They were warmly invited into George's home, most of which was filled out by what appeared to be a large dining/meeting/war room, occupied by a long wooden table and a smattering of simple chairs. A simple cross hung from one wall, and next to it appeared to be a depiction of Jesus carefully burnt into the wood of the wall with obvious artistic skill. The chairs around the table were cushioned and backed with simple sheets of tanned soft leather, the chair at the head sitting taller, larger, and more thickly upholstered than the rest. The five of them situated themselves around the table, setting weapons down nearby and avoiding the chair clearly intended for the host. The simple luxuries of the room were almost offensive. They had the time and freedom to make things like this while his people were fighting every moment for survival just a handful of days away.

George had bustled out of the room just a few moments after inviting them in, insisting they sit and wait as he brought them a hot meal. He returned moments later balancing a stack of wooden bowls and utensils in one hand, a steaming ceramic pot of stew hanging from the other. Andrew stood to take the pot and set it down in the center of the table. George thanked him, passing out the bowls and utensils as he began to speak.

"It feels a little too nice in here doesn't it? I know if it was me I might get mad just sitting here, considerin what you folks must've been through. But you're alright now, you'll be part of the family in no time, and we'll get you set up in house just like this. Well, maybe not just like this one, we made it a lil' nicer just for meetings like this, but things are getting better here every day." He plopped a wooden ladle down into the steaming pot and circled around the table to settle comfortably in the comfortable throne at the head of the table.

"No, no, of course not, it's incredible to see people doing so well out here. I'm not sure if we could've set up something as nice as this, even without all the fighting." Andrew said, not having to force the smile he gave as he ladled a portion of venison stew out into his bowl. George looked very sincerely apologetic, and Andrew's brief anger at the unfairness of it all melted away. The world wasn't fair, and these people had just been a little bit luckier, that was all.

"Bah, nonsense, we were incredibly blessed to wake up around here. Jack and I first opened our eyes on this world not a hundred feet from here and we knew from the moment we did that God had truly blessed us. Fertile land, fresh water, and an abundance of tasty animals." George said with a wink, spooning a chunk of venison into his mouth from his bowl. "I only wish I could've brought more to prepare us, but this life is a fresh trial, and we were not meant to live it without a struggle."

"Brought more? What do you mean by that?" Andrew was sure it was some kind of religious metaphor, but something about the sincere regret George's voice carried implied more. Andrew had never been the religious type, but his phrasing implied a level of personal responsibility beyond what he imagined a person this religious might take. The others around the table watched carefully as they quietly ate their stew. They had agreed to let Andrew do most of the talking, and seemed content to let him handle this conversation. Andrew took a bite of his own, it was good, but Kalan could probably do better.

George swallowed and continued, "What if I told you I knew this was going to happen?" He said, leaning in with a conspiratorial smile. "God spoke to me in a dream six days before we were taken. He told me the people of Earth had lost their way. They were consumed by the sin and indulgences of the modern world, and too many believers were losing their way. Anyone who still had love in their hearts, whether they accepted Jesus as their savior or not, would be brought to New Eden to create a new world of love and kindness." He leaned back in his chair with an apologetic smile and a shrug. "On the seventh day I met Jack Ryan, and next thing we knew, we were out here, with just the clothes on our backs and the iron on our hips. Ready to pave the way for the true children of God. Just like you. If you're out here, it means He saw somethin special in you." He paused, taking another bite as Andrew digested his words. Andrew was incredibly skeptical of his story. If he really knew this was going to happen beforehand, why was he wearing a dress shirt and not something more practical? Andrew would've raided the local library for a backpack full of books at the very least, and he had seen no sign of anything like that so far. Though admittedly he hadn't seen much of the camp so far.

"You don't have to believe me. I'll admit, it sounds a little crazy, but If you're here, I'll believe in you enough for the both of us. This world has many trials, and it'll take all of us working together to get through them. Tell me, what's it really like out there? Most of us haven't gone more than a handful of miles from here much less across the mountains like you folks have."

It was uncanny how consistently disarming the man's words were, and Andrew welcomed the opportunity to change topic to something more familiar. "We didn't actually come across the mountains, they level out a few days west of here. It's not that different from the area around here, but the locals are a whole lot meaner. Kyle said you guys have run into goblins before, have any of your people met a Hobgoblin?"

"Our people" George corrected gently. "And no, they have not. What is a hobgoblin?"

"If goblins are housecats, hobgoblins are tigers. Bigger, stronger, a whole lot smarter too. They use goblins as fodder in their armies, and they have big cities and unique magics of their own. They're extremely dangerous, and almost all of us were enslaved by them at one time. I'm the only exception, because I got lucky, or blessed I suppose." Andrew said, exchanging glances with the others around the table and receiving small nods from them. This guy seemed quite sincere, and though Andrew still doubted his religious calling, his kindness came through as wholly genuine. "There are actually quite a few more of us, a little over twenty total. We escaped from one of the hobgoblin's mining camps, and have fought them off a few times since. What's left of that camp is only a week or so from here, and the bulk of hobgoblin civilization is only a couple weeks further out than that. I can't imagine this place will remain unnoticed by them forever, and we would be honored to add our strength to yours to defend against that threat."

"Well yes, of course we'll work together. Heck it's nearly evening! Call your people on over, we have plenty of room to go around! This is incredible news. So many. It truly is a blessed day." George said, rising half to his feet before noticing Andrew's neutral look and sitting back down.

"That's an incredibly kind offer, but we have to return to our own camp for the night. You'll have to forgive a little caution on our part, I don't make the decisions for everyone and we have to return to our camp and discuss this with the others. I'm sure we'll end up working closely together, but we're a diverse group and some have had negative experiences with religious peoples in the past. It's not my decision to make." He did his best to match the kind smile George had worn throughout the dinner, and thought he made a half decent job of it. He kept his eyes on George's face as he spoke, pointedly not looking at Isaac, who was the most vocally against joining of the people here.

George let out a small, sad sigh and a strained, regretful smile. His eyes wandering across all the faces at the table, seeming to linger on Isaac and Shelby's for just a moment longer than the others before he responded. "That's alright. I apologize I was getting a little ahead of myself. Please, eat, rest, warm up. Then return to your camp and talk it over. We welcome any and all here, but I understand that some have had negative experiences with false Christians in the past. We'll be waiting right here for you when you get back, and we'll always help out another human in need. If you believe nothing else, believe that."

"What if we aren't all human?" Andrew said, giving George a serious look.

It was the first time in the conversation the man seemed truly surprised, and his eyebrows shot up for a moment, his eyes flicking from serious face to serious face before the placid, kind expression took over once again. "Well. So long as they're peaceful and know God's love I don't see anything wrong with that."

"They're quite different. Over twelve feet tall with a god of their own they worship. I don't think you'll get any of them to convert, and personally I'd prefer if you didn't try."

"They sound like a good group to have around. Muscle like that'll will go a long way towards improving things around here, and if they're from a different world it makes plenty of sense that God would present himself a little differently too. It might take us a little time to get a house built to fit someone of their size though, so I apologize for that."

"Good. I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to hear you say that. If that's the case I think we'll be getting along just fine. I'm looking forward to working with all of you and yours." Andrew said.

"It's us now. All of us, working together as one. Or, well sorry, you have to discuss it with the people back at your camp, I shouldn't impose. But I think once we're all working together we can really start improving things around here." George said, relaxing back into his chair and digging into what remained of his bowl.

They continued to eat and discuss lighter topics for another half hour, before they finished their meal and the sun outside began to truly set. Andrew and the others said their goodbyes and just like that were back on the trail, heading out away from the village and back towards the little camp of their own for the night.