《A Traveler's Tale》 Introduction Have you ever looked back at any particular moment and thought to yourself ¡°There. Right there, that''s where I messed up.¡± Everyone has those moments; it¡¯s possible you said something you shouldn¡¯t have, or perhaps you forgot to remove that roast from the fire. Maybe it was as simple as taking a wrong turn through the forest. We all make those mistakes, the only difference is what those mistakes are and how bad they may be. ¡°Daniel! Keep your eyes on the road, they''re catching up!¡± Judging by my panicking assistant and the exceptionally angry tribe of harpies behind us, today''s mistake was stopping to pick up that egg on the side of the road. ¡°Can''t you just give it back?!?¡± ¡°First of all, they left it on the side of the road, that makes it fair game. Second, do you know how much harpy eggs are worth? There''s no way we''re giving it back!¡± My assistant, a young elf woman named Friia, yelped as another spear clipped the cart. ¡°I am going to kill you if we die over an egg!¡± ¡°My dear Friia, I believe you¡¯ve forgotten how death works.¡± As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed, Friia is quite the worry wart. She''s been my assistant for three years now, and I probably don''t pay her enough for everything she''s had to go through. Especially with that gorgon¡­ Another spear whizzing by my ear reminds me exactly why I shouldn''t be spacing out right now. ¡°Daniel!¡± Yes, Friia as well. Maybe she should take a vacation¡­ ¡°Friia, how does a vacation sound?¡± ¡°Is this really the time?! Ask me when we''re not in mortal danger!¡± ¡°You do have a point¡­to the checkpoint then!¡± You don¡¯t get as far in this job as I have without learning some fancy carriage driving. Bandits, timed requests, and of course angry, screaming crowds of monsters all play a part in needing to be quick with a cart. Ignoring Friia¡¯s frightened yelp, I yanked our horse off to the left, surprising the harpies long enough to give us a decent breakaway lead. As we hit a rather bumpy spot on the trail, I could see the looming stone towers of Antiva City¡¯s outer checkpoint. Once we got nearer, I had an idea.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Turning to Friia, I pulled out a small glass flask filled with a thick gray liquid. ¡°Friia! When I say so, I need you to throw this bottle behind us!¡± Taking it, she looked at me in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡± ¡°Nevermind that! It¡¯s vital that you throw it...now!¡± Quickly tossing it in front of the crowd, the glass shattered, releasing a thick cloud of smoke that stopped the harpies in their tracks and allowing us to pass safely into the checkpoint. I carefully brought the carriage to a halt near one of the check-in stations and waved down a guard. ¡°Daniel...why didn''t you use that earlier?¡± ¡°...I may have forgotten it existed.¡± The guard approached slowly while Friia¡¯s hand became acquainted with her face. Pulling out his checklist, he started inspecting the cart while asking the standard questions for entry into the city. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Daniel Neano.¡± He opened up one of my trunks before asking ¡°Status?¡± ¡°Traveling merchant, second class.¡± ¡°Business?¡± ¡°Setting up a stall. Here¡¯s my pass.¡± Nodding his head as he looks it over, he smiles up at me while handing my pass back. ¡°Welcome back, Daniel. Crazy trip?¡± ¡°You have no idea. I¡¯ll meet you for drinks later at the usual place and fill you in. So long, Xavier.¡± ¡°Farewell, Daniel. And be good, you hear? There are some important people in the city today.¡± Gently snapping the reins as I nodded, I eased us back into the city, ignoring the look of exasperation Friia was giving me. ¡°Crazy trip? That¡¯s what you¡¯re gonna sum that up as? Not frightening? Deadly? Not even a little unbearable?¡± I had to cover my mouth in order to stifle the laugh that threatened to overtake me. ¡°You say that as if it were the worst thing we¡¯ve ever had to deal with.¡± She continued to glare at me as she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s in the top ten, and you know it.¡± ¡°Top twenty, at most.¡± Amused as I was by our banter, I had almost missed the space we were assigned for our stall. Gently pulling the carriage behind it, I jumped down and tied our horse to the water trough nearby before heading back to where Friia had begun to set up our wares. After putting up my sign and banners, we took a moment to relax, sharing a couple mugs of mead from my personal stash. Antiva City, despite being originally used as a small trading post, had grown rapidly in the last few decades; its impressive outer walls considered a beacon of comfort to those traversing the dangers outside. It attracted people from all races and walks of life, and is largely considered to be the sole genuinely neutral city on the continent. It¡¯s the third largest city in the region, with the largest being the royal capital. I spent much of my apprenticeship here, learning from the various masters coming and going. This city gave me my start, so I feel a special attachment to it. After a few minutes of contented silence, I heard Friia clear her throat and looked over. ¡°Daniel? Who do you think those important people Xavier mentioned are?¡± I thought carefully as I took another swig from my mug. ¡°Knowing Antiva City? Probably a noble from the capital. Or even a detachment from the Kingsguard. In either case, I doubt they¡¯ll be troubled by a simple merchant and his assistant.¡± Friia nodded in agreement before standing up to finish setting up our display. I only stepped in to help on occasion; after all, she was studying to become a merchant herself someday. Honestly I believe she¡¯s ready, but she insists she has more to learn. You won¡¯t hear me complaining though; I will use all the help I can get. In the City The morning passed by relatively quickly, and thankfully without much trouble. We were busy as always, trading with and handling requests from both shop owners and adventurers alike. Requests are something any smart trader goes out of their way to complete. The pay is typically pretty fair, and the items in question usually aren¡¯t too difficult to obtain. Usually is the key word here. There are some exceptions of course, such as certain monsters parts or the rarer herbs, but they also pay more, so it tends to be worth it. During a lull in sales, Friia and I noticed a crowd gathering a few paces away in the square. ¡°Do you suppose they¡¯re there for the ¡®important guests¡¯?¡± Friia asked while leaning against the counter. ¡°I would imagine so. As far as I¡¯m aware, there aren¡¯t any events in the city today.¡± After a moment or two, some children ran by us to join the crowd, yelling excitedly as children do. ¡°Come on! Stephanie the Hero¡¯s here to visit!¡± As they passed, I found myself frozen in place. After all, Stephanie is quite a big deal. She¡¯s a hero, THE Hero, prophesied to save the realm from evil, defeat the enchantress in the southern badlands, etcetera etcetera. She¡¯s also¡­ ¡°Stephanie? Your friend from the village, right Daniel? Uh...Daniel? Why are you hiding under the counter?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t find me if she doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here. It¡¯s simple logic, Friia.¡± Friia sighed as she looked down almost sadly at me. ¡°Honestly Daniel, what is your problem with Stephanie? I realize she can be a bit...extreme, but that¡¯s only because she worries about you. You should be more respectful of someone you¡¯ve known your whole life, especially since she risks her life every day to keep people safe.¡± ¡°Friia, the last time she was worried about me, she almost nursed a cold into dragon-spot fever. Every time I agree to let her protect my wagon, she abandons it to ¡®protect¡¯ me. I was this close to getting my hands on a rare ruby desert flower until she started panicking, convinced I was dying of dehydration. She forcefully dragged me back to town, nearly drowned me, and I had to send someone to recover my wagon- which was almost picked clean by bandits. I have nothing against Stephanie at all, I just enjoy having a profitable business.¡± ¡°Daniel¡­¡± ¡°And don¡¯t forget, my other childhood friend worries about me too¡­¡± I see her gulp as she recalls recent events. ¡°Yes, well... I think it¡¯s best to avoid her, but Stephanie is a hero on the front lines. You frequently deliver supplies to the front lines. You can¡¯t really avoid her.¡± ¡°All it takes is determination and imagination.¡± I look up in confusion as a small smile graced Friia¡¯s lips. ¡°I think she may have more determination to find you, since she¡¯s already making her way over here. Should I let her know you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°...I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. There¡¯s nobody under here.¡± ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll just have to see if you can keep hidden from the legendary hero, won¡¯t we?¡± She giggled a bit as I heard excited chatter accompanied by armored footsteps, causing me to start breathing as quietly as possible...don¡¯t look at me like that, I already said it¡¯s nothing against her. She just has a tendency to...overreact to most everything whenever I¡¯m concerned. ¡°Friia! It¡¯s been so long since I saw you last, how have you been?¡± I watched as Friia leaned over to give her a hug. ¡°I¡¯ve been well, Stephanie. How have you been? Taking the fight to evil as always?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. I could practically hear the grin stretch across her face. ¡°Of course! I wouldn¡¯t be much of a hero if I wasn¡¯t. Of course, you know who hasn¡¯t been making it very easy¡­¡± ¡°I bet. Daniel and I have had our own run-in with her recently.¡± ¡°Did you? Well I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re alright. Speaking of Daniel, where is he? I could have sworn I saw him earlier...is he teaching you properly? Staying out of danger?¡± ¡°Well...more or less, heh¡­¡± I almost grinned at her nervous laughter. Almost. ¡°As for where he is, I think you¡¯ll find he¡¯s closer than you think.¡± I shot a look of betrayal up at her as I noticed her smug little grin, a feeling matched only by the chill that ran down my spine at Stephanie¡¯s next words. ¡°...he¡¯s under the counter, isn¡¯t he?¡± At times, I curse attentive childhood friends. ¡°...no I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Really? Because if I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯ve always used tables and counters as your hiding places.¡± ¡°Shows what you remember. I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m also prone to using barrels.¡± Friia laughed at my misfortune before smiling down at me. ¡°Daniel, just give it up. She knows you¡¯re there, come say hello.¡± Sighing in defeat, I crawled my way out from under my counter and stood up to face one of my two oldest friends. Smiling brightly, the plucky half-elf looked up at me with bright green eyes. Fiery red hair sprouting up in a ponytail through her armored headband, standing proudly with one hand resting on the ornate runic blade hanging from her hip. ¡°Hello, Steph. I see you¡¯re treating that blade well.¡± She looked down at it and smiled fondly. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re the one who went out to find it for me, after all. Despite all your grumbling and hiding,¡± she gave me a small pointed glare at that part; ¡°it¡¯s nice to see that you still care about your friend¡¯s safety.¡± I looked away in a mix of shame and embarrassment. ¡°Of course I do. Despite everything you¡¯ve put me through, I will always care. About both of you. You were all I really had growing up, even if I don¡¯t agree with all of your choices.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t pretend I don¡¯t understand that, even though becoming a hero wasn¡¯t exactly my decision. Not that you have much room to talk, mister ¡®dives into ancient death-traps for a rock.¡¯¡± I groaned slightly as I brushed aside the finger she oh-so-rudely jabbed into my chest. ¡°You¡¯re never going to let that go, are you? I told you, it was an angel stone for a priest from the capital so he could treat a member of the royal family. Even if I wanted to turn him down, how was I supposed to know a minotaur made it his lair?¡± ¡°He almost sliced your head off,¡± she deadpanned. ¡°Ah, but he didn¡¯t. And not only did I get the stone, I also got a lovely souvenir!¡± I grinned as I gestured to my carved minotaur drinking horn. Stephanie sighed, shaking her head as she turned to Friia. ¡°And how many of these suicide trips has he drug you on?¡± Friia chuckled before blushing slightly and averting her gaze. ¡°Hehe...j-just a couple¡­¡± ¡°¡®Just a couple¡¯ she says...why do you always need to take such dangerous jobs? I¡¯ve told you multiple times, I¡¯m more than willing to get you your own place. You can retire, I¡¯ll bring you everything you would need. I¡¯ll even buy Friia her own shop!