UNFINISHED TALES OF GASNAR: BOOK 1 - THE CLICHÉ FOREST OF DARKNESS

Chapter I - The Old Mandatory Tavern Scene

The city of Valfenas was home to mountain dwarves and many legends. One of them tells the story of the OX Axe, about which little is known. It is heard only that it is an artifact of incredible power and that it was forged by beings of various races - dwarves, elves, humans, gnomes. Some rumors even say that halflings, a race of small humanoid beings with furry and agile feet, also helped in its construction.

This legend not only attracts beings from all regions of the kingdom but also from all of the world of Gasnar. Several adventurers wish to get their hands on this item, but it is extremely protected by its unshakable guardians, the tough mountain dwarves of Valfenas. Adventurers from all over travel here to have the honor of at least knowing part of this legend. They settle in both the Spicy Sauce tavern and other large taverns in this city. However, the first, the most famous, deserves closer attention.

In this cold time of year, when the snow begins to cover part of the roofs, the Spicy Sauce harbors barbarians, thieves, and courtesans who gather, spending gold pieces obtained by dubious means for those who do not have a specific profession like a blacksmith, weaver, or even a royal guard. But taverns do not always attract men and women of bad character. Some have interesting pasts, and a few glasses of beer could yield quite a bit of content for the bards, famous bohemians and storytellers. For example, at this moment, a large barbarian has just arrived and sits at the bar, remembering why he came and that it must remain a secret. He is Bernàbares, prince of the barbarians from the house of the great sage Bernarùgus, his master, father, and knower of the Shaman Arts of magic. This is a path of sorcery used by great tribal chiefs, mixing elements of druidic magic and divine clericalism by their pagan gods. The prince reinforced in his mind that, to be named king in his tribe, he would need to carry out a mission given by his master: to steal the OX Axe from the dwarves, which is almost impossible. However, someone with the courage and stupidity of this barbarian would have no problem trying something like that.

Just a few steps away, a dark elf covered by a cloak is sitting alone at a wooden table. His eyes hover over one of the courtesans who dances and sings for the people in the tavern. His name is Sombrak, the dark one, a ranger, forest warrior, and tracker. Abandoned in a city of gray elves as a child, he was raised harshly by these enemies of his race. Despite the incredible ability of dark elves to collect enmities, Sombrak is different. Despite the anger and resentment he harbors toward his creators, who always treated him with disdain for his differences, he still has a good heart.

The ranger came to this city with a motive, an obsession: to find the OX Axe. Although many in this tavern want the same, he has a different motivation. He wants the axe to discover his origins. The elderly elf in the city where he was raised assigned him this terrible task, and as he looks at the courtesan in the tavern, he remembers his words:

"If you want to discover the truth about your past, bring me the OX Axe, and you will have the answers you seek..."

Next to where the barbarian Bernàbares settled, there is a druid. Taking a beer he just ordered, he wears a light green cloak that covers much of his red skin and red hair. This is Alain, the mystic, druid of the house of the mysterious sages of the lands of Aká. He was given the task of destroying the artifact that everyone longed to have. The elder druids, masters of Alain, said that the axe possesses great evil power and that if it falls into the wrong hands, evil could conquer the entire kingdom of Berillion, and its malevolent tentacles could reach all of Gasnar, destroying everything that was once important to the people of this world.

Despite having different goals, these three heroes will be brought together in an incredible adventure that starts a bit clumsily, but only fate can reveal its unfolding.

Finally, Sombrak gathers the courage to get up. Half staggering, perhaps he had exaggerated a bit with the alcoholic drink, he follows in the direction of the young girl who danced and sang for everyone in the tavern. But before he could reach her, he notices a small being with almost his entire hand inside his pocket. It was a halfling thief, and Sombrak, realizing he was being robbed, tried to catch him, but he was incredibly fast, and the drink had affected the ranger's movements. The little one ran out, bothering several people and even causing one of the courtesans in the tavern to spill her drinks. Then, the ranger went after him, pushing several people. He ended up stumbling and tried to hold onto the nearest thing, bumping into the druid Alain. In turn, the druid spilled his entire beer mug on the lap of the barbarian next to him. A tense atmosphere settled between everyone at that moment, and the barbarian, not to be outdone, prepared to punch the druid square in the nose.

Suddenly, everyone in the tavern was already fighting, turning it into tremendous chaos. Moments later, Sombrak couldn't believe the scene his eyes witnessed: the barbarian threw a punch at the druid, who dodged, and when everyone thought he would retaliate, Alain quickly kissed the barbarian on the lips. Astonished, Sombrak thought:

"At least I know something about him now: he is, in fact, the mysterious figure with red hair, cloak, and questionable masculinity!"

The enraged barbarian attacked the druid again and violently this time. But this time, the punch hit hard, causing the druid to fall to the hard and dirty floor of that establishment. As if that weren't enough, when everyone least expected it, a giant tiger entered the room and went to the defense of Alain, positioning itself between the druid and the barbarian. In its sudden entrance, it scared everyone in its path and caused a pause in the chaos that was there. The animal had been followed by the city guards, who entered right behind it. Archers aimed at the beast while a sturdy, grim-faced dwarf, with an eye patch covering his left eye, apparently their leader, shouted:

"Hands on your heads, you scoundrels! Let's all go to the dungeon!"

Realizing that there were, on average, fifteen well-armed guards for the event of a fight, the barbarian said:

"To face these miserable guards, it's good that you join me. I don't want to be locked up in a dungeon with this insolent druid! If that happens, his life ends in the dungeon! Ha-ha-ha!"

