There had been a close call with another herd, likely riled up by the thinning of their rival's numbers, but as the adventurers got used to traveling through the Reach, they made better time than Lindle had expected and managed to avoid another fight. They reached their planned campsite just as the moon began dimming, twilight falling across the Reach.

Lindle led them into the clearing set against the cliff face in a small alcove in the rock. A thicker patch of trees covered the entrance. Together it should provide a decent hiding spot from anything wandering through the forest and flying overhead, allowing them a fire.

Lindle set up the tents while the others got settled. When he went to start collecting wood for the fire Chip stopped him, giving him a kind smile. “Excuse me son, if you don’t mind.” The older halfling gripped his amulet and sang a small hymn, and a woodless bonfire appeared in the middle of the camp in a swirl of flame, its fire glowing a richer and golden color that Lindle wasn’t used to. Chip made a sign with his hands, mumbling something he couldn’t hear before speaking again to Lindle. “Hestia's grace will keep us warm for the night.”

Lindle thought back to the list of Soarian deities he had been taught. Hestia was supposedly the goddess of hearths and food so he supposed that was who the cleric worshipped then this kind of spiritual magic to summon a bonfire made sense. The small school in his village the Soarians had set up alongside the lessons the children received from the shamans made sure to teach them about each of the Polar gods. Most of his peers didn’t pay attention to the Soarian lessons but he found the material covered interesting.

As the heat from the holy fire spread across his face he felt the soreness in his muscles and the hunger in his stomach fade slightly.

“Her fire will nourish us as we rest, but do still please enjoy some food.” Chip gestured to his bag and Lindle went to grab the rations, handing them out to everyone. The rogue took his meal silently and disappeared into his tent, his white-furred long coat rustling, but the others took seats around the fire and began talking.

Lindle took a look at his tent but decided to join them this time. He was never very good at small talk but he wanted to try. This group had been a lot more personable with him than he had expected, most of the other Soarians who arrived were pretty intimidating, but these three had been nothing but nice to him. Even Theodore had been… well he had been intimidating too but not in a malicious way, the man was just quiet.

He took a moment to observe them, the cousins conversing together with some drinks from their sacks while Chip performed a small religious-seeming series of hand gestures over his food before eating it with a peaceful expression on his face. His light armor glinting in the firelight. Chip felt a lot more relaxed than the other priests from Soarstrum who took up a more permanent residence in Glacerhine. They always gave off an intense presence so Lindle didn’t speak to them much outside of lessons.

Lindle took a seat next to Chip, eating silently for a few more moments until he blurted something out. “So you all do this often?” Chip turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Lindle winced, that sounded weird. he rephrased. “I mean your group… adventuring, exploring old ruins or fighting monsters.”

Chip smiled, mercifully not laughing as Lindles cheeks filled with red. “Yes, you can say we do this often.” Chip gestured vaguely ahead to the others and our surroundings as he responded. “It’s certainly not what I expected to do at this point in my life, but I really wouldn’t trade it for anything else, the adventure, the journeys we’ve gotten to experience.”

“It sounds like you really love it...” Lindle said. The halfling seemed a lot more impassioned now. The way the priests had talked about Hestia, it sounded like she would be worshipped by people a lot more prone to settling down. “Isn’t Hestia the goddess of homes? It seems like a career that would take you away from yours pretty often.”

Now Chip chuckled. “Would you like to know how we all got started on this path? Our story is one that is best shared from the beginning.” Chip’s eyes sparkled with mischief, as if he relished the idea of sharing tales of their beginnings. Lindle nodded, genuinely curious.

Chip leaned back comfortably, his face taking on a reminiscent expression as he began, “Well, it all started when Rosato and Dorothea were just kids, a bit younger than you. Back then I was much closer to what you might expect. A humble priest of the local church, tending to the faith. And those two were the local troublemakers who needed to get their bumps and bruises healed every time they went on an ‘adventure’.” He shook his head with a grin. “Some things never change.”

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Both Rosato and Dorothea had turned their attention to the conversation at this point. Rosato chuckled at the memory before speaking. “We were quite the troublemakers back then.”

