- The Returned

When the group of Hunters arrived back at the outpost, dawn had already come and gone. It had taken them much longer than it would have seemed to traverse the forest in the early hours of the morning, rather than taking the road.

This was because Randolph was certain that, while the fortress had been littered with goblins, the constant attacks from goblins and the sheer number of notices that had been put out for their heads, gave him the impression that those were not all of them.

While they had numbered far into the hundreds, he believed that there were still small groups of weaker goblins, maybe a hob every now and then, a shaman if you looked hard enough, and titans dotted around the forest.

And while many in the group had claimed it would be more likely for them to run into a goblin group in the forest, rather than on the road, Randolph was certain about his choice.

He knew these creatures were greedy, but also foolish. They weren't smart enough to map out the woods for themselves, and find their own way back to the fortress, which meant they had to have used a road of some sort.

Soon, however, they discovered the ruined road Randolph had believed to be there. It had appeared as though the goblins stuck to the forest, following their road back to their home.

And greedy goblins like them wouldn't stray too far from the roads where they knew a large amount of people traveled every day.

It was for this reason that so many merchants who had been thought to arrive in the late hours of the day, did not appear.

Once they made their way back to the main road, and followed its trail to the Outpost, the group could see over a dozen guards patrolling the southern gates. A gate that was hugging the forest edge, teaming with men along the walls, spearman guarding the door, and a marshal amongst them giving out orders.

"Looks like the town saw the explosion."

Randolph muttered, taking note that the large tower of flames had to have been seen all across the forest.

It wasn't that hard to miss considering how high it had shot up into the sky.

"Greetings!"

Randolph held up a hand to the marshal, as guards rushed past him to shoulder the weight of the injured, while the exhausted collapsed to the ground.

Lia herself was also extremely tired, though she made no motion to show it.

"You're the group that went after that monster?"

The Marshal took Randolph's hand, firmly shaking it as his eyes passed over the injured and exhausted Hunters.

"It looks like you bit off a little more than you could chew. The beast?"

Randolph shook his head, causing the Marshal to breath a sigh of relief.

"That's good. We saw the fire column all the way from over here - woke up half the town, the other half scared their own pants would fall off!"

The Marshal chuckled as he gestured to the gate, its wide wooden doors opening for the Hunters to enter through.

"When the fall back group came to us, claiming there was some horrible monster in the woods, we almost didn't believe them. Then we sent a guard out to confirm their stories."

The Marshal's voice grew serious for a moment, as he remenesed about the scout he had sent out several hours before.

"The man came back paler than porcelain! We had a few guards stationed at each gate, and in one night we nearly tripled it. The town speaker wasn't all to happy to have guards posted in such numbers along the walls, but what little choice did we have?"

Randolph quietly nodded to the Marshal's story, as the Hunters were lead back through the gate. A line of citizens on each side of them, stared in horror at the sight of the Hunters, their worst fears confirmed.

There was a monster out there, and it was strong.

"Tell me Marshal?"

"Hm?"

"Did the Guild post send out any more Hunters?"

The Marshal shook his head, his voice grim and serious.

"No. Once we got word of what was going on out there, we put the entire city on lock down until morning. No one leaves, and what little did show up at our gates, we borough them in quickly and shut it on their tails."

He glanced back at the large wooden gate, as a number of guards began closing it, using all their strength to pull it shut.

"We had no idea if you all would come back or not, so the town speaker kept everyone from leaving. We didn't put up much of a fight since it was the best option given how little we knew, however, if we had known where you all were going, we would have gathered all those we could find and sent them after you."

Randolph nodded, thanking the Marshal for this gesture.

"There's an old ruined fort in the woods, back from the Concor ages. The entire horde was there waiting with the beast."

"Good gods."

The Marshal kept himself from showing any wavering fear, but a few citizens caught sight of a worried look pass over his face.

"How far?"

