The fairy arrived at the scene, followed shortly by Jackson the horse. Exhausted, she fluttered toward Jack as he calmly sheathed his sword across his back.
"By the stars… ha… ha… you're too fast… what's the rush?" The fairy recoiled as she looked upon the dead Eldritch griffin, disgust written across her face.
"Eww..."
Jack approached the locals, his presence calm after the chaos had subsided.
"Are any of you injured?"
"Well… him. He got hit in the arm." The halfling bard said, pointing at the kobold coachman.
"Alette."
"Hmmm? Oh! Right!"
Alette, the fairy, fluttered to the injured coachman and placed a glowing hand upon him, mending his wounds with gentle light.
"Thank you so much for slaying the beast."
"It's no biggie really, so how did it all happen?"
"Well, you see we-"
"Are!" Said the elf.
"The!" Said the orc.
"Midas Band~!" the troupe sang in unison, their voices blending: a halfling, an elf, a drow, a half-orc, and a kobold.
"Oooohh…" Alette was amazed by their perfectly synchronized singing after she finished healing the kobold's arm.
"You see, Sir Knight! We! The Midas Band was headed for our next performance in Burgstown!" the halfling declared with pride.
"Burgstown?"
"Right! Then that hideous creature showed up, killed one of our horses, and even scratched my good friend Kib! Eh, that's Kib right over there."
"Hey." Said the male kobold.
"This is Mog, Dineban, Arwen, and me! Errich!" He said, introducing his entire troupe, including himself, to Jack and Alette.
"Now, pray tell, who is our brave savior and his traveling companion?"
"This is Jack! A superhuman! And I'm Alette, his manager!"
"What? You were never-" Alette cut off Jack's words.
"Shush!"
"Greetings to you all! And we assume you expected to be given coins?"
"Dineban!"
"It's fine. You were in danger, so you don't owe me any coins."
"Ah! And yet they claim the Vanguards are heartless." Mog remarked with a grin.
"Vanguards?" Alette's question.
"What? Are you telling me you're not one of them?"
Jack and Alette shook their heads.
"The Vanguard's Guild is a guild full of mercenaries. They're hired to slay monsters, escort travelers, explore dungeons, and undertake other adventurous tasks, all for payment in gold and rare artifacts. They say some of the most famous heroes of the past also came from the Vanguard's Guild."
"Wow! Cool!"
"Yeah… even those so-called heroes who extorted coins from the peasants and claimed the artifacts for their own gain."
"Ahaha...could you excuse us for a moment?" Alette gently turned Jack around, guiding him away from the troupe.
"Come on, Jack, I get it, you've got an important task ahead. But seriously, how long do you think it'll take? We've got to earn a living, gear up, fill our bellies, and get some rest before the big fight. And… well, we're broke, too."
Jack pulled out an empty sack, letting out a long, weary sigh, and turned back at the troupe.
"So, where can we find their establishment?"
"It's actually in Burgstown. We can travel together, and we do need an extra horse to pull our caravan." Errich answered.
"And a protection from any monster that might show up!" Said Alette.
"Wonderful!"
Jack's horse was harnessed to pull the Midas Band's caravan alongside the other horse, and Jack looked back at the fallen eldritch griffin.
"Do you think it's the same entity that did this?" Alette questioned.
"Maybe..."
"Jack! We're ready to move, you can sit next to me!" Errich said with pride, relieved that the Midas Band was safe as they traveled alongside Jack.
Jack sat next to Errich, and Alette sat on Jack's shoulder armor.
"Hiyah!"
The troupe entered their caravan and departed for Burgstown under Jack's protection, prepared for any monsters that might cross their path.
"So, how long till we get to Burgstown?"
"It's just along this road, should take about half an hour."
"Oooooh, this is the perfect time to tell me the rest!" Alette said with excitement, eyes fixed on Jack.
"I would love to hear your side of the tale so that we may sing of your epic journey and courageous deeds!"
"Alright. It also happens to involve the mercenaries from the Vanguard's Guild that I ran into."
_______________
Jack and his father rode home across the bountiful plains, mountains rising on the horizon as the wind swept through the trees. Even so, a few corpses still lay upon the grass, silent reminders of the battle that had passed. By then, Jack's father's stomach began to grumble.
"Ooof, I can't wait to find the tavern..."
"Me either..."
"We should head to the nearest village, fill our empty stomachs!"
"Agree."
They agreed to head for the nearest village in search of a tavern. As they entered, the village bustled with life, women scrubbed laundry by the stream, an elderly man scattered feed for his chickens, a man stamped notices onto the board, and children laughed while playing beneath a tree. At last, they arrived at the tavern and carefully dismounted their horses.
Inside the tavern, people were feasting, and mercenaries from the Vanguard's Guild were enjoying their drinks. When Jack and his father pushed through the saloon doors, several patrons and mercenaries cast wary glances their way. Their armor was far finer than the rest, and the cape bearing their family crest, a head of an eagle wearing a Corinthian helmet, gave the impression that they might be nobles. Even so, the duo continued forward and approached the tavernkeeper.
"What're those fancy knights doing here?" the swordsman muttered to his fellow mercenary.
"Good evening, boys. What can I get for you?" the tavernkeeper said in a welcoming tone.
"Evening. We'll have...what do you want, Jack?" Jack's father said, turning to ask him
"A cooked boar's meat."
"Yes, two boar's meat please."
"Very well, that will be fifteen crowns."
The father handed the tavernkeeper thirty crowns, and she tucked them into her apron.
"Have a seat there." Nods at the duo before turning back.
Jack and his father sat on wooden chairs at a round table by the window, far from the crowds, resting their hands on the tabletop as they waited for their meal to arrive.
"Good thing we still have water from the river we stopped by." Jack said, taking out a waterskin for both of them.
"So that river is clean? No blood or anything?"
"Nope, all good."
"Well, that's a relief."
A terrified man burst into the tavern, shouting for help as panic filled his voice.
"Goblins! Goblins! They've taken my girls! Please, is there a warrior here who can save them?"
Both Jack and his father looked at the terrified man, understanding what they must do to help him.