Dimension System - Chapter 107

We parked our wagons at the side of The Sleeping Moon Inn. Well, Benton and Jess parked theirs, while I used my ghost dragon hand to absorb mine back into the spatial world. Judging by the number of carriages and wagons already parked, it seemed that the inn really was booked up. Luckily, I was able to send the Iron Devil Corp back as well, reducing our need to rent additional rooms.

Passing through the saloon style swinging door, we made our way into the reception hall of the inn. I was taken aback by how well-done the decor was. Expecting to find a lot of stone and masonry, we were instead greeted by an inn filled with wooden accents. A dark stained wood had been carefully spread throughout in key areas, creating a soft and hospitable atmosphere. Some of them gave off a rich scent, reminiscent of mahogany, while others seemed to be built out of quality oak wood.

A young Dwarven woman at the front desk greeted us. I’d finally gotten the answer to something I always wondered about. Yes, she had a beard. However, it wasn’t nearly as large or prominent as the male Dwarves that I’d seen so far. Braided into an intricate pattern, it was somehow able to take on a feminine appearance. I tried not to stare, as that would just be rude.

“Welcome to The Sleeping Moon, we’re pretty booked up with the Beer Festival coming. I think that we still have a room left, however, it may not be enough for all of you.”

I made sure to drop the only name I knew.

“Makdroid said to mention his name?”

Her face went from a slight pout into a smile. She had been hesitant earlier, not wanting to turn us away.

“Let me get the owner, Melkar. He’s Makdroid’s cousin and might be able to work something out with you.”

After the young lady headed off into the back office, a thin Dwarven man approached the front desk. He wore small spectacles that were gold-rimmed, which was matched by a fine suit and glistening pocket-watch on a chain. A folded cloth handkerchief sat in his breast pocket, rounding out the altogether elegant aura of a successful businessman. His beard was large, however, it was also surprisingly well-groomed and appeared to be regularly trimmed to uniform length.

“I heard my receptionist mention that you’re friends of my cousin?”

Mr. West answered, since he was the one who knew the Dwarf in question.

“Aye, that’s right. He told me that Melkar Smeltaxe runs the finest inn and anywhere else wasn’t worth staying.”

Almost breaking out in a hearty laugh, the owner stopped himself at the last minute, settling on a slight guffaw. As if remembering his composure, he leaned onto the elevated desk, while responding to us.

“Ha! That sounds about right and it is. The other inns are dirty and charge twice as much! We’ve got one room left and a spare servers’ quarters. If you want another room, you’ll have to convince some of the other guests to give one up.”

Bringing out some gold coins, I payed for the available rooms.

“We’ll take the rooms that you’ve mentioned and I’ll see if we can free up another room.”

Counting out the coins, Melkar placed them into a nearby drawer. After that, he escorted us into the dining hall where the guests were eating and drinking.

“Hoho, I’ll have to watch this!”

Several parties of Dwarves were dining together in a quiet and refined manner. Unlike the boisterous taverns, everyone here was mindful that the other guests were sleeping in rooms nearby. Fitting all of Mr. West’s’ ranch hands in a single room wasn’t going to be very comfortable, so I wanted to try and get at least one more room for our party. Therefore, I addressed the room in an attempt.

“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt everyone. Is there anyone who might be able to sell us an extra room?”

I was rebuked immediately by laughter and ridicule.

‘Why should we give up a perfectly good room to a stranger?’

‘We’ve had these reservations for months, no way we’re just letting them go.’

‘You might have better luck occupying one of the wagon stalls outside.’

It was well within my expectations. After all, I was a foreigner in their eyes and only a human. However, I was prepared for this reaction. Motioning the others to join me, we found an empty table and sat down. Then, I quietly brought out some beer and snacks. Hopefully, I’d be able to entice someone into giving us another room.

Being very attuned to alcohol, some of the nearby guests immediately noticed the high quality beer. Some of them even started sniffing at the air, hoping to locate the source of such a wonderful aroma. The blend of unique ingredients from the spatial world, coupled with an amazing brewing system, had produced something that was above and beyond what was available in their stronghold.

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I’d cast the net, figuratively speaking. Now all I had to do, was wait and reel it in. One of the former hecklers approached, as if being pulled over by the nose. Noticing the small tapped keg, the dwarf tried striking up conversation.

“Greetings, young lad. I couldn’t help but notice that fine ale you’ve got. Would you be interested in sharing some of it?”

While I knew it was petty, I took the opportunity to throw his own words back at him.

“Why should I give up a perfectly good beer to a stranger?”

The entire room went silent for a moment. Then several of the guests, including the owner, burst out into a reserved laughter. It was almost as if they were trying to suppress it but had failed. He hadn’t been expecting such a response and was shocked by it. Looking over at his companions, he called out to them, which caused them to stop laughing.

“What are you lot laughing at? If ya keep it up, I’ll be giving your room away to this lad.”

Stopping mid-laugh, his friends resumed a serious look, not wanting to lose their room during such a busy time. He quickly turned to apologize and caught sight of my grin. I didn’t want to humiliate the dwarf and was only having a little fun at his expense. Not wanting to take it too far, I gave him a cup of the Pale Ale that we were currently drinking.

