The return trip seemed to take less time, even though the men only casually jogged back. They dipped through the ruined outskirts of town, this time all of them avoiding slips and falls on the rubble. The large slab wall appeared ahead, and before any of them could speak, the stone door disappeared into the ground. In front of them stood Francis, the pale-skinned guard from before, as well as Taryn and a newcomer. The third person was a young woman with curly, dark brown hair that fell well beyond her shoulders. She wore a knee-length brown dress adorned with a few jewels and flowers. Her fingernails were painted blue and when the woman looked toward Taryn, Lloyd could see a streak of blue hair in the back. Taryn eyed the bulging pack around Cassius' shoulder, and a smile grew on his face.

“You didn't tell us that these were some prickly boys. Heads up would have been nice,” Cassius said as he removed the pack of flowers while jogging toward Taryn. He tossed it to Taryn, who caught it easily. Cassius slapped the man on the back as he continued his jog into town. Everyone turned to watch Cassius go, Lloyd and Regal shaking their head.

Taryn dug into the bag as the woman stepped forward to look inside as well. Smiles flashed on their faces as Taryn closed the bag and handed it to the woman. Turning on her heels, she ran off toward the center of town.

“You gentlemen have done us a great honor today. You've risked your lives without question to save a bunch of strangers. I do not know how we came to be so fortunate. I hope the prickliness of the herbs was your greatest foe out there. Although you all look healthy, based on the state of your gear, I’m not sure that is the case.” Taryn said as he looked at Regal and Lloyd.

Lloyd looked left at his newly healed arm, then at his chest. His leather tunic held up reasonably well against the attacks, but the same couldn’t be said for Regal. The straps on his shoulders remained, but most of the center of his shirt was ripped or completely missing, exposing his abs underneath.

“We sent a dozen men that way yesterday; only one returned. He said the monsters tore through our men like a sharp axe through a dry log. We were glad to see him alive, of course, but didn’t know he was bringing back a swamp disease with him.” Taryn said as he solemnly looked at the ground. “We will have time to mourn them tomorrow. Thanks to you all, we won’t have to add to the list. Please, follow your friend to the tavern, where rooms will be ready for you. There are areas to bathe and a hot spring in the back of the tavern. We will have food ready for you when you get out. The first cure potion will be delivered to you, Lloyd.”

“Not necessary. Well, the bath and food, yes, not the potion. I haven’t felt any symptoms yet. Heal those who desperately need it first. I will head over if things get worse for me,” Lloyd said.

Taryn bowed toward the men, Regal and Lloyd returning the gesture. “I’m certain you don’t want to chat endlessly with us tonight. We will drop off the potion when they are all complete. Otherwise, enjoy the rest, and I hope to talk in the morning.”

Regal and Lloyd shook Taryn’s hand while he stayed behind to talk with Francis. A few minutes later, they found themselves in front of the tavern. Lloyd pushed the sign and watched it gently swing back and forth. Instead of a door, a heavy black cloth hung from the opening. Lloyd lifted it to the side, and the men entered the building.

To nobody's surprise, the inside was constructed entirely of stone. Small braziers decorated the walls every few feet, illumining the large banners and paintings that adorned the walls in between. Each of them depicted battles with the Corrupted or majestic scenery. A small stone bar sat to the left, half a dozen backless stone stools in front of it. Behind the bar, on three levels of shelves, sat various clear bottles with different shaded liquids; each bottle had a piece of cloth with a design on it. Straight ahead was an open doorway. Lloyd could catch the faint smell of cooking meat emanating from that room. Next to that room, a set of stairs jettisoned from the wall, each step its own entity unsupported by anything except the wall. The area to the right held half a dozen rectangular stone tables, each with a pair of stone benches. A few large chandeliers, made out of stone, of course, decorated the room’s interior. I understand why Taryn can’t leave the town. This is a hell of a lot of things to maintain, Lloyd thought.

“Welcome all.” Spoke a voice from the room with the good smells.

Lloyd turned to see a short-statured man. He wore a black apron over a simple white shirt and brown pants. The smile on his face never reached his eyes. His eyelids flicked closed, only to spring up again as they sat with dark circles under his eyes.

“I just sent Cassius upstairs and recommended he try the hot spring out back. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ramsey. I run the tavern here. Please head upstairs and pick any room. They have baths and soaps to wash with. Afterward, I suggest you join your travel companion in the hot spring. It is truly a wonderful experience,” Ramsey said, slightly bowing and motioning with his hands towards the stairs.

“Thank you,” Regal said.

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The two men headed toward the stairs, only stopping when they heard Ramsey clear his throat behind them.

“Thank you," Ramsey said as his hospitality demeanor shifted to a more casual stance. "My wife is in the sick bay right now. I feared sleeping last night, not wanting her to pass while I wasn’t there. Now I know she is safe, along with everyone else,” Ramsey said.

He walked up to Lloyd and Regal, all decorum and protocol aside, and pulled them into a hug. Lloyd could hear a soft sob as the man’s body quickly shook before Ramsey pushed away.

“You are Altered then?” Lloyd asked, immediately mentally smacking himself for not first choosing another more sympathetic question.