¡± I sighed as she tried yet again to convince me to give up adventuring. It¡¯s not as though it was a bad offer; far from it. I¡¯m just not the type to sit back and have someone else providing for me. ¡°Steph, you know I can¡¯t accept that. Much like you, I have responsibilities to others I can¡¯t simply drop and walk away from.¡± I frowned slightly as she huffed and crosses her arms. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Daniel. I¡¯m risking my life to keep the entire world safe. I think that¡¯s a bigger responsibility than making money.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Firstly, you¡¯re the one not being fair. I may not spend my time fighting demons, but I do gather rare materials for just about everyone. Materials used in forging, cooking, medicine, etcetera. I find weapons for adventurers such as yourself and your party, and I¡¯m one of the merchants hired to supply troops on the front line. People depend on me too.¡± We both looked away from each other, her in anger and I in frustration. To my surprise, it was Friia, after having been quiet during the whole argument, who broke the silence. ¡°You know, it¡¯s good to worry about each other. It shows you care. But at the same time, you need to respect the other¡¯s decisions. Stephanie, you fight demons. Daniel knew he couldn¡¯t stop you, so he risked his life to find you an ancient, near-unbreakable blade. And Daniel, Stephanie is right, we really do need to dial it back on the dangerous, reckless, irresponsible quests.¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself from simply staring at her for a while, trying to come up with an appropriate response. ¡°...are you sure you still need me to teach you? You seem to have a good enough head on your shoulders already.¡± I...honestly really appreciated the smile she gave me. ¡°It¡¯s not a substitute for experience, which you have far more of than me. I still need your guidance. And Stephanie, if you could continue watching over my bull-headed master, I would greatly appreciate it.¡± Even Stephanie couldn¡¯t help smirking at that. ¡°Well...I suppose someone has to. I need to make sure he treats you well, after all. Speaking of¡­¡± She turned to me. ¡°Is it true you ran into Zoe?¡± I grimaced at the sound of her name. ¡°Indirectly. Her minions came after us, but we got away. They gave me a message first, though.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°¡®Stop running¡¯, what else?¡± I don¡¯t like the way she gripped her sword after I told her. ¡°She can¡¯t just leave well enough alone, can she? First, she goes and leaves the village to learn magic from that shady mage, then the next thing we know she¡¯s leading an army of demons right into our home. Not to mention she tried kidnapping us. And now you¡¯re telling me she¡¯s still after you? I don¡¯t know why she wants you to join her so badly, especially since she knows neither of us supports her or what she¡¯s done.¡± ¡°I have a couple ideas, other than wanting her childhood friends by her side. Think about it: I¡¯ve found more artifacts than most adventurers my age, I have contacts the continent over, and I¡¯m a fairly decent fighter myself. A valuable ally, yes? That¡¯s not taking into account my position in the army¡¯s supply line. And don¡¯t forget, when you were first marked as a hero, she tried convincing you to join her ranks as well.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s not going to happen anymore. The last time we saw each other, she didn¡¯t hesitate to try blasting a hole in my stomach. I think it¡¯s safe to say our friendship doesn¡¯t mean much these days.¡± I frowned as I began to lose myself in old memories. Zoe¡­ Remembrance Zoe Sigra, my second childhood friend and current ¡®Demon King¡¯...well, Queen. The three of us grew up together in Freskali Village, a fairly remote settlement in the eastern mountains. Not exactly a dangerous place, but removed enough to make it difficult to receive supplies or information on the outside world. An old village, steeped in tradition and extremely dedicated to the study of history. Our families were close, so we ended up spending a lot of time together. Life was fairly normal...for a while. Both Zoe and Stephanie became a bit...obsessive after we turned twelve. This was largely due in part to having lost my parents to a bandit raid. They were merchants as well, traveling merchants at that. They would even take me with them sometimes, but normally left me with the elders and sometimes Stephanie or Zoe¡¯s parents. I suppose that may have been the underlying reason for me to become a merchant myself, as some sort of way to stay connected to them. At the time, I had been devastated. If it hadn¡¯t been for the elders stepping in to watch over me, I¡¯m not sure I ever would have made it through. Those two, however, began to develop strange behaviors after the incident. Steph began tormenting herself over the notion that she needed to protect me, keep me safe and isolated; a sentiment that as I¡¯m sure you can see she never outgrew. As for Zoe, I¡¯m not entirely sure where to begin. She was always rather quiet, but after the incident she was loath to leave our side. She would spend long nights in the village chief¡¯s library in order to study magic, as she was far more compatible with it than anyone else in the village. Eventually she learned everything the library could provide, and practiced at every opportunity. Being the remote location we were, we rarely saw visitors, so the appearance of a wandering mage was surprising to say the least. Even more so that they were willing to take Zoe on as an apprentice. From what I had heard, it took quite a bit of convincing from her to get her parents to allow it considering she was only fourteen, but she eventually managed it. She left two weeks after the mage arrived, asking that Stephanie and I wait patiently for her return. In the following months Stephanie and I began to learn swordplay from the village watch, and I started to learn the merchant trade from the books my parents left behind. Though we continued to wait for Zoe, life carried on. Learning, training, and waiting, all in a near endless cycle that lasted a year after her departure. On the eve of her fifteenth birthday, a large group of seemingly uptight yet important travelers entered the village looking for Stephanie. They were from the church in the capitol, and they claimed to have received an oracle from their god. It pointed them towards our village, prophesizing ¡°a young woman blessed with holy light, to bear the symbol of god in battle against those of the dark.¡± There were many religions throughout the country, yet the church in the capitol was the official state religion. Though I myself was skeptical, it appeared to be true. During her coming of age ceremony she was bathed in a blinding light, after which she emerged bearing the symbol of their god on the back of her left hand. The priests proclaimed her ¡°Hero¡±, deciding then and there to continue her training in the capitol. Stephanie begged them to bring me along as well, but they saw no use for me as I was. She was, however, given a week to say her goodbyes; a kindness she was truly thankful for. I on the other hand, was less enthusiastic. I was on the verge of losing the last person I had close to me, not knowing if I would ever see her again. I was always being protected by her, and I wanted to protect her for once. Near our village was a large series of mountain caves, many of which housed tombs from a bygone era. Dedicated as we were to history, it was common knowledge that the tombs belonged to warrior clans that had once dominated the region. Though the people themselves were long gone, they had mastered a method of forging that would ensure the life of a weapon for centuries, possibly even millenia. And so it was with little hesitation that I took my sword and ran off into the tombs, hoping to find something that would protect my friend. As it happened, those tombs were sealed for a damn good reason. I barely made it through the entry chamber before I was attacked by a couple of balrua; mole-like creatures native to the region. While we knew the history of the tombs and their people, none of the villagers had actually entered a tomb that hadn¡¯t already been opened. It was practically a full on den, and it was through sheer dumb luck that I didn¡¯t become the newest corpse to call that abyss my final resting place. I stumbled my way almost blindly, panicking and slashing my blade at anything that moved. I actually cried when I found a large open chamber with outside light seeping through cracks in the ceiling. Sarcophagi lined the walls, facing inwards towards another placed on a pedestal in the center, and I will never forget the way it looked as long as I live. Beautiful, intricate carvings depicting the life that person had led from birth to death were placed with utmost care into the dark gray stone. Hunting, battles, childhood, and even the birth of their own children encircled the coffin just under the lid. The lid itself was inlaid with gems, each giving off faint light and surrounding an imposing image of armor. I marveled for a time, simply taking in the beauty before I felt something compelling me to open the lid. My consciousness faded slightly as I felt my body move of its own volition, sliding the heavy slab over and peering within. Regaining control of myself, I was surprised to see that in the coffin there was no body. Instead, there were three shining items, each glowing with a faint aura; an amulet, a sword, and a ring. Each was intricately carved, lined with what I recognized to be runes. Small gems dotted the sides of the amulet and sword handle, with three centered on the ring. I slowly pulled out the sword, examining it carefully before smiling. Satisfied, I made to leave and search for an exit when I felt myself lose control of my body once more. The last thing I saw before my vision faded completely was my outstretched hand reaching for the remaining relics¡­You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. When I awoke, I found myself laying on the ground outside the tomb with no memory of my escape. The sword lay on the ground next to me, with the amulet and the ring nowhere to be found. Unaware of how much time had passed, I decided not to dwell on it and ran with the blade fast as I could go back to the village. Running down the path, I tripped over a tree root and rolled down the rest of the way before landing at the bottom in a heap. Much to my delight and her concern, I landed directly at Stephanie¡¯s feet, who then proceeded to strangle me while crying hysterically. From what she and the elders told me, I was gone for three days, and even the members of the church had helped in the search. Before they could continue to scold me for vanishing, I presented the sword to Stephanie, who was shocked speechless. The bishop who accompanied the church was just as shocked, stammering while asking where I got it. I told them what had happened in the tomb, all the way up to finding the sword. Something about the man struck me as off, however, so I neglected to mention the ring or the amulet. Once everyone was done fussing over my admittedly minor injuries, the elders announced a feast to celebrate Stephanie¡¯s new purpose. We ate, drank, and sang, and everything seemed to finally be settled. And it was, at least until Zoe came back home¡­ She arrived on the day of Stephanie¡¯s departure, carrying herself far more confidently than she had in the past. We were thrilled to see her again, to hear of what she learned, yet also unsure of how to tell her what had happened to Steph. The two of us greeted her happily, wrapping her in a hug. The hug she returned however seemed...off. Possessive. Wrong. As she pulled away, I could swear I saw a familiar looking amulet peeking out from her robes, but I quickly dismissed the notion. She was smiling as she animatedly spoke of her studies and travels, but quickly soured when she saw the clergymen preparing Stephanie¡¯s carriage. She actually demanded to know why they were there, something that seemed completely out of character for her. When we explained what had happened only days prior, Zoe¡¯s expression went...dark. She started mumbling, though neither Stephanie nor myself could make out what she was saying. When she looked up though, her eyes were glowing. Now, at the time I only knew the basics of magic, but even I was at least aware that glowing extremities meant the use of a powerful spell. When she started floating, I all but confirmed it and started to back away slowly, taking Stephanie with me. I don¡¯t know what I thought she