Quentin and Kane were happy to have finished another session of spear training. The rain came more and more frequently, making the training yard largely unusable for long stretches of time. Hans wondered if he could hire the Tribe to build him a barn to bring the training yard indoors, then he wondered if he would still have any gold left by then to fund that project.

Probably not.

“Mr. Hans?” Kane asked as he returned his training spear to the guild hall.

“What’s up?”

For the first time since Hans arrived in Gomi, the muscular tusk teen seemed nervous. “People seem real anxious about the orc war. Gunny and the other kids are getting scared. Are we safe?”

Kane’s question was like a punch to the stomach. “That’s a complex question,” Hans said. “Do you have time to sit for a minute?”

Kane nodded. “Can Quentin stay?” The human teen had lingered at the edge of the conversation, trying not to be rude. He seemed proud that Kane wanted him present.

“Of course.”

With Kane and Quentin on one side of a guild table and Hans on the other, the Guild Master wrestled with how to be honest with his students while not fueling their fear. They were still kids, and he wanted them to have as much of a childhood as possible.

At the same time, Kane was more mature than many adults. He never talked about it, but he and Gunther escaped a bad situation, with Kane taking on the role of guardian for the younger tusk. There was no protecting him from the cruelty of the world at this point. He had already lived it.

Quentin might not have walked half the kingdom alone, but he hadn’t lived a privileged life either. His mom passed when he was young, and his father was a hunter, leaving Quentin to largely raise himself while his dad kept them sheltered and fed. Were it not for Quentin’s independence, his father would have died in the woods to the squonks.

“There is a lot we don’t know,” Hans began. “We know that orcs are attacking the kingdom, and we know that some tusk-touched have joined them. We also know that this is happening on the opposite side of the country. We don’t know how many tusks have defected, and we don’t know why. We also don’t know how long the war will last. Those are the facts we have. Would you like to hear how I interpret those facts?”

The boys nodded.

“Remember that the rest of this is guesswork. A single piece of new information could invalidate all of this, and there is no guarantee I’m right. That’s a good habit for adventurers to have: separating fact from interpretation. Anyway.”

Hans paused to consider Kane and Quentin once more before continuing.

“I have a feeling there is more to the tusk defections than we know. In the time it takes for that to get figured, people are lashing out. Fear and hatred seem to work in pairs that way. The tusks closest to the war are having a difficult time, and there is real danger for them, but you knew that from taking in new neighbors.”

The teens stayed still, listening.

“Gomi has been safe for the Tribe for a while now, and we’re working to keep it that way. Right now, there is no immediate threat to Gomi. Everything we’re doing is so it can stay that way.”

“What if the war comes here?” Kane asked.

“War can take many different forms, so that’s a hard question to answer. I do know this for a fact: I’ve visited a lot of towns in my career, and I’ve never seen a town more committed to protecting each other than Gomi. I mean that.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hans,” Quentin said.

“If you need me, come see me. I’m not going anywhere.”

***

The Tribe organized a fall festival, a traditional last hurrah before winter and a way to welcome their new brothers and sisters. 31 tusks in total had migrated to Gomi. That number wasn’t world-changing, but it was for the families who now had beds to sleep in and no fear of going hungry or freezing to death during the winter.

None of them had known Theneesa, though, giving Hans hope that more might arrive before the pass was blocked.

The party took place in front of the barns that made up the Tribe brewery operation and now two new dormitories. Two bonfires built to the size of teepees burned in the midst of what was almost the entire population of Gomi. They wore wool sweaters and jackets, enjoying the juxtaposition of a blazing fire warming their faces while a cold wind nipped at their backs.

Each nursed a mug of beer from one of several barrels set aside for tonight’s festivities, and they occasionally passed a bottle of whiskey or vodka when the mood felt right.

Hans stood near Becky on the outside edge of the crowd, enjoying his beer while Becky and Becki alternated burping. He realized that in the dark with harsh shadows from the fires, he couldn’t see who was who, who was a newcomer and who was a lifer. They were all shadows flickering in and out of a joyful crowd. Without faces, there was no division. All Hans could see was a town of people sharing joy with each other.

A whistle and a yell went out on the other side of a bonfire. As the crowd got quiet, Hans shifted to the side to see what everyone was looking at.

