When the group arrived in the village of Grainmarket early in the afternoon after several days of event-less travel, Lelwyn immediately led them to the town hall. Jolen walked up to Lelwyn. “Why are we going here before doing anything else?” he asked in mild curiosity.

Lelwyn turned to Jolen. “Grainmarket has a speaking stone in their town hall that may be used by the public,” he explained. “I was going to utilize it to inform the Order of our heroic success. Otherwise, days would pass before they would be able to be made aware of what has transpired.”

As Lelwyn finished his explanation, they reached the town hall. The group secured the cart and the horses and entered the building.

Once they reached the reception area. Lelwyn explained to the receptionist why he needed the speaking stone. The receptionist nodded and motioned to one of the benches so they could wait until it was their turn to use it.

A few minutes later, Lelwyn was escorted inside to make his report while the others waited in the lobby. While they waited, Jolen turned to Bewr. “Why are speaking stones so rare if they’re so useful?” he asked her.

Bewr sighed. “First of all, they’re extremely time-consuming and difficult to make, causing them to be expensive,” she started. “Also, all speaking stones are able to hear anything said to any of them, making them bad for sensitive information.”

Kirel nodded. “Yeah, if a necromancer got their hands on one, they’d be able to find out that we stopped Tyren,” he pointed out. “Because of that, I’m sure Lelwyn is going to have to be vague in his report.”

Rikel smiled. “That actually explains so much,” she shouted in excitement.

The others all looked to her and Kirel smiled. “Are you going to share your little revelation?” he asked her.

Rikel chuckled. “It’s just that we were trained in using specific, and sometimes odd sounding, phrases when using a speaking stone. If they’re not secure, that training makes a lot more sense,” she admitted.

Before their conversation could resume, Lelwyn walked back into the lobby with a smile on his face. “The Order has been made aware of our triumph!” he announced.

Kirel cheered. “Great! Let’s return the horses and get us some real food for a change!” he suggested forcefully.

As the group left the town hall, Lelwyn stopped Rikel and handed her a small pouch. “As per our agreement, here is your earnings for your stalwart contribution to our journey.”

Rikel looked into the pouch and saw twice the agreed upon price. Before she could protest, Lelwyn held up his hand. “The contract was to escort us to a small village and back so we could aid with curing a blight. It said nothing of battling against a necromancer nor any of the other feats you accomplished on this journey. The Order of the Golden Shield strongly believes that such heroism deserves reward.”

While Rikel was still stunned speechless, the group returned to the horse wrangler where they had rented the cart and horses. Lelwyn gave Silreth a pat while the wrangler looked over the horses for injury.

The wrangler smiled at Lelwyn. “The two of them look even healthier than they did before you rented them.” The wrangler then took the reins for the horses and started heading back inside the stable.

As the group was about to leave, Rikel ran up to the wangler. “How much would it cost to buy him?” she asked, gesturing to Snowhoof.

The wrangler looked Snowhoof over and nodded. “The fact that I haven’t seen him looking this healthy in years will reduce the price somewhat.”

The two of them quickly haggled over price. Rikel smiled as she handed over most of the pay she was given for escorting the mages to Midway and back. Rikel patted the horse’s head and smiled. “Let’s get going, Snowhoof,” she told the horse.

As Jolen and the three mages continued on, Rikel ran to catch up to them, pulling Snowhoof behind her.

Lelwyn paused and turned back to Rikel. “You are aware that this marks the end of your contract with us, are you not? You don’t need to travel with us anymore,” he informed her, surprised by her actions..

Rikel nodded with a smile. “I’m heading back to Elrlith anyway. If you happen to be heading in that direction, that’s your own business,” she told him. “Also, if I decide to let my horse rest by traveling slowly, well, a long trip is made less boring by pleasant conversation,” she added with a smile.

While the group headed to the inn, Jolen looked around the village in confusion. Bewr leaned over to him. “What is it, Jolen?” she asked.

Jolen shook his head. “It’s just well,” he trailed off. “I was expecting a village named ‘Grainmarket’ to have more trading of grains going on,” he admitted.

