As Lan stepped back into the world, Seras and Luna jumped. After seeing Tyr, they stopped but clearly didn’t expect him to show up so soon. Almost leaping from her saddle, the look of surprise on Seras’s face shifted to a frown.

‘Well?’ She asked as Lan landed in his saddle.

‘So… Pen and the Living City.’ Lan grinned. Even as Seras rolled her eyes, Luna looked at Lan in a way that he never would have thought anyone would see him. It was the same child-like wonder he and the other children had when they had seen Lord Oscar or St. Kasteen as they paraded through the city.

Lan found himself carrying a sleeping Luna once again as he finished the story about the ever-changing city of mages that had almost been the end of Pen.

‘Hmm, you did well.’ Seras said after Lan told her about the encounter. ‘Finding out about the Portal mage was good, and I don’t know how you managed to trick Gregor into thinking you would face him later, but that was clever. I didn’t think I would see you again after you left.’ She said as if seeing Lan in a new, much more favourable light.

‘Hm.’ Lan answered non-committedly as he thought over the fight. ‘I am not sure about that.’ He added, flexing his hand.

‘You are not sure?’ Seras tilted her head. ‘You said it yourself you couldn’t do any damage to him. You were lucky to get out.’ she said as if talking to a child, only getting a distant nod from Lan.

With a sigh, Seras went on. ‘How did you know we wouldn’t be leaving the town by foot?’ She asked as if trying to steer him away from thoughts of the troll.

‘Huh? Every time you spoke about it, it sounded like getting to the town was the goal. I took that to mean that you would either leave a different way or the people you would be meeting could deal with the troll.’

‘Hmm…’ Seras looked at him as if not expecting that from him. ‘Well, you are right. Tomorrow night, the summoned heroes will meet us with a Hero that can open worldwide portals. That is how we are going to leave.’ She said, and Lan, with some effort, managed not to mention that he hadn’t needed to push for the information; he was just happy that she had shared on her own.

‘What?’ Seras frowned.

‘Oh, nothing.’ Lan smiled back before turning to the road.

As a result of running the horses, they made enough ground that even after resting once they were sure they weren’t being chased, there was still light in the sky by the time the tower of the town church came into view.

Lan sighed, echoing the relaxing of Seras’ shoulders. Although part of Lan wanted to suggest just running the horses down and getting all of this over and done with, they soon reached town anyway.

When they crested the hill approaching the town, Seras took them into the trees before getting down and taking Luna from Lan, waking the girl in the process.

Once on the ground, Lan watched Seras retrieve a small vial from her satchel.

‘What’s that?’ Lan asked as Seras poured a drop of the clear liquid into each of Luna’s eyes. to which she blinked hard before rubbing them.

‘It’s a potion that hides one’s eye colour.’ Seras explained as she poured a drop into each of her own eyes. Without this, Luna’s eyes would change colour to match her mood. As you have seen, strong emotions can still come through even with it. So let’s try and avoid that in town.’

‘That’s amazing.’ Lan noted as he watched her next pour a drop of a different potion on their hair, turning the colour blonde.

‘It would be easier to spot us otherwise.’ Seras added as she looked Luna over.

Lan nodded at that as Seras turned to him. ‘Do you want some?’ she asked, looking him over.

‘Better not,’ Lan laughed. ‘In fact, once we get to the town, not trying too hard to not stand out will help us blend in more.’ Lan said, waving to the horses. ‘People are going to think you are a noble or a merchant or a noble merchant anyway, so… just be yourself.’ Lan smiled, getting a dangerous look from Seras.

‘And what does that mean?’ she asked.

‘No one knows,’ Lan laughed. ‘Noble merchants kind of just do and act the way they want.’ Lan explained, leaving out the fact that they were also known to be either abrasive or crazy. Sometimes both.

Seras stared at him as if reading his mind. ‘I will take your advice then.’ she said in a tone that sounded like she would trust him.

‘Thanks.’ Lan added, feeling the need to acknowledge the overture. Seras’ eyes lingered on Lan for a moment longer, as if she would say more before she nodded.

