Bob blinked as a sudden rush of wind spun snow up around him.

"Erick!" Bailli's voice called out from behind him, her voice light and clear in the crisp winter air.

He turned to see Bailli giving Erick a passionate kiss.

The kids started to snicker.

"Right," Bob said as Bailli and Erick didn't seem inclined to cut their reunion short, "come along, I'm sure those two will catch up to us," he continued as he gestured for the freshers to follow him.

They left the oblivious couple behind and hurried towards Holmstead.

A quarter of an hour later saw the group in front of Holmstead's gates, where Bob was greeted with an amiable nod and a "Welcome back, Reef."

As Bob walked escorted the freshers through Holmstead, he couldn't help but draw comparisons against Harbordeep.

While Harbordeep had broader boulevards lined with trees and even a median with a row of evergreens and artistic murals on the buildings, Holmstead felt more genuine, more welcoming. It felt like home.

Arriving at the Adventurers Guild, Bob ushered the kids inside, where he caught the eye of Theo and nodded towards a few empty tables in the rear left corner.

As the freshers milled about uncertainly, Bob started moving the tables together until there was enough seating for everyone.

Theo arrived moments later, deftly navigating his way around the crowd, and placed an extra-large serving bowl full of steaming ham chunks in front of Monroe and a bowl of stew with a slice of bread in front of Bob.

"Meals for them as well," Bob said as he slid sixteen crystals across the table.

Theo nodded and headed back to the kitchen.

Bob turned his attention back to the kids and found all of them save for Nora focusing intently on Monroe, as his Imperial Majesty addressed the offerings that were only his just due.

"So," Bob said, drawing almost everyone's attention from the feline of mass consumption, "meal and board are two crystals a day," he snapped his fingers to garner the attention of the lone hold out who had been truly mesmerized by Monroe's magnificence.

"While Monroe appreciates your devotion," Bob said, "give me just a minute of your time."

The young woman who had been enraptured by Monroe flushed as she tore her gaze from the big Maine-Coone.

"As I was saying," Bob continued with a grin, "room and board will run you two crystals a day. I've paid for your meals for today, and I'll cover your rooms this evening, but tomorrow you'll need to smash a few monsters so that you can pay for your own."

"This," Bob nodded towards Theo, who had arrived with a pair of platters, balancing seven bowls on each, "is Theo, he's the man to see about your meals."

Theo deftly placed a large bowl of stew with a slice of bread in front of each of the freshers before pausing to give Monroe a quick ruff rub and heading back to the kitchen.

"Dig in," Bob said as he proceeded to do exactly that.

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"Bob!" Kelli called out happily as he moved around the crowded tables and reached down to clasp Bob's shoulder.

"Kelli," Bob replied, "you're just the person I needed to talk to; I have fourteen freshers in need of lodging for the night," Bob fished a handful of crystals out of his satchel and counted out fourteen of them by feel before handing them to Kelli.

"I can arrange that," Kelli allowed with a smile, "it's good to have you back," he lowered his voice and continued, "if you'll be around later this evening, Harv and Elli are taking a late dinner, we could all get together, maybe find Bailli and have her join us as well, the whole crew as it were," he finished with a smile.

"I doubt you'll be able to pull Bailli away from Erick," Bob said, "They seemed quite happy to see each other."

"Oh, you brought back Erick with you?" Kelli asked as his smile widened, "in that case, it'll just be the four of us to attend to Monroe's needs," he finished.

"Six to eight hands is an acceptable hand to cat ratio," Bob granted, reaching out to give Monroe a quick ear rub.

"Two hours after sunset then," Kelli said before turning to head back towards his office, saying over his shoulder, "I'll be right back with the room keys."

"And that," Bob said loudly, drawing the attention of the group, "is Kelli, he's the one to see about your lodgings, and also about joining the Guild, which you can do here without having taken a path."

Kelli arrived and began to hand out the keys just as Bob finished his meal.

Standing, Bob addressed the freshers again.

"I'll be back here tomorrow morning to continue your training, so enjoy a good night's rest, and we'll work out the schedule over breakfast," he said before turning and heading for the door.

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Bob stepped through a portal and appeared in midair fifty feet in front of murmuring falls.

His cabin looked amazingly cozy, the ground and evergreens blanketed in snow. The falls themselves still had a narrow open channel, allowing a fraction of its former volume to spill over the edge, creating a series of spectacular frozen waterfalls.

Bob opened a portal to his sunroom and stepped in.

He stored his cloak and armor, equipping his casual clothing as well, a process Monroe didn't really appreciate.

Monroe poured off Bob's shoulder and dismissed his human-servant with a flick of his tail as he began to inspect his home.

Watching Monroe dart from corner to corner, Bob smiled.

"I'm glad to be home too, buddy," he said as he looked around.

Everything was where it belonged, and it appeared that the control air spell kept the air moving to keep the heat circulated and even served an additional function of keeping the dust off the counters.

"Nothing to unpack," Bob mused, "But a shower wouldn't go amiss."

His step light, Bob set about washing the trip away.

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"Reef!" Harv bellowed as Bob walked into the tavern, standing and beckoning him over to a table where Eli and Kelli already sat.

As he walked over to his friends, Bob noticed that all of the freshers were still in the tavern, separated into their training groups.

Before he took his seat, Bob poured Monroe onto the middle of the table.

