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“Pauller!” Leon shouted as he knocked the head of his little brother. “You know that we can’t just–”

“But he saved our lives,” argued Pauller, not giving up as easily as usual. “We have some extra rooms, so why not let him stay the night?”

“Well... We can bring him home but it’s up to grandpa whether he can stay or not. You know that.”

“Okay!”

“Umm... I didn’t agree yet...” chuckled Oliver.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Leon bowed to the taller young man. “Please, at least allow us to treat you to a meal. You can meet our grandfather, the family patriarch. I’m sure he’ll want to reward you in some way and could very well allow you to stay with us free of charge.”

.....

“Hmm... A meal does sound great right now. I’ve been living off of dried rations for the past nine moons,” Oliver laughed, startling the two brothers.

Pauller grabbed Oliver by the arm and started for home. “Then what are we waiting for?!”

Oliver happily followed behind the excited youth, eager to finally have a good meal.

“What have you been doing for the past nine moons if you were living off of rations?” asked Leon, following along.

“I was busy traveling the Taltin Mountains and cultivating,” Oliver replied with a smile. “I never really had a home to call my own, so a homecooked meal is the best reward I can possibly think of.”

“Then we can definitely grant your wish. Even if you don’t stay with us, you’ll always be a welcome guest of the Practor Family for saving us and for...” Leon’s words trailed off, catching himself before he mentioned something he shouldn’t talk about casually.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Oliver nodded, still being tugged along by the ecstatic preteen.

As the Practor Family estate came into view, Pauller shouted, “There it is! That’s our home.”

Oli wasn’t surprised. It was a large property, but the buildings were all simple and straightforward. From the estate alone, Oliver could ascertain that the Practor Family wasn’t one of the largest in the city, but at least had some kind of foothold and reputation.

As the two brothers entered the estate, a man approached them. “You’re late. And who is this young man?”

“Uncle Mertin, we were ambushed by thugs, but this man beat them all up,” explained Pauller, proudly pulling Oliver in front of him.

“Oh, is that true?” The middle-aged man’s stern face softened as he gave the young man before him a once over.

Before Oliver could explain anything, Pauller answered, “It is! And he did it so easily! He’s way stronger than Leon.”

“Hey...” grumbled Leon, not denying the fact even though the blunt comment stung a little.

“Hmm... And let me guess, he’s come to receive some sort of reward?” asked Mertin.

“Actually–”

“Nope! He turned down the money we offered him,” interjected Pauller, still not letting Oliver speak for himself. “He only came because we offered him food and he hasn’t eaten in a long time.”

“Oh, well we can certainly offer a meal to your rescuer,” Mertin sighed, feeling a bit better about the sudden guest. “Go ahead and take him to meet with the patriarch as I order for a small banquet to be prepared.”

“Come on, Oliver! I’ll take you to meet Grandpa Hurman!” The excited preteen began dragging 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 passed the expensive pouch to his uncle. “You know, he really did save my life.”

“Probably because you were too foolish to give up 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 noble 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 furnishings. There some seat cushions and a family alter with the names of the deceased carved in stone. In front of that alter, sitting on the largest cushion, was an old man who stared at the naive Pauller.

“You can’t go around talking about the family’s internal affairs so willy nilly.” The old man 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 is 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 anticipated 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 not 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.”