The sky was almost completely dark.
The streets of the city were illuminated with dim lamps. The lamps were on high posts, emitting a dim orange glow.
The other two passengers of the carriage had already gone their separate ways, and the carriage driver was gone to park somewhere for the night. Alaric was alone on the streets.
Unlike the country, the roads here were immaculate. They were made of smooth, comfortable stones. Without shoes the texture of the stones would be a delicacy to the feet. But Alaric wasn't feeling exactly like rubbing around his feet in random places. He wasn't like that. Not many people are.
Despite the darkness, there were still people moving about. The majority of the trade in the city happened during the daytime, but the city was always bustling. The city had relatively few local residents, but because of the trade center that it was, the city was always full with people of other nations. Alaric noticed some short blonde men with shoulder length hair, clear indicators of residents of the faraway kingdom of Clondire.
Alaric grabbed his sack of money. The sack was relatively discreet, so he didn't feel too much risk of it being stolen. Alaric looked around the city for signs indicating places to stay for the night.
This would be easy. As the city was used to hosting people from everywhere, it was filled to the absolute brim with inns and hotels. The matter was finding an affordable one.
Alaric glanced in the lobbies of a couple of the hotels near the gate. Looking inside one labeled "The Charles Hotel" it was obviously out of his price range.
The lobby had a fountain in it, and the floors were made of marble with red carpet. The hotel attendants were all wearing suits.
"Clear scam to trap the merchants into spending too much on sleeping." Alaric shook his head.
"Money should be spent on important stuff, like fishing based on occult tradition." Alaric nodded, a sign of approval towards the path he was going down.
The path he was going down consisted of deadly spikes that would puncture the feet and lock one into stagnant suffering, but the spikes were made of pure gold, making the path worth it if one could get through it and collect the spikes.
He wouldn't be able to have enough money if he spent on stuff like this.
Alaric decided to head to the east side of the town, to the area furthest away from the trade center. It took about an hour, and it was extremely dark now, but it would be worth it.
"Ones mind is like a sobbing fish and ones wallet is like a fishbowl. The more water (money) that leaks out, the more suffering that is brought. But also, if one never changes out the water, (gets and loses money) one suffers almost equally, it just takes longer." Alaric was feeling like a philosopher. But despite the bad analogy, the message was clear. Alaric wasn't against spending money, but the money had to have a use to him.
Alaric reached the less economically fortunate east side of the town. It was too far from the center of trade to reap many profits from the rich traders, so it had cheaper prices for lower quality things. A fair trade off.
Alaric saw what he was looking for.
"Cornelious' inn." A wooden sign with crudely painted black lettering greeted him. The building was completely wooden, and looked dampened from some previous rain. There was no doubt that the roof was leaky.
But the prices were low. Alaric approached the door, and as he got closer to the door, a couple skinny rats scurried out. Alaric quickly scooped one up and gripped it firmly, but not too firmly as to cause any discomfort to the rat. To tell the truth, the rat kind of liked it.
Alaric sniffed the rat.
"Smells like five charred a night. Isn't that right rat?? Isn't that right." Alaric asked the rat. The rat had one eye and was mangy and white.
The rat nodded as if to be friendly Alaric.
"You get it! Alright come with me." Alaric kept the rat as he entered the inn. One would never know when a rat would be useful. Rats were smart and brutal. When angry they could bite and induce pain. If one could tame a rat and fatten it up, it would be about 1.5 dogs worth of smarts and a quarter of a dogs worth of strength. So it averaged out to only being slightly worse than a dog.
Alaric went in the door rat in hand.
There was a chubby balding middle aged very vaguely androgynous pale man waiting for him on the other side.
"I'm Cornelious. Five charred a night."
Alaric showed all of his teeth in a smile.
"Exactly" He said.
He reached into his bag and took out five.
"One more charred for keeping the rat. You know what, half a charred for the rat and i'll give you two pieces of bread." Cornelious said.
Alaric liked him.
He took out two more charred.
"Keep one." Alaric winked at Cornelious before he headed out to his room with two pieces of bread.
The room was meager, just a standard bed, window and desk. But the price was undeniable. This was the best possible situation.
Alaric had one of the pieces of bread, and gave the other to the rat. The rat stayed in the room, and already seemed a little docile.
Alaric prepared to go to sleep, taking off his clothes other than his underwear to sleep in.
It was still his birthday, this would be his first night being eighteen years old.
Alaric's fishy eyes gently closed in the hard bed next to the rat.
Alaric slept in reality. He relaxed and allowed himself to rest. He would have to be ready for an intense economic day tomorrow.
Alaric was already asleep, snoring with a tone similar to a goose.