Bewr giggled. At Jolen’s look of annoyance, she held up her hands. “I’m not laughing at you,” she assured. “It’s just that I said almost the exact same thing when I first came to this village.”

Lelwyn walked up to them and put an arm around Bewr. “The village’s name is an antiquity from its founding,” he explained. “Back then, this was merely a place for farmers to trade their grain with others. Over time, the actual trading of grain became a secondary concern of the village. They elected not to change the name for the sake of tradition.”

Jolen nodded. “I suppose that makes sense,” he admitted while they continued.

When they got to the village’s inn, Rikel arranged for a stable for Snowhoof and followed the others inside to partake in their first meal of real food in a long time. As soon as they were inside, Kirel walked to the counter to get the innkeeper’s attention. “Innkeeper! A feast, for me and my friends!” he shouted while dropping a small bag of coins on the counter.

The innkeeper picked up the bag and quickly counted the money. As she did so, Kirel leaned to her and whispered something in her ear while pointing at Jolen. She nodded her head and then quickly ran into the back to inform the kitchen to ready the feast then returned with a tray full of ale.

The group sat at a small table in the corner and slowly savored the frothy ale. Rikel sighed and sat down her mug. “It’s amazing how little time it takes on conjured food to truly appreciate the real thing again,” she observed wistfully.

Kirel held up his mug. “I offer a toast,” he announced. When the others all looked to him, he continued. “To the successful completion of our quest and to whatever adventure awaits us next,” he said while looking sadly at Lelwyn.

Lelwyn looked down at the table while the others clinked their mugs with Kirel and drank their first round.

Jolen poked Lelwyn. “My friend, there is no need to worry yourself unnecessarily,” Jolen assured him. “With how thoroughly we destroyed the foul Tyren, there’s no chance that the necromancer will ever be able to get up to anything else; we won and we’re safe now!”

Lelwyn smiled sadly at Jolen, “you are indeed correct, my friend; this is a time for celebration!” he shouted while taking a large drink, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “I offer another toast,” he informed the others. “To the friends you make through chance meetings!”

The rest of the group cheered and drained their mugs. As Kirel emptied his fourth mug, Bewr leaned over to him. “I haven’t seen you drink this much this quickly since you and Marin called it quits.”

Kirel made a face. “Please, don’t remind me of her!” he begged, putting down his mug.

Jolen, overhearing the conversation, turned to the two of them. “Who is this ‘Marin’ whom you speak of?” he asked, suspecting a good story from the mages.

Lelwyn smirked at Kirel. “Now that is a name I have not heard spoken openly by either of you in quite some time!” he acknowledged.

Kirel put up his hands. “There’s not much of a story to tell. She was just a younger student I dated briefly during my last year of studies. It was a mutual breakup anyway so there’s not even any drama to the story,” he pointed out.

Bewr shrugged. “Something must have happened though. She left the Academy not long afterwards.”

Kirel turned to her. “She left the Academy without graduating? I never knew that,” he whispered. “It’s a shame though, her innate understanding of elemental magic made me look like a dunce,” he admitted. At Bewr’s look at shock he added, “yes, Bewr, I’ll admit when somebody knows more than me about something, even if it’s elemental magic.”

The group laughed at that while the innkeeper arrived with the first course of their feast. Lelwyn gave a quick prayer of thanks while the others dug into the food.

Kirel leaned over to Jolen. “Don’t worry. I made sure to tell them to make non-meat options for you to eat,” he assured the elf.

Jolen nodded in thanks and dug into a salad.

After the group had eaten, Rikel started pounding the table rhythmically. Bewr, realizing what the knight was doing, quickly joined in. Soon, patrons at other tables started doing the same thing. Rikel then changed the pattern by replacing some of the pounding with claps.

Jolen leaned over to Kirel. “What is happening?” the elf asked in confusion.

Kirel leaned back. “The two of them are starting a song,” he explained. “You may wish to excuse yourself, this song tends to get rather loud, not to mention, rowdy,” he warned as an afterthought.

