The second they found the group of four standing at the outskirts of Helmrest, near one of the gates, flanked by a huge tree on one side and Pickle on the other. The man had come early and already detailed their target’s description, last known acts, general whereabouts and so on. He even had a small map of the place they were supposed to go. A small village, down south. A true village, not like Helmrest had been. It posed the question of why would such an august personage would lower himself to make his haven there, but that was just one of the things they were going to find out.

They were currently preventing Ava from trying to see if one of the walking trees could be ‘tagged’ by an arrow and not react, when a voice made them turn.

Jack saw a carriage, a real one, not like the wagon from before, complete with a driver ambling towards them. It was pulled by two horses and had a host of baggage’s tried to its exterior. It pulled next to them and Elia exited from it, with Lola in tow.

“Morning, everyone! I hope you’re having a fine start of the day.” The chipper woman said.

“Yeah, though not nearly as fine as yours, it seems.” Jack laughed. “Finally got some sleep?”

“Nope! But having a nascent industry of |Herbalists| works wonders in getting aids to replace sleep.”

Jack stole a glance at Lola and found the young woman shrugging her shoulders, as of to ask ‘what can I do?’.

“Just as long as you also get actual sleep, Elia.” Brom said. “Potions do not replace the real thing.”

“Yes, of course, don’t worry about me. Now, about this. How do you like it?” she asked, pointing at the carriage.

“I love it.” Ava answered, already checking out its interior. “It’s actually padded. How much did it cost to buy this?”

“Nothing!” the woman laughed. “Well, base material and labor, but it was made in Helmrest. And Nole here, he’s the driver, has an actual Class.”

“Good morning.” The man said, stammering. “My name is Nole and I’ll be your driver. I am a |Coachman|, Level 3.”

“Isn’t this great? Another possible industry for Helmrest.” She gleamed.

Truthfully, it was nice. It just wasn’t the miracle Elia looked to be describing. Seeing the general mood, Jack though the others were thinking the exact same thing he was.

Elia is using to much sleep replacement aids.

“Pickle, please make sure Elia sleeps after we leave.” Jack sighed. “At least five hours.”

“Will do.”

“But I’m the mayor.” She said, pouting.

“And he’s the hero. It checks out.”

“Perhaps we should move on to what we loaded the carriage with?” Lola intervened, trying to drive the conversation forward.

“Right! So, we’ve packed enough food to last the four of you and Nole a couple of weeks. The round trip should only take one, but you never know. We’ve packed two normal Stamina Potions, a high-grade Healing Potion and low grade one for each of you. As well as a four Mana Potions for you, Jack. Oh, and an animal grade Stamina Potion for the horses. Let’s see, what else… Two changes of clothes, no armor, but I see you’re already wearing your own. A few general tools, torches… Right! And a bag of holding. Low-grade, not the one you brought back. It’s under the seats, filled with around five hundred gold coins.”

The entire ramble was amusing, if not also informative, but the last part left them gaping.

“What?” Elia asked. “Oh, it’s fine. It’s a big sum, sure, but we can handle it now. Helmrest will make it back in a few months. Besides, if you can use it to lure that man into removing your Class, or even just giving you a new one… You’ve done so much for us, Jack. It’s the least we can do.”

“Thank you, Elia. Really.”

“Oh, shush you. Nole, tell them your Skills.” The woman grinned.

It was the most blatant attempt at changing the subject ever, but they went with it.

“Well, I’m only Level 3, so they’re not that fine, but I hope they will help you. I’ve received |Quick Gallop| and |Efficient Trot|. |Mayor| Elia said this means my Class is focusing on speed rather, than comfort. But she said that also what you’d prefer.”

“And I’ve also had the seats padded.” She said.

“That’s is quite alright, Elia. Thank you, on behalf of all of us.” Brom told her.

She flushed and flustered, while they each either approved of what Brom said or thanked her themselves, before Lola stepped forward.

“And I have worked on a new treat for you.” She said happily. “Mrk, you’re the best one to test this on. If you’ll indulge me?”

The ratling tentatively moved forward and Lola gave him something, while whispering in his ear. He grinned, which boded ill for all of them. The next second, Mrk came trotting towards them, a curios stringy necklace hanging around his neck.

And it got hot.

There air became unbearably hot when he got near, sweat beads forming on their foreheads.

“Mrk’s necklace is made from Embervap stems. We managed to use its natural effects as an outside aura, instead of a direct affect. Once taken out of the box and worn, such an item would give the user a field of heat around them, which grows dimmer the longer the distance to the user. The heat isn’t real, it’s just the perception of heat, but it can be used for… intimidation, I guess? Oh, and the natural fumes growing wafting from it also gives the wearer immunity from it.”

