Eternal Master: Path to Godlike Status-Chapter 14: Going With the Flow Part 2

One moment there were trees, dark and close on either side.

Then the canopy thinned, and the smell changed—woodsmoke, cooked meat, livestock, the particular musk of many lives stacked together in a small space.

Rain slowed his pace slightly, taking it in without appearing to.

The town was walled, though not impressively so. The stone was old and had been repaired too many times by too many different hands.

Gatehouse lanterns were lit, throwing warm amber pools across the road, and six guards stood at the entrance.

They noticed the three of them approaching.

Elisa stepped forward. She handled the talking with the ease of someone accustomed to it.

"We’re returning from hunting monsters."

The senior guard—a broad man with a grey-threaded beard—kept his eyes on Rain while Elisa spoke.

"And him?"

"He’s a traveler," Elisa explained, her tone easy, unbothered. "Came through the eastern pass. We crossed paths, and he helped us handle a difficult hunt. We vouched for him."

"Traveler." The guard said the word as if testing how much he believed it.

His gaze moved over Rain once more—the dark armor stripped from a corpse, the face that gave nothing away.

"From where, exactly?"

Rain looked at him. "Far,"

The guard snorted. Then, with the resignation of a man who had learned to choose his battles, he broke it.

"First-time entrance fee. Ten silvers. Town ordinance. Non-registered visitors."

Before Rain could respond, Elisa reached into the pouch at her hip. Ten silver coins met the guard’s palm with the clean sound of someone who didn’t consider it worth debating.

The guard stepped aside.

—————

Inside, the town was larger than its walls had suggested.

The streets widened past the gate into broad avenues lined with two and three-story buildings. Busy but not crowded. Evening trade still running at the stalls along the main road.

What caught his attention was the light.

No torches. No oil flame. Every lamp post and hanging lantern glowed steady—cool blue, white at the source, softening to gold where it pooled on stone and cobblestone.

He stopped at the nearest post. Inside the glass housing sat a smooth stone, fist-sized, pulsing quietly.

"Lumen stones," Elisa said. "Enchanted to hold light for years before they need recharging."

"Why did they use oil lamp in the gate?" he inquired.

"The light attracts monsters. The stronger the glow, the farther it carries into the dark." She glanced at the wall behind them. "Out there it’s a beacon. In here, the walls contain it enough to be safe."

Rain looked back toward the gate, then down the avenue.

A simple problem with a simple boundary. He appreciated the logic.

Eira had already slowed ahead of them, shoulders finally dropping.

"The Inn is close." she yawned "I’m going to eat everything they have and sleep until someone drags me out."

His mouth curved slightly. "Lead the way."

They found the building two streets over, exactly where Eira pointed.

It was a solid building, nothing remarkable about it. Worn sign above the door, warm light passing through the shuttered windows, noise from inside suggesting it was doing decent business for the hour.

Elisa pushed the door open.

Warmth and smell of cooked food hit first.

The common room was full but not packed. Most of the tables were occupied by hunters.

He could tell by the weapons propped against chairs, the road dust still on their boots, the particular way they sat like people accustomed to staying alert even while eating.

A group near the counter wore layered leather dyed a deep brown, chest pieces reinforced with bone plates carved into shapes that suggested design more than function.

At the far table, three others in close-fitted dark cloth, minimal armor, the kind of clothing built for speed over protection. Knives visible at the hip and thigh. They ate without talking.

Near the window, a lone woman was serving a bald man with drinks.

She wore a long, weathered coat that had once been red. Chain links showed at the collar and cuffs beneath the fabric.

Rain scanned the room once, then let it go.

An elderly woman came out from behind the counter, drying her hands on a cloth. Her eyes moved over Elisa and Eira, then settled on Rain for a moment.

"Who’s the handsome gentleman?"

Elisa smiled faintly. "A traveler. He helped us out."

She looked him over once more. Then she nodded, apparently satisfied with that.

They took the stairs to the second floor.

It was quieter up there. A narrow landing opened into a smaller sitting area with four tables, only one occupied by a lone hunter nursing a drink in the corner. He didn’t look up when they arrived.

They picked the table furthest from him, beside the window that overlooked the main street below.

The lumen stones cast their steady glow across the cobblestones, the town still moving at its evening pace.

Eira dropped into her seat. Elisa settled across from her. Rain took the chair with his back to the wall. A habit of defending himself in unknown territory.

Their food came up in two trips.

The woman’s youngest—a boy of maybe twelve, serious-faced and careful with the tray—set everything down without spilling a drop.

Bread still warm, a pot of stew thick enough to hold the spoon upright, salted meat on the side, two pitchers of something that smelled faintly of berries.

He went back down without a word.

Eira didn’t wait. She tore into the bread immediately, following it with a deep spoonful of stew, and for a while the table was quiet in the comfortable way that only came with exhaustion and hot food.

Elisa ate more slowly, watching Rain.

He took a modest portion and ate without haste.

Food already lost its purpose for him. He relied on taste alone now, and the meal felt like cardboard on his tongue.

"You’re not eating much," she observed.

"I don’t need much,"

Eira moved on to her second bowl. Elisa was working through the salted meat, occasionally glancing at the street below. The second pitcher was already half empty.

Rain ate slowly, his eyes moving between the window and the landing at the top of the stairs.

Then he set his spoon down.

"We have company,"