Kael rode towards the opening where groups of villagers had gathered to block their passage.

“Greetings residents of Frosthaven. I’m looking for the Elder. Could he come to meet us?”

Several faces amongst the crowd turned sour but before anyone could speak Emily spotted the man they’d been looking for limping towards them.

When the Elder arrived he was breathing heavily. From the looks of it, he’d sustained a heavy injury to his head. Judging from the way he was bandaged he should probably not be walking around at this moment.

“Greetings wandering fangs, I wish I were able to greet you under better circumstances but we’re dealing with the outcome of my hubris.”

Kael didn’t show it but his brow twitched.

“I understand. If you’re willing I can have my Healer have a look at your wounds.”

The Elder snorted to himself derisively.

“You warned me this may be an outcome, but I still chose to go against it for the safety of my people and look at where it got us. No, this is the least I can suffer for that decision. Though I would not be opposed to you offering the same help to my people.”

Kael cleared his throat.

“I’ll see what I can do. Before that though, how did you deal with the queen? Apologies for my candor but a creature of that class should have wiped your small village off the maps”

Several angry voices went up from the surrounding villagers.

Emily had been watching them closely, as it was always the wounded mob that took the most drastic actions.

The Elder leaned on his cane heavily looking defeated.

“Well, that would have been the case had Mr Jerhia not arrived when he did.”

Emily had been focusing on the man but she didn’t miss Alex’s sudden shifting in Mist’s saddled.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye, and Alex looked downright uncomfortable. For most, they would not have been able to tell, but Emily had been with Alex for long enough now and Performer was telling her he was more than wary.

Emily was about to try to get his attention subtly when another voice joined the conversation.

“Well, I had to get involved. I couldn't let a village die off because of a mercenary company’s failings. Isn’t that right Kaelan”

Everyone's heads snapped toward the origin of the voice.

The people of the village looked on in wonder and relief. In contrast, the wandering fangs all narrowed their gazes on a single individual.

The man looked to be in his late forties with a heavy beard and bushy eyebrows. He wore a long purple cloak that reminded Emily of a full poncho. He wore a sickle at his waist, leaving it exposed to any onlooker who might catch it reflecting the afternoon sun.

Kael's face immediately turned sharp.

“Jerhia, I can’t say I’m happy to see you, but don’t you think you’re being too unfriendly after so long old friend.”

Kael's last words were coated in venom.

“Nothin' kind about the truth Kaelan. Whatever took you so long to return while these people suffered?”

The crowds seemed to become more rilled up at his words, but Kael worked his jaw.

“Unforeseen events led us to get trapped in a dangerous position. Some of us even lost our lives in the process. We made it back as soon as we were able.”

Jerhia grinned and looked about ready to throw more fuel on the fire before the Elder cut in.

“Gentlemen, I don’t think anything will be fixed while we all stand here. The wandering fangs may stay here for the night, but after that, I ask that you leave. You may not get the most welcoming reception this time. Many lost friends and family and they blame you, but we have business to discuss. As the employer, I can confirm you have completed your contract so you will be paid.”

Kael nodded looking like he would accept nothing less.

Emily got the feeling the Elder didn’t blame them for what happened, but he wouldn’t spare them any slack either. The same could not be said for the people. The Wandering fangs were the perfect target at which to direct their anger.

Jerhia on the other hand looked only too pleased as the remaining villagers showed disatisfaction to wards the Elders call.

Emily wasn’t sure what history Kael and this man had but she was certain of one thing. Jerhia was as much a threat as Kael, if not more so. As he left his gaze flicked over them all and when Emily glanced over to Alex she saw he’d made himself scarce.

“Thank you Elder That's all we need. I offer the same deal we had the last time we entered,” Kael said inclining his head.

The villagers slowly moved away from the opening as the Wandering Fangs made their way inside. They were in the same area as before, but now it was covered in the debris from the surrounding buildings.

Kael gave the orders to set up camp and even had Marth lead a group of his men to help cover the gap the queen Blightstinger had made. The inn was out of the question, as the small, mousy innkeeper Emily had met last week had died when the building collapsed on top of him. The other inn refused to even entertain the idea of housing them. They were filled with villagers and claimed to have no room, but Emily could see that was just an excuse.

Stolen novel; please report.

The last time they were here, they were mostly left to their own devices. For the most part, the Wandering Fangs were treated as just another group passing through. A few people's curiosity had gotten the better of them, and they happily engaged in trade and conversation. But now, it seemed as though any good impression the villagers had of them had turned on its head overnight.

People scowled at them from nearby houses and roads, watching their people work. Groups of men gathered as if to keep a watchful eye on them, while mothers ushered their children away from the area. Emily was used to such glares, and by the looks of things, so was everyone else. She did feel it was a little unfair—they had accepted a mission to rid the village of its problem, and this was how they were treated. Granted, they had their own selfish motivations, but the villagers didn’t know that.

Emily had dumped her pack in one of the communal tents, minus the scepter, which she had taken to carrying with her, and headed over to the well.

With the drawn pail, she began washing the week's worth of sweat, grime, and stale air off her skin.

It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but then again, she wasn’t the only one with this idea.

Several others brought their buckets or other containers to wash themselves

Once she was done with that she began moving back to the tent when she heard a gentle tune carried on the wind.

Emily turned towards it and began to follow the agonizingly, mournful melody. She could feel a deep sense of sadness bubble up in her chest and she had to stomp down unwanted memories.

When Emily finally found the source of the music she realized she was a decent ways from the camp. There were a few other Wandering fangs here but the majority were villagers looking towards the center with lost expressions.

Emily's eyes searched the crowd for the musician and found her familiar face sitting calmly and plucking on the cords of a circular harp.

