Adventurers Guild Adventurer's Guild - Receptionist's Desk

Valuren returned to the guild hall and went straight to the receptionist's desk to deliver his report about the quest.

Spoiler: Report

With the helpful information from the receptionist, they decided to leave the guild facility and head straight to the merchant area. Valuren had his lips covered the whole time with his hand in other to ‘convince’ the townspeople that he had to ask around that he was a female, temporarily.


“Me know Lyra, her place, there.”


Valuren turned toward the place the orc had been pointing at, he thanked him by bowing down at him and headed straight to the alchemist store.


“At least you didn’t waste time this time.” Veri’s words sent shivers down his spine, he knew he was in the guilt chamber for being late in the last quest. It was all because of that goblin… walking around dark wolves around…

He shakes his head, not wanting to waste anymore time from thinking to himself and began entering inside of the store


He was hit by the sights of different kind of potions, the smells of various herbs inside of the store was strong enough to cause him to cover his nose the instant he sniffed the interior smells.


There were shelves of multiple colored potions in order, health potion, mana potion. There were flasks, vials, bottles of said potions - neatly arranged in order of color and shapes. On the other side of the store, there were a herbalist-like station, it was filled with herbs and the smells were stronger the closer Valuren approached to the middle side, the counter where there were nobody attending the store.


He watched the desk, he was happy on how clean and organized the desk looked with the empty vial cases and flask cases.


“Oh, welcome!~”


Valuren turned to find the owner of the voice, which was in front of him, the person was a small lady with the height of a young teenager? She got a silver hair and a young face, it was the alchemist herself - she came out of the backside, possibly the lab she had been using for experiments and alchemy. He greets her by bowing down slightly, giving her a friendly smile.


“Hm?~ What’s your name, could you be another adventurer that accepted my quest from the guild?” asked the silver-haired lady.


“Call us V. He’s Valuren, I’m Veri.” Veri answered as Valuren places his hand against his lips.


“Wow, you’re really special!” she exclaimed as she thought about having a mute person taking the quest, but she was more interested in the female voice of Valuren. She wondered about what being Veri was, before she remembered about the reason both Valuren and Veri came to her place.


“Come to the lab, I got an experiment just for you ‘guys’!”


They followed her stepping inside of the backside in the store, it was the laboratory where she does her alchemy works and possibly creating a batch of confirmed potion vials and flasks. And lastly, those kind of potions.


He noticed that the working desk with alchemy works on the top were unorganized, and filled with papers scrambled around the desk. He wondered to himself, that he should had never judge someone by the front cover ever again.


“The name’s Lyra! But I think V-san might have already know about that, right?”


Valuren shakes his head lightly, but with a smile.


The alchemist began to take out a note and two vials from the locked safe that contained a good amount of unknown potion vials, before shoving it right on Valuren’s face.


“Here you go, drink up!”


A grey potion was set in front of his eyes, he took it from Lyra’s grip and began to think to himself that this might be no good.

Valuren opened the top of the vial, the smell hit his nose as he thought to himself that it smelled worse than he would have had thought in the first place.


“Fuhh! What is that smell, are you sure we can consume this?” Veri were surprised by the odor from the potion as well.


“Yup! Other lab rats-- I mean other adventurers had consumed some of my works!~ It tasted okay-ish!~”


Valuren gulped after hearing the remarks from the alchemist’s mouth. He began to doubt her in his heart, whether drinking this vial was fine all along. But, he stopped thinking and went for it.

Sip.

It tastes… nothing? He thought to himself, letting his inner soul know of what the potion tasted like.


He also felt nothing had changed from his appearance, he looked at the alchemist - wondering what could be happening to him.


“A delay reaction, perhaps?”


He corks his head to the right, wondering about the potion was a faulty or not. Lyra seemed to agree on that one, as they waited for 5 minutes for the potion’s unknown works.


“Hahh…~” she sighed, she turned around to grab the second vial.


Suddenly! A dark grey smoke exploded in front of Valuren’s face, causing him to cough heavily.


“Are you okay?!” she shouted, hoping him to be alright. She then realised that his male coughings are slowly changing to a female-like coughings.


After the smokes disperse from the lab, Valuren slowly opened his eyes while still coughing from the sudden blast. “V-V-V-Valuren!!! Y-Your body!” screamed Veri. He looked at his hands and found them to be too soft-looking, there he realised that - by the view of a long orange hair dropping down from his head.


He had consumed a gender-changing potion.


‘His’ appearance was almost the same, ‘he’ still have the same height but the clothing ‘he’ usually wear became a little baggy for 'him'. ‘His’ orange short faux-hawk-like hair became longer, reaching chest-length-like. The wrappings around 'his' forearms loosened up and dropped down on the floor.


‘He’ grabbed the wrappings as soon as possible before ‘he’ noticed Lyra finished taking out an antidote for ‘him’.


“Drink this antidote, but I guess you looked very cute in that new body of yours.” she said that right after she finished writing the results down on her note. Valuren blushed in mad pink as ‘he’ grabbed the antidote from her shoving hand.


Lyra then scribbled something on the note, Valuren only noticed one word, and it was ‘bad’, before ‘he’ watched her placed the potion vial inside a locked safe with a labelled ‘Failed Project’ in red.


*****


He returned back to normal after another blast hit his face and began coughing once more during the transformation to his normal self.


“Next potion!~” she gives him the second and last potion. It was colored in orange, he wondered to himself, if this potion was directly for him.


He began to sniff the content of the potion. He relieved a sigh, saved from the worst odor he had smelled just before.

Sip.

Same sip, different potion. The potion tasted terrible, he had judged the covers one more time.


This time, the effect hits right away - for some reason it had the same blast effect to Valuren’s face, making him cough heavily once again. Lyra shrugged as she felt like this was a deja vu phenomenon.


After the smokes beginning to disappear from the lab for the third time, Lyra’s eyes were wide open to find Valuren was no longer there in front of her. There was an female adult with a small alluring build in a black short dress and a light-colored tailored vest.


The woman in front of Lyra began to open her eyes and noticing it right away. It was Veri.


“!! What is this?!”


“Where’s Valuren? Who are you?”


“I’m Veri! His inner soul--Ahh!” she felt something hitting her mind inside. It was Valuren speaking to her, he himself were surprised by the fact that he suddenly were inside of her thoughts.


“WE WERE SWITCHED OF PLACES?!!” Veri shouted in disbelief as she placed her hands against her head, the shock hit her hard as she yelled at Lyra to demand her to turn both of them back to normal.


“Don’t shout at me!”


Lyra began to mumble to herself about Veri’s being, “She looked like a human… but this feeling, she seemed like a being sent from the heaven’s sky - was it not that… hm?”

She wondered to herself, what Veri really is? She decided to leave that question alone as she found Veri was very distressed over the sudden outcome from the potion.


Veri on the other hand, she began to moaned in embarrassment after having her physical form being seen by someone else, and by force. She began to sigh a lot after listening to Valuren’s talking inside of her mind.


“I know… I know…” she mumbled to herself out loud, replying to Valuren.


Lyra shoved an antidote, or basically the same potion Valuren previously drank. Veri jumped as she grabbed the vial from the alchemist, “Is this… what he drank just now?”


The alchemist nodded, adding a grin to that. She claimed that she remembered the ingredients used in making the second potion, where she ripped the paper from her note as she showcased it to Veri. “I’m going to put the second potion away, from people with two souls or more, like you ‘girls’.”


Veri chugged down the potion that was given to her after muttering to herself about the orange color of the potion Valuren had drank.


