Selis was already waiting for them, ready to open its gates. This happened immediately as soon as they drew near. Very modest compared to the walls of Elronde, its palisade was made of pieces of wood driven into the ground and held in place by ropes. But it stood over two meters tall. Here and there, a taller post bore a mana crystal, which glowed faintly. But they weren't there to provide light.
Kai immediately sensed the reason for their existence as he stepped through the gate. Suddenly, the smell of the village reached him, along with the emanations of mana. The village, which from the outside had been little more than a sight, a promise, came to life.
Almost immediately, a young boy standing near the entrance, stroking a small black cat, ran toward them, shouting.
"Dad!"
Jarek didn't let go of the net's corner he was carrying in one hand. But he wrapped his free arm around his son.
A woman turned as well, her red hair swaying with the movement. She had been checking the load of the carriage they had just escorted. Her attention immediately fell on Jarek and the little boy, until a bearded man in full armor placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke a few words to her.
She then walked over to Jarek.
Towa also approached Jarek and held out his hand to take the corner of the net, allowing Jarek to properly embrace his wife and son.
Rin approached him, also holding her corner of the net. "What a gentleman!"
Towa didn't take his eyes off Jarek. He smiled and replied, "The poor guy shouldn't even have been involved in this."
Elena coughed to get their attention. "Well, neither should we, and we've been carrying this for ten minutes, so if we could make it the last few meters without stopping, that'd be great."
Elsa chuckled and, to confirm, pointed to a small porch on the side of the main building. "We can put it down right there. Sella will come take care of it after she's finished with Jarek."
The man in armor approached Nao, Kai, and Peko. Despite his attire, his face and graying beard indicated that his life as an adventurer had ended some time ago. He bowed his head in greeting.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Brann, leader of the Young Fellows and of Selis. Thank you for escorting our citizens at the risk of your lives despite the current conditions."
Nao frowned. "The conditions?"
Kai looked around them. At least 10 people were standing guard, mostly armed with bows. Yet the village had just as many dwellings.
"We're under siege by those beasts that attacked you. Your arrival is a miracle," Brann replied, before gesturing toward another man, dressed more simply, standing at the entrance to the main building. "Oden, our strategist, would like to speak with you once you've unloaded."
Kai felt his gaze. The man at the entrance of the building was staring at him. His gaze wasn't threatening, but it wasn't welcoming either.
Under the porch, Elena bent down to set the net down and exclaimed, "Finally!"
Elsa placed a hand on Elena's back as she sat down after letting go of the weight.
"See, that's why you should train with me. Your magic can't carry for you."
Elena turned her head toward her. "You'll see, next time I'll take Valeth's blessing just to prove you wrong."
Sella was already heading toward the porch, but passed in front of Kai and Peko, bowing her head too. "Thank you so much for protecting my husband!"
She didn't wait for a reply before heading back toward the porch.
But Kai gave one anyway. "He fought his way back on his own."
Once in front of the porch, she quickly counted the carcasses, without taking the time to assess their condition.
"Twenty-three! By Nélyr, were you on an escort mission or a hunt?"
Rin smiled proudly and tapped Towa's armor. "And this is only our first day together!"
Towa ran a hand through his hair. "Only mine escaped. What a disgrace…"
Sella pulled out a full pouch and held it out to whoever would take it. "Here you go."
Towa was immediately taken aback and raised both hands in protest. "Are you sure? You haven't even checked the condition?"
The pouch had already vanished into Rin's hands, accompanied by a big smile and a "Thank you very much!"
The protest was therefore no longer necessary, but Sella replied to Towa anyway. "We're used to wolpertingers here. And above all, food is starting to run critically low. So yes, I'm sure of the value of your net to our village."
Rin took a coin out of the pouch anyway and handed it to Elsa.
Elsa didn't understand right away.
Rin sighed and said, "For your help…"
Elsa caught it then. But before she could respond, Elena suddenly stood up and said, "What about me?"
Rin smiled. "I'm afraid the weight of the coin would knock you out at this point."
Elsa laughed. Elena didn't.
Rin took out another coin for her anyway, proud of herself.
Towa shook his head, but was amused nonetheless.