“No, sir. The disease seems to affect most without abilities, but not all. I must just be one of the lucky ones,” Ramsey said as he switched back to hospitality mode.

“Oh,” Lloyd said as his shoulders slumped.

“You must be one of the lucky ones, too,” Regal said, softly backhanding his brother in the chest. “But, you are taking that potion just in case. Dibs on the best room.” Regal said before running up the stairs. Lloyd chased after, even though he didn’t care what room he got. A warm bath and soft bed sounded great, no matter its form.

After a quick bath, Lloyd found himself steaming in the hot springs next to his brother and friend.

“This is the life,” Cassius said as he slid farther into the water, tilting his head back so that only his face was held above the surface.

Regal sat with his arms on the stone out of the water; head laid back against the cobblestone. “Soak it up, boys; it’s going to be a much longer stretch before the next town,” Regal said.

“Soak it up? Did you make a pun on purpose?” Cassius asked as he lifted his shoulders out of the water.

Regal tilted his head toward Cassius as a smirk slid onto his face. Cassius splashed a handful of steaming water at Regal, who, with the help of his brother, retaliated against Cassius. The frothing, human-made hurricane within the spring settled moments later. Laughter quickly settled down, and the smirk on Regal’s face dispersed like smoke in a strong gust. Regal turned and looked Lloyd directly in the eyes.

“It was a close one today. Way too close,” Regal said.

All three men silently looked at each other while the soft rumble of the hot spring continued.

“Yeah, it was,” Lloyd admitted.

“What could we have done differently?” Regal asked.

Regal was always good at that, which is one reason Lloyd thought his brother was better trained than him. He could pick a bad situation apart until he learned everything from it.

“We went in too quickly. We thought it was safe, but it clearly wasn’t,” Lloyd said.

“Good,” Regal said.

“I don’t think we utilized our abilities to the best of their capabilities,” Cassius said as he turned to Regal.

Regal took a deep breath before responding, “How so?” He asked.

“There was no reason for me to fight the turtle that was better suited for you. I could have killed those otters quickly and joined the fight with you shortly after. You know…” Cassius began to say as he fully sat up in the water. Instead of sitting back as Regal had previously, he kept his hands in front of him, motioning while talking. “I wasn’t going to bring this up or ask you about it. But, really? Why the hell did you make that call? I know we decided that you have first and final say in the fights, but I’m doubting that now.” Cassius said.

Regal took a moment to look at Lloyd before readdressing Cassius. “I thought your electricity could get past the turtle’s defenses. I…” Regal said, reaching up and scratching his head, “I also wanted to stay back to protect Lloyd.”

Lloyd stood up out of the water. “Are you fucking kidding me? I don’t need your protection. I came here to make the journey the same as you. Do you think I’m useless?” Lloyd asked, stepping out of the water and wrapping the towel around his waist.

“Of course I don’t think you are useless,” Regal said as he stayed sitting in the spring.

“Ah, bullshit! Then why the hell didn’t you do what Cassius said? You have no ranged attacks; Cassius could have fried them before they even became a threat. I can handle myself just fine,” Lloyd said as he paced on the wet cobblestone.

The placid nature on Regal’s face swapped for one he had seen too many times on Gavin’s face growing up.

“You can handle yourself just fine, huh?” Regal asked as he got out of the water and put his own towel on, Cassius following suit. “Sure looked to me like you would have been buried in that swamp if I didn’t shove you out of the way!” Regal yelled as he pointed his finger at his brother.

“I was just about to kill that thing!” Lloyd yelled. He flashed back to only a few hours ago when he remembered thinking in that moment that he was about to die. He made peace with it, but he couldn’t live with himself if one of them died because he wasn’t strong enough. His anger started to subside, knowing that his brother was right. Regal did save him, as he had many times before.

“No, you weren’t!” Regal said as he stepped within a foot of his brother.

Cassius shifted between the fighting siblings, putting a palm on either of their chests. “Ok guys. No need to fight here. We are all alive,” Cassius said, lowering his hands as he felt the tension in the two men dwindle.

Regal looked toward his feet for a moment before looking up at Lloyd. A solitary tear streamed from his right eye. In a soft voice, Regal began to speak, “I’m not going to let you die. I can’t go all the way to The Citadel to protect the Kingdom if I can’t protect my own family first.”

Lloyd tried to swallow what felt like sandpaper grating against the stem of those Mage Thistles. “You can. You can protect us all. You did save me; I had nothing left.” Lloyd said as he hugged his brother. The two men slapped each other a few times on the back before stepping away.

“I hate to interrupt, but your food is ready whenever you would like to eat,” Ramsey said as the men turned toward him. “We also found some extra clothes for you. We hope they fit well,” Ramsey said as he motioned toward a table with a stack of clothes. He bowed slightly and headed back into the tavern.

Cassius was the first to chuckle before he punched Regal and Lloyd in the chest. “We all knew this would be dangerous; we just keep watching each other’s backs, and we’ll be fine. I’m starved. Let’s put on some clothes and get some grub,” Cassius said as he walked over to the table.

The brothers followed their friend, both likely as hungry as Cassius was.