“Move that over there, I don’t care about any of that so throw it away. I… that’s literally rotting food, I don’t need it.” Derb was trying to remove a particularly stubborn bloodstain. The goblins had developed a habit of coming to him with every errant piece of trash to see if it was actually trash, at some point even taking some of his armor and bringing it to him. It was starting to annoy him. Once another came up to him he finally snapped.

“Ask second, or fifth if he’s busy. Look at how nicely they keep everything.” He said to Third, fourth, and First, in particular. He had to find a way to name them all, but he was too lazy to name five people so he just called them by how they came out. He noticed from the hour they spent cleaning that all the goblins seemed to have the same intelligence, the only thing differing being their confidence. Only two had the gall to speak out of turn.

He almost thought that only second and fifth could speak, but once ordered to third fourth, and first could speak up. First in particular seemed the most chatty. “I don’t want to learn from a goblin… They’re dumb.” It said, only to receive a glare from both Second and Fifth. Derb also looked at him annoyingly. “You are a goblin, learn to make up with those two, Second is the leader of your group after all.” Second smirked while Fifth scowled in shame. First looked at them and back at derb before sighing in defeat. “Ok, sir.” He said before slinking back to the trash pile to continue his work.

Derb smiled at the fact that the headache of the group would no longer bother him. At least the room was starting to look presentable. He thought about summoning Jack to help out but realized he’d rather not look at the terrifying demon. He decided this was enough for today and called everyone in front of him. “Pick up the bags of trash and help me take them outside, after you’ll be free to do whatever you want.” The goblins cheered as they each rushed to get a bag for their own. There were only three though so two pairs were pushing each other fighting for each one. First was the only with his own bag, choosing the smallest as to not fight.

“Let’s go...” Derb said, wondering if summoning these brats was actually a good idea. A small march outside to the back and the trash was taken care of. He hurried them back inside, making sure to hide their sharp little ears. He thanked the fact that their skin was a pale blueish white rather than green. It was weird but not weird enough for people to care. The innkeeper was a bit surprised to see him corralling a group of children but he was fast enough that she didn’t have the time to question him.

He slammed the door of his room behind him and watched as they all started running around the room, tackling each other and all-around having a fun time. He smiled at the liveliness, it was just what he needed these days. “Just don’t mess up the room, I’ll be back soon. No one leaves this room.” He ordered. He considered putting on his armor and weapons, deciding it was just a quick trip to the clothing store and the guild and he didn’t need it. He took the coin pouch and jingled it a bit in his ear, sad that he was going to lose it soon.

He made it to the entrance when he was stopped by the innkeeper, who looked a bit worried. “There are people outside who say you asked them to meet here… Do i send them away?” It took him a bit to remember the promise he made and he almost told her to hide him. “Ah! The summoner and the others. I should… say hello.” He said. He didn’t want to waste time, he wanted to get another bounty and buy some new clothes for his goblins… and food. Ah, shit, food. “I’ll go to them, and please bring me a plate of food… Here's silver.” He gave her a couple coins and went outside, where he saw the group and the summoner.

“Ah, i’m sorry. We didn’t realize you’d be here so early.” The summoner asked, the others looking at him with curiosity and suspicion. Did she have to bring all six of them along? He just smiled warmly, no sense in making a scene. “Let’s head inside, you interrupted my lunch. We can talk there and maybe I can finally learn your names.” He inwardly grinned at the look of guilt on her face, little things make up the good in the world, after all. The brown-haired one that seemed to be the leader was the first to go up to him. “My name is Farrel, I hope our earlier actions don’t spoil our relationship.” Derb just grinned at the serious response.

“No problem, Farrel. You’d be surprised at how many people I’ve pissed off. Quickly now, let’s go inside.” He turned and entered the inn, seeing the innkeeper’s wife with a platter full of food and a worried expression. She instantly relaxed when she saw him. “A seat for seven?” She asked, to which he nodded. In a moment, they were sent to a large rectangular table, with Farrel’s group taking three on each side while Derb took the edge. They all ordered food themselves, not wanting to make things awkward while they talked.

