Chapter 20 - The Kidnapping Part 1

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The trio appeared inside an unassuming and dilapidated structure on the outskirts of Ironforge, a city under Duke Walker's jurisdiction, famous for its blacksmiths. The dizziness quickly faded.

Flashing their identification to the waiting guards, they stepped out to find horse drawn carriages parked to the side, the drivers chatting among themselves as they waited for their next set of customers.

Max didn't care much for the bumpy ride, using the rocking vehicle to aid his endeavors at getting sleep while the two girls talked, with Amy animatedly describing the must see places in the town.

Within Ironforge, the trio sauntered around, checking things off their to-do-list. The various blacksmiths had their products on display – armors, gauntlets, swords, vests, every tool required for offense or defense.

Max had often deliberated if armor would have helped during his match with August, but the idea of trading even a fraction of his speed and agility for greater defense didn't sit well with him. So when the girls kept suggesting artifacts, his answer was obvious.

Honeycomb Inn was a four floor structure with a wooden door and its name plastered over what looked like a shield over its entrance. Contrary to its serene design, the inn was a host to a raucous group. Max's eagerness to find a bed was blown away by the at least fifty people sitting around wooden tables, guffawing as they ate. Food and wine sprayed with every word spoken. Waitresses, adorned in cheap maid like uniforms, hurried from one table to another, struggling with the increasing string of orders. It truly was a form of chaos.

"Maybe we got the wrong inn? There might be another Honey Comb inn in town?" Amy wondered out loud, bewildered. Her prior visits to Ironforge had always been arranged for by her father. As someone who had only stayed in the best hotels, she knew very little of such inns in the town.

Liliana looked at the spectacle with a smile. "That's unlikely."

"How can someone stay in a place like this?" Amy argued, "There was definitely a mistake. This is definitely a bar of some sort!"

Attempts to calm the young girl were made as Max led the way to a counter manned by a tall and overly muscular fellow adorned in a white apron. With a cinnamon stick in his mouth, the man looked grumpier than a stormy sky as he watched his customers enjoying the food. Despite his hilariously domesticated appearance, however, Max could tell that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

The man's lack of attention was a test for Amy's patience, a test she failed miserably at. She impatiently rang the small bell on the table, causing the man's brows to twitch. Annoyed, he gazed at her and asked, "What do you want? Can't you see we're full?"

His attitude alone got on Amy's nerves. Clenching her fists, she barely managed to hold back a snarl. "We have a reservation." She said with all the politeness she could muster.

Taking a cursory glance at the letters before him, the man nodded and handed over a set of keys. "We've arranged for two rooms on the first floor. Breakfast is included. Timings are six to nine in the morning." After rushing through his perfunctory explanation, he hurriedly made his way towards a table. Two men were gesticulating wildly, frequently slamming the wooden surface while in a heated discussion. A waitress stood to the side, helpless and incapable of stopping the two on the verge of a brawl. The man's arrival immediately seemed to calm the situation. He speedily placated the two who sat back down, disgruntled.

Amy secretly grumbled, stamping her way over to the stairs like a spoilt brat. Max and Liliana exchanged glances and stifled laughs as they were stopped by a girl offering to take their luggage. Unlike the other waitresses, her attire was more casual. If not for the inn's name stitched to her breast pocket, she would have passed as another one of the inn's many customers. "Let me help." She said as she took the bags from Amy and Liliana, setting them down only after reaching their rooms. Considerably spacious and well ventilated, the two rooms had near identical interiors. The beds, draped in white cotton sheets, were soft and comfortable to lie on.

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