It took a good part of the day before we reached the camp that was reportedly set up. In fact, we didn’t reach it until dusk, and the reason we knew we reached it was because of the several campfires that were easily visible in the distance due to the falling darkness.

Even with nothing barring our way and with grass beneath our feet which made traveling significantly faster, it was still quite the walk. As much as we’d been slowed down in the forest, it wouldn’t surprise me if it took yet another full day of moving before we’d reach Dawnleaf.

The camp was simple, but it did have one noticeable feature in a large tent that sat at the center. The fact that it had two soldiers stationed at the entrance was enough of a giveaway that this was the commander’s post - Valtheril’s post.

The two soldiers that had been next to us in line walked up to it and introduced themselves to the men guarding it, likely to inform the general that the last of the men had arrived.

I looked around a bit further and noticed an area that had makeshift beds, which were honestly nothing more than some thin, rolled-up mattresses. Something which could be transported easily.

That quarter was turned into a hospital of sorts, with some of the beds occupied by elven men and women with bandages around arms and legs. The wounded were few, and none of their injuries looked to be significant. I imagined that with the help of all healers, now in one place, the injured were going to be just fine in no time.

Another quarter seemed to be set up for supplies. Several folding tables made up that part of the camp, with potions, bottles of water, and packages of food. In addition, there was a large pile of small, dry logs intended to be used as firewood. Some of the carriers emptied items from their bags and others took some in return. It looked to me like a redistribution of sorts.

A hand opened the tent and a man in particularly exquisite armor walked out, looking around for two seconds before spotting us and making his way over. Vymar, easily recognized by the emblem above his visor, took off his helmet and greeted us.

“Glad to see you doing well. Heard you had one of the biggest fights thrown at you.”

“One of the biggest?” Velariah said, her eyes narrowed.

“There were quite a few, especially towards the end. Our estimates have it that about five hundred goblins, fifty trolls, and a couple of handfuls of hobgoblins have been exterminated. A full count will be carried out over the next days and weeks as their corpses are removed from our forest.”

“Not a bad body count,” Velariah said, her arms crossed. “Didn’t realize there were still that many holed up.”

“Most of them were spread out all over the place,” The major continued with a nod. “But there were still a few bastions of resistance in the lesser-traveled parts.”

“How about casualties on our side?” The white-haired elf asked. “How bad is it?”

“Heh,” The officer chuckled. It was one of disbelief, yet at the same time, amazement. “When I heard the general’s words, I took him for a fool. I thought it would be impossible to achieve that dream and that it was just meant to keep morale up and high.” He shook his head while pausing for a few seconds. “I can’t believe the madman, pardon my language, pulled it off. We have no reported deaths. We did have a few more serious injuries, but after some triage and emergency treatment by the guild’s healers, they were sent to Dawnleaf in non-critical conditions. I’d be surprised if any of them didn’t make it. Other than that, well, cuts, bruises, some arrows that struck but were mostly blocked by armor, so the wounds aren’t too bad.”

“That’s incredible,” Draco said. “Great to hear all went well.”

“As well as things could have gone. I’m still impressed by how we did. If you need anything, feel free to take whatever you want. I believe there’s some alcohol as well, should you be interested in celebrating the victory that way.”

“I’m not,” Velariah replied. “But I can think of at least one who is.”

“Score!” Seralyn said cheerfully, one arm raised in the air. It left me shaking my head, but I couldn’t hide a small smile.

“Either way,” Vymar continued. “Great job out there. Your father is a bit busy at the moment, but I assume he wants to make a round later in the evening. He’ll probably stop by to talk to you then.”

“Understood,” Velariah said with a nod. “Thank you.”

The major nodded as well before he walked off towards the back of the camp, passing the many adventurers and soldiers who were seated around campfires. Following his departure, Seralyn saw her chance to procure some booze and Draco suggested making a campfire we could call our own.

Soon we were seated around a cozy fire, eating the turkey leftovers that we still had in addition to some fresh meat and blackberries that we got from the supply area.

There was some talk about the number of goblins that had been killed. None of us expected it to be that high. Then, Eric brought up my injury, or rather, lack of serious injury from the mace impact.

“Well, I have pretty good regeneration abilities,” I said. “And in addition to that, Nira is a great healer.” I looked at the harpy who turned her head away shyly. “But what really kept me safe there was this armor.” I turned my attention to the new party we’d been with for the past few days. “Dworag is good. Like really, really good. If you have some time left here, I’d highly suggest seeking him out. We can even come with you if you like, maybe strike some kind of deal. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to have that be the very first thing we do when we get back.”