*****


The fourth and final smoke had just disappeared from the lab. Valuren looked around, he sighed a relieved one after getting back outside from being inside of Veri’s mind (and body). He forced a kind smile after seeing Lyra relieved the same sigh.


“Ahh~, this feels better!~”


Valuren, shivered yet again - hearing Veri’s voice in a happy tone and ending her statements with a questionable moan caused the shivers to happen.


Lyra told him to take a seat after the whole trial. She began talking about how happy she was to have a mute person to try out her experimental potions. Valuren shakes his head lightly before replying to her himself,


“I can talk…”


He can see the alchemist’s expression went from the normal cheerful-like to a surprised one. She began to express her thoughts and was disappointed of him for not telling her in the first place. She stood up from her seat and go over to his side, before patting him in the head.


His ears went red once again, but the pattings felt too good that he subconsciously purred like a kitten.


“Eh?”


He saw her took a step back from him, he stands up immediately after and covered his red ears with both of his hands. He looked like he was trying to bite his own tongue out of embarrassment.


“Say! Do you have a blood relation to different species, V-san?”


She added, “You really are unique, being kinda mute and all… and purring like a small cat.” the last bit was unclear for both Valuren and Veri to listen to.


Valuren began to think to himself, whether he should tell her about his parents’ kind or not. He had decided to let her know, because he felt that Lyra’s eyes was more than enough for him to trust her with his pasts.


Veri goes, “He got a cat-human as his mother, while his father was a human with… well, Valuren said that his father’s were more complicated than his mother’s race.”


She told this after confirming to Valuren if he wanted to tell Lyra about him.


Lyra then began to pat both of his shoulders, mostly around his forearms, she thanked him for testing out her experimental potions. Valuren gazed into her eyes, and smiled at her. He bowed down, thanking her for letting him help in the first place.


They returned to the guild that very day. Valuren was humming the whole time during their walk back to the guild, he was happy to had cleared his mind for a bit.

Spoiler: Notes

We tasted two kind of experimental potions;

- First potion was a Gender-Change, the color was grey and the smell was awful to the brains. If she had made one before in the past - how did she managed to make another one in a different way?
- Second potion was a... well, Soul-Switch? The color was orange but there was no smell. Tastes awful though. We hated it, sorry.

Well, nothing bad happened as it was quickly cured by Lyra.

@Naraku

 

"This was not a pleasing experience, but I suppose I helped Miss Lyra with what she needed."

Spoiler: Report

After taking this quest with an unusually appealing condition to it, I flew to Miss Lyra's store in order to do it, I'm happy her place is well-known, so I didn't even need to ask for directions to get there.

Once I reached the establishment, I lowered my fleight height until I reached the door. After landing I slowly knocked until a boy's voice told me to come in. Unusual, I don't remember her having a son, did she get an apprentice?

Inside I could see a boy, that I vaguely remembered from somewhere, attending the counter. After a few seconds of thought I realized it was a half-elf child from that weird hat-shaped orphanage in town, I suppose the owner found him an apprenticehood here as a way to let the child pay for themselves in the future.

It was a nice gesture if that's all there is to it, but maybe she is also using it to extort the boy later. Hard to know, only times I saw the orphanage's children was when mom wanted to play in the garden near it after all.

I suppose nothing of this matters, I should stop derailing my thoughts and focus at the issue at hand. I asked the boy if Miss Lyra was inside, and he gave me with a very troubled look, saying that she is, but that I don't want to see her.

While pondering why would he say a customer wouldn't want to see the store's owner, miss Lyra came out from a door shouting something about how she finally finished a given potion she was working and a large amount of terms I was unused to. It should not be alchemist lingo because I'm more or less used to it, so I suppose most of it is gibberish or expressions she herself crafted.

When she saw me, she asked what I wished to do, and I explained that I was here to help her test some potions, Miss Lyra gave me a very big smile and seemed about to drag me inside to go ahead with this testing, but I stopped her for now.

"About how much are we talking about here?" I asked.

"How many potions...? 5 should be enough, though your body is somewhat small and looks fragile, so maybe I should content with less-" She started blabbering, but I stopped her again.

"Not how many, how much. How much money are we talking about here?" I asked again.

"Wasn't that in the quest template though? 7 Large Coppers of course, I'm not negotiating this." She continued, but she didn't get it.

"Not that... The money in case the experiment fails and I perish, how much are you going to pay my family for it?" I asked her clearly this time.

She seemed to stagger for a moment before replying, "You do know that was put as a joke, right? You're not dying here." I kept staring at her without moving my feet before she sighed. "If you really want a value... 30 Silver Coins should be enough, right?"

No it's not. "I want one gold coin for my trouble." She wide opened her mouth and seemed about to shout something, but I continued the conversation without giving her a chance. "You're the one that said I won't die, right? In that case the amount doesn't matter, does it?

"Or are you saying you have no trust in your alchemic abilities and that I should be expecting to not leave this store?" I pressured her.

She seemed annoyed, "Fine. 1 gold coin, you best be prepared to be happily disappointed because this money will never fall into your family's hand! Don't underestimate my potions!"

I nodded in reply before turning to her apprentice, "You're serving as witness, be sure to be honorable about it." He seemed widely confused, but I decided to promptly ignore him and follow Miss Lyra towards her lab.

The lab's inside were surprisingly clean which was quite unexpected for someone of her personality. I suppose even the weirdest beings still care for their workplace. Especially when they might lose their lives over messiness.

She took out a light blue potion from a counter and brought it to me. "Drink only a single sip of it. And just in case, put it back in the counter immediately after and then distance yourself."

This was hardly reassuring, but I decided to do as she said. I drank a single sip, it was a small amount, but it felt like it burnt through my mouth and throat as it passed. I quickly put it in the counter and jumped away.

The effect came immediately after, I crouched down in pain and started crying, my back was burning, something was changing there, something was... Coming out.

I felt my clothes tearing, I was barely conscious from so much pain, but I felt something that I was very used to appearing in my back, moving, those were... "Wings?"

My whole body was filled with sweat, I was breathing roughly, it was extremely hot, and my back still felt burnt, but those were definitely there. Wings.

Miss Lyra took out a mirror from gods know where and I could see myself, there were 2 pair of wings coming out from my back instead of the usual 1. "Just what is this potion...?" I asked. My breath got rougher, I'm not sure I can stay up for much longer. Or rather, I'm already in the ground, but somehow conscious.

"Yes, can you move them?" I tried moving them like usual and it was a bit weird, I wasn't used to having 2 pairs, but it somehow worked.

But the pain... I made a grunt and fell down face first, there was a big heat spreading all over my body, my back was burning even more. "Help..." I meekly said.

Miss Lyra quickly took a potion that was stationed right next to the one I drank and shoved it down my throat, I could feel the heat subsiding... And then everything went black.




Some time later I woke up, I felt dizzy and it took me a while to clear my thoughts, to remember what had transpired. I looked around and I didn't recognize the place, I assume it's Miss Lyra's.

I tried getting up, my body felt a bit sluggish, but it seemed possible. However, when I turned around I saw miss Lyra sitting in a chair, staring intently at me. "You awake?" She asked.

"I suppose I am?" I ended up asking, wasn't the answer obvious?

She sighed in relief, "That's good, you start getting doubtful of those things once you deal with enough people that went bad because of magic... Sorry." She explained.

"What happened there?" While asking that, I tried moving my wings around, though I only felt one pair, it seems like the other disappeared while I slept.

