The three men managed to meet their self-imposed deadline.
Meanwhile, the three women chatted beside the tree, tension slowly morphing into a cautious hope.
None of the three tried to strike a conversation with me, perhaps noticing my utter exhaustion.
As the adventurers concluded their labour, the march resumed. I was still tailing the group, but only by a few steps this time, forcing my legs forward one step at a time.
During the next hour, little of note took place.
From the few conversations that did take place, I managed to figure out the general situation of those 2 women, as well as the identity of Martha's husband – owner of the Blue Mushroom Inn - the one mentioned by Bern - and the man who barged into the adventurer guild to post the emergency commission.
I also overheard the adventurers talking about the wolf remains. Apparently, the pelts could go for anywhere between 3 to 4 gold, given their size and overall condition.
The big wolf's pelt could go as high as 10 gold, but the real prize was the head.
As a collector's item, an adult alpha wolf's head could go for a few dozen gold, but in Pine Harbor, it could be turned in for an even higher bounty.
In fact, the party could argue a pack this size, considering its former leader, would eventually force the town to place an official extermination request, and by eliminating the threat early, they were entitled to additional compensation.
Whether they would decide to make such claims or not was honestly not my concern – given my contribution, not to mention my complete lack of affiliation with this party (or even this town), I would be grateful to just receive the money from one or two pelts.
As the torch in my hand turned into a stub, its fickle flames dancing its dying dance, the faint light of its brethren peeked from between the trees and bushes ahead.
We were almost there.
A couple of minutes later, we finally reached the forest's border, distinctly indicated by the small grassy downward slope ahead.
Beyond the slope, a field - less than a kilometer long - separated us from the town.
More precisely, it separated us from a long wooden barricade, its upper half peeing above the trench surrounding the town.
Along its perimeter, I could see two tiny figures, torches in hand, in their slow patrol.
However, most of the previously-seen light came from the gap between the trenches, forming a small entrance.
There stood a few men, with a couple of shorter figures among them.
As we exited the woods, a sudden commotion erupted at the gate – the two children, nimbly evading the adults' attempts to grab them, rushed in our direction.
On our side, one of the two women - Molly - rushed forward as well.
"Mommy!"
"Mom!"
sob, sob
As we got closer, the sounds of their bitter-sweet reunion filled the night air.
Just as we made our way midway through the field, so did the men at the gate.
One of them, a brawny bold man wearing slightly more sophisticated clothes than the rest, stepped forward, opening his arms.
"Arthur…"
The remaining woman stepped forward, her voice clearly on the verge of tears, and jumped straight at the man, the two embracing in a long, tight hug.
Finally letting go of his wife, the man turned his head in the direction of the three adventurers.
"I can't thank you enough! If.. if not for you, I.. I don't even want to repeat such dark thoughts. Listen here – I'll reopen the bar tomorrow at sunset. I expect to see each and every one of you – no exceptions! Everything on me, of course."
He turned his head towards Amelia.
"And you, young priestess… it was your help that allowed them to sweep through this mission at such speed. Truly, if not for you, they may not have reached my wife before something terrible happened…"
A dark shadow flickered in the man's eyes, before he sighed in relief.
"I know trying to lure you to the bar tomorrow is a futile endeavour, so at least make some time to receive me after noon. I wish to offer a prayer to the Lady Of Light, as well as more… concrete offerings."
"I was merely following Her teachings. Please, don't feel obligated to offer gold out of the sense of debt."
Amelia's reply came in a more pious, 'official' tone, to which the inn keeper just smiled.
"Still, to those who seek the light, our doors shall always be open. I will be glad to receive you."
Satisfied with the answer, the in keeper nodded. Then, he turned his head in my direction.
"Eh.. and who might you be?"
"This is Sebastian. We met up at the mine, and returned to the city together."
"He also helped protect us from the wolves."
Bern tried to clear things up, and surprisingly, even his wife pitched in.
"The mine? Wol- Ah, hells, so that's where that smell is coming from."
His gaze momentarily shifted to the bloody sacks dragged by the dwarf, before looking back at me, this time with a smile.
"Ha, that must have been quite the adventure you all had. I'm sure I'll hear all about it tomorrow. Well, if you need a place to stay, come to the Blue Mushroom Inn. I'll give you the ol' special discount."
Adding the last part with a wink, the man turned back to his wife.
After a few more minutes, the reunion concluded, and we made our way towards the town.
The lone guard standing at the "gate" scanned our group, his eyes lingering on me for a bit longer than the rest.
"Welcome back. Glad to see you all in one piece."
In the end, he made no attempt to stop any of us, simply standing aside.
As we entered the town, the dark silhouettes of wooden and stone houses, large and small, greeted our approach, like silent sentinels forming a second defense line in front of the slumbering town.
"This is the industrial district. From butchering, crafting and smithing, to most of the woodworking – everything is done here. Of course, right now, everything's closed."
Catching my gaze, Amelia tried to sate my obvious curiosity.
As we entered the town, everyone began going their separate ways.
The men that came with the inn keeper, apparently just regulars at the bar, who joined to keep him company, scattered around, making their way home.
The two women thanked us once again, followed by polite gratitude from the children, and the inn keeper gave us one last reminder to come in tomorrow, before the group walked together towards the inn.