“Ah, you got me pretty good lad! Suppose I earned it though. Glad ta see there’s no hard feelings.”

He shook my hand, while grasping the cup with his free hand.

“Don’t worry about it. Just a little playful banter. Cheers, to everyone’s good health!”

We all clinked our cups together, taking a hearty gulp of beer afterwards.

Smacking his lips, the dwarf was obviously impressed by the quality. He seemed lost in thought for a few moments, as if frozen in time. When he came out of his temporary stupor, he thanked me and rushed over to his compatriots. Everyone was eager to see his impression. Was the beer as good as it seemed?

I watched, along with the entire dining hall, as he poured a little of the remainder out for his friends to try.

“Nice and slow lads, this is definitely one to savor!”

Taking his advice, they slowly quaffed the samples of Pale Ale. The result was unanimous approval.

‘Damn, that is just too good!’

‘Ahh, takes me back to when I was wee lad.’

‘What an interesting and deep flavor!’

A quiet discussion broke out among the group after they’d finished. The other patrons leaned over in a comical manner, straining their ears to eavesdrop. After deliberating with one another, the same dwarf rushed back over.

“Me and the lads just had a discussion, regarding your situation. If a few of us double up and sleep on the floor, we can give you our third room. Of course, that depends on if you’re willing to give us the rest of that keg there?”

Everyone’s curiosity rose up another notch. Just how good was that beer?

There was only about half of the keg remaining, which they’d already taken into account. Not wanting to cheat them, I decided to make it worth their while.

“This one’s almost gone, how about I trade you the room key for a full keg?”

His eyes went wide and he almost fell over due to sheer shock. He momentarily forgot his composure and replied quite loudly.

“You mean, there’s more of it?”

Melkar chided him to mind his manners, while I brought out a fresh keg to bargain with.

“Quiet down will ya! Folks trying to sleep.”

Waving his arm, he apologized for the outburst.

“Sorry, I got carried away is all. Won’t happen again.”

After that, we exchanged a room key for the keg of Pale Ale. With two rooms the ranch hands would just barely be able to fit. One could be used for the ladies, while the other could be used for the men. Handing over the room keys to Mr. West, I explained my thoughts and he agreed. This left the small severs’ quarters, which would be perfect for Jessa and myself.

Before heading off to bed, I topped up the groups beer and snacks. With a great mound of seasoned curly fries, fish sticks, and other finger foods, they were all set for the rest of the night. Finishing our glasses of beer, Jessa and I snuck away to the small room. After a brief renovation, courtesy of the system, the interior was replaced by a lavish and comfortable bed. Alone once again, we had plenty of fun experimenting with some new positions.

The next morning we were somehow able to wake up on time. Taking our time, we set about bathing each other and washing up to clean ourselves. Once that was taken care of, I was able to restore the room’s previous furnishing. Exiting together, we casually made our way into the dining hall area. Many of the same guests from last night were there, in addition to a few new faces. We quietly found an available table and sat down for breakfast.

I was eager to see what kind of food the Dwarves ate!

We didn’t have to wait long, as one of the servers soon brought us a menu. Unfortunately, neither of us understood the written language of Dwarves. When the server returned for our order, we just asked for some traditional breakfast dishes. Seeming to understand our predicament, they assured us that it would be right out.

After a few minutes, we were brought a large tray containing unknown dishes. Thanking our server, I payed for the meal with a few gold coins. Then we turned our attention to the strange foodstuffs. Several thinly sliced cold cuts of meat were present, only one of which I recognized as goat. Next to that were bread-like loaves that consisted of an earthy green color. The smell reminded me of moss and the texture was very grainy.

A large bowl of stew was the centerpiece of the tray. I could see pieces of potato and onion, which sat alongside several different types of mushrooms. Next to the bowls, a small pile of grey crystals could be seen. Licking my finger and tasting a few of them, I discerned that it rock salt, which could be added to taste. There was also a jar of red and green vines, which gave off the scent of vinegar. Deciding to try it, I found that it had a slightly sweet flavor, as if someone had pickled fruit.

I enjoyed the new dishes, having fun eating them together with Jessa. All of them were quite tasty and many had very unique flavors. As we dined, her father and the rest of the ranch hands eventually joined us in eating. Having invited them on the trip, I payed for their meals. It wasn’t really an issue, as the cost was only a handful of gold coins. At this point, everyday expenses were negligible.

The portions were quite large, having been intended for Dwarves. Jessa and I had worked up quite an appetite and were able to finish our plates. The others, however, were only able to finish between half and three-quarters of the generous servings. I absorbed the leftovers into the spatial world and decided not to check on the prompts right away. Given that the stronghold was in a mountain, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know exactly what was in that food. At least, not right after eating.

As the server took away our empty plates, trays, and bowls, we saw that many of the guests were starting to head outside. I asked one of them where everyone was heading, wanting to confirm if the Beer Festival was starting soon.

“Everyone’s heading ta the festival. It’s going ta be the best one yet!”

