She left without a look back, I shook my head. Alright, before we go out I should probably apply that poultice. I opened the box, careful to hold it only by the fingers of my left hand, wincing slightly as the flesh shifted. Should I try to stitch this up?

[You could.] Page replied. [It would probably help it seal up more easily, it is a rather gaping wound.]

I nodded to myself, applying a small amount of the poultice to the wound, hissing as it seeped in. I’d do it later, it would be bad for me to be late for the celebration. I bandaged it again, making sure that it was properly over the wound and the poultice. I’d need to get thread for sewing, since taking apart my armour for thread was irreversible to my knowledge without a loom. I stopped myself before I ran off on this tangent, focusing instead on trying to remember where the celebration would be held.

I arrived to see plenty of people milling about in the town centre. This was also the market during the day, tables were laid out, several dishes placed across a set of tables in the centre. The whole town was here, mixing and mingling with one another and several of the irregulars as well.

“Oh, hello.” Someone greeted me, I turned to see an orc, she smiled and continued. “You must be with the irregulars. During the early part you should sit over there.” She pointed. “That’s where Hakten is going to be, he’ll give a speech and pass out your reward for helping out. After that the festivities start and you can sit wherever, there are a few people who wouldn’t mind company.”

I raised an eyebrow, but walked off to the tables she had pointed out. Frejr and the others had already sat down, someone sat by Numen, though I’d say she didn’t seem enthused about it. Frejr was in conversation with Azarint, sitting opposite of her, as Qent conversed with another mage who sat beside him. As I approached Numen’s eyes flicked to me and she gestured me over.

She turned to say something to the person sitting by her, and they nodded, shrugging as they stood up. Numen gestured to the now empty seat, and I slipped over the seat, careful not to bump into either her or the person on the other side.

She turned to me, and I shook my head. “I’m not joining it as a main member.” I said. “I can’t be responsible for something that big.” She frowned. “I can’t walk away from Soren. It feels like I’m abandoning them.”

Frejr turned to speak, leaning slightly towards the table to look me in the eyes. “Soren is one of the less threatened settlements. There are places that will need our help more.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t feel responsible for them” I said, as they stared at me incredulous. “I can’t be responsible for that, I’d burn out over the fact that I can’t be everywhere.”

“Seems to me like you ought to get someone willing to go the distance.” A voice spoke up from aside. A sigh came from Numen, but Frejr was the one who first spoke.

“You do not possess the skills for such an endeavour.” Frejr said firmly. “Your attitude is wanting and you’re a glory hound with no real care for the purpose of this enterprise.”

“Ouch.” The voice replied. “I’m the only one willing though aren’t I? You have what? Six, seven people for your inner circle? Most of the others are just going to return to their stomping grounds, or run off into the wilderness to explore where nobody ever goes. Besides, I’m good for it, I survived this one just fine didn’t I? Beat back the gnolls and came out unscathed.”

Azarint looked across at him. “You flee without care for any of your comrades and never take initiative so you have a scapegoat if an operation goes wrong. We will not have you.” His gaze seemed to cow the man, who didn’t speak up after. Frejr turned to me.

“We will discuss this later, where we won’t be interrupted.” Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice, but why are they so insistent? I thought to myself, frowning slightly. Frejr pushing the agenda hardly seemed like her at all.

It was around this time when Hakten arrived, and stood to give a toast. “The gnolls are scattered, but at a price, one paid in blood and bone. A toast to them, and a moment of silence for those that who were killed in cold blood.” We drank, and he spoke again. “We will pay them back, in time, but vengeance must not be our only goal, we will not be like Ene, who’s vengeance costs him came at the cost of everything. We will rebuild, and grow.” A respectful silence followed.

We received our reward directly from him, as a man pushed a small wagon loaded with pouches. He handed one of them to each of us, an appreciable sum of roughly five brass siqs. I thanked him, secreting the pouch into one of the pockets on my clothing, where two copper siqs now resided.

As the feast was unveiled people left their seats, some jostling occurred, though it remained fairly civil all around. A group of people entered from the gate side, dressed alternately in plate or scale mail. They were being guided by one of Torven’s guards, who brought them around to Hakten. I milled aside, just out of the din of the festival to focus so I could hear them. Leethe nodded to me from her perch out of sight of the others. She moves fast. I thought with some surprise.

“I know what you are here for, and we will not accept.” Hakten said, his voice close to a low growl. “You keep coming at the strangest of times don’t you all?”

“We are not responsible for the gnoll threat, and your suspicion is unfounded. We came with a small detachment of Baron Kisner’s men when we’d heard of the gnolls.” A voice replied, earnest but also experienced and firm. “We have extended our offer many times, these kinds of situations are exactly why, we could provide protection and strengthen your hold on your lands.”