Jolen threw his head back and laughed before joining the others in the music making. Rikel then started singing impromptu lyrics about the adventure they had just finished.

After the Rikel’s first verse, Bewr continued the song while exchanging palmas clapping with Rikel.

Jolen quickly figured out the rhythm and melody of the music and took the next verse of the improvised song.

Kirel stood up to leave the others to their song. Bewr paused long enough to grab him and pulled him back down. “You’re not getting out of this that easily!” she threatened him with a smirk.

Lelwyn laughed at Bewr’s antics and started joining in himself by singing the next verse. Kirel pouted and sat silently while waiting for the song to end.

Once the group’s song had ended, a bar patron at another table started a different song. The quintet, over Kirel’s objections, spent the evening partying, feasting, and singing with the other patrons of the inn.

After the lengthy celebrations, the now well fed and significantly more relaxed group retired to their individual rooms for the evening.

The next morning, they ordered a large breakfast to keep up their spirits before heading out to continue their journey. After they ate, Kirel, made a point of purchasing enough food for the entire group to eat real food each day until they reached Elrlith.

Rikel saw Kirel do this and leaned over to him. “Thank you,” she told him. “I’ve had more than enough conjured food to last me a lifetime,” she admitted jokingly.

Kirel turned to her. “As far as I’m concerned, any conjured food is too much,” he joked back.

With that, a laughing Rikel gathered Snowhoof from the stable and the group started traveling to Elrlith.

As the group ate at their camp a few nights later, Bewr was a bundle of loosely contained energy. Jolen laughed. “What has you so excited tonight?” he asked.

Rikel sighed. “If we continue at our current pace, we should reach Elrlith by this time tomorrow,” she explained on the enchanter’s behalf.

Jolen raised an eyebrow. “I can understand being excited to return home but don’t you think you’re overdoing it a bit?” he asked her.

Bewr stood up and practically bounced in place. “I haven’t slept in my own bed for over a month!” she complained. “Also, I finally get to catch up on...”

Kirel silenced her with a stare. “Do not get started in talking about your stories,” he ordered in mock annoyance. Bewr simply made a face at him in answer.

Lelwyn chuckled at the pair’s antics while finishing his meal. “Bewr’s excitement at returning home aside, we had best get some sleep,” he advised the group. “At least, for those of us capable of achieving sleep,” he added with a smile.

The others all nodded and turned in for the night.

The group awoke the next morning to a rainstorm drenching the countryside. The group gathered their drenched camping gear and headed out, hoods drawn to protect against the heavy rain.

Jolen raised an eyebrow at the miserable state of the humans while walking.

Rikel shrugged at Jolen and followed the three mages. “I know elves enjoy the outdoors,” she started. “But being inside a city would still have to be preferable to all this rain.”

Jolen sighed and ran after them. “You don’t like rain?” he asked in bemusement.

Bewr shrugged while walking. “It’s not that I don’t like rain,” she countered. “It’s that I don’t like being out in the rain. Especially for long periods of time in the cold. “For one thing, pneumonia exists,” she pointed out.

As she said that, the group traveled around a large hill. As the group turned around the hill, Jolen gasped in astonishment at seeing Elrlith for the first time. Despite the fact that they were still almost a day’s travel away, the outline of the city was easily visible to the human eye. To an Eevish eye, the gate in the wall and the archers standing guard were easily visible as well as the multitudes of people going in and out of the city. “Is, is that Elrlith?” Jolen asked while stuttering in amazement.

Lelwyn walked up beside him. “Indeed it is, my elvish friend! Come! The capitol city, and more importantly, cover from this torrent, awaits us!” he shouted before continuing on towards the city.

Jolen pointed at the distant city, “we’re still miles away!” he protested.

Bewr laughed. “Yup!” she agreed. “And we’d better hurry up if we want to get there by nightfall.”

Kirel walked ahead. “Yeah, I’d rather not spend another evening in a tent, if I can avoid it; especially with all this rain” he added, gesturing towards the clouds.

Rikel turned her head over her shoulder and smirked. “Better hurry up!” she joked before running after the mages.