"Come on, Oliver! I'll take you to meet Grandpa Hurman!" The excited preteen again started to drag Oliver through the estate.

"Thank you, we can talk at the banquet," added Mertin, lightly bowing his head to Oliver as the hero was pulled away.

Leon moved to go with them, but Mertin stopped him. "Did you get the herbs?"

"Yes, here they are." With speed, Leon pa.s.sed the expensive pouch to his uncle. "You know, he really did save my life."

"Probably because you were too foolish to give up your treasures in place of your life," mumbled Mertin. "Just because these herbs help your father, doesn't mean that he'd want you to lose your life over them, you know?"

"Paying for these herbs is already too big an expense for the family, so how could I just give them away?" reasoned Leon.

"True… But what's more valuable, your life or some plants? One of which can be bought, albeit expensive, while the other is priceless and irreplaceable."

"Uncle…"

"Next time, you may not be lucky enough to have a n.o.ble and naive person come to save you," stated Mertin. "Remember that. Your father and I have high hopes for you, so please, don't act with such abandon."

"I'll try my best…" grumbled Leon under his breath.

Mertin sighed and shook his head. "Very well, come, help me prepare a meal for your savior."

While Leon and Mertin searched for Mertin's wife to help prepare a meal, Pauller knocked on a pair of double doors, deep within the estate.

"Come in."

With a big smile on his face, Pauller threw both doors open and led Oliver inside as the doors gradually closed themselves behind them. "Grandpa, this guy saved Leon and protected the--"

"Quiet, boy!"

Inside the room, there weren't too many furnis.h.i.+ngs. There some seat cus.h.i.+ons and a family alter with the names of the deceased carved in stone. In front of that alter sitting on the largest cus.h.i.+on, was an old man who stared at the naive Pauller.

"You can't go around talking about the family's internal affairs so w.i.l.l.y nilly." The old itched his nose as he turned his gaze to Oliver, somewhat shocked by the young man's stature. He humbly bowed to the young man. "Leon and Pauller are still young and foolish at times, so I'm very grateful for your help in protecting them."

"Really, it wasn't anything worth merit. I just didn't like how the other guys acted, so I taught them a lesson," stated Oliver, bowing in return to the elderly man.

"My name Hurman Practor, the Practor Patriarch. We may not have much to offer at the moment, but is there anything that we can do to thank you?"

"Grandpa, he--"

"Quiet, boy! Learn your manners." Hurman glared at Pauller, getting the preteen to shut up with a single look.

"I've only come because they kindly offered a meal," Oliver chuckled. "My name's Oliver and I'm new to the city. For the past nine moons, I've been traveling through the Taltin Mountains and living off of dried rations. So, I had no way of turning down a homecooked meal."

"Good. Knowing Pauller, I'm sure he's already made your presence known in the estate, so they should be preparing the meal as we speak. But, is there anything else that we can do for you?"

"Patriarch," Pauller stepped forward, somewhat robotically as he tried his best to follow customs. "I'd like to request that a room be prepared for him. Since he's new here, I think we should help him get on his feet."

"Hmm… that's not a bad offer. If he wishes, he may stay here for a sun while he discovers the city," offered Hurman. "If after that he wishes to stay here, we can discuss the matter then and agree upon some conditions."

"Thank you, Patriarch Hurman." Oliver bowed again, making sure to show respect.

"Please, call me Hurman."

Suddenly, the patriarch started to cough uncontrollably. After a few moments of being unable to calm his cough, Hurman reached for a steaming cup on the table beside him. As he sipped it, Hurman visibly relaxed as his tightened muscles loosened, making the old man appear soft and gentle.

"Parden my sudden outburst." Hurman lifted a hand in apology.

Oliver only smiled. "Think nothing of it."

"Thank you. Now, I'll let Pauller show you to one of the spare rooms and the bathhouse. If you're anything like me, I'm sure you'll enjoy a soothing bath after months of arduous cultivation."

"Thank you, Hurman." This time only bowing his head, Oliver was quickly pulled away by the happy Pauller.

Now back in the open courtyard outside the patriarch's quarters, Pauller laughed, "You can stay in the room by mine. It's the biggest spare room and it's near both the bathhouse and our training grounds."

"Sure, anything works for me."

"Hey, Oliver…" All of a sudden, the lively Pauller showed a serious face. "How did you get to be so strong?"

Oliver froze. He hadn't antic.i.p.ated such a question and it caused him to burst into laughter. "I… Through plenty of hard work. But I was lucky to have a strong father to teach me."

The two slowly walked as Pauller continued with his serious questions. "But I thought you said you never had a home before?"

"I haven't." Corrected Oliver, making sure to nor get his backstory confused. "I grew up a nomad, traveling from place to place. But both of my parents were quite strong, especially my father. Can't you tell by the naturally strong body I'm lucky to have?"

"How strong was he? Was he an elder, like my grandpa?"

Still laughing, Oliver replied, "I'm not sure, but I think he was even stronger than your grandpa."