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  Kaz sighed in defeat, about to speak up before his oppressor could say anything, but to his pleasant surprise, a familiar voice greeted him, “Whoa there, kid. You were just going to stroll ‘ere without a greeting to your friends?”

  Another familiar voice piped up in a teasing fashion, “Yeah, Kaz, it’s bit a rude that you ignored us after what we’ve been through together with you.”

  Unable to hide the wide grin from spreading across his face, he focused his efforts to hide the tears that were welling up in his eyes. Controlling his emotions, which were a constant state of erratic motion today, he quickly spun around, examining the group before him, the group who he fought his first big battle with.

  Before him stood Broff, Elmdiara, and Mera, the group who saved him from the camp of Bandits. They looked pleased to see him, all smiling brightly at him, but their strength was on display, unable to hide their power. They were missing Treyre, but he wouldn’t put it past him to be lurking somewhere nearby. He promptly greeted them, and explained himself, muttering, “Sorry guys, I was just in my head because of a really unfortunate experience I just had. I was hoping to just go relax and get over it.”

  Broff chuckled at him, and slapped him on his back, jokingly telling him, “Well, unfortunately for you, lad, you'll not go to your room right now. You'll join us for some fine dining at one of the best places in town!”

  Elmdiara covered her mouth as she laughed heartily, but Mera looked at him questionably, concern filling her eyes. She was talented in her Calling to have noticed the obvious turmoil he was going through, and he remembered back then, she noticed his despair and immediately wanted to help him out. He gave her an assuring nod and received a genuine smile in return, causing his mood to elevate even more. He couldn’t help himself by comparing Mera to Miss Astreta back at the orphanage, who also sensed whenever Kaz was down. Must be a thing for Clerics.

  Following their small greetings and conversation, he followed the group of three as they took him through Sarus. They strolled in a direction which Kaz himself had not gone in, and he immediately noticed the change in the wealth of these structures. This was the type of area that Kaz never found himself in, as this was the area where the wealthy lived and operated, which caused him to feel uncomfortable. He tightened the hood around his head, keeping his eyes down, focusing on Broff’s metal plated boots in front of him.

  He felt soft reassuring patting on his back, and glanced to the side to see Mera, who gave him a supportive smile. He eased up a bit, and shortly after, they arrived at the restaurant that they were going to be dining in. Kaz was taken aback by the restaurant that they chose, wondering if he would even be allowed to enter the establishment.

  At first glance, he wouldn’t have been able to guess that this was a restaurant, as it had massive spiraling root looking pillars supporting a large overhang, all made out of wood and green foliage. The wooden walls seemed to be mostly made out of glass, but he wasn’t able to see inside of the place, and lots of plants and foliage covered the base of the walls. He would’ve assumed that this was some store for the wealthy, and not a place to dine.

  An elegant looking male Elf welcomed the group at the door, smoothly greeting, “Ah, I welcome Madam Meraethea, Sir Broff, and Madam Elmdiara back to our establishment. Can I get you a private room or would you like to be by the windows?”

  The Elf didn’t even look Kaz’s way, which slightly offended him, but he wasn’t anybody important yet when compared to the rest of the group. The Elf seemed to be looking directly at Mera, but it was Broff who smoothly replied in a formal way that took Kaz by surprise, “If we may request a private room, that would be best, thank you.”

  With a stiff nod, he opened the door for them and then took them through the restaurant. Kaz noticed that the place itself was not large, barely the size of the lobby back at the Guild, but he couldn’t help but notice the quality of the way it was decorated. All the wood used, from flooring to tables, were a bright cream color, almost encroaching on white. He has never encountered such bright looking wood before, and it even made him tread more carefully subconsciously. All the tables looked like they were able to seat no more than six people, but were evenly spaced apart, clearly allowing privacy to speak in low voices. There were lots of natural looking foliage covering the roof, making it feel like one stepped into some kind of magical forest.

  There was soft music playing by a small group of Performers, and the area was well lit by floating orbs of mana, which Kaz had to fight the urge to siphon them to see if he could replicate it. They appeared before a doorway that was quite round, but had no door, only vine like foliage covering the entrance. They walked through the entrance and to his surprise, it was quiet, with the music faintly seeping through.

  They all took a seat around the table, which was surrounded by a circular bench, and waited until someone came. The Waitress who arrived was an Elven woman, who introduced herself and then offered the menu, explaining, “Greetings. My name is Ceanda, and I will be your Waitress for today. Would you like to browse our menu, or would you like the special five course meal prepared by our Head Chef Tallea?”

