Animal Kingdom- Riot

by Aaron Oster

“We’re looking for information,” she said, lowering her voice. “Would you happen to know someone who deals in hard to procure info?”

  Marty rubbed his chin for a moment, eyeing her critically and for the first time, turning his gaze on Arthur and Hopps.

  “I might,” he finally said, turning his eyes back on her. “Depends on the kind of information you’re looking for.”

  “The kind that the lovely kitties would kill for,” she replied, not beating around the bush.

  Marty blew out a breath, the sound rattling out in a sigh.

  “What have you gotten yourself mixed up in, Tally? You know what? I don’t wanna know,” he said, holding up a hand. “If you want information, especially the type you’re after, you’ll have to talk to The Rat. You can usually find him in the Marsh District. He hangs out at a bar called Boarmaid. That’s all I know.”

  Talia nodded, dropping a silver coin on the counter.

  “Thanks, Marty. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

  Talia’s face softened, and she nodded.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  She turned to go, but Arthur stopped her. He’d spotted the armor sitting on the counter, and he was getting tired of not having anything other than pajamas to wear– he’d been forced to remove the cape before they entered the city and was once again without any armor.

  “Would you happen to have any clothes that might fit me? Preferably ones that won’t impede movement.”

  Talia groaned audibly, and a glint came to Marty’s eyes.

  “Of course! For a friend of Talia’s, I’d be happy to help!”

  23

  They left the marketplace nearly two hours later, heading for a recommended inn in the Marsh District. Arthur’s coin pouch was a good deal lighter, but he was finally wearing some decent gear and had stocked up on some potions and trail rations, as well as a couple of items he’d thought might be useful down the line.

  “You know that cockroach took you for a ride, right, mate?” Hopps asked, eyeing Arthur’s new armor with more than a little envy.

  “Yup!” Arthur replied, not caring in the least.

  He’d paid a full 5 gold coins for the set of four armor pieces, but it was well worth it in his mind.

  Item Found!

  Name: Spring-Steel Shirt

  Durability: 65/65

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Armor Type: Chest/Back

  Armor Rating: 4

  Set Number: 1/4

  Item Found!

  Name: Spring-Steel Pants

  Durability: 60/60

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Armor Type: Legs

  Armor Rating: 4

  Set Number: 2/4

  Item Found!

  Name: Spring-Steel Scarf

  Durability: 30/30

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Armor Type: Neck

  Armor Rating: 2

  Set Number: 3/4

  Item Found!

  Name: Spring-Steel Spiked Bracers

  Durability: 65/65

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Armor Type: Arms

  Armor Rating: 3

  Set Number: 4/4

  You have equipped a full set of Spring-Steel Armor.

  Set Bonus: +5 Intelligence & Charisma

  While the armor itself didn’t have a particularly high Armor Rating, the set bonus more than made up for it. Plus, it made him look badass!

  The dark gray metal gleamed in the late-afternoon sun, the tight weave of the metal conforming perfectly to his body and allowing for swift motion, even with all the armor equipped. The slivery scarf trailing behind as he walked also made him feel really cool. That was, until Talia told him he looked like a moron walking around with a scarf in ninety-degree weather.

  “You’re just jealous!” he snapped back at her, tugging self-consciously at the scarf.

  “If that’s what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night, frog boy,” she said with a shrug.

  “I think it looks right nice, mate! Badass.”

  “Thank you, Hopps. At least I know that I have one friend in this shitty city.”

  “Ah, I see what you did there!” Hopps chortled while Talia just rolled her eyes and sped up.

  This didn’t really work out well for her, seeing as they were both quite a bit faster than her. She was forced to ask them to slow down once they’d really started moving.

  “If that’s what the princess wants, so shall it be!” Arthur proclaimed, pulling into a sweeping bow.

  All that did was earn him a slap to the back of the head. It wasn’t a hard blow, but with Talia’s massive Strength, it nearly knocked him flat.

