Saturday, October 7, 2017

Master of Strings Ch8: The Price of Room and Board

Zilo was exuberant to finally have instruments to match his skill, but after 5 minutes of walking about town using his new tools he made a sad realization, his compatriots and him didn't have a place to sleep.

"Well I'm sure me and the inn keep can come to an agreement of some sort." Said the bard with a shrug. after asking about a bit, Zilo came to a quaint little Inn on the side of the city and strolled on in, walking right up to the inn keeper.

"Hello good sir, I'm a traveling performer who has run out of money and was hoping that a few of my friends and I might be able to get a room here in your fine establishment."

The dwarf at the counter looked Zilo up and down with his beady yellow eyes be fore remarking, "You say you don't got any money?"

"Not a one good sir." Said the plucky bard with a grin.

Zilo had a thought that the floor's taste of iron made little sense from how stony it looked before realizing that the taste was coming from the blood in his mouth from the throw out of the inn doors. The shaken bard marched right back in to the inn and stood his ground.

"Surly there is something that a bard such as I can do to earn my keep." Said the bard motioning to his violin.

"Those human may let youse play for pay, but down here in Craghold that won't cover a group." Said the grey haired dwarf.

"Anything, I'll do anything for a group then." said Zilo begging so that he wouldn't make Maldrek angry, or worse yet, May.

The man looked to the stair case halfheartedly and said, "Well I do got the issue with my daughter, ya see-"

"I'll take care of it within the before night falls for a room tonight." Said Zilo smiling at the chance to make up for his mistake.

Next thing Zilo knew he was being walked into a room with a younger looking dwarf with slightly paler skin and Black hair that formed down into a short beard and a rather rotunda looking body to go with it, like the dwarf before him had lived her whole live void of the sun and only eating the grease slicked food provided in this inn.

Zilo turned to the inn keeper and said, "Forgive me sir, I thought you said daughter before."

The dwarf looked up at Zilo and said in an insulted voice, "That is my daughter buddy. Ingra Heartore."

Zilo gawked back at the dwarf, and making not that the round body did seem to have a top heavy look to it. The beard was really what was the out of place item though. He then bowed.

"I apologize milady, I'm still new to this realm and was unaware that beards of materiel plane denizens see no gender."

"Nah, that's just for us dwarves." Said the woman in a voice that seemed far to low and rough for a woman. The Inn keep then shoved Zilo forward and slammed the door, followed by a surprising lock sound in the door. Zilo twirled off the push and landed on the nearby bead crossing his legs as he fell.

"Well then, How did your father wish for me to help you?" Asked the bard as he turned to the woman who looked to be fiddling with her straps.

"He want's me to finally give him a grandchild." She said nonchalantly as her clothes fell and her underclothes were all that remained.

"Oh is that all, well then I'll just... Beg pardon?"

Before Zilo had finished his statement, he was pinned to the bed by the stout woman. She was a credit to her race, as he body looked to be much stronger and heartier than it appeared, as Zilo could both feel and see from his position.

"It's been quite a while, so please be gentle." Said the woman.

Zilo struggled, but was unable to move from under her tight grip and she was beginning to move toward his clothing straps.

"A-are you sure that your father wouldn't rather your child be a full dwarf?" Said Zilo with hope.

"Sure, but I think a mixed child would be more help round the inn, like being able to reach high places." Said Ingra as the cords of Zilo's pants came undone and she easily with one arm yanked the pants off in one fell swoop.

"Bu-but surely you don't even know me I could be riddled with bodily issues that no mother would wish on her s-son." Remarked Zilo

"It'll balance out, Im very healthy, never even had a cold in my life." Said the hefty woman as she hoisted herself onto Zilo's stomach, and knocking the wind out of him.

"Uoff! But surely you'd rather a man who will stick around and help raise it." Said the bard with what little breath he still had in his lungs.

At that Ingra stopped mere moments from yanking off Zilo's under garments in a similar fashion to she did his pants.

"You may have a point there, having a man stick around would be nice for little Ortag."