  This time, it was Elmdiara who spoke up, “We would like to do the five course meal, thank you.”

  The Elven Waitress nodded, and then revealed to them, “Splendid. The price for today’s course is three Gold and fifty Silver Tokens per person,” maintaining eye contact with Kaz. Kaz wanted to shrink into a corner and pull his hood over his head, hating that the Waitress seemed to be singling him out. Mera reached under the table, as she sat right next to him, and patted his knee, while impolitely addressing the Waitress, “Such an amount is of no concern for us,” stressing the ‘us’, and continued, “therefore, please bring our refreshments. It will be whatever ale you have for Broff and any special teas you may have for us three.”

  With another stiff nod, the Waitress exited their room, and everyone exhaled. It was Mera who broke the silence, explaining, “Sorry, Kaz. These upper class Elves are unbearable to anybody who isn’t an Elf, or famous. We would’ve gone somewhere else, but despite the way they act around here, the food is arguably the best in Sarus. It’s totally worth the eating experience for the slightly annoying and snobby attitude you are exposed to.”

  Everyone else nodded in agreement, and he could feel himself calming down. They shifted into simple pleasantries about their time since they last departed, with them explaining the outcome with the Bandits. To his surprise, they were brought back, put in the town square, and then executed after their crimes were listed to the public, besides the leader. He was sent to the Capital for further interrogation to discover any larger organizations at play throughout their Realm. A large portion of the town was present, and they even had a celebration of sorts that lasted a couple of days, everyone celebrating that the Bandits were cleaned up from the area.

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  Kaz was going to ask a question about Treyre, but it was then that the Waitress brought in their drinks along with the first dish. It was a soup like dish, and the Waitress described the dish as a Forest Broth, which contained various mana infused herbs and roots. Kaz took a spoonful of the broth, and he could feel the explosion of flavors in his mouth. He could only close his eyes and enjoy the fragrant and refreshing tastes. Before he knew it, he drank all of the soup, ignoring the spoon, taking inspiration from Broff who downed it in one go by dipping the bowl straight into his mouth.

  Satisfied with that dish, he decided to ask the group, “Where is Treyre by the way?”

  Elmdiara replied, smiling genuinely at him, “He is off on a Quest that he was summoned for. We didn’t get any details, but that’s just typical of him,” she explained with a chuckle.

  Everyone else laughed lightly, and that was when Broff asked him about his own Quests. Kaz recounted his journey after he departed from them, but paused slightly after his first encounter with the Kobolds. He wasn’t sure if he should reveal that to them, even though they were more than just ordinary Adventurers. Thankfully, the Waitress came in with the next meal, which gave him more time to contemplate.

  This time, she brought a small wooden plate with two rolls on it. She explained that these were Flower Leaf rolls, filled with more vegetables and herbs. To his delight, they were crunchy, and these were more of a fresh, comforting taste. It soothed his mouth, and after he finished his second roll, he decided to be honest with them.

  Elmdiara POV

  Elmdiara couldn’t believe their luck on coming across Kaz. They were supposed to leave with Treyre, but after some push back, he convinced them that he would be a lot quicker in his investigation from the Guildmaster by himself. Kaz seemed a bit distraught, but thankfully, his mood elevated when he saw them in the Guild Hall. She hated lying to the young Gnome, but the Guildmaster asked to keep the mission a secret.

  She felt her heart drop when she heard about the Kobolds that Kaz ran into, but annoyingly, the Waitress came back with their next course, which halted Kaz’s story. It was even more concerning when he apologized to them, explaining, “Unfortunately, I am unable to reveal anything more about the Quest, as I am not sure if I am allowed to share anything that I came across.”

  She exchanged looks with Broff and Mera, trying to be subtle, but she could faintly hear the painful exhale that came from Mera, and they all understood. Kaz was the one who found the Kobold encampment. It would be his luck to uncover something like that. Elmdiara nodded, assuring Kaz, “No worries, we totally understand. The [ Archive ] restricts information constantly. So, what happened after that Quest?”

  Kaz then proceeded to explain his journey through the Manashroom Forest, which brought back good memories from her first Quest to gather Manashrooms. It made her laugh, along with Mera, as they recalled their experience with the Manashrooms and how many they destroyed trying to collect them. When the next dish came, which contained a rather delicious looking upturned mushroom without the stem, causing them all to chuckle at the coincidence. The Waitress looked at them questionably, but they ignored her, not willing to indulge the snob in the joke. The Elven Waitress muttered that this dish was a Nectar Mushroom, stuffed with nuts and vegetables.

