The Golden Goose

As the sun sets on the horizon, the trio walked together away from the ruins.

Rodderick kept admiring his two new companions who were filled with an air of mystery.

Edeus was the iconic image of an old wise wizard that showed up in the books he read. The girl at his side with an over sized pointy hat was a common sight in stories too, it made Rodderick felt that he suddenly jumped into a book filled with many adventures, making his heart jump with excitement.

She had long black hair and a youthful and energetic face, was she Edeus daughter or apprentice?

"Are you going to leave the corpse behind? Draconian body parts are pretty useful", the woman asked looking at Edeus.

"I don't brew potions nor do I need the money, I'm leaving it to the townsfolk, they can use the money to reconstruct their homes", Edeus turned to Rodderick. "I think we should spend the night in the town, know of a inn around here?"

Rodderick nodded eagerly, excited at the prospect of being useful to the powerful wizard.

"Yes, I know of an inn just down the road," Rodderick said, pointing in the direction. "It's called the Golden Goose"

As they approached the Golden Goose inn, Rodderick couldn't contain his excitement. He had seen the inn from the outside many times, but he had never had the money to come in as a guest. He eagerly pushed open the door and stepped inside, taking in the sights and sounds of the inn.

The main room was filled with many tables with people having dinner, talking loudly and laughing heartily. A bar stood at the back of the room, stocked with all sorts of drink and snacks.

Rodderick's eyes widened as he took it all in.

As he was about to run around he felt a hand pulling him back from his collar. "Come on, let's see if we can get a room," Edeus said, leading Rodderick towards the bar.

"W-Welcome to the Golden Goose", the innkeeper, a stout man with short brown hair and a bushy beard received the trio with a shaky voice.

As Edeus and Rodderick approached the innkeeper, the old wizard asked for two rooms for the night. The innkeeper quoted a price of 10 silver coins, to which Edeus responded by putting a gold coin on the table and telling the innkeeper to keep the change.

The innkeeper's eyes widened at the sight of the gold coin, and he quickly thanked Edeus and led them to two cozy rooms upstairs. "You can leave your things here sir, if there's any problem with the rooms or other guests, please, let me know at once. Food will be ready soon downstairs"

Edeus nodded and opened the door with the key provided by the innkeeper.

Rodderick couldn't believe his luck as he jumped and flopped down onto the soft bed.

"Alright kid, let's eat" Edeus left his long wooden staff rest against the wall and opened the door once again to let Rodderick through.

As they walked down the stairs they quickly found their companion waving exaggeratedly at them, an unnecessary gesture, given how easy she was to find in the crowd thanks to her massive hat.

"So Rodderick, ever had a good meal? You know, being an orphan and all" As Rodderick sat down at the table with Edeus.

The innkeeper approached them with three bowls in hand. "I made sure to give yours some extra meat, sir", he said with a smile while setting the bowls down in front of them.

Rodderick's eyes lit up at the sight of the food, and he eagerly reached for a bowl. Inside, he found a hearty stew, filled with chunks of meat and vegetables. It smelled delicious, and he couldn't wait to dig in.

As they enjoyed their dinner and chatted, the woman gave Rodderick a piece of meat from her own bowl.

"It this too kid, you need it to grow healthy".

"Oh thanks you miss..." He stopped. He suddenly realized that he didn't even know her name. He had been so caught up in the excitement of their journey and the prospect of learning magic, that he had completely forgotten to ask.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Rodderick cleared his throat and awkwardly asked the witch her name. She looked at him with a curious expression, and for a moment, Rodderick thought she might be annoyed by the question.

But then, to his surprise, the witch burst out laughing. "That's right, that's right", the witch cackled. Name's Ember, remember it kid, I will slay the Demon Lord and use her skull as a teapot! one day, the greatest witch to ever live!" She continued to cackle.

A spoon fell on the floor as the inn went quiet, and all eyes turned to the witch.

Exasperated, Edeus brings a hand to cover his eyes.

"What happened?", Rodderick asks looking around confused at the sudden shift of atmosphere.

"This is why you don't dine with witches, listen here Rodderick, my first lesson. If a witch ever invites you to a tea party, excuse yourself"

"Kihihi, they are a bunch of cowards, that's what happened", Ember rested her back on her chair.

A tall man at a nearby table slammed his fist on the wooden surface and stood up, his face contorted with anger.

"You think it's funny?" he spat out. "Do you have any idea how many people have died mentioning her name?"

"It's hilarious!" Ember yelled raising her arms without backing down. "It's funny, the fact that you think you will be spared by being a good little sheep. She's not your friend, eventually she will get rid of you even if you lay down and wag your tail like a dog" The witch cackled as the man's face grew angrier.

"It doesn't mean you can come here and invite problems! Get out of here! Go say her name when you are in the middle of nowhere if you have that much of a death wish!"

"Enough" Edeus gave Ember an angry look himself which finally made the witch shut up.

Ember shrugged and devoured her stew in one go with loud gulping noises.

The tall man scowled and sat back down, still muttering to himself.

Rodderick watched the exchange with wide eyes, feeling a little uneasy, he didn't understand what was happening.

The innkeeper, who had been listening nervously to their conversation, quickly cleared his throat and suggested that they finish their meal in their rooms. Edeus nodded in agreement with a sigh, and the three of them gathered their things and retired to their rooms for the night.

...

As they lay on the bed, Edeus slowly closed his tired eyes, however, Rodderick bombarded the old wizard with question after question. "How do you cast spells?" he asked. "What kind of magic can you do? How do you control it?"

"Slow down, boy". "Magic is a powerful and complex thing, and it takes time to learn and master. But don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know, but for now, sleep"

Rodderick nodded eagerly, soaking up every word that Edeus said. He knew that he had a lot to learn, but he was determined to become the best apprentice he could be.

Finally, as the moon rose high in the sky, Edeus closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, leaving Rodderick to dream of all the magic and adventures that lay ahead.