“By the bloody gods, you don’t have to be picking for berries at a time like this, Clara,” yelled Gil as he was wrapped up in a fur skin cloak.

  Remi was slaving over a large pot on a wood powered stove making Orc goulash with chunks of lamb and elk. Clara was in the middle of picking berries for the sake of medicine and for making tiny deserts. Shoyo was writing down the reports of the journey thus far noting the five checkpoints and villages Naga Squad passed on through. Ren was meditating.

  Naga squad was holed up inside a hunting lodge as the snow fell harshly blanketing the trees and ground with a shiny, white sheet of wooly ice. Gil angrily stomped back inside and was murmuring to himself. Shoyo sarcastically asked, “You feel better?”

  “No… Just… She angers me sometimes… Damnit, I should’ve worn something heavier,” Gil said as he slumped in front of the fire place.

  Shoyo said, “At least that boar’s fur made a nice cloak for you.”

  “I guess there’s that… Still mad my original cloak got set on fire in that tavern basement.”

  “Those bandits were assholes,” Ren interjected as she started sorting through a bag of holding ensuring her armor pieces were still in there.

  Shoyo replied to Ren, “And you managed to kill their leader without even knowing who he was. You just guessed and figured they wouldn’t attack us outright?”

  “Lucky.”

  “That wasn’t luck, Ren. You knew beforehand.”

  “Never trust an old man who hangs around bandits. He’s usually the leader.”

  “Also, everyone thought you abandoned us back there.”

  “Sigh… I came back. Besides, seeing a group of large men poorly hiding knives behind their backs as they surrounded Gil was fairly obvious. Remi figured this out instantly resulting in those five idiots being concussed to high heaven.”

  “Thank you,” Remi exclaimed from the stove top.

  Ren continued in a laconic fashion, “We still have the mission at hand. We just so happened to help out that town with a bandit problem. Be thankful the magistrate was nearby.”

  “Oh Ren,” Shoyo sighed with a coy smile to himself.

  Gil chuckled in response to this. Shoyo remembered how Gil was tied up in rope in a basement tavern and Clara was very drunk barely hanging onto Remi who was covered in bruises. At least 5 bandits laid unconscious on the floor and broken tables. The squad was surrounded by about 20 bandits armed to the teeth. One small, old man with intense eyes and facial scars sneered creepily in the center facing the squad head on. Shoyo was wondering where Ren was and Clara drunkenly explained that Ren went to the bathroom.

  Ren emerged from the bathroom walked into the center of the room noticing the old man and bandits. Gil was trying to explain that he accidentally got caught up in a game of dice and things went very wrong. Ren, without hesitation, grabbed Shoyo’s throwing knife and threw it with scary accuracy at the old man’s head sending him flying backwards about five feet. Ren said nothing and stared at all the bandits with fierce annoyance. All the bandits froze in stunned shock unsure of what to do.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Ren calmly said to Shoyo, “Local magistrate is on his way along with the town guards. I went out the bathroom window and got help.”

  “Would’ve been nice for the heads up.”

  “You should be more upset at Gil and Clara. Not me. Plus I did tell Clara.”

  Clara burped and made a pathetic chuckle.

  Shoyo sighed, “I know, Ren… But…”

  “But help is on the way. Remi agrees with me.”

  “What,” Remi asked confused. “I wasn’t paying attention. I was more focused on fighting than anything else.”

  “She – She wants you to – UGH! Back her up, ox,” Clara explained throwing up. “Too many shots of dwarven whiskey.”

  “Oh gods,” Shoyo said face palming.

  Ren crossed her arms sassily whilst having no expression on her face; however, her eyes were delightfully smiling for being right.

  Suddenly, a large group of light armored knights with blue gambesons and repeating cross bows barged into the room arresting everyone. One of the knights with a large, gold medallion walked forward and nonchalantly shook Ren’s hand. She held out her hand expecting something. Shoyo chuckled and handed her a small purse of gold coins.

  Back in the hunting lodge, Clara barged right back in dragging in a trail of snow and slush. She shoved Gil out of the way of the fire as she hurriedly rubbed her hands together. Gil protested, “The hell?”

  “Co – Cold! Fr – Freaking cold, man!”

  “Was it worth the pain?”

  “YEP!”

  “Okay,” Gil said sighing in disbelief.

  Remi finished his Goulash and everyone happily ate. Clara, upon finishing her bowl, started to mix around a crude, yet surprisingly sweet and delicious cheese cake with assorted berries mixed into it. Gil silently patted Clara’s shoulder as a thanks and Clara smiled trying to hide her blushing blaming it on the cold. Remi’s eyebrows bounced in response. Shoyo laughed and resigned himself to his corner bed. Ren promptly did the same, but next to Shoyo by about a foot. Everyone else fell asleep or set up rolled out mats in front of the fire place.

  Shoyo rolled over to his left side and asked quietly to Ren, “You awake?”

  “Yes.”

  “Quick question.”

  “Yes?”

  “Not really a question actually.”

  “What is it?”

  “I appreciate you helping us out like you did back there, but my issue is that you’re not communicating your plans half the time… You wanted those bandits to be gone like the rest of us and yet you said nothing.”

  “Yeah,” Ren said staring at the ceiling feeling like a lecture from Argos was occurring again. For a moment, she felt like that lost teenager who always ended up in Argos’ office at the academy once again.

  Shoyo sighed, “I’m not upset… Just… There’s no shame in telling us your ideas. No one will know or understand you unless you say it. We all depend on each other. Thought this was hashed out before that village… Can you trust us?”

  “…”

  “But I do have to say,” Shoyo said rolling over to his right facing the wall away from Ren. “Pretty cool what you did. You were lucky.”

  “So you do think I was lucky?”

  “Yes… Night, Ren.”

  “Night, Shoyo.”

  Clara was secretly listening to the two of them as her pointy ears perked up. She smiled to herself and proceeded to snuggle up next to Gil. Remi then rolled over crushing both of them as he snored loudly.