"Actually, yes. I would love to. If these things are so irrelevant, why are you so secretive about them? We"ve been together for quite some time now. You can"t keep me out of your life like that."

Lith recognized this moment and hated it with all of his heart. It was the moment when things in a relations.h.i.+p went from simple fun to serious. Back on Earth, it was his cue to dump or wait to get dumped.

Lith called it "the nagging point" and it put him at a crossroad. He could turtle up, making their relations.h.i.+p turn sour, or open up with the risk that one question would lead to another until Kamila asked about something he couldn"t share.

Lith knew that she cared and she was trying to make things between them work, yet he was scared of the consequences the nagging point cold have.

He would have found it easier to fight and kill several Abominations rather than facing that choice. Until this point, their busy schedule and being apart for extended periods of time had made Kamila be patient, avoiding sensitive issues.

For a moment, Kamila"s image was replaced by Phloria"s. She had asked him to open up too, until she had given up. Back then he had been happy about it, mistaking it for acceptance. Now he knew better.

"Can this please wait for my return? There are things I"m not comfortable talking about from a distance."

"It"s fine if you don"t feel ready to share your past, I just want you to be honest with me." Kamila"s voice lost its edge, turning sweet again.

"We"ll talk once I"m back. I promise."

***

The following day, Lith had Solus Warp as near as possible to Jambel, reaching it a few minutes after sunrise. Jambel was a medium sized fortress city, entirely built of stone.

It was too far from the commercial routes to depend on merchants, so it was designed to be self sufficient all year round. The city was built near two big lakes, which provided fish and fresh water, while cultivated fields surrounded the city walls until the woods begin.

They were the main source for game and wood, so the inhabitants of Jambel treated it with great respect. They planted two trees for each one they cut down and used turnover to give them time to grow.

Unlike Maekosh, there were no slums. Even the poorest houses were solid, the only wood buildings were tool sheds. Jambel"s walls were five meters (16") high and wide enough that two armed people could easily walk side by side.

They were made of grey stone and smoothed so that during the day they would partially reflect the sunlight and blind the aggressors. Lith landed a few hundred meters from the city gates, so as to not scare the guards.

He was very surprised when he reached the gates without anyone ordering him to halt or identify himself. Even more when the city lord came out to greet him while the soldiers stood at attention.

"Ranger Verhen, thanks for coming so quickly. We were starting to fear that we would have to face the third wave of monsters alone." Baron Eiros Wyalon was a man in his late thirties, about 1.78 meters (5"10") tall.

He had red hair and a finely trimmed beard, with blue eyes as clear as the twin lakes in front of the city. He was wearing a light armor that emphasized his lean but muscular build.

Even the city guards had clean and proper uniforms. Each one of them was physically fit and their equipment well cared for. The Baron looked more like a soldier than a n.o.ble, just like his men seemed to be veterans.

"A third wave? What makes you think they will be back?" Lith shook the Baron"s hand. His grip was vigorous but friendly. The n.o.ble wasn"t trying to test Lith.

"After the second one, I sent some scouts to follow the survivors back to the dungeon. There"s a lot of them and they"re d.a.m.n hungry. When they noticed their companions coming back empty handed, they killed and cooked them on the spot."

"That"s one heck of a hunger." Lith was more surprised at the scouts" willingness to risk their neck. So far, every city he had been to, was full of people who just whined and waited for his intervention.

"My point exactly." Wyalon nodded while offering Lith a mount. There was one horse for each soldier, no stagecoach waited for the city lord. Thankfully, Lith had learned how to ride during the boot camp.

"Monsters cannot fish and most animals ran away when the creatures first appeared. We are the only thing they can feed upon for miles."

With so little practice he was a lousy rider, but between his physique and the well trained horse, he had no problem reaching the Baron"s Mansion. It was a two storey manor, something Lith would have expected from a merchant, not a city lord.

Each floor was barely as big as the Ernas" Ballroom. Only brickwork and a small garden separated the Mansion from the surrounding houses, and there was none more luxurious.

"Only a fool would waste money to build himself a castle if the whole city around him easily burns." Baron Wyalon answered Lith"s silent question.

"I prefer spending the gold from the taxes to make the whole of Jambel safe. People with a roof over their head and an honest day job don"t turn to crime. Besides, my missus and I don"t need much. Hungry?"

"Yes. Can I be completely honest with you?" Lith walked through the front door while a butler welcomed them home. The hallway was about 20 square meters (215 square feet), with walls and floor covered by white painted wood.

There was a cabinet for the clothes and a small fireplace above which was a series of hangers to dry coats drenched by snow. A soft carpet led to the other rooms, covering most of the floor and keeping the house warm.

"Absolutely. You"re about to risk your life for my people and my city is under siege. I"d much prefer for us to drop the formalities rather than waste our time with pretty words."

The butler took the Baron"s mantle while the n.o.ble sat on one of the chairs near the door to take off his dirty boots and replaced them with clean ones. Lith shapes.h.i.+fted his clothes to show the man he didn"t need his help, making him flinch in surprise.

The furniture in every room was made of high-quality materials, but its design wasn"t ostentatious.

"This isn"t the kind of hospitality I was expecting. I heard things about Jambel. Unpleasant things." Lith took a mental note of everything.

The Baron"s house wasn"t great, but it definitely was a home. It was warm and cozy. Each one of its rooms was lived-in, not just designed for impressing guests. It was like he wanted his own house to be.

"They are all true." The Baron said with a smug grin.

"We have little patience for outsiders who come into our homes and expect to be served like lords. We bow to no one just because of their wealth, status, or rank. So, rest a.s.sured, here you have only friends."