was doing, but I definitely wasn¡¯t expecting a portal to open in the center of town. And the screaming...I don¡¯t have the words to describe it, yet I will never forget the way it sounded. As for what came out of those portals? I knew what they were. We all knew. I couldn¡¯t count all of the tomes that detailed how they looked or what they could do. Demons. A horde of them, practically pouring into the center of the village, rampaging and destroying everything in sight. To their credit, the members of the church joined forces with the village watch to dispatch the coming tide. And Stephanie and I? We were paralyzed in shock. Our friend, someone we loved, was destroying our home. Not knowing what to do, we ran. We tried to, at least. Those beasts quickly surrounded us, blocking off all means of our escape. We thought we were dead, so the two of us prepared to make our final stand only to be caught off guard by Zoe telling them to capture us: alive. I made to attack the closest demon to me, only to be bashed to the side and picked up by my throat. What happened next, I¡¯m not sure. Stephanie drew the runic blade and became shrouded in blinding light, similar to the one from her ceremony. I couldn¡¯t see anything, but I felt myself drop to the ground shortly after. When the light faded and my vision returned, the demons were gone and only Zoe remained. She continued to float, staring down at the two of us before vanishing in a flash of magic. Miraculously, no one was killed in the attack. The church quickly collected Stephanie, announcing they would return to the capitol immediately to inform the Archbishop of the demonic invasion. Stephanie and I exchanged no words; we simply gazed sadly at one another before she turned and entered the carriage. As they departed, the elders called for a council, and the streets quickly emptied leaving me on my own. I wandered the village, observing the destruction and wondering what could possibly have come over Zoe. Near the outskirts, I found a demon. Fortunately, it was dead: crushed under rubble from the mountain. Laying nearby was its sword; a cruel looking obsidian blade laiden with various enchantments. I picked it up to study, wondering what technique could create such a weapon only to watch it shimmer and vanish in my grip. At first I believed it to have returned to its realm of origin before I noticed something shining with a familiar light on my right hand: the ring from the tomb. I tried taking it off in confusion, only for it to become horror as I discovered it wouldn¡¯t budge. Composing myself, I started to look it over, noting the faint light coming from the gems. As I stared, I could feel a...a list of some kind appear within my mind. There was only one item on the list however, an ¡°Obsidian Edge¡±. I focused on the name, falling over in shock as the sword materialized in my hand. Focusing again, I stared in wonder as it vanished and the name once again reappeared on the list in my mind. Enraptured as I was, I hadn¡¯t noticed the elders approaching from behind. Evidently they had decided the village was no longer safe for me, and were preparing to send me off into the world as well. Our chief had sent out for an old acquaintance of my parents, an older gent with a storefront off in Antiva City¡­ Preparations ¡°Daniel? Daniel! You in there?¡± ¡°Try taking some mead from the back, that¡¯s what usually-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, either of you.¡± ¡°Ah, there he is.¡± I was pulled from my flashback- rudely, I might add- by the uncalled for threat on my personal source of relaxation. Glaring as the other two stifled their laughter, I shook my head. ¡°I was simply lost in memories. You know very well I will protect that mead with my life.¡± Stephanie continued to chuckle while smiling over at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But it¡¯s nice to see that you really haven¡¯t changed, quirks and all.¡± Unable to keep glaring, I allowed myself a small laugh as well. ¡°And yet those quirks are exactly what you keep complaining about. You¡¯ve got your fair share of them as well.¡± ¡°What? Well I never!¡± She huffed and placed her hand on her chest dramatically, holding the pose for a few moments before bursting into laughter. ¡°Really though, I¡¯m glad we got to see each other again. We¡¯re preparing to head back to the front lines, which is why we came here to resupply and boost citizen morale.¡± ¡°I see. In that case I¡¯ll save the speech and just tell you to be careful. If you¡¯re still out there in a couple weeks, that¡¯s when we¡¯re scheduled to make a supply run so we¡¯ll meet again then. For now though, you¡¯re more than welcome to restock here. I¡¯ll even give you the friends and family discount: a whole nine percent!¡± ¡°Wait, nine? I thought it was twelve¡­¡± I had to do my best not to gulp as she leveled another glare at me. ¡°What did you do?¡± Smiling nervously, I did my best to come up with an excuse. ¡°Well, you know, times are hard. The market shifts constantly, and sometimes that affects sale prices. I don¡¯t want to bore you with the numbers, but rest assured that-¡± ¡°We have to repair the cart because a tribe of harpies attacked us. Daniel picked up an egg on the trail, and they took exception to that.¡± Evidently Friia forgot our many conversations about why we don¡¯t tell Stephanie when I¡¯m directly responsible for getting us in trouble. The main reason being the armored hands currently grasped around my collar shaking the life out of me, in addition to the angry tirade of an overly protective woman blessed with literal divine strength. It took some time, but Friia eventually managed to calm Steph down enough to return me to the ground and allow me to reorient myself. She took care of the sales for the party while I focused on not hurling my mead onto the ground, so it took a moment for me to realize that Stephanie had approached. ¡°Daniel. As much as I really don¡¯t want to be asking, I have a request.¡± I held up a finger to ask for an additional moment as I finished coughing over a bucket. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hold on a moment, please¡­¡± Gently thumping my chest as I stood back up, I turned to face her. ¡°Now, could you repeat that? For a moment it sounded like you had a request for me, but I distinctly remember you saying you¡¯d never do so, as it could potentially expose me to danger.¡± She huffed and looked away for a moment. ¡°Daniel, don¡¯t be difficult. This is serious. I want to do this myself, but with the time limit we¡¯re on I can¡¯t. I¡¯d ask someone else, but you¡¯re the only one around my party trusts.¡± I looked behind her at the rest of her group, where a mage and a cleric were both giving me a thumbs up. ¡°I see... and what exactly is your request?¡± ¡°When you bring your supply load to the front lines, I need you to include a dragon scale, bloodroot, thorned mushrooms, and a faerie lotus.¡± I stared blankly at her for a moment while I tried to collect my thoughts. Lowering my voice down to a whisper, my expression turned serious. ¡°Stephanie, please be honest with me: why are you looking to make an Elixir of Miracles? What happened?¡± She shook her head and leaned in closer. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, not right now. You¡¯ll see when you arrive. All I can tell you is that someone important is depending on it, and they¡¯re only going to be able to hold on for so long. Others are focusing on extending their time, but we need this to finish treatment. Please Daniel, I cannot stress how important this is. You¡¯ve got a knack for finding these rare ingredients.¡± Out of habit, I fiddled with the ring on my right hand. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. Those ingredients though may turn out to be problematic.¡± ¡°Are you saying you can¡¯t? Daniel please, I-¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying at all. I¡¯ll do it, especially since it¡¯s you asking. I can tell how obviously important this is to you, just as I can tell it¡¯s bigger than you¡¯re letting me know. That¡¯s fine, you can keep your secrets for now. When I get there though, I would like answers. ¡®It¡¯s hero business¡¯ isn¡¯t going to cover it this time. Faerie lotus is especially troublesome, as it¡¯s home forest has been...charged of late. Not dangerous, per say, but still troublesome.¡± ¡°I know, Daniel, I know. Believe me, I don¡¯t want to be asking. I can¡¯t stand the idea of putting you in danger on my behalf, but this is truly important. You¡¯ll be there in two weeks, right? That should be soon enough. You¡¯ll get your answers then, I promise. Possibly a reward as well. But whatever you do, do not tell anyone else what you¡¯re gathering and where you¡¯re taking it. We have appearances to keep up.¡± I sighed to myself as I thought of all the troubles this was probably going to bring. Stephanie was being oddly secretive, something she¡¯s usually not good at. Honestly, she can¡¯t even buy a snack without telling everyone in view. ¡°Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll get it done. But when I get there, I want those answers. I have to skirt past demon territory for some of these, and you know that¡¯s going to be a hassle.¡± I let out a small grunt as I was pulled into a rather forceful embrace. ¡°I know. Please, PLEASE stay safe, Daniel. This is important, but not important enough to throw away your life over. If you¡¯re in danger, run. You and Friia both.¡± As she let go and stepped away from me, I was practically crushed by the concern coming from her eyes. ¡°You have my word, Steph. Should anything happen, I will make sure Friia gets out of there.¡± ¡°Daniel.¡± It took everything I had not to shrink back and immediately apologize under the dark expression that crossed her face. ¡°You. Will. Run. Understood?¡± I honestly shivered as Friia looked on in surprise; neither of us had really seen her make that face before. ¡°Completely. The both of us will run.¡± The rapid shift of her face from terrifying to exuberant was concerning all on its own, almost as much as her trying to break my spine. ¡°Thank you. We have to head out now, so you remember what you promised.¡± She let go and beamed brightly before gathering her party and heading towards the gate. ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the front lines.¡± I was silent as I watched them leave, contemplating my next move. Originally, I planned on staying in the city until it was time for my delivery, but now¡­ ¡°Friia, we need to make some preparations for this one. Stay here and man the stand, get some provisions from the nearby booths when you have time.¡± Friia nodded, her posture quickly straightening as she adopted a serious demeanor. ¡°Understood. What will you be doing?¡± I smiled lightly and casually pointed behind me. ¡°The tavern. We¡¯re gonna need some help with this one, and if I¡¯m lucky the decent mercenaries haven¡¯t gotten wasted yet. Better yet, they may be drunk enough to offer a discount!¡± I laughed as I walked through the square, gazing fondly at an old weather beaten sign that read ¡°The Merry Wanderer¡±. New Faces Stepping into the dimly lit tavern, I was greeted by the subtle smell of ale and dark oak. The walls were lined with unique paintings and horns from various monsters. Trophies from visiting adventurers were placed on display randomly throughout the building. Slightly more noticeable was the full-scale brawl taking place in the center of the dining area, complete with screaming and throwing chairs. Ducking to avoid getting bashed in the face by a wayward mug, I found myself entranced by it for a moment before sighing in annoyance and finding my way over to the bar. The only feasible place to sit was next to the one non-staff member who wasn¡¯t currently writhing on the ground. As I dropped myself onto a stool and half-leaned against the bar, my gaze moved from the drink fueled skirmish to my newfound counter companion. He was a tall man, clad in leather armor and watching the fight with uncontained glee. Long brown hair was swept to the side to keep it out of his eyes- which seemed to hold more intelligence than his manic grin would suggest. The lower half of his face was hidden by a scraggly beard, and strapped to his side was a large tome alongside various knives. Simple leather boots and fingerless gloves completed his outfit, along with what looked like a hood hanging low on his back. Playfully spinning a knife on his finger, he turned to look at me. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Blinking in surprise, I took a moment to lean closer and observe it. ¡°I would say so. It seems to have perfect balance, a well forged blade, and a competent handle. Unique coloration, and if I¡¯m not mistaken that¡¯s stonewood on the handle. I¡¯m sure it cost quite a-¡± ¡°No no, not the knife. Anyone can appreciate some random knife, I¡¯m talking about this!