3d6 (Caverns and Creatures) by Bevan Robert

Author:Bevan, Robert [Bevan, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: DeadPixel Publications
Published: 2015-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

The End.

A Fistful of Gold Pieces

(Original Publication Date: March 22, 2015)

Julian squinted from beneath the brim of his sombrero and peered into the bartender’s eyes. He bit his lower lip and nodded shrewdly. It was important to seem casually interested, but not too eager. A puff of cigar smoke would have rounded out the effect he was going for, but he was all out of smokes. “Please allow me a moment to discuss the matter with my companions.”

The bartender was human, but as brawny as any orc. His long, greasy dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Most of his chest and arms, exposed by a brown-and-yellow-stained wife beater, was covered in poorly rendered tattoos. He turned his head to spit on the floor, then faced Julian again. Something behind the bar shuffled excitedly as it lapped up the treat. Julian sometimes wished his elven ears weren’t quite so keen.Ravenus, sensing his unease, dug his talons into Julian’s shoulder.

Gripping the edge of his serape tightly, Julian resisted the urge to reach over the bar and wipe away beads of brown spittle still remaining on the man’s beard.He concealed a shudder in the motion of a polite bow. “Excuse us.”

Julian turned around to find Dave twirling the end of his beard around his finger, Tim impatiently toying with the hip flask in his pocket, and Cooper clawing at some grey gunk in his armpit. “Okay, guys. Huddle up.”

When everyone leaned in, Cooper’s breath hit Julian’s nostrils like a garbage truck fart. Their vast differences in size meant that everyone had to bend or kneel down to Tim’s height, which earned them odd looks from the bar’s other patrons. Huddling wasn’t going to be conducive to a productive conversation. “Second thought. Let’s step outside.” He turned back to the bartender. “We’ll be right back”

The bartender spat on the floor again and continued looking down at it as a second creature contested the first for the prize. After a bit of hissing, scraping, and a thud which shook the stonepiss bottle on top of the bar, the victor commenced licking. The bartender grinned down at whatever it was.

Julian smiled politely before escorting his friends out the door.

“Fucking hell!” said Tim, shielding his eyes like the sun was trying to physically punch him in the face. It was easy to forget how nice a day it was outside, or even that nice days were a thing, when inside a place like the Rock Bottom pub. It had that old familiar bar musk, like centuries old wood steeped in blood, smoke, and ass.

The sight of Tim taking a swig from his flask was one that, no matter how often Julian saw it, he couldn’t get used to. He looked like a stocky, alcoholic twelve-year-old.

“Don’t look at me like that,” said Tim. “It’s bound to be afternoon by now.”

“I guess I should thank you for not actually drinking that inside the establishment.” He looked up at Cooper. “And thank you all for not talking while I was conducting business.

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