The mood in the canteen was merry as they downed their first beer in celebration of their narrow escape of death. The Shades were a poor match-up for them. Not being able to hit them physically and their mental attacks were like putting lambs to slaughter.

After the first beer the whole group of guards removed their helmets and Duncan did the same. He put it on just before entering the mine and he forgot he even wore it, until the guards took them off.

He finally had a good look at their faces.

The Captain Fenris was red haired. Not the orange red haired Duncan was used to from Earth but blood red. It fit his last name. Only a horn was missing to make him a true Bloodhorn. His features were on the handsome side. With a pronounced chin and dimples when he smiled. His piercing blue eyes added to that.

Both the Captain, Tenris and Rosen were broad shouldered and tall. Petris was over a head shorter than any of them and also more of a slender build. He had a dark hair, pointy chin and black eyes.

Tenris was brown haired with brown eyes and Rosen was blonde with blue eyes. They were both almost as big as their Captain.

“Here are the potions we didn’t use,” Petris said as he took them out from somewhere. They were probably in his inventory Duncan surmised.

“Elland gave eight of them when I told him how many people are down there,” Petris explained.

Duncan turned to Fenris and asked, “You told me the shops were in the exclusion zone.”

Fenris nodded at Petris as the man looked at him wearily.

“That is what took me so long to get them to you. I needed to go to the fields and get someone to ask Elland for the potions. I forgot about the exclusion zone as you call it when we parted,” Petris explained.

“So, you all know about the mayor’s powers?” Duncan asked.

“How could they not? It’s like there are invisible walls covering this whole village,” Fenris explained and the rest nodded.

“How did Elland react? Wasn’t he suspicious that you didn’t go to him directly?” Duncan asked.

“It’s not the first time this has happened. That we were forced to use middle men to deal with shop owners. To village folk don’t ask questions if you add a few bronze in the mix and the shop owners don’t really care,” Fenris replied.

Duncan nodded before saying, “That reminds me. I picked up your weapons when I picked up the remains of the Shades,” he quickly deposited a long sword, two shields and an axe on the table.

“Great. Now we don’t have to go back for these. I had hoped you did. Now let’s eat before the food gets cold. We can talk more later,” Fenris said before taking a bite from a leg of unknown origin.

Duncan quickly followed. The meat was chewier than rat meat but also more flavorful. The rest followed after them. To Duncan it looked like their waiting was a show of respect to their leader.

“You like it? It’s Midnight Deer. They wander sometimes into our defense perimeter and our archers shoot them down. We mainly use the legs to roast them and use the rest in stews,” Fenris explained.

“Yeah. It’s good. Much more flavorful than rat,” Duncan replied with a full mouth and started gagging before flushing it down with a beer.

“Slow down,” Fenris said with a laugh.

“Is there a chance to get this Midnight Deer?” Duncan asked as he came back to his voice.

“Cooked or raw? I think the archers still have some,” Fenris replied.

Duncan thought about it before he said, “Just dead would be preferred. With skin and all.”

Fenris looked at him.

“You have a Butchering skill, don’t you?”

“Yeah. How did you know?” Duncan asked after confirming.

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“Why else would you bother with the skin?” Fenris replied with a laugh, satisfied he was right and then asnwered, “They probably still have some. I will go around and ask later.”

“How many of you are there? I mean the guards.” Duncan asked.

“There are eight of us. Four archers, one swordsman, one axe wielding brute, one scout and myself,” Fenris said before taking another big chunk out of the roasted thigh.

“Does the mayor know about me?” Duncan suddenly asked.

“I don’t think so. She doesn’t go to this side of the village. We won’t tell her about you either, don’t worry,” Fenris replied as his crew nodded in unison while munching on their own pieces.

“The only time we see her is as her security detail when the damn filthy goblin, kobold and whatnot merchants come on the other side of the village,” Fenris explained.

Duncan gulped, “Kobolds and goblins?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you ever see one? Short, shade of green, ugly faces, smelling of shit and piss,” Fenris replied.

“The only differences between them are that goblins look more human like and are shorter. They smell quite the same. Kobolds look like someone put a big green wolf head on a short human.”

Duncan nodded before asking, “There are no human merchants coming?”

“They were. But it has been a very long time since the last one came,” Fenris explained.

Duncan nodded.

