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Choice 4. Finally head for the inn?

With nothing left to do, Gregor set his sights on the nearest inn he had passed by earlier, a tall well-built establishment of brick, and mortar that stood three stories high, and had a sign out front that said, "the golden goose." A portentous name, if only he believed in such nonsense.

Nose twitching at the smell of food inside, he thrust open the wooden paneled doors and entered an almost vacant common room. The few orcs who sat at the tables, wore drab brown work clothes that looked up, before they returned their attention back to their drinks. The well-rounded female that bustled out of the kitchens, a plump orca with deep wrinkled green skin who immediately smiled warmly at them.

Hands wiped clean on a near spotless white apron, she hustled over towards them, long jet black hair tied up in a neat bun at the back of her head, and sparkling orange eyes glowing warmly as she spoke in a lilting tongue. "Well, aren't you two the most gorgeous things I have ever seen. Please, come inside, dearies. I can have some warm cider brought out for the little ones. I had no idea that anyone would still be traveling through these parts. What with the bandits, tribals, and gods know what else."

Hands ushering them to an empty spot by the wall without so much as a word, she waddled back and forth, setting trays of food on the table. Gregor, unable to get a word in edgewise as she continued to speak, "I must have told, Master Thoradar, a thousand times that he needs to do more than just guard the village, but the stubborn old dwarf won't listen to me. Says his orders are to stay here. But I say what good is that? If we don't get any travelers up here anymore? Trade will eventually dry up, and no amount of protection will be of much use to us then. But what do I know? I'm but a simple innkeep trying to make a living," she said with a heavy sigh.

She then held out a pair of small mugs in each hand, and said, "Here, my sweets, get this into you," the woman offering the mugs to Sara and Lytan, who looked at Gregor questioningly, before he nodded his head, and the pair of them quickly guzzled the drinks down, before tearing into the trays that held cheese, mutton soup, bread, and roasted lamb.

Gregor who was himself famished, watched with an amused smile as he tore off a hunk of bread, and began chewing on it. The flavored butter mixed inside giving a warm rich taste as he listened with half an ear, and asked, “is there a bounty on these bandits?”

+2 HP.

Eyebrows starting up at the question, the innkeeper glanced at the sword at Gregor's hip, when she finally replied, “You a mercenary?”

“Yes, and looking for work.”

Mouth pursed into a thoughtful smile, she sat down beside him, her hands brushing her knees, when she looked down at the two children, her expression softened by sadness. “The name is Myrissa, and yes there is a bounty on them, but I’m afraid that it’s not so simple as I made it out to be. Best you leave this matter to the guards and take care of your little ones. I’m sure they’ve been through a lot.”

Blue eyes jumping at the words ‘little ones’, Lytan spluttered on a mouthful of cheese, and stared at the woman in surprise, when she brushed her fingers through his dark hair. And if possible his eyes grew wider, until Gregor thought for a moment that they would pop out of his skull at being treated like a child, when Gregor finally replied, “They’re not mine. I found them on the road, and they could use a good home.”

Head tilting slightly at that, Myrissa continued to brush an indignant Lytan on the head, no doubt wondering how he had gotten so much dirt into there, when she looked back at Gregor with a sigh. “My two youngest left for the city not too long ago. If you wish I could take care of them. I’d be glad to have the company and extra hands around here. As for the bandits…” she lifted an up arm wonderingly, “I think they’re deserters from one of the mercenary companies that had been hired to clear up the countryside, and now they're led by a man calling himself the Demon. The Legion has issued a bounty of five hundred gold pieces for his head and a gold piece for every man with him.”

Teeth pulled back into what he thought was a smile, Gregor couldn't help but lick his lips hungrily, his mind already planning on what he would do with the extra stones when he noticed that Sara and Lytan had stopped eating, and were staring down at their feet. Myrissa, who had also seen their expressions grow tight, quickly stood up with a bob of her head. “I had best leave you to speak with them first.” The heavyset woman moving surprisingly fast on her feet as she left them alone, the worried glances she shot over her shoulder, vanishing into the kitchen.

Lytan, his face creased in a worried frown, immediately asked, “You’re leaving us?”

Head nodded in reply, Gregor spooned a bit of broth onto his bread, a part of him wondering if it was really that much of a surprise, before he shrugged his shoulders and swallowed down the food. “Best for you both that you stay here. Myrissa seems to be a good woman, and she’ll take good care of you. She’ll keep you, and your sister safe.”

But if anything the words seemed to anger Lytan, who knocked back the tray from the table, spilling food everywhere, his blue eyes glowing with hot tears. “She’s not my sister!”

Sara, who had curled up into a ball on her seat, letting out a soft whimper as Lytan continued, tears streaming down from his eyes. “My, da, and I found her in the woods being chased by wolves. So he shooed them away and told me to take care of her. But she’s not my sister. She brought the monsters that killed my family.”

Sobbing as he stood there quivering, he screeched, “I hate her!” his body almost convulsing in on itself as Gregor stared at the boy open-mouthed, before he felt a flood of rage wash through him, his eyes hot as iron as he was on his feet in the blink of an eye, pinning the boy up against the walls. His mouth twisted into a sneer as he whispered fiercely, “She is your sister, boy. For better or worse, she is your family now. So wipe those tears from your eyes, remember that you are a man, and a man does not run away from his responsibilities. Now tell me, what did these monsters look like?”

Move onto the next scenario.