Chương 68: Chapter 67- A Heartfelt Reunion

The Ladies had left in a hurry to go meet the commander of the garrison as well as the local baron, and brief them on the troubles they had encountered on the most recent leg of their mission. Astra had left the squad leaders in charge of getting everyone settled, and as he often did when he was in doubt of where he could help out, Eli tagged along with Coop and the gang.

They were in the middle of completing an inventory of the goods seized from both the bandits and the treacherous merchant near the supply depot when the Hostler sisters found them. Tia sat up with a snort as she was woken from her nap and they rushed over, " Mr Mercer, Mr Mercer!" Elias looked up from the crate he was in the middle of emptying, " Please Angie, I told you already Eli or Elias is fine, what can I help you with?"

Angie smiled as she stopped to give Tia's head a good scratching before speaking, " I just wanted to let you know that we offering everyone a free stay at our inn until they can get settled, I even offered for the patrol to stay too, but Mr Mason said they need to stay at the garrison. Please say you'll come and stay with us, I know Lady Tia would love my da's cooking, would you please?"

Eli smiled at the girl and heard a laugh as her older sister followed behind her at a slower pace, " Slow down Angie, we haven't even had a chance to ask Mom and Dad yet, although I bet they would be more than happy to help out our rescuers." She ran her fingers through her younger sister's sandy blonde curls, " Besides we I am sure Lord Mercer would prefer to stay with Lady Emberholdt anyways. I know you will miss Lady Tia, but it's for the best." Elias waved a hand, " Not a Lord, and not a young Master either.

Tia and I would be more than happy to stay with your family if you would like to have us, I'm sure Astra and Mira could use a break from the little terror for a while anyways." Evelynn gave him a look as she wrinkled her brow for a moment, before it smoothed and she gave him a sly smile, " As you say milord." She leaned forward to whisper, " Your secret is safe with me." Eli rolled his eyes as Cooper snickered behind him, " I think you're gonna lose that battle lad."

Eli slapped Coop's shoulder with the back of his hand before turning back to Evelynn, " Seriously, please just Eli. Why don't you wait for a while and we'll walk you over once we're finished, what's the name of the place? I want to let Astra and Mira know where I'll be just in case."

Evelynn gave him a happy smile while her sister let out a happy squeal and gave Tia a hug around her neck, she dropped into a curtsy, " The Oak and Lantern milord, and thank you for coming, my parents would love to meet you and Lady Tia. We'll be waiting out in the courtyard." She grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her off around the corner, Tia following as she clearly found paperwork boring, and Eli raised a hand as he was about to protest again, but missed his chance as they disappeared around the corner.

As he turned back to the squad Cooper gave him a bemused expression before shaking his head with a smile." Lad."" You will never convince anyone that you are not a Lord if you keep calling the Duke's daughter by her first name." Eli paused for a moment as that sunk in, he shrugged before getting back to work, " Fair. Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop doing it." Cooper barked out a laugh, smirking as they returned to work, " Dangerous game my friend, but I wish you luck."

It took an hour or two for the Ladies to finish their meeting and find Eli again. Astra was a little dismayed when she found out that Eli would be staying with the Hostler sisters since the Baron had apparently been pretty insistent with his invitation for the Ladies to stay with him at his keep in town. She was clearly debating blowing him off and staying with Eli and Tia anyways before a sharp look from Mira shut down her budding rebellion.

Deflating with a sigh she grunted with displeasure, " You have no idea how lucky you are Eli. I doubt I will make it through dinner with less than three score your Graces, at least a dozen over done courses that wouldn't even fill the belly of a child, more terrible jokes than one can count, and at least one marriage proposal. Are you sure you will not stay with us tonight?" Eli laughed, " If you want me too Astra just say the word and I'm there, but I'll have you know that I agree that it sounds absolutely awful."

She sighed again, " No. I will not subject you to that, if I wish to avoid it myself it would hardly be fair to subject you to the Baron's hospitality as well." She straightened, " Oak and Lantern is it? Well do not forget I am your guide, I will see you in the morning." She pulled him into an embrace and whispered into his ear, " Rest well, my counterpoint."

As she released him she cleared her throat, and nodded to Coop and his squad before turning to leave, and as she turned Eli smiled as he caught the hint of a blush dusting her cheeks. Mira looked after Astra for a moment with a bemused smile before turning back to Eli with a knowing smirk, " Good Eve Mr Mercer, rest well. Do not forget to follow the training regimen."

She paused for a moment before turning to leave, " If you are still struggling with the last couple levels of [Mana Sense] it should be a clear night tonight, take a look at the ring through your [Eagle's Eye] that should get you what you need." Elias turned back to the squad with a smile on his face, the blush on his own face had started to fade before returning in full force as he realized every single one of them was watching with a smile, even the stoic Franklin had a slight lilt to the edge of his lips.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Astrid threw an arm around Sasha's shoulders with a shit eating grin, " Say milord, perchance do you have something you would like to share with the squad. Mayhaps a confession of sorts?" Eli could feel his face heating like a furnace before he rolled his eyes and turned dove back into a crate, but not before he caught the pointed look on Cooper's face before he grinned at Eli.

With the majority of the refugees being from Emerald Grove, the group that followed the sisters to their inn was much smaller, only a half dozen, and as Eli chatted with them he found that most had already been set up with travel plans to return to their homes. They had each been given a decent sized pouch of coins by the garrison from their shares of the value of the seized goods to help them resettle in their homes and to compensate them for their discomfort.

