The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 777 - 789: Wolf King’s Den

The facilities inside the Wolf King’s Den were somewhat outdated, but one could tell they had been meticulously maintained. Just past the entrance was a bar room filled with tables and chairs, yet it wasn’t very crowded, allowing Lancelot and his group to easily pass through. There weren’t many guests in the inn, and most were dressed finely without carrying weapons, which made Lancelot’s group seem somewhat out of place.

A pleasing song rang from the side of the hall, turning heads to see a human dressed in an extravagant outfit performing by the fire, strumming a beautiful lute. The bard noticed them too and flashed a smile at these potential customers.

Lancelot led his group through the hall to the other side where the bar counter was. A man of average build, with graying hair, and somewhat elderly stood there with a patient, polite but proud demeanor, waiting for them to approach. In another situation, Lancelot might have mistaken him for a butler of some great noble.

"Welcome, Sir Lancelot, and esteemed guests," the man opened his clasped hands and nodded in greeting, "Welcome to the Wolf King’s Den, the finest inn in the entire kingdom. My name is Coke Fror, at your full service."

"How do you know my name?" Lancelot touched his chin, "We should be meeting for the first time."

"Indeed, but a friendly reminder, it’s best not to discuss important matters on the streets."

"I see," Lancelot nodded, "Then, do you have any rooms available here?"

"About that, I have some regrettable news. We only have a single room and a double room left. However, the large room designated for miscellaneous guests currently has no occupants and contains eight beds in total. We could offer the entire room to you, what do you think, Sir?"

"Sounds good," Lancelot pulled out a small pouch of coins, "How much for one night?"

"Under normal circumstances, each bed costs twenty Gold Coins," the man pointed to a price list on the wall, "But, since we failed to host properly, you only need to pay me a hundred Gold Coins, and that includes meal charges too, though beverages will be ordered separately. Not now, you can pay when you check out."

"That’s really cheap..." Bruto muttered softly, "Much cheaper than that rip-off place in Mogrondale..."

"Although the facilities in the large room are relatively simple, they are absolutely clean and tidy, and very spacious." Bruto’s comment seemed to cause some misunderstanding in the man, who took a key from the price list and handed it to Lancelot, "The room is right in front of you when you go up those stairs; if the noble guests have any dissatisfaction with the room, please raise it immediately. I will do my best to modify it until you are satisfied."

"Thank you, Mr. Fror, you are really kind," Lancelot took the key, "We’ll come down for dinner in an hour, is that okay?"

"Of course." The man bowed slightly, then straightened up, reverting to his earlier polite yet proud demeanor, "If you would like some drinks, feel free to look for me anytime."

"I will definitely come." Bruto said, looking back as he walked, while Barrend gently tapped on his head from behind.

After unlocking the door, everyone entered the room they had rented. As Fror had promised, the room was indeed spacious and tidy, though it felt somewhat eerie, even after lighting the oil lamps beside the beds. Eight single beds were arranged in pairs, covered with wolf fur blankets and pillows, which felt quite comfortable to the touch. Each bed had a storage box for clothes and other items, and each had a nightstand at its head. At the end of the room was a bathroom with a bath, where incense was burning to mask any odors.

"This is a nice place." Barrend looked around the room with satisfaction, "Sir Lancelot, I didn’t have time to say earlier, but I truly..."

"Wait a moment."

The Human Knight shook his head at the old Dwarf, raised a finger to his lips, then pointed at Kalalin. The Scholar pulled an amulet hanging from his necklace from inside his collar and murmured a spell, his eyes lighting up with a faint magical aura. After carefully checking every corner of the room with his spell-enchanted eyes, Kalalin nodded at Lancelot, confirming that there were no abnormalities in the room. Lancelot then pinched several Dharma Decrees and summoned a pale blue light curtain, enveloping the entire room within it.

"Now it’s safe." Lancelot nodded at the old Dwarf and pulled over a chair to sit, "Uncle Barrend, I know you must have many questions, but let’s first talk about what happened over the past few days. We were in a tough spot at the Volcano Fortress when Tijana came and dealt with a very powerful enemy for us, but soon after, she left in a hurry. Later, I found out that the Oasis Fort’s delegation in Twin Bridges Town had launched an attack..."

It took Lancelot about fifteen minutes to go through the whole story, including their experiences in the Crystal Tower. Although his tone was very calm and he didn’t use any exaggerated adjectives, Barrend’s mouth hung open from the first moment and stayed that way; after all, their adventures were incredibly bizarre, even though the old Dwarf was part of the story as well.

"So that’s what happened..." After Lancelot finished, Barrend sighed deeply, rising solemnly from his chair and bowing to Lancelot, and to everyone present, including Bruto, "My most sincere friends, thank you, thank each and every one of you. Bruto, my son, you really make me so proud..."

"Don’t be like that, old dad." Bruto said with reddened eyes, "If it were me, you would have done the same thing..."

"You’re wrong, what makes me proud isn’t that my own son would risk so much for me, that isn’t something to be proud of." The old Dwarf shook his head, "That you have such a group of friends willing to adventure with you, that’s what truly makes me proud. Cherish them, my son."

"Haha, you’re too kind." Lancelot chuckled, interrupting them, "We don’t need any more pleasantries, it’s time to discuss our next move. Uncle Barrend, how do you feel? Did they torture you?"

"Just some superficial injuries, plus an empty stomach for too long." The old Dwarf quickly grasped Lancelot’s meaning, "Give me an axe and enough food, and I can take care of myself, no problem."

"Lancelot, bring out some of my spare equipment." Bruto clapped his hands excitedly, "Old dad, you should be able to move in plate armor, right?"

"You cheeky boy, dare to question your dad?" Barrend, annoyed, kicked towards Bruto’s butt, "Don’t think I don’t know, you just toss your hammer around in battle. It’s time for you to see a real Dwarf’s cleave!"