He looked down at the beautiful plate of food, sliced meat sided with cheese and bread, a bowl of vegetable soup on the side to contrast the savory meal. His stomach growled loudly enough for everyone on the table to hear, and he wished he had his helmet to hide his embarrassment. “Sorry, I haven’t had much to eat… I only just got paid.” He explained as took the bread and bit down. The six only seemed to look guiltier, at least whatever evil image they had of him was starting to fade away.

“So, Mr. knight… You had something to say to our summoner?” Derb nodded and swallowed, pointing towards the girl with a piece of bread. “Yes, can you tell me your name first? I don’t just want to call you girl in my head.” She seemed surprised but answered. “My name is Mana, that is what people call me.” She looked at him with eyes full of curiosity, he knew it was because of his mana control so he felt bad knowing her questions would be left unanswered. “Ah, Mana… Would you mind telling me who you’re teacher was? I was taught under Gerald and Deitre of barrel village. Neither are summoners, though, so I was wondering if your’s was as well.”

Her response was a bit unexpected, she grimaced and looked down, as if angry at him. Everyone else at the table looked down, it seemed that this was a sore topic. “The… people who taught me weren’t good people. Though summoner’s they were tainted too far, unlike us. My friends here saved me from their clutches, I still have a lot left unfinished. That is all.” She said, mystically. He had no idea what she meant but he knew better than to continue this line of conversation.

“Um… what about your summons? Are they the only three you can summon or do you have more in your repertoire?” He really needed to know how she got three of the exact same type of monster, monsters with dual attributes no less. She seemed a lot more receptive to speaking. “I have two more, but my phoenix only counts as one. She merely splits into three weaker forms when I order her to. The other summons I own are a wolf and a fox, I use the fox for espionage while the wolf fights for me. And you?” He froze at the question, he knew he was a bit unique but he wondered if telling them the limit of his summons would be an extremely bad idea.

“I… used all three of them in the tournament. Only two are for combat, the other is a horse.” She looked at him weirdly, but only for such a short moment that Derb wondered if he just imagined it. “I only saw one of your summons on the battlefield, I'm surprised to see you own one that looks so human. Especially considering the purity of your soul.” She said. The innkeeper had come back with plates of food at that exact moment, giving the others a much-needed distraction.

What did she mean by that? Why were demons that looked human so bad? “Care to explain why that is? What does the purity of my soul have to do with the quality of my summons?” He asked, a bit worried it had to do with his personality. Her answer was comforting, though. “Demons that look human are meant to trick and kill humans, they are naturally our enemies for that reason. Most summoners don’t summon things that they personally despise so they usually choose animals or lifeless creatures.”

He thought about her explanation. Now that he thought about it he never really considered any demon something he should hate personally. Especially after Connor, who taught him that demons could have personalities as well. He actually preferred demons that looked human, like Connor or the goblins. Even a slight change in anatomy like in Jack was a bit unnerving. “I guess I just chose them because I was lonely, it’s not like they would seek to harm me.” Mana nodded to his statement. “People feel the same way towards elemental demons like my phoenix, thinking it bad luck to keep such a spiritual creature. I can say that she’s honestly a wonderful creature, even if she can’t speak.”

He grinned and talked about his horse, Mist, and how she constantly got on his nerves. The funny stories were enough to make a few of them laugh. After that, the tension broke and everyone started talking, the warm ambiance of the inn helping calm their nerves. They weren’t talking about important information anymore, just random stories and adventures they had. Derb didn’t have many so he just watched as they all started talking about their adventures. He made sure to loosen their tongues with a bit of alcohol, though.

