A tavern like no other

We ascend the staircase as it creaked like it would collapse at any given moment, it really didn't like the near seven foot orc stomping on it at all. Once at the top we continued down the hall, the heavy scent of must was almost overbearing, "this place is gross" I whisper to Quinara she shrugs "it's affordable, besides we should only be here for a night". I see red "affordable" the one resource we didn't lack was money "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!" I retort offended, I lower my voice "we have money, what are we doing here?" I ask, Quinara spins round and pins me against the wall I feel her hot breath cascade across my face "I'm keeping you safe" she growls, "you don't know the city, you don't know shit!" She snaps, anger filling her eyes, terrified I maintain eye contact searching for any softness. I do find it but it's masked under the stress of a long day and the sting of an ungrateful companion, "I-I'm sorry" I admit shamefully which placates her enough to let me go.

The room was grim the cheap carpet torn and stained, the lumpy mattress looked very uninviting and the whole room had this funk to it. I bite my tongue not wanting to further provoke her after the hall, "this is... Charming" I lie poorly, Quinara shakes her head "it's one night runt. Suck it up" she commands, I nod looking through the drawers I open one to find a lot of damp mold growing in it's corner, the smell makes me gag and I quickly close the drawer before I end up losing my lunch. I remove my boots and sling my bag on the desk "I guess we should get to bed" I say wanting to just get the night over with, "you should do that runt" Quinara replies however unlike me she hadn't gotten comfy, or well as comfy as you can be in a place like this she was instead rifling through her pack. She eventually finds what she's looking for but quickly pockets it before I get more than a glimpse of the shiny object, with that she slings her pack back on her shoulders and grabs her hammer, "oh shit where are we going?" I ask quickly grabbing my boots "you're going to bed runt" she states firmly, "I won't be long don't wait up for me".
"Hold on where are you going?" I ask
"To see a friend"
"ok I want to come with" I state firmly, Quinara shakes her head, "too dangerous. You've had a long day just get some rest" she explains "no fuck that, I want to come with you. I'm trained now I can handle myself" I say defiantly staring her down, "you're staying and that's final" she says with absolute authority. I want to stand up to her but when she got serious I always crumbled, I reluctantly relent and she packs up and leaves me in this unpleasant room.

A couple of hours pass, I try to follow her instructions but a lumpy mattress and just plain wondering what she was doing had me unable to get to sleep. I wished I had something to occupy me, a visit from the stranger would actually work wonders for me but alas I was alone in this dimly lit, smelly room with only the hustle of the city outside to keep me company. I listen to the sounds of the city and I hear something else; quiet almost imperceptibly so but it's there, a sound of sniffing and the scratch of claws along the wooden floorboards. Something was out in the hall. I softly pad out of bed and unsheathe my sword, holding it in my dominant hand I place my other on the handle to the room. I listen as the sniffing creeps ever closer and closer, I grip my sword that little bit tighter and quietly open the door to the hall ready to strike on whatever this was.

Upon opening the door I see a rat, three feet in length sniffing along the floorboards absorbed in whatever it was trying to find, it had what appeared to be a black rag draped over it's body leaving only is brown furred head exposed. "ew gross a rat" I say readying my sword for a strike, the rat hears me and stands up on it's hind legs revealing that the rag was actually a cloak tied round its neck and the creature was clothed. It's beady black eyes staring into my soul "ew gross a human" it replies mockingly. I hold my swing, "YOU CAN TALK!" I say in disbelief "woah, calm down let's use our indoor voice; ok human" it says hushing me it's accent thick and foreign to me, "what are you?" I ask the rat, "what you never seen a Ratkin before? What are you, stupid?" It says as if I was the one being strange "I've seen a rat before but they don't talk or wear stuff like that" I reply pointing at his garb, a scruffy pair of pants and a tank top, his hands and feet were bare to allow his rat claws to grip as he steps closer putting a hand behind his back and pulling a small crossbow he must have had tied to his pants and concealed by the cloak out. "Call me a rat one more time I dare ya" he squeaks at me "I'm sorry, I mean no harm" I say placing my sword on the ground to prove it, "just confused" I explain.

After a tense moment he tucks his crossbow away, "fuckin humans" he gripes "always gotta be saying some shit about how we're rats. Look I'm gonna school you here, it's Ratkin. Rat-KIN. You hear me? I better not catch you calling me a rat again", I look him in his beady eyes "ok I'm sorry, I genuinely didn't know I'm from out of town. My bad" I apologise he huffs "it's fine... Thanks for apologising, I guess". We stand in awkward silence for a second before I ask "what are you searching for?" He snaps his head up to me "how'd you know I'm searching for something" his hand creeping behind his back "woah chill, you don't need to tell me I just heard you sniffing is all." He eyes me up checking me for any signs of potential threat, "alright you seem like the inquisitive type so if I tell you will you leave me be?"
"Yeah sure", he didn't need to tell me anything and I would have headed back if asked but I was bored and unable to sleep on that bed so anything to pass the time seemed like a good plan. "Ok I'm tracking someone, he owes me some money" he gets on all fours and sniffs again "and he was here three days ago, just gotta figure out where he went". I was stunned he could smell someones scent in this musty tavern from three whole days ago "you can smell that?" I ask in disbelief, "you really haven't met a Ratkin have you? I can smell that and more, you're looking at the best tracker in all the kingdoms" he boasts.

Hearing his boast I get an idea, "could you find someone for me?" I ask wondering if I could use his keen sense of smell to find where Quinara was. "I could but I'm busy, like I said. This guy owes me serious money" he states, "how much?" I ask the Ratkin "ten silvers" the Ratkin answers, a sizable amount for him no doubt but a paltry sum compared to what I had to offer. "I'll give you five gold if you help me" this was five times the amount he was owed. The Ratkin scoffs "you don't have that money" he says calling my bluff "wait right there" I tell him as I grab my sword and get back into my room reaching into my bag to pull the gold coins out. I return to him and show them off "there you see? Now you think you can find someone for me?" I ask, he looks at the money "think? I know I can" he confirms "perfect I need to get dressed but I'll be out in five" I tell him, "ok but who the fuck are you?" He asks quietly clearly reassessing his initial thoughts on me, I give him a wry smile "I'm Huck, you?"
"Royce the third, but you can just call me Royce", I inquire further "the third?" He shrugs "ma got tired of naming us after 10" he says alluding to a large family "ten!? So are you the youngest?" He shakes his head clearly this large family wasn't something abnormal to anyone familiar with Ratkin "I got five younger siblings and seventeen older ones. Now anyway get moving I wanna get paid and you wanna find whoever right?" He says hurrying me back into my room.