¡± He gestured grandly at the other patrons, of whom only a few were still standing. ¡°The confusion, the anger, the violence! I confess, it took a moment to get them going, but you have to admit they put on a spectacular show!¡± I instinctively started to deny it...at least until I remembered my personified moral compasses were nowhere within earshot. Knowing there would finally be no repercussions for my more...impulsive thoughts brought a slight smirk to my face. ¡°That they did. A bit inconvenient for my current needs, but entertaining nonetheless. How¡¯d you start it?¡± He slipped the knife back into its sheath and rubbed his hands together excitedly. ¡°I am quite proud of this one. The best part is that it required almost no effort on my end! See those two over there: the ones heaped together on that table? They were bragging, rather loudly I might add, about some contract a client paid a large sum of money for. It truly was grating on everyone¡¯s nerves, yet nobody seemed ready to do anything about it. So, to get that ball rolling, I asked the barmaid to send a mug of pork fat to that large fellow stuffed in the barrel over there and claim it was from those two. She wanted them gone as well, since they were downright annoying, so she readily agreed. Well he got offended by it, just as I hoped, and quite literally threw one of them across the bar. That¡¯s why the table by the door is broken, and it caused that group to jump in as well. It all mostly rippled out from there, until every last one was throwing something at someone, be it furniture or their fists.¡± At some point during his explanation, I allowed myself to get swept away by his infectious good mood. Laughing as I imagined it all, I told him, ¡°That must have been absolutely beautiful to see, I regret missing it.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Leaning back on his stool and stretching his feet out, he nodded happily. ¡°It most certainly was. Seems you can appreciate it, so why would you call it inconvenient?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the market for a mercenary. See, I¡¯m a merchant, and I travel quite a bit. Been contracted to take supplies to the front line and such. This trip, though, I got a request that takes me a bit closer to demon territory than I¡¯m used to. Considering the apparent importance of it, I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to come in and trick some drunkards into charging significantly lower prices.¡± The man thought for a moment, stroking his beard in thought. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Daniel. Apologies for forgetting to mention it.¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. Call me Volk. And if you¡¯d like, Daniel, I have a proposition that could benefit us both.¡± I perked up slightly, finally noticing the tavern had been silent for a while. ¡°You have my attention.¡± ¡°I like the way you think, coming in when everyone is mostly drunk. Normally, it probably would have worked if not for...well me. Plus, these idiots have finally finished knocking each other out, after so rudely interrupting our calm and pleasant atmosphere. Not to mention they broke a good number of furniture in this fine establishment. I feel we¡¯re all entitled to a little...compensation.¡± Smiling as I looked out over the mass of unconscious bodies, I leaned forward. ¡°And now you have my full attention.¡± Seeing my enthusiasm, another gleeful smile crossed Volk¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ve been in town for a while, and it¡¯s frankly gotten boring. Traveling sounds fun, and you seem rather interesting, so here¡¯s my proposal: I¡¯ll offer my services and travel with you, and my service fee will simply be acquiring your assistance in relieving these disruptive drunks of their funding. Leaving a portion for the tavern, of course, to help with the repairs.¡± Taking a moment to ponder, I stood up and stretched my back out before offering my hand. ¡°You, my new friend, have got yourself a deal.¡± Smiling, Volk grabbed hold of my hand and shook it vigorously before we started searching through every bruised and bloody merc asleep across the floor. It only took a few minutes of fishing through knapsacks and pockets before we walked out having an animated conversation. After leaving an impressive stack of coins on the counter for the barkeep, of course. I lead him through the courtyard and back to the booth, where I noticed Friia had gathered an impressive amount of both food and coin. ¡°Well done, Friia! Plenty of sales, and it seems you got some food for cheap as well.¡± Smiling, she turned to me before looking slightly confused at Volk¡¯s presence. ¡°I did. Plenty of others around here contributed for free, actually. Seems some of them wanted to give us some as extra payment thanks to our hard work.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s sweet of them. I¡¯ll have to remember to find some specialty goods when we come back here. Ah, and before I forget: Friia, this is Volk. He¡¯s going to be coming with us on this venture.¡± Grinning madly, Volk bowed slightly while waving his hand around dramatically. ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Friia tilted her head slightly at his introduction. ¡°Right, a pleasure to meet you as well. Daniel, I thought you were going to hire a few mercenaries. What happened?¡± Volk and I looked at each other for a moment mentally coming up with an answer. ¡°The others had...prior obligations to attend to. They unfortunately had to decline my offer.¡± I¡¯m not sure how to feel about the stone-faced look of disbelief I recieved. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure they were. I just hope your new friend can pull his weight.¡± Tossing his bag onto the wagon, Volk called over, ¡°I¡¯m sure I can. There¡¯s always more to someone than meets the eye, you know!¡± I started packing our merchandise while Friia sighed. ¡°Look, things happened, and for once it wasn¡¯t my fault. Just give it a chance, yeah? Now let¡¯s go, we need to start on the road soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I know. It shouldn¡¯t take too long to...Daniel? Where did all this gold come from?¡± On The Road There¡¯s a certain charm to the open road that can be difficult to explain to those who haven¡¯t had the opportunity to experience it. The ever changing scenery, the glimpses of relatively harmless wildlife, friendly banter with your companions¡­ ¡°Volk I swear to the gods, if you flick one more stone at me I will throw you from this cart.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me with a good time, Friia.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Yes, truly a magical experience. One would expect this level of communication after a few hours perhaps, yet here we were after about twenty minutes if I¡¯m not mistaken. While I believe this to be some sort of record, Friia would probably turn her frustrations to me if I let show how entertained I was. ¡°It¡¯s good to see everyone getting along. And to think, we only have two more weeks to go!¡± To my credit, I feel I kept a decently straight face as she slowly turned to glare at me. ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t throw you out either, Daniel.¡± ¡°...Don¡¯t threaten me with a good time? That¡¯s how you use that, right?¡± From the back of the cart, Volk leaned forward and nodded happily. ¡°Yes, absolutely. One of the most effective things I¡¯ve found for responding to threats.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous. And you, Daniel, should know better.¡± ¡°Come now Friia, fighting gets us nowhere. You have to admit, some mild irritation is far better than sitting in bored silence fretting over the future as you¡¯re prone to do.¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s not ¡®fretting¡¯, it¡¯s planning. You know, strategies, conflict, communication? Something you could stand to do far more often, considering how often hell seems to break loose around us.¡± Laughing, I gave her a sideways glance as I gestured to the road. ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s exactly why I don¡¯t plan! If it¡¯s destined to fall apart, then all creating a plan does is cause you to stress and panic. When it isn¡¯t a trade deal and it¡¯s not a business meeting, then most plans are effectively useless. Therefore, not having a plan is my plan.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Friia placed a hand to her chin in thought while Volk sat back cackling. ¡°I knew I liked you! You get how things work.¡± Letting out a small chuckle of her own, Friia smiled at me. ¡°Every time I learn from you, it¡¯s the most unexpected of lessons. Seems I was right when I said you had much more to teach me.¡± ¡°What can I say, I¡¯m a wellspring of wisdom and knowledge.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let it go to your head there ¡®sage¡¯. Your impulses are more than enough to counter it.¡± ¡°Heh, I can¡¯t exactly deny that. And yet, there is still something to be learned, even in the most spectacular of mishaps.¡± ¡°Yes, and that lesson is usually ¡®don¡¯t let Daniel make his own decisions¡¯. Something I¡¯m sure Stephanie would have no trouble agreeing with.¡± Clutching my chest in exaggerated pain, I threw my head back and placed a hand over my eyes. ¡°Oh, Friia how you wound me so. We were having fun here, there¡¯s no need to bring Steph into this.¡± ¡°Keep your eyes on the road, Daniel.¡± Laughing, I returned my hands to the reins and centered our wagon on the road. The mood was considerably lighter than it was before; something I was rather glad for. It can make a trip mentally exhausting when everyone is at another¡¯s throat. As the others fell into a contented silence, my mind began to wander towards the task ahead. It truly wasn¡¯t like Stephanie to be secretive, and it had me concerned. And to ask me for an Elixir of Miracles was stranger still. Despite its name, an Elixir of Miracles does not actually perform what one would consider a miracle. Instead, it dramatically boosts the effectiveness of a potion it gets mixed into. Say you had a standard health potion, which restores a small measure of health upon ingestion. Add this mixture to it, and it would become a potion of restoration, fully replenishing one¡¯s health in addition to relieving any poisons or ill effects. The ¡®miracle¡¯ comes from the actual retrieval of ingredients, each of which are difficult to obtain. Bloodroot and thorned mushrooms both grow on the edges of demon territory, hence why I hired Volk to assist me in their retrieval. A dragon scale, as its name would suggest, has to be pulled from a dragon. Some dragons are reasonable, though unfortunately far and few in between. Most are selfish and greedy, and in all likelihood will require a fight. Getting a faerie lotus, however, would probably be the most difficult to obtain. Its habitat, the Obsian Forest, is commonly known as the Forest of Stone. Most would assume by the nickname that the trees themselves were made of stone, and I genuinely wish that were the case. Instead, the name comes from one of the creatures that call the forest home: the cockatrice. For those that are blissfully unaware, cockatrice are monsters that look like someone stuck a snake onto the rear end of a chicken. It could almost be funny, if not for the fact that they can turn you to stone with their gaze. Or their ridiculously poisonous breath. Not to mention the razor sharp talons, those are fairly unpleasant as well. Shoving the inevitable encounter with demonic chickens into the back of my mind, I instead decided to focus on the flower itself. Faerie lotus is a rare, translucent flower with petals that hang majestically from the center where pollen gathers in what appears to be a crown. It looks like a fae had decided to rest on a plant stalk, hence the name. Thanks to the magic in my ring, I had no reason to believe we wouldn¡¯t find any. Unfortunately, it only grows in areas of high magic concentration; areas teeming with monsters like cockatrice. Confident as I was in our ability to fight off one, maybe two, I doubted we¡¯d be able to deter a flock. Not to mention I had no idea what Volk¡¯s abilities actually were. I hired him on a whim and out of convenience, and though he was great company I was clueless as to his potential. I knew Friia could handle a spear, but she has a tendency to panic in crisis situations. As for me, I always preferred swords. I¡¯m good, but if we were to be pressed with no way out I¡¯d have to pull that damned cursed blade I picked up from that demon. If that were to happen...well, I shudder to think of it. Distracted as I was, paying attention to the direction I was driving turned out to be a greater feat than I had imagined. Therefore I feel I was absolutely justified in not noticing the sharp, pointed eyes leering at us from within the forest¡¯s gloom. Conflict ¡°I¡¯m gonna go out on a limb here and assume this happens to you two often?