‘Let’s go.’

With that, they headed for the town.

Reaching the gate, Lan approached the guards, who eyed him uneasily. That was until they saw his tag, and then they seemed to become more hostile.

‘Name and business.’ The first guard, a man a few years older than Lan, barked.

‘Landrin.’ Lan said before pointing to Seras. ‘Just finishing up an escort job for the Hall of the Wild Hunt.’ This only seemed to upset the guards more, and Lan had to remind himself that, unlike the guards he knew, most didn’t like adventurers

‘Well, they have to sign in too.’ the guard said, shooting his chin at Seras and Luna.’

‘Oh, that is L-‘ Lan tried.

‘I said they have to sign in!’ The guard cut him off, and Lan shrugged and approached the horses.

‘Try and look annoyed.’ Lan said as he brushed Seras’s horse on the neck.

‘What! why would I do that?’ Seras said, frowning.

‘Yeah, just like that.’ Lan smiled as he turned and headed back.

‘Lady Oakleaf wishes to know,’ he started before making a show of remembering the words. ‘Just who by the light do you think you are to ask her to sign in?’

This worked like how Lan had hoped as the two guards paled.

‘Why didn’t you say she was a noble?’ the second guard whispered worriedly as if Lan had broken some kind of unspoken code.

‘I tried.’ Lan shrugged.

‘Ah, just go.’ the first hissed as the second rushed to open the gate.

With a nod, Lan obliged, starting towards the horses before he stopped and looked over his shoulder. ‘Oh, you wouldn’t happen to know where a good inn would be?’ he smiled.

Willing to do anything to get rid of Lan and his troublesome charges, the two guards would have given him the shirts off their backs. So directions to the right Inn were easy enough.

‘What was the point of all that?’ Seras asked as they passed through the gates.

‘We didn’t need to sign in, did we?’ Lan grinned. ‘Plus, this way, they will keep their mouth shut about ever seeing us. ‘That had been a little trick he had learned from Dell. Only whenever he had been made to do it back then, a kick or a slap to the face had been used to sell the effect.

Seras nodded. ‘Very resourceful.’ She said, which might as well have been glowing praise.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

[Job Complete]

That made Lan pause. Right, the job had only been until they reached Grisham. Which they had done. At this point, he could leave, but even as he had the thought, Lan knew he wasn’t going anywhere until Seras and Luna were safe. That was when he would call the job done.

As one could expect from a town built around supplying wagon trains, the streets were about double the width they needed to be. Instead of stalls on the sides of the roads, whole shop fronts had open walls to allow quick maneuverability, allowing workers to haul packs between the everyday life of townspeople. Almost to be expected, there was an unmistakable smell of horses, which made Seras miss the city.

Seras sighed as the horses walked down the street. They were drawing so much attention.

Even though she had once again been surprised by Lan’s ingenuity and the fact that the people of Crownguard seemed just as easy to read.

Like how the Guards had been stunned by Lan and how, before they could hide it, their looks of authority suddenly changed to one of intimidation, which they had tried to mask with standoffishness when they learned he was a hunter. Although it had been amusing, it still should have been a warning.

Compared to the two guards, Lan looked like he had walked out of a tale. A head taller than them, he possessed an innate self-assurance that the guards didn’t. One that seemed to make his weapon and armour look like they were for more than just show when he stood next to the guards and their no doubt borrowed armour if the ill-fitting size was an indicator of anything other than poor taste.

Unfortunately, that was no doubt playing a part in the fact that they were standing out too much.

Seras paused, having to correct herself. No, they weren’t standing out. Lan was. In fact, it looked like no one had even noticed them. Even when his attention was focused on leading them the right way, the attention of everyone they passed was on him.

And she could see why and was annoyed that she had thought only his eyes were the problem.

Now that she could see him as more than just a decoy, she could admit that she should have seen this coming. Not only was he handsome in a way that reminded her of the statues of the Ethereals. With his hair ever so dishevelled from his fight with Gregor and the cut on his cheek, he looked every bit the dashing rogue depicted in romanticised paintings of some of the more famous heroes of the Greater Tales.

