Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The Feast

Alex found himself in a large grassy park at the center of Olivia's village. Olivia skipped up to him, wearing a wide smile, took his hand in her own, and led him into the midst of a group of townspeople busily making preparations for the feast. Some were overseeing boiling pots of what smelled like stew, while others set up long tables that spanned nearly the length of the park, and even more people set chairs at the tables. It was like watching an ant colony busily deconstructing a discarded candy bar.

Olivia led him to her father, the barrel-chested, warhammer-wielding blacksmith who seemed to also be something of a village leader. "Father," Olivia said, "Alex has arrived, as promised." The man looked him over again, then smiled broadly, approaching him and clapping him heartily on the back. Olivia gave a mirthful chuckle at the man's antics. "Good to see you again, my boy! You were astounding today, made those foul creatures turn their stubby green tailbones and run!"

"Thank you, sir. Though, I must confess that you have me at a bit of a disadvantage, as I have not yet learned your name." Alex tried to smile back at the man, though the very act felt foreign to him. There hadn't been many reasons for him to smile in quite a while, and he found himself out of practice. "Ah, where are my manners? The name's Roderick Greaves, town elder, blacksmith, and the proud papa of that firebrand who is latched onto you like a particularly hungry tick." The man laughed heartily at the pouting expression his daughter shot him. Alex chuckled a bit, receiving a playful nudge in the ribs from the blushing summoner.

"Daaaad! Stop it. You keep it up, and I'll summon a fairy to switch out all your smithing tools for silverware while you sleep." Her face was playful but determined as she spoke, causing Roderick to put his hands up in surrender, still laughing deeply. "Fine, fine. Well, Alex, Olivia, why don't you two make the rounds while I make sure everything is prepared for that delicious food I keep smelling? I'm sure there are many other of our Littleton citizens who wish to meet our savior."

Alex lowered his head slightly, discomforted by the praise. "I was simply fulfilling my end of the contract, sir. No need for anyone to go out of their way on my behalf."

"Nonsense," Olivia interjected. "Your actions saved many of us from death or even far worse fates. Goblins are not known for requesting consent to their proclivities, after all." Roderick nodded. "Listen to her, lad. I don't know your story, but I can tell you've seen the horrors of battle. Sometimes speaking with those whose lives you've impacted can bring the reasons for our compulsion to go to war into focus, and allow us to live on, even when we've lost much in service to those needs. Go, mingle, be merry. Even we bloodsoaked warriors deserve rest, young man."

Alex nodded, thanking Roderick for his counsel, and allowed Olivia to lead him around the gathering. He met the mage from earlier, learning that the man's name was Davios and he was normally the town's herbalist and alchemist, who happened to know a few support spells, mostly focused on bolstering the constitution of the front line warriors, and a small assortment of reusable artifacts with built-in spells of an offensive nature in case of a turning tide. He let Alex know that things like the raid today almost never happened here, as the king's adventurers usually kept the forests cleared before the monster's numbers become a threat. As such, the village didn't have a true army, most of the townsfolk being farmers and merchants, with a few skilled laborers mixed in.

After that charming chat, Olivia led him to an elegant-looking woman in a long crimson dress that flowed around her like smoke as she moved. "Alex, this is Nadia, our resident outfitter. Her clothing and leather armor is on par with the finest merchants in the capital city of Longhaven. It is said that the king himself had her make a dress for the queen once."

The woman scoffed lightly. "Mere rumor, my dear Liv. You speak too highly of me. I am a simple dressmaker and leatherworker." The woman winked subtly at Alex as she spoke, and he gave a wry smile at that. "Well, I for one look forward to seeing your wares at some point, ma'am." Nadia smiled beatifically at his words. "I'm sure a private showing can be arranged for you and Liv. It would be nice to craft something that isn't used for farming and hard labor for once. I don't get to show off my skills nearly as often as I would like. And your... unique artifacts," she glanced at his rifle and handgun as she spoke, "would make for some rather interesting design solutions indeed. Though I wonder why Liv hasn't gotten you a spatial storage ring yet for your arsenal so you don't have to lug them in the open all the time."