¡± ¡°Far more often than Daniel is willing to admit.¡± ¡°You do realize I can hear you still? I feel as though there are more pressing matters deserving of your attention.¡± ¡°Fair point, fair point. Just checking to see what I can expect in the future.¡± It seems I had been far more lost in thought than I gave myself credit for. As we drove along I had failed to notice the rustling in the forest by the roadside, though my companions hadn¡¯t noticed either. By the time I realized something was off, a pack of goblins had already begun streaming from the bushes forcing me to start driving recklessly. It was a valiant effort, but we ended up getting chased off the road until the wagon could no longer fit between the trees. Now the three of us are essentially boxed in; our wagon behind us and approximately twelve or so goblins in front. Goblins are famous for two reasons: the first being their tendency to breed like rabbits. It¡¯s almost impossible to find a lone goblin without at least three others nearby. Second, although they have decent battle instincts they are monumentally stupid. A pack of twenty could find a batch of poisonous mushrooms and it would take about thirteen of them to eat some and die before the others could start thinking it was a bad idea. The real danger came from their numbers. ¡°Well Volk, I suppose this is as good of an opportunity as any to show me what you can do. Friia, you stay back and keep any of them from getting to the wagon. Let¡¯s hurry up so we can get the hell out of here.¡± Nodding to the others, I drew my sword and went after those on the right while Volk broke left. As I approached, one of the little blights leapt at me holding a small branch in its fist. A quick boot to the jaw was all it took to send it crashing into the nearest tree, twitching feebly once it hit the dirt. The others looked between it and myself, seemingly deciding who would charge next. Instead of letting them figure it out I dashed at the closest one and cleaved my blade downward, ever-so-gently separating its left and right halves. Grabbing the shoulder of what used to be its right side, I spun and hurled the bleeding mass into one of the others. It began screeching in fear just before receiving a sword through its gullet. Turning back to the other two, I was distracted by a flash of fire behind me. Glancing back I was greeted with the sight of Volk springing himself off the trees, slashing at every goblin he passed with a long dagger before roasting them with the flames in his left hand. I looked to Friia as well only to find her boot planted on one¡¯s throat while another hung lifeless on her spear. Confident in my companion¡¯s safety, I decided to finish the last two off quickly. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. My magic, while nowhere near as strong as the likes of Stephanie or Zoe, was thankfully well suited for the environment we were in. While studying merchantry in Antiva City, I also had the good fortune to expand my magic knowledge beyond the basics. While there were certain types I was useless with such as water and holy magic, I had a decent affinity with fire and earth magic. Taking advantage of the goblin¡¯s fear and confusion, I placed my hand on the ground and willed the roots of nearby trees to burst from the ground and bind them in place. They crept along their legs and wrapped around their chest before finally covering both mouths and heads. I then drug them back below the surface, sealing the ground above them and ensuring their fate as nutrients for the forest. Panting with exhaustion, I hilted my sword and sluggishly returned to the wagon to find Friia glancing at the ground warily. ¡°Have I ever told you how much I hate that spell?¡± ¡°On the few occasions I¡¯ve used it, yes. It¡¯s a bit draining, so I¡¯m not too fond of it either. Still you have to admit it¡¯s quick and efficient.¡± ¡°Not to mention bloody horrifying,¡± Volk exclaimed as he rejoined us. ¡°Setting then on fire is much more humane.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure their dying screams agree with you. Although I must admit you¡¯re far more agile than I expected.¡± ¡°But of course! Did I or did I not tell you I would be a worthy investment?¡± He exclaimed with a mad grin. Chuckling, I heaved myself back into the wagon while Friia set to calming our horses down. Volk jumped up to his space in the back, smiling to himself as he pulled out his tome and began reading. ¡°Volk where did you get that?¡± ¡°Oh this?¡± He held it up so I could get a better look. It was definitely old, if its worn edges were anything to go by. Dyed navy blue leather bound the cover with yellowed parchment of varying sizes filling the inside. ¡°I got this from a friend years ago. Well, borrowed. Accidentally. Possibly without permission. It¡¯s alright though, she¡¯s never killed me yet despite her multiple threats. Or attempts.¡± ¡°And yet, I¡¯m somehow not surprised. Well, as long as she doesn¡¯t take it out on the cargo. Or me. Friia either, really. If I had to choose, just you would be fine.¡± Volk began laughing so loudly he couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°You...you won¡¯t have to worry. If anything, you¡¯ll be saving my hide. That is if we even run into her. Which I doubt.¡± After another round of laughter and Friia¡¯s return, we began collecting ourselves and I maneuvered the wagon back to the trail. Chapter 8 ¡°Are you certain? If we just-¡± ¡°Absolutely not. Need I remind you what we¡¯re hunting for? There is absolutely nothing you can say that would convince me splitting up is a good idea. You know why we can¡¯t Friia.¡± Giving a soft sigh she nodded to me before returning her gaze to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right. I do understand it¡¯s not a perfect strategy but this forest is massive. We don¡¯t have the luxury of time on our side.¡± I returned her nod as I continued to help Volk set up our campsite. Passing him the cooking spit I turned to her and said ¡°I know. But while it¡¯s true we¡¯re in a rush I¡¯m not going to budge on this. This forest is notorious for praying on solitary travelers. I learned that the hard way on my first trip through when the caravan I was with decided to send a lone scout to find a decent sized place to rest. We never even found him; we found his bloody tattered clothes scattered among the trees.¡± It was then Volk decided to interject. ¡°As pleasant as that story was becoming, camp is set up. We need to discuss how this is going to work considering splitting up isn¡¯t an option. In case you forgot there¡¯s only three of us...if you don¡¯t count the horse. And I don¡¯t believe this is one of those situations where you count the horse.¡± I held back a laugh before acknowledging him. ¡°It unfortunately isn¡¯t. Thankfully we won¡¯t have to worry about anything happening to her.¡± I pulled a small bag from the wagon and showed it to my companions. ¡°When we were still in town I stopped by the local church and picked up some talismans. As long as we place these in a circle around the camp, they¡¯ll create a barrier to keep it safe.¡± Friia tilted her head while looking into the bag. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just use these on ourselves then? If they can provide a barrier wouldn¡¯t it be easier to carry one?¡± Shaking my head as I began to place them I told her ¡°These don¡¯t work that way. Believe me, I asked for those as well. They didn¡¯t have any available and it would have taken a few days to sanctify new ones. We didn¡¯t have a few days so I just took what I could get.¡± She sighed, rubbing one of her temples. ¡°Why is it whenever we actually need something it¡¯s never available?¡± Volk cheerfully chimed in once the last talisman was placed and the barrier began to build. ¡°Because if it was life would actually be easy. And there¡¯s no such thing as an easy life.¡± He sat down on a log and kicked his feet out in front of him while pulling out his tome. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s something in here. But in case there isn¡¯t, I would start planning what we¡¯ll do.¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Agreed.¡± Turning to Friia I pulled a map out from my satchel. ¡°This is the most up to date map of this area I could find. It shows up to the border, but no one is ever willing to cross it to map out demon territory.¡± Looking over my shoulder Friia said ¡°Daniel where did you get this? Border maps aren¡¯t cheap and I know I haven¡¯t seen you stop into a cartographer¡¯s shop.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s probably because I stole it.¡± ¡°Stole?! When?!¡± Holding up a finger to ask for a moment while my hearing recovered I eventually said ¡°Let me rephrase. I found it on an unconscious drunk after a bar fight and made the decision he no longer needed it.¡± ¡°Oh, I was wondering what you were stuffing in your bag! I knew you nabbed something other than the gold.¡± Although I was enjoying Volk¡¯s presence, I could see we would need to have a discussion about what not to mention around who. For example: Friia. ¡°So you stole the gold too?! What else have you been taking?¡± ¡°Hold on now, I told you already that things outside of my control happened. A massive bar fight between drunken mercenaries was simply a part of that. It was agreed between Volk, the tavern staff and myself that they pay for the broken furniture and ruined atmosphere.¡± Volk¡¯s cackling didn¡¯t help the situation as Friia¡¯s hand met her face. She glared at me from in between her fingers before sighing and shaking her head. ¡°We haven¡¯t been accosted by an angry mob, so I suppose I can¡¯t be too angry about it. And the map is genuinely helpful.¡± ¡°See? I knew you¡¯d-¡± I was quite rudely interrupted by her finger being shoved in my face. ¡°That does not mean I¡¯m forgetting about it. I¡¯ll be keeping a close eye on you and telling Stephanie when we see her.¡± Ah yes, the joys of having your own personified moral compass. Especially one that goes and tattles to your more violent moral compass. ¡°In any case let¡¯s get a move on. I don¡¯t like this place.¡± ¡°I was trying to work on a plan before you demanded exposition.¡± I pointed to an area of dense underbrush relatively close to where we had made camp. ¡°This is probably our best bet at finding bloodroot. It¡¯s fairly common in heavily wooded areas like this where bodies are easily hidden.¡± Friia¡¯s face paled a bit at my explanation. ¡°Wait, bodies?¡± ¡°Well yes. How else did you think bloodroot grew? It¡¯s a demonic vine that sustains itself on fresh corpses.¡± I could see her hold back a gag as she pictured it in her mind. Even with how long I had known her it was easy to forget Elvenkind¡¯s disdain for less than pleasant forms of death. Much as they preferred death to be beautiful and peaceful, that simply wasn¡¯t how the world worked. Granted I was aware of the irony in her prowess as a warrior; a subject she avoids whenever I bring it up. ¡°Just keep an eye out. If Volk or I find it first we¡¯ll be sure to tell you so you won¡¯t have to look at it.¡± ¡°We will?¡± Volk looked up from his tome as Friia¡¯s face somehow grew paler. Upon seeing my pointed look he nodded rapidly and gave her a grin. ¡°We will, we definitely will.¡± I shot him an appreciative glance before turning back to Friia. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t think about it too much, and if you see a flash of red in the bushes just tell us. We¡¯ll go about harvesting it.¡± She smiled meekly as she nodded. ¡°Thank you Daniel, I am truly grateful.¡± Taking one last moment to get stock of our supplies, we stepped out of the barrier and into the eerie darkness of the forest that seemed to engulf us whole. Chapter 9 Everything about this place felt...wrong. Volk and I each held a small flame in our hands in an attempt to see where we were going, but even with the two of us the inky depths seemed to flicker closer; eager to devour the light that dared to break it apart. Tree roots claimed what precious little of the path there was, and even my magic was hardly enough to return them to the earth. The energy of this forest was drastically different from anywhere else I had been. We had hardly begun before I could feel the effects of mana deficiency taking its toll on my body. I had brought restoration potions with me but couldn¡¯t take one, not yet. Friia was terrified of this place: fear filled her eyes everywhere she looked. I couldn¡¯t let it on that I was becoming drained with her in that state. Moments like this were why I was grateful for this ring.Unbeknownst to the others, I was following a faint blue light that emanated from the center of the three gems on its surface. While I was pretending to look at the map, I sent a thought to it and watched as the threadlike magic began. The reason Stephanie believed I was better at finding rare items was in large part thanks to this ring. From what I could understand the light led the wearer to items of value or importance depending on their desires. Vague thoughts could lead one to almost anything while specific thoughts more often than not led to that specific item. As for why I¡¯ve never mentioned it, safety is my top concern. Imagine if others found out what it could do. Sure I can¡¯t take it off, but what¡¯s to stop someone from killing me and simply cutting it off my corpse? It¡¯s easier to keep it hidden, so I¡¯ll continue to do so. After what felt like an hour of walking the light deviated and began circling a small briar patch. Bringing my flame closer to it I could see the signature crimson bark from within. Handing the map off to Friia I told her ¡°Look away. I¡¯ve found some and I don¡¯t want you getting sick.