This guy is a complete creep and going to be nothing but trouble. You'd rather continue paying the Klyton supplier. Calwin grumbles a lot about wasting his time, but leaves without too much trouble.



While your mother agrees with your decision, it doesn't really help you in the money department and by the end of the week you haven't saved any money. In fact you've barely broken even.



While you're sweeping up the inn early morning, a non-descript man of medium height enters with two bigger figures. One of them is unmistakably an ogre while the other guy is just a tall muscular human. Either one could break you in half.



"Are you are Mr. Reynolds?" you ask, knowing that it has to be him.

"That would be me. I take it you're the son of my late debtor? I do hope you realize that the debt doesn't end with him dying…" Mr. Reynolds says

"No, no of course not. I've got some of what my father owed."



You hand over the most you can under the circumstances, but Mr. Reynolds looks insulted.



"My boy do you take me for an asshole? Your father used to pay me much more than this pittance!"

"It was a rough week…"

"No, no, I don't give a shit about your excuses, you've chosen to take on your father's debt so you are expected to fucking pay up like he did! (Sigh) Look, since you're obviously new to this, I'll let you off with a warning. Olaf."



Suddenly the ogre steps forward with a smile and punches you the stomach. You temporarily lose the ability to breath and collapse on the floor. When you finally do catch your breath, you promptly vomit.



"That was my warning, let's hope I don't need to do it again. Be seeing you again in a few weeks kid. Let's get out of here."



As Mr. Reynolds leaves, your mother comes running up from the cellar wondering what's going on. She helps you up when she sees you.



"Oh no son I can't let this go on. We're selling the inn right now!"

"No, no mom, it's alright, you'll see. We're going to make this place profitable and payback the loan and after that we'll be able to take the next step."

"Son, I love you, but we're not getting any further ahead. I mean if this keeps up, I'm stepping in before this place goes to hell so I can actually make money selling it to the city."

"You won't get enough for it!"

"Well I'll get enough to pay off the debt, and if worst comes to worst, I'll leave Klyton and live with my sister in Teckleville"

"You can't live with aunt Enora, you always said she's crazy."

"She is, but that still doesn't mean she wouldn't help me out."

"Look, we've still got time, I know my ideas are going to help us out soon."

"Well, I hope all your fancy schooling you gained some sort of insight that I'm not privy to. Alright we'll give it until the next time Mr. Reynolds comes around for payment."



You agree and start wiping up the floor before customers come in.



The next few days are uneventful. The miners seem to be talking to you a little more, mainly to chew your ear, either telling you how rough their jobs are and how your dad was a good man. You aren't really listening to anything they say because you're more preoccupied with the future and trying to figure out how you're going to get out of debt and more importantly how to avoid getting beat up or worse.



"So what's you're problem, Mr. Barkeep?" a miner asks, which none of them has ever done before, so it breaks you out of your trance long enough for you to utter "Huh?"



"I asked what's troubling you? And don't tell me nothin' because for the past few days you've been staring off at the walls." Davin asks. He's a bit of a loner type, mostly drinks alone, which makes his questioning even stranger.

"Oh nothing."

"Heh, I told you not to tell me that. Seriously, what's wrong? Think of it this way, you have to hear most of these idiots tell their stories all the time, now you've got someone willing to hear yours."



True enough, and you don't see any harm so you tell him everything, your schooling, the inn, the debt, and how you're worrying about all of it. He nods and listens to all of it, and it isn't until you're finished that he finally speaks.



"Could you sell this place and get enough money to pay off the debt?" he asks.

"Well probably…yeah."

"Then do it."

"What? I can't do that!"

"Why not? You'll be safe and your mother will be safe, isn't that the main goal?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"But nothing. All your other troubles are secondary when it comes to the survival of your family and yourself, or at least they should be."

"I can't just worry about immediate survival Davin, there's my future to worry about as well."

"Heh, well you'd better or you won't have a future to worry about. Look son, I know you want the whole higher education thing. I remember you used to study all the time when you were little, but sometimes you have to be realistic. I mean I had big dreams too once, I thought about becoming an astronomer."

"Really?"

"Hell yeah, but as I got older I realized that it wasn't going to happen and I was gonna be a miner just like my dad…and that's okay."

"But the inn…"

"It's just an inn son. There's tons of them in the city, it's not like we can't find another place to drink. You've pretty much made it clear you don't like working here and your mother is more than willing to sell it. You have no real attachments to it, so why put yourself through the hassle? You might not get to be a doctor, but you've still got a lot more education than most people, I'm sure you'll be able to easily find something you'll like to do more running an inn."

"I don't know…"

"Trust me kid, you'll feel a lot better if you just let this one go."



And with those words Davin heads to a table to drink by himself, leaving you to ponder your situation.

You stick with it

He might have a point on some level, but you can't just give up because some old miner gives his "sagely" advice.



Still, you do have a bit of a dilemma on your hands; you need to think of a long-term way to raise profits. Actually at this point you need a short-term way to raise profits, because Mr. Reynolds will be coming in soon to collect and you doubt if you're going to have an adequate amount to pay him. That's going to result in a beating, which will result in your mom stepping in and selling the place.



Lacking any other solution you decide to water down the drinks, in the hopes that people will end up ordering more ale since it'll take them longer to get drunk.



This solution doesn't go over well.



That very night you're already getting comments that the ale doesn't taste quite as strong, and while this does result in the miners ordering more ale, the miners are used to drinking the Klyton alcohol they normally get and can instantly tell if something's wrong with it.



By the end of the week, you're getting loud verbal complaints about the ale, and outright accusations that it tastes like water. Several miners are insulted and leave the inn claiming that they've been loyal patrons here for so long and that they don't need to be treated like this. You attempt to explain, but they shove you out of the way and tell you to go back to your fancy college.



"I wish I could." You quietly say to yourself.



You aren't optimistic about the rest of the month. Sure there's still adventurers and the odd wanderer, but not enough to turn a profit. It'll be time to pay Mr. Reynolds soon and you're going to fall short again.



Your mother can't bare to see you get hurt again and suggests forgetting all about the inn and just taking off with all the remaining money you have and going to live with your crazy aunt Enora.