"That was a potion I have been developing for a while, it's intention is to give a permanent method of flight to beings that can't do it on their own. In the form of wings.

"It reached the point where the experiments were finally starting to bear fruit, but I hit a wall in my research, because no matter what species of beings I gave the potion to, they were never able to move the wings on their own.

"So I tried experimenting it on races already capable of flight, hoping that someone that already knew how to move wings would be able to find what was the problem with those, and then I'd be able to fix the formula towards it.

"However, the results were catastrophic. The beings that I experimented it into started growing more and more pairs of wings non-stop until they suddenly died out. I tried diluting the concentration considerably, changing some ingredients, applying less mana in different parts of the crafting process, but... Somehow it kept on failing again and again. All birds I tried it on died.

"I figured a bigger vessel would be able to resist the effects better and give me some data. I wasn't wrong, but I still greatly underestimated the potion's effect. Which led to... That.

"I'm sorry I put you in danger after bragging how you would by no means die by my hands, I almost proved you right." She bowed in apology to me.

That was quite the amazing goal she had however, and I wasn't particularly angry at her somehow, so I ended up trying to focus on the good parts of the experiment. "You almost did, but you did not.

"I am still alive, and your experiment had some mild success, I was able to move the extra wings indeed." I tried smiling while saying that.

"Oh, of course, you really did! Tell me, how did it feel? What were the problems with it?" Down for a moment and up and in full work mode at the other?

She is good at this, I like her. That said, it was hard to pinpoint the exact problem, they just felt wrong in the end. "I'm not sure, but... It felt like my back couldn't move them appropriately, like there was some sort of link missing."

"A link missing? Maybe the wing muscles aren't shaping themselves appropriately to fit the wielder's body... What else? Anything you can think of?" She ended up noting something down before asking again.

"Just... Pain, lots of pain, it felt like its mere existence burnt me whole." I answered honestly.

She seemed a bit confused though. "Pain? Burning? Those aren't supposed to be the side effects... Maybe the chrofillia extract is interacting with the ivory vine in a weird way and creating an abnormal amount of heat production that takes the potion outside of its expected temperature range which is then expanding the wing growth beyond the normal and..." She kept on going and going, so I decided it was better to stop her.

"So, for how long did I sleep and how much are you paying me to get a new set of clothes crafted at a tailor?" I asked.

"Ah, 2 days in bed, and the money... I'll give you enough, just talk it out with a tailor in town and come with them here, I'll pay it for you, you can also keep the clothes you're wearing because I threw your old ones out." A shame, I was hoping to get her paying me a bigger amount than what I was going to spend, but I suppose I can just make an agreement with the tailor to get a bigger than norm price and then splitting the extra profit between us.

After she provided me a meal and made sure I could walk on my own, I visited the usual tailor I went with dad and then got my measurements done and then ordered a new set of clothes custom-made for my size, with an expensive material of course.

The agreement we came to ended up giving me 10 extra Large Copper Coins from having Lyra buy it for me. The Tailor got 20 extra though.

And with all that done, I returned to the guild to give my report.

Spoiler: Notes

Tested a potion that could make people grow wings, seems deadly on winged beings.
Helped her get some leads on how to improve the potion.
Lost my old set of clothes, gained a new one from miss Lyra and ordered a new one on miss Lyra's tab.
Earned 10 Large Copper Coins from getting the merchant to give a bigger price than usual to miss Lyra, while sharing some of the extra profit.

@Nurman

 

"Wings eh? Sounds interesting. I assume that you've already collected the extra expenses from Lyra so here's the 7 Large Copper Coins and 4 Guild Points."

 

"I see...", after reading the report, Gaap stared at the adventurer and wondered about how to react, should he be surprised? Should he just shrug it off? Should he faint? He did not know in the slightest, after all, he saw pretty much a lot of weird things, specially recently, these last few months have been filled with eccentric people.

"Well, that is rather curious about how you are two in one body... I wonder if that's supposed to be possible, nevertheless, I suppose that I don't need to understand as well... and fortunately, the side-effects were quickly cured.", a neutral answer seemed to be the wisest reply indeed.

"Anyway, your reward for being a guinea pig... you get 4 Guild Points nad 7 Large Copper Coins, congratulations for surviving the potions and good job as well.", Gaap yawned and handed to... V... Valuren the rewards for hiq quest.

 

Grendel comes into the guild, looking a bit unsteady on his feet while he approaches the receptionist's desk.
"Here's the report for the quest I took. I'm sorry for not handing it immediately, I was in no condition to come here"

Spoiler: report

After getting the approval to take the quest, Grendel decided to immediately to head over to the alchemist’s lab. After walking around for a while, he realized that he overlooked an important detail: he doesn’t know the alchemist’s address yet. He frantically took out the quest sheet and checked the content again, only to find it isn’t listed anywhere in the quest detail.

*sigh* ‘Well, I guess it can’t be helped since I just arrived in Nagrand recently, I suppose. Perhaps I should take a day or two later to walk around and familiarize myself with the town. Should I go back to the guild and ask for directions? But it would take too much time, and it's already noon. Perhaps I can ask someone for directions?'

“Looking for something, lad?”

While Grendel is considering his options, he suddenly heard someone calling out to him. Turning around, He soon found the owner of the voice: an old man manning a food stall.

“Actually, yes, I am. How’d you know?”

“Hehe, it’s pretty simple, actually. You looked around a bit too much for someone with a clear destination, so I reckon you’re looking for something or someplace. So? What’re you looking for?”, the old man answered while smiling.

“That’s impressive. I’m looking for Lyra the alchemist’s store.”

“The potion store? Well, it’s actually not that far from here. You just need to go straight ahead and take the second turn. It’s the building with blue paint.”, the old man replied while pointing the way.

“I see. Thanks for the help.”

“Anytime, lad.”
__________________________

A few minutes later, Grendel arrived at the specified store and entered it. The first thing he noticed is the strong medicinal smell inside the spacious store. Looking around, he saw various multi-colored potions lined up on multiple racks, the source of the strong smell, no doubt. Seeing nobody around, even at the counter, Grendel then called out: “Hello? Anybody here?”

Soon after, a door behind the counter opened and a girl in a green dress appeared, “Yees~, Welcome to the potion store! I’m Lyra, what can I help you with?”

“My name’s Grendel, and I came here for the potion testing you requested at the adventurer’s guild”, Grendel replied

Hearing his reply, the girl instantly smiled from ear to ear, clearly happy for his arrival. “Another one? Great! I know it was the right thing to post the request! Come in, we’ll do the testing at my lab inside.”, she said as she beckoned Grendel to follow her through the door.

“Is it okay to leave your store unattended? I don’t think it’s a good idea”, Grendel asked as he looked around. “It’s fine, It’s fine. My apprentice should be back soon anyway. Come on in!”, Lyra answered nonchalantly. having no other choice, Grendel followed her inside while thinking whether her store is actually okay with the owner being so carefree about it.

Once in the lab, Lyra took three bottles from a rack, handed one of them over to Grendel, and lined up the rest on her desk. Receiving the strange potion with blue liquid in it. Upon uncorking it, he could smell a slightly sour smell.

“What’s this potion for?”

“Where’s the fun in telling? Just drink it and you’ll know, huhuhu”

Seeing his client watching him silently while grinning, Grendel can only sigh and drank the potion. Soon, he felt an intense itching on his whole body. While holding the urge to scratch, the next thing he knows his body starts becoming transparent. So it was an invisibility potion!