Apparently the payout was more than generous, and at least one [Farmer] from a hamlet outside the nearest city told Eli, " While I wouldna wish anyone into the hands of those bastards, if I ken I would have made nearly three years worth of coin in trade I might have considered it afore hand!" The hefty detachment of troops and the walls surrounding the town put them in quite the cheerful mood, and the happy group headed towards the grove in the center of town towards their accommodations.

Tia drew a few stares as she trotted along next to Eli, but bonded beasts were clearly a known quantity as no one shrank back in fear or protested her presence in town. The sisters grew more excited as they neared the square in the center of town, and stopped before a large four story building with a placard displaying the name of the inn below a massive painting of an oak tree with lanterns in its branches spreading across the face of the building above it.

Eli thought the faintly glowing stones embedded in the lanterns of the mural was a particularly nice touch as it gave the place a more welcoming feel in the fading light of the setting sun.

As the party opened the door and entered, they were greeted by a large open dining room with a couple dozen tables, a large hearth in the rear of the room, and a long bar with stools at the back manned by a tall smiling woman with broad shoulders, who with her soft brown eyes and long sandy blonde curls was clearly related to the sisters. She gave the party a weary smile but a cheerful greeting as she looked up from the wooden mug she was drying, " Welcome to the Oak and Lantern, how may I help you fine…"

As her eyes met the sisters she paled as the blood rushed from her face and she dropped the mug she was holding as if she had seen a ghost. After a moment her eyes grew misty, and she called out with a shaky voice, " B-bill, Bill, BILL GET OUT HERE!" before rushing around the bar to sweep the girls off their feet in a giant hug, spinning them in a circle before breaking into a sob racked with relief. A voice called out from a door behind the bar, "What is it Theresa?"

before it slammed open as a tall man, balding but with short sandy brown hair of his own, drying his hands with a rag as he rushed out front. He dropped the rag in shock as he saw the girls and rushed over to join the hug as he called back to the kitchen in a choked voice, " Boys, come here, yer sisters are home!"

The rest of the group watched with warm smiles of their own as two more young boys ran out of the kitchen and joined the hug, after the harrowing trials of their own the sight of the reunited family was a blessed one indeed. The dozen or so patrons already seated for an early dinner turned to look at the group in the entrance way, cheering on the happy reunion with a round of applause.

The Hostler sisters were right in that their parents were more than happy to put up their party for free, and they even declared a free round for everyone in the place. Theresa, the girl's mother, was even more thrilled when Eli pulled her aside and let her know that Astra had already agreed to have the garrison foot the bill and to send a tally to the commander once everyone was settled.

The Hostlers pulled a few tables together in the center of the room and bustled about getting their group settled, Eli was touched that they set out a seat for Tia without even asking, and the family took turns spending time with the group as the girls and the other refugees spun out the tale of their daring rescue, and the journey home.

Service for the rest of the patrons was a simple affair as their group was clearly the entertainment for the evening, and the guests were more than understanding of the slow service given the circumstances. Eli thought the tale may have been a little embellished; it wasn't too far off, and while the ale flowed the goblins grew a couple feet taller, and the slavers camp grew just a little larger.

The food and drink was excellent, and if it wasn't quite as good as Cooper's cooking it was still better than most of the meals he had back on Earth. Tia was over the moon to find out that inkfruit juice was a thing, and Eli found himself fairly partial to a sweet mead-like ale made out of a local fruit he had trouble pronouncing but from the description looked like a large kiwi.

As the story progressed Eli was lauded as a great hero, and he suspected that even if Astra wasn't picking up the tab he was doubtful he would have paid for a single drink that night. The sisters excitedly introduced Tia to their brothers, James and Elric, and Eli quickly found himself relegated to the role of translator as the novelty of an intelligent wyvern spread amongst the patrons. Eli wasn't the most outgoing person, but after the loneliness of the deep forest, he found himself enjoying the company.

The warmth of the reunion and the genuine happiness of the reunited family was infectious, and as he settled in to relax for the night he did spare a thought for Astra. It's a shame she couldn't make it, she would love this. Eventually Eli begged off for the night, and after getting a key from Theresa he picked up a lightly snoring Tia, and headed upstairs. The room, while not ostentatious, was cozy.

A large soft bed neatly made, a small sitting area with a coffee table couch and chairs for guests, and facing one of the windows was a large writing desk. There was no in room plumbing, but Eli was pleased to find that there was a communal bathroom on the fourth floor with running water, private toilets, and a small room with a private bathtub that was operated via a series of enchanted knobs that the elder hostler sister showed Eli how to use.

After laying Tia down on the bed and dropping his pack by the door, he opened the window and was more than pleased by the commanding view of the oak grove filling the square and the ring arching through the stars above it. Remembering Mira's suggestion he triggered his [Mana Sense] and [Eagle's Eye] gasped in wonder as the myriad faint colors of the ring above popped into high relief as his view exploded in a riot of color.

Eli realized where the glow of the ring came from as he realized it was a massive river of mana flowing across the sky, and the faint streaks of color became a technicolor kaleidoscope of as huge flows of aspected mana drifted and twined around each other. Ding [Congratulations! [Mana Sense] has reached Lv 10] Eli closed the notice as he watched the streams of energy flow into and out of the ring connecting it with the world below, and now that he knew what he was looking for he could see faint fractures in the sky above, only barely visible with his enhanced senses. If they were visible from the ground he imagined that it had to be beyond huge, and he once again wondered about the nature of the strange world he found himself in.

Either way it is beyond beautiful, if I had to end up anywhere, I'm actually pretty glad it was here. Eli settled into bed, the cozy comfort of the first real bed he had slept in for weeks quickly soothing him to sleep as he drifted off the sight of the brilliant night sky out of the corner of his eye as he gently slipped into sleep.