the dungeon's third floor and the difficulty they were having with the boss. They weren't too far off on strategy but they seemed to lack experience, skill, or levels.

Well, they would get it eventually.

Letting my eyes defocus as I concentrated on filtering out the noise from the important conversations, I eventually found one that got my ears to perk up.

"Did you see that blog post?" asked a man with a squeaky voice.

"Which, the meeting details or the one on that group that cleared the fourth floor's boss?" questioned the other man. "I saw both up the other day."

"The meeting one, the report on how the North is basically free territory for the taking," replied the man with the squeaky voice. "There's only one player village way up in the wastelands, dude, we could easily stake out a place for ourselves."

Ah, Emily, what would I do without you.