Zilo looked hopeful before the woman dashed his hopes.

"Suppose you'll just have to stick around then." She said shrugging and gripping the waistband of Zilo's underwear.

The bard in a panic shouted, "I could get you 10 men who outclass me!"

The woman turned her head back to Zilo with a shock and said, "10! you can get me that many men to help me?"

Zilo panicked, wanting to get her away from him at any cost so he played along.

"Yes, Rather than just scrawny old me, I can get 10 strong dwarf men to come in here tonight and give a go at giving you a hearty little dwarf babe." Said the sweating Bard.

The woman looked over Zilo's lithe body compared to her stalwart frame then nodded," Alright, 10 men, tonight." She said hopping off Zilo and letting him breath in viciously as if he would never get to breath again.

Zilo worriedly wandered downstairs and informed the Innkeeper of his promise, who looked like he was going to cry tears of joy.

Zilo had only 7 hours until nightfall and had to make a plan quick. He knew that actually trying to convince that many dwarves to come and go with Ingra was going to be a monumental task, so after an hour of thinking he suddenly turned at his table in the inn to Ingra sitting beside him and had the an idea.

"Tell me Ingra, what form of performances do most dwarves commonly use in merriment?

"Well they sing, I suppose some also drum since it echos in the caves real nice."

Zilo suddenly took to pen and paper and began making strange markings of what looked like feet and lines on it.

"In that case its time to try for my first Masterpiece"

After a few hours, night was beginning to come along and Zilo had practiced a bit of fancy footwork in Ingra's room. he instructed the Inn Keeper and Ingra to invite every bachelor Dwarf they could find to the inn for a show, and Zilo likewise invited his compatriots.

As the show neared Zilo told Ingra to wait in her room, ready for her suitors men to arrive.

Zilo's Friends and a large number of young, strapping dwarves soon filled the seats as Zilo looked at them all from the bar with the Inn Keeper.

"And you swear, me and my friends can stay if this works." Asked the Bard, fully dressed up and ready to perform.

"I got the rooms freed and ready for you, but how are you going to get these dwarfs up there?" Asked the man.

"Watch and see." Remarked the bard as he walked in view of all of those in the bar.

Zilo turned to the crowd with a whirl and spoke, "Hello gentlemen of Craghold, and welcome to the unveiling of Zilo Realm's first masterpiece and foyer into the realm of dance. Without further adieu, I present The Dance of Kindled Desires."

Zilo began to float his new violin into the air and playing a rapid pattern of striking chords and plucks that had an intensity that struck at the heart of the crowd. Once Zilo began to move his hips swayed and thrusted in tune perfectly coalescing into gambit of motions that would reveal the desires that living souls keep close to their heart.

Not a one person in the crowd wasn't staring fixated on the moving man, wishing beyond wish to know hoe his motions so easily fixated them and made them want whatever he had. Zilo carefully flung away his hat and let loose his restrained hair in a passionate display of joy, desire, and lust as he slide along the ground to the front of the crowd and flashed his head back as his shirt popped open and his violin fell to the ground, with everyone looking upon his shining torso.

The crowd of dwarves, just looked to the man, mouth a gap and their eyes wide and looking into every part of the man. Zilo stood and his voice lowered two tones, making his voice tickle their ears with every word.

"You want some?" Asked the rippling man who looked nothing like the Zilo that began the performance. all of the Dwarves nodded in sync.

Zilo began pointing out to the crowd and picked out 10 of the best looking of the dwarves

"All of you, get on upstairs, and the rest of you make sure to tip your server." Stated the man as he whisked his Violin and hat back to his hands and walked way from the view of the crowd. All of the dwarves stood, and the ten who were singled out marched in line up the stairs and the rest stood and dropped a huge tip to the Inn Keeper.

as Zilo walked over to the table with his companions May looked at him up and down, shocked, saying, "What was that?" Zilo looked back with a Orcus may care stare and said in his normal higher pitch tone

"Got us some rooms."

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