Dungeons and Dalliances

The trip back to Tarenhelm wasn't the most enjoyable of treks. Aches plagued her with every step, and though her ego stung for it, Sofia and Jordan were the ones who ended up dragging the chieftain's corpse with them, not her. She could've handled the task—she was hardly that bad off—but Jordan and Sofia had overruled her.

One long and unwieldy trip later, they were standing in front of the Baron's manor, with a servant having hurried away to fetch him. Seeing how they were lugging along an enormous monster corpse—which had barely fit inside the enchanted wagon—they would hardly be hosted inside the building. Though the chieftain wasn't bleeding anymore, it would still leave a mess.

When the portly Baron hurried out to meet them all, his eyes widened with every step closer.

"My … my word! What is that thing?"

The Baron likely [Inspected] the deceased monster as he made that exclamation, but Natalie answered anyway.

"Level four goblin chieftain," she said dryly. "Your raiding problem has officially been taken care of."

"Level four!" He boggled at the five of them. "Aren't you first-years? Level twos?"

"It was a hard fight," Natalie said. "Not too bad, though." As was obvious, seeing how all five of them were on their feet. Even Natalie was only somewhat injured—more superficially than anything. Just needed to sleep it off.

He stared a second longer before shaking his head to clear it. A group of level twos taking down a level four was an impressive feat, and that was without mentioning Greed's involvement. Though they would be withholding those specifics from the Baron. Rampant gods sponsoring monsters was sensitive information; Tenet would expect discretion. If they felt inclined to inform the Baron afterward, that would be the academy's choice.

"Well," the Baron finally said. "Excellent job. I'm glad to see the five of you came out alright." He gave Natalie a particular look; it must be easy to see she was the most banged up. Not unusual for the front-line guardian of a team.

"Took a few hits," Natalie said. "I'll be fine."

"Very good." He frowned down at the chieftain. "That thing is a goblin?"

"Apparently."

"How large was the camp?"

"Large," Natalie said. "Even after the previous raids, nearly two dozen were left over."

"Two dozen!" His amazement returned. "And you five dealt with it alone?"

Technically, they had Malice's help, not to mention a few powerful items and Natalie's class, but that didn't stop it from being an achievement.

"Yeah," Natalie said. "Was tough. The normal ones were easy. Big guy was a bitch, though."

The Baron blinked at her, and she realized she was speaking rather casually to a member of nobility—Liz had been far more formal when she'd led the conversation—but the Baron didn't seem to care.

"Also," Natalie said. "We found all the missing supplies. They had it in a huge pile. Stacked up. No clue why. What they were doing with it. Was just sitting there."

Though she had a guess. Her own link to Lust required engaging in carnal activities to grow in strength. Someone sponsored by Greed must have grown stronger by hoarding valuables—the altar of stolen goods had been the source of the chieftain's outrageous strength. But again, that was something she would voice to Tenet only, not to the Baron. Perhaps not even to Tenet; Natalie had agreed to divulge critical information to the Beaumons, but she didn't want everyone to know about her situation.

"We marked the location on the map Varten gave us," Natalie continued. "If you want to retrieve it."

"Standard caravan fare?" He shook his head. "I doubt it'll be worth the effort."

She blinked. "It's not that far out of the way."

"It's in the middle of the Duskwood," the Baron said. "Five heavily armored combat classes might not have too much difficulty strolling through there, but putting together a defensive party, along with the requisite labor, just to haul back some crates of ultimately unimportant material is—well, probably not an economic decision."

"Ah," Natalie said. She didn't care either way. Had just been informing him of the situation.

"Though I'll consider the possibility," he said. He stepped forward and held a hand out, and Natalie passed over the marked map of the Duskwood. He studied it briefly, brow furrowed, before nodding and tucking the thick paper away. "Now," he said, again looking down at the chieftain. "What will I do with this thing?" he mused. "And where is its head?"

"Blown off," Natalie grunted.

The Baron paused, glanced at the party as if in a new, slightly warier light, and cleared his throat. "Quite. I see. Hm." He waved his hand. "It sounds like, besides the unexpected difficulty, everything went well. I can handle … this," he gestured at the corpse. "Is there anything more to report?"

Natalie shared a look with her team. "That's it."

"Then let me thank you for your help. You've done a great service for Tarenhelm."

"Just our duty," Natalie said, a bit awkwardly.

"I presume you'll be sticking around for the festivities?"

"Festivities?"

He seemed surprised she didn't know what he was talking about. "It's customary to celebrate such a success. The citizens won't have to worry about being assaulted on the roads any longer. A small gathering. Everyone's been waiting for it. Food, drink, games. The usual. Nothing outrageous."

"I think Tenet wants us back as soon as possible?"

"Nonsense," the Baron said easily. "If you'll forgive me for speaking plainly, but as much as providing a service, sending delvers out is for visibility and Tenet's image as much as anything. They'll want you five mingling with the cityfolk, accepting their thanks, making the academy look good." He laughed. "And as far as the townsfolk care, they'll take any excuse for some excitement." He inclined his head. "Unless you aren't feeling well? If you need to rest, that's perfectly understandable."

"That's not it," Natalie said. She glanced at Liz, who nodded, confirming what the Baron was saying—he wasn't just talking them into staying an additional night. Apparently, it was customary to celebrate and mingle with the town, not to head straight back to Tenet. She looked at her other teammates next to check their reactions.

Jordan ended up shrugging. "Don't see why not," she said. She faced the Baron. "Thank you for hosting us."

"Of course!" He laughed. "My daughter would've been distraught if you packed up and left immediately. She's been smitten by the 'Tenet delvers,' I'll tell you that. Talking my ear off these past few days."

Not so subtly, several pairs of eyes turned to Natalie.

"Right," Natalie said.

Alaina would be there.

That … would definitely not be a problem.

"I'll let you five get cleaned up," the Baron said. "And thank you again for the help. I expect festivities will pick up within a few hours—everyone's been on standby for the good news." He turned, eyes searching out for a servant, who he gestured to approach. "Now, dealing with all of this unpleasantness. Let me get to that."