⸻
The porch was attached to a large building. It wasn't used solely for administrative purposes. It was also a small tavern, and sometimes something else entirely. It was the oldest building in the village, around which the houses had been built. But it wasn't the most impressive. The baths at the far end of the village immediately caught the eye. But it was in this one that the group had gathered with Brann, Oden, and two other women.
"Allow me to properly reintroduce ourselves," Brann began.
"We are the Young Fellows, a former party that has been reorganized into a guild. We have led Selis since its founding."
Rin raised her hand immediately to speak up. "And you never thought of renaming yourselves when you reorganized?"
Nao and Kai immediately fixed their gaze intently on her. Their faces were very serious.
Towa chose to look away. So did Peko.
One of the women, with long gray hair and wearing a short coat concealing a dagger fitted with a mana crystal, stepped toward Rin.
The second woman, with chestnut hair pulled back into a bun and a bow strapped to her back, put her hand over her mouth.
Oden, who seemed the youngest of them all despite his graying brown hair, placed his hand on Brann's shoulder and shook his head.
The one who had approached Rin wrapped her arm around her neck and leaned on her. "We've been telling him for ages… but Brann, that little old man still thinks he's got it."
Oden let out a little laugh. "Shizu, don't say that, you know he's still having a hard time accepting that he's in his fifties."
Brann, for his part, closed his eyes and lowered his head, exhaling. "Go ahead, Mirel, it's your turn… So we can move on."
The archer was still covering her mouth with her hand. "No, it'll be fine. I think the young girl already said everything."
Kai relaxed, though he shot Rin one last threatening glance before speaking up. "You told us you needed us? For what?"
Brann looked up. "The wolpertingers that attacked you. They've been blocking the village for nearly a week now."
Oden stepped in front of Brann. "It started with a hunter going missing. Then a convoy disappeared. And since then, no messenger seems to have reached the outside world."
The Young Fellows' faces grew tense again.
"You're the first ones to arrive from the outside since the first disappearance. We were seriously starting to run out of supplies," Oden continued, looking out the window.
Towa asked, "Can't you escort a messenger to the outside? We managed to get here, after all."
Mirel interjected. "They're not acting normally. The wolpertingers seem to share a collective intelligence, a pack mentality."
She paused and continued, her throat tightening slightly. "But worse still, they know what they're doing. They could attack us, but they're deliberately staying away from the village. They're watching us, waiting for us to go out, to fetch water, or to hunt so they can ambush us. We—"
Brann cut in. "You managed to get here because they weren't expecting you. But there's no guarantee you'll be able to leave just as easily. The problem is that we have very few adventurers here. Elsa and Elena are the only ones available. But there are only two of them, and they're E-rank."
Oden added. "And even if we took up arms with them, we might be able to ensure the survival of a messenger. But that would mean leaving the village defenseless. And that's surely what they're waiting for."
Kai thought it over. So did Nao. They both began to devise plans in their heads. Meanwhile, Peko climbed down from Nao's shoulders and settled onto an armchair.
Seeing that they were already taking the problem seriously, Brann continued. "Now that you're here, if you agree, we'll work out a plan. You all, go enjoy the evening and get some rest."
Towa frowned. "You want us to enjoy what, in this situation?"
Shizu replied immediately. "We're sorry the welcome isn't the warmest—"
Towa cut her off. "No, no, that's not what I meant—"
"You've brought resources, supplies, and hope to Selis. The guild will handle the rest for now," Shizu continued, with a sincere smile.
Mirel walked over to the door and opened it. "Well, I hope everyone likes rabbit, because we've got plenty for tonight!" she said as she stepped out.
Shizu followed, leaving only Brann and Oden in the office.
"Go ahead, we'll talk about it tomorrow," Brann said.
Kai and Nao had the same reaction. They turned around, and Nao spoke first. "Go ahead, I'll catch up with you."
Kai looked at him then, his mouth agape. Then he smiled. "Me too."
Rin didn't wait. She went out too. Towa picked up Peko from the armchair before heading out. Peko hesitated slightly before climbing onto his shoulders. There was much more room there than on Nao's.
Nao began, "Don't you want to know our Skills to formulate your strategy?"
