Chapter 23: Isekai Life & Speculation Intensifies

We stuck to crowded streets and, if not that, deserted alleys. Even though a gap opened up around us as we traveled through crowds, we’d still rather be around witnesses than not. We saw no more of the hooded hobgoblins- presumably, the one that survived convinced the others to fall back and regroup. After awhile, we began to relax, as it didn’t look like we were being followed.
I finally began to breath a sigh of relief as we finally entered into the Lazy Ox, exhausted from the constant tension and limping.

When the innkeeper saw the state of us, he clapped at one of the serving girls and bellowed for hot towels, basins of water and needle and thread. Guess by now he was used to us showing up out of nowhere looking like dirty, bleeding wrecks.

The serving girls didn’t want to be around us, but we didn’t mind as we got cleaned up. The innkeeper dutifully sewed up all the various holes in Voss, let us wash the blood off of our faces and hands, and then pointed. “You’re getting a private dining room tonight, too.” It wasn’t a question, and I fished the gold out of my purse to pay for it.

After our clean-up, we filed into the private dining room to wait for Ashryn and Katriana.

“You know, for a prince, you’re pretty free with that cash.”

Voss looked a little unsteady on his feet, so I grabbed his elbow to help lower him down onto a bench. “Yeah, I guess ... How are your wounds?”

Voss shrugged. “Doesn’t matter too much, I’m sure Ashryn will be able to patch me up when she gets back.”

“Who’s Ashryn?” Calliope inquired.

Vos replied before I could. “Theodore’s elf girlfriend. Kind of like how you’re his mage girlfriend, I guess.”

Calliope seemed offended. “I’m not his girlfriend!”

“Well, for now.”

Why was I the one getting glared at!?

Soon, we heard the familiar sounds of the dining room filling up with patrons through the door, meanwhile a serving girl dropped off wine and cups for us while we waited.

“ ... Could those hobgoblins have gotten your friends, too?” Calliope asked, suddenly seeming anxious.

“I doubt it,” I responded, “How would they know that Katriana and Ashryn have anything to do with us?”

There was a bit of a pause from Calliope.

“So ... you and your sister are an item, then? I see.”

I realized how she was able to put two and two together and glared at Voss who gave me a helpless, good-natured kind of shrug.

While we waited, Voss divvied out the loot be scored off the hobgoblins. It was a relative pittance- a few copper pieces and a handful of gold each- but Calliope seemed pretty happy with it.

Eventually, Katriana burst in through the door to the private dining room.

“Theodore, are you alright? The innkeeper said that someone was injured...” She paused and took in the scene, then composed herself. “Hello, Calliope,” she said in an icy voice.

“Katriana,” was Calliope’s only reply.

That’s when the ever-bubbly Ashryn bounced into the room.

“Hello, Theo! Hello, Voss! Hello, new friend! I’m Ashryn Milaneth,” she introduced herself while enthusiastically shaking Calliope’s hand.

“Uh, hello ... My name is Calliope Brevins, I used to be Theodore’s classmate.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! So you’re a Wizard, too?”

“Yes ... an Invoker to be specific.”

“That’s wonderful! We could always use another mage on the team!”

At that pointed, Katriana took Ashryn by the shoulders and pointed her at Voss.

“Oh, Voss are you injured? Don’t worry, I’ve been following Theo’s advice and prepared lots of healing spells today!”

While Ashryn doted over Voss, a serving girl came in with fresh bread and bowls of stew. I guess we were spending so much money, the innkeeper was making the effort to look out for us.

“So, tell me what happened,” Katriana demanded.

We explained, taking turns speaking and filling in details each other had missed. There were a few times that Katriana seemed to want to slap herself in the forehead, but she nodded at the important parts and took it all in.

“Well, now, you’re being hunted by someone who employs hobgoblin thugs and has something to do with that cipher we found, but you didn’t come away with any other information, don’t have any clue what’s going on, and you dragged Calliope into this?”

“Well, that’s a bit unfair to say...” Calliope replied.

I was a little surprised to hear this from the Crown Princess of Criticizing Other People Today, but Calliope produced the leather-bound ledger she uncovered at the pottery shop.

“I’ll bet if I we cross-referenced any large deliveries marked down in this ledger with places large enough to house mercenaries within ten minutes’ walk or so of the pottery shop, we’ll find out where the hobgoblins came from.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch,” Katriana replied

“Maybe, but it’s a start. Sure, it’s possible that the hobgoblins were nearby or some other reason than they’re barracked with whoever is in charge of this ... conspiracy or whatever ... but remember that they had no idea that we were going to come investigating.”

Ashryn interjected. “What about checking the pottery shop again? The owner could have gone back.”

I shook my head in reply. “They’ve been careful enough, I think we can mostly assume they’d get rid of the pottery shop owner somehow. Hide him, or worse. We’ll check, of course, but not make it our only line of investigation.”

Ashryn nodded, and let the subject drop. There was an awkward silence, and then Katriana spoke up.

“Calliope, Voss ... could you give us a moment? There’s something I want to say to Theodore.”

“Should I leave, too?” Ashryn asked.

“No, I want you here for this.”

Voss shrugged, grabbed his new halberd from where he left it leaning and lead Calliope outside. For her part, Calliope gave me an amused smirk. I didn’t know how to respond, so I kept my eyes on Katriana.

“So, uh, how was your day?” I asked awkwardly.

“Well, we got our platemail ordered, which was fine,” Katriana replied, “But then I cornered Ashryn and had a bit of a talk with her.”

Ashryn pouted. “Katri was a little mean.”

Katri, now, huh?

“First of all, you can be with her,” Katrian continued, “I give you permission. She’s okay by me.”