I paused there and looked at the lizardman whose eyes told me that he knew exactly what I was talking about.

“Because he’s going to be busy, very busy,” Draco filled in.

“There will be many people who will see him in the days to come,” I added. “So we want to be ahead of them. That is, if you’re interested in the offer, or suggestion, call it whatever you like.”

“No, that sounds great,” Eric said optimistically. “You’re great at selling his stuff.”

“This is where we find out she gets a cut,” Seralyn said with a grin. “Thanks for the demonstration.”

Velariah and Draco both smiled while the three other elves seemed to think about their next course of action.

“I think I’ll have a look at what he has. Don’t know the exact payout yet, but it can’t hurt to get acquainted, perhaps get that deal you’re talking about.”

“Weapons would be our priority,” Katus said. “At least, we’ve made it a point to get some better ones, but thinking about it, and seeing it, armor might not be a bad idea to get first. I suggest we at least have a talk with the smith.” He looked at both Krelion and Melse who nodded in agreement.

“Now, let’s just hope that nobody else got the same idea,” I said with a smirk.

“We’ll just have to get to him first,” Velariah said playfully. “And I can think of nobody who can run faster than you, El.”

“Are you suggesting we race the last bit when marching towards the village?” I said with the same mischief she had in her voice.

“I wouldn’t be against that.”

“Well then. I’ll make sure to do that. You think your dad will get mad, though? Won’t it look a bit unprofessional?”

The knight shrugged.

“I don’t think it will matter much, and I’m pretty sure he’d understand too. Maybe he’ll even laugh about it once he finds out.”

We shared some laughs and continued our small celebration - the real one would follow later once we were back in the village.

It went on for quite a while, and evening marched forward undeterred, yet there was no sign of Valtheril leaving his tent. Eventually, we decided to just go to sleep. There were plenty of soldiers still stationed around the camp to keep it safe, so there was no reason for us to stay up. It was a nice prospect for each of us to get a full night’s rest and we weren’t going to let that go to waste.

The soft grass was certainly more comfortable for our companions to sleep on. For me, it didn’t matter much. What did help was not wearing helmets. I could finally enjoy the soft touch of Velariah’s hair against my cheeks when she sat down in front of me.

“I missed this,” I whispered when the others were trying to fall asleep, keeping the words out of their ears. “This feels so much nicer.”

“It does,” She whispered back. “But I can’t wait until we’re back in our own bed. So much more comfortable than this.”

“Tomorrow,” I said softly, taking a small pause. “And I’d love a proper bath as well.”

“So much we need to do.”

“True, but let’s sleep for now.”

She nodded before wishing me good night.

“Good night, Vel.”

I woke up to people walking around and hesitantly opened my eyes while yawning. Draco, Nira, and Eric were already awake, and Seralyn was in the process of packing the tent. When I finally had all my eyes open, I saw several soldiers working on taking down everything that was still standing. The tent had already disappeared and they were now folding the beds that remained.

“Seems it’s almost time to head out,” I said, half disappointed, half happy.

“Morning Miss Elania, Miss Velariah,” Draco greeted us.

“Morning, Draco, Nira, Eric,” I said before yawning again. “Had a good night?”

“As good as it gets,” Eric replied. “How about you?”

Velariah yawned and stretched her arms before shaking her head rapidly hitting me with her hair as she forced herself awake.

“Pretty good, but I think it’s safe to say we all prefer a proper bed.”

Both he and Draco grinned.

“So, how are we all doing?” The white-haired elf asked out of nowhere. “Seralyn? Are you dead?”

“Nope,” The archer replied with her good old cocky voice. “Didn’t have that much to drink.”

“Glad to see you’re getting smarter.”

Our new companions woke up as well, and breakfast was quickly taken care of, just before one of the soldiers blew a horn in the middle of the camp. I’d seen him bring the instrument to his lips, but the inconceivably loud noise that followed took me completely off guard. I winced in pain as my eardrums were assaulted.

“Fuck,” Seralyn spoke my exact thoughts. “If it’s not alcohol giving me a headache it's a damn buffoon with an instrument.”

“That seemed entirely unnecessary,” Velariah added.

A few more priests followed as we prepared to move out ourselves. All our supplies were repackaged and Nira took her place on my abdomen as I put on my helmet again. Everyone else finished their breakfasts as well and as the soldiers got in formation, I saw Valtheril appear among them, making his way over to us. He wasn’t wearing his helm, yet his facial expression was hard to read, as was usual.

His other body language did make him look quite relaxed, though.

“Hey there,” He said in a not too formal manner. “I’ve been meaning to see you, but I was too busy yesterday. Apologies for that.”