  They all feasted on the savory dish, relishing the flavors that came and went. As they ate, the rest of them recounted their own stories of their first Quests, including their first Quest together, which involved tackling a group of wolves which were terrorizing a group of Farmers. Lots of laughs and advice came from their stories, and she noticed Kaz absorbed every word that was said.

  She admired the young Gnome, but she couldn’t shake this feeling from her. She noticed something different about him when they first encountered him today. The way his mana revolved around him, and the way it exuded this unknown power. She was now well past her first Revelation, but for some reason, she felt in a way, inferior to him. Elmdiara decided to ask him about his progress, hoping to gain some insight into this.

  He revealed that he was at 29 Resonance, and she almost choked on her tea. That was insane progress, but he still seemed at a higher tier than that. Their fourth dish came in, and it was a simple looking salad, but as always, it contained rare and exotic vegetables and herbs, so it was delicious for every bite. She chuckled when she saw Broff devouring the salad, knowing that if the carnivore enjoyed a vegetarian dish, it had to be good.

  She asked Kaz about his Awakening and such, wanting to know how he managed to get to such a high Resonance at such a young age. He explained his early life which led to his unfortunate Awakening, and she could only feel downright depressed for the kid, finding out everything he had gone through. Thankfully, Broff decided to shift the topic, and started illustrating his story, along with the idiotic mistakes he made along the way to lighten the mood.

  Finally, their last dish came, and it was a dessert. It was a cream based dessert, filling the petals of a vibrant flower. It was very sweet and light, a perfect end to their experience. The Waitress came to collect their plates and gave them the bill. To her horror, Kaz pulled out four Gold Tokens, and Broff quickly scolded him, telling him, “When someone invites you to eat, you never pay. You only pay when you invite someone, am I clear?”

  Kaz nodded lightly, obviously embarrassed, and she only wanted to squeeze him into a tight hug, feeling sorry for the young kid, along with the na?ve innocence that he possessed. They exited the establishment and made their way back to the Guild.

  It was then that Broff brought out ten Gold Tokens, to which he handed over to the Gnome. “This is your cut from the Bandit Quest. And ya better not say no, as I will gladly take it if ya don’t want it,” he explained, grinning widely.

  Kaz took the Gold Tokens, and she could see the shock on his face, his eyes expanding wide open, unable to close his mouth. He tried a few times to say something but managed a small thanks before tucking them into his bag. Broff then followed up, making eye contact with her and Mera, but asking Kaz, “Say, Kaz, are ya livin’ in the Guild?”

  Kaz nodded, and she mentally recollected that it was quite the price to live in the Guild, even with the weekly discount. The thought hasn’t crossed her mind, but before she could speak up, it was Mera who proposed, picking up on what Broff was implying, “Well, if you need a place to stay, we have a few extra beds and rooms that we could share with you. It gets expensive living at the Guild, and you wouldn’t have to worry about paying us anytime soon.”

  To her delight, she saw Kaz’s eyes light up, and he vigorously nodded, unable to form any words. The three of them shared a look when Kaz faced forward, understanding they had to get a room ready for him. Even if it was just temporary, she wanted to make sure the kid had a place to stay without worrying about paying all of his Quest money on a room.

  Kaz quietly spoke up, explaining, “I am really grateful for the offer. I have five nights left with the Guild, and I might do an extra night because I am getting a weeklong training. After I am done with my training, would then be a good time for me to visit the place?”

  Broff hummed his approval, and with nods of confirmation from the rest of them, they continued onwards to the Guild. As they were nearing the Guild, it was Mera who spoke up softly, asking Kaz, “If I may ask Kaz, why were you distressed earlier?”

  She visibly saw him slump his shoulders, and he mumbled, “I wanted to go see Elder Aelon, as I have plenty of questions, and just needed someone to talk to. But unfortunately for me, I am restricted from the Academy because of the Faedusk brat who attacked me first.”

  They all winced at that, remembering that they heard about the altercation at the Academy even before their Bandit Quest. They assured him that everything would be alright, and they all said their goodbyes. Kaz thanking them deeply for the food, spending time with him and also the offer to live with them at their place.

  Elmdiara could feel the loneliness coming from his voice, but hopefully that will change as he meets more people and hopefully gets into a group that deserves him, not to mention also when he decides to live with them. They watched him go into the Guild Hall, making his way straight to the stairs. Elmdiara quickly let the others know, “I am heading to the Mage Academy to let Elder Aelon know Kaz is back in town and to meet him at the Adventurer’s Guild.”