She called Mrk back and with some hardship took the necklace off him and placed it in a wooden box.

“The effect should last for about a week of direct use. There a secondary way to use it, though. If you’re ever engaged with an army- I mean…”

Jack knew what she thought off. Lola had seen the fight, even if she wasn’t there with them. She saw them get charged by an entire wave of soldiers.

“Well, if you ever fight large groups and want an easy way out? Take it out of the box and bite off a small piece of it. It will probably taste… scorching, but it will give you full immunity. Which you will need, since the second way to use it is to burn it. Its effect zone will increase… I’m not sure exactly how much, but it could be up to the size of a small village.”

Wow. Talk about a crowd clearer.

“And that’s it. I wanted to do something related to acid as well, but I didn’t get the time.”

Ava opened her mouth, but Lola saw it and smilingly answered.

“Yes, the fire and acid spheres, as well as the fire and acid arrows have already been loaded in the carriage. Two spheres of each type per each of you and five arrows of each type for Ava.”

“Yes! You’re the best, Lola.”

“I still can’t believe you haven’t been assigned a mushroom related Class yet.” Jack confessed. “I mean, I know you’ve been offered one, but still. It seems like everything you do is mushroom related.”

“Oh… no, I’ve been doing other things too. I hope to move my Class into a different direction.”

“Like what?”

“Oh… uhm…”

“Lola’s been helping me with a temporary project. Small stuff, just boring Hemlrest administration details.” Elia intervened, while Lola smilingly nodded.

Jack wasn’t guileless, he knew something was odd, but then again, they were all entitled to their privacy.

That being said, hey said their goodbyes, they promised they would be safe… as not laughed out loud. They waved their hands as they sat down in the surprisingly comfy carriage and they took off.

Their destination was south and a little to the east. A sleepy little village called Lendt. It was known for nothing in particular, since it wasn’t actually known. They had no special exports and were only minorly remembered for a pumpkin festival, where people from other villages gathered. Lendt was part of a small coalition of villages and one town, whose name kept being changed on a nearly yearly basis. Elia herself wasn’t sure Lendt’s leader even had a Class.

Yet that was where the |Royal Administrator| chose to retreat to.

Nole’s Skills worked fine, even though the man himself was low level. His first one allowed their carriage to burst into motion and gave them a few seconds of high speed, before the Skill wore off. It also allowed them to crest hills easier and to overtake another carriage or ride, in the rare occasions they found any on the road. His second Skill let his horses keep a trot for longer periods of time. Not ground breaking, but very useful.

It had been quite some time since they had been on the road. Of course, they were now traveling in style, but the feeling of it had almost left them. The were silent for a while, enjoying it, until Ava got restless and opened her mouth.

At least, she had grown too. Somewhat. She chose to make small talk instead of trade barbs and that was how they found out that Nole was a resident of Helmrest since before it became a town. A fact in which the man took a lot of pride in. He was there since the start, from before the monsters. He was one of the few who supported Elia as |Village Head| from the moment she decided to go for it and he was one of the ones who did their best to support Helmrest in their time of need. In his case, using his family’s horse and cart to ferry people, products and information between Helmrest and other villages. He did it to help his village grow, to prepare for the coming war and to ensure he pulled his weight. As recompense, he was rewarded with his current Class, a fact that also brought pride to him, his wife and two children. The man has a smile under his fuzzy moustache and tears in his eyes as he thanked them, both for enabling Helmrest’s growth and for fighting to keep them safe.

There’s people like in this Helmrest that I had no clue were even living there.

This is why I go on. This is why we have to go forwards.

The rest of their journey was mostly uneventful. It was two day’s trip and they spent their nights talking around a campfire, while the horses rested. Jack might have lost his cooking Class, but Mrk still had the acumen, if not outright Class, so the food they got from Helmrest was heated up to perfection.

No danger met with them either, which was almost laughable given their past experiences. The only time they even came close was when a patrolling guard on horseback stopped their carriage. The hardened woman was clearly corrupt, since they could all hear her trying to haggle Nole into paying her a fee, just to ensure his contribution to the road’s safety was met.

I’m really hoping Lendt isn’t like this too.

From what Elia had managed to find out, the village didn’t have a proper Village Watch, but it did have a few guards, since even though they were small, they still had a few thieves.

When Nole refused, the woman started getting aggressive, asking what he was carrying and insinuating he was transporting illicit goods. Their open windows were covered by a heavy cloth to keep most of the sun out, so she opened the carriage door right as Nole told her what he was transporting.