“How much do we owe you for the antidotes?” Fenris asked.

Duncan contemplated before saying, “I don’t know the prices. I will ask Elland and tell you then for those two which were from him. As for mine, I would like to exchange it for the right to use your training facilities and maybe some tutoring. I can also pay you for the tutoring.”

“Nonsense. You are free to use it whenever. As for the tutoring. What do you have on your mind?” Fenris replied.

“A demonstration of your skills?” Duncan asked.

“Which one?” Fenris replied.

Duncan looked at him and said, “All of them.”

The whole crew looked at him sideways before Fenris asked, “Can you learn all of them?”

Duncan nodded and there was an eerie quiet for a while.

“You must have a special class if that’s the case,” Fenris said after a while.

Duncan made a comical sour face at that.

“I think archers would be willing to teach you archery. As for us, I think, I can say for all of us, any skill we know is yours,” Fenris replied and the rest nodded.

“Petris can teach you stealth, trap making, trap dismantling, using your dagger, throwing knives, tracking.”

“Me and Tenris can help you with swords and that slobbering mess over there can teach you how to wield an axe properly. I don’t know if I can teach you command skills though,” Fenris said and continued to eat.

Duncan drank his beer and replied, “That would be great.”

“Where are you staying?” Fenris asked.

Duncan replied, “At Wazsh’s.”

Fenris nodded before saying, “Wazsh always had a lot of dealings with adventurers. IT is what you are isn’t it?”

“I guess so. I am new at this,” Duncan replied.

As they finished their meal Fenris once again thanked him for his actions today and shook his hand before saying, “We won’t keep you longer. I know you adventurers are always running around on your quests. Stop by anytime you want a lesson. Someone will be in the barracks for sure. I will explain it to the archers. Just say you are Duncan if none of these guys are here. I will also ask if they have shot any prey lately.”

“Thank you for the food and the beers,” Duncan said before he made his leave.

He rushed straight to Wazsh’s place and he found him in the garden.

Duncan walked up to the vegetable patch Wazsh was pruning of weeds and yelled, “Wazsh, we need to talk.”

“What’s wrong?” Wazsh asked as he wiped his dirty hands on an apron.

Duncan replied, “I met Fenris today an I got to know some interesting things from him. I think we should go inside.”

Duncan told Wazsh all the things Fenris told him and Wazsh grew upset.

“That bitch!” Wazsh yelled as he heard the news and a row of beer mugs splattered on the floor.

“That whore!” Wazsh yelled as another shelf grew wings.

“That giligong!” Wazsh said and smashed some more things. Duncan was not going to ask him what that means but he had a feeling it was nothing good.

“I think it would have been better to tell him outside,” Duncan thought after a while, as he watched Wazsh demolish the bar.

Wazsh suddenly stopped and stated raving, “That explains a lot. She is probably not native. It’s also probably, why she never came here. She must have gotten a higher managerial function than I have to be able to do this. Well, she is the mayor obviously. Damn it.”

“What does that bitch have against me?”

“Damn it. I don’t know what else we can do to make her stop abusing her power this way, but kill her and even that seems impossible with her managerial powers.”

“Maybe you could do it. Well, not you as you are now but when you grow a lot stronger. Stick a knife in her, turn it around and make her suffer for all the years this has been going on.”

Duncan was aghast, “ME, kill her, torture her. Find yourself someone else.”

“Yes, YOU, nobody else probably can’t even get close to her if what Fenris said is true,” Wazsh yelled back.

Duncan was feeling agitated and yelled back, “We are talking about killing a sentient life.”

“Ah spare me your bullshit sentimentality from your planet. People are dying on your planet from hunger while there are people three times their size gorging themselves on food. Your planet is a hypocrisy in motion. Our politicians were bad but compared to yours they were like… what’s the word… Angels?” Wazsh retorted.

“Well, I am NOT doing IT,” Duncan replied back raising his voice.

Wazsh just waved his hands in exasperation and left him at the bar.

Elland walked into the unfortunate scene and asked, “Not doing what?”

Duncan looked at Elland and at the backdoor. And chose the door. He didn’t feel like explaining to Elland why he had to kill the mayor.

“Also, villages don’t have mayors. They have chiefs. Is she a chieftess, chiefftessa? Whatever.” Duncan thought as he made his way towards his bed to smuggle out another diamond.