//------------------------------//
// Tavern 
// Story: Rainbow's Lonesome Road 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

Following the guards instructions, she went back to the entrance and went down the left path. This one was pretty similar to the other one; wood and mud brick houses, broken up by the occasional store. However, this one ended in a sheer cliff face. While at first confused, she then saw a sign at the end of the lane, right next to the cliff. When she got closer, she caught sight of iron bars holding onto a green wooden sign. Getting even closer, she saw the the words and symbol on the sign. It was a long black pike, with the words The Stalwart Pike written below, also in black. It was slightly larger then the other buildings in town, being three story instead of one or two. When reaching the red door, she just shoved it open and trotted inside.

Almost instantly, a bottle hit right next to her head. Looking for who tossed it, she soon gave up on this endeavor. There was simply too many creatures in the first floor for her to pick out who it was. Next to her was a tall counter, another, slightly different looking lizard creature behind it. He wore a loose white shirt, and had an eye patch. He said, "Sorry, miss. Rowdy bunch, this lot. Can I, help you?" 

" Yeah, actually. I'd like a room, and maybe a cup of cider. " 

He shook his head. "Sorry. I can get you a room easy enough, but I got no cider. Just grog, date wine, and some cheap ale. Come back in a few days, and I'll have a fresh hatch of my famous brew. Anyway, 15 stormbucks a night for a standard room, 45 for a luxury. What'll it be?"

Void considered her options. She didn't know exactly how many stormbucks one of the gems she had was worth, but it had to be at least a decent amount. She decided to find out. "Exactly what could I get for this," she said, laying a small ruby on the counter. When he was it, his eyes grew to the size of plates. 

"Where da f*** did you get that!?" He half-shouted. A few of the patrons turned to look at them, but most seemed to pay them no mind.

She said simply, "I killed some diamond dogs that tried to ponynap me. I found this and a few others on ones corpse. Now, you didn't answer my question. Can I get a room and maybe an ale for this?"

He nodded vigorously. "You could get a luxury room for a week and still have enough for one of our good brews."

"Well, then get me change. I only plan on staying a day or two. And I'll also take.....ummmm.....an ale." He once more nodded, before swiping the red gem. He slid it under the counter, before pulling out a pile of the paper currency. He also handed her a key, and after ducking into a back room, a tankard of frothy liquor. Reminded of what the guard earlier said, she told him, "Hey, one of the guards up at the oasis said somebody named Full Tankard has left town. He said you would know what that mea-". She was interrupted by the owner slamming his fist into the counter.

"That son of a w****! Her thinks he can get away with this! Thanks. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make a reminder. One more thing. No drinking in rooms. You have to do it in the main room. With that, he walked back into the room behind the counter. Shrugging, she slung her spear into the strap around her shoulder, and walked into the main room.

It was a large, oval shaped room, with a smaller oval serving as a bar, with a smaller stage on One the walls. One board the circle, a group of ponies stood around, various instruments churning out a steady and lively song. Around the room, stood various tables and stools, arranged in no particular pattern, seemingly placed at random. Booths lined the room, ending at the stage. The whole room was loaded to the brim with creatures, with almost as much, if not more, variety of creatures than in the square. Not seeing any reason to interact with any of them, she just sat down at an open seat at the bar, hoping to enjoy her drink in peace.

Naturally, this was not to be the case. After a little while, she heard someone come up to her, sitting next to her. He said, "Well, what's a good looking pony like yerself doin' in a dangerous town like this. You could use some protection. What do ya say?" Void looked over at the stool next to her to see who was speaking with her. It was a minotaur, wearing a metal helmet, a thick leather belt, and trousers. An pair of axes hung at his side, and he wore a goofy grin. Judging from the grin and the beet red cheeks, she guesses he was drunk.

"Get lost." She hissed at him. But instead of leaving, he grabbed her forehoof, turning him to look at him. 

"Hey, I'm talking to You!" He then raised a fist. While she felt bad because he was wasted, he was still attacking her. She fumbled for her knife, eventually pulling it free and pressing it up to his gut.

"Try me." 

By that point, lots of other patrons had turned to watch them. Some looked nervous, but most looked eager, hungry to see a fight. The two of them just stood there, stalemated, waiting to see who would make the first move. There minotaur did, as he shoved her off the stool, sending the knife tumbling across the ground and the spear out of its position.

"I'll *burp* show you, ya dr-dumb b****!" He bellowed, before staggering toward her. Her weapons out of reach, void turned to the next best thing: one of the many bottles that littered the ground. Gripping one in her hoof, she swung it up, striking him in the back of the leg. He roared in pain, and drew and axe. "Oh, you dead!" He was swung it downward, but Void scrambled back, causing the axe to hit the floor. Void then leaned forward with the broken bottle, shoving the sharp end into his gut.

He made a wet grunting noise, before falling forward. He hit the ground with a thud, smashing the bottle still stuck in him. She did feel bad about this one; he was drunk. But still, he attacked her. It was his own fault. So, she then sat back up on the bar after grabbing her weapons, and sighed when she saw that the minotaur had spilled her ale. She then looked at the stunned patrons, and yelled, "What!? He attacked me!"

They all went back to their business, as it this was a normal occurrence. For all she knew, it was one. There were a few faded red blotches on the wood floor, which while she couldn't tell exactly, did resemble blood. When she looked up from the floor, she saw that the bartender was holding a freshly filled mug. He told her, "uh, compliments of the hippogriff in the back."

Taking a look at where he was looking reveal a pair of creatures sitting in a corner booth. One was what she guesses a hippogriff was; sort of pony-like, but with certain bird elements like a beak, feathers on his lower legs, and opposable hands on his forelegs. His coat was a light shade of lime, with his mane a slightly darker shade and tied back in a long tail. He wore some articulated plate over a plaid shirt, and had a curved sword strapped to his side. 

He wasn't the only one in the booth. Sitting across from him was a unciorn. Or well, at least void guessed it was a unicorn. Where her horn would be, was instead a gnarled stump, resembling a cracked tooth, while a faded scar ran over her left eye. Her coat was a dart orchid, with, once again, a lighter shade for her mane. She also wore a suit of black plate, but this one covered much more of her body, and appeared to have a black undersuit to it. She had no visible weapon, but her fiery green eyes seemed to say, You mess with me, your death Will be slow and painful.

The hippogriff lifted up his bottle like he was giving a toast, then gestured for her to come over. She didn't trust them. They seemed too similar to the ones that attacked the farm for her liking. However, she didn't want to half to fight them, which she may have to if she didn't. Plus, they had bought her a drink; she figured they at least deserved her attention. She downed her new mug, wiped her mouth, then walked over to see what they wanted.