Even as she had the thought, Seras could see young women who knew nothing and older women who should know better having the same thoughts she had.

One woman in a group called out to Lan in jest about him finally coming to save her. But when he smiled at her, the woman turned red and waved before she could stop herself, only to realise what she had done as her friends turned on her with light mocking.

‘Is it always like this for you?’ Seras asked, getting a blank look from Lan until she added more. ‘How people look at you. Although I guess you must be used to it.’

‘Oh!’ He blinked. ‘Not really,’ Lan laughed. ‘I am used to people in my home village looking at me… for other reasons, and I guess the city is large enough that I just blend in, so I haven’t noticed.’ Lan finished as if only now considering it, and Seras decided it was clearly wasted on him.

In fact, he could forget about his ability. In Leeto, he could have no doubt lived off his looks alone. Now that she thought about it, Prince Veldin was looking for a new painting subject. That would be the easy life… that was until one of the other Princes, jealous of Prince Veldin’s talent, tried to kill Lan. But Prince Veldin could most likely keep him safe…. Probably.

‘Well, if they are looking at me, at least they aren’t looking at you and Luna.’ Lan said in a way that only someone who really didn’t understand the advantage they had could.

‘Maybe if it helped him kill monsters, he would care more.’ Seras breathed.

As Seras looked lost in thought, Lan spotted the sign of a cat stumbling while holding a beer mug.

‘There is the Drunken Cat.’ He said, smiling at the name and the memorable sign. Inside, Lan was greeted by a familiar sight. Not the look of the Inn. No, it looked nothing like Leah’s Inn. Not only was it much smaller than it, but it also had only one sitting area, unlike the multiple areas plus the dance floor of the Silver Maiden. Even the smell was different, almost like roasted apples.

But the atmosphere, the boisterous energy, was one and the same even though there were only five small groups, not enough to raise a ruckus like in the Maiden.

‘Are you sure this is the best place?’ Seras asked, looking around distastefully as they started to draw attention.

‘Don’t worry if anywhere in the town is safe. This is it.’ he smiled. Even if they were drunk, a room full of adventurers was a room filled with adventurers, and if the troll broke his word, it should make for a daunting front.

Just then, the innkeeper walked out of the back, wiping his hands as he noticed them. He scanned the new faces, a warm smile growing on his face as he saw Lan’s tag.

‘Good hunt?’ the large round man with arms like oak trees asked as they approached the counter.

‘Who me?’ Lan asked. ‘Just a little family trip.’ Lan joked, making the innkeeper let out a low yet bassy laugh.

‘Aya, of course, my lad. It’s good to see a youngster who knows there is more to this life than just monster slaying. We got to look after the fulks as well.’ He smiled, and Lan joined him before the man gained a gleam in his eyes.

‘So Wild Hunt is it?’

‘How did you know?’ Lan asked, more impressed than worried, but that could have had something to do with the fact that he was having a pleasant conversation with an innkeeper for a change.

‘Yours is the only guild these days that doesn’t have an engraving on their tags. course back in my day, none of the guilds did.’ The innkeeper said, lifting his tag from under his apron. Like both his and Leah’s father, the tag had turned black to show their retirement, but Lan had already guessed the man had been one.

‘I didn’t know that. I joined just a little while ago.’

‘and already a copper, huh…?’ the innkeeper stated before looking almost a decade younger.

‘Wild Hunt, so… that guild job with the Razerwolves, did you have a part in that?’

‘I did.’ Lan laughed. ‘but it was the same day that I joined, and it would be an understatement to say that I was in over my head. All I did was act as a decoy for the team I was paired with.’

The innkeeper laughed at that. ‘A decoy for Razerwolves, and on your first day, no less. That is a good story.’ The innkeeper said loud enough to draw the attention of those around. ‘Razerwolves…’ the large man looked at his leg. ‘No nastier beasties.’

Lan wanted to agree before he remembered everything else he had faced.