¡± Nodding as she turned away I took the opportunity to drink one of my potions, sighing as I felt mana return to me. Placing my hands on the ground I began the arduous process of moving the brambles out of the way. They resisted at first, almost seeming to draw closer together before relenting and slithering away to reveal our ¡®prize¡¯ in the center. I cursed under my breath and even Volk was surprisingly quiet. Whether for Friaa or the poor soul in front of us, I¡¯m still not sure. In a way it was hard to believe the sight that lay before us was once human. Mangled, gray limbs entangled with thick red vines; the thorned barbs digging into what little flesh was left. Broken and splintered bones poked through in random places, leading me to believe they had anything but a peaceful death. Patches of hair still clung stubbornly to their scalp as it thinly cascaded around their shoulders, the skin taught and torn revealing the skeleton beneath. Empty eye sockets looked right through us, the foreboding stare perfectly matching the eternal scream etched into their face. Offering a silent prayer while I donned my protective gloves I grabbed the thickest section of the vine that was wrapped around the arm. Insects scurried from our light as their haven was disturbed, hissing as they burrowed deeper into the body or to the dark embrace of the trees. I worked silently but quickly, the vine¡¯s barbs attempting to worm their way through to my hands. Once it was removed on both ends I placed the wriggling vine in a multilayered sack in order to keep it from breaking through. So long as we kept it away from any of our flesh, it would start ¡®hibernating¡¯ in a few hours. Finally I stood and started guiding Friia away while Volk followed. I glanced back only to see the briar start reclaiming its place over the husk, causing a shiver to run down my spine. It would be ten years too soon if I never saw this forsaken place again.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. We continued on for a few moments before Volk broke the silence. ¡°Well, that was certainly something. In the interest of banishing that incredibly scarring image from my mind let¡¯s talk about what¡¯s next. Thorned mushrooms, yes?¡± ¡°Yes. Thankfully much more plentiful, not to mention far less disturbing. Thorned mushrooms typically grow on the sides of trees around here and give off a very pungent aroma.¡± Intrigued, Friia turned to me with a raised brow. ¡°Pungent? How so?¡± I did my best not to laugh at her tilted head. ¡°Hm...what¡¯s the best way to describe it? It¡¯s not rotten or anything, but I seem to be drawing a blank.¡± ¡°Cheese! Very strong, incredibly annoying cheese!¡± I nodded as Volk cackled next to us. ¡°Ah yes, that was it. Do you remember that cheese you tried back in the royal capital?¡± Judging from the dry heaving, she definitely did. ¡°They smell extremely similar to that. Trust me, you¡¯ll know when we¡¯re close to some.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as her nose wrinkled in revulsion. A fond memory, that was. And thankfully it proved more than enough to banish some of the heavy atmosphere that had settled around us. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to relax, however. We had gathered the more perilous ingredient in this area but the danger was far from past. This forest was practically a graveyard; devouring any poor soul caught wandering alone in its depths. At least one of us needed to remain vigilant and I¡¯d rather not have Friia bear that burden. Our walk continued in silence after that. Paranoia continued to gnaw at my mind as my head whipped towards every noise, every perceived shade fleeting past the far reaches of my vision. After a few moments I noticed Volk looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Instead of saying anything though, he simply nodded and began keeping a sharper lookout himself. It brought me a small sense of ease knowing I had someone else that understood my feelings. Friia knew me well, yet unfortunately held a bit of naivete when it came to the larger world. ¡°Ugh...Daniel what is that stench? Did you-¡± Putting up a hand to cut her off I said ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d have said something.¡± Taking a few deep sniffs of my own I held back a gag. Volk grinned madly as the smell hit him. ¡°Ooh, those are definitely thorned mushrooms! That ripe, pungent aroma couldn¡¯t be anything else! Well, not around here at least. I can think of at least four other things that-¡± ¡°I think we get the idea,¡± Friia interjected. She was desperately trying to hold back the urge to vomit and I couldn¡¯t blame her. It was as if mold and horse manure had some sort of forbidden love child that proceeded to roll around in the intestines of a cave troll. In a word: nauseating. ¡°Well Friia...have at it.¡± ¡°Wha- me?! Why do I have to do it?¡± Trying my best not to show how sick I was starting to feel I tried to come up with an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s...it¡¯s a lesson. Review. A lesson review to see if you remember the proper way to harvest reagents without overly damaging them.¡± Before she could argue Volk came up and presented a small sack bulging from within. ¡°Are these enough?¡± Taking a cautious look inside I stared at him for a moment. ¡°You...I...how did...you know what? Not questioning it. That should be more than enough, thank you. We can sell off the excess too.¡± ¡°See? I told you my services were worth it.¡± Bowing my head slightly in agreement we began the trek back to our camp. I was finally starting to drop my guard a bit as we had completed our objective, but not by much. Good thing I didn¡¯t, for as we approached our camp I saw the tell-tale light of our barrier being breached. Chapter 10 The three of us crept quietly through the underbrush until the clearing that housed our camp came into view. Looking to Volk I made a few hand movements asking him to move around to the other side. Nodding he carefully drew his knife and started circling around the outer edge of the clearing. Peering through the shrubs I attempted to see what may have entered, but unfortunately wasn¡¯t able to see anything. Friia pulled gently on my sleeve and pointed to Volk who was now in position. Pointing him off to the left I began circling right, each of us drawing closer to the center until we finally breached the trees. Friia came up the middle to meet us as we stood tensely waiting for something, anything to spring out. I don¡¯t recall how long we stood there waiting, but it soon became clear we were alone. ¡°Volk, go check the talismans to make sure they¡¯re all still planted. Friia and I are going to check the wagon to see if anything was taken.¡± And oddly enough nothing was. We sorted through every crate, sack, and barrel we had only to find our entire inventory accounted for. Nothing was stolen, yet that only served to worry me more. Nothing living in this forest was intelligent enough to check a campsite without taking or damaging something. In all likelihood whoever snuck in was searching for us. Volk returned to the fire while shaking his head. ¡°Everything is still in place. None of them have moved in the slightest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably as I thought then. Someone is trying to find us.¡± As I furrowed my brow in frustration I saw Volk perk up. ¡°Well, we probably shouldn¡¯t hang around here any longer then. Now I know you both wanted to rest for a while but that¡¯s probably not a good idea. So here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do: we¡¯ll pack up and ship out. And while you¡¯re driving I¡¯ll whip up something for us to eat; at least enough to tide us over until we get another opportunity.¡± ¡°Is it really wise to move so soon?¡± Friia asked. ¡°If Daniel¡¯s right and somebody is searching for us, they could very well be watching.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually why we should,¡± I interjected. ¡°At the very least we need to get back to a road. All we¡¯re doing while sitting here is inviting disaster. Friia, start gathering up the talismans. Volk and I will pack up camp and then we¡¯ll get out of here.¡± She hesitated before nodding and setting off to start collecting. As I picked up some of the utensils we set out Volk came up to me and whispered. ¡°She¡¯s naive, isn¡¯t she? Sheltered as a child?¡± I gave a brief glance to make sure she wasn¡¯t listening to us before responding. ¡°In a sense yes. I don¡¯t know much about her life before traveling with me, but I do know the village she lived in rarely saw any troubles.¡± I smiled fondly as she gathered the last talisman and stopped to pet our horse. ¡°She¡¯s a good student though. She listens, but also doesn¡¯t blindly follow everything I say.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Well that¡¯s a good skill at least. Blind obedience often ends poorly after all. Maybe I can teach her a few tricks as well¡­¡± I laughed as he stroked his beard. ¡°You¡¯d have to convince her of that first. She doesn¡¯t feel she needs to learn anything unless she chooses to learn.¡± She walked back over to us and handed the bag over to me. ¡°Enjoying yourselves? Didn¡¯t you just say we needed to hurry?¡± ¡°We do, we do.¡± I assured her. ¡°I was just answering some questions Volk had.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She turned to give him a look. ¡°And what was so important it couldn¡¯t wait until we were moving?¡± Before I could come up with any sort of reply Volk chimed in. ¡°I wanted to know what we were aiming for next. There¡¯s danger ahead, you know?¡± He gave me a wink as I looked on in confusion. Maybe he just didn¡¯t want Friia to think she was a hindrance? I made a mental note to ask him later. ¡°Right. In any case let¡¯s get going. We¡¯ve got everything packed back up right?¡± Both of them gave me a nod. ¡°Good, everyone on the cart then. I¡¯ll take the first-¡± ¡°No you won¡¯t,¡± Friia interrupted. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re still exhausted from using that magic in the forest, and no matter how many elixirs you drink to hide it I¡¯ll always know. I will be driving first, and you will be resting. No arguments.¡± Before I could say anything to her Volk started to laugh. ¡°Aww look, she really does care!¡± A slight blush overtook her features as she turned and walked to the cart. ¡°Of course I do! It¡¯s normal to worry about my teacher¡¯s health!¡± He continued to snicker as she climbed into the front and we heaved ourselves into the back. ¡°Yes, because he¡¯s your teacher. That¡¯s definitely why. Keep telling yourself that.¡± I tilted my head as her face grew red. ¡°Why else would she be worried? She always fusses like this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said with a wave of his hand. ¡°After all I could be completely wrong, in which case it isn¡¯t worth mentioning.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± she hissed at him. ¡°I need to focus on getting us out of here so both of you shut up and relax.¡± I wanted to argue, really I did. But the glare she gave me when I opened my mouth sent shivers down my spine. Deciding to ignore Volk¡¯s whipping motion I laid back and closed my eyes. I would never admit it but Friia was right: I was exhausted. While my affinity for earth magic was strong my stamina wasn¡¯t, so my mana depleted quickly whenever I used it. Fire magic thankfully didn¡¯t have the same issue. Yet even though it was easier to use I found myself inexplicably drawn to earth magic with no idea why. Sighing in resignation I made myself comfortable and began tapping my foot. As I heard Volk rummaging around our food stores to make up that snack he promised I started to quietly sing a song I learned as a child; back when I first ate at what would eventually become a regular stop of mine. ¡°All the stories told Of the bard of old From hill to dale and yonder Well you can bet we¡¯ll never forget The tale of the merry wanderer. His clothes were worn, And his boots were torn, Yet his eyes still held their wonder He danced in the rain, he laughed off pain Our dear old merry wanderer. Forever was he full of cheer He¡¯d gather crowds all for a beer ¡®Twould be a better age if we took a page From that grand old merry wanderer.