"Not too far. A few hours walk through the woods. If you follow the main road there's a small part of the forest we broke off from. We made it noticeable enough for someone to see the ruined trail. It will save you half an hour to an hours journey depending on how fast you move."

Catching the gesture Randolph was making, the Marshal asked him a question, slight amounts of fear in his voice.

"Would you like us to send a scouting party out? Make sure they're all dead?"

However, to the Marshal's relief, Randolph shook his head.

"No, that can wait. If you saw the tower of flames, you much know that we hit them pretty hard. While I doubt we got them all…"

He glanced back at Lia, who was still trailing at the back of the group, next to Rian and Lukali, avoiding the gaze of the citizens.

"...I have it under good word that they're all but gone."

The Marshal looked back as well, following Randolph's line of sight, and catching a glimpse of Lia, before Randolph turned back to him.

"Then I suppose it can wait till later then?"

He nodded.

"Good. I'll put in a request to speak with the town speaker. If there are any left, I doubt she'll hold the Hunter's Post back from catching them."

The two men chuckled, knowing full well that the Hunters within the Post were prideful and did well in their job.

But soon, a fleeing thought passed over the Marshal, which implied him to ask Randolph with a bit of hesitation.

"Honestly speaking here, I didn't know you had a powerful summons in your group. Or a summoner for that matter. Last I heard there was only one in town, and they didn't go with you."

Randolph shook his head, his own mind passing over the idea of the town speaker coming with them.

'Like I would want to hear that woman's ensecant whining for more than few hours.'

On the outside however, he made certain that the Marshal didn't question Lia, giving him enough information to be satisfied.

"We had one. They were the ones to discover the four dead Hunters brought back. Their summons remained behind to defend the bodies until we got there."

While the Marshal had known Randolph for years, the two having known each other though their professions, he knew him well enough to know that this wasn't all.

However, he also knew that if Randolph wanted something known, he would say it.

'I guess the town speaker is out of the question. Those two never really got along.'

"Just one more question then, if you don't mind, then I'll let you go see that Post girl you always tell me about over drinks."

Randolph elbowed him in the stomach to get him to stop talking, though the Marshal was uninjured, he found enjoyment in teasing his friend.

"What rank?"

While this was a small and simple question, to the Marshal and Randolph, it meant more. Currently, the town speaker, being their only summoner in the town, had a Class 6 Assassin, Rank B.

However, if there was ever a more powerful summons within the town, by law the town speaker should be notified so they could keep a close watch on them.

Even if they were Hunters.

For this reason, Randolph had many arguments against the town speaker - their leader, but he also knew this was for safety reasons.

But nonetheless, his face grew dark at the question.

"..."

"Randolph?"

"....I don't know."

This of course took the Marshal by surprise, as he thought his hesitance would mean he would refuse to answer the question, but instead, he said something completely unexpected to him.

"You don't know?"

His voice was a harsh whisper, already having guessed the town speaker had her goons watching them.

"Yes. All I know is that he's a Mage."

His voice grew distant, and when she spoke next, it was only a mumble of words that was hardly caught by the Marshal.

"At least I think."

"You think?!"

The Marshal's voice stayed a whisper, but the harsher the whisper grew, the more worried he appeared, threatening to overcome the sound of cheering citizens.

"You know what the town speaker will say when she hears this."

Randolph said nothing, and simply looked over the crowd of cheering citizens, who waved and thanked the brave Hunters as they walked down the path laid out for them.

"I know. But I can't give away information that I don't know. Hopefully the girl will be able to hold her own."

The Marshal glanced back at the group of Hunters, his eyes passing over the bowed head of Lia, who walked in shot and sturdy movements.

"I hope so too."

***

By the time the group of Hunters had made their way to the Post, a large crowd of men and women greeted them, all carrying some sort of tankard full of beer, meat, or other party materials.

They welcomed them with cheers and pats on the back, shoving tankards into their hands, meat onto their plates, and filled their ears with words of thanks and congratulations.