“Hah! I knew it! The wheatgrass IS the perfect catalyst! Now if only the activation speed…. *mumbles**mumbles*”, Lyra said cheerfully while jotting it down on a notebook that mysteriously appears.

“Um, can I have the antidote now? The itching is starting to be unbearable.” Grendel pleads as he is doing his best on continuing holding back his hand from scratching like crazy. Unfortunately, Lyra only managed to hear the itching part, and Grendel is left to test his willpower for another five minutes before the effects wore down

Next, Lyra handed him a purple-colored liquid. “Sorry for that. Now, onto the third one. For this one, just drink a sip of it, okay? It’s something I randomly concocted while being drunk a few days ago, and I’m still not sure what’s its effect and how much dosage should be applied.”

'Great. An untested and unknown potion made by a drunk person? It can’t get more questionable than this.'
Grendel thought as opened it and took a sip. However, nothing happened to him, even after some time.

“Huh. Nothing happened. Perhaps the potion failed?”, Grendel asked, half relieved upon the fact.

“Hmm, I’m still not convinced. Can you try it again? This time, try drinking a third of it”

“Alright then, here goes.”

While drinking the potion again, Grendel suddenly felt the potion’s taste and smell are getting stronger instantly, creating an overwhelming combination which makes him spit out the potion in disgust.

“Bleh! Why’s the potion’s suddenly- “

Stopping mid-sentence, he suddenly noticed something: it’s not the potion that suddenly changed, it’s him. In an instant, he is able to perceive everything that’s inside the lab, from the faintest smell of leftover ingredients on the desk, the slight sound coming from the wooden floor, the feeling of air touching his skin, and the smallest detail on the lab’s wooden wall. The sudden influx of information overwhelmed him, making him very agitated on the slightest stimulus he received. It took all his effort to restrain himself and not lashing out inside the lab.

Seeing Grendel’s strange reaction, Lyra tried to say something, only to be cut short by him.

“Antidote. Now.”, he demanded, half-shouting towards the girl.

He inwardly apologized to the girl, but he needed that antidote, fast, as he’s not sure how long he can keep calm. Heck, even speaking a mere two words nearly sent him over the edge from the sensations.

After taking the antidote, Grendel could finally calm down and heaved a sigh, before noticing the worried alchemist beside him.

“Are you okay? You suddenly went all jumpy and anxious, like a drug addict or something”

“Yeah, Sorry for yelling. Your potion suddenly heightened my senses, making me very sensitive to everything around me. I guess that’s also why it didn’t seem to work the first time, the change is just too small to be noticed”

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t’ expect it’s something that potent, and I should’ve told you to take less of it. Anyway, let’s wrap it up here. Here, let me stamp your quest sheet”, she asked while outstretching her hand.

“Wasn’t there three of them? What about the last one?”

Hearing his question, she instantly frowned and scolded him, “What are you talking about? Go take look in that mirror over there! "Your face looks like a ghost, and you're already swaying around like a drunkard! You think someone like that can do a proper testing? Just let me stamp your sheet, and go back home and rest!"


That was unexpected. Although the quest description sounded like she doesn’t mind having a stranger suddenly died inside her place, maybe she’s actually a rather nice person?

“Besides, if you kicked the bucket right here, it’ll be a major pain to drag your body out, you know? What with your giant body, and all.”

Or not. Is this what the saying ‘one word too many’ meant?

Oblivious to his evaluation on her, Lyra handed back the sheet and a few large coins.
“Here’s your proof, now scram and go back home stat! If you still feel off after a few days, come back here and I’ll check you up”

“I’ll do just that, then. Thanks for the offer”, Grendel replied while receiving the sheet, before heading out and returns to his camp

Spoiler: note

- Got a little bit lost, but managed to find Lyra's store
- Tested two potions:

1. An invisibility potion: a potion that is able to turn you invisible for five minutes, but it comes with intense itching. Personally, I think it's something better suited to torture prisoners rather than helping a spy or a scout
2. A perception-increasing potion: increases the perception of your senses. Must be taken with exact dosage, as it's highly potent. Too little of it is ineffective, while too much can drive you crazy

@AliceShiki
((Oof, somehow the conversation sounds rather stiff, hope it's a decent enough story))

 

"Yo, I'm done."

A gourd entered the guild several hours after receiving his quest, dumping a sack of steel plate armor alongside a sword.

Spoiler: Reports

The gourd just returned from Seditio and there's already trouble brewing. Sighing from the wear, he immediately took off toward Lakeside village. The idiot kidnapped Sophia yesterday night, beating up a number of guards to do so. Tracking where he went would be a simple matter.

A few bout of interviews later, alongside a very distraught begging from Baron Kuin, the gourd had some idea and went out to the plains. The guy already picked the field and threathened to kill his hostage if anyone else approached so the baron couldn't send anyone close. Not like he had the personnel with the capability to extract Sophia unharmed. No matter, it still fell into the gourd's field of expertise.

"Shadowflip."

Night already fell. The gourd simply followed the flickering flame at the middle of the plain, where Phery Otton awaited. No sense allowing himself to be seen, so he tapped into his Brand early into the journey and flitted through with great swiftness. Killing the rogue knight aside, Sophia Kuin was a rather interesting subject. He'll need to keep her alive.

"...and when Mister Gourd comes here you'll be very sorry! Evil man, repent now! Forgiveness starts from within!"

...he was greeted to the sight of a fully armored Phery Otton clutching his head, on the opposing side of the campfire to little Sophia. Unharmed mostly, just tied up. How would the guy expected to have kidnapped a chatterbox to match the most devout priestess? From the looks of it, she's been talking non-stop since the kidnapping.

"Vertigo."

The gourd tapped Sophia from behind, eliciting some yelping as she fell straight upward. A platform materialized the moment the Brand effect ran out, stranding the girl high up out of reach. The gourd himself rose from the shadows, stepping forward as Phery's exhaustion burned out at the sight.

Spoiler: Redacted Parts

"You know, that was a really disappointing move." He shrugged. "There's a whole lot of methods you could pick. Perhaps make a false trail before circling to Nagrand. Or disappear for real, waiting the whole things to blow over. I'd have hard time defending if you blast a big spell from an ambush. But instead you comes head on like a bull, unthinking at how it gives your target ample of preparation time. Kidnapping? Seriously? That's my alley, not yours. It's not even done well, the brat's practically unhurt."

"I've had a big expectations. Nevermind that, I suppose I'll just kill you and be done with it. My garden need attention." The gourd finished his monologue, drawing his blade.

With an angry roar Phery charged forward, flaming wings bursting out and he also shot some fire lances toward Sophia's platform. More Hardlight materialized to block the projectiles, right before they reached melee.

"I've got no time for this, seriously. Redshift."

The gourd raised a crimson barrier, which cracked badly from the flame-powered strike. He charged through split seconds after Phery's strike bounced off, tapping into a gift from a certain duck. The gourd helmet flashed brilliantly bright for a very short moment accompanied by a shrill keen, courtesy of the Sunbright rune. In the middle of the night like this? It's badly debilitating. The rogue knight barely made out that gourd had pulled something out of his chest strap.

"Goodbye."

Blinded, disoriented, and his sword out of position, that's the last words Phery heard before another bright flash claimed his life.

*****

"Welp. There goes half a silver."

Point-blank grapeshot burst was never pretty. The visor was made of fine steel but a portion of it was shredded, not to mention that a number of the lead balls simply went through the existing gap. That much force against naked face? The outcome's rather obvious.

