The cave was bustling with activity. Some strutted around with whole animals on their backs, while others proudly displayed large sacks of gathered Gleanberries. It was mostly the people our age who were making an excitable fuss over their successes and arguing with each other over whose treasure was better. The adults mostly chat quietly or play dice with one another as they wait for their turn to take the lift back.
The five of us, however, simply stumbled into camp and waited our turn in line. We were tired enough that a few grins of elation exchanged between ourselves were enough. By contrast, the people around us were ogling us with some confusion. A few stooped to outright disdain while others just looked concerned and shocked. I didn’t see any friendly faces, like our immediate family, so the 5 of us just quietly ignored the stares.
Soon enough it was our turn and we stepped into the cages and allowed ourselves to be hauled to the top. I immediately spotted father and Robert, Julia’s dad, waiting in the mass of people surrounding the lifts on the top and waiting for their loved ones to arrive. They caught my eye and beckoned to us with obvious relief. When we reached them, father clasped my hand and pulled me in close.
“Success?” He queried me in a low and serious voice.
“I think so.” I responded, “Assuming the stories are correct, anyways.” I took one of the smaller gems out of my pack and showed it to him, the deep hued stone remaining inert and innocuous looking.
He grunted in satisfaction and pulled away, beckoning to the rest of us to follow him. We walked back to the Argentum family home, father and Robert conversing quietly and the rest of us followed while mute, mostly too tired to talk. When we finally reached the house, we found Lynn waiting for us at the door. Her sapphire eyes sparkled in relief when she saw the five of us alive and healthy, and she hastened all of us inside.
The table of our dining room is large enough to seat twelve people and I see mom, Sylvia, Victor and even baby Eithan already sitting down. We quickly set our packs down and are ushered to our seats, plates of well-cooked meat set down in front of us. Once everyone is seated, we say a short prayer of thanksgiving and dig in with gusto. Victor questions us ruthlessly, and we do our best to answer him in between bites. Lynn chides him to let us finish our food while mother and Sylvia play with baby Eithan on the other end of the table.
Eventually we finish our food and our story to Victor’s satisfaction, and he is grinning in his typical half-crazy style.
“I knew it!” He exclaimed while tapping his foot rapidly on the floor.
“Now we just need to find ways to use this to the advantage of the village. We’ll need to test exactly how effective it is and come up with different strategies to make sure that gathering parties will use it well. Maybe we can use chains or ropes to make sure that people will be able to find their way back to the village after they leave, since the texts hint that the rocks only work in a limited radius around the user. But-“
“Can you put together a report indicating how valuable this will be for the village?” My father interrupted, steepling his fingers and studying the monologuing scholar. “Preferably before tonight’s meeting.”
Victor turned to my father, slightly shocked at the implication of the question. “Do you think that Aurelius will still try something? After this new discovery had been revealed?”
Father shook his head, smiling wryly, “You don’t get it, Victor. Politics is about a lot more than being good at what you do and the most fitting person for the job. It’s often more about scheming and lying and downplaying the merits of your enemies than anything else. Word has probably gotten around about what our intrepid explorers have managed to do here, and Aurelius could already be putting secondary plans into motion.”
This announcement put the whole table into a somber silence, only broken by Julia, who looked at my father in shock and piped up, “Does that mean that that golden haired idiot will try to earn a challenge anyways? How can he do that? After all Steve has done to prove himself—"
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“All I am saying is that nothing is certain here,” father interjected, frowning deeply. “We need to be prepared for anything. Get working on that report, Victor, and come prepared with your best arguments.”
He stood up and Robert stood with him, both of them kissing their wives and making for the door as father finished his speech, “I need to go speak to the rest of the village and prepare my own report on the Hunt for the Council. You kids just get some rest and leave the politics to the adults.”
…
That evening, the whole village gathered into or nearby the main village meetinghouse. The longhouse could seat nearly 2,500 souls, while the remainder of the village gathered in camps and in houses surrounding the village square. The areas surrounding the meetinghouse were filled with laughing and joking and feasting around bonfires, with even the weaker members of the village enjoying the chance to eat high quality food in the aftermath of the Hunt. It wouldn’t last for them, of course, but the time after a Hunt was traditionally a jubilee for the less productive members of the village. It was later that resources were later apportioned to the most capable warriors.
