The rest of the trip through the Bleakwood was, for the most part, quite peaceful. The closest thing they had to another attack on the camp was a misunderstanding with a local Dryad the next night, but they managed to resolve that without having to fight the tree spirit. In fact, the entire journey to Twinwater, Vivi and Andrew’s hometown, was an (almost) peaceful one after Lucas’ chat with the Watcher.

Even so, Lucas found the last five days of the journey grew increasingly stressful as the deadline the old man had mentioned drew ever closer, and with no monsters to take out his frustration on, he became surlier each day. The townsfolk were wise enough to give him his space.

His fellow adventurers were not.

“Calm down,” Jubel said cheerfully as Lucas spun towards the sound of a snapping twig on the last day of their journey. “You’re acting like we’re in the middle of a Dungeon, for Domas’ sake! Look, I’m not well off, but sure I can at least afford a few drinks, so once we get everyone set up in town, how about I buy us a round or two?” He lazily strummed on a guitar one of the townsfolk had lent him, going through chords as he tried to refamiliarize himself with the instrument. He’d had an old guitar once, a few years back, but Kelzen had broken it in a fit of rage one day, and he hadn’t had a chance to play since.

“I’m taking everyone’s safety seriously, unlike some people I could think of!” Lucas snapped.

“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Jubel replied calmly. “You’re way too anxious. The worst of the trip is behind us now! What’s got you so wound up?”

“I’m just nervous,” Lucas grumbled, not meeting the half elf’s gaze. “Things being this quiet feels off.”

“Good instincts!” Vivi chirped as she walked up beside him. “Usually, I’d expect more trouble by this point.”

“Because we’re adventurers?” Lucas asked dryly.

Vivi just blinked. “What? Just because tropes tend to follow adventurers doesn’t mean they’re responsible for everything! Sometimes monsters just happen to live somewhere! No, I was saying that because territorial wild animals live all around Twinwater. Not just the normal ones, either. We had a few phase panthers around here once, and even a family of hawkbears. In fact, we have enough magical fauna around here that one of my friends in town opened an exotic pet shop - Minerva’s Menagerie!”

“Why are you doing this?” Lucas asked abruptly.

“Talking?” Vivi seemed confused.

“Talking to me,” Lucas growled. “I’m not exactly in a great mood! Why can’t either of you take the hint?! Is it an elf thing?”

“Pretty sure that’s racist,” Jubel observed as he stood up and leaned over the side of the wagon. “Also, we know you’re in a bad mood, that’s exactly why we’re trying to cheer you up! Right, Vivi?”

The elf nodded enthusiastically. “We’re a team! We should stick together, help each other out - whether that means working together to fight monsters, or trying to stop you from losing your mind due to lack of coffee.”

“First,” Lucas said irritably, “I said nothing about this being related to a lack of coffee.”

“You didn’t need to!” Damaia said, walking around the wagon to join them. “We figured it out on our own.”

“Second,” he pressed on, shooting the Felblood a dirty look, “we met less than a month ago. We’re not a team!”

Vivi simply waved a hand at him dismissively. “Of course we’re a team! All the best adventuring parties start with a mix of necessity, shared goals, and a penchant for killing monsters, and we’ve got all 3 in spades! You’re just being grouchy because you haven’t had coffee in 4 days now!”

Lucas took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Fine,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “Whatever you say. Let’s just… get to town. How much farther is it?”

Vivi smiled. “Not far at all! In fact, you should be able to see the walls from here!”

Sure enough, the outline of a distant town appeared on the horizon, and by the end of the hour, they had reached Twinwater.

The town was larger than Westwind had been, and seemed to be in significantly better condition, with paved streets and a proper merchant’s district near the middle of town. On the edge of that district, closest to the gates, was the largest Inn he’d ever seen. It was 3 stories tall, and wide enough to hold a dozen rooms comfortably on each floor without issue. The worn and crooked sign outside declared it as the Wandering Path Inn, and the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air as Andrew opened the door.