Galad bounded to the top of a stack of barrels, adding two vertical barrels of elevation to his already daunting height. He motioned for quiet, and the crowd obliged – except for a gaggle of tusk children who had kept playing, completely oblivious to anything that wasn’t their game of kickball.

“Hey!” Galad yelled. “You kids are worse than the drunks!”

Everyone laughed, including the kids, who went quiet soon after.

“Thank you all for being here tonight as we initiate… I mean ingratiate–” Galad paused, his sly grin visible even in the dark. The crowd laughed and wooped. “Our new brothers and sisters!”

Cheering erupted.

Galad shifted to a more serious tone. “We are blessed to have you with us. Each and every one of you. Your Gomi brothers and sisters are glad you could come home.”

The crowd clapped.

“My father started this tradition. When he gave this speech, he would say that ‘a fall festival prepares us for the winter because it reminds us how strong we are together. Knowing that strength makes a hard winter far easier because you know you are not alone.’

“I remember the first time I heard him say that, at the first fall festival. We were no greater than a fourth of the crowd here today. The woods were closer and the fields were shallower. The homes that dot our view were far fewer. For our new brothers and sisters, I want you to remember the Tribe lands as you see them today. A few years from now, you’ll get to feel what I’m feeling right now.

Stolen story; please report.

“My family has grown, and I had the privilege of being a part of that, of getting to contribute with my own hard work. It’s an indescribable feeling, and as I look around at our older–I mean, more experienced–friends,” Galad said, pausing to let the crowd react to his joke, “I know they feel it too. Yeah, I see their heads nodding. We are here today because of what they built and how they treated each other. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to grow.

“So seeing all of our new brothers and sisters like this, it satisfies our dream of one day being able to help someone else the way that someone helped us. And that feeling has made it possible for us to thrive because this only works–” Galad spread his arms to indicate the community “–If you share the same dream. There is only one way to repay the Tribe for its kindness, and that is to pass that kindness on to the next tusk.”

A long chorus of claps and cheers ensued.

“Oh. We also like the excuse to drink beer. Get back to it!”

Galad raised a stein and hopped down from the barrels as the members of the crowd resumed their conversations.

“Uhh, Guild Master? You okay?” Becky leaned forward to get a better look at Hans’ gaping mouth.

“That was a hell of a speech,” Hans said, closing his mouth to whistle. “Even I’m inspired.”

New Quest: Do something amazing!

Becky snorted. “He gets it from his parents. You would have loved them.”

With a gentle tip, Hans splashed some beer in the grass. “Yeah, sounds like I would have.”

***

Hans did his best to mingle. Though the party was for the newly arrived tusks, they weren’t much newer to town than he was. He had met most of the crowd in passing, but he genuinely knew very few of them.

A growing adult class had helped with that already, and now as he moved through the groups of people talking, one of his students would occasionally pull him in for introductions, saying things like “this is the guy who kicks my ass twice a week” and then offer Hans a shot, which he had to accept, obviously. Refusing a gift would be rude.

He didn’t get to meet all of the new tusks, but he spoke with a great many of them. He let them know the Guild was there to help and that they were always welcome. If they had children under their charge, he made sure to let them know about the kids’ class as well. Free to all.

As he made his rounds, he learned that Luther volunteered to winter in Osare. When the other tusks made their final escorts to Gomi, he wanted to be on the other side of the snow to meet the tusks who didn’t make it in time. According to Mayor Charlie, Luther said doing anything else would be like abandoning them.

Luther didn’t speak much when he was around, but Hans’ respect for the tusk grew more each day. He somehow made selflessness look macho and cool. As Hans thought more about his interactions with Luther, he realized the tusk never hesitated to contribute, even though Gomi had asked a lot of him the last few months.

The Gomi standard is high. Damn.

When Becky stood on her familiar’s back and chugged a small cask of beer, all the while the warthog ran a circle around the bonfire, Hans decided it was time to leave. He had drunk too much already.

Pulling the Hoseki Goodbye, which was the act of leaving a party quietly instead of saying goodbye to everyone, Hans began walking down the road back toward Gomi, the bonfires at his back. He was just beyond the fire light when a pair of footsteps padded up behind him.

“You know it’s dangerous to be in the woods at night by yourself,” Olza said, slowing to walk with him. “You should have asked an adult first.”

Hans chuckled, quieting again to enjoy the sounds of a fall night.