Adventurers.

Four armed and armored individuals stared at the horseback woman, as she froze. She had only a leather vest and armor and was armed with a wooden club. They would have really preferred that no one found out about them until they reached their destination, since stealth was key, but the woman looked too warry to pose any actual problems.

She plastered a fake smile on her face and bid them farewell, as she galloped her horse away.

And that was how they reached Lendt, on the morning of the third day. The sleepy little village was… well, less sleepy and more hillbilly. There was no official entrance to speak off, since the houses just started to appear sporadically, their density gradually increasing as one went further in. That being said, the road did enter the village through one spot, so maybe that was the official entrance.

Or maybe I’m just being arrogant. Helmrest probably looked like that a while ago too.

…right?

As they grew near, Jack could see men and women working the fields, children either helping or playing around and the occasional elder, acting as a cat herder for the children or just resting on chair. They withdrew inside their carriage when Nole whispered to them, telling them that there was a guard outside the village.

They knew their story and the parts they had to play.

“Halt! Welcome to the Lendt. You’re not from around here, are you?” the guard asked. “Fancy carriage.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.” Nole answered.

“What's your business around these parts?”

“I’m a |Coachman|, transporting a team of adventurers. They haven’t made their business known to me.”

Jack thought that the pause he heard next came from the guard’s shock. Either that his poor village will play host to a team of adventurers or that plus the fact that this team had their very own Class aided driver.

Which is actually true, kind of.

Still, the guards training probably kicked back in, since he approached the carriage and knocked on the door.

“Yes?” Jack asked, opening it and getting seeing the man’s eyes widen.

Not without reason, since they had their weapons on display, Mrk’s cloak and Brom’s slightly enlarged axe being the main attractions. Dress to impress, as the saying goes.

“G- greetings! Welcome to Lendt, adventurers. With whom do I have the honor of speaking?”

***

“But I have no idea why we would even call ourselves.” Jack complained.

“Be that as it may, it will still probably come in handy for you to have a group. Your tales are already spreading. And I’m guessing you don’t want the public to pick the name for you.” Elia explained.

“No, guess not.”

“What is the public calling us now, then? And pass the mashed potatoes.” Brom said.

“Oh, loads of things.” Lola laughed. “Let’s see, folks from The Barony have started to call you the ‘Death Merchants’, since you doled out enough violence and are now the protectors of a town selling weapons of war.”

“That suck!” Ava intervened. “Wait, are the mushrooms weapons of war?”

“Technically-“ Elia started.

“They are.” Lola answered. “We just don’t call them that to get away with lower taxed.”

“That’s so typical of The Barony to name an adventuring team ‘merchants’.”

“What other names?” the dwarf curiously asked.

“Well, we have the ‘Helmrest Hardheads’ and the ‘Forest Fighters’ coming from Helmrest’s folk. People from up north just call you the ‘Monsters’ since- Jack are you alright?”

“Yeah.” He said, with tears in his eyes, after chocking on a meatball. “Let me guess, because three of the four of us aren’t human?”

“Yes. I think mostly Amenor-affiliated settlements started using the term.”

“Mrk thinks they assholes.” The ratling grunted, struggling with the silverware.

“Hey, at least we’re famous.” Ava shrugged.

“Not quite.” Elia warned. “I had to devote quite a bit of resources to finding out these names. Of course, I did in part because it was funny, but it also paints a picture. One that says you aren’t that well known yet, but that people know enough of you too assign you a reference. And you don’t what to get famous without picking a name yourselves, lest that reference solidify itself as the words your people know your team by.”

“Fine, fine. I get it.” Jack said. “Then, any suggestions?”

“Jacks?” Ava joked.

“Nope. I made that mistake once and I’m sticking by it. But I won’t do it again.”

“Something strong and dignified.” Brom muttered. “Something to inspire respect.”

“Deep roots!” Mrk chirped, before sitting back down. “Is strong and dignified to ratlings.”

“Maybe not just that, buddy. How about… Amenor’s Punisher?” he said, before bursting out in laughter. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“Too situational and too antagonistic.” Elia said, while Lola nodded.

“Yeah, totally agree. It should be Amenor’s Bane instead. Since you know, we totally brought the ancient type of ruin on their heads.” Ava grinned.

“Death’s Bane.” Brom suddenly said, gravel and loudly.

“What?” Jack asked. “A little heavy for just a starting team… no?”

“I don’t believe that.” The dwarf said. “We have cheated death on multiple occasions. Even from before we were a team, that was always our… ‘style’, if you will. We escaped against insurmountable odds.”

