After her class you approach Dr. Gossey about your situation, she of course is sympathetic.



"Yes, yes, I understand. It must be hard for you, running a business like that and attending school, let alone paying for it all. I'm not exactly sure how I can help though, I have hired all the student assistants I need and I doubt if you would have the time for it anyway."

"Isn't there something I could help with, I dunno like an experimental project I could participate in or something?"

"Ha ha! No, I'm not Dr. Kovas…but now that I'm thinking about it I may have something. You are aware that my other specialty is zoology right?"

"Yes, I know, you've even discovered some new species in the past."

"Ah back when I was younger and more adventurous. Nowadays I tend to hire adventurers to explore for me to find strange and new beasts."

"Wait, you don't want me to go seeking new creatures do you?"

"Oh no, again you wouldn't have the time and you could get killed without the right equipment and proper training for such a thing. However, you do own that inn of yours do you not?"

"Yes, I own it."

"Good, now I'm going to let you know something that few other do and you must swear that you will NOT mention this to anyone else on campus especially staff!"

"I won't."

I have funded an expedition to the Sotakan swamps south of here. Naturally this was incredibly dangerous for several reasons, but most of which is the capture of the elusive daquala. I'm sure you've heard the stories of the beast."

"Stories, I've heard it's more legendary than anything. Don't the Sotakans revere it as the living embodiment of one of their gods?"

"Something like that, anyway the university wasn't too keen on this expedition and refused to help, so I had to use my own funds. I've gotten word that the adventurers I hired have succeeded in their quest, but I just need some place to keep the beast for awhile before I can clear everything with the university like potentially dangerous wildlife, rogue funding, ignoring safety measures, and the rest of usual red tape shit. Your inn would be a good safe place to keep it I think and I'd certainly pay you well for your trouble, plus you'd make money on the adventurers I hired who will stay there."



This information is a little overwhelming and you have several questions.



"Okay, first of all how dangerous is this creature? I mean how do you know they got it? I thought it was more of a scary myth than anything else."

"I know they got it, because after I received a message from the adventurers that they had succeeded, I took a trip last week just outside the Elven-Sotakan warzone to see it for myself and the creature in question fits all the common descriptions of a daquala, as well as some of the more fantastic descriptions. The only reason why I didn't bring it with me is because I'm trying to keep this as quiet as possible and I can't be seen with this creature until I clear it with the university first. Plus I knew I was going to have to figure out a way to indirectly bribe the Klyton Milita not to ask any questions when this group brings the beast through. As for how dangerous the daquala is, well apparently it killed one of them, but if you're worried that this is some hulking monster, it isn't. It's about the size of a small dog. It isn't even that noisy and spends most of its time camouflaged and sleeping. The adventurers I hired will still be looking after it while they stay at the inn, so you shouldn't worry at all."



This all still sounds a bit dangerous to you, but after asking exactly how much money Dr. Gossey is going to offer you for this task, you really can't refuse. You agree and Dr. Gossey thanks you and gives you the names and descriptions of the adventurers who will be arriving to your inn in a few days.



You spend the time in between preparing your best rooms and keeping them unoccupied in preparation for the adventurers. This causes a few questions from your staff who notice you're turning people away from staying here, but you just tell them that you've got some special guests coming who are going to be spending a lot more money.



Eventually one of the adventurers arrives. He's a wiry man with a goatee and wearing leather armor with a couple of flintlock pistols strapped to his sides.



"You must be Hanon."

"And you must be the inn keeper. I trust you have our rooms ready?"

"Yes, four of you right?"

"Two actually, used to be six at one time, but more loot for the rest of us I suppose. I'm guessing you have a cellar where we can keep the beast?"

"I have a cellar, but I was told you'd be keeping with you."

"Oh no, we're not spending anymore time with that fucking thing! It might not live up to the legends, but it's dangerous enough."



You're more than a little worried now.



"Uh…should I even be keeping it here?"

"Probably not, but I'm guessing that Gossey's paying a lot so you're willing to risk it. (Sigh) Look, we've got the creature locked up in a mithril cage with three spell wards on it, it's not going anywhere, but we're just sick of damn thing and all the trouble we've had to go through to capture it ALIVE. The little bastard seems calmer in the darkness, so I figure your cellar will be a good place to keep it while we wait. I'll check on it twice a day, it'll be fine."



This is all starting to sound a little more complicated, but again you don't have much choice. You're going to have to get Alan out of the cellar though and you'll have to make sure none of the girls get any drinks from there.



"Okay, I guess bring it on in then, go around the back though, it'll attract less attention."



Hanon nods and heads outside, and you quickly go get Alan to explain to him that you need him to sleep in one of the rooms you originally set aside for the adventurers. He doesn't quite understand why, but he obeys your orders to not go into the cellar for a while.



You open up the backdoor and see Hanon and a very large man carrying a cage with a black cloth over it. He must be Benjamin. After a walk short walk, you pick an unused part of the cellar to place the daquala. No sounds have come from the cage at all.



"Is it alive?" you ask.

"Yeah, it's alive, it just sleeps a lot. Good thing too, because it's quite vicious when awake. I'll have to feed it in a few hours though…hey I see you got your own brewery here." Hanon says looking over at your stills. You didn't even think about that when you brought them down here.



"Oh yeah, that…uh I trust you won't tell anyone."

"Bah, if we're keeping this daquala situation quiet, you certainly don't have anything to worry about. Okay I think Ben and I are heading up to our rooms, it's been a damn long trip and actually sleeping in a bed instead of the fucking wilderness for once will make a nice change."



