HoloPirates: A Tale of Adventure

A Bite to Eat

We finally exited Felix's store, after having discussed all of the upgrades and haggling the price over and over again, finally getting the cost down to something that we could all agree to. With that, we stepped out of the store, still having some money left over after paying Felix, and all of us were hungry.
"I saw we stop and get something to eat." I said. "They've got a tavern down the road a little bit."
"That sounds good actually." Noel said. "I'm really, really hungry, and Cookie isn't a great cook."
"Well, I mean, you did eat the Slop. That's kind of the worst part of the meal." I said.
"Aye! Never eat the slop." Marine said, her golden eye reflecting in the twilight. "I usually just get the meat and bread that comes with the meal."
"Yeah, but I had finished my meal, and I was still hungry, so I got the Slop."
"And did you finish it?"
"No, I couldn't even swallow the first bite."
I laughed at that, and Noel joined in, followed by Marine. However, Amelia didn't laugh. All she did was look around the area nervously, glancing at all of the guards. I dropped the laugh, then looked at Amelia, who glanced at me with her stormy blue eyes.
"Amelia, lighten up. You look more suspicious."
"Shut up." She said, glancing at the knights again.
"Oh come on. I'm serious. Lose the hood. If you act inconspicuous, they won't even dodge an eye at you."
She considered my words, then, slowly, she took the hood off, letting it fall around her shoulders and letting her gold colored hair shine in the light of the setting sun. She looked around, her eyes flicking from guard to guard, making sure that nothing was happening, and thankfully, nothing happened.
"See?" I said. "No one cares. Let's get to that tavern, yes?"
"Aye, I'm starving." Marine replied.
"Me too." Noel said, and they both led the way to the tavern, leaving me to tag behind with Amelia.
"So, you said you were the top detective?"
"Yeah, I was the best one in the Kingdom for the longest time."
"I remember Noel telling me about you being a doctor, but she left out the part about the detective."
She nodded, her stormy eyes having lost the angry and anxious glare.
"I leave it out most of the time as well." She said. "I -hic- don't much care for my downfall."
She hiccuped right in the middle of her sentence, and she placed her fist on her chest as if to pop a bubble of air trapped in her throat.
"I understand that actually." I said. "Where I'm from, I wasn't really the ideal kid, you know?"
She looked at me, and for just a moment, her eyes flashed a very suspicious gleam at me, and in the flash of a second, she grabbed her monocle and placed it over her eye, the magic in the glass shining bright. As she looked over me, her eyes squinted, then they widened, as if she was surprised.
"Where are you from?"
I looked up at Marine and Noel, who were leading us ahead, and when I was sure that they couldn't hear us, I turned back to Amelia.
"I'm not from this world." I said. "I died back in my world, and I got reincarnated into this world."
"By whom?"
"The guy back on the ship, the guy carrying Jansen." I said.
She glanced back towards the ship, and she turned back to me, I could almost see the gears turning in her head.
"He calls himself the Storyteller, if that helps you."
Her eyes immediately widened, and she looked straight at me.
"The Storyteller?" She asked. "The God of the Universe? Creator of the Books Of Many?"
"I mean, I guess so." I said. "He just looks like a regular guy to me."
"He's not. He's an all powerful deity. Whatever he writes into existence, happens. But why is he here?"
"Because we have to kill a guy that's attempting to harness his power."
She pondered that thought.
"Hmm. That does make sense, but as a deity, he should have just sent someone to do the dirty work for him, unless the matter was more personal than that."
"Maybe it is more personal?"
"I don't know. Ask him sometime."
"Alright then."
As the conversation ended, we finally got up to the tavern, and when we got close enough, a smell hit me. A very, very familiar smell.
"Is that...goulash?"
Marine sniffed the air, and her face morphed into excitement.
"I think it is!" Noel said, before Marine could say anything.
All four of us ducked inside the tavern, and the moment we did, we saw a sign that was strung across the room, and it read "Goulash Eating Contest. Step Right Up!" All of us looked at each other, me, Marine and Amelia not looking too excited about it, but Noel was jumping up and down, already heading for the contest.
"Wait, Noel!" I said, trying to run after her.