World Isekai

On the horizon appeared the majestic mountains, towering above all.

They felt small as they approached the village bordering them.

The road they were on continued forward, a single path going through the valleys between the mountains.

The bordering village itself was small, Mori learned from Griswald that the people living here survived by hiking through the mountains and trading what they could find to traders,

What they went for was usually profession yields, as most people here barely trained in combat and tried to avoid any monsters that roamed the area.

No gates held them back, and no walls went around the place. They simply entered unbothered by anyone.

"There!" said Xannos.

"This is our last inn stop. Everyone, make it count."

"Yes yes," said Xannos, rolling his eyes as he jumped from the driver's bench.

He carefully folded the blanks he had laying over his lap, throwing them in the back of the carriage as headed straight toward the inn.

"How long are we staying?" asked Lilae.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, don't get comfortable."

"Works for me, the beds here better not have mold, it's too cold to sleep outside..."

She joined Xannos inside.

"I'm guessing by now our... 'Friends' received the gift you left them," said Griswald with a twisted smile.

"Reaper might have been useful in the end. However, this probably won't take out a sovereign that leveled up properly."

Griswald walked away, shrugging, while holding both of his palms up.

He was right to react that way, thought Mori. Whether it had worked or not mattered little.

His only goal was to send a warning.

Aura was the last one to hop out. She looked out of shape, her eyes and lips pale compared to their usual shade.

As she approached him, Mori ran his thumb over her bottom lip, in thought.

"It's been too long since last time," he said.

Despite her pale appearances, she blushed.

"It's fine, really," she replied.

"No, we'll do it tonight. We can't have you weak for the upcoming feat we need to accomplish."

"And that feat might never happen with what you have here," said a man on the inn's porch.

The man was quite tall, with tanned skin with darker hair. His face looked like it had been worked by the biting cold everyday of his life, with scars and clear damage to his face. One of his horns was even broken, the tip of it missing.

He was wearing a heavy white jacket, with fur on the extremities.

He waved at Mori and Aura.

"Come in! Don't just freeze there!" he said, turning around and going in.

Mori went up the stairs and into the inn, followed by Aura.

The room was quite large, on one side a fireplace with multiple couches.

They all had fur blankets on top of them, even the floor had its own bear hide.

On the other side was a bar with numerous bottles sitting on the wall behind it. Mori couldn't recognize any, but tasting something wasn't out of the question.

That area looked designed for eating/drinking, while the other side was a proper place to relax and recuperate from the cold.

The inn was well-maintained, the smokey smell paired with the flowers truly added a rustic yet welcoming scent to the place.

The man walked behind the bar, where everyone else was sitting.

"What can I get for ya?" he asked.

Mori sat at the bar, accompanied by Aura.

"Rooms, we'll need...-"

"I mean drinks, what are ya drinking?" he asked.

Mori looked to his right, "I don't know which of you ordered-"

Xannos raised both his hands up, as if held hostage.

"Hey, none of us ordered anything. He simply offered," said Xannos.

"That's right! On the house! You must drink, if you want a room."

"The price of the room is included with the price of the drink? Is that it?" asked Mori.

The man shook his head, massaging his forehead.

"No, no. You don't get it. 'Leave no one behind'. Out here, if something happens in the mountains, we treat you like family. We wouldn't leave our kids to die in the cold, like we wouldn't leave you guys to die in the cold."

"We're leaving tomorrow," started Mori.

"Exactly! And it's a tradition to eat and drink with your family before leaving and once you come back. Those who have nobody to go back to, come back here. And I enjoy hearing about their journeys. You'll have to do the same, rules are rules.. Now, what can I serve you?" he asked.

There was only a single painting in there, Mori noticed. It depicted a family of three, behind the bar on the far right side. The kid must've been extremely young, and the woman was stunning.

The inn, while full of warmth, felt empty. As if cold.

The man traced Mori's gaze to the painting. His eyes, while he was smiling, lost their glimmer for a moment, sadness flickering through them.

"What's your name?" asked Mori.

As if brought back to reality, from a distant past, the man blinked a few times, his smile back.

"Brök! Now, what should I serve ya?!"

"We'll have anything you'll serve us, Brök."

"Hah! Sounds like you're embarking yourself in a drinking contest!"

"No need to go through your stock just for us, especially if you're not making us pay," said Aura.

"Hey! Stop fucking this up for us. We'll have everything you're willing to give!" said Lilae.

"Hey! That's the spirit! This one gets it, I like her!" said Brök with his booming voice.

Everyone introduced themselves, Brök shaking everyone's hand.

Even Griswald's, although his creepy smile made Brök break the headshake quicker than the others.

"Alright, we're starting with shots! This stuff makes you feel like you're in a volcano in the middle of a blizzard! Hahah!"

Brök had lined up glasses in front of everyone, taking a bottle that had a red and blue design.

He served everyone, and as they raised their glasses, he made a toast.

"To leaving no one behind!"

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