“That’s true.” Jack pondered. “And I guess… even if you look it the other way around, when death was personified… we still beat it back. We were the bane of an entire army. Certain death, yet…”

“Even when death did come for one us us…” Ava started, before stopping to draw breath. “Even then, his death was the bane we used to drive back monsters. Our courage.”

“To Death’s Bane!” Elia said, standing up.

“To Death’s Bane!” they answered.

***

“We are Death’s Bane.” Jack said and saw the man wince.

He liked the name then and liked it now just as much, but he had to admit, it did make his teammates look like a bunch of weapon-ready, war-hungry, fanatics.

“We are here to see if there are any quests Lendt requires help with. Any missions, any local dangers. If not, we would like to inspect the general area for local wildlife and resources.

Elia had drilled them well. They had to be as inconspicuous as possible before they got to their target. Posing as adventurers looking for quests for the easiest cover, since they were adventurers, easily recognizable and since some people already knew of them. Especially neighboring villages.

As the guard quickly proved.

“You, my lady, are you a Satyr?” he asked.

“Why, yes.” Ava answered, tickled pink by being called a ‘lady’. “I am.”

“And you, sir, are a dwarf.”

“I am.” Brom answered.

“Are you the group that fought against Amenor’s army? From Helmrest?”

“We are.” Jack answered. “I am the team captain, Jack. Would that be any problem to us entering?”

“No! No, uh, I was just curious, sir. Please, come on in. Uhm, we don’t have an Adventurer’s Guild or anything, but I reckon the Village Head could answer any questions you might have.”

“Thank you.” Jack smiled. “Oh, one more question, is there any inn or lodging where tired travelers like us might find accommodations?”

“Not an inn, but there’s the tavern down the road. The Patched Boot. I’m not sure if they have any space, but you can ask there. The owner’s named Larissa.”

“Thank you again. Let’s go, Nole.”

Their carriage left the bewildered guard behind and they had to pinch themselves not to laugh.

“He called me lady. Lady!” Ava breathed.

“We are adventurers now. We should be dignified.” Brom said, but there was a smile on his lips as well.

“Mrk is dignified. But hungry too.”

“We’ll stop by the tavern. This is a small village, so if this administrator is here, the tavern owner probably knows about him. If not, the village head will.”

It was only a few more minutes until they stopped in front of the tavern and got off, while Nole went off to tie the horses and take a nap. The man had driven the carriage partway through the night while they slept.

It was eerie outside. The streets looked deserted. The village itself didn’t look that bad, though the streets were just dirt and the houses more mud bricks than wood and clay. He guessed they were near the center of the village, since the houses here had their gardens and yards bordered by wooden fences, either planks or twigs. There were trees on the side of the roads and even a well here and there.

So why is it so empty?

The few people he saw were far away and seemed to be peering at them.

“Well, at least their drinking place looks good.” Ava said. “Their priorities are in order.”

Jak turned and took in the tavern. It actually did look better than the surrounding buildings, since, if nothing else, the tavern also had a second floor. The ground floor was made of what looked to be like clay bricks, smoothed over and painted white, while the second floor was wooden beams and packed earth. They even had a tiled roof, though the tiles were wood, not clay.

They entered and found themselves to be instant targets of attention. The inside of it was spacious, allowing for a number of tables surrounded by chairs to be spread comfortably. There was even a bar, and Jack glimpsed a few barrels and even bottles on the wall behind it. There was a woman behind the bar, but she dived beneath it the moment they walked in. The other clients consisted of a man eating quietly at a table, but who had stopped when he saw them, a table of drunkards, judging by their unfocused stares, who also stopped drinking after noticing them and a table where a couple of older women were chatting quietly. They were the ones who didn’t stop what they were doing after they walked in, though their chatting did intensify after seeing them.

Not exactly having too much experience in bars other such fine establishments, Jack led the other to a table and sat down. Slowly, but surely the tension around the room thawed itself and the others resumed what they were doing, though Jack still felt eyes on him.

The woman behind the bar dashed out and ran into another room, via the door right next to the bar itself. Some mumbled words could be heard on the other side, before another woman walked in, saw them and headed towards them, a genuine-looking smile on her face.

She was… attractive. Jack had never saw a woman instantly feel attractive before. He had half a mind of casting |Dispel Compulsion| on himself, before refraining. It would have been too obvious. Still, the woman was probably in her early thirties, even late twenties. She was buxom and the tunic and dress she was wearing wasn’t exactly the attire of a prude. Had a pretty face too, enough that the attraction could have been genuine.

But I bet my ass there’s a Skill at work.

