"So, when can I start topping some trees?" The beaver rubbed his paws together, practically vibrating with excitement.
Nolan ran a hand through his hair, already having enough of this beaver. Especially since only he could hear it.
"Jeffrey, do you know which trees around here can be chopped for lumber?"
"I do," Jeffrey said, stepping forward.
'Good old Jeffrey. The old reliable summon, unlike this living carcass that would probably serve better as a welcome mat.'
"Could you show our new friend —" Nolan paused, looking down at the beaver. He realized he didn't even know the thing's name. "What's your name, anyway?"
The beaver straightened up, slapped his tail once against the ground, and signaled with both paws.
"Jack. Jack Lumber."
Nolan blinked.
'Really Jack Lumber. The lumberjack's name is Jack Lumber…' Nolan sighs.
"Could you help our friend" — he put air quotes around the word — "'Jack Lumber' find some trees to work with?"
"Why, of course." Jeffrey gave a slight bow of his head. "Jack Lumber, if you'd be so kind as to follow me, I'll show you which trees are available for cutting."
"Hell yeah! Now that's my kind of man!" Jack, excited to be chopping trees, exclaimed with his hands.
Following behind Jeffrey, the beaver waddled along, its tail slapping the ground happily with every step as the two of them disappeared into the distance.
'I can't believe it, my first summon is a goddamn beaver. Why couldn't it have been like a beautiful babe or even like a cat girl or a maid?' Crying over his fate Nolan regretfully watches as Jack and Jeffrey waddle their way out of town.
"Jack Lumber? Is that really his name?" Lyris turned to Nolan once they were out of sight.
Nolan slowly nodded. "Yep. That's the name he told me. And that's the name he has. So… yep."
"Interesting." Lyris stepped back from the arch, folding her arms. "Well, at least that solves one of our problems. Too bad it sprung up another." She sighed. "I guess we have to figure out how to find these scrolls. Wish that damn Vespa would have told us."
Lyris kicked a rock across the dirt.
"Yeah. If only that robot angel lady actually did something useful for us." Nolan scratched the back of his head. "Instead, all we know is where the island core is. So I guess… maybe we should go there?"
He left the question hanging, looking to Lyris for her input.
"I think so too. I don't think we have much of another option." Lyris's expression hardened. "Because if we sit here twiddling our thumbs, those goblins might come back. I doubt they'll have as much of a force as they did last time, but I'd prefer to be proactive." She turned on her heel.
"So let me go get Adam, he's one of the village scouts, he suffered some damage during the attack but I believe I saw him upright and walking earlier. If anyone knows the trails north, it's him." She looked Nolan up and down, her eyes lingering on his blood-stained civilian clothes.
"And it's best we get you some armor and new clothes."
"Wait, I thought I was supposed to go adventuring deep into a forest covered in the blood of goblins. That's not normal?" Nolan gestured at himself like he was showing off a new outfit.
Lyris pinched the bridge of her nose. "Keep your jokes to yourself. Nobody here wants to hear them."
"Hey, that's not true. I'm sure Jack Lumber would love to hear my jokes," Nolan said as he followed along behind Lyris as they headed back into town.
"Sure. Sure. I'm sure the beaver would love to hear your jokes." Lyris shook her head.
As they walked back to the village center, they reached a low stone building that had survived the attack mostly intact. Only its door, which hung crooked on one hinge, showed any damage. The rest of the building was in great condition.
Stepping inside, they found a small group of people. The guard from the day before the one who'd given Lyris the casualty report leaned against a support beam, talking to a few of the villagers. He straightened up the moment he saw Lyris.
"My lady." He pressed a fist to his chest as a form of salute. "We just finished counting everything we have in supply. We should be good for 2 weeks time but should we not be able to procure more resources will run into issues."
"Thank you Garrett." Lyris nodded. "I'll make sure to get a party together to gather some supplies later, but first thing I need from you to tell me how is Adam doing? I heard he was injured during the attack."
Garrett gestured toward the back of the room. "He's over there, my lady. Took a nasty gash across his ribs but Melissa stitched him up. He's sore but moving."
Nolan followed Lyris's gaze to the far corner where a wiry man sat on a wooden crate, wrapping a strip of cloth around his midsection. He was lean in the way a track star was lean; he had narrow shoulders, a sharp jawline and eyes that seemed to constantly move like something always could be in the shadows.
Lyris walked over to him. "Adam."
The scout looked up. The moment he saw Lyris, he tried to stand, winced, and settled for a half bow from his seated position. "My lady. Apologies, I'd stand but—"
"Sit." Lyris held up a hand. "How are your injuries?"
"Nothing that won't heal, my lady. A goblin got me good across the ribs but it's shallow. Give me a day and I'll be running trails again." He winced slightly as he adjusted the bandage. "What do you need?"
"We are in need of your expertise of the land. We are in need to head north in search of the core of the island and we need you to make our travel fair."
Adam's eyes sharpened. "North you say… Yeah I know a trail we can follow that runs past the river over to the ridge if that's where you're headed too. But anywhere else past that is unknown territory."
"Don't worry about that, Adam. We don't plan to travel more than a half day's worth from here anyway. There's still business to take care of here." Lyris straightened up. "So if you would gather your things and get yourself ready, we would love to have your assistance. We wish to head out in an hour or so. Think you're up for the task?"
"Yes of course my lady." Adam gave a slight bow pressing his fist across his chest. "I'll get my things around my lady." Turning around he left to go gather his things.
"Well, that solves that." Nolan watched him go. "What's next on your list?"
"Simple. We need to get you some armor." Lyris waved her hand in front of her nose as if he was stinky. "That way you don't smell so bad."
"Hey! It's not my fault I smell like this. These have been dire circumstances."