He tapped Vertigo to get Sophia before gradually falling down, using the same Brand to return to the ground. The girl's chattering excitedly, getting quiet for a moment to devour some water and rations before returning to the chatter with gusto. The gourd himself took the time to strip the gears off Phery's corpse, wondering if he'd get complaint over the damaged visor.

*****

"Mister Gourd? Did you killed the bad man?" Sophia asked on the way home, clinging onto the gourd's back.

"Yes. He's done terrible things. Sometimes, the only mercy we can grant is a quick death." The hypocrite sagely explained.

"I see..."

She stopped talking after that.

Spoiler: Notes

-Phery Otton is no more.
-Gears recovered. Some damage on the visor.
-Sophia have a lot to think about.

@AliceShiki

 

At least nothing went too badly... Who'd have guessed Lyra-san concocts things while drunk though... I didn't even know she drinked.

Well, it didn't explode on you, so it's not that terrible... Good job out there~

I guess she already paid you the 7 Large Copper Coins based on the last words in the report? In this case you get 4 guild points for clearing the quest~

Take care now~

((It was a fun read! ^^)/))

 

Welp, I'm incredibly surprised, you were very quick and efficient about it... I was honestly more worried about what a knight would be able to do, but... Well, good job I suppose~

The guy really should have prepared more I guess... Oh well, too bad for him and good job for you~

As of now you're officially a C-ranked adventurer Jack-san, good job~

Please take this Silver Badge, I think you know the drill by now, right? A fine issued if lost, and it has your name in its back... Or is what I would like to say, but we first need to handle a small procedure.

*puts a knife on the table, right next to the badge* Please put a drop of your blood in the badge, it will activate its enchantments. As for what they do, there are 2 minor, but important enchantments in it.

The first is a one-sided life link between badge and owner. If you die, the badge breaks. If the badge breaks, nothing happens to you. This is to make sure nobody will be able to kill you, steal your badge and impersonate you, as C-ranked adventurers are generally somewhat trusted outside.

The second is a similar one. Also a one-sided link between badge and owner, but with a slightly different function. Your badge will break if you stay a whole week away from it. And once again, nothing will happen to you in case it breaks... As for how much "away" means, that's 10m.

You generally will not need to worry about this at all, for as long as you carry your badge with you and don't let it get stolen it won't break. But we need this kind of security in order to avoid having badges stolen and people easily impersonating as adventurers.


I'm sorry for the bother, but it's a necessary procedure to keep the guild's trustworthiness intact. Can we move forward with it?

 

"Alright!"

He cut through one finger, dripping a rather excessive amount of blood onto the badge.

 

A drop was enough...

*coughs* Well, it's fine. *gives you the badge* Once again, congratulations on becoming a C-ranked member Jack-san, best of luck on future quests and may the gods bless your path~ *bows*

 

"Thanks! You'll deliver the knight gear and ear then?"

 

"I'm back! Oh, my rank up quest is here? Time to do that later!"

Spoiler: Sefirot of Kings

“Oh, this place doesn’t look half bad, actually. Could use a gardener to straighten out the yard, but otherwise, it looks fine.”

The girl studied the exterior of the two-floor inn, noting the old, yet solid wooden frame. Both the masonry and carpentry were top notch, despite bearing marks of age.

“Looks like this place has been here for a good ten years at the least...Popular place.”

The road leading to the inn was neglected and overgrown with weeds, while the stables at the side were empty. She couldn’t see any other guests around at all; in the time it took for her to reach the front door, she had heard nothing at all.

*Knock knock*

“Hello…?”

Pushing the door open, the girl discovered that the front lobby was deserted. There were no guests milling about, nor was there anyone at the front counter.

“...I know the request said that the inn was haunted, but I didn’t expect it to be empty. This silence...is a little unsettling.”

After going through the first floor and finding it completely devoid of life, Elaine headed up the stairs to the second floor, finding it similarly empty.

“This...has turned into a difficult situation. I’ll think of what to do tomorrow, then. Time to sleep.”

Commandeering the first inn room that was empty (basically all of them), Elaine locked the door securely and dusted off the unused bed sheets. Shrugging, she removed her armour and tossed them onto the bedside chair, leaving only her inner clothes on, and jumped onto the bed, soon asleep.

…

…

…

*Prod*

“Uh...Is it morning already? Five more minutes……!”

Snapping wide awake, Elaine glanced around warily. There’s nobody else in the room.

What in the…

Something had woken her up. But she had already determined that no one else had been around yesterday; if so, what exactly woke her?

…Looks like the requester might not have been kidding about the ghosts.

Tossing her equipment on, Elaine left the room, heading down the stairs. As she did, however, she tripped and knocked over a pot of plants on the stairwell. It feel to the floor, promptly shattered...and a false wall fell away to reveal a tunnel and stairs leading downstairs.

Hiding the entrance? That’s a sign of suspicious activity if I’ve ever seen one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holding a lit torch, Elaine advanced down the hidden tunnel slowly, listening for traps. Her sensei made sure to emphasize one point: that a secret tunnel will have its own secret traps. It was a full set thing.

“A wine cellar? Looks like someone buried a dead dog in here, based on much it stinks.”

Of course, as she stumbled around blindly, she set off a floor trap, and when she tried grabbing to the side of the wall in order to hang on, she triggered another trap.

The steel cuff snapped shut around her left arm, and the chain held her to the wall. It also made one hell of a noise.

“Oops.”

Then the inhabitants made themselves known. First were skeletons, walking out of the side tunnels into the room. Then came the wraiths, phasing through the walls. There was maybe twenty in total.

“The trap has finally been sprung, what an idiot. Now, I’ll have enough spirits to build my own undead kingdom!”

Elaine tugged experimentally on the chains as she stared at the new arrival, a man wearing purple robes.

“It’s useless! I mixed the bone dust of the dead people into the chains! Without a priest to dispel it, you won’t be able to break the chains! Hahaha!”

“Bone...dust? Where did you get those?”

“Where else? The people I’ve killed, of course. It would have been a waste if I hadn’t made use of their corpses. Such a good source of materials!”

“So...not only did you kill the innocent people who had been living here, but you also defiled their corpses and raised them from the dead, forcing them to servitude, not allowing them to get the peaceful rest they deserve…”

“So what? It’s only natural for slaves to offer up everything of theirs to their king! They should work themselves to the bone, giving me their utmost loyalty!”

“...You bastard. That’s not what a king is supposed to do.”

Her arms grew uncomfortably hot, her breathing quickening into heavy panting. It felt as if something inside her was about to burst.

“Someone in a seat of power, in order to deem themselves worthy of their subjects’ efforts, should possess a minimum of three values!”

*Creak*

The shackles on her arm started giving way, the chains groaning as it tried to hold on.

“One, they should always have the well-being of their citizens as their first and foremost priority!”

The discomfort was disappearing, but her chained arm was quivering. Elaine could feel unknown power coursing through her veins.

“Second, they should never ever think about exploiting their own subjects in exchange for personal power!”

The chain could be seen stretching.

“Lastly, they should be leading from the absolute frontlines, not hide behind their own guards like a wuss!”

“Shut up, you impertinent girl!”

The black mage waved his staff, causing the darkness to gather around Elaine in huge masses. The inky black mass surged forward, enveloping the girl...not really.

*SNAP*

The girl roared as she gave one more powerful tug, ripping the chain clear off the wall. Subsequently, a wave of crimson flames exploded outwards, burning away the blackness.

*ROAR*

When the flames vanished, what remained was one really pissed Elaine.

“For a self-proclaimed king, that sure was a real joke.”

“S-Shut up! We’ll see how much you can talk when you’re torn apart by my minions! Go! Rip her to shreds!”

