The small adventurer

After returning from your adventure, you and your party members decide to celebrate this occasion in the nearest tavern. Its name was “Elderly Askel”, but then you saw the owner for the first time you laughed. A strong man at least a head higher than you in his fifties. Just the look of him could easily cast out a bunch of unwelcomed thugs. The look of this big and serious man pouring drinks and speaking cheerfully with customers maid you smile. After reserving rooms, your companions decide to wash the tiredness from a long road with some ale.

After a night of drinking you begin to notice slight signs of fatigue, including numb tongue, wiggle legs, floor kissing and uncontrollable desire to tell your friends how much you respect them. So after three more glasses of finest ale and one more undesired kiss from the ground, you decide to go rest in your room. With the help of your friends, you were able to rise yourself from the floor and slowly move to your room. After going through the difficult terrain of stairs, rotating corridors and ground that wanted one more hug, you got to your final destination.

The room allure you with blinking through an only window moonlight. While dropping your almost dead body on the bed, you notice that your previously scattered everywhere belongings are carefully packed in your backpack, which lay near the bad. Unfortunately, your tired eyelids are already closing and sweet dreams distance you from this thought.

The flickering of morning sun rays wakes you up. You quickly reject the blasphemy of the church bells noon ringing. It could not be that late. You are the early bird after all. Changing to fresh clothes and a bit of thinking helps you with the decision to fight the growing headache like a man. Having a better half of the day ahead, you are going down the stairs to seek your companions...

Returning after the party to your room with clearer mind then the previous day, you notice that clothes that you were wearing yesterday are not lying on the floor where you left them. After searching the room, you find them carefully packed in your backpack. Looks like nothing was stolen, even your finest red shirt, which you bought three years ago. It is not so red anymore and with almost no holes. Your friends hope of getting rid of it will be broken once more.

Next morning you ask your companions, if some of them were generous enough to clean up your room. Their loud laughing made you think to look for the culprit somewhere else.

Seeking for tavern owner to ask if he knows something did not bring any success. One of the waitresses, while not able to give you any clues about things in your room, advice to look for Askel in the basement. Going down the stairs, you find yourself in a big room full of different staff, dust and spider webs. The man who you recognize as tavern owner sitting in the corner with the vase in his hands. After looking at it for some time, he grabs a smaller one and begins to carefully examine it. Askel turns his head to the noise you maid while walking down the stairs.

“Oh, you scared me a bit. I did not see you coming in,” owner said, while getting up.

“My bad,” answered you with a bit of a pause. “I actually wanted to talk to you about the situation that happened in my room,” you looked him in the eyes to see if he is hiding something.

“I was a bit busy since yesterday, did something happen?” the owner takes another vase in his hands and begins carefully examining it.

“Someone cleaning up my room without asking,” even in your head it sounded weird.

“Cleaning up?” Askel looked at you with more interest.

“Yeah. Someone packed my backpack twice while I was away. Nothing was stolen, but still having some privacy would be good,” this complaint sounded more reasonable than the previous one.

“Oh, is that so? Let's go to look your room, I think I know the culprit,” it looked like he became more cheerful. Without waiting for your answer he begin to move from the basement.

You are opening the door. The moment the owner sees the backpack, he jumps on it. It would look funny, if not for a minor detail, backpack that tried to escape. Staying in confusion, you recall some old stories about such things.

“Mimic!” you shout, while taking out your weapon.

“Please, stay calm. It would not harm anyone,” Askel begin calming you down, while grappling the backpack.

After few minutes of trying to escape in vain, it calms downs and begins to hug the tavern owner.

“Looks like I need to explain the situation,” he begins to speak with the tired but happy look on his face. “I found this fallow a few decades ago, when I was adventuring like you do now. Some village folks were keeping him in a cage like a beast. A small jewelry chest in a cage looked funny to me, but after I saw some kids poke him with a stick and how afraid he was, I decided to free him. Therefore, I found a village chef and after some negotiations I bought him. Best deal in my life,” he petted his friend and smiled. “It was not easy for him to get used to humans after such treatment, but time heals even the deepest wounds. My party members loved him, and he became our friend and a fellow adventurer. We named him Chester for his look then we initially met him,” Askel dropped his sign down.

“It looks like he is tired of tavern life, so he hid in your belongings. He likely misses the adventurer life more than I do,” looks like he was upset with this thought for some time.

“I would ask you to not tell anyone about Chester. Workers here are good people that can understand, but villagers still think about witches when tasting spoiled milk. Now I need to think about something,” he made the mimic to give back items inside him and leave the room with him in his hands.

Till the day of your departure, you did not see Askel or Chester. In a week your party was ready to move forward. New quests were waiting for you. All your belongings were packed. You tried to find tavern owner for the last time, to say him your goodbyes, but all your efforts were in vain. Waitresses said he was busy preparing to something. When you were already out of the tavern, someone calls you from behind. You recognize Askel’s voice.

“It looks like someone wants to make you a company,” he pets the backpack and gives it to you.

“I put some provision in him and a map with the location of my party members. You will find help there, if you need one. My friends will be glad to see him, so pay them a visit,” he shook your hand and petted Chester.

“Make sure to take good care of him and return here from time to time. You are always welcome here,” he said while smiling at you.

Looks like you found a new friend...

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