"Well if you ever need a hand, or just company, I'm sure there are people in this village, especially the younger ones including myself, who'd like to see more of the world," Zaria said.

[hr]
"Traps have helped," Grom agreed, "thanks to our Eline for setting them up, but every region has its own 'beast king', sometimes several, and we have yet to meet ours.  Call me a worrier or an old soldier, but I don't think Soren is lucky enough to just not have one."

"Well, Emtardas claims to be a decent magic user," Malkas added, "so we wouldn't be as short-handed as we appear."

[hr]
"We look forward to having you," Benna replied.

[hr]
Bormash could see she didn't want to talk about it, but he figured there had to be a reason she was so touch-averse.  He decided not to push it and went back to cooking.  Looking up, Bormash could see, despite the smoke and light from the fire, that the stars were shining rather clearly.  "It's a lovely night," he said to no one in particular.