The village appeared through the trees gradually, the way small settlements did, smoke first, then rooftops, then the actual place itself spreading out in a clearing with the relaxed energy of somewhere that the war hadn't found yet and was quietly hoping to keep it that way.
It was modest but alive. A blacksmith worked near the entrance, hammer rising and falling in a steady rhythm, the clang of it carrying clean through the morning air. A woman arranged fruit on a low wooden table outside her hut, stacking them with the focused precision of someone who had strong opinions about presentation.
Two men argued quietly over a fence about something neither of them was going to win. Children cut between the adults on errands that seemed urgent and probably weren't.
A short round faced man with a small mallet wedged under his arm spotted them before they'd fully dismounted. He came across the path with his arms spread and his smile already in position, moving with the particular energy of someone who operated on their own schedule and had never once found it unsatisfactory.
"Liz." He gripped her arm with genuine warmth.
"Long time no talk."
"Poco." She nodded once. "I need gear. You owe me two favors."
"At least two." He glanced at Marcus with mild reproach. "As cold as ever. A greeting wouldn't hurt, young lady." He directed them toward a large tent behind the nearest hut. "Come. I always pay my debts."
Inside the tent the organized chaos of a man who collected everything and discarded nothing filled every available surface. Clothing racks along the left wall, weapons of varying sizes hung across the right, shelves packed with glowing accessories and small objects that hummed faintly when Marcus walked past them.
The whole space smelled like metal and old leather and something faintly electric that didn't have a name.
Three other people were already inside.
The first girl stood near the weapon rack with her arms folded and an opinion about everything on her face. Tall, sharp featured, dark hair cut short, wearing gear that had clearly been chosen for intimidation as much as function. She was talking at volume.
The second girl stood slightly apart from her, quieter, with long dark hair that fell past her shoulders and large eyes that moved carefully around the tent taking everything in before committing to anything.
She held a piece of light armor against herself, checking the fit with the measured patience of someone who thought before she spoke and meant it when she did. Something about her held Marcus's attention a moment longer than he intended.
The boy between them looked like he was used to being the referee. Average height, relaxed posture, the permanent expression of someone who had learned that surviving these two required staying neutral on most things.
They were arguing about a chest piece.
"That one has better defence," the loud girl said.
"That one is also three sizes too big for you Lisa," the quiet one replied without looking up.
"Eudora I will not be lectured on fit by someone who has been holding the same piece for ten minutes."
The boy, Fredrin, looked at the ceiling.
"You look like you've been wearing that since you were a toddler," Poco said, studying Marcus's hide clothing with the candid assessment of a man who had dressed enough people to have standards.
"Mind your business old man," Marcus said without heat, already moving along the clothing rack.
His hand stopped on a long coat. Black, heavier than it looked, with a faint hum running through the fabric the moment his fingers touched it.
Not mechanical. More like something breathing very quietly inside the material. He pulled it on and felt it settle across his shoulders like it had been waiting for exactly his frame.
"Good eye," Poco said, nodding with genuine approval. "One of our spellcasters enchanted that herself. Three days of work. You would genuinely have to try hard to destroy it."
Across the tent Liz had already found a sword with a handle carved in the shape of a tiger mid stride, the detail precise enough that the muscle in the animal's back leg was visible.
She turned it once in her hand and seated it at her hip with the quiet satisfaction of someone finding a thing that fit rather than settling for one that almost did.
"Forged that one myself," Poco said proudly. "Stone sourced from Cave Mrellie. Rune carved at the source. That sword will not break."
"Cave Mrellie," Marcus said.
"Cave Mrellie," Lisa said at the same time from across the tent.
Everyone looked at each other.
Lisa recovered first, never a woman who needed long to find her footing. "I'm Lisa. That's Eudora, this useless one is Fredrin, we're a party." She gestured between them with the confidence of someone making introductions at her own event.
"Cave Mrellie is our next raid destination. You're interested. Want to come?"
Marcus looked at Fredrin. Then at Lisa. Then his eyes moved to Eudora, who had finally set down the armor piece and was watching him with those careful dark eyes, measuring something she hadn't announced yet.
He found her interesting in a way he didn't examine too closely.
"Sure," he said. "Could use the training. Need to know my left from my right ."
Liz raised an eyebrow beside him. "After the informant."
"After the informant," Marcus agreed.
Lisa grinned. "We'll head on ahead. Meet us there."
She grabbed Fredrin by the sleeve and pulled him toward the exit. Eudora followed, pausing at the tent entrance long enough to glance back once before stepping out.
Marcus watched the entrance after she'd gone.
Poco gave him the look of a man who had seen that particular expression before and found it privately entertaining.
"Jack's at the eastern edge," Poco said. "Ridge of packed dirt. Can't miss him."
Okay thanks poco your a life saver Liz yelled as they walked through the door
"Come back alive I'll be expecting you soon "