The elderly man let out a deep and troubled sigh.

“We only found out yesterday that we have been spied on by a demonic collaborator who not only harmed our Landwaker tree, but also planned to aid the demons in taking over the town. Even our friends here suffered a similar betrayal as one of their own turned out to be in the service of those damnable things.”

“Demons, here?” The commander of the royal soldiers asked with shock written all over his face.

“We haven’t seen them in weeks,” Hyord noted. “But they were here in large numbers before vanishing. One of the local mercenary leaders turned out to be a demonic collaborator and died when we tried to capture him for more information. Sir Quentin here had been blessed by the Saintess and possesses a domain which forces people to answer truthfully to his questions. Our forces have already been questioned and proved to be innocent.”

“And now you wish to question mine to make sure none of us are a threat.”

“This is absurd,” Edmund’s second in command argued. “How dare you accuse the soldiers of his majesty to be the lapdogs of demons?”

“That’s enough Mason,” the captain sighed. “Their concern is justified and I too would sleep better knowing that I can fully trust my men. Even they themselves might not be aware of any dark influence that befell on them.”

He then turned towards the paladin.

“How should we handle this?”

“Get your man into small groups. My domain isn’t too large, so I’d say twenty men for each group would be the best. We can agree on the questions, so that I would not ask what you do not wish them to share. If any of them begins to breathe out black smoke...”

“Then they are lying,” Edmund finished the sentence. “I have seen one of your fellows question people before, so I know the signs of treachery. Very well; lets get started.”

Quentin followed the commander along with Hyord and Marcus while the rest of the outlanders decided to talk with elder Jonah.

“I take it you know that fellow.” Regis spoke first as the old man turned toward them.

“Edmund lived here for many years before the royal army recruited him. He’s a good man, unlike many of his peers who only follow orders and their own self-interests.”

“We heard the bell and the horn,” Valerie said. “But it looks like we were worried for no reason.”

“The guards likely panicked when they saw an army coming, but I am glad to see Edmund and we could really use their help.”

“Did the other teams manage to clear out the rest of East Fork?” Osmond asked the important question.

“They did,” the elder let out a relieved sigh. “With the outer gates closed and the town cleared of the fallen, our people can finally feel safe.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Amanda joined in to the conversation. “By the way; elder Derris asked about the apprentices the guild master left in your care.”

“They are well,” the elderly man answered. “Tired and scared, but well cared for. With the outer town safe again, they should be able to return to the guild in a day or two.”

“We also found a couple of survivors,” Sophie noted as she stepped closer. “Could you send out a few guards to notify them about the town being cleared? They were too afraid come out before.”

“Don’t worry,” Jonah smiled. “I’ll make sure they’ll get brought here.”

“While we’re at it,” Fabien cleared his throat. “We talked it over and decided to leave East Fork tomorrow.”

“Leave,” elder Jonah’s eyes widened. “But why? I know our people were distrustful and rude before, but I’m sure they could make amends.”

“Do not misunderstand,” Regis shook his head slightly. “This isn’t related to the behaviour of your people. We came here to help you clear out East Fork and we did just that. However, we have plans of our own that needs to be fulfilled. The sooner we head out the better.”

“I see,” the old man sighed deeply. “In that case, I can only wish you good luck on your journey. But before you go, you should receive your just earnings for your aid. Follow me.”

The leader of the refugees turned around and waved the head priest closer while walking towards the temple.

“Should we...” Letty tried to ask the others about the matter, but she stopped herself when she saw their serious expression.

The warband silently followed the elder and the priest, entering the building that was surprisingly empty. Poorly made bed rolls, rag piles and straw dotted the floor beside the walls, a clear sign of people taking refuge in there. The familiar statues of the seven saints stood tall at the end of the room, providing comfort to the people in these dark times.

Elder Jonah walked over to a small door at the left side on the far end of the building, ushering them inside. Behind the door it was a small but well lit room, wooden display cases taking up most of the space.

“Skill crystals?” Cruz asked surprised as they all stared at the dozens of colourful stones.

