The Grand Weave

As we traversed the forest, we eventually reached the village. It was an odd combination of wood, stone structures, and enormous skulls from unknown creatures. Some of the buildings even integrated massive bones into their design.

Adorned generously were flags and banners of orange and blue, giving the place a splash of colour amongst the terrifying skulls.

Although there were some people around, the numbers were noticeably lower compared to the city. This gave the area a sense of spaciousness and emptiness, even though it wasn't actually that big.

Among the typical gathering of humans and elves, there were beastkin present who possessed aquatic characteristics. These individuals had tough blue and silver scales across their bare chests, and many had heads resembling that of a serpent or lizard.

They didn't wave pitchforks or roll out a golden carpet; the few villagers who saw us merely nodded and resumed their business. Mostly, they stopped and gaped at the sight of the car-sized bear trudging along behind us. It felt different in every way, somehow feeling like I stepped into another world.

After running across a few buildings, we approached the bulk of the village and stopped at a lone building built around a massive skull of some horned beast. Much like the rest of the village, it was covered in orange and blue paint, with several small flags adorning the ropes connecting to it.

As we entered, I finally understood how the building remained standing underneath the massive weight of the skull. Instead of building support to hold up the skull, it was attached to an equally large spine that ran below the ground. It made me realize that the village was literally built with the bones of the giants.

We entered the building and were greeted by a beastkin woman with the head of a fish. Her orange scales tapered away to black as they reached her neck. Like the rest of the islanders, she wore a brightly coloured robe that reminded me of a kimono from back on Earth.

As she saw us enter, she smiled brightly and yelled from behind the desk she was drawing on. "Greetings, adventurers, and company! My name is Alish'trala. Welcome to the Sunlight Scale Inn!"

Teddy was the first to approach, his warm smile nearly as bright as the beastkin. "Greeting's to you, Alish'trala. We have decided to come early before the festival starts. And a friend of ours recommended this inn. Would you happen to have rooms available?"

Alish'trala took on a playful smile. "Ohoho! I'm glad we made a lasting impression on one of our guests. It's good that you came early. In another week or so, we might have been fully booked." She turned around and shuffled through a shelf full of books before grabbing one and plopping it down on the table. "And how many rooms would you like to rent?"

Teddy paused and looked to Gadoor, who stepped up. "Me and my son will be taking one room, please. Just for tonight. If you can, we'd prefer two beds instead of one."

"That'll be two silver. If you had come here next week, I'd charge you four."

Gadorr sighed but still handed in the coin.

Alish'trala opened the book and flipped to the newest page. Scrolling down the neat rows of columns, she stopped after the latest entry and tapped the page. I didn't detect any mana, but a small drop of ink dripped from her finger and turned into neat writing on the paper.

It was an interesting ability, further showing me how varied skillstones can be.

"And you guys?"

Teddy turned towards me. "You okay sharing a room? If not, you can probably afford to rent one on your own after selling those gems."

"Sure. I'll still pay half if that's okay," I replied. I didn't feel too comfortable taking advantage of the man's generosity. At least this way, I could feel like I contributed my share.

I pulled out the absolute last of my silver and handed it over. All twenty-one coins were gone, leaving my coin pouch empty. Still, I wasn't worried. I'd easily make that back and then some with my new looting skill, especially if we were able to dive into a dungeon a couple of times before the grand festival.

Teddy took the coins and piled them on the table. He pulled out a single gold coin and five silver and added it to the stack. "Three rooms then, for the next three weeks."

Alish'trala accepted the coin and repeated the ink trick on the book. After that, she closed the ledger and returned it to the shelf. When she bent down, she pulled out four white tokens that looked like a coin. Each token had orange and white scales on its face. She handed one to Gadorr, and Teddy gave off two of the three to Celanae and Igas.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here. My last festival was twenty years ago. This time I plan on rooting for you guys! So if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask," Alish'trala said enthusiastically.

We thanked her again and bid Gadorr and Gawinn farewell. We could have stopped and rested for a while, but since most of our gear and items were secured inside dimensional storages, we didn't have to stop and unpack. Instead, we headed back out and walked across the village's coast.

"So where are we going? All you've told me is that there's a festival in three weeks and a dungeon here that can be delved." I asked as I observed my surroundings. Some giant bones used in the buildings made me want to draw them in my journal.

Celanae smiled at me. "We're going to the guildhall. It's customary to alert the local guildmaster if you plan on staying for long. That and they would know the dungeon's delve schedule."

Isaac guffawed with fake laughter. " As if a village like this would need a schedule. The guildmaster probably deals with adventurers maybe once a month. If even that. It must feel like a vacation being stationed here." He looked around and saw Teddy smiling. "Why are you grinning like that? You know something, don't you."

"Hmmm. Maybe. You never know," Teddy replied cryptically.

Isaac's eyes narrowed, and he stared at the man with suspicion. When Celanae giggled, he whipped his head around and pointed an accusing finger. "You too! Did your friend tell you something? Spill it."