As Hanon and Benjamin head up to their rooms you immediately call the rest of your staff to tell them to not go into the cellar for awhile and if they need to refill the alcohol, you'll do it. While this creates less work for them, they're getting curious about what is going on. After all they're seeing adventurers come out of the cellar, Wendy already noticed the cage being brought into the back of the inn, and the various other changes you've been making lately.



At this point you figure there might be fewer potential complications if they know what's going on, so you explain everything.



"Oh that's fucking wonderful. You're using this place as a zoo for dangerous animals now?" Rita says.

"Shhhh! Keep your fucking voice down!" you say.

"How dangerous is this thing? I mean could it get out? I heard stories about the daquala when I was a little girl and they still scare me to this day!" Eliza mentions.

"It won't get out. Precautions have been taken. Trust me."

"I sure hope so, because if that thing gets out and attacks one of us…well I don't think I need to mention how much shit you'll be in. Did you tell Alan to get the hell out of the cellar yet?" Wendy says.

"Yes, he'll be staying in one of the rooms upstairs and I told him to not go into the cellar."

"Hmmm well I guess I'm glad you threw me out of this place when you did, because there's no way I'd live here with a killer monster in the cellar. Still, you're putting us all in potential danger so I'd say that entitles us to some hazard pay doesn't it?"

"Yeah! What Wendy said! Hazard pay!" Rita agrees.



You almost wish that they'd just refuse to work at all, but you just sigh heavily and come to a fair agreement on "danger" pay while the daquala is at the inn. You just hope it isn't too long of a stay since that money that Dr. Gossey is paying you is supposed to go to finishing up your tuition.



The next few days go by relatively uneventfully and it's business as usual. Hanon checks on the daquala periodically to feed and sedate it somehow. You wonder how he's doing it and he says with magic of course. You have to say that by his look you didn't think he was a wizard. He and Benjamin spend a fair amount of money in the tavern so it sort of offsets the danger pay you have to give your staff. Everyone stays away from the cellar, except Alan who forgot he wasn't supposed to go down there, but fortunately Eliza stops him before he got down the stairs.



After a week goes by you ask Dr. Gossey when she's going to take the thing, but she says she's still working on the university faculty, as compensation for your patience she gives half of your money now. That's great and all, but your concern is more of a safety issue now. The magical meat or whatever hell Hanon has been feeding the daquala isn't keeping it appeased anymore and it's been more "vocal" lately. Hanon's also been keeping the magical wards on it for about a month now, and he's feeling tired all the time now due to the constant drain.



Another couple of days and Hanon's ready to dump the daquala on Dr. Gossey's doorstep and be done with it. He says he and Ben have gone way beyond what they were paid to do. You sympathize and you want the daquala gone as much as everyone else, but you're concerned that if he does this, it's going to fuck up things between you and your professor, not to mention the rest of your money.

You talk him out of it

You can't let him fuck this up for you, Dr. Gossey just needs a little more time. You rush to talk to Hanon.



"Outta my way, me and Ben are getting that monster!" Hanon says pushing you aside.

"No! No! Hold on! Wait! Just give her more time!"

"More time? I'm getting fucking exhausted up keeping the wards! Not to mention it's getting more and more agitated in that cage. Also we've been spending most of our money here, if this keeps up we're going to be broke!"

"Okay how about for the remainder of your stay here, everything is free for you and Ben? That should certainly take the stress off shouldn't it?"

"Hmm, free huh? (Sigh) Alright, you've bought yourself some more time and ain't sayin' how much, but YOU better go talk to your teacher and tell her she needs to get her shit together soon or I will be coming to drop this fucker on her doorstep!"



Hanon and his buddy at this point proceed to the bar to indulge in their free booze.



A few more days pass and Hanon and Ben are getting drunk every night. Didn't used to be a problem before mainly because they were holding back due to funds, but now with free reign they're becoming the lives of the party on a regular basis. In addition to drinking they're picking fights with your other paying customers which results in broken furniture.



Combine this with the higher wages you have to pay your staff and you're hemorrhaging money. You see Dr. Gossey everyday about taking the daquala, but she just says the same thing all the time "still clearing through the red tape." It's getting really old, and you begin to get pissed at her, to which her response is if you want to a career in medicine you'll do what the hell you're told and shut up about it.



You head back to the inn cursing the fact you ever asked her for help.



"HEY ITS DA (HIC!) INNKEEPER! GO MAKE YERSELF USEFUL FOR ONCE AND GET US NOTHER DRINK! HAR HAR HAR!" Benjamin bellows as you enter the inn. Seems that he and Hanon are getting an early start.



You storm over to the bar and begin ranting at your staff which is doing nothing.



"Wendy why the fuck are all of you standing around not doing your fucking jobs?"

"Because they drank all the fucking booze and you told us to not go downstairs to get refill casks. Not that we'd go down there in the first place, you don't give us nearly enough danger pay for that."



You grumble and swear as you head down the cellar steps.



"I don't fucking deserve this shit! I was supposed to be finishing up medical school by now, not cleaning up shit around this place! Thanks a lot dad! You ever think when you started borrowing from a fucking loan shark? Fucking…"



You cut your rant short when you suddenly hear a low growl. At first you figure it's just the daquala again and you're right except he's not in his cage anymore. Ever since the free booze policy Hanon's been taking advantage of, he's also been getting lax in checking on the daquala. The constant alcoholic haze hasn't really been helping on his concentration for keeping up the wards on the cage either. All of which contributed to the daquala finally breaking out of his confinement.



Still thinking it's still in its cage, you go get a cask of booze. You've barely managed to pick one up and you feel a sharp pain in your leg. You fall to the floor, dropping the cask and yelling for help when you see the amount of blood leaking from the sizable hole in your leg.



It's the last thing you do, before the daquala's next attack is on your throat.