The candlelights were dim and I slammed my hands on the table. He looked up from his drink. There was a tense moment of silence as I glared into his eyes. He, of course, would think that I was amusing. He didn't know me, and I was only sent here by word. He could not even be the man I was looking for.
The entire inn went silent and stared. Even the walls and the glasses and the plates stared. People wore such crazy looks, I would have laughed if the matter wasn't so serious.
"You're the mountain guide?" I said simply.
The man cocked an eyebrow and held up his drink. "Mountain guide? Whatever do you mean?" His face was scarred and scruffy and he looked like he's been to a lot places. He took a swig. There were a few scattered chuckles as the inn slowly lost interest and resumed its chatter. The man leaned back and put his boots on the table rudely. "Move your hands and get your own table. Go on now."
I scowled and pulled off one of his boots, startling him. "No. You are the mountain guide! They told me you had such a crude sense of humor. It must be you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," He lowered his legs and threatened to stand up. "You give me back my boot, or I'll kick you with the other one."
"With your socks?" I said with a scoff. "No thanks, they looks stinky. I'd rather we come to a deal instead. I'll give you your boot if you talk to me."
He narrowed his eyes. "So that's how it is, eh?" The man set down his mug and stood up. "Over here."
We stepped outside away from the lights and the music and rounded the wall to end up behind the inn. It was a particularly dark night, and there was a powerful breeze. I wasn't afraid of the man, however. Although maybe I should have been. Strands of hair blew into his face as he faced me. "Now, please, the boot." By that time my eyes had adjusted and I smirked. "No. Business first, then I'll give you that boot."
"You do realize I came here with one foot in socks, right? C'mon. Give me a break."
"Well, you seemed to be having a break all week, drinking away your earnings."
"It's how I go. Don't judge me. I'm sure we all have places to be and things to do right now."
"Fair enough." I concluded and scratched the tip of my nose. "So, you are the mountain guide, are you not?"
"That depends on your definition of the mountain guide." He said simply.
"I need to get up into the mountains. My sister was taken by bandits and I must find her. I hear there are ogres in the alps."
"Sure, sure. Many ogres in the alps. How much are you willing to pay?"
"As much as necessary. My sister is... priceless to me."
The man chuckled. "And here I am abandoning my own family years ago. I like you, kid. Very noble."
"So you'll help me?"
"Aye. They don't call me the thug of the mountains for nothing. I'll need a down payment though."
I reached into my cloak and pulled out a sack of gold. They were new, polished, and even gleamed in the darkness.
"Ah!" The man was clearly interested. "This much... yes, I could do with this much." He put out his hand.
"Not so fast," I said. "tomorrow we set out, I'll pay you then. I don't want you spending perfectly good money on your drinks."
"Ah. That's how it is then... Alright, fair enough kiddo. I'll be spending it on drinks later anyway, but just to please my new employer, alright."
"So we're settled?"
"We're settled." He starts to head back around the building, but I stopped him by tugging on his sleeve and smiling.
"Your boot."
Such a compelling read! The settings described, the relationship between the protagonist and the mountain guide, and the mystery in the mountains... it's all top-notch! Once again you demonstrated another powerful motif - this one being the boot (hence the title xD)! There's something about their contrasting characteristics, one who's described perfectly by "drinking away your earnings", as mentioned in that clever dialogue there, and the other who values their sister most of all and would willingly do anything to retrieve her from those bandits and the potential ogres, myth or not. ;-; It's also incredible how the mountain guide's reaction to the main character at first seems pretty unimpressed and even rude, but later he appears to sympathise helpfully with the hero. What's more, the passage ends just as abruptly as it opened, with the final impact in dialogue there, "Your boot.", reflecting the predominant concept of this piece. Got to say I love the overall mood too - I can just visualise those themes of a bar and its blackmail, deals and late-night chatter. ;) The dim candlelight, the gossip and laughter and music of the inn, differentiates greatly from the dark, dangerous and mysterious mountains. Another thing I really like is the method you choose to describe the atmosphere in your writings, particularly in this one!! C: I was really intrigued by the way you manage to craft a setting so lifelike, it's almost like watching the tense chatter in a live-action film scene you know? For instance, the realistic mood you've set when the inn falls silent and unmoving, followed by the slow resume of talk when they lose interest in the conversation... it's quite a relatable scenario and delivers an impact that almost makes you feel as if you're in their shoes (or should I say boots haha xD). Hnngg you always end these on them suspenseful cliffhangers, this time leaving us on the edge of waiting to know what will happen to the narrator's poor sister! ;-; But then admittedly I think it's fascinating and suspenseful left as it is (like if you did continue it, it might ruin the effect). Absolutely loved this one! (Also, I just remembered I forgot to mention that I skipped the excerpts related to HG and DaC because I was afraid of spoilers... do they have any? Otherwise I'd be DEFINITELY willing to read them! 8D Having said that, I'm super behind on reading your stories aaah why am I like this?? I'll get there someday I promise!! <3)
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