The silence that followed was even quieter than the motionless undead.

“What the...impossible! Why aren’t they listening to my orders?! What manner of witchery have you used? Kill her, I said! I command you to kill her!”

The skeletons and wraiths shook slightly, but otherwise didn’t move. Elaine shook her head sadly at the black mage, which was still barking out orders.

“You still haven’t figured out?”

“What do you---ARRRRRRRRRGH!”

The mage screeched in pain, which was quite natural, considering that more than half of the rapier’s blade had pierced through him from behind, sticking out of the chest-plate like some sort of horribly placed unicorn horn. An idiot would be able to tell that it was a fatal blow.

“Your spells might have seized control of their bodies, but from the very start, you’ve not won over a single one of their hearts! A villain like you, who would defile bodies and disturb their fitful slumber, is no king. You’re just a pretender, a thief leaning against a stolen throne. And those who would disrespect the dead...will join them.”

*Squelch*

With a fluid move, Elaine withdrew her rapier before slashing a huge cross on the mage’s back, causing the blood to spray out in bursts. She took a few steps back, avoiding the worst of the blood fountain, as the mage slowly toppled facefirst.

“...Spare...me…”

Slowly, the body started dissolving into ash, leaving nothing behind save the robes and the wooden staff, both of which were smoking in an unsightly manner. The mage had indeed used a forbidden spell to raise up so much dead, but in the end it had done him no good, and the cost was terrible to behold.

“Repent by becoming nutrients to the earth. At least you’ll do some good this way.”

Then, she turned to look at the gathered dead, most of which had looked on without movement, and were now staring blankly at one another. Elaine sighed, shaking her head.

“Excuse me.”

They turned to regard her with an eerie synchronization, beholding her with the blue orbs of flame which served as their eyes.

“Well...I ask of you to lend me your ears.”

Acting on instinct, Elaine took out the wooden hairpin, and gently pinned it on. Unlike earlier, she had a hunch that she would be able to hear something.

We are grateful. Thank you.

One by one, the skeletons stood at attention and bowed, disappearing into powder which then scattered into the wind. The wraiths smiled with their scarred faces, and begun fading as well.

We’ll remember this.

Thank you, young one.

May fortune smile on you.

We’ll always watch over you, no matter what.

And finally, the skeleton wearing the inn owner’s clothes crumbled as well, but not before leaving one final message.

We’ll be looking forward to your future exploits...little patron of kings. If you should find yourself in need of extra help, just say the word.

The various belongings of the deceased lay scattered around in piles of ash, before vanishing as well, along with their owners.

And then the girl sighed once more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Crackle*

The disused inn was on fire. Elaine stood some metres away from the front yard, a lit torch in her hands. She watched as the spreading flames consumed the woodwork, eating away at the wooden beams.

“The owner had good intentions, but he chose a poor place.”

After the incident, she had gained access to the locked room behind the counter, with the key that had been left on the floor, and discovered the innkeeper’s own room. A journal was left opened on the wooden table, pages yellowed with age, but the writing clear enough to be seen.

It had spoken about the owner, who had constructed the place with his own hands, and wanted it to become a respite for weary travellers making their journeys through the extreme weather. The reputation grew, and the inn flourished, bustling with customers.

Unfortunately, the place he picked was isolated for a good reason. It had once been an ancient burial ground. This place, so deeply saturated by darkness energy, drew the attention of a black mage. The unfortunate innkeeper died, but his spirit remained, trapped in the same place he cherished so much when he was alive. The guests, having loved spending their time there so much as well, all became similarly trapped.

She recalled what she had said the previous night, just before she had sent away the spirits.

“Well...I know you guys have been sticking around for so long after death, because you love this inn, don’t you? I can understand. Even though it’s been only one might that I’ve spent here, I’ve grown to like this place as well.”

*Creak*

The closest skeleton tilted it’s head.

“But all good things must come to an end someday. Just like how the sun sets to make way for the night, what happened in the past must stay in the past.”

The wraiths floated about, restless, but none of them made any noise. Almost as if they knew enough to keep silent and respect the speaker.

“So...You’ve done more than enough to spread cheer and happiness in the world, mister innkeep. And now, you should rest. Don’t worry any longer about anything; it’s time for us, the ones who are still living, to carry on that responsibility. Therefore...please close up the inn today.”

And the skeleton smiled. Well, it didn’t have an face muscles to work with, but Elaine was pretty sure that the dead innkeeper was grinning.

*Crackle*

Snapping out of her stupor, Elaine glanced back at the inn, now collapsed into a smothering pile. In a way, she was the last guest of the little inn that was tucked away in an isolated corner of the land, and it made her somewhat sad.

It was truly a pity to destroy the magnificent building, but her Sensei said that it was one of the easiest ways to help the deceased pass on peacefully; excess affection led to obsession, and the easiest way to get rid of said obsession as to destroy the source.

“...Farewell.”

Spoiler: Notes

Regulus Puniceum • Lion of Fiery Crimson: A manifestation of Elaine’s fighting spirit, taking form of a large lion with flames for a mane. It’s entirely comprised of fighting spirit, and thus is not afraid of conventional weaponry. Has strong affinity with the Fire Element.

 

"Will be intruding..." Maga looked around and successfully found his receptionist "Here's my report."

Spoiler: Report Log?

Day 1

After receiving the quest, Maga went out of the guild directly to the shore where he kept his items. It was his usual spot for his old fishing et drinking routine. He unfolded his old chair laid down a few bottles of liquor.

Maga loved the sea. It reminds him of how he used to mindlessly watch the sea without taking along his problems. Even now Maga feels calm when he’s near the sea. He just drink as a force of habit, a way to alter his senses, a way to become even more mindless.

Maga throw his first hook down the sea. He begin checking the pier next to shore where he will go next for his quest. He noticed that the crewmen of the ship were still loading the cargo, if he went there earlier he would have to do that bothersome work so instead he stayed to fish. He planned to go over when it ship is close to depart. Unknowingly he finished 12 bottles of liquor before the pier started calming down from the bustle. He stood up of his chair and went straight to the port chasing away all the people he came across.

“What are you doing here!?”

On the entrance of the pier was guards who are incredibly wary of the-about-to-enter Maga. Maga, with his fishing rod and red face, started talking mindlessly,

“Heeeeello? *hick”

He flicked his forefinger at the gate slowly to indicate he wanted to pass. The guards took that gesture as an offense and was about to apprehend Maga, but then saw the badge in Maga’s breast that shows he is from the guild. They were instantly convinced. They know exactly how diverse the guild was. They soften their stances and spoke to the very creepy Maga,

“Oh! so you were the adventurer who took the request of Red Betty’s ship captain. Well, come in. I’ll verify your badge just in case.”

Maga walked towards the gate bobbing strangely. The other guard, who was tasked to guide the unusual Maga, felt a shiver on his spine. He felt as if the sound of footsteps Maga was making as it crunches the sand was unsettling due to how unrhythmic and disorganized it is, plus his first impression of Maga was too creepy that his body inadvertently felt like it was going to jump from all the warning signs.

“T-this… is as far as I can g-guide you. I… still have guard d-duties to do.”

With that said, the guard in the end was overwhelmed and wasn't able to take Maga to his client. Maga accepted, he did not over-think what the guard said before it ran away and continued walking along the pier. Maga got closer to Red Betty and immediately, for same obvious reasons, the pier got overly noisy. One of the taller man arrived and spoke,

“Ye have finally arrived, Mate! I was waiting for ya, but... are ye up fo the job?”