"Your divine feline overlord has returned!" Bob announced as Eli reached out to provide Monroe with the worship he deserved.

"Good to see you," Harv said with a smile, "and Monroe as well, I suppose," he finished, curling his arm protectively around his plate to shield it from the big cat's predatory gaze.

Monroe was lounging, accepting the devotion of his servants, but his eyes drifted from plate to plate as if wondering which choice morsel ought to be sacrificed to sate his hunger.

"So, you brought back fourteen kids," Kelli grinned, "I'm sure there's a story there."

Bob let out a long-suffering sigh before embarking on his tale of woe.

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Nora watched as Bob talked with his friends.

She had had certain... expectations when she'd thought of Holmstead.

She'd expected a nervous, fearful people, cowed by the danger of the monsters, ruled over by a petty tyrant.

Instead, she'd found a bustling town, where people paused to chat on the street, and laughter was more commonplace than angry words or sullen looks.

Nora also hadn't expected to discover that Bob was a hero.

Orson had bumped into a boy named Eddi on his way to the toilet, and the enthusiastic local had joined them for a drink, regaling them with the story of 'The Reef.'

When Wayna had expressed disbelief, Eddi had called out for the tavern to hoist a mug to the return of 'The Reef,' and as one, every patron had stood and shouted before draining their mugs and slamming them down.

It was clear to her that Eddi had a serious case of hero-worship.

Then Eddi had told them about Bob's paths and showed them a pamphlet outlining the use of some sort of special crystal and how to use them in conjunction with a powerful path.

He had reached level twenty-three a few days ago, he'd bragged, and was working on gathering up 'Summoning Affinity Crystals'.

Apparently, being shepherded by Bob was enough to place them firmly on the side of all that was right and good, as far as Eddi was concerned.

So now she was watching him.

He was still the quietest person at the table and the least assuming.

But he sat back in his chair a bit, and his shoulders were less hunched.

He seemed more at ease than she'd ever seen him in Harbordeep.

She still had a hard time seeing him as a hero.

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Ellen had moved her chair slightly away from the table where the other three members of what was tentatively to be Bob's third group to shepherd.

She was very good at pretending to be a naive teenager; however, she didn't really enjoy the role.

Huffing out a breath and shaking her head to move a lock of her hair out of her eyes, she sighed. This was the last time she'd need to do this.

Annisa had promised her that she'd be guided to tier six and assigned as a Watcher in White Bluff after this.

It was her fourth time reincarnating back down and attempting to sniff out cultists, the previous three times having been joining an expedition.

At least this time, she wouldn't have to act as a honey trap. According to Annisa, Bob hadn't exhibited any physiological attraction to her. Nor, she'd added, had he shown a reaction to Voren.

Thus far, she hadn't seen anything that hinted at cultist activities.

If anyone in Holmstead had a dark blessing, they'd managed to hide them. Most of the people had at least one divine blessing of Vi'Radia.

Beyond observing that their shepherd carried a nickname of 'The Reef,' which he didn't appear to be pleased with, she hadn't learned anything of use.

She repressed a sigh and focused on giving off the impression of an awkward teenager thrust into an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people.

Ellen expected it would take a few days or even a week to really get a feel for the town, and she didn't expect to just stumble across any evidence of the Dark Gods on her first evening.

She considered her mission and the difficulty of having to appear as if she'd never been in a Dungeon before.

'Most likely a waste of time, but the light must be ever vigilant before the darkness,' Voren had said. Annisa had told her to treat it as a working vacation.

The handsome young man with the serious dark eyes brought her another mug of ale, and she continued her masquerade.

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"So," Bob finished his tale, "once I had the last crystal for Thidwell, I decided to hightail it back home and shepherd the kids through the Dungeon here."

"Prices have gone up from what I had last heard," Harv said with a shake of his head.

"The freshers will certainly appreciate Gary and Nikki's prices when it comes time to gear up at level five," Bob agreed.

"Shame you brought so many of them back with you," Eli said slowly, his hands carefully manipulating Monroe's toe beans, an act that was currently pleasing to their Feline Overlord.

Seeing Bob's confused look, Harv finished his friend's statement, "Now that you're a shepherd, you can help take some of the load off Eli and I," Harv smiled widely.

Bob shuddered and replied, "I'm putting in my thirty days tomorrow morning; Shepherding has the terrible distinction of not only being boring but also requiring constant vigilance, so the kids don't get eaten."

"Ah," Harv said gleefully, "now you understand why Eli and I work together and why we have hammocks."

Bob shook his head and chuckled.

"Are you done gambling life and limb with those toe beans?" he asked Eli.

Eli pulled his hand slowly away from Monroe, who had grabbed onto it moments earlier, either having decided he would no longer tolerate the insolence of a servant handling his precious toe beans or simply wanting to give Eli's hand an experimental lick.

"I think so," the swordsman replied, "he's looking a little nibbly."

Monroe's tail was swishing, and his ears were perked forward, clear indicators that he wouldn't mind playing a little.

"Well," Bob said as he reached down and hefted Monroe up on to his Makres, "I'm off to sleep in my own bed for the first time in far too long - I'll see everyone at some point tomorrow, I'm sure," he finished, then clasped shoulders with his friends before heading out into the lightly falling snow, and falling through a portal.