“My lands? You’ve read the terms haven’t you? They wish to fold us into them as servants, second class dependents.” He snarled. “We have handled the gnolls, we will deal with the threats to our nation ourselves. You would also do well to remember that your nation has its own responsibilities for the Rising.”

“We have provided our soldiers to the war already.” The voice retorted. “In significantly larger numbers than your individual contributions. The gnolls were only driven with assistance from the irregulars you’ve all decided to support, at heavy cost to both. Besides, they aren’t staying are they?”

“For the equivalent of seven nations to provide for five times the average amount is trivial, wouldn’t you say?” Hakten said. “True, they’d normally wander, but for those seeking the thrill of combat, they can be anywhere, considering the state of things, so long as they have a place to stay…”

“They are neither dependable nor skilled. They lost as many as your own men, yet come in smaller numbers, hardly the kind of strength spoken of by bards and minstrels.” He replied. “Please, Hakten, our offer is always open, consider it.”

“I have.” He said, voice softer. “It’s shame that you can’t see what they’re aiming for.”

There was a silence at that, and the group left the square, bypassing the citizens, who were mixed in their reactions. Some would nod while others simply ignored them. I returned to the celebrations, listening to songs the town bards and citizens would occasionally engage in. Some of the irregulars danced with the townsfolk once meals were over. I watched from the darkness, same as I had back home, partly because I had never done any dancing, and partly because watching people was pretty interesting as well. Though those who wanted to dance but couldn’t might say the same.

I went to ask around for needles and thread, though the townspeople were mostly far too drunk to give me a coherent answer. One of the townspeople with a much higher alcohol tolerance pointed out to me that all the shops were closed, so he doubted that I’d get any from them. I nodded, moving back to the inn now that festivities had died down, some of the irregulars were getting more intimate with the townfolk, while others simply staggered back down the paths.

Azarint, Frejr, Numen and a few others stood outside the inn, and beckoned me to join them as they began to walk away. Must be the discussion. I thought to myself, shrugging as I decided to follow them. Guess the needle can wait for another time.

[The wound is sealing at the seams, it’ll probably be two days to fully close up just the skin.]

Considering they healed my lungs so quickly sometimes it’s hard to tell how fast I really heal.

[They destroyed your liver from toxins to achieve that.] Page noted. [They spent a lot more time after undoing the damage, but you survived, which was the goal.]

Well that’s… curious. I thought to myself.

[It also took out your kidneys, and your blood had issues for a long time. It’s not cost effective unless you are at Death’s door.]

We stopped in front of a building hewn from wood and stone. Roughly the size of the inn, it had three floors, and as we pushed open the door it got stuck partway open. Azarint sighed, stepping forward to put his shoulder against it. He heaved, and the door groaned in protest, shifting open.

“Very… rustic.” Azarint remarked as he stepped in. “We could also call it forlorn.”

The inside was almost completely empty, save for the dust that lay across the floors like a fuzzy carpet. I slipped off a piece of my sleeve and pressed it over my nose as I stepped in, causing the dust to flare and shift. “What’s the building for?” I said, voice muffled beneath the cloth.

“Hakten passed it to us, it’s a place to rest while dealing with the monsters that need killing.” Frejr said. “Ostensibly a rest stop.”

“Didn’t find any secrets.” Leethe remarked, appearing from around a corridor. “I’ll check the last two rooms, need to be thorough about these things.” She disappeared past us into another room. I turned to Numen, and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged, stepping in alongside the others.

“If it were meant to be a rest stop it would be smaller, at most we should only have a small building fit for four people sleeping together.” Frejr explained. “Something about this all strikes me as a ploy of sorts, not aimed at us, but using us. I don’t like being a pawn.” She said with a frown.

“It is however, a good place to rest, and considering that by right it was passed to me, we may even be able to furnish it eventually to be more useful to whoever stops here.” Azarint said with a smile. “At least we won’t have to sleep here for a while.”

I turned to them. “What exactly are you talking about? More importantly, I didn’t agree to joining this. As I said, I don’t mind being called up for the next apocalypse, if it even happens, but this?” I said. “You’re wandering again aren’t you? I said before, I won’t leave Soren.”

“What if… I said I know someone who knows someone who wants to settle for a bit in a place like Soren?” Wen’s head poked out from behind Frejr. “They’re good for it, I swear.”

I’ve refused three times and all three they’ve basically ignored it. I thought, resigned. “Let me watch them for three weeks.” I said, a heavy frown on my face.