  It didn’t take them long to reach the Marsh District and find the Boarmaid. It was an interesting looking building, to say the least. A massive tree had been uprooted in the city at some point. Most of it had been removed, but the base of the trunk had been left, leaving a mass of roots reaching into the sky.

  The entrance was built into the bottom, and looking up, Arthur could see several shutters. The inn was about twenty feet tall, not including the roots, which made Arthur wonder just how large the tree had actually been.

  A large sign, depicting an ani-human Boar woman wearing a very low-cut maid’s outfit and holding a mug of beer, greeted them.

  “How…charming,” Talia said, eyeing the sign with clear distaste.

  Arthur had to wonder why she was acting jealous of the sign. After all, she probably could compare with the assets of the Boar. He wouldn’t dare tell her, though. He had also decided that despite her good looks, he wouldn’t let himself think of her as anything other than a friend. So he had to stop thinking about her assets.

  “They’ve gotta attract customers somehow,” Arthur replied with a shrug.

  “Oh?” Talia asked, her familiar smirk playing around the corners of her lips. “You see something you like, frog boy?”

  Arthur didn’t dignify her question with a response, instead walking around her and opening the door. Pushing past her would have made a bigger statement, but he knew he’d just bounce off her if he tried. He could hear her and Hopps’ sniggering as he entered the bar, but he chose to ignore them, going for a dignified silence.

  A wall of noise hit them as the door swung open, and Arthur took the place in. The entire first floor was a dining room, with a bar set along one side. Ani-humans and Intelligents sat on tree stumps, around wide, round tables, eating and chatting.

  Waitresses in the same low-cut uniforms as the boar on the sign bustled around the room, carrying platters and avoiding groping fingers. There were no bar fights going on at the moment, but Arthur suspected that those would start once the patrons had the opportunity to drink a bit more.

  “How can I help you, dears?”

  Arthur looked up as a six-foot-tall Cow-woman bustled up to them, smiling warmly.

  “We’re looking for a couple of rooms for a few nights,” Arthur said, having to crane his neck to look the woman in the eye.

  “We only have a suite left. There are two rooms, but there won’t be a door between them. Is that a problem?”

  Arthur turned to Talia, who shook her head.

  “No, we can just hang a blanket or something. How much per night, and are meals included?”

  “It’s 14 slivers a night. Meals and baths are included, as well as any extra amenities you might need.”

  Arthur winced at the price, but after doing the math in his head, he figured he wasn’t getting a bad deal. 14 silver was the earth equivalent of 140 Dollars. For that, they were getting two rooms, three meals, and a bath.

  “Sounds good,” Arthur said, digging into his coin pouch and handing the woman a single gold coin. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be staying, so can we collect the change, if there is any, once we leave?”

  “Of course, dear,” the woman said, writing something down on her pad. “Follow me to the counter to get your room key. Would you like
your meal now, or later?”

  Arthur looked back to Talia once again.

  “I don’t mind either way,” she said with a shrug.

  “We’ll have it now, then,” Arthur said.

  His stomach was grumbling from hunger, and if they were going to a seedy bar to talk to someone named The Rat, he would like to eat beforehand.

  “Very well, dears.”

  They stopped by the bar as she walked around and fetched their room key, handing it over to him. She then waved a waitress over and told her to take care of them.

  “If you need anything else, just ask for Beth, and I’ll be happy to help,” the Cow woman said, flashing them one last smile before bustling back into the busy dining room.

  “Follow me, please,” their waitress, a…well, Arthur couldn’t exactly tell what Race she was.

  Her skin was honey-colored, and her features soft. There were two small patches of white scales tracing her jawline and on her eyelids. He wanted to ask, as he was curious, but didn’t know if it would be considered rude.

  Luckily for him, after she sat them down and gave them each a menu, Talia commented about her.