Many were frightened, and few paid attention to the barbarian's words, except for the dark elf who courageously unsheathed his sword. Sombrak had been ignored due to his state of drunkenness. In the midst of this incredible tension, many surrendered, others prepared to resist, and some were already unconscious. In an attacking position, the huge tiger that had come to defend the redhead awaited orders from its master. To its owner, the guards spoke:

- Command your beast to calm down, or we'll have to shoot it with arrows!

However, the owner of the animal was still a bit dizzy from the blow he had received from the barbarian and took no action regarding the threats received. Meanwhile, at the back of the tavern, the young harlot with whom the dark elf had flirted and seemingly the apparent cause of all this remained motionless. She was, in fact, a beautiful half-elf.

At the moment that famous silence, which always precedes epic battles, hung in the air, an even more robust and stocky dwarf than the chief of the guards entered through the front door of the tavern, shouting:

- Stop right there, all of you! We still have several armed guards outside who are not here to play around. If any of you are interested in a real adventure, follow me. I am Zòin, the heir of the Axe of OX, and I need the help of brave adventurers to help me find my lost axe. Now, those who prefer a simple and useless bar fight can deal with my men!

When everyone looked in the direction where the voice came from, they noticed that this other dwarf, as grim-faced as the chief of the guards, entered the tavern followed by his guards towards the troublemakers. Initially, he said nothing, waiting for their reaction.

"Well, I agree not to waste time on this useless fight since we can profit from helping this Zòin. Ha-ha-ha!" laughed the barbarian, turning to Sombrak, who merely nodded in agreement. "And as for this despicable red creature," he continued, referring to the druid who was starting to catch up on the events, "what shall we do?"

"By the way, hic, what's your name again, buddy?" asked the dark elf, almost emerging from the stupor caused by the drink. "I am Sombrak from the forest of gray elves."

"My name is Bernàbares, ha-ha-ha!" replied the barbarian amid his laughter.

The redhead had not yet recovered from the blow he had taken, and in an attempt to surround his tiger, the guards had scared the beast away from the tavern. Then, Zòin ordered the guards to accompany the druid, and he called the other two to walk by his side. Only now did the people in the tavern see that it was a dark elf and began to look at him with disdain due to the evil reputation that such a race possessed. The only ones who were indifferent to this were the barbarian and the dwarf, the chief of the guard. A few men went along with this small group to a quieter place where they could talk. They climbed the stairs of the tavern to the upper floor and walked through a wide corridor towards a door at the end of it. Several rooms for tired travelers looking for a place to rest could be seen in this upper part of the tavern. However, there were not only rooms for guests. When they reached the final door, the dwarf opened it, revealing a large room with a large table surrounded by chairs. This seemed to be a meeting place, and, unlike other places in this tavern, it was much cleaner. As soon as everyone entered and took their seats, Zòin began to speak:

"For some time now, the Axe of OX is no longer in my possession," he said, turning his head to the door when the guards brought Alain inside, who sat in one of the chairs and began to pay attention. "Someone managed, apparently alone, to enter my quarters, which are guarded all night, discover my hidden trapdoor, remove the artifact, and escape without leaving a trace. If he hadn't been careless on the road, my informants would never have been able to follow him to the Forest of Shadows. I thought then that I had lost my axe forever since no one has ever come out of it alive, but that means the thief may be caught or, who knows, living in that place. So, I need you to enter the forest and retrieve my axe!"

Thus, with the direct approach of the dwarf, several people left the room grumbling:

"You're crazy, I don't want to die!"

"Forest of Shadows, must be kidding..."

Only the other dwarf, the chief of the guard, and his soldiers, Bernàbares, Sombrak, Alain, and Zòin remained. The dwarf continued:

"I know it's very dangerous, but you will be well rewarded. I will pay a hundred gold pieces to whoever finds my axe and returns it to me. To accompany you, I will send my nephew Gordin, the brave," he said, pointing to the dwarf chief of the guard who, a few minutes ago, was almost entering into a fight with our heroes.

"I will go!" exclaimed the dark elf.

"Obviously, I couldn't refuse an adventure like this! Ha-ha-ha-cof-cof. Hm, peculiar taste," said the barbarian, massaging his stomach and grimacing.

Alain just gave a slight smile and got up, leaving the room without saying a word. Then, Zòin resumed the conversation:

"I'm glad to find that there are still brave heroes like you, even if few. I can assure you that you will be very well rewarded when you return with the axe. Now, to help you, I will pay for tonight's stay at the tavern. I recommend that you leave tomorrow morning because, at night, that forest hides even more unpleasant dangers!" he concluded, leaving the room and waving for the guards to do the same. As they left, the ranger addressed the barbarian:

"Before I do anything else, I need to do something. I haven't been able to talk to that girl downstairs. We'll see each other later," said Sombrak, who went down the stairs and went in search of the harlot with whom he so desired to talk.

Meanwhile, the barbarian retired to his quarters, as he wasn't feeling well, while the druid was nowhere to be found. The fear that the axe would be lost forever made Zòin hasten the preparations for the group's departure. When they woke up, they would be given provisions to camp for a few days in the dangerous interior of the Forest of Shadows, and the correct path would be indicated to their confident right-hand man: Gordin. The group rested very little that night, as everyone was uneasy about what awaited them the next day.

Since the forest became even more dangerous and ominous at night, they left in the early morning, just before the sun rose. The search party had a good breakfast offered by the innkeeper at the request of the dwarf leader, and thus, they headed west from the city's exit, which would end right at the entrance to the Forest of Shadows. Zòin accompanied them to this point, bidding them farewell with a wave and a concerned look on his face. The one who didn't seem very pleased was the dark elf ranger, who apparently had not been fortunate in his courtship with the half-elf the night before. As for the barbarian Bernàbares, he still felt unwell, with a certain pain in the stomach region.