The man inspected Maga with his eye. With the guard gone away, no one will vouch for Maga’s identity to the crewmen. Still, it seems that the person could still identify that Maga was here for the request. Maga raised his arm and spoke.

“Ayyy am, cansh you shee???”

“So, How tough are ya?”

“Ayy… couldsh schug a barrel of Alcohol… andsh libve. I cansh handle the sea and divorce… alsho libve.”

“So yer smashed. I’ll lend ye hammock so come aboard. I’ll have someone guide ye to yer room. I expect ya to werk hard fer tomorrow so rest.”

Maga was dispirited. It was about time he noticed he was failing quite noticeably. Maga walked towards ship bridge but the moment he passed the captain, he was tapped in the shoulder,

“Ye taking this quest is proof enough ye are capable… somewhat…”

Maga resumed walking as he cheered up a little. He arrived at the deck and saw a single buff young man stood. The man seems surprised to see him.

“Captain Maga? Is that you?”

“Hmm…”

Maga made a gesture of his hands creeping on his face and stared at the man while, slowly but without mistake, getting closer. The man immediately regretted calling out to him as he currently is and started waving his hands wildly in rejection.

“Okay now, captain don’t move a single step, I’ll introduce myself from here. I mean, god you are scaring me!”

Maga made an abrupt stop. The man made a deep sight after seeing how different was the person he know before.

“How did you even become like this? Forget it, I’ll just guide you to your room.”

The man walked without so much a word and Maga followed briefly. Maga felt an indescribable sense of... guilt.

…
Day 2

Maga woke up from the sounds of his door being knocked. He shrug off his weak coat of embarrassment and went out the door. This time, he is fully sober.

“Good morning, Captain.”

The guide made a full salute. Most of all he was happy that his old Captain was now back to normal. Appearance wise, Maga was normal. He is bearable and shows decent amount of dignity. It was way different when he is drunk. Maga walked towards the ship deck with his aide following him.

“Oh. right lass, what are you called again?”

His aide was happy to be remembered and replied energetically,

“It’s Szymek, Captain.”

“Szymek, boy. Stop calling me captain on someone else ship. It’s disrespecting.”

“Affirmative, sir Maga.”

Both arrive to the deck and saw Captain Wogen. Wogen waved at them bois.

“Oh, mate! Yer awake. Thank heavens ya are normal today.”

“Awheee… sorry for that poor display. As punishment, I shan't drink before the journey ends.”

“Aye, that’s the spirit!”

Both captain had a hard laugh afterwards.

Maga looked around and see all crewmen already slacking on their station, the only active crewmen is the lookout but there is no need to man the ship in such a good weather. There is no way he could fish with the ship going fast. Maga took the ship corner and started looking at the glistering sea in the sunset.

Speaking of Maga’s title as a captain, it was his recent promotion he threw away after the captain of his old crew died out of illness. Maga might not be the most brilliant in the crew, but he knows the old captain too well for it was his own father. Going over his thoughts like that, he had the urge to start drinking. Just then, he smelled salt in the air.

“Sir Maga is something wrong?”

“Nnn? Storm... it’s coming.”

“Ahh… then how about you inform the Captain?”

Maga let out a deep breath and briefly instructed Szymek, “tell everyone go to their stations. Stay near the netting like always.” Szymek, paused in disbelief but but slowly showed a smirk towards Maga.

“Sir, your worry is unjustified, I have grown these past 3 years… Well”

Szymek pointed his thumb behind,

“The ship can take care of itself.”

“Such unneeded lag. Stop hanging around here and go inside then.”

Maga replied grumpily. Maga did not plan on sheltering himself. He plan to watch the waves as it hits the ship, he is planning to get as much reenlivenment from the past as his body instinctively felt it necessary for him to get a grip with himself.

Maga was looking at the ship and understood that the weight of the ship is heavy that the waves from the storm can only knock the ship slightly. The captain himself and few other crewmen did stay on the deck on their raincoats, with the exception of Maga.

Maga knows he will be feeling cold, and by instinct he pulled out his alcohol to warm himself. The captain and the others joined as well thus it became a party filled with reminiscing…

…
Day 3

The ship arrived at Agral. The crew was busy anchoring the ship in the deeper part of the sea, while the captain is out asking for permission to alight. Merfolks surrounded the ship for inspection and got the ‘okay’. They moved closer the foreshore where they can ship the goods easily.

The captain disembarked the ship and met with the Merman merchant along with his guards, Agral was full of corals with footholds of uneven height with some footholds are over the water. It was no problem since this was just the town coast boundary part of Agral…

“We have identified that the ship was truly the Red Betty. We, merfolks welcome Captain Wogen to our humble home.”

The Agral spokesman lowered his head towards Captain Wogen. It seemed like they have various circumstance that they have to trade with human ships. The coral like place were bustling of friendly mermen and merwomen of all shapes and sizes. They were truly not wary of human strangers.

“No need to be humble, mate! We’re lucky to have nice neighbors in this vast seas. If anything, I should be the one thankful.”

“We are glad you think that way. This way please.”

The spokesman lead the way. The spokesman with his bodyguards, the captain waited for his bodyguards to disembarked so he could proceed to negotiate. However, there happened a one, slightly big, of a problem…

*Blergh!!!!!

In the ship, Maga just woke up from drinking overnight, as a result of that he showered barf on the sea... under plain view of all the merfolks. The captain can’t help but feel his eyebrows twitch. He seemed to have forgetten about him.

Maga looked at the sea and found the clear sea (he just dirtied) and himself being spectacle of some sort to all of the merfolks. But the current Maga cannot recognize that, he instead unconsciously unleashed the full power of his mean stare + his overpowering aura. The merfolks can’t help but look away, they could not even berate him.

“Ahaha… My, my, I hope ye can forgive me for this, mate! That one is one of my bodyguards, he is strong, I tell ya.”

“R-right, then you can bring him along, safety, even as formality, is a must after all.”

Captain Wogen has a lot of other stronger and better bodyguard candidates however now, he had no choice but to bring Maga along. Captain Wogen was in the dumps now that he have to bring a potential danger while feeling slightly relieve that he get to protect everything equally.

Captain Wogen and the Agral spokesman arrived at the meeting area. Despite it being a meeting area, the building was roofless; The foothold was elevated with stairs, on top of it was a round table and a drawing-well-like structure filled to the brim. The captain did not hesitate to sit and sink his foot in. The Agral Spokesperson swam below the well and sat on the other side of the captain. At the holed corners of the platform appeared another two merfolk bodyguards, Maga and another person walked up stairs in turn which completed the set-up of the meeting.

“First of all, let’s be brief, I can only sell you few things we own, we have things we Agral's only can have-"

“Alright, whatever ye think fits! and us, shall not ask for more ya have offered. We’d like to keep this relationship balanced.”

“Then…”

The merchant spokesperson caught glances of Maga as he stood left behind Captain Wogen. The more he measures Maga, the more he felt unsettled. It’s not just him, The guards behind him were glued tied on their seats unsure of whether they would be even willing to go near Maga.

Maga had no control over his enigmatic aura. Captain Wogen naturally know that Maga has an odd presence considering how the people around him react. However, he also knew that it was hard for the spokesperson to bring up considering it was him who give permission to bring him up.

The talked continue slightly until the spokesperson paused, and took a breath. Wogen swallowed his saliva as he await the spokespersons next words.

“We understood that your bodyguard is strong and I think my guards will be helpless against him. If you kindly please-”

“Here! I’ll take his place.”