“You’re always busy,” Velariah said with a smirk. “We’re used to it.”

“Good,” The general replied with a hint of mischief. “Anyway, I’m happy to see you’re all doing well.”

“No need to worry. We can take care of ourselves.” She looked down at his feet as a smile grew on her face. “Still, thank you,” She added softly. “And congratulations.”

“No need to congratulate me when I should be the one thanking you, all of you.” He looked around our group with his usual confidence. “I know there will be fair recompense at the guild when it comes to monetary value, but I’m sure you’re all well aware that this goes much further than that.” He nodded. “And for that, I wish to personally thank you.”

He took a step towards Velariah and put an arm on her back, pulling her in and kissing her forehead. The sight was one I wouldn’t expect to see mere weeks ago.

“I’ll see you at home. There are still a few things I need to talk about on the way. I’m hoping to be off-duty for a while after that, though I fear there will be all kinds of files making their way to my desk.”

“As usual,” Velariah said with a sigh and a smile when the hug was broken. “I’ll pray you get some time off. You deserve it, I think.”

“Thank you, and take care for now.”

He nodded once before raising a hand to wave us goodbye as he walked off.

Velariah didn’t speak about what just happened and just put on her helmet before leading the way, beckoning the rest of us to follow without gestures or words.

What followed was hours of silence. However, none of us seemed to be bored despite the lack of conversation. I did recall, however, that there was still plenty to talk about as soon as we split up from our new companions, and I was looking forward to explaining the concept of the Olympic games. I was certain my friends would be very much interested to learn more about a piece of history from my old world.

There was one break that lasted a generous half an hour and after that, it was a straight line for the village which came into view at the end of the afternoon. It had me all excited to finally see the mansion and Minia again. The red glow of evening wasn’t quite here yet, which had me hopeful that Dworag was still at his shop.

“You guys ready?” I asked when we were about a hundred yards out, eager to blow some life into what remained of our journey.

“Let’s go,” Velariah replied, all pumped up. She immediately started sprinting forward, passing the soldiers in front of us who looked at her. I could only imagine the confusion that was on their faces.

Draco grinned and followed after her, followed by the three elves from the other party.

“Can’t believe I’m gonna do this,” Seralyn said with a sigh before following suit.

I chuckled and then darted after them, quickly catching up and passing them. I saw Nira giggle as we made our way towards the village entrance, where we waited until the others arrived.

“Not fair,” Velariah said as she arrived, panting. A sprint in full armor was quite taxing, there was no doubt about it. Once more, I was thankful for the innate stamina that I possessed.

I smirked at her as we got the attention of some of the villagers. Our arrival prompted a chain reaction and people stopped what they were doing to make their way to the gates to get a glimpse of the approaching army.

From here, it did look quite impressive. Several columns of armored soldiers were marching led by mounted troops with Valtheril and Vymar at the center. Their formation was unbroken despite our little stunt, their discipline and training keeping them in check.

Some adventurers who weren’t bound to the army saw what we did and followed our lead. I couldn’t tell if they had the same idea in mind as we did, or whether they were just dying to get back to civilization.

“Let’s hurry,” Velariah said as soon as the others joined up. “I have a feeling we’re not alone in this plan.”

I nodded and skittered through the ever-increasing crowd that started to gather here. Some were even clapping, their gratitude made known.

“That’s one hell of a sight to return to,” I said after looking behind myself and turning back.

“Dawnleaf is free,” Velariah said calmly. “I don’t think it’s going to remain at just clapping, at least not for those who have lost over the years.”

I didn’t know what to say to that so I merely nodded. I’d seen her own reaction and it had broken my heart at the time. I didn’t feel like staying behind to watch others go through the same.

We quietly made our way to the Dwarf’s workshop and to the back area while Velariah entered the shop to summon him.

“If you want to check what he has,” I said to Eric and the elves. “I imagine he’d be more than happy to show you around inside as well.”

“Sure,” Krelion said. “We’ll definitely do that after.”

I nodded just as the door flung open with a loud thud as it hit the wall next to it. From the doorway appeared an overly happy dwarf with his short arms stretched out.

“Ah, Miss Elania. How I’ve missed your face these past few days.”

“Hey, Dworag. Hope you’re doing well,” I said meekly, trying to hide my embarrassment.

I was getting used to the flirting but having him do it in front of new faces was a bit much,

“Oh, and I see you brought company,” He said, having a quick look around, his eyes resting briefly on each individual’s armor before moving to the next.

I smiled as I already knew that he knew what we were here for.

“Yep,” I said after his eyes found the dent in my own armor. “We’re going to need some help.”