Besides Farrel and Mana, he learned the other’s names through their stories. Jack seemed to be Farrel's right-hand man, with a sword and the strength attribute, whatever that was. Derb wasn’t lost on the fact that his name matched one of his demon’s. The healer’s name was Natalie and she seemed to sort of be the mother of the group, glaring and chastising the others whenever their stories revealed too much or were too intimate. The archer he angered a while ago was still quiet but through the others he learned his name was Francis. He was the only one where not much was said about, and it only deepened Derb’s curiosity more.

The final one was Cadence, who seemed to be providing most of the stories. Like his greatsword and body, the man’s personality was big and blunt. Any time someone spoke about themselves he always praised their abilities and talked about their accomplishments. He did it so much Derb started to wonder if he was even speaking the truth. The whole group seemed to mix seamlessly with each other, and before he noticed an hour had passed. “It’s been nice talking to you, but I need to get going. I need to head to the guild before night falls.”

Cadence, face flushed with alcohol, groaned in disappointment, wrapping an arm around Derb’s shoulder. “What a shame, don’t you have some more time to spend? I had you picked all wrong, you know? You’re actually not a bad guy!” The others embarrassedly tried to pull him off. “Cadence, get it together, you idiot. We were just here to talk, not get drunk.” Jack said while trying to pull him off. Farrel just laughed in the background, enjoying the scene. Derb easily removed himself with snake eyes, making sure to stay a few feet away from the drunk warrior.

“I really have to get going, maybe we’ll be able to talk later. I still have some questions to ask some of you so I hope we can get along.” Derb stretched his hand out to Farrel, who gladly took it in response. “Of course, we should go on missions sometimes. I’ll tell you now, if you want to make some actual money you should join us. It's much more efficient to be in a team.” The advice was appreciated but Derb felt like he should probably stick it out alone for a bit longer. “Maybe next time, I’ll see you all later. Keep Cadence out of trouble.”

With goodbyes finished he left for the guild, aiming to do something a bit higher than goblins. Once he made it there only then did he realize he didn’t have either his sword or armor. If anyone wanted to start something with him he wouldn’t be able to do anything. He stood in front of the adventurers guild’s entrance hesitating whether he should go back or not. He eventually realized that there wasn’t a chance things would go wrong twice in one day. After a few more moments of psyching himself up, he threw open the door.

Ryan and the group weren’t there, fortunately. Even though he basically jinxed himself into that situation. With a breath of relief, he wiped the sweat off his brow and continued to the counter to see the reception lady with a worried look on her face. “What happened!? Did they do anything? I could report this to the guild, you know.” She shouted, leaning forward on the counter in an honest display of care. He backed up, feeling a bit happy at the concern “Hey, uh… Sorry about what happened, they turned out to be actual good guys, though. I’m planning on teaming up with them at some point.”

She stared at him for a bit suspiciously before realizing how close she was to his face, backing up enough to look proper again. He rubbed his neck as the awkward silence reverberated between them. “Um… do you have any bounties you can recommend to me? I’m kind of almost broke again.” She looked at him like he was dumb, poor people usually aren’t so frugal with their money, after all. “There are a few bounties on specters that give a good amount of money, the only problem is they’re pretty hard to kill. Physical attacks don’t work, and they’re resistant to most magic attributes.”

He nodded along. He’d already read up on specters before, most offensive magic didn’t work on them, fortunately, he had a few tricks that did. “I’ll take that, please. Where can I find them, by the way?” She took out a giant book from under the table and skimmed through the pages. “You can find them by taking the main road into the forest until you come across a fork. Then you turn left. Do you have a map, I can mark it down for you.” Derb shook his head. “I know what road you’re talking about, thanks for the info.” He turned to leave but hesitated and turned back. “Thanks for watching out for me, back there. I need all the help I can get.”

She smiled at the words, looking a bit embarrassed at the situation. “Of course, I have to help the new people out at the guild, after all.” He nodded and waved goodbye as he set off, bounty paper in hand. This mission was going to take a while. He looked at the bounty in his hand, reading the details. The specters weren’t too dangerous but he had to watch out for- “They cost HOW MUCH for each one!?”