However, Lia wanted no part of it, as she retired back to the same room Carlena had led her to before they left. The room was the same, stone fireplace, walled bookshelves, and a dimly lit atmosphere, illuminated only by the fire.

Here, she sat down, hands in her lap, and quietly rested, letting all the exhaustion take her over in silence, as she enjoyed the darkness.

The only thing that filled her ears were the muffled sounds of cheering and partying, and the small subtle crackling of the wood in the fire.

Someone must have started it recently, otherwise old wood that had been in the fire long enough, would crack from the flames.

"Come out."

She said, making no motion to the darkness that surrounded them, nor did she show any signs of resistance.

From the darkness, a small voice called back to her

"I'm surprised you could tell I was here."

The voice belonged to a woman, who soon entered the fire light, only half illuminated by the fiery flames.

"I could sense you."

"Your senses must be strong. An effect from you summons no doubt."

Lia narrowed her eyes as she leaned back against the chair.

"Your quite silent and odorless. An effect from yours, I take it?"

The woman smiled, though her smile was anything but pleasant as her eyes narrowed with that smile.

'Tell a person by their eyes, not by their appearance. The eyes are the windows to the soul.'

An old bit of advice Cain had given her while she was conversing with Wallace back in Neverdark, and now it seemed to have come in quite handy.

The woman kindly gestured to the chair across from Lia with her hands, that fake smile still on her face.

"Mind if I sit."

"You would if I said no."

The woman's eyebrow twitched, though only shortly, as she took a seat across from Lia. She interlocked her hands on her lap, and kindly looked to Lia with a silent expression.

"I heard you were one of the few who returned form the goblin raid?"

"We all returned."

"I mean one of the few uninjured. Even Randolph got hurt, and he's not one to come home with cuts and bruises very often. Most of the time it's someone else's blood."

Lia scoffed, knowing well that this description fit Randolph well, as he didn't seem to be the type that came back from a loss.

'Either you come back winning, or you die fighting.'

However, Lia was also aware of how suspicious this made her, as even Lukali and Rian, who had stayed father back in the group, came home with scars.

And for someone like her who threw herself into the fray of battle, midst a hundred goblins to walk out unscathed. She certainly wouldn't belie her own lies if she was interrogating herself.

"Either you came back a coward, having the others take the fall for your defense, or you were helped by some other means."

The woman slowly laid everything out before Lia, listing her suspicions as well as her doubts.

"I have a feeling however, that you aren't the type to be a coward. So please, tell me…"

She leaned forward, raising her interlocked hands to hide her face behind them, and no doubt the scowl that now covered it.

"...what helped you then. And why was I awoken this morning to guards pounding on my front door, and a giant flaming spire arching towards the sky?"

Lia didn't answer, and instead just kept her eyes trained on the woman, her face blank.

Eventually, the silence was getting the better of the woman, who spoke up first, offering a suggestive answer.

"Was it your summons? If so, that's one powerful creature you have."

Still, Lia said nothing, her face blank as a sheet of unreadable paper, the language foreign.

"Did you kill off those goblins? Or did the Hunter party do that? Is there another person in your group that has a summons and not you?"

The woman kept listing her questions, growing tired of Lia's unresponsiveness.

Still, she kept quiet, until the woman's eyes changed from emotionless, to a threatening glare.

"I need answers. Now."

"No doubt in my mind that you've already gotten all the answers you need from the other Hunters."

The woman shook her head.

"I do, but I'd like your story. Isn't it best to know both sides before I decide?"

"No."

The woman frowned, her eyes glaring holes into Lia.

"Why not."

Through sighing, Lia glanced to the door, where she had no doubt someone was blocking the other side.

"Simple. Because the only reason you're asking for my side of the story is because you believe something."

"And why's that?"

Lia met the woman' gaze, her eyes expressionless to her.

"Because you've already made your decision, Town Speaker."

The smile the woman had paraded around the entire conversation, dropped.

"Well played."