Olivia grinned at the woman. "Actually, that's one reason I wanted to introduce you two. I know you have a few choice storage artifacts in your shop, would you mind greatly if we met there after the feast? Alex could definitely use that, as we will be heading to Strixan in a few days to register at the Adventurer's guild. I'd like for us to start getting experience with a party since my summoning and support spells have advanced sufficiently to require more of a challenge to advance. Alex will need some more appropriate clothing for this realm, as well. His current attire is a little... showy."

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Alex glanced down at himself. The vest was a bit conspicuous, and for certain, no one was sporting blue jeans or a t-shirt. He shrugged. "Well, if it'll keep me from standing out too much, and they're made by such a competent seamstress as yourself, I'd be honored to wear them." The woman looked away for a moment, her cheeks suddenly aflame in a rosy blush, before smiling softly and looking back to Liv. "Olivia, dear, you are in SO much trouble with this one."

Liv nodded. "I'm seeing that. I'll have to keep him on a tight leash so he doesn't steal too many hearts on our journeys."

Nadia grinned. "Including your own, I suspect." It was Olivia's turn to blush. She mumbled something under her breath that to Alex sounded suspiciously like "too late", but he couldn't be certain. He lowered his head anyway, slightly embarrassed to be discussed in such a manner by two extremely beautiful women. Olivia's body pressed against his more tightly as they made their excuses and headed for the tables, the large pots of stew having been brought there recently, and they both sat by Roderick, who was telling a tale of his time as a member of the king's legion to a couple of young men with stars in their eyes. Alex wondered if he'd had such an eager look on his face back in the day at the recruiter's office.

"...So I brought my hammer down between them, and it threw both'a the ugly bastards off their feet! Cleaning up after that was a breeze!" The blacksmith laughed heartily, wrapped up in telling his story to his enraptured audience. Alex focused on his stew as it was ladled into his bowl. It seemed to be some manner of meat, along with what looked like carrots, leeks, and garlic, or this world's equivalents. He saw Olivia glancing his way as he studied his food. She leaned in toward him. "Hey, you okay? If you need a little space, we can take our food over to the small pond at the edge of the park and eat there. It's quiet, and there aren't many people."

Alex nodded quietly, and the pair excused themselves, taking their food to a secluded bench at the edge of the small pond. "Thanks," Alex said gratefully, "I'm just not great in large groups of strangers sometimes."

"I get it, I could feel it through our connection. You've experienced a lot of tragedy in your life, haven't you?" The young woman peered into his eyes as she spoke.

Alex nodded, focusing on eating so he wouldn't have to say anything. "It's okay," Olivia spoke after a bit. "I get not wanting to relive bad memories. We lost my mom to an orc war party when I was young. Dad still doesn't speak about it, and I was too young to remember, which may have been a blessing." Alex stopped eating, looking at his contractor. He placed his bowl down, took off the vest, and took off his shirt, turning the right side of his body to her. A long trail of burnt flesh ran from his face down his side, disappearing into his pants at the beltline. "This scar, it runs all the way down my body. The doctors said they could reconstruct most of it, and lessen the scarring so it was barely there, but I refused. This... is all that remains after my squad was killed on our last mission. They're gone, I'm still here. It seemed that it was only fair that I at least bear the evidence of their sacrifice."

Olivia reached out gently, tracing the scarring from the belt line up, her fingers giving only a slight sense of pressure against the destroyed nerves as she ran her fingers up, all the way to his face, where she cupped her hand around his cheek, leaning forward and lightly kissing the scar. "Thank you for sharing this with me. I'm sorry about your companions. I'm sure that, wherever they are, they wouldn't want you to bury yourself with them in your grief. I will help you as much as I can if you'll let me."

"I wish it were that easy, but I promise to try, Liv." Alex redressed, then picked his bowl back up and stared into it for a while. The pair sat quietly for a while, the sun slowly retreating beyond the horizon as they ate, Olivia leaning against him and staring up at the sky as the stars as they slowly revealed themselves. Eventually, Liv stood, leading Alex back to the group, where they both said their goodbyes, seeking out Nadia and promising to visit her shop in the morning. Alex walked Liv to her cottage, where he made sure she was safely inside, saying his goodbyes, and stepping back into his portal, returning home.

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