There, I found everyone sitting on a long bench. Darius spotted me and gestured for me to come and join the table. "Another mug of ale here! Make it extra large!" he called out to the barmaid.

"Coming right up!" a redhead dressed in a Drindll responded.

I walked right up to them and took a seat beside Darius. He side hugged me with his muscular arms, "I heard what happened back there. What you did there was stupid, boy. But it's an awesome kind stupid! Bwahahow-ow!" he cried in pain halfway.

"You'd better be careful unless you want those st.i.tches open," Telara chastised him.

Everyone was smiling, naturally causing me to do the same. My drink arrived, Darius handed a silver coin to the barmaid and we all raised our gla.s.ses and toasted. I took a big swig and downed half of it. "Aaaaaahhh!" Nothing beats celebrating being alive with an extra large mug of great booze. I wiped away my ale-stache with satisfaction gleaming off my face.

Darius raises his hand and called, "Barmaid! A hot meal for me and my companions!"

"Got it! Coming right up!"

I noticed Liarelle has been stealing glances at me for a while now, with an uneasy look on her face. Her big blue eyes glistened under the crystal lamps in the inn, causing my heart to skip a beat. "Could it be?" I pondered shyly. Our eyes met and she eventually mustered the courage to speak up.

"Um, Mike?" she spoke nervously.

"Yes!" I responded with a pitch higher than usual.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't get to you back then," she looked away, fidgeting her hands guiltily.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked stupidly.

"Last night, I-I.."

Telara sighed, "Remember last night when we fought? After she got Darius to stabilize, she immediately rushed to you and found out that she had used up all her power reserves on him."

Ah, I was out for a night this time. I looked at Liarelle and she avoided eye contact with me. "Thanks for worrying about me, but as you can see I'm well and alive."

"Yeah, I told her that too. She's been unnecessarily feeling guilty for nothing," Telara said.

"Nevertheless, I appreciate the gesture."

Liarelle's expression brightened after hearing that. I heaved a sigh of relief, that smile must be protected at all cost!

I looked around the inn and found the merchants hanging around some of the tables. Their faces glum and tired. Looks like they're still shaken up from the events of last night. Can't blame them for that, I guess. Darius and Telara later told me that right now, we're currently staying at an inn at one of the satellite towns. About another three days ride before finally arriving at Barissan City. After having a nice hot meal and a bath, we all promptly went to bed. The next morning, we got back on the road and resumed our journey to Barissan City.

Three days went by without a hitch. There are many highway patrols and checkpoints along the plains between the satellite towns and the city, making it difficult for crime to happen, as long as you follow the road. Tolls are relatively low too, according to Darius.

We finally arrived at the gates of Barissan City and the merchants handed out the payments to us. We each received a pouch. I accepted mine without reservation since a certain someone rashly flew me out of Arthuri with only the clothes on my back. Along with the pouches, I noticed that Darius, Telara, and Alan also received an envelope each. The merchants moved along to deal with customs and thanked us again for our service.

"What's with the envelope?" I asked.

"This?", Darius waved it around. "It's a receipt we get from the clients after completing the request. We then submit it to the local guild in order to claim our payment."

I nodded in understanding, so it's kinda like a check.

"Then what about the pouch we received? Is that considered a bonus?"

"Precisely."

We entered through the city gates, where we stood in line for custom checks. I inspected the insides of my pouch and counted 1 gold and 15 silvers. My turn came and standing beside the guarded inner gateway was a scribe, a dull-looking man around in his late twenties.

"Name, origin, occupation, reason of visit," he asked boringly.

"Mike of Telopen. Scholar. Looking for a patron to support my research."

He looked at me suspiciously before saying "Show me your hands."

The scribe studied my palms for a while. "It's as you say. But why are you dressed in commoner's cloth, also without your supplies?"

"I was robbed," I said convincingly.

The scribe seemed to consider something but eventually decided.

"No fee. You may enter, Mike of Telopen. Welcome to the Barissan City. Next!"

We all made through customs. Telara, Darius, and Alan each got charged 3 silvers for entry whilst me and Lia got through without any charge. Apparently healers and scholars get in for free.

Before standing in line, Telara had helped me on deciding my new profile, since it would generate unwanted attention. We had decided to go with Telara's country of origin - Telopen. She asked me to show her my hands to help decide my occupation.

"Mike, I don't know how to say this. But your palms are smooth as a baby's. Are you sure that you've really trained with a sword before?" she snickered.

"How rude!" I protested. "Elven swords are made with the highest standard of artistry! Each sword was personally crafted by a master blacksmith and calibrated to fit a specific person's profile. The handle of the sword fits so perfectly, it makes you believe as if you've been finally reunited with your long lost limb," I said proudly in honor of Master Urugane, who worked for weeks in seclusion, all in order to finish that blade for me.

"Yeah, you should go with being a scholar. You don't exactly fit the image of the n.o.ble and there's no calluses on your palms, meaning that any profession that has to do with hard work are out too," Telara concluded.

"Hey what about you? Show me your palms!"

She took out a dog-tag from and showed it to me, "This is an adventurers tag, it serves as an instant identification for us."