This time, it was Resven’s turn to be surprised. He turned to see Bramm standing on the porch steps, a few feet away from where he had been seated a few moments back. Bramm was clearly walking towards them.

"It is you! I heard ya retired and disappeared from the open... so this is where ya been hiding ya big brood!" Mornell, clearly in a joyful mood, took a step forward, and the two men embraced in laughter.

"It’s been a long time, my old friend." Bramm took a step back and gave Mornell a quick over, "It seems I’m not the only one to have traded in a life of the open sea for one on the land, huh?"

"Aye, it’s a long story..." Mornell gave a sigh, clearly weary.

Bramm raised his brow in response and said, "Well then, we better get started then. Come."

He gestured for Mornell to follow him into the cabin, but he stopped at the steps and turned to Resven, "Well done, Resven. I would like you and the others to go out and catch a few deer, maybe elk, whatever ya can find. Tonight we will be welcoming our guests with plenty of meat!

"Oh! And Keren will not be joining you guys, the lad is resting in his cabin. He has been wounded but stable and only needs a few days of rest. Make sure to get a few more pieces for the lad as well, please," Bramm spoke concerningly. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"We hear!" Resven saluted with a bow before departing.

"So tell me old friend... how’s the Miss’s?"

As Resven left, he could only hear a grunt and a burst of laughter echo from behind. He made his way down the slopes and quickly found both Telarin and Mestin.

"Mornell is a guest and a friend of Lord Bramm, as such he wants us to have a feast. Well, I will go out hunting for tonight’s dinner, and gather plenty for the feast."

"Hunting huh? It’s been a while since we fought a beast or two, can’t wait!" Telarin smiled off to the side, excitement bubbling in his voice.

Mestin, however, only nodded and went off stomping the ground like a giant walking the earth.

"Your team leader is having a discussion with our Lord; it will be a while before they are ours, I presume. As for you, you can set up camp around there and rest. We will start tomorrow, but tonight we will let you feast as much as you can."

The group of men were clearly not satisfied with Resven when he began to speak; even a few uncertain gazes turned to him, however, it all changed once he spoke about food. The men’s expressions rapidly changed, and they whistled and cried out in glee before turning to their own necessities.

’Drinks and food are the bane of all men they say...’ Resven laughed silently as he saw the men start to work.

***

Meanwhile, back in the cabin, Bramm and Mornell had already started drinking and sharing their stories, laughing and grimacing in sorrow and glee. With a large gulp of mead, Mornell slammed the jug down on the table.

"Oh! That’s the stuff!" he wiped his mouth with his forearm, the corners of his mouth still glued in a smile.

"Now tell me old friend, what’s this about becoming a Mormaer? Are you truly intending to become one, here in this place?" the man could not help but ask questioningly, glancing about the cabin skeptically.

"Haha! I understand what ya mean, but that’s why you are here, are ya not? I will need a place that is more fitting for something like that later on, not now, though. I do, however, need more places for my men and people to live. I can build them places, but it won’t be nearly enough, more of the quality you can make, team leader," he jabbed lightly with a curt laugh.

"But how-"

"How did this ambition begin? Well, of course, it wasn’t mine at the start. However, ever since the others started joining and trickling in, I’ve had this idea of becoming a lord. They don’t have places to go, and the world is a dangerous place, so in order to protect them and give the people a place that is safe, I must become one," he smiled, pouring himself another drink. He smiled and sighed when he saw his friend just staring at him blankly.

"Frankly, it all happened out of the blue, but now this. More will join and my house will grow and continue to grow, so I won’t be stopping anytime soon."

"But, you know if you do this, you’re gonna have to deal with the surroundings, Lord? You haven’t officially been granted a title have you? If a royal house finds out about this then you could get in trouble..." Mornell spoke with concern, his thoughts thoroughly evident on his face.

"Aye, in time I will need to deal with the nobles, but for now, I will grow stronger until I am prepared to deal with them, either by asking to be granted a title, or to grow strong enough that they will need to give me one." Bramm shrugged, unconcerned. He did not have the strength to deal with even the lowest tier of nobles, so worrying about the possibility of them is of much less concern than the beasts lurking outside the clearing.

"Come now! There’s no need to worry about them. These men I have are my people and although they are not that strong, they’ve grown to become quite reliable. They are only a few days away from becoming Dark Red Warriors. Let’s talk about something else... you’ve been in the city for quite a long time, tell me, are there any rumors that could be trusted? I would also like to know if you know about a healer that can be hired or bought here, that is trustworthy of course?"