¡± Chapter 11 I¡¯m not quite sure how long I slept for. I knew it must have been at least a few hours; it was lighter out and the trees were much thinner. Quietly stretching my arms I took a look around the wagon only to find Volk wasn¡¯t there. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes I could hear a conversation coming from the front. ¡°So, are you going to tell me?¡± Volk¡¯s voice rang. ¡°Tell you what? You haven¡¯t asked anything.¡± While Friia did still sound annoyed, she also seemed to be a bit calmer. ¡°I think you know. Daniel told me you lived in a cozy little village free from worry. What I want to know is why you left. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong but isn¡¯t that an ideal life for the elves?¡± She let out a long sigh before responding. ¡°Of course he told you. Not that it was a secret, but yes, my hometown was quite safe. And as much as I¡¯d rather keep it to myself I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll just pester me until I tell you.¡± I smiled a bit at Volk¡¯s raucous laughter. ¡°I love how well you guys already know me!¡± ¡°Ugh...fine. But keep it down will you? Daniel¡¯s still sleeping. Gods know he needs some rest. As for your question, I¡¯ll have to go back a bit. My village is nestled within an ancient forest clearing founded by my ancestors. I know that¡¯s hardly original but it is how most elven villages were made. Only the cities have odd stories about their creation and before you ask no, I don¡¯t know most of them.¡± She paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°My father was a fletcher. He worked closely with our blacksmith making arrows and weapon shafts. He loved his work almost as much as he loved my mother.¡± ¡°You say that as if he¡¯s gone,¡± Volk pointed out. ¡°Gone? Oh! Oh no he¡¯s still alive. My mother as well. It¡¯s just been so long since I¡¯ve been home. Anyway, stop interrupting. Now my mother was from one of our cities. She never did tell me the details, but she decided to leave it behind for a more peaceful life. She took up baking and started a small shop. That¡¯s when my father noticed her. He¡¯d stop by every day just to see her, though my mother would laugh and say it was really so he could eat the sweetbread she made.¡± I could hear more chuckling come from Volk before Friia huffed. ¡°What? You asked, and I¡¯m telling you.¡± ¡°I asked about you, not your parents.¡± He corrected. ¡°Though it is still nice to see your parents were fine folks.¡± ¡°Do you want the story or not?¡± I could almost hear her little pout making its way onto her face. ¡°I swear you¡¯re insufferable. But fine, when I was a little girl I was...not very talented. I would try to help my mother bake, and ended up making bricks instead. I tried to help my father with his work but I snapped most of the arrows I made. Honestly it was pretty disheartening, though I kept trying my hand at everything I could. I don¡¯t completely recall when but I had started helping my mother out in her shop. Instead of baking I ran the counter and it turned out I was a decent saleswoman. Business picked up about five years ago once we started to see more travelers, though it was largely due to the war. Though it took some time nobody was surprised its effects reached us eventually. Many were refugees; others were simply looking for opportunity. Each one brought stories and gifts from outside and I could feel my interest peaking with each new tale. I had begun longing to see the world, but never could find that final push to set me out.¡± ¡°But surely something must have,¡± Volk prodded. ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°About three years ago we were paid a visit from a rather odd fellow. He rode happily into town in a creaky old wagon, immediately set up a stall across from my mother¡¯s bakery and started selling anything he could. Weapons, accessories, medicine, food, you name it and he probably had it. I didn¡¯t pay him much mind at first. I never even spoke to him until the second day he was there. He walked up to my mother after buying a pastry and started to pitch her some flour from the Illucan region.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh? I¡¯ve heard good things about their exports. They say their grain is blessed by some minor harvest gods, but that blessing really does something for the flavor.¡± She chuckled a bit at that. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what he said. She ended up agreeing and went off on a baking spree. People started to line up quickly and we could hardly keep up. He came back a few hours later with three more sacks of it and offered her a bulk discount; like he already knew how popular it would be. After we closed I headed off to the tavern to relax and found him up by the bar laughing and telling stories with the others. Before I knew it I was enraptured. I found myself hanging on every word as he described journey after journey, near death experiences and the people he¡¯d met. He saw me after a while and started talking to me about my mother¡¯s business. Said he had a soft spot for helping families out.¡± I smiled at the memory bittersweet though it was. I saw a bit of myself in her back then, as I used to be. Family oriented yet naive. And the way her parents doted on her reminded me of my own. Looking back I suppose she just struck the right cords with me. ¡°He started giving me tips to get more sales, how to upsell, how to properly discount something. I was listening with rapt attention, as if I couldn¡¯t get enough of the free advice. Before I knew it I cut him off and asked him to take me with him.¡± ¡°Is this the part where you tell me it was Daniel?¡± ¡°Oh good, you caught on. You¡¯re not as brainless as I took you for.¡± Volk scoffed. ¡°Even I can be hurt Friia.¡± I struggled to contain my own laughter as she replied. ¡°Oh I¡¯m counting on it. A touch of payback for your...insensitivity earlier. But yes, it was Daniel. You should have seen his face after I asked. It¡¯s the only time I¡¯ve ever seen him speechless! He stammered for a few moments before settling on asking me why. I told him I wanted to travel and to learn; to bring back anything that could become useful to my family and my village.¡± ¡°Quite a tall order to ask that of someone out of the blue, especially a stranger. Amicable as he is, I find it hard to imagine he accepted then and there.¡± I heard her give a small sigh. ¡°He didn¡¯t. He floundered around making a variety of excuses: ¡®the places I go can be dangerous, I¡¯ve never taught before, etcetera.¡¯ I stood firm though. He mentioned he would be in town for one more week and I set about doing everything I could to convince him. Watching him run his stall, how he haggled, the interactions he had. I saw him as the outside world itself, as silly as that sounds. I had already discussed things with my parents at that point. At first I thought they¡¯d refuse, but my mother immediately was on board. She said she learned quite a bit travelling herself and could tell Daniel was a good mentor. Her word was all it took to convince my father, and before I knew it he¡¯d gotten half the shops in the village to offer him exclusive contracts on exports as payment for my apprenticeship.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s quite a bit of incentive, I must say. And could make or break some of those businesses. Were they truly so desperate to help you?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she affirmed with a hint of pride. ¡°Our village was always a very close community. They saw an opportunity to pay my parents back for everything they did and jumped on it. And yet Daniel didn¡¯t accept it.¡± ¡°He knew, didn¡¯t he? About what could happen?¡± ¡°I think so, yeah. He even told them he couldn¡¯t in good conscience take an entire village¡¯s trade rights for himself. Before anyone could interject he said the fact that they¡¯d even offer was enough. And that he¡¯d accept me as his apprentice on one condition.¡± I could hear the wagon creak as Volk leaned in. ¡°Oh? Daniel making a condition? Now you¡¯ve got me curious. What was it?¡± ¡°Gods, you¡¯ve no concept of personal space do you? All he asked in return was for anyone he sent out there to be treated with the same hospitality he was. And for my mother to bake him some sweetbread whenever he was in town.¡± ¡°I may not have known him for long, yet that sounds exactly like him.¡± ¡°Most definitely. You could learn a thing or two from him you know.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. That¡¯s all my questions answered except for one: if you were such a talentless child, where¡¯d you learn how to handle a spear?¡± ¡°No. Just no. You got the one story, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon! I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just as interesting!¡± Well, I was well aware of Friia¡¯s aversion to this particular subject so I decided to cut it short. That and I was starting to feel a bit bad for accidentally eavesdropping...with that said, I let out an exaggerated yawn and made a show of stretching. As I rubbed my eyes I looked to the front where Volk gave a subtle wink and tossed me something. Catching it, I looked it over to see a small stick of seeds, berries and other small foods stuck together. ¡°There¡¯s that snack I promised. Try it, you¡¯ll like it. Salty sweet.¡± I raised an eyebrow at him before taking a bite and gods above it was fantastic. From what I could tell he stuck them together with honey and a light touch of salt. ¡°Salty sweet¡­¡± I mumbled as I took another bite. Friia did a light double take as her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Wait, those are edible? I thought he put seeds on a stick as a joke.¡± ¡°Again, even I can be hurt Friia. I may be difficult but I¡¯m not an arsehole.¡± I found myself laughing at his look of indignation as she hesitantly took a bite of her own snack. It was a considerably lighter mood than before, and at least for the moment I found my worries set aside thanks to my companions. Sitting back I found myself gazing at the scenery and enjoying the temporary calm. Chapter 12 ¡°She¡¯s already passed out.¡± ¡°I see that. Don¡¯t wake her; she really pushed herself driving that long right after how the forest affected her.¡± Poor Friia. She really must have been far more frightened than she let on between my exhaustion and the atmosphere. I had found out from Volk she¡¯d been driving for a bit over a full day, refusing to let him take over or wake me up to do it myself. Brushing aside my surprise at having slept for a full day I practically demanded she go rest in the back and let me drive. She argued at first, but a few choice words about hypocrisy finally got through to her. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen an apprentice be that direct with their master. Normally they¡¯re all ¡®yes sir, no sir, I¡¯m sorry for disappointing you sir, please don¡¯t throw me out into the streets sir.¡¯ You know, brown nosers.¡± ¡°I think we may have had different experiences with apprentices. Or as apprentices. Speaking of, what did you do before mercenary work? I would imagine with your skills you must have some kind of formal training.¡± Volk placed a hand to his chin, seemingly debating. He shrugged before stating ¡°I spent some time working with a knight order. It wasn¡¯t a bad few years but I left due to some¡­ differences of opinion. Been wandering ever since.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± It seemed to be the most I would get from him at the time, so I let the topic drop. Instead, I decided to ask about the places he¡¯d been doing work and which he would go back to; a topic he seemed much more open with. ¡°Hands down I would have to say Raylin. You wouldn¡¯t think freezing your ass off would be enjoyable, but those people have a knack for warming you up. Mostly with booze. Dwarven fire-water will practically melt anything within five feet of it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I asked with interest. ¡°I haven¡¯t had the pleasure of trying that, and I¡¯ve tried a good many local brews in my time.¡± Volk¡¯s eyes lit up as he grew a crooked grin. ¡°Oh, fancy yourself a connoisseur do you? Then again¡­¡± He turned to look back at my stock where more than a few small barrels were laid neatly stacked and secured. ¡°I probably could have guessed that.