“Okay~ you come here! You. you stay put somewhere.”

Szymek raised his hands fast and Wogen immediately responded. Szymek cannot stand the awkward aura any longer and volunteered, Captain Wogen could not agree more and instantly responded.

“Thank you. (Thank god, we can finally feel safe.)”

The spokesperson, even his guards, lowered their heads as they spoke things under their breaths. Wogen thanked Szymek in his mind, for the nice save. Szymek himself love both captains so he felt slight responsibility to help both of them.

Still it did not took long for the merfolk to kick Maga out of the meeting. Maga was still clueless of the event and accepted the suggestion. He went back to the ship and grab along a fishing rod and an ice box, his mind immediately mapped his next course of action. That is fishing and drinking, a never ending cycle.

He sat near a good spot with a placard that says fishing is prohibited, those who spotted him cannot help but scream internally; The moment he sat with his foot in the lake, the moment he placed the ice box down, and every moment he lay down the bait and catch some fish. There was no moment the merfolk were left unexcited (from rage). However, it is a fact that Maga’s aura kept increasing the moment he started drinking, not even their peacekeepers can’t keep him away from the prohibited lake. They just thought it was a necessary loss to appease the drunk beast.

The beast was unconcerned and happily kept fishing, then he noticed the waves getting disturbed slightly. He touched the water to be sure, but he definitely felt it. He comes up with few assumption; A. A whale is nearby B. A massive surge of middle-sized fish C. Herd of migrating fishes. He look straight ahead and found dozens black-tailed merfolks rushing towards the Agral town.

“We are a Black Merfolks! We have cannot stand the persecution of the color-tailed merfolks far longer! Thus we have come to declare war!!!”

What the Black Merfolks assaulted was a town in harmony. It is certainly true that a single merman can overpower a hundred men in the sea however they cannot do much on someone armed from their own same race. As they slowly come closer they felt a slight odd incongruity on their warm-blooded senses. The air they see started bending and saw an out of place human fishing alone in the forbidden fishing zone with no mermans in sight. The Black Merfolks came to a stop. They can’t proceed without knowing how dangerous what is ahead. Their representative spoke,

“I don’t know who you are but If you get in the way we shall erase you by force!”

Cautious, as the merfolk was he still let out threats to chase away the outsider. Maga slowly dragged the hooked bait out of the sea, stood up and displayed it open hand to the merfolks.

“Willsh yshou bite ons thish?”

Maga with his condition, was genuinely happy that the big fish surfaced to face him. That means he have more to eat. However, for the black merfolks, it was an insult to be belittled as a lowly unintelligent fish. They grab their forks in anger, still they kept their cool and launched a pressurized water powered by magic as a warning shot towards Maga. What happened afterwards was a nightmare. Maga opened his eyes even more as a conditioned reflex. His stare becomes twice as overpowering. The black merfolks backed away.

...They’ve sweat buckets. The mere sight of the blood dripping from his cheeks to the sea were poison. Their senses tells them that if they stay there longer they will die, so without further questioning the man, they escaped to the sea.

The guards arrived and saw the Black Merfolks running far and far away from the sea. They were also scared but their indebtedness outweighs their fear, the cheers resounded and blew away the aura Maga was emanating.

...

“What’s with the commotion?”

The meeting has adjourned on the other side. They found Maga surrounded by merfolks. The Agral spokesperson asked what the jolly sight. The merfolks told the crew and the merfolks, who just finished their meeting, how Maga saved the day. The ship crew was seen in an even more positive light than they were before, and they were satisfied with that. It goes without saying that they have procured the goods and is now in a good relationship with the merfolks of Agral.

...
Day 4

The ship arrived safely at the pier along with the extra goods procured as appreciation gift.

“Maga, I've always know about you and your father. I won’t tell you to go back to being a sailor but I hope you’ll have a good time adventuring, if it doesn't work you can always go and join me.”

“Thank you.”

Maga, did a salute to the senior Captain and went back to the guild, the quest took 3 days and a half but it was quite a fun journey... for Maga at least.

Spoiler: Notes

• Mind Recharge [Unranked Buff Skill]: Overtake his intoxication with senses. {Condition: Reminiscing}
• Unknown Locked Skill; Works on healing small wounds… details unspecified.
• Additional information for Skill - Taunt; it is semi-active at intoxicated state.
• Extra: The Black Merfolks just can’t stand thinking that they are swimming in a sea with a blood of a massive creep and withdrew. They all jumped into conclusion.
• Maga's skills can stack.

((I don’t know how far I can take my first quest so here’s me being confused about that… also, Maga is a literal walking landmine. Please tell me if there is anything wrong with this kind of report.))

@Lenaia

 

"Mister Maga, welcome back! Let me parse your report..." Catherine's cheery voice came out as dissonantly as ever out of the uncanny construct. It flipped through the pages of reports faster than what seems humanly possible.

"...well, you should be careful not to cause international incident. It all went well this time but there's no telling the future yes? Your quest reward is fifteen large coppers and four points, have a nice day!"

((Nothing wrong with quests being too long. I'd say tone down the intimidation effect on experienced fighters, like some of the guards or the invaders met during his trip, but overall it's fine.))

 

Spoiler: Gaining the bodies

”Hunting bandits yes this is definitely something that I can do, but the question is where is a good place to find them?” Kathicia proceeds to head off to look for any merchants in the area.

Kathicia arrived at the tavern that the merchants often hung around and decided to listen from the roof to the talks that they were having about their business. Kathicia overheard a conversation between two of the merchants exiting the guild about how a man called Frank was a day late from their estimations on the run he was taking, he should have been back from the Lakeside Village by now.

After hearing this Kathicia left the rooftop and headed off along the pathway to look for any sign of a merchant. Kathicia stumbles upon the merchant’s wagon with the horses having stormed off into the distance, Kathicia began floating around the carriage looking for footprints and other things that may have been broken or cut. Kathicia noted six sets of footprints around the carriage and many of the crates in the back broken and heavily damaged. Kathicia enters into the carriage and finds the body of a man whom looks like a merchant within the carriage. The body is full of stab wounds and his head crushed by a hammer.

“Well I guess that Frank isn’t going to be meeting with his friends anytime soon, I guess I found my bandits.” Kathicia heads off following the footsteps of the 6 men. After about 3 hours of travelling following the trail that had been left behind by the bandits.

Just as the sun was setting Kathicia had arrived at the camp of the 6 bandits, she proceeded to the centre of their encampment where she proceeded to sit down right next to the small fire that they had set up. Kathicia pulled out her 4 knifes and layed them down besides her and then next she pulled out her bladed fans and began fanning herself with them.

After a small period of time the 3 of the 6 men come back into the camp Kathicia immediately puts down her fans and then picks up her 3 knifes. “So are you lot bandits?” Kathicia then proceeds to slowly stand up and turn to face the returning bandits.

“Of course we are! Now why don’t you surrender to us little girl so we can sacrifice you to lord Avrav!” After that statement Kathicia’s eyes light up blood red and she proceeds to immediately throw one of her bronze daggers straight through the mans head.

“You dare to disgrace my lords name in such a way? He does not demand sacrifices he demands blood via fair combat!” Kathicia then gets into a stance to receive the two charging bandits. “I shall teach you his teachings before bringing you to a swift ending.” The first man to arrive at Kathicia swings a small blade at Kathicia’s left leg whilst he tries to rush past her.

Kathicia flies up into the air whilst kicking the man in the head. She dropped back to the ground standing on the man whom she had kicked. The second man she proceeds to kick her