Inside the meetinghouse, on the other hand, things were more serious and contentious. The most powerful members of Brynn gathered on the benches lining the side of the house and jockeyed for position, arguing with one another about who deserved more and who contributed the most. The public granary was fueling the party going outside, and who was the most responsible for filling it involved some debate. Since most of the warriors didn’t gather the lion’s share of the resources directly, they obtained what they did by virtue of having fought off more Manicheas than the others. Who had contributed more to that fight and what they deserved was a subject of hot contest. The same applied for those who fended off the assortment of vicious predators that would assault the gathering teams. How much were they owed as well? Everyone seemed to argue that they had moved heaven and earth for the village and thus deserved a great deal. Whether they actually did, and more, was hammered out at these types of village meetings.
My father and the Council sat at a table that was perpendicular to the rows of benches and opposite the exit. They would mediate over the more intense and important discussions over the course of the night. I sat on the front row of benches to the left of the Council and mostly tuned out the bickering and debating, watching my opposition.
David and Samuel Aurelius sat on benches close to the Council and directly across from me. They spent most of the first few hours of the night glaring at me and doing their best to intimidate. Victor sat next to me, and I could tell that he was uncomfortable at their menacing and his discomfort was starting to get contagious.
Eventually David Aurelius decided the time was right and stepped into the center aisle, staring at the front of the room.
“I motion for quiet in the house! This is a matter of grave importance!”
He gave the impression of a demigod declaring a message from the heavens and much of the house shut up immediately. When things were quiet enough for his satisfaction, he continued with a slightly feral grin:
“As we have hopefully established after the last few hours of bickering, my son Samuel is the best that our younger generation has to offer. We all saw him take the heads of several of the Manicheas and even down an Arthus with only minor assistance! He contributed more to this Hunt than most, despite his youth, and has proven himself both strong and wise over the course of his time serving the village.”
At this, Samuel moved to stand beside his father, his large footfalls echoing throughout the now silent house. His voice was nearly as solemn as his face, only catching slightly with the glee that he was obviously barely containing.
“I ask for the Rite of Challenge!”
This earned as steady murmur from the rest of the hall as he continued, “In keeping with the most noble laws and customs of our great village, I deserve the ability to prove myself worthy to rule.”
He sneered slightly now, directly at me, “More worthy than a Giftless whelp whose only qualification is blood.”
This earned a greater clamor now, and a few rowdy shouts, both affirming and opposing. But mostly affirming. Father had started to stride towards the center aisle to stand opposite both of them before he had even finished his sentence. I waited for him to pass me before stepping in beside him and standing face-to-face with Samuel, who had abandoned his façade of dignity for more open disdain. Father boomed in challenge:
“You never had the courage to challenge me in our youth, David, but you certainly have the courage to goad your son into risking his neck instead. How could the whole village forget my own contributions in my youth and today, in favor of a man whose only talent is scheming?!”
That earned us a newly quiet hall. Father had kept his circle of friends small but his exploits as a warrior were legendary. He sought to remind the whole hall of that before continuing:
“A challenge to my son is a challenge to me. But it is more foolish even than that. It is also a total confusion of Stephen’s merits as well. Merits that far surpass anything your son could ever dream of.”
Victor knew his cue well and swiftly stood up and spoke calmly and rationally:
“My people and I have good reason to believe that Stephen and his team have made a once-in-a-century discovery. We tested things to confirm, and we are certain that he has discovered a rare gemstone capable of dispelling the Mist.”
This revelation may as well have been a pouch of Firelily powder detonated on the floor. People gasped and shifted in their seats, blurting out questions and remarks of incredulity. It almost seemed like a riot was about to start in the middle of the meeting before father roared out:
“ENOUGH! Be silent, you fools.” His brow was furrowed now as he glared at the unruly mob. “You will have time to question Victor and the others about their findings later. Right now, it is the opinions of the Council that matter.”
Quiet was restored and all heads turned toward the center table, where the Council sat examining us.