Chapter 56 - First day in the city

Chapter 56: Chapter 56 - First day in the city Yaci and I walk the road, approaching the southern gate of the city of Amapytu. There is a flow of people coming in and out, and the guards aren’t stopping anyone. "Don’t look at the guards; act naturally." I whisper to Yaci, and then she takes a position one step behind me, behaving as a bodyguard would. I am using an illusion to make my clothes look more like what a human young commoner girl would wear on a travel through the countryside. I’m using the same spell on Yaci, but in her case, I change her clothes only just enough to seem like normal leather armor used by humans. We pass through the gates without being stopped, which comes as a big relief for us. After we’re inside the city, we keep an eye on any clothes shop we might come to find. When we find one that looks suitable, we enter to buy clothes for ourselves, so we wouldn’t need to rely on the illusions all the time. I buy a little frilly dress that makes me look like an innocent little girl, incapable of doing harm to a fly. Yaci, on the other hand, chooses a loose robe, which lets her keep the leather clothing below it as a layer of defense. ::: The next task on our To Do list is to find an inn. We want one that is near the northern gates to make it easier for us to make the run later. Preferably one that isn’t too big or crowded, further away from the main streets. "I wouldn’t go in that direction if I were you, little girl." A street food seller calls to us when he sees us walking in the direction of a side alley from the main street. "Huh? Why?" "That way’s the slums. You’ll only find violence and regrets there. It isn’t a place for nice little girls like you." He speaks only to me, completely ignoring the existence of Yaci at my side. The man doesn’t seem to be lying about it, and I indeed remember going through some slum-like place between the den and the city walls. "Thank you. We just arrived at the city, and we’re looking for an inn, more on the cheaper side. In any case, I just noticed that I’m a bit hungry. I would like one skewer and another for my companion." There are some daring humans who prefer to make money by buying cheap and selling high, rather than trying to kill monsters themselves. When the tribe finds those, we sell the spare materials to them. This way, the tribe has some money, and we were given enough to live for a couple of days in the city. "Here. It’s six coppers." I pay with coins I take out of my purse, which is dangling from my belt. It has only pocket money; the real money is in Yaci’s backpack. "Thank you for your patronage. If it’s an inn you’re looking for, I suggest that one." He points to a nice inn that’s a hundred meters down the main street. "Isn’t it too pricey? It looks more on the nicer side." "Oh, there’s a cheaper one, but it’s also a bit shadier. If you go down that street, you’ll find it on your left side. It’s called the Blind Lamprey." "Blind Lamprey, huh? It’s a weird name for an inn in a city so far away from the sea." "Beats me. The owner’s a weirdo. I wouldn’t normally point it to a customer, but you said you want something cheaper..." "Oh, that will do. Thank you very much." "Okay, if you’re going there, tell Boss Levinna that Foodie Ivor sent you." "I’ll say it. Thank you again!" We go to the place he pointed out. ::: "Are you sure about this, Aurea?" We’re in front of a shabby building, which has a sign with a faded lamprey and the barely legible ’Blind Lamprey’ name on it. It looks exactly the kind of place that would be used as a base by groups with names like "Shadow Thieves" or "Assassin’s Guild" in old-school cRPGs. In other words, the kind of place guards will turn a blind eye to. After all, organized crime only goes rampant when the law enforcers are a part of the crime themselves. Which means that, as long as we don’t overstep into anyone else’s business, it’s the safest place to hide fugitives for a couple of hours. "Yes, Yaci. The guards will think twice before coming here, and that’s what we’re looking for." She sighs, unconvinced, but follows me inside. The hall of the inn is just a bit better than the exterior. At least it’s clean, which is better than I expected. Besides that, it looks like a rundown downtown bar. The kind of place my father used to frequent back when I was little, on Earth. Which gives me a sense of familiarity. I go straight to the counter, where a woman is looking at some notebooks with a strained face. "Hello. I would like a room for two." The woman puts away the notebook and looks at me, then tilts her head quizzically. "Are you sure you’re in the right place, girlie?" "Yes. Foodie Ivor pointed me here and told me to look for Boss Levinna." The woman’s face softened at the sound of those names. "Then you need to look no further. I’m Boss Levinna, at your service. A room for you and the fox girl, okay." She leans to get something from a box behind the counter, then comes back up with a key. "Upstairs, second door to the right. We don’t need any names here, and please don’t ask anyone’s name as well. We receive the payment upfront, two bronzes." I hand her the coins without questioning. It looks like one night’s stay at this inn is the equivalent to eight skewers in a random street stall. Sounds fairly priced. She then hands me the key. "Welcome to the Blind Lamprey inn, girlie and foxie. You may come and go any hour of the day and night, no questions asked. Just, please, don’t do anything to disturb the peace of the others’ lives."