Oden took a breath and walked behind them. He closed the door before turning around. Then, he looked directly at Kai. "I have the Augment Recognition. I don't need you to tell me."
Kai took a step back.
"And I'll be very clear. Thalior is not welcome in Selis. Our people are all hunters, devoted to Nelyr. Some would rather die than ally themselves with an enemy of the Goddess."
Nao reflexively put his arm in front of Kai.
Brann walked around the desk and placed his hand on Kai's shoulder, avoiding his gaze.
"However, that's not the case with us. We're not going to turn our noses up at desperate help. On the other hand, if word gets out, we won't protect you. So keep a low profile. And above all, don't go defiling the baths of Nelyr."
Oden continued. "If that's clear, that's all for tonight. Leave us now."
Kai didn't meet their gaze, but he didn't lower his head either. "Very well."
He walked out.
Nao looked at the two men. His gaze held neither sadness nor anger. It was filled with disappointment.
He went out and caught up with Kai. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Kai turned. His mouth held a faint smile that his eyes refused to match. "They're right to protect their people. Let's help them and then leave."
Kai continued on his way toward the exit, where the others had already reunited with Elsa and Elena.
⸻
Night fell over Selis, but a large fire in the center of the village lit up the square. Its smoke rose and vanished above the palisades.
All around, tables were set for about thirty people. Jarek's son was having fun running around with another little boy. A few hunters and the guild members made regular rounds to keep watch, nonetheless. But everyone's heart was in the celebration that evening.
Pieces of rabbit were cooking over the fire, accompanied by the rice brought back by the carriage.
"So, are you all from the Verdant Cradle?" Elena asked.
"Nope, Peko and I are from farther away. We were actually looking for a party," Nao replied.
Peko, who was sitting on one of the child seats, nodded. "Doesn't he have any way to communicate?"
Peko held out his hand, and a shape began to appear above it. A bird, like a parrot, took form in his hand. "I'm a summoner. And I can communicate through my summons. But the fight has exhausted me. I'd rather conserve my mana."
The summon dissipated almost immediately. Meanwhile, Peko curled up on the seat, wrapping his body in his double tail.
Elena's eyes sparkled. But her gaze wasn't really on the summon that was still fading, but on the furball.
She reached out her hand toward Peko. "May I?"
Peko raised an ear and looked at her, then, after a second, he nodded.
Elena stroked him and exclaimed, "He's so soft!"
Towa, on the other side of the table, had started a conversation with Elsa.
"We came to Selis because Miss here wanted to follow Shizu's training in ice magic," Elsa replied, nodding toward her friend.
"Ice magic? In a village with hot bath? Isn't that a bit contradictory?" Rin asked.
Elena shook her head. "On the contrary, the baths of Nelyr are fed by a natural source of mana. It's the ideal place to practice channeling."
"By the way, you should go," Elsa added. "You'll see, they're incredible."
Rin sat up straight immediately. "A natural source? Seriously?"
"Rin, we just got here, calm down," Kai sighed.
"No, but do you realize? A natural spring. Free."
"Nobody said free," Nao muttered.
Elsa laughed. "No, it's not free. But I think you can still negotiate with Maera. She's the manager."
Rin turned to Kai with a triumphant look.
Kai cut her off right away. "Count me out. You're scary when you negotiate."
Rin frowned. "What do you mean, when I negotiate?"
"Sorry, all the time…"
This time, Elsa wasn't the only one laughing.
Only Nao settled for a simple smile, looking at Kai.
Plates were served to everyone. A little rice, and a piece of hare for each.
Towa stared at his plate for a long time. "Doesn't it seem weird to anyone to be eating a monster that was attacking us just a few hours ago?"
"The monster wouldn't have hesitated to gobble you up," Rin replied.
Elsa added with a little pat on the back. "You'll get used to it quickly, you'll see."
Elena reassured him. "Don't worry, they're used to cooking them here. What ends up on your plate is just the actual hare meat."
Kai looked at the other villagers' plates. All were rationed, yet everyone seemed very happy with the portion.
Selis was engulfed in a hubbub, occasionally punctuated by laughter. The fire crackled. Jarek's son ran past them, laughing with his friend. The black cat had settled by the fire, grooming itself. And for a moment, one could almost have forgotten that the village was under siege.