  “Don’t see her kind around too often,” she said, watching the waitress’s retreating back. Hopps squatted next to her, looking over the flat wooden board he’d been provided, as opposed to the paper menus she’d provided Arthur and Talia with.

  “What do you mean?” Arthur asked. “What Race is she?”

  “Never seen one of the Dragonkin?” Talia asked, resting her chin on her palm and tilting her head to the side, her red irises seeming to pierce into his very soul.

  It was extremely disconcerting when she looked at him like that, but Arthur was quickly becoming used to it, even if he didn’t particularly like it. Red eyes just weren’t a color he was used to seeing on someone.

  “No. I honestly didn’t even know they existed,” Arthur replied.

  “Can’t say I’m surprised,” she said, picking up her menu and beginning to browse. “Dragonkin aren’t naturally born; rather, they’re a rare mutation that happens to some Amphibians and Reptiles when choosing a Class.”

  “Really?” Arthur asked, now a lot more interested.

  “Cool your jets there, frog boy,” Talia said. “The chances of it happening are like one in a million, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”

  Arthur felt his excitement ebb away at that, and he turned his attention instead to the menu. He was very hungry and could think about Dragonkin another time. As he perused, he was glad to see that there were still normal food options available to him. He didn’t care what Hopps said, he missed eating normal food and wasn’t going to subsist on a diet of insects while in the Animal Kingdom.

  “Are you ready to order?”

  Arthur looked up to see the Dragonkin girl standing there with a server’s pad and pen. They each told her what they wanted, and she collected their menus. Once she left, Talia stretched out her hand,

  “Here.”

  She dropped a handful of silver coins on the table.

  “What’s this for?” Arthur asked, confused.

  “Did you think I’d be freeloading off you?” she asked with a grin. “I have plenty of money, and it’s only fair that I pay for my half of the room.”

  Arthur shrugged, accepting the money and sweeping it into his pouch. He wasn’t in a position to refuse money. He’d already given up nearly half his coin to get his armor and those potions, and he had a feeling that he’d need every copper he could get.

  The meal was delicious, the best he’d eaten since finding himself trapped in the Animal Kingdom. He tore into the fluffy white bread and steak with gusto. He had no idea what kind of meat it was or if the owner simply didn’t care, but it was amazing!

  Talia had, predictably, ordered a salad, and Hopps had ordered a pie of some kind. The pie was presumably stuffed with insects, though Arthur didn’t pay close enough attention to say for sure. By the time they were done eating, Arthur was feeling decidedly exhausted and not at all in the mood of heading to a seedy bar and talking to a shady character.

  But the longer he waited, the harder it would be to find the information he needed. The Feline raiding party couldn’t have been too far ahead of them, a day at most, so they had to act now, while the trail was still hot.

  He wasn’t about to risk all his items, so he decided to first go up to the room to leave their bags.

  The room was pretty nice. It had two connecting rooms, as Beth had said. They each contained a single bed and a large fluffy mat, which he assumed was for the Intelligents that would visit and couldn’t fit on a bed. It was perfect for them, since Hopps had grown another half a foot since he’d leveled up, making the beds too narrow for him.

  Arthur took the front room, while Talia took the back. She didn’t bother hanging anything between the rooms just yet, saying she’d take care of it later. Arthur stashed his bag under his bed, wishing that there was a way he could bind it to himself to avoid theft. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be such a thing in the Animal Kingdom.

  He tucked his Carver into his belt, took a couple of Health potions, and tucked a few silver coins into a pouch, leaving the rest in his bag. He didn’t want to bring anything else with him. He would have left his Carver here, too, if he didn’t think he might need it. He left his armor on, despite the fact that the scarf was a bit shiny. The bonus justified the risk.

  “You ready to go?”

  Arthur stood, turning to see that Talia had ditched all her items, aside from her armor and the ever-present hammer peeking over her shoulder.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Arthur replied.

  “Good, then let’s go interrogate a rat.”