“Still are!” Chip said mirthfully. “Though now it’s more monsters and dungeon zones than escapades making a nuisance of yourselves throughout the neighborhood.” The warmth of the fire seemed to grow as Chip continued. “One day however, the injuries were a lot less benign. They stumbled into the church covered in bleeding cuts and wearing the biggest grins.”

Lindle looked at the cousins, Dorothea gave him an unashamed grin, while Rosato awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. “We stumbled into a small goblin nest. I had some swordsmanship techniques under my belt and Dorothea knew some combat spells. We were young and dumb, and we probably should have just alerted the local guard.”

“But we got some really good feats and class options too!” Dorothea added. “I’ve got no regrets, we wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“That is true,” Chip said, “but there are safer and smarter ways to unlock your base class.” He gestured to Lindle. “I would have much preferred if you had followed young Lindle’s example here instead.”

Lindle shuffled, he supposed Rosato had shared what he was doing with his companions. He spoke up. “At that point though, you were already a priest right? It seems like Rosato and Dorothea already wanted to be adventurers from the start,” Lindle looked at them, and they both nodded affirmatively. “How did you join them?”

“Well it started because I wanted to keep them from killing themselves!” Chip laughed. “That day I told them if they were so dead set on risking their lives that once they got their classes they would take me along on their first few quests so I could keep an eye on them.”

Dorothea chimed in again. “It was pretty embarrassing, almost like taking your dad with you to kill monsters.”

Chip shrugged. “Embarrassing or not, I saved your hides more than once. Thing is, the more I went along with them, the more I enjoyed it. One day I just decided to join them officially. Exploring and helping people, I touched many more hearths out in the world than I would have tending to just my own, and eventually, this group became my new home.” Chip raised a finger to the holy fire they were centered around, a wave of warmth washing over them all.

Lindle contemplated silently as Chip continued the story. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but this group of adventurers seemed to have a way of life that Lindle had never considered. As he listened to their stories, he felt a twinge of envy. Not just for their exciting lives, but for the bond they shared.

Lindle hadn’t considered much outside of his path. He didn’t have any close bonds on the level these three seemed to share. Lindle had always felt some disconnect with most people back home. Never really connecting with the other craftsman children, though he had never worked up the courage to figure out if it was because of his heritage, but he suspected. Once it had become clear he didn’t possess any interest in joining the hunters and warriors most of the warrior kids had stopped interacting with him.

He had a few friends, and he always had his mother, but observing the cousins closely, noticing the ease with which they spoke and the shared humor that accompanied their anecdotes that looked deeper than even most families he knew. He looked at Chip, he looked relaxed and easy-going. The way the fire danced in his eyes and the way he looked at the cousins, it was clear he had found his purpose.

He had never really let it bother him before, but the idea stuck with him now. Alongside that the clear purpose they had also struck him. But before he could get too melancholic, Lindle shook it off, he would have the chance to take a better look at what he wanted when he was back home, hopefully either one step closer or ready to take his own path, the rest could follow after.

By the time Chip wound down, Lindle was holding back yawns. He was tired, but he did have one more question. “What about Theodore? You never mentioned him, did he join your group later?”

“Ah, well Theodore isn’t really part of our group. He’s just joining us while we’re in the Reach.” Rosato answered.

Lindle blinked and looked at the tent of the man in question. He felt a strange feeling he couldn’t identify for a moment.

Rosato continued. “We’ve met a few times over the years in Soarstrum, but he’s mostly a solo act, so it was quite a surprise when he joined us when we were recruiting for a scout. A good one though, he’s one of the more talented journeymen scouts and most of them get snapped up by various groups while they’re still apprentices.”

Lindle felt some more curiosity growing inside him, but another yawn escaped him before he could come up with another question. Chip gave him a smile, standing up and patting him on the shoulder.

“Come now, we need our rest for tomorrow,” Chip said.

Everyone followed Chip's lead and stood up as the halfling shooed them all into their tents. Lindle felt the exhaustion weighing down on him. As he made his way to his tent, the crackling of the golden fire behind him slowly faded into the background as Chip sat back down, looking into the fire.

As he nestled in his bedroll, Lindle's mind was abuzz with thoughts of the day's events and what would come next tomorrow, slowly falling into sleep.