A man in his early thirties with a small scar above his lip stood behind the bar as they walked inside. “Welcome to the Wan….” he trailed off, his eyes going wide as he saw who stood in the doorway. “Andrew! You’re back?” The man sounded half nervous, half hopeful as he glanced around the large, mostly empty first floor, which seemed to be set up as a tavern.

“That I am, Monty,” Andrew said as he ushered folks through the door. “I hope we’re not too badly off, because these folks could use a hot meal. Westwind’s gone.”

Monty’s face went pale. “Gone? The whole town?!”

“Devourers. Thankfully, we’ve got the bleakwood to block them, but…” Andrew shook his head. “We’ll need to let the capitol know soon. The border towns could be in danger farther north. In the mean time, food. I’ll help, of course - not about to drop nearly a hundred customers on you without pitching in!”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I’ll help too!” Vivi called excitedly, only for Andrew to hold out one hand to stop her.

“I’ve tried your cooking,” he said dryly. “I think you should help our friends unpack the wagon instead.”

“Why?”

“Because the four of you just spent two weeks trying to keep these fine folks alive, and it’d be a pity for them to die of food poisoning.”

Vivi flushed, spinning on her heel to walk out the door. “Fine! I know where I’m not wanted! I’ll just show everyone around town.”

Andrew chuckled as she stomped off melodramatically, taking the other three with her. Even after all these years, she hadn’t changed a bit.

“This is the blacksmith,” Vivi called over her shoulder as she swung open the old wooden door that led to the weapons shop. “Haydric mostly makes weapons, but he should be able to get some new armor for you, Lucas. He’s pretty great. And Damaia, there's actually a tinker’s shop next door. He’s a proper engineer, like you, but with more explosions.”

Lucas smiled as the Felblood immediately perked up. “Really?! Is he from Milassi too?”

“No,” a deep, rumbling voice called from the back of the shop, “he is not. He trained there, but he comes from Grondyl. He’s a deft hand at alchemy and engineering both, and he’s been working with me on a few new pieces.” A man nearly as tall as Lucas stepped out into the shop, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe that separated the supply room from the store. He had a deep tan, and although he had a round face and a beer gut, any doubts to his strength were immediately dispelled as he hauled a crate full of steel out from behind the counter and lifted it with only one hand. His bushy mustache twitched as he gave a small smile.

“It’s good to see you, Ms Vintas,” he said cheerfully. Lucas idly noted that he seemed to enunciate each word slowly as he spoke, drawing them out just long enough to make him want to shake the man and tell him to hurry up.

Lucas frowned. Perhaps he should stop for some coffee.

It only took a few minutes to arrange some replacement armor for Lucas. What took a good deal longer was, oddly enough, getting Damaia’s armor. For some reason, she wanted to buy a set of full plate steel armor.

That wouldn’t have been a problem - if she could afford the 1000 gold price tag. Or understood that Haydric had no intention of haggling.

Instead they spent half an hour bickering until Haydric finally gave in.

“There’s an old ruin a couple hours from here,” he grumbled. “There’s certain kinds of stone and metal that are all throughout that area, and being able to mine and refine it with the villagers saves a lot of gold on shipments. Lately, though, Orcs have set up shop there, so nobody will go inside. You clear them out, and I’ll give you the armor as payment. Deal?”

“Deal!” The felblood declared excitedly, grabbing his hand and vigorously shaking it.

Lucas couldn’t help but notice that Vivi looked ever so slightly smug when he asked where the ruins were. “Oh? Do you need to go there too?” she asked innocently. “You just happen to need to go the same place we do? Together? As a group?”

“Don’t.”

“It’s almost as if -”

“That’s enough.”

“-we were some sort of team.”

“You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“That’s what makes me so charming!”

Lucas could only sigh.

