The robed figure standing to the left of the aged leader of this refugee group was shaking, trembling with boiling rage after the innkeeper's contempt-filled question.
Madam Dara stepped forward, her hands balled into fists. Luckily her gaze was hidden behind the drape of the hood otherwise the fiery sparks could have terrified the snobbish man.
"[Reptilian] Y-you… H-how dare you to speak like that to-" Before she could finish her words, and ruin the whole plan by exposing their identities, Aiden raised his arm, blocking her advance and freezing the words in her.
"[Reptilian] Yes, we have." He spoke calmly, revealing a brown leather pouch in his other, right hand. He threw it at the middle-aged chubby skink man who though grew slightly wary a moment ago, instantly shifted his stance at the sign of the familiar sound of coins tingling.
Catching it he quickly the greedy grubber quickly unzipped the brown leather purse, flashing a happy, excited smile when he spotted the numerous shining gold coins there. However, he frowned a moment later when he brought out one to check.
"What is this? I don't recognize it at all…" He muttered the question, as he kept his gaze focused on the strange, unfamiliar insignia. Though he could recognize it depicting a dragon's head, yet it was vastly different from the Ancient One.
'Is this a fake?' The innkeeper pondered inwardly, as he scrutinized the coin in his hand, trying to spot imperfections on the surface. However, no matter how hard he tried or looked the shiny gold metal did seem genuine. Unfamiliar, but genuine gold.
"[Reptilian] Does it matter where it came from? You should only care if it's real or not." Aiden responded nonchalantly, waving his hand in a carefree manner. Stepping forward, he gently pushed the still agitated-looking Madam Dara back, signaling to her with a fleeting glance to stay calm and do not lash out.
The innkeeper didn't speak for several minutes as he took his time carefully analyzing each of the gold coins in the pouch before finally snorting loudly.
"[Reptilian] F-fine. You guys are good for tonight." He snorted. Turning around he pointed towards a darker alley at the side of the inn as he added. "You can park your cart there. Empty it down and it should be fine till the morning."
He said, sounding cold, much unlike how he first greeted the company. Without waiting for confirmation from them he then turned towards the door and stepped back inside. His fat flopped like gelatin as he strutted deeper and deeper in the unlit dark belly of the building. As he walked away, only Aiden could make out the hushed musings of the contemptuous man as he walked inside to most likely clean up and lit some candles.
'At least the cart will be worth something, even if this strange money may not. This is just my luck, the first group coming my way after a month and they are just a group of penniless beggars! What did I do to offend the Ancient One…' He kept on grumbling under his nose, cursing his luck, fate, and towards the end… even his ancestors. Aiden didn't bother too much, smiling at the man inwardly. He was still depicted as yellow, he wasn't hostile to them.
Though he could feel his contempt and annoyance rising the more they interacted, it was somewhat understandable to be perfectly honest. He had a business he needed to support, he wasn't a charity. Even if he weren't so cold-hearted, he could not possibly survive on empty air. From the memories Aiden had processed up till now from Archbishop and the Saurus General, he had understood that life was hard in the outskirts of Ugburg.
It was mostly lawless, the Temple Guards were only here for the show, and would rarely act out any form of justice unless it was convenient for them. They were corrupt, and most likely all of them were in the pockets of the several criminal groups that controlled these sectors from the shadows.
After parking their wooden carts in the dark alley behind the building their group of around twenty robed men walked back to the now, dimly lit entrance and walked inside.
To be honest, the building was unlike any of the inns and taverns Aiden had seen back in Higrove.
—
Tolliah looked up at the building with a curious gaze. After filling up her tummy, she was slowly growing sleepy, the long journey have slowly begun to take its toll on her limited stamina.
Seeing her papa looking at her with an encouraging smile plastered on his face, she stepped forward to take the lead. Turning her head upwards he looked at the sign hanging above the dark wood, thick door.
The signboard over the inn was rotted, and years had worn whatever name it held away long ago. The windows were dark and shuttered, yet they had nowhere else to go. Slowly, hesitantly, she stumbled towards the door and pulled at the simple handle on the door.
Nothing happened.
After a second, she pushed and the door creaked open. Mustering her courage, the young skink girl peered into the black room beyond. Her instincts told her it was a common room, a place where food or drink would normally be served. However, the inn was long deserted and a thick layer of dust covered every surface.
The single, lonesome soul in the entire spacious floor was the chubby, greasy middle-aged man standing behind the counter at the far end. Several candles were lit across the tables, providing faint, dim lighting for the weary travelers.
"[Reptilian] Come, come… Stop dawdling there like a group of morons!" The man hollered with an annoyed tone. "Though there's not much, the coins you gave will earn you two rooms and I can even throw in some grub after you settled down."
He pointed towards the wooden stairs at the side that led to the upper floors where several doors lined up both sides of the floor walls. Just like at the entrance they too looked as if a slightly more powerful sneeze could tear them down and blow them apart. The years of neglect have slowly worn them down. Just like the entire inn, it felt like everything could fall apart at any moment.
Still, it was better than being forced to spend the night in the open, in some dark corner, having to stand guard all night.
Even if Aiden could go by without rest or meditating for a single night, he needed his team to be at their best.
Silently nodding to the man, flashing a polite smile to thank him for his 'kindness', the group walked towards the stairs.
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