14 Breakfast At A Bar

I woke up as the sun entered the window. I was finally getting used to it, as it no longer bothered me. I quickly got ready and left the inn with just my sheathed sword at my belt, and a pouch of coins.

On my way to the food district, I realized I didn't know where the bar was. Well, I guess I'd just wing it. Once I got there, I started looking at the signs hanging outside every restaurant, cafe, and bar, looking for the words Whiskey Peak. I walked along the entire main street, without finding the bar. starting to worry, I stopped walking and started going over everything I saw.

"Hey! Lucifer!" Someone called out from my left. I looked around but didn't see anyone. "Over here!" This time, I saw Fendal waving me over from the entrance of a side street. I walked over to him and we shook hands. He had a very tight grip. Following after him was more confusing than I expected. There were many back streets and alleys that we walked through. At one point I half expected to have to jump over someone's fence, but I pushed that thought away as it was too ridiculous. At least I hoped it was.

After what felt like experiencing a life-size maze, he stopped outside a small building with the words Whiskey Peak written in fading letters over the door.

"I know it looks dingy, but I promise you the food here is amazing. You definitely won't regret eating here." Fendal said with a grin. He then pushed open the door and we were welcomed by a packed dining area. Apparently, this was were most of the guards are their breakfast, as the food was amazing and the prices were even better. Or so I was told by one of the regulars.

Fendal forced his way through the crowd and I followed a bit awkwardly behind him. Once we were on the other side of the room, I noticed a doorway I couldn't see before. It was there that we went, and to my surprise it was a private seating area. As the captain of the guards, Fendal apparantely got VIP service.

We sat down and a waitress came to get our order. "I'm ordering for the both of us, as he's never been here before." He said as he chucked his thumb in my direction. "I'll take the Savage Boar Special and a bottle of Dreamers Whiskey. He will take the Ocean Treasure."

"That'll be seven silvers and eighty coppers." The waitress said with a pleasant smile. Fendal paid for the both of us before I could protest, and the waitress left to put in the order with the chef.

"Isn't that a bit much for just two meals?" I asked Fendal.

"Normally the meals we ordered would only cost seventy coppers for the both of us, but the whiskey is what's expensive. I bought the whole bottle, and it's a decent one too." Fendal said with a grin.

Wow. That's a pretty cheap meal for a place with such a reputation amongst the guards. I had heard that the guards get paid well, so I thought it would be a more expensive place. In reality, it's cheaper than the cafe in the inn.

The food arrived just as I was thinking about that. The waitress placed a large platter on the table. On the end near Fendal, there were thick slices of meat, cooked to perfection. Juice from the meat was sliding down onto the platter, and the fatty parts looked crispy and delicious. The steam coming off of it was a sign it had just finished cooking.

In front of me however, was a massive amount of fish. There were four different kinds as far as I could tell, and each one was cooked differently and with different spices and sauces. It looked and smelled amazing.

I looked up from my food to see that Fendal was already well into his meal and I laughed as I took the first bite from mine. I almost dropped my fork. It was so goooooood!

_________________________________________

"Ugh..." I couldn't eat another bite even if I had to. I was so full. All of it was gone, and I had almost picked up the platter to lick it clean. Fendal sitting across from me looked just as satisfied and let out a groan of satisfaction himself. Apparantely the taste doesn't get old. Good to know.

At that moment, the waitress came back with the bottle of Dreamers Whiskey and removing the platter, placed the bottle on the table with two shot glasses for us. The bottle wasn't a full size bottle like I was expecting. It was a bottle barely big enough for two shots. That meant we each were getting one shot.

I looked at Fendal with a suspicious glare, and he looked away with a not so innocent look. Clearly, this was expensive whiskey! Decent my ass! It was top notch!

Fendal started pouring the shots despite my attempts to stop him. He handed one to me, and raising his own he yelled, "To the future!"

Finally having given up, I clicked my shot with him and we each swirled the whiskey a bit before swallowing. It was an amazing experience. I instantly felt like I was floating in the clouds. After a moment, I felt my vision spinning.

_________________________________________

Fendal was slapping me lightly on the cheek. "Hey. Wake up. It's been an hour since we took the shot. we need to go." I groggily opened my eyes and after a moment, his words sunk in.

"What?!?" I yelled as I jumped to my feet.

"Aahahahahahah!!" Fendal was cracking up. "It's all good. Dreamers Whiskey is called as such because it's so potent it'll knock out anyone who drinks it after a moment. But it leaves you feeling refreshed and lively when you wake up instead of hungover. Don't you feel that energy?"

I calmed down a bit at his words and realized he was right. I felt light on my feet and ready to take on the world. It was a weird feeling considering I was just waking up.

"Anyway, you came looking for me yesterday. Up until now, it's basically been me dragging you around my favorite bar, but what did you want to ask me?" Fendal finally let me get to the reason I was with him in the first place.

I unsheathed my sword and placed it lightly on the table. In the lighting it was easy to see how beaten up it was. There were nicks and dents all over, to the point it could barely be called a sword. "I need to find a blacksmith that could make me a new sword. the problem is, I don't have enough money for a steel blade, but my sword is already at a point where it's basically useless. I was wondering what you thought I should do?"

Fendal picked up the sword and looked at it for a bit. After a moment, he returned it to me and said, "Have you ever thought to get an iron sword temporarily?"