Given what I knew of the women's relationship, and the second husband's fate, the owners of the inn likely invited the fresh widow to spend a few nights there with her children.
As for the three adventurers, they were staying elsewhere.
"I should have your share by the time we meet tomorrow. Either way, come… there is something we need to talk about."
Adding the last part in a hushed voice, Bern led his companions in a different direction.
It was now only me and Amelia.
"You will be resting at the temple today, right? Come! I'll show you the way."
Her upbeat personality managed to shine through her exasperated voice, although the shrine suddenly becoming a temple was a good indicator of her actual fatigue.
Following Amelia, I made my way deeper into the town.
After some time, we stood in front of a small stone structure, a large sun-shaped statue (much like Amelia's amulet) decorating the top of its dome.
A small oil lantern was hanging from a metal pole in front of its door, its warm - even if faint - light inviting us in.
However, Amelia did not go in, instead circling around the shrine, making her way to a small two story house right behind it.
Reaching for the door, her hand froze in front of the handle.
After a moment of hesitation, she took a deep breath, before pushing the door open.
The room inside looked somewhat plain – a wooden dining table, a few chairs, and a dimly lit fireplace.
In front of the fireplace was the only furniture in the room I could call somewhat exquisite – facing the door stood a sofa, much like one you'd see in old English estates or museums.
On that sofa sat a man. Yellow robes, engulfing his bony figure, contrasted with the long white hair resting upon them.
His black eyes, peeking from behind countless wrinkles, reflecting the last glimmers of crimson light emitted by the dying embers, were looking at the young priestess with disappointment.
"Amelia."
"... yes, father?"
Both the pious front, as well as the glimmers of resolve shown during her journey, were replaced by the expression of a young girl getting caught sneaking out past her curfew.
"Do you remember what I told you, just this morning?"
"Th-that I should take better care of myself, and take some time to rest."
"And before that?"
"That.. that I should stop pushing myself to this extent. A-and that one day, this could prove my end."
"And yet, after hearing all that, after saying you agreed – the first thing you do, putting that volunteer healing hobby of yours aside, is to join a dangerous mission through the woods, and into a goblin infested mine? With an incomplete party, no less?"
"I'm sorry… But! It was an emergency! Without me, they might not have taken the mission at all. And if they did, they would have to be more careful… so maybe they wouldn't make it on time…"
As Amelia spoke, her momentary flare of confidence slowly melted under the judgmental stare of the pitch black eyes.
"Amelia. I am over a century old. Do you wish to have this old man spend the last years of his life worrying about his young apprentice?"
"...no, father."
Amelia's last words were faint enough to be called a whisper, her eyes staring holes into the wooden planks beneath her feet.
The old man simply sighed, finally turning his gaze towards.
"And who have you brought at this hour?"
"Ah! That's Sebastian! H-he was injured during the mission, and lost a lot of blood. I offered him respite for the night."
"Hmm…"
The priest's eyes slowly scanned me, head to toe, stopping momentarily at the blood soaked sleeve, and sending chills down my spine.
Then, he smiled at me. The smile looked warm, but maybe due to the mix of fatigue and nervousness, on a closer look it almost seemed uncanny, like the leathery skin stretching across his face was nothing but a mask.
"The Lady Of Light shall always offer a place to the ailing. Please, Amelia, show our guest to his room."
Following Amelia, who quickly grabbed my hand and basically dragged me through a nearby door, I found myself in a small room with two empty beds, and little beside them.
"This is our guest room! When someone is recovering, they usually sleep here. Right now, there is no one else, so please make yourself comfortable!"
Suddenly realizing her iron grip on my arm (I was surprised she still had this much strength left), she instantly released it with a small gasp.
"Are you… alright?"
Some of her behavior could be explained due to exhaustion, but this was crossing some unseen line.
"I'm- I'm fine! Completely fine."
She tried to flash me a smile, but her expression soon shifted into a mix of sadness and guilt.
Perhaps realizing the futility of her efforts, she sighed – then leaned closer, muffling in a low voice.
"It's just that… ever since I've got here, I've been causing trouble for the old man. This isn't the first time, either. Not even three years, and this is the second time I could have died. And it was… it was completely my fault, once again. I just... There are barely two months left until this apprenticeship is over. Maybe I really just caused needless trouble again…"
Her hair was dishevelled, and her eyes were on the verge of tears.
"Listen here."
My voice came out coarse and low energy, but I forced myself to get it together one last time. I owed this young apprentice priestess way too much to just ignore this.
"If it wasn't for you… I'd probably be dead by now. If it wouldn't be from a misunderstanding with Bern and his party, the wolves would definitely go for a lone traveler before a large group. So…"
I looked into her eyes.
"Thank you. I don't care what the old priest says, but from my point of view, you joining this mission was anything but meaningless."
This came out much longer than expected, but I meant every word I said.
Amelia's expression froze for a moment – before showing another smile, fainter, but genuine this time.
"T-thanks. I'll.. go to bed now. See you tomorrow."
With those words, she exited the room, closing the door behind her.
I dropped my sword and backpack on the ground.
In the following minute, I somehow found the belts that fastened the leather armor, taking it off right before my blood stained shirt.
Then, I simply collapsed on one of the beds, letting the darkness carry me away.