Thanking the innkeeper for the rooms, we followed the crowd outside. Benton was going to ask a few of his ranch hands to stay behind and guard the wagons, however, I offered to simply store them inside my spatial world. He agreed and the men were thankful that they didn’t have to miss the festival. With our belongings safely stored away, we didn’t have to worry about anything happening to them.

Locating the Beer Festival was easy, since everyone on the streets seemed to be heading in the same direction. In the center of the city, at what I assumed was their main square, a large area had been cordoned off. Guards had been stationed all around to prevent unauthorized access. They directed everyone to the entrance booth, where a long line had been formed. As we queued up to join the line, we observed the area.

Dwarves were collecting an entrance fee and providing simple stone amulets in return. I imagined that they probably functioned somewhat like tickets, proving that one had already paid the entrance fee. Inside the sectioned area, many different booths and tables had been setup, where people could be seen sampling different beers and ales. There were also stands that were selling snacks to go with all of the drinks. The entire thing reminded me of the chili cook off that we had in my home town.

While we waited in line, I observed how they kept track of the transactions. It seemed that the stone amulets were given a set amount of charges, that were used to acquire the various samples. People would present them and one of the charges would be used up, then they were given the item. There were a few booths setup, where people paid with gold coins for additional charges.

Proceeding in orderly fashion, we’d finally made our way to the front of the line. I paid for the stone amulets and we made our way into the event. Once inside, we were all able to split up and begin heading to the various booths. Jessa and I decided to stick together, holding hands and walking past the numerous tents.

Since we weren’t familiar with the language, we just picked a few samples at random. Before long, we had a variety of different beers, which we carried on a specially designed beer flight. It was basically a long wooden board with holes, with each hole being just large enough to fit the sample cups. Much to our delight, Dwarven sample cups were the size of a regular human glass! It was a good thing that it had sturdy handles on the sides.

Finding an open table in the central seating area, we sat down with our sampler. From here, we were able to observe the band that was playing music. They were currently playing an epic sounding ballad in their native Dwarven language. While we couldn’t understand what they were saying, it still sounded really good.

Casually chatting, laughing, and flirting, we spent some time together enjoying the delicious beers. After a few glasses and many more songs, we started to get a little hungry and wanted to try one of the Dwarven snacks. I asked Jessa to watch our spot, making my way over to a nearby stand. They were serving some kind of large fried lizard tail on a skewer. I wasn’t sure what kind of spices they’d used but it smelled amazing and looked very juicy.

Returning with two of them, I saw that a drunken dwarf had approached Jessa and seemed to be pestering her. Trying my best to remain calm, I approached quickly to see what was happening. I could hear them arguing as I got closer.

“Why won’t ya let me join you fer a drink?”

“I’ve already told you, I’ve got a boyfriend!”

“I don’t see ’em here right now? Are ya just making up excuses?”

Reaching the table, I held out the lizard tail to Jessa, who happily accepted it. Noticing my arrival, the drunkard’s face scrunched up, distorting with his visible displeasure. I wrapped my arm around her, emphasizing that I was the boyfriend she just mentioned. Then, I told the drunkard to buzz off.

“Get lost short stack!”

Apparently, I’d hit a nerve. How was I supposed to know that they hated having their height insulted?

“Short? SHORT? Fuck yer ancestors, ya bastard!”

Tossing his beer down in rage, the drunkard reared back in a wobbly fashion, clearly telegraphing that he was about to punch me.

I quickly used my ghost dragon hand to absorb his belt, causing his pants to fall down to his ankles. This caught the drunkard by surprise and made him fall during his windup. Embarrassed, he tried calling out to the nearby guards for help. Perhaps, he was counting on the fact that we were humans to work in his favor.

A pair of guards quickly made their way over to us, asking what had happened. The drunkard tried to lie and say that I attacked him.

“This human attacked me!”

The guards could smell how drunk he was and didn’t quite believe his story. When they started asking for details, his story quickly fell apart.

“Look, he’s got a magic hand and he took my belt! Check for yourself.”

Checking my arms, they only found two regular looking hands. I’d converted my ghost dragon hand back to it’s regular appearance, long before they arrived. Apologizing for disturbing us, the guards started to escort him out of the event.

“Looks like regular hands to me. Sorry to bother you folks, some Dwarves don’t know how to handle themselves. Please enjoy the rest of the event.”

Grabbing him by the arms, they berated the drunk dwarf while he was being removed.

“As for you, I think you’ve had plenty of beer for today! Picking on a young human couple, have no shame? Let’s go.”

Turning back to Jessa, I tried to lighten the mood.

“So… about what you said earlier. Does that mean we’re official now?”

Pouting, she responded in a playful manner.

“Why? Do you not like me?”

Pulling her a little closer, I reassured her that I did.

“Of course I like you!”

Looking into her eyes, I tried telling a dirty joke to make her laugh.

“We can have a little tail now and maybe later, you can give me some more tail?”

She raised an eyebrow at me for a second, before laughing so hard that she made a snorting sound. Once again back to being playful, she lightly punched my shoulder.

“You’re insatiable!”