  24

  “You sure about this, mate? This place doesn’t exactly look like a stand-up establishment.”

  “Don’t worry, Hopps. If anyone bothers you, I’ll smash their heads in,” Talia reassured the nervous frog.

  “Let’s try and avoid any head-smashing. We’re trying not to attract any attention, remember?” Arthur said, eyeing the seedy bar.

  It was dark out, and the only light available came streaming out of the cracks and foggy glass of the dilapidated shack hidden behind a tall mound of earth. They were on the far outskirts of the city, the moss-covered wall just thirty feet from them.

  The area smelled rancid, like rotting vegetation and week-old garbage. Mixed in with that unpleasant smell was the now recognizable scent of blood. There were also the sounds of crashing furniture and raucous laughter from the interior, which didn’t exactly sound welcoming to him.

  “Don’t be such a wimp, frog boy. If they sense weakness in a place like this, they’ll eat you alive. Now come on.”

  She pushed past him easily, shoving the door open with just a little too much enthusiasm. The door slammed open, sending a shower of splinters into the air and immediately attracting the attention of everyone inside.

  Talia didn’t seem to care, ignoring all the hostile stares and marching straight up to the filthy bar. Arthur trailed after her, doing his best to look intimidating but keeping his gaze sweeping over the room for the first sign of trouble.

  Hopps wasn’t as reserved. He tended to say whatever popped into his mind, regardless of the situation. And this time was no different.

  “Bloody hell! It smells better out there than it does in here! And the outside is a freaking dump! Does everyone here just crap on the floor and leave it there?”

  All eyes turned on Hopps, and Arthur had to hold in a groan of annoyance. He’d been hoping to avoid a fight, but Hopps had just come in here and basically asked for it.

  “You’ve got a real mouth on you, frog!” one of the patrons – a five-foot-tall Ram with massive curling horns- said, turning to glare at him.

  Arthur saw that the Ram’s wool had been blackened on one side of his face, and an eyepatch covered his eye. If it weren’t for the dangerous situation they now found themselves in, he might have fou
nd a sheep wearing an eye patch to be hilarious.

  “Oh, come off it, you ugly wanker!” Hopps said, gesturing around. “It stinks, and you know it.”

  The rest of the patrons burst out laughing at that.

  “He got you there! You are an ugly bastard!” another one of the patrons said, pounding the table so hard that Arthur thought she might break it.

  The Ram stared at him for another long moment before a very disturbing grin spread across his face. It was hard to tell that it was a smile – with the eyepatch, it just looked like he was baring his teeth at them. Then, he started to laugh. A loud, bleating sound echoed through the bar, joining the other laughter and the insults directed at the bartender.

  “You heard him, Bernie! This place stinks like shit!”

  “You should clean up more often!”

  “You’d think someone died in here!”

  That last one caused the laughter to redouble, making Arthur clutch his dagger harder. The way they were laughing told him that someone had been killed here, and that everyone knew about it.

  “Come! Pull up a cushion and join me. Name’s Greg, how about you?”

  “Name’s Hopps, Boss,” Hopps said cheerily, hopping over to sit by the bar alongside the Ram, with Talia and Arthur trailing behind.

  It was an interesting setup, as the bar had been designed with both ani-humans and Intelligents in mind. The bar was normal height, but the stools were odd. While some were obviously made for ani-humans, others were flat and wide, some thin and narrow, while others were long. There was even one that appeared to be a pole with a hook poking out of one side – he assumed this one was for snakes.

  “Anything to drink?” the bartender asked as he sat down, wiping a glass with a very filthy-looking rag.

  With his Tier 2 Poison Touch, Arthur now had a 40% resistance to poison. But he still wasn’t about to take his chances.

  “No, thanks. I’m good,” he replied.

  “None of that now,” Greg the Ram said. “First round’s on me!”

  When neither Arthur nor Talia asked for anything, Hopps piped up again.