‘Then again, that All Guilds Campaign is your lot’s doing, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah.’ Lan said, getting a whistle from the innkeeper.

‘Anything you can tell me about that?’ He asked, and Lan met his eyes.

‘Nothing you already don’t know.’ Lan said, wishing he could say more but being under strict orders to allow all news to come from official channels.

‘I tried.’ the innkeeper sighed with a smile. ‘Mind you, you have to be sorry for the one that found the danger great enough to need all the guilds.’ The large man mused, and Lan felt his smile tighten a little.

‘Poor guy.’

‘You know them then?’ the innkeeper asked.

‘We run in the same circles.’ He said. Even though he hadn’t been told to keep quiet about that part, it would make it much harder to keep everything else a secret if he did.

‘A Campaign…’ the man grinned as his eyes seemed to light at the thought. ‘I wish I could be there. But I left most of my fight with the Sky Eater.’

‘You were there at the Sky Eater?’ Lan gushed before Seras cleared her throat, looking down at Luna, bringing him back to the point.

‘That’s how I built this inn.’ The innkeeper grinned. ‘Ah, but you will be looking for a room and meals then?’ he asked.

‘Yeah.’ Lan nodded and reached for his coin.

‘No need. Think of it as me doing my part for the Campaign. The Lady and the little one look like they could rest.’ He said, smiling at Seras, who had watched the conversation with the intensity of a negotiation between the kingdoms, and Luna, who hid behind Lan. ‘and think of it as my way of saying sorry.’ the innkeeper shrugged.

When Lan raised an eyebrow, the man went on.

‘See… there is only a branch of the Howling Moon guild and a small one at that in the town. So close to the city, we don’t get much in the way of big jobs out here. The only people the village guild has are old lifelong silvers and fresh faces born in the town who scare off wolves around the farms, and there is no sign of the Mark among the young ones. They are going to want to hear some stories from you, and a few stories from a real hunter would be good for them. Now, lad, don’t look at me that way. I only spoke the truth.’ The large man said before Lan could protest.

‘If there was enough danger to need a guild, we wouldn’t just have a branch. And the light knows they must be sick of hearing my stories.’

Lan just blinked at that. The idea that he was an adventurer to be looked up to was… new and a little disconcerting. But did he not have stories to tell already?

‘When you get the chance, share a story or two with the young ones, and we will call it even.’

Lan looked around the room, finding one group in particular that didn’t meet his look with a nod but quickly tried to look away.

‘Uh, sure.’ Lan smiled.

After that, they were led to their room by innkeeper Corbit’s daughter, who, unlike Leah, seemed easily flustered, always looking back at them as if she would lose them in the short walk.

‘This is the room for the Lady and the little miss.’ Carla said before pointing to the next room. ‘And that is yours.’ She said before blushing for some reason.

‘Thank you,’ Lan smiled, which only worsened as the girl turned beet red, bowed to him and ran away. ‘Okay… then,’ Lan said, watching her go before he started to his room. Not making it far as he felt someone tug on his cloak.

Turning, he found Luna holding on to Seras’ arm and his cloak with a growing urgency on her face.

‘No.’ she said, looking at both again, clearly not wanting to be away from either. Propriety aside, a hunter sharing a room with his believed to be noble charge would be something to talk about.

‘Hey.’ Lan smiled, dropping to a knee. ‘I am not going anywhere, just next door.’ However, that didn’t seem to convince her as she held on to him tighter.

Seras looked like she would say something, but she seemed to check herself and looked at him with a “well”.

With a look back that said, “Thanks for the backup.” Lan removed his Chain with the Light Crystal.

‘I am not going far, but just in case, I will let you hold on to this until morning.’ he said, placing the stone in her hands. ‘It’s one of the most important things to me, as well as where Tyr sleeps and where she is. I can be in a heartbeat.

‘But don’t you need it?’ she asked in a small voice.

‘I do,’ Lan smiled. ‘So take good care of it, okay?’ that seemed to work as Luna looked at the Chain in her hands for a long moment before giving him a resolute nod.