Chapter 10: The West Gate Inn!
-----After resting up a bit and munching on a quick supper, the trio of thieves leaves the guild hideout. The dwindling twilight carries a chilly wind and the clouds overhead move quickly. Soon the young thieves enter through the town gate and pay their two coppers apiece. They arrive just as night falls.
-----The streets of the town seem more barren than the thieves have seen them before. Many of the market stalls look as if they have been closed up early. They walk along to their left and soon stand across from the Two-Door Tavern. The usual boisterous sounds from the place have been quieted and what people are out seem more interested in hurrying to their homes.
-----As they wander down the street, Gimplefwick keeps a wary eye out for any assassins or roving carnivorous apes bent on destruction. "Arrr, shiver me timbers, I guess we could go to a weaponsmith." He then pulls a small cracker out of his belt pouch and manfully attempts to stuff it in his dead parrot's mouth. He keeps this up for several minutes until he is satisfied that the parrot is well fed and no longer hungry.
-----The trio bypasses the tavern and moves on up the street that passes by Dofgar’s jewelry shop. Light from candles and lamps shine dimly from the upstairs windows inside the houses. The Full Flagon tavern seems almost as quiet as the Two-Door. As they pass by Dofgar’s, they can see the dwarf sitting by his window working on some small item in his hand.
-----As they cross a side street, they can see the Open Hearth Inn to their left, its fancy street lamps glowing warmly and invitingly. They then pass by the small triangular plot of land that features a rock cairn. All the time, the thieves feel as though they are the only ones left in town as they hardly see another soul on the streets.
-----As they move two more blocks up, they see, on the corner, the shop of Grindor, the dwarven weaponsmith. A warm light comes from the open door where the sound of a hammer pounding on an anvil also emits. As they are about to enter, Kazel and Gimplefwick hear a fluttering and turning see Seth’s crow settle on the half-elven musician’s shoulder.
-----Standing outside in the street outside the forge, Kazel seems to cheer up at the warm glow and din of the forge. "This won't take long. Just checking if I have something to pick up," she says to Gimplefwick and Seth as she strides into the shop.
-----Seth smiles as the crow lands. He searches in his pocket for some crumbs, and failing to find any sacrifices half a piece of pork fat to feed his friend. He looks up, "Oh, go on ahead into the weapon shop, I’ll wait out here." He begins cooing and cawing to his friend and generally disregards the other two as they go about their business with the weaponsmith.
-----Gimplefwick peers into the window of the weapon shoppe and elects to remain outside, "As long as I have me trusty cutlass, I needs no other weapons. Errmmm, besides me sling that is."
-----As Seth and Gimplefwick stand by the corner of the weapons shop, they suddenly see three people round the other side of the building and stand looking at them. One of the people is a mature woman with brownish hair and cat-like green eyes. " Oh," she slightly exclaims in her surprise.
-----The youthful girl beside her stares at the two thieves with large blue eyes that catch the glow of the light coming out of the door. She wears her hair short and almost goes into a crouching position.
-----"Hey," comes a gruff voice from the gray-eyed dwarf with them, "ya know where’s we might’n be findin’ a fine inn in this here town o’ yers?"
-----All three people are wearing non-descript clothing and have nothing impressive looking on their persons. They look as if they are travelers new to the town.
-----After a few minutes or so Kazel comes out of the shop looking rather cheerful and brandishing a shiny new dagger with a knuckle-duster as part of the handle. She then sheaths it and holds out the bent short sword from a few nights ago that the thieves acquired from the large humanoid. Turning to Gimplefwick she says, "The smith said this bent sword here is enchanted and is worth about 2000 gold! I was thinking if you want to be using this... or should we just sell it later?"
-----Kazel suddenly realizes a few feet away are the three people.
-----Gimplefwick eyes the bent short sword that Kazel proffers, "Argghh. It might not be as fine as me cutlass, but it might be more useful in the upcoming battles. Maybe I can get a smith to bend it a bit more for me." Gimplefwick accepts the shortsword with many thanks, "Aye, if'n this sword works pretty well fer me, I'll see if that ring I took from that scurvy wench is worth anything. If it is, I'll trade it to you fer the sword."
-----Gimplefwick then turns to the approaching trio and says to the younger woman with the blue eyes, "Well, hello there wee lassy. Do you be wantin' a piece of candy?" He then leers at her suggestively and quirks one eyebrow lasciviously, "Have ye ever been with a halfling before? I be knowin' of this charmin' little place just up the street from here, if'n ye want to ditch yer friends fer a couple hours." The Dread Pirate then sticks his thumbs in his belt and awaits an answer. The parrot on his shoulder seems to look completely disgusted at Gimplefwick's crude behavior.
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