“And how are you all doing on this fine day? Welcome to The Patched Boot. My name is Larissa and I’m the |Tavern Keeper|. How can I help you?”

“Why is it called like that?” Ava blurted out, not being able to help herself.

The woman’s eyes glinted and she answered.

“Oh, this place used to be a cobbler’s workshop, long time ago. The old man had a Class and everything. Did well for himself, so when he was old and rich, he opened a pub. That pub turned into a tavern and well… here we are.” She smiled.

“You are a descendant of him?” Brom asked.

“You mean like a daughter?” she laughed. “Oh, gods no. No, I just… worked here. Now, how about I bring you some ale? Something to eat?”

She was devastatingly friendly and by the way the others were looking at her, he guessed they all felt as drawn in as he did. Even Ava’s look was lingering.

Larissa soon had them drinking and talking, they even ordered something to eat, though they had food a plenty. Twice they came close to telling her why they were really there. And not once did they actually get to ask about local ‘missions’ or their true purpose, ferreting out more details about their target.

Instead, the talked about Helmrest, about their adventures, abut the tavern itself. Every interesting thing under the sun. The more they talked and the more they smiled, the happier they became.

“I’ll let the mayor know you’re looking for him. We haven’t gotten bandits around for some time, but maybe there is something to do. As for lodging, I only have a room upstairs, other than my own, but it’s all rented out.”

That piqued Jack’s interest.

“Oh? And here I thought we were the only ones not from around here. Lendt doesn’t receive much visitors, doesn’t it?”

“Well, no… tell you what, would you like another ale? On the house.” She smiled.

“Not just yet, but thank you. Do you think it would be possible for us to have a talk with your other guest? We could recompensate her nicely for letting us use the room instead. Or is it a him?”

“Oh, uhm… well, why don’t I let you use my room instead of bothering others. That is, if you don’t mind sharing a bed.”

Jack’s pulse quickened. His thoughts flowed to that image, of him climbing into her bed, of-

NO!

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t have liked that, it was just that he had a kneejerk reaction to being influenced and this time he definitely felt a Skill at work.

“|Dispel Compulsion|” he whispered, aiming at himself under the table.

His eyes widened at the same time hers did.

“I knew there was a Skill at work.” He cursed and stood up.

Larissa stood up as well, alarmed.

“Please, I was just-“

“You’ll explain in a minute.” Jack said and cast his Spell on his teammates as well.

The tavern had filled up as they talked, the sun already starting to fall, but even though they looked like they would have wanted to intervene, the sight of four peeved adventurers was not something one confronted easily.

The woman herself seemed to know she was in trouble.

“Please, it’s just a Skill people in the industry have. Like |Charming Smile|.”

“Oh, so you have |Charming Ass| instead?” Ava snapped, adding more details when the others turned to stare at her. “I’ve been looking at her butt all day. It's not even my thing. I think… And I’m still not ready- Argh! See what you did?!”

“Larissa, I think you’re bending the truth a little.” Jack told her. “This is more then a simple Skill. Or at least, not like |Charming Smile| at all. And you used it to protect the identity of your other guest. We’re adventurers, we can spot trouble. Is the guest in question harmful? Or is it at odds with the law?”

Admittedly, Jack was laying it on pretty thick with the ‘concerned experienced adventurer’ persona, but the tavern keeper was too scared of what she had done to not buy it.

“No! No, he’s harmless.”

So, he’s a he!

“It’s just that, well he paid me… paid us pretty well to not tell outsiders about him and he’s not at odds with the law. He has such a tragic story, I would have protected him even without payment. So when I saw four adventurers walk into my tavern, in Lendt of all places, I though you were after him. Are you?”

“Mrk and team not here for any man or woman.” Mrk smoothly lied.

Larissa flinched, but nodded.

“Then… my apologies. I didn’t want any trouble. I just wanted you all to feel good and not draw attention to him.”

“That’s a little late.” Ava said, still crossed. “Now, where is he? We won’t do anything to him, but he’s clearly suspicious.”

Jack had to hand it to her, that was a good reason. Close to the truth too.

Larissa had her hand raised and looked ready to either bolt or flee, when the sound of steps was heard, as well as a voice.

“Larissa, my sweet, what is all this ruckus?” a man asked, climbing down the stair.

He was dressed in the most ridiculous silk robe, though he wore it loose across his bare chest, a pair of silk shorts offering him privacy.

“Have the girls returned for more merriment? I must say, it was quite the… night.”

The man froze when he saw the scene, four adventurers bearing down on his ‘sweet’.

“Why, hello there, friends. My name is |Fireball|!”