LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 73 – Scratchy Pinecone
With the town in sight Jason slows down. Before him spreads out a rock wall. While the wall is rough, he can tell that is only because it sees constant use. Over two stories tall, and yet there are scratch marks showing that almost reach the top. Not just small scratches either. One particular mark he can see from here goes from near the top to the bottom of the wall. Along with that there is also an occasional spot on the wall that looks melted. Both from acid and heat. Just from the part Jason is close to he can see a story of many years of constant struggle. While now the Wasteland has receded some, there are still fresh marks decorating the wall to show it still faces nightly conflict. Easy to understand why as well. All along the stretch Jason had traveled was up against the rabbit plains. While the outskirts of it are easy to deal with deeper in lives much greater threats that do not let the fiercer Wasteland creatures enter. All those monsters having nowhere to go and end up coming out here. Near endless waves of the Wasteland mutants every night. It is quite impressive that they manage to hold out despite this.
Though after a closer look Jason can tell why. Most of the guards are the type you see around these parts. Rough from years of defending the town but still not that advanced in level. However though it was only a glimpse Jason noticed someone on the wall. The man was wearing the same uniform of the rest of the guards. What caught Jason’s eye was his stance. He stood on the wall with a hard-won grace and despite looking relaxed there wasn’t a single opening. While not able to [Observe] him from this distance the man screamed ‘expert’ to Jason. If during the day they still had someone like that man on guard then the night is well taken care of.
Then Jason was at the gate. Despite taking more time than he wanted it was still an hour before they close for the night. After showing his Adventurers Guild card and paying a silver, he passed into the town. Quite the rough and tumble place. While everything had a smooth and polished exterior, this came from time and wear. Unlike a more peaceful town like Shinefish village where buildings and such had a nice polish to them to attract customers here they just use something till it stops working. Very few wood buildings are around and they clearly make the stone buildings from the local earth using magic. Even the wall is locally sourced though using more powerful magics.
Jason finishes his observations and heads off to the left. He might not know much about the town but he has an inn in mind for the night. Not the best name but from what he had heard the Scratchy Pinecone was the place to stay on his budget. Though thinking of budget Jason realizes he doesn’t actually know how much money he has. While he didn’t kill much, the Wasteland monsters should have left something for him. A glimpse into his pack however sends him running off in a different direction. While under level ten you do get some drops none of it is worth much except to turn into the Guild and right now his pack is overflowing.
Jason gets to the Guild with a half hour to spare before closing. As luck would have it though the place is not busy at the moment and he can turn in his pack full of junk. The receptionist with a practiced poker face sorts through the strange and random assortment of drops. Though a look of disappointment slips through at some of the furs. If gathered by someone through the level ten bottleneck, they would have made the Guild a pretty penny. It still will but now just for the novelty. The combinations of fur that come out of the Wasteland are hard if not impossible to mimic without high levels of skill. Then after everything is sorted, she congratulates Jason on ranking up in the Guild, “You’ve made it to E+ rank! In fact, once you break through to level ten come back here and we will upgrade you right to D-. You qualify but your level limits you. Also, while it is not much here are your earnings”, and she puts 53 silver coins onto the counter. With a nod she adds one final thing as Jason gathers the coins. “It was 52 silver and some change but it is our policy to round up when reasonable.”
With all the money packed away Jason gives his thanks and starts his way towards the inn again. The sun is almost set when he arrives at the Scratchy Pinecone. The sign out front is easy enough to identify. A giant pinecone with the words Scratchy on it. It hangs in front of a two-story stone building. While all the buildings in town are worn, this one has the weight of time on it. All the corners are worn down into curves and even the doorway is more of an oval. The door is the newest thing having been fitted to the frame but even that has to be over a decade old.
As Jason walks into the building, he takes in the room. A smattering of tables are spread through the common room. While not crowded most of them have at least a couple people sitting down talking or eating a late dinner. Against the back wall stands a female elf. Though in contrast to the usual image this elf looks like a professional bodybuilder. None of the grace Jason associated with elves can be seen but instead a raw force flows off of her. Dressed in a classic waitress outfit this lady clearly broke whatever mold she came from. Jason tears his eyes away from her long enough to glance around the rest of the room. Each of the walls is decorated with the bones of Wasteland monsters. From the finest of bones to one across the top of the doorframe Jason just entered through which is thicker than his waist. Distracted by this it takes him a moment to realize the elven lady has walked over and was asking him what he wanted. Only a great effort of self control stops him from jumping out of his skin because he did not notice her approaching him.