Celanae tapped her chin and lightly hummed. "She may have mentioned a cute little cousin of hers. Something about an apprenticeship to the guildmaster. Hmmm, I'm sorry, the details are foggy.

Nobody believed for a second that Calanae was having memory issues. And the teasing in her voice was enough to send the rogue scowling. Thankfully the drama was cut short as we approached a colourful building.

Like most of the buildings in town, it too, sported a massive beast skull in the middle of its architecture. Looking up at the massive jaw of the beast, the teeth shined in the sunlight. Each tooth was easily larger than Igas.

As we entered the building, the change in temperature was immediate. The warm summer weather became nice and cool. It was like stepping into an air-conditioned store where the sun's heat was blocked and pushed away.

The hall was disorganized and cluttered, with crates and random items taking up space. Mounted fish trophies adorned the walls, showcasing different species with unique colors and traits.

Next to a table on the far right wall were two people playing a board game of some kind. At the sound of our arrival, they turned and looked at us in surprise. They put down the cards in their hand and whispered to each other.

One was a blue-scaled beastkin with the head of a lizard. And the other was a tanned elven woman with blue tattoos. Her darker skin and low-pointing ears were a stark contrast to Calanae's pale skin and high-pointing ears.

Before Teddy could say hello, a large beastkin and an older human man walked out. The man had one arm behind the beastkin's back as they walked out of the room behind them. At first, they didn't notice us, but when the beastkin saw the two at the table looking our way, he turned and stopped.

The older man stopped when his companion paused, finally noticing the large crowd filling the guildhall. He blinked a few times before his eyes widened. "Oh, hello there. Has the flood begun, then? I thought I had more time."

"Sir?" Teddy asked.

The older man shook his head and approached with an extended hand. After he and Teddy grasped wrists, he stepped back and leaned against the wall. "My name's Travis. Fisherman, alchemist, and occasionally guildmaster. I hope you're not bringing me trouble."

During his speech, the larger blue-scaled beastkin moved next to the two people sitting at the table. He regarded us cooly but I wasn't completely sure, the lizard-like head and slitted eyes were hard to interpret. For all I knew, that could have been his smiling face.

"Greetings, guildmaster. My name is Theodore, and this is my team. We wanted to formally greet the local guildmaster since we plan on staying here until the festival ends. And we planned on delving into the local dungeon. Will we need to register a time slot?" Teddy explained. While his words were directed towards the guildmaster, he slightly bowed at the trio.

It was subtle, but I noticed Isaac and Eodyne tense up. They stared directly at the muscular beastkin. Looking over, I noticed he had his fists balled up and glared at Teddy. His two companions showed no signs of aggression but were also staring firmly in Teddy's direction.

The guildmaster scratched his head, and he glanced back at the trio. "Thanks for alerting me. We don't have a set schedule for the dungeon. There are few adventurers around these parts, so you can usually delve at any time. But uh, you might have to wait till tomorrow." Unsaid was that the trio behind him were the ones who were going to occupy the dungeon today.

"That's fine. May I ask where the dungeon is located? I was unable to find information about the dungeon other than what to expect inside."

"Ah, that's expected. I doubt there'll be much information about the island. While the guild usually has jurisdiction over local dungeons, ours is located in the temple's basement. You'll have to speak to the priest there to get access, but you should be fine. Even if we're a bit isolated out here, they should recognize your badges."

"Thank you then. We'll be off. Have a good day, everyone." Teddy nodded at the four of them, and we turned to leave.

Before we exited the door, Travis called out. "Wait a moment. What's the name of your team?"

Teddy stopped and turned around. "We're called Broken Tower."

"Broken Tower? Sounds familiar." Travis stated while scratching his beard. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Wait a second! You mean the Broken Tower. That sadistic guardian's kids? My apologies, I didn't know I was speaking to a Ligh-"

Teddy held up a hand and gave a thin smile. "Theodore is fine. We're simple adventurers, Guildmaster. There's no need for that."

"Ah, well then. Have a good day," Travis said awkwardly.

As we left the building, I noticed the trio intently staring at us. Despite my curiosity, I chose to remain silent and keep walking. It was clear that the guildmaster had said something they recognized, but I trusted that Teddy would explain if I asked. Therefore, I didn't feel the need to interrogate him right away.

We entered the inn and stopped to check on Arturous, who was slumbering under some shade. After feeding the big guy his share of the fish, we headed inside and went to our rooms.

Sighing, I got off my bed and sat on the floor. A quick flood of mana made Erebus appear, and I caught him gently while lowering him to the floor. He sent over an inquisitive query, and I answered. In response, he tapped his leg in excitement and turned around, waiting.

Soon a giant fish appeared on the floor, still partially frozen. I then pulled out a really cheap mana potion and started sipping. Erebus flared his mana and disappeared inside the fish's body.

One down, nine more to go. I was going to have a major headache after this.