Mike and Chad were already at the small table when Drake arrived for breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs pulled him to the small table where his friends were waiting.
Ivan was sitting with them, gorging himself on a tall stack of pancakes, a thick, glossy syrup dripping from the fat man's scruffy beard. When Drake sat down, the man grinned, giving a short bow to show his respect.
The innkeeper, Mary, quickly brought out a plate filled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. A little crock filled with maple syrup was set beside it.
Drake looked up at the innkeeper, smiling, and then thanked her before starting his own meal.
"I already packed everything for us," Mike informed Drake. "Mary gave us a large supply of food and water and a tent. We can leave whenever you're ready."
Chad nodded, stuffing his mouth with food. His cheeks filled, making him resemble a chipmunk. He was enjoying the innkeeper's cooking. His mom never cooked at home, so he was taking advantage of a home-cooked meal.
Mike continued. "Ivan here, says we can take some men with us to help us scale the mountain and to help protect us from the beasts. It's supposed to be dangerous on the road to Dragon Head Mountain. That's its name, by the way. Fitting right?" he said, grinning widely.
Drake nodded to his friend, then turned to the mayor. "We need to get to a cave. It's called 'the cave of valor.' Is there any chance you have a map that can point us in the right direction?"
Ivan thought about it for a moment, a puzzled expression on his chubby face. It was clear by looking at him that he had never even heard of it. Drake's suspicions were confirmed when the man began to speak. "I don't think I have ever heard of that cave. It's not on any of our maps."
Drake frowned. If the mayor didn't know about the cave of valor, maybe it was something that the average person wasn't supposed to know about. It might be one of those things that only those on the quest were supposed to know.
Sighing heavily, Drake put his fork on the table. "We don't need men. We need a map of the area. It needs to include the mountain and the area surrounding it. We also need as much information as you can give us on the dangers on and around Dragon Head Mountain. And lastly, we need to know what to expect when it gets dark."
Ivan scratched his beard. "We don't have a map. As for the dangers, there are beasts and bandits all along the road. During the day, there are usually only Level One beasts, but the closer you get to the mountain, the stronger the beasts become."
"Are there any relatively safe places to stay for the night on the way to the mountain?" Drake asked, still trying to figure out how to get to their destination safely.
While Ivan appeared to be thinking, Drake continued to eat his breakfast.
Wiping his scruffy beard, Ivan cleared his throat. "There are several small clearings on the way. It would be a good place to sleep for the night. You should know that it will take several days to get to the base of the mountain. Once you get there, there should be a trail that leads onto the mountain, but stops after only a few feet. No one has ever scaled the mountain that we are aware of, so there is no trail that we know of that is on the mountain itself," Ivan explained. "As for what to expect at night, you have to worry about the monsters that hunt at night. They aren't beasts, and they only come out at night. During the day, the monsters turn to stone. At night, they hunt. You have to be wary of the sky because they fly."
"So, these monsters are what everyone is afraid of at night?" Drake asked. He was trying to confirm that the danger at night was these monsters and not something else entirely.
Ivan shivered, "Yes, it is the danger we face at night. Our entire town goes inside as soon as the sky is dark; before it's dark, really."
Mike and Chad looked at each other, then at Ivan. "Ivan, if there isn't just one of those monsters, how many of these things are we talking about?" Mike asked.
Ivan paused from eating his meal. "There's a whole tribe of them. It's hard to say how many of them come to our town to hunt. I can't even guess a number."
There was silence for a while as they ate. Only the sound of scraping plates and chewing could be heard. Something was bugging Drake, but he was unsure what it was. In the end, it was Chad who realized what was off.
"You go inside at night to get away from the monsters, right? How is it that they don't break down the doors to get in? What's keeping them from doing that?" Chad asked.
Both Mike and Drake nodded. This was exactly what was bugging Drake. He just hadn't pinpointed what was bugging him until Chad asked the question.
Ivan pulled on his beard. "The monsters can't enter homes without being invited."
Mike scrunched his face up. "Are they vampires?" he asked. "Do they drink blood?" In their world, there was plenty of lore about vampires. As far as anyone knew, it was just a fantasy. Being in this magical dimension showed the boys that there was a possibility that they might be real, along with other fantasy creatures. One of the points in all the literature on vampires was that they couldn't enter a home uninvited.
Shrugging, Ivan pulled roughly on his beard. It was clear he was uncomfortable. "I don't know what a vampire is, but these monsters don't drink blood. As far as we can guess, they eat flesh. That's why they come to town. They hunt villagers who didn't get inside fast enough."
Drake knew of no other creatures in all of his games or fantasy literature that spoke of creatures that required to be invited. In everything he read, they didn't turn to stone during the day either. Only gargoyles did that. Nothing said that they had to be invited, though.
Chad was frowning; he seemingly lost his appetite. "What about tents? Do they count? If we bring a tent, will they be able to enter?"
Ivan sighed. "No, they can't enter. However, tents are made from fabric or beast skins. They can easily force you out. Wood and brick are different. For some reason, these monsters won't touch either."
"That's good to know," Drake said, then suddenly took another bite, a small smile appearing as he thought about the last page in his storage book. It was a perfectly solid cabin. All he had to do was be fast enough to bring it out, and for the three of them to enter it to be safe from the monsters.
Drake's friends turned to him, seeing the smile. Both stared at him, baffled. Drake didn't seem worried about these monsters. Mary had given them a tent along with their food supplies. If tents weren't safe, they had an extremely dangerous journey ahead of them.
Drake, sensing the two boys staring at him, smiled up at them. Shrugging, he ate another bite before he spoke. "I think we'll be fine. We just need to get inside before it gets dark."
"In a tent that can easily be destroyed?" Mike asked. His anger rose with each word. "How are we going to survive on the way to a mountain that's going to take three days to get to just the base. That's not even counting the time it's going to take to scale the damn thing!"
Chad was nodding vigorously at Mike's words.
The door of the inn suddenly slammed open, and a boy who looked to be around the age of ten rushed in, his small feet pounding on the wood floor as he raced toward Ivan. After stopping at the mayor, the boy wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "Sir, Nana needs you. It's an emergency."
The mayor stood. "This may take a while," he stated, then bowed to Drake.
After he and the boy disappeared from the inn, Drake turned to his friends. "Don't worry, we'll be fine when it gets dark." He held up his arm for them to see the cuff on his forearm. "There's something in here that will help us. Trust me," he grinned.
Mike looked at Drake, deadpan. "Coins aren't going to save us."
Chad was nodding in agreement.
Smiling, Drake took the book out of his cuff, found the green ribbon, and then opened it to the appropriate page. He turned the book around so that his friends could see what was inside. Pressing his finger to his lips, he gestured for his friends not to speak, revealing what they were seeing."
After the boys got a good look at the cabin, Drake replaced the book in his cuff and casually finished his breakfast. There was a smug smirk on his face.
Both his friends were in shock. Chad couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "How did that fit on the page?" he asked in disbelief.
Drake's smile grew. "Magic," was all he said.
After their meal, the three boys said their goodbyes to the innkeeper, Mary, and then headed out to bid farewell to the mayor. They figured it would be inconsiderate if they left Draco Town without saying their goodbyes to their host. Especially after Ivan gave them a place to sleep and gave them information about what they would find on their journey.
Passing one of the villagers, Drake asked where he could find the town's mayor. After being pointed in the correct direction, the boys went to say their farewells to Ivan.