“Galad really makes you think, doesn’t he? When I first moved here, I thought the Tribe was some kind of cult because nobody is that nice, but Galad is. Don’t get me wrong, he can fight. Him and Luther had an argument a few years back and you would not believe the sounds their fists made when they hit each other. But he is nice. I’ve never seen him do anything for his own benefit. Ever. Doesn’t that sound impossible?”

Hans nodded.

“It made me rethink a lot of things. And then there’s Charlie and Galinda, who’re even sweeter than Galad. Did you know that Charlie’s bakery used to be the town tavern? Nobody bothered going once they could buy Tribe beer, so Charlie took it over and now he spends his Mayor salary on baked goods that he mostly gives away.” Olza turned to look into Hans’ eyes.

Hans stared back.

“I don’t need to be a big city alchemist to be content. I like my quiet life here where I can practice my craft and help nice people. Then, in the winter, I can cozy up and read as much as I want. It’s so peaceful. Do you feel that too? Doesn’t this place make you feel something you’ve never felt before?”

“...”

“Hans?”

“Hmmmm?”

“Did you hear me?”

“Drunk.”

“‘Drunk?’ That’s your answer? Just ‘drunk?’”

Hans nodded. “Drunk.”

Olza rolled her eyes, sighing. “Let’s get you home safe.”

***

New Quest: Go back in time and beat up Past Hans for what he did to us.

The cold crispness of morning infiltrated the guild hall. For a moment, before he wrestled his eyelids open, Hans thought he might be camping, half-expecting to see dew beaded on the canvas of his tent and adventuring gear.

The only dew he found was what had leaked from his mouth onto the table.

Oh gods, my neck.

He had slept face down on his cheek, though for how long he wasn’t sure. Straightening his posture to look ahead instead of sideways felt like bending a rope soaked in concrete. The smallest adjustment triggered a cascade of cracking and creaking. A blanket he hadn’t noticed before slid from his shoulders, falling to the floor as he sat up.

The vague memory of accepting a new quest bobbed to the surface of his thoughts as they sloshed back and forth in his skull.

Active Quest: Do something amazing!

Oh. Don’t yell. Why are we yelling?

Whatever he had intended with that quest, it wasn’t happening today. Or tomorrow.

The door to the guild hall opened. Hans tried to turn to see who had entered, but he failed. The concrete in his bones seemed to reform the moment he stopped moving.

“I brought you some tea,” he heard Olza’s voice say. A large clay mug appeared on the table in front of him. The smell of green tea rode the steam rising from the cup.

“How are you that awake this early?”

A hand gently patted Hans on the back. “It’s almost noon. Quentin already let everyone know kids’ lessons for the day are canceled.”

“That kid’s a class act.” He thanked Olza profusely for the tea and wrapped his hands around the mug, enjoying the heat as he sipped.

“We started to worry about you when we saw you accepting shots.”

“Seemed like it’d be rude to say no.”

“The smart thing would have been to say no,” Olza said, laughing. “That tradition is fine for tusks, but even Becky wouldn’t have accepted most of those.”

Hans grumbled about the timing Olza chose for sharing this information. Last night would have been better.

“More men have died drinking against tusks than have died fighting them,” she said with seriousness.

Am I going to die?

He thought about the thumping in his head.

No. Just suffer.

“I think you made a good impression, though. I heard some of the newer kids talking about training with you.”

Oh. Wow. That’s really good news.

Quest Abandoned: Go back in time and beat up Past Hans for what he did to us.

In his mind, he said, “Thank you for telling me. It’s hard for me to tell if people are actually happy to talk to me or if they are just being nice.”

Somehow, his face was back on the table, making every word after “Thank you” unintelligible to Olza.

She patted Hans on the head. “Try to get some rest. And a bath.”

***

Open Quests (Ordered from Old to New):

Progress from Gold-ranked to Diamond-ranked.

Mend the rift with Devon.

Complete the manuscript for "The Next Generation: A Teaching Methodology for Training Adventurers."

Identify the unknown purple flower from Olza.

Protect your place in Gomi and maintain control of the Gomi chapter.

Find a practical solution for a planar leak. Bonus Objective: Find a solution that uses only resources available in Gomi.

Expand the Gomi training area to include ramps for footwork drills.

Do something amazing!