He wanted to head off to the dungeon right away, but Vivi insisted they visit the tinker and her friend Minerva first. “I can’t just run off without visiting her,” the elf objected, “and the tinker could have something useful! If nothing else, he sells some basic healing potions.” He could’ve argued, but he was out of potions himself, so he reluctantly followed to the next shop.

As Vivi opened the next door, she was thrown off her feet as an ear splitting explosion rang out and something small and green flew into her.

“Hi,” the goblin said with an ear to ear smile as he sprang to his feet, brushing the soot and ash off his slightly tattered clothes. “Sorry about that!”

“It’s fine,” Vivi groaned, slowly pushing herself back to her feet.

“BOBLIN!” A voice screamed in a brogue from inside. A skinny, red faced man with a pair of goggles on his forehead and a wrench in his hand stormed outside and lifted the goblin by the scruff of his neck. “What the hell’r ya doin, ya daft bastard? What’ve I told ya about usin’ tha much black powder at once?!”

The grinning green fellow cleared his throat before trying to imitate the man’s accent. “Yer gonna drive off customars at best, and kill’em at worst!”

“I dunna- I don’t say ‘customars’ ye gremlin!”

“Got the rest of it right, didn’t I?”

Lucas smiled at the defeated look on the young man’s face. “I can empathise,” he rumbled, holding out a hand. “Lucas Lurant, at your service. You’re the tinker?”

“Aiden O'reilly,” the man said, shaking the proffered hand firmly. “I own this little shop o’ nightmares, and the chief nightmare here is my apprentice, Boblin. Yes, that’s really his name. He mighta picked it himself though.”

Boblin shook his head. “I’d be less gobliny with any other name,” he said firmly.

Aiden looked like he was seriously considering pitching the goblin into the river, but evidently decided against it, setting him back on his feet. “I hope that yer not here for a custom order, folks. Those will be a bit delayed, since my apprentice decided to wreck the shop!” He shouted the last bit at the goblin, who didn’t even bother pretending to look apologetic.

“Just healing potions today,” Damaia said brightly. “I’d love to talk tech sometime though! I’m an engineer from Milassi, and I haven’t seen anyone who understood how a radio works in almost a month!”

“Ya can’t hol that against ‘em,'' Aiden said with a smile. “They only discovered the damn things a few years ago, and waves are a hard thing ta explain ta anyone who’s notta mage. Why don’t you swing by tomorrow afternoon? I’ve gotta clean up the store an finish some work today, but I’d be happy to stop an chat once I finish what I’m workin’ on.”

“Oh? What are you working on?”

After another 10 minutes of cheerful chatter between the two engineers, Lucas finally stepped in to remind them that they were, in fact, supposed to be doing something else right now.

“Right, right, sorry,” Damaia said sheepishly. “Uh, potions?”

“40 gold a pop,” Aiden said, pulling out a small crate full of bottles.

Vivi cheerfully passed a bag of coins to the man. “That’s 200. Any chance of a bulk discount?”

“Not for this many,” the engineer replied, passing over 5 potions. “Still, appreciate the business. Swing by anytime!”

Their last stop was cut short - and not because of Lucas. A single piece of paper was stuck to the door to Minerva’s Menagerie when they arrived, written in what Lucas presumed to be elvish. Vivi went pale as she read the note.

“Ok, we’re leaving now!” she said, her panic evident by her voice. She began to walk faster and faster towards the southern edge of town, gradually going from a jog to a full sprint.

“What is it? What’s the note say?” Lucas asked as he began to run to keep up with his elven teammate.

Vivi looked over her shoulder as she ran. “The idiot ran off to track down a loose hawkbear cub!” She yelled back at them.

“I don’t understand,” Damaia said as she struggled to keep up. “What’s so bad about that?”

“The cub headed southeast, and the note was dated two days ago!” The elf snapped as they reached one of the surging rivers that gave Twinwater its name. She spun on her heel to face them as she pointed across the river. A distant, half collapsed pillar peered over the edge of the treeline, marking their destination.

“That idiot went to the ruins alone!”