Chapter VI: Spending Time At The Village Known As Imperius.

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After speaking with the leader of the village, the Hero Party exited the leader's longhouse.

They had spent a good thirty to forty-five minutes speaking to them, and were told many things about how they could help.

"So, Ms. Shiva," Spoke Evan as he began to take off his left hand's gauntlet so that he could scratch his eye that had an itchy feeling. "Now that we know there aren't really any monsters terrorizing this town like you thought there would be, what's the plan?" 

 "Well, first off, if you're going to address me in a formal manner, then at least do it properly, Evan," Shiva told him while casting him a side glance. 

"But calling you, Lady Shiva, would imply you're a lady, and there's nothing about you that's ladylike." Angel declared with the straightest of faces that she didn't like at all. 

"Oof, that was a little rude," Baun stated in a slightly taken back manner. He knew Angel could be pretty savage, but that comment right there was a little too savage in his mind. 

Ignoring Angel's rude/hurtful comment, Shiva answered Evan's question. Although, it was worth mentioning that as she did so, she had a tick mark on her forehead.  

"I think it would be bad for us if we just moved on, especially after hearing the problems the chieftain would like help with, so I think we're going to stay one or two days and help the villagers out." 

"You're making it sound like we have a choice in the matter." Simon told her with his go-to nervous chuckle. 

"I know, right?" Angel said with a chuckle of his own. "She's making it sound like if we wanted to, we could just move on, but we all know that's not the case at all." 

"Well, like I said a few seconds ago, it would be bad if we just moved on." Shiva told them with a somewhat awkward chuckle. She wasn't against the idea of moving onto the next village, for the tasks the chieftain was wanting help with were unfitting for heroes, but if they just moved on, then they might get seen as arrogant and egotistical, which was something she didn't want to happen. 

It was already bad enough with how her heroes treated her, she didn't need the people of this world doing it as well. 

"I mean, would it really be bad if we just moved on?" Angel thought aloud with curiosity in his voice as he scratched his chin. "Our job is to save the world and defeat the Demon King; not pick weeds and help these guys collect their firewood."  

"Oh, so now you're all for saving the world?" Brendan asked with a sly smirk that could easily be mistaken as a smug one.

"Listen, listen, right now I'm willing to save the world if it means not doing stupid stuff like picking weeds for some old hag." Angel proudly claimed with no traces of dishonesty in his voice, which earned himself one or two deadpanned expressions from those around him.

"Anyways," Shiva began as she stopped giving Angel a blank expression. "I'm going to go to the inn and speak to the innkeeper about our lodging, so I leave the discussion about what jobs you want to do to yourselves, alright?" 

"Holy shit, you're actually leaving something up to us?" Angel questioned with genuine shock in his voice and on his face.

"... Yes?" Shiva confirmed with a puzzled expression and confusion in her voice. She didn't understand what he meant by that in the slightest. 

"Wow, I'm surprised you're doing that," Angel confessed with shock still written in his voice.  

"Why would you be surprised by something like that?" She asked him as her lips curved downwards a little into that of a frown. 

"Well, because so far it's kind of been you calling the shots, so I kind of expected you to just tell us what to do, and that be the end of it." Angel reluctantly declared as he averted his gaze elsewhere and avoided eye contact. 

"... Would you prefer if I did that instead?" Shiva asked after several seconds of silently gazing at him. 

"No, not really," Angel claimed with a straight face as he shook his head.

"Uh-huh." She hummed in response before looking at the others and saying. "Anyways, good luck with whatever jobs you do, and try not to cause problems while I'm acquiring our rooms, okay? I seriously don't want to hear about how one of you ended up in jail an hour from now."   

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Once the Goddess was gone, the five heroes glanced at one another. 

"Well then," Evan started with traces of awkwardness in his voice. "Which jobs are you guys wanting to do?" 

"Oh, we're actually going to do them?" Angel questioned in a surprised manner. "I kind of expected us to go dick around or something until it was dark out."

"I mean, we could do that if we really wanted to." Evan reluctantly confessed.  

"But then we would be seen as even bigger assholes by the Goddess." Brendan pointed out. "And our reputation would go down as well." 

"Yeah, let's avoid that." Baun declared in a serious tone with a serious expression decorating his face that none of them could really see due to his mood and cloth mask. "I could care less what you guys think of me because you guys are my friends, but I don't want others to think I'm a piece of shit, when I'm in reality not." He added in the same firm tone.

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"I'm sorry, but what was your personality again? Trash?" Angel asked, a tinge of amusement in his voice. 

"Hahaha, very funny," Baun stated in a sarcastic manner while glaring at Angel. "Anyways, so who's going to take what job?" 

"Hmmm," Evan hummed as he placed his hand on his chin and scratched it. "Well, if I'm being perfectly honest here, then I think I'm going to go help, Mrs. Rona, with the whole weed situation since Angel was very adamant in not doing that."

"I see we're actually being serious about this," Angel said aloud before letting loose a sigh. "Alright then, I guess I'll go talk to the blacksmith and get him his wood since he's apparently in need of wood. I don't know why he can't get it himself or why he just doesn't use coal, but it's whatever."

"And I guess I'll go to the inn and see what they need done, since the guy said there was some work needed to be done at the inn." Brendan revealed. 

"And I'll go with him and watch over the horse while waiting for a job to be given to me." Simon declared in his same old monotone voice that didn't change in the slightest. 

