"Dad!" All three boys burst out at once. Shock radiated from all three of them. They weren’t expecting to see their fathers until they arrived back on Earth. They knew from what Drake had told them about their own fathers going to kill them. It was also when they learned that all three of them were heirs to the current dimension master and his cohort and that they were to take over for... said fathers.
Renn looked around the tavern, moving closer to Drake, not trusting those around her. She wasn’t used to being around a town full of people. She hadn’t noticed the three from her vision yet. She didn’t understand that the vision might have been false.
Drake’s father stood up, his eyes wide in shock. His own cohort stood up, with the same expression. They thought their boys were dead. They weren’t, though; they were standing in front of them. Drake had the Master staff in his hand. They were alive and well. All three boys stood staring at their fathers in disbelief and shock.
None of the fathers spoke as they moved toward their respective sons and hugged them tightly. Renn, not sensing any threat, allowed Drake’s father to hug him, carefully watching them during the exchange. She had remembered her vision. She had remembered that it was the man with her master who slaughtered all three of the boys she was bound with.
Gavin was at the counter, drinking from his stein, watching the exchange between fathers and sons. His eyes stopped on the beast beside Drake, his eyes going wide. It was unmistakable who the beast belonged to. It was that the beast’s eyes glowed with a brilliant, emerald green light, just like Drake’s.
Drake’s father released his son, stepping back. His face was pale, his eyes red from thinking his son was dead. "How...how did you survive?" he asked. "We saw it. You died."
This statement caught the attention of the rest of those in the tavern. All eyes turned to the three fathers and their heirs; Two of them with the unmistakable staff of the dimension master.
"I wasn’t dead, and Chad used his healing powers on me. We completed the quest, made a couple of stops, then came here." Drake explained. He was looking at his father with distrust. He remembered the vision that Renn showed him. Even though he didn’t believe that it was real, it still affected him. He couldn’t help it.
"Couple of stops?" It was Chad’s father who spoke, not seeing the tension that was suddenly pulsing from the three boys.
Drake forced a smile. "Yeah, I seemed to have acquired a horde of level 5 horned worms that grew much stronger after we completed the quest. They wanted to thank us for making them stronger. After that, we had to speak with Protector, the Broken Bridge guardian. He grew stronger, too. He even raised an entire level. He’s level 4 now. He wanted to thank us and show his respect." Drake explained proudly. With each word he spoke, his own tension faded.
"You...you have beasts?" Mayor Ivan stuttered out, then noticed Renn. "Besides that, one?" he asked, pointing to Renn, who was still standing protectively next to Drake, eyeing his father with suspicion.
Drake looked over at Ivan. "This," he said proudly, his softness to his voice showing how much he loved the beast, "is my familiar, Renn, and she is part of my cohort. Yes, I have lots of beasts, but they are allies, not familiars. I have the entire horde of horned worms that live at the clearing where Dragon Head Mountain is, and I have Protector, who is now titled Broken Bridge Guardian. I intend to gain more.... It’s safer that way," his eyes subconsciously turning to his father before he went back to Ivan. "I would rather gain allies than kill them," he finished, shrugging.
Mike looked around the tavern. His gaze stopped at Ivan. "Is there any chance we can get something to eat? We haven’t eaten all day."
Mayor Ivan nodded enthusiastically, "We can go to the inn for food." He looked down at Renn. "I don’t know if your familiar can get through her door, though."
Drake cut in, "We can eat at the picnic table in the inn’s backyard. I like to keep her close." His gaze turned to Gavin at the counter before he headed toward him. When he reached the man, he took several seconds studying him. "Something about you is off. Do you want to tell me what it is?"
Gavin frowned. "Off?"
He didn’t appear to know what Drake was talking about. His features remained the same, yet there was a glint deep in his eyes that revealed that Drake was not imagining things. There was something off; he just couldn’t tell what it was. Drake shrugged. "I’m not sure," he answered calmly, not revealing what he could see. Shrugging once more, Drake turned and headed out of the Tavern with Renn in tow.
Through the reflection of the glass in the door, Drake could see Gavin’s face pale slightly before quickly composing himself as he watched them leave the tavern. ’I’ll find out what you’re hiding, Gavin. Soon... I will find out,’ Drake thought to himself.
Mayor Ivan led the three young heirs and their fathers toward the inn. Renn stayed next to Drake, eyeing Drake’s father, not trusting that he wouldn’t do anything. Drake rested his hand on the massive beast’s neck, assuring her that he was fine. Her gaze didn’t waver.
When they got to the end, Mary rushed out and hugged the boys. She stopped for a second, seeing the large beast beside Drake, but appeared unfazed by Renn’s appearance. Mary had watched them approach. Drake had seen her looking through the window, only exiting when they had reached a few feet from the inn.
"It’s so good to see you!" Mary burst out as she hugged the three boys. Drake, Mike, and Chad all hugged her back, not knowing what else to do. They didn’t want to be rude.
Ivan ordered a meal for them all and told her that they would be eating in the backyard and why. She didn’t seem to mind. She just smiled and headed back inside to prepare their food.
Drake and his friends took the lead and headed to the large picnic table in the backyard and sat. Drake sat on one of the ends so that Renn could lie beside him, next to his seat. Mike and Chad sat on the same side of the table as Drake. Their father sat across from them with Mayor Ivan at the head of the table.
As they sat in awkward silence, a group headed toward the inn, with blankets and baskets in their hands. Ivan smiled widely as they approached. "They’re almost here!" he beamed. I decided to have a celebration of your return and that your quest has been completed!"
Drake looked at the incoming crowd and frowned. ’So much for heading home,’ he thought. He kept a hand resting on his familiar as he watched the crowd approach.
"A celebration is an excellent idea!" Drake’s father stated. "The boys have been through far more than they should have. They deserve it!" Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NoveIꜰire.net
Chad and Mike looked at him strangely, while Drake gave his father a hard stare. "How would you know what went through?" he shot out, unable to help it. "You weren’t there."
Drake’s father’s face turned a little red, while the other two fathers lowered a bit in their seats. "We’ve been watching you. Some rules prevent us from getting involved or helping you to complete the quest. Everything that happened, we were forbidden to aid you. We tried, but we were refused. None of the situations you were in spoke the words that would allow us. Not until after the gargoyle king used his sword on you." He couldn’t come right out and say it. He couldn’t. His own voice would shake from the memory of what he had witnessed.
"Are you the one who killed the gargoyle king?" Drake asked, genuinely interested. His tension released, but only a little.
Drake’s father sighed. "I may have made the final blow, but someone else left him for dead. I don’t know who, but it wasn’t me."
This got Ivan’s attention. "The gargoyle king?"
Drake’s father sighed. "The monsters that plague the night are called gargoyles," he explained. Then he turned to Drake, briefly scanning the other two boys and Renn. "The way you dealt with the trap at Storm Town was truly amazing. When we found out it was a trap, we tried to come and help you, but we were denied... forbidden from getting involved. The goal of the quest is for you to get stronger in a semi-controlled environment. That’s not what happened, though. There were too many others trying to stop you. We only knew the gargoyle king was, but there are others. We haven’t figured out who else is involved or who else might be after you."
Loud laughing and talking were heard, stopping the conversation. Apparently, the celebration was about to begin. The incoming crowd had finally arrived.