¡± Following his gaze I nodded with a chuckle. ¡°Those ones aren¡¯t for personal use. I have some clients along the way that pay well for Antivan spice wine. If you¡¯re talking about my tastes, I have some small kegs of mead from Valwhein I acquired on my last pass through.¡± ¡°Valwhein?! I thought their alcohol was considered sacred to their god, not something for outsiders to smell let alone drink.¡± Holding up a finger I smiled. ¡°Now normally you would be correct. They¡¯re quite devoted to Banhus, the patron of alcohol and his ways. The mead is brewed with a meticulous, intricate process and must come out perfectly in order to be offered in prayer. Every now and then, a batch doesn¡¯t come out quite right and gets set to the side for disposal. Usually. The monks there are quite friendly and loath to forget a debt. I stepped in to deliver their ingredients when the usual driver fell ill, and as payment they offered me some of their ¡®failed¡¯ mead under the condition I never sell a drop. Nor do they just want me giving it away; I can share with close companions and that¡¯s all. A privilege I¡¯m not keen on losing.¡±Stolen novel; please report. Volk nodded in understanding. ¡°Dirt to a god be as gold to a man. Are you the only one who¡¯s tried it?¡± ¡°Oh, far from it. They hold a small festival once a year, but only allow around a hundred people in for a tasting. I am one of the few allowed to take some though, even if it¡¯s just a failed product. It is, to a degree, still sacred and only offered as trade for the largest of favors. I haven¡¯t really asked, but I did overhear one of the monks mentioning there were a couple others on their way to pick some up.¡± I saw him writing a small note in that old tome of his and laughed to myself. Of course he¡¯d try to do something for them just for booze. I haven¡¯t known him for long, yet I feel I understand him rather well. We traveled in silence a while longer as the trees began fading off behind us. I kept my eyes on the nearby fields, comparing the various mills and towers with the map. All in all I¡¯d say we were making good time; in another day or so I would reach the next village to pick up my cargo for the army. Friia stirred a bit in the back but didn¡¯t wake. Volk was muttering to himself a bit while focusing on his reading before suddenly closing the book and turning back to me. ¡°Daniel, that spell you used back in the forest. Where you moved the brambles? Is that the same as what you used to trap those goblins in tree roots?¡± I blinked in surprise and confusion. It seemed odd to bring that up now compared to when I used it, though we were in danger then. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Do you know where you learned it?¡± Volk¡¯s voice was low, his expression serious. It unnerved me a bit, to be honest, to see the ever-jolly Volk in such a state. ¡°I¡­ ¡° It wasn¡¯t something I had ever thought about. I had learned the basics as a child and a bit more as an apprentice, but while I could pin down when I learned most of the spells I knew I couldn¡¯t think of that one. In fact, the only earth magic I was ever taught involved the ground itself; anything involving plants was instinctual. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. None of my magic instructors really touched on plants¡­ the only thing I can think of is a lecture my mother gave me. She told me the flow of mana runs through all living things, and if I focused enough I could feel it in even the smallest blades of grass. All she ever said beyond that was if I was ever truly in danger I should surrender myself to nature¡¯s flow. I never figured out what she meant by that. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Curiosity, that¡¯s all. You seem rather talented with it.¡± I scoffed at that. ¡°Talent hardly means anything if I drop after a few minutes of using it. It¡¯s by far the most exhausting magic I know.¡± Volk nodded in understanding before opening up his book to write more. ¡°Do you frequently take notes in the books you borrow?¡± ¡°Only in the special ones,¡± he laughed. ¡°Because unlike you, I don¡¯t have a personified moral compass.¡± Before I could rebut, a loud feminine voice screeched from somewhere above us. ¡°VOOOLK!¡± I pulled my horse to a stop to try and see where the voice had come from before something crashed into the road in front of us. Volk gulped a little and sighed as he hung his head. ¡°Until today.¡± As the dust cleared in front of us, a lithe figure could be seen stepping up from the crater with...something twisting around their neck. ¡°Remember when I said you might be saving me?¡± A gust of wind cleared away the last of the debris revealing our assailant. It was a woman, fairly thin with rather pointed features. Dark brown hair framed her glare, pulling back into a tied braid trailing down to her mid-back. The armor she wore seemed to be a combination of leather and robe. As for what was coiling around her neck¡­ ¡°Volk, is that a storm dragon?!¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s just a baby.¡± She drew a wand and the dragon began hissing as she stepped up from the crater. ¡°You stole my book you troll-faced, draugr breathed sack of conniving-¡± Volk held up his hands to halt the tirade of the mysterious woman. ¡°Hey now, I only borrowed it! There¡¯s a much more important matter to attend to first.¡± He gave her the most serious gaze I think I¡¯ve ever seen him muster. ¡°Did you sell my alchemy set?¡± Chapter 13 I wasn¡¯t completely sure of my feelings at that time. Some combination of fear, confusion, and somehow familiarity. As if I had heard or even participated in similar conversations several times in the past. ¡°I have you at wand point and you¡¯re focused on some dusty alchemy set?!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Volk pointed a finger at her with gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I had several projects planned with that! I¡¯ve picked up the proper reagents I need to finish several experiments and planned to do so upon my return.¡± The mysterious mage gave him a glare and deadpanned. ¡°I sold it the first chance I got.¡± ¡°Of COURSE you did.¡± Was this how Stephanie and I sounded when we argued? Or even Friia and I? I began feeling as though I should apologize to both of them. Before I could finish processing that feeling or ask Volk how he knew the seething woman in front of us she turned her wand on me. ¡°And who is this? Another degenerate you picked up in the gutter somewhere? You must be getting desperate if you¡¯re starting to keep fodder around.¡± Volk put an arm in front of me as he stepped closer to her. ¡°Hey! Leave my employer out of this!¡± At that her expression went from rage to pure confusion. ¡°...employer?¡± Flashing a smarmy grin he nodded happily. ¡°Legal employer. Mercenary gig out to the front lines. You of all people should know that even I like to play it straight sometimes.¡± Her confusion seemed to grow with every word that fell from his lips. I¡¯d have found it funny if she weren¡¯t threatening me. Slowly, she turned to regard me with an expression of shock. ¡°And¡­you are?¡± I nervously reached into my satchel and pulled out my guild card to show her. ¡°D-Daniel Neano. Traveling Merchant Second Class, at your service.¡± ¡°Second cla-¡± She shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You do realize who that is, right?¡± She pointed at Volk. ¡°And how did you get signed on by a second class merchant?! They¡¯re damn near at the top of the ladder for the Merchant¡¯s Guild!¡± She scoffed. ¡°And here I thought they had standards.¡± I felt my eye twinge a bit at that. Now, I didn¡¯t know their relationship at the time, but I saw that as a dig at both of us. ¡°We do.¡± She turned to me as I cleared my throat. ¡°He¡¯s skilled, cunning, and insightful. A capable negotiator, combatant, and scout. Knowledgeable about the world and unafraid to confront danger either with me or on my behalf. He¡¯s a more competent bodyguard than most I¡¯ve had in the past.¡± She regarded me strangely for a moment as if searching for something. ¡°And the violent, kleptomaniac, or downright mad side of him?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°My assistant finds it aggravating and I find it entertaining.¡± The woman sighed, shaking her head and lowering her wand as Volk laughed. ¡°Great. Just great. I finally find you months after you steal my book and vanish, and instead of making it easy to blast you I find you¡¯ve gained legal employment to a madman. Worse yet, a madman that finds you useful.¡± ¡°Oi, I am not a madman!¡± ¡°I find myself wondering that sometimes.¡± I perked up at the sound of Friia stirring in the back of the wagon and turned to see her glaring at us with bleary eyes. ¡°You worry me and Stephanie half to death, you throw yourself into danger if you think there¡¯s profit involved, and you expect me to sit back and let you. I think ¡®madman¡¯ is the most polite thing she could call you in this situation.¡± Friia was regarded with a much softer expression than I had been. ¡°You must be the apprentice. Not overly fond of Volk and his ridiculousness, are you?¡± Friia scoffed. ¡°That would probably be the nicest way to put it.¡± ¡°Agreed. It¡¯s rather grating for those who aren¡¯t of a similar mindset.¡± She cast a sidelong glare at me with that line before offering Friia a small bow. ¡°I am Altecia. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss¡­?¡± The newly identified Altecia received a curtsy in return. ¡°Friia Bowren, apprentice. At your service. If I may ask, what has my master done to draw your ire? I¡¯m sure whatever he did can be resolved without violence.¡± At times I feel as though she has no faith in me as a person, and that hurts a little. ¡°In truth, your master did nothing. Your companion, however, stole something important of mine. In most circumstances someone like him could be taken care of with little to no repercussions, but since he¡¯s been hired it leaves a snag in my idea to lightly fry him and drag him hogtied back into town.¡± Volk shivered. ¡°Now that¡¯s no way to treat old friends, Alty. I¡¯d never do that to you!¡± Altecia glared at him while her drake hissed softly. ¡°Nor would you be able to. And don¡¯t call me that. I have a title and I expect you to use it. It¡¯s the least you could do since I¡¯ve let you keep standing.¡± He tittered as he tossed her the book, startling her as she gave him a wary look of confusion. ¡°Or I could return that and we call it even. Since the ever-so-important headmistress can¡¯t normally leave academy grounds, the book doesn¡¯t get new information. As I was planning to leave anyway I decided to bring it with me and get you some information myself. You know, to preemptively apologize for the next time I irritate you enough to start slinging spells at me.¡± Altecia continued to stare for a moment before she opened the book and started flipping through it. With each turn of the page her look of surprise grew. ¡°You¡­¡± A soft bout of laughter escaped her. ¡°You really are the most ridiculous person I know, Volk.¡± Now that the situation seemed diffused, I felt I was finally able to ask some questions. ¡°So I take it the two of you are friends?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± If nothing else I was appreciative of her honesty. ¡°And when he said academy, did he mean the Mage Guild¡¯s institution in Faldis? The prestigious place of learning that most every great mage in the last hundred or so years has studied at?¡± She nodded and gave me a smile for the first time since our introduction. ¡°Yes. I am the headmistress, Altecia Meldana. I would like to apologize for my words earlier. I tend to assume the worst when Volk is involved.¡± I gave a warm smile of my own. ¡°Apology accepted. I can¡¯t really fault you for that either, considering I met him after he instigated a tavern brawl.¡± ¡°He instigated a WHAT?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t very nice of you Daniel.¡± I laughed at Volk¡¯s little pout. ¡°Call it preemptive revenge. Friia¡¯s telling Stephanie about the map and gold I took because of you after all.¡± While Volk grumbled Altecia perked up. ¡°Wait, Stephanie? As in the hero?¡± Friia nodded happily as I sighed. ¡°The same. Our Daniel here is her long time friend and constant source of worry. Have you met her?¡± ¡°I have. She never mentioned your name, but she told me plenty about a friend of hers with a knack for getting into trouble. Is it true you enjoy throwing yourself into death traps for pebbles?¡± ¡°Damn it Steph, it was an ANGEL STONE for a PRIEST! Next time we see her she¡¯s getting a long lecture about EXAGGERATING TO OTHERS-¡± I¡¯m a tad embarrassed to admit that my little tirade carried on for a while after that. I think Friia found kinship in Altecia as Volk started to join in on my complaints, though I was shouting too loudly to hear much of it.