"Huh, if you're all doing that, then maybe I should go speak to the leader and see if he has any of those, you know, secret tasks." Baun stated in a voice that was a little low, but nowhere close enough to be considered a whisper.

"Doubt it, but might as well give it a shot," Angel told him. "It's either that, or you sit on your ass doing nothing." 

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 As Evan walked up the stone pathway that led to Mrs. Rona's front door, he let loose a sigh. 

It had been a few minutes since he and the others splitted off, and if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't looking forward to picking weeds. 

Her house wasn't big like the chieftain's house, but neither was it tiny. It was a two-story house with a small wooden fence surrounding it with several flower beds inside the fenced area. 

"I can understand why she'd want some help with weeds since her home is practically surrounded by plants, but come on, shouldn't there be some young boy or girl helping her out?" Is what Evan was thinking as he reached the final stone step. 

He didn't understand how it could have gotten this bad, but after a few seconds of thinking, he recalled how his father was almost always working outside when he had free time removing weeds or something along those lines. 

Deciding it was best not to think anymore about how it, Evan released another sigh and knocked on the door. 

He then waited for Mrs. Rona to come, and as he did so, he looked at the plants and bushes that were only a couple feet away from the walls of the house. 

They weren't that interesting, and fortunately, he did not have to wait long, for after a few seconds had passed the door opened slightly. 

"Yes, can I help you?" Was the question Evan was asked as he diverted his attention back towards the door. The voice was soft and gentle, and in no way sounded like a old woman's voice.  

"Uh, yeah, I was told you needed some help with your garden?" Evan claimed as he looked at the crack between the door and the doorframe. He wasn't able to see her facial features due to the cloak she was wearing, but he had a good feeling this person wasn't an old lady at all. 

"I wouldn't say I'm in need of help, I am capable of doing it myself, I just choose not to do it." She declared sternly which came off as defensive in Evan's eyes. 

"Well, the chieftain of the village said you need help-"

"Which isn't true." She added.

"-and because I got nothing else to do, and am in need of money, I decided to come see what's up, and lend you a hand," Evan told her without a pause despite comment she made halfway through his explanation. 

"Okay, but who is going to pay you?" She asked in a slightly displeased manner. "I wasn't the one who asked for aid, so tell me, who will be paying you for your labor?"

"I don't know," He answered in an indifferent tone with a shrug of his shoulders. "I guess the chieftain, but more importantly, why did you allow this to happen to your garden? You said you're capable of doing it yourself, so why has it come to this?"

"Is that something you need to know?" She asked in a defensive tone. 

"I mean, no not really," He admitted with some reluctance. "I was just curious as to why." 

"Well, I suggest you keep your curiosity in check, it's a dangerous thing, and if you're not careful, you could end up dead." She sternly declared.

"... Uh, okay then, thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to remember that." Evan stated after several seconds of silence. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to take that information, but he supposed this was the best way. 

"You're welcome," She told him as she started to close the door only to stop and say. "Oh, and if you want, you may clean up my garden, but don't expect any payment from me or refreshments. I didn't ask for your help, so don't expect any help from me." 

"Noted." Evan affirmed, which resulted in the door being closed on him. Once it was shut completely, he let loose a sigh, and said aloud with a tiny trace of annoyance in his voice. "Well then, this is going to be a long day, but when is one never?" 

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As Brendan opened the door to the inn, which was probably the second largest building in the village right behind the chieftain's longhouse, the noises he was hearing from the other side became louder and more comprehensible. 

However, upon stepping inside of the inn, he received several gazes and the sound he was hearing died out instantly.

As for why this had happened, it was because the patrons and the workers of the inn were looking at him with concern. 

Unlike the majority of them, Brendan was armed and armored, which meant if he wanted to, he could easily rob them or kill them. 

Seeing their anxious looks, Brendan pulled his cowl back, allowing them to see his young, but slightly mature features, and said with a friendly smile. "Sorry for the disturbance, but can someone direct me to the owner of this establishment? I was told they had some jobs available, and I'm looking for some work." 

He had watched a lot of western movies before and had played a lot of roleplaying games growing up, so this type of scenario wasn't strange to him in the slightest. 

"That would be me." A woman declared with a raised hand from behind the bar. She looked to be in her mid-thirties with brown hair and brown eyes. She was a little plump, and the clothing she wore was something one would expect a tavern girl to wear.  

Directing his attention to the woman, Brendan walked over to her as the activities inside the inn picked back up. 

"Good afternoon, ma'am." He greeted with a polite nod of his head. "I was told you have some work available?"

"I do, but judging by your attire, I can already tell the work I have is something you would find beneath you." She told him in a stern tone.

"Well, what is it?" Brendan asked with a small frown.

"Emptying out the outhouse," She answered almost immediately. "My husband is tired of doing it, and wants somebody else to do it, so yeah, I'm pretty sure you get the rest of it."

"Yeah, that's not something I'd be interested in doing," Brendan confessed as his frown deepened before asking with curiosity in his voice. "Is there anything else you'd be willing to give me? I'm only going to be staying here for a couple of days, so I'm not looking for any permanent work. Just something I can do for a little bit of money."

"I mean, I guess you could chop up some firewood, but besides that, I got nothing else for you." She told him with a troubled expression.

"I can do that." He assured with a smile. "Just point me to the wood, and I'll start chopping it up."

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To Be Continued...