She seemed to have the people around her transfixed and Emily couldn’t blame them. The afternoon sun played on her raven-black hair and only added to the layer of intrigue the woman gave off.

Tehila had her eyes partially closed but when Emily got close enough she opened them for a brief moment and took in the crowd. When her eyes stopped on Emily they narrowed but she kept playing, never interrupting the flow of music.

As the song continued Emily spotted someone she knew. Svent was currently watching the Bard work the crowd as he seemed lost in a bittersweet memory. When the song was coming to a close, Tehila effortlessly switched to a more uplifting tune and Emily felt her sorrow melt away, replaced by a quiet feeling of peace.

It was not quiet happiness but Emily could feel her emotions were smoother and more in her control. The crowd that had just moments ago been eyeing them warily now looked far less on edge. Some even began to dissipate, scattering to their homes to be with their families.

If this was what a bard was capable of Emily could see why the wandering fangs had said yes to bringing her along.

Svent woke up shortly too and Emily headed over to the tree folk. She’d been meaning to speak to him about the scepter so the fact she found him here was perfect.

“Afternoon, Svent. Do you have time to help me with something, Kael’s been hounding me to get it sorted.”

Her arrival seemed to wake up from his daze and he looked over at Emily. The content smile on his face was replaced by a troubled one.

“Hello Emily, friend of Alex. Sure, the boss has already informed me of what you need. Unfortunately, I’m in a bit of a bind. With everything that has happened here, no one will let me rent a space in the forge, and without that, I’m struggling to get even the most basic repairs done.”

Emily frowned.

“Do you need a forge to inspect a weapon?”

Svent shot Emily a dry look.

“You mean do I need a workshop to ply my craft? The answer is yes. I won’t be able to do much of anything if I can’t find someone willing to let me work nearby.”

Emily scratched her chin. From the sounds of it, she needed to find him a forge for him to use his skills. But who did she threaten to make that happen?

“Hmm, let's see if we can’t find a blacksmith first and then we’ll negotiate from there,” Emily said.

Svent nodded but he looked around warily.

“I’m willing to offer up to double what the forge time was worth. Sadly the forge I used last time refused to even let me through the door. We’ll need to find a new one, but asking around has not been easy, no one will speak to me.”

Emily cocked her head and looked around. Several villagers were glaring at their number, the spell from Tehila already broken.

Emily shrugged at Svent.

“We won’t be getting any help from them so the next best thing is…”

Emily's eyes roamed the crowd and landed on Tehila again.

Dragging Svent behind her, Emily made a straight shot for the woman.

Her harp was lowered to her side and her cheeks were flushed from her performance.

“Well, well. Look what rolled back into town. You know I’m certain you said it would be safer here than out there with you.”

Emily’s chest rose in a laugh.

“Oh, it was. Far safer.”

Tehila frowned at that but rolled her eyes.

“Well to what do I owe the visit?” Tehila grinned as she packed her instrument away into a travel case.

“Yeah, about that. You intend to join us on the road, right?”

Tehila paused for a moment but then nodded.

“If the offer is still on the table, yes.”

“Great! Then we need your help.”

Tehila's brows rose.

“A favor, so soon?”

Emily pouted.

“I’m not offering a favor right now. This would be more like helping your future allies out”

Tehila hummed as she squinted at Emily.

“Sounds a mighty lot like a favor, but I’ll hear you out.”

Svent finally joined the conversion greeting Tehila and explaining their situation

“Oh, so you’re just trying to get some forge time? Hmm, I might be able to help with that.”

Svent’s eyes widened and he took hold of Tehila’s free hand.

“You mean it? I’d be mighty grateful.”

Tehila smiled brilliantly at the tree folk and when she looked over to Emily it shifted to more of a smirk.

“Alright then, follow me, but Emily. You owe me a drink for this.”

Emily laughed but inclined her head to the woman.

Tehila led them out of the crowd and toward one of the far-off buildings.

It didn’t look all that different from the other shops, but the moment they entered a wave of heat overcame them from deeper in the building.

There were many tools just left out in the open, a majority of them simple blacksmithing hammers, tongs, and chisels, but there were also other farming tools strewn about.

At the back of the room, where a pit made from bricks was built into the wall, sat a woman with a defined physique and a thick leather apron. She wasn’t currently working with any metal but instead seemed to be fixing a broken support on a cart, likely used in the fields.

When she looked up, her expression was initially sour, but when she saw Tehila, it shifted to a more neutral look.

“Not who I expected to see, but I’m not complaining. Come in, Tehila, and bring your friends.”

“Afternoon, Maez. Listen, I was hoping you could let my companions rent your workspace.”

The woman called Maez glanced at the two of them and pursed her lips. 'I’m assuming they’re from that mercenary company that came in earlier?'

Tehila just nodded with a smile.

“No can do, people would avoid my shop for weeks.”

“Aw, come on, Maez, don’t be like that,” Tehila said, dropping into a sultry tone. “Rumor has it that Daatril’s shop was damaged in the attack. It’ll take him a while to get things working again.'

'Hmm, no is no, I—”

Maez was just about to continue when Svaent spoke up. 'Ma’am, I understand your hesitation, but what if I were to sweeten the deal? How about getting a chance to look at a possible artifact-level work?'

Svaent bumped Emily's shoulder and inclined his head toward her. Emily blinked at first, then realized he meant the scepter, so she pulled it from her waistband.

The scepter itself wasn’t very long, probably closer to a baton in length, but it was made of some kind of silvery material with runes engraved over its surface. The end held a clear gem set into the metal, and while it looked intricate, Emily hadn’t been able to activate it since acquiring the weapon.

The moment Maez’s eyes landed on the scepter, an interested light glittered in them.

“Alright, you can stay, but I want to take the first crack at it.”

Blood points: 158