“The former lord of East Fork tried to run away with whatever his men could scratch together from the town’s treasury, but they died at the hands of a fallen horde. Our people brought these back here for safekeeping and to serve as a reward for those proving themselves worthy. I hope you can find a useful one for yourself amongst these.”

“We’ll try,” Valerie nodded my. “Do you mind, I look for one that would fit Quentin?”

The head priest nodded approvingly while the rest of the group spread out so they could have a better look. Regis hoped to find a new combat skill or even a useful spell, but most of the crystals proved to be useless for him. They either contained basic elemental spells, or skills for weapons he would never use.

In the end he settled with a utility spell that would allow him to summon condensed raw clay walls instead of earth ones. He figured it could be useful later on when they needed clay as a building or crafting material. The rest of the group seemed a lot more happier with their choices as they each showed their pickings to the head priest.

“Very well,” the priest said. “Let us return outside.”

“Before you go,” elder Jonah returned from the other side of the room with a pouch. “I hope this will be enough for your services.”

He pulled out a handful of gold coins from the pouch and handed each of them one.

“Are you sure about this?” Regis asked surprised. “This is a lot of money.”

“And it is justly earned. I am no fool, lad. Although your companions tried to elude the gory details of your battles, even I could understand the odds you had to overcome in order to close the outer gates. Take it. You deserve it and more, but sadly, there are others whom still must be paid.”

“Thank you.” The dark elf said with the others nodding along.

Once they left the temple, the sight of a sullen Edmund and a tired looking Quentin greeted them.

“Bad news?” Regis asked as he looked at his friend.

“We found three collaborators.” The paladin answered with a sour expression.

“Shit.” Cruz muttered as they all looked at the commander and his second in command.

“It’s better to find it out this way,” Edmund sighed. “I’d rather lose three of my men, then let them kill the rest in their sleep.”

“I also explained the situation with the Argent family while we were walking,” Quentin stated. “It’s better to let the army know about them.”

“That’s one way to say it,” Cruz agreed. “As long as they know not to let any of those crazy bastards in here.”

“You needn’t worry,” Edmund’s second in command spoke up while fiddling with his sword’s sheath. “None of those dark elf scum will set foot in East Fork. No offence, sir loremaster.”

“I understand what you meant,” Regis noted as he looked at the commander before turning to Quentin. “Did you also mention our intention to leave?”

“He did,” Edmund answered the question. “And I believe we can be of assistance in that regard.”

As the commander was speaking, a robed figure stepped forward from behind his second in command.

“This is Clive, our regiment’s top spell caster. He connected his portal amulet to every settlement we came across and can help you use the local gateway to hasten your journey.”

“That would be much appreciated.” Quentin nodded towards the spell caster.

“Shall we head out now, or...”

“Tomorrow morning.” Osmond stated as the army’s mage tried to inquire about their intentions.

“We still have to prepare our equipment and supplies along with a couple of other matters we need to attend to.” The paladin explained to the soldiers.

“Since the army has things under control now,” Fabien spoke up. “We might as well head back to the guild and begin preparing us stuff. There’s a lot to go over.”

“Then we won’t keep you from your duties.” Edmund claimed as the warband said their goodbyes for the day and headed towards the gates.

Once they were out of hearing distance, Valerie couldn’t stop herself from letting out a slight chuckle.

“I have to admit,” she said to Quentin. “I never expected you you to turn into such a formal mannered conversationalist out of the blue.”

“Yeah,” her brother agreed. “Spoken like a true nobleman back there.”

“He sure was awfully British.” Cruz noted.

“I am British,” Quentin stated. “And besides; I always liked historical dramas.”

“So,” Osmond cleared his throat to get the attention of his companions. “We managed to secure ourselves a ride for tomorrow, but where should we go?”

“I’ll check the map of the library,” Regis said. “Hopefully they came along the path we’d need the take anyway. The closer that Clive fellow can bring us to the point where we have to stray off the main roads, the better.”

“What are we going to bring along?” Sophie asked as she fiddled with her equipment. “We can’t just drag along sacks of bronze, iron, and leather with us.”

“We’ll take some supplies for the road but nothing else. We can always use the gateway to come back for the rest of the stuff.”

“Speaking about the gates,” Valerie mused. “You promised Hyord to bring reinforcements from Hunor, but you never did.”

“I never promised him,” Regis corrected the infernal woman. “I only mentioned that we might be able to bring over some people. Using the gateway costs a lot of arcana and I wouldn’t have been able to do so before reaching tier two.”

“Not to mention that we don’t know the current situation with the Argents back in Hunor,” Osmond pointed out. “We might have walked into a trap.”

“Will we ever go back there?” Sophie inquired while they walked along the empty streets.

“I plan to,” the spell weaver nodded. “I promised Bray to go back for him once things settle down and we have a place for him.”

“You think he will still be there?”

“I can only hope that he’s fine. The old man is tough, but I still worry sometimes.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Quentin noted as he took to the front with hurried steps. “We should get moving. There’s a lot to do and we only have a couple of hours.”

“By the way handsome,” Valerie rummaged through her satchel before pulling out a crystal and a gold coin. “These are for you for services rendered in the aid of East Fork.”

“That’s a lot of money,” Quentin muttered as he looked at the gold coin in his palm, as if it weighted a ton. “Is it alright for us to take this much?”

“We all received the same amount,” Fabien explained. “The old man was adamant on paying us at least this much.”

“I guess I should take it then.”

“Stop being so modest all the time, idiot.” Cruz scoffed.

“Alright, enough with the down talk. We only have one last night with a proper bed,” Sophie reminded the group. “It’s best if we turn in early and get some proper rest while we can.”

“Amen to that”. Amanda agreed.

The outlanders hurried along, reaching Scholar’s Square in a couple of minutes. As they entered the spell casters’ guild, they were greeted by Mary and the piles of items they left behind.

“Did you manage to find out why they rang the bell?” She asked as soon as they are entered.

“Don’t worry,” Fabien tried to calm her down. “It’s nothing bad.”

“That somewhat contradicts the purpose of the bell.” Elder Darris said as he walked out from the mess hall.

“The royal army has arrived,” Osmond explained. “The guards likely panicked when they saw the large group coming and they rang the bell along with sounding the horn.”

“The army?” The old scholar asked with his eyebrows raised.

“We also found their timely arrival too convenient as well,” Quentin continued. “But they are being lead by a man called Edmund.”

“Oh,” Derris looked pensive. “Could young Edmund have come back?”

“Elder Jonah seem to have recognised him and said that he lived here for many years before they only recruited him.”

“Indeed. Edmund was born here and his parents lived here in the local lord’s service. The lad left a couple of years ago when the army came to look for recruits. I’m glad to hear he’s alive and well.”

“I’ll leave you two to your talking,” Regis spoke up as he stepped beside the new pile of loot. “Looks like I have work to do.”

“Let us help you with that.” Amanda and Fabien offered as they each grabbed something from the pile.

The three of them headed upstairs to the enchanters’ room where the dark elf immediately began to sort out the piles of items. It seemed that despite their agreement about not looting, they still managed to collect quite a number of interesting objects.

The first to catch his attention were the firearms, A bronze blunderbuss and musket were placed on the table so he could examine them a bit more closely. They were in a relative good condition, although obviously poorly made. They brought along a large leather pouch filled with ammunition and powder container made out of the horn of some animal. Charlatan’s wisdom could only reveal so much when it came to these objects.

{Bronze blunderbuss (worn)}

{Rarity: uncommon}

{Quality: ordinary}

{Durability: 72/100}

{Damage: 19/22}

{Bronze musket (worn)}

{Rarity: uncommon}

{Quality: ordinary}

{Durability: 68/100}

{Damage: 23/28}

{Soft leather ammunition pouch(scratched)}

{Item rarity: common}

{Item quality: ordinary}

{Durability: 87/100}

{Ox horn powder container(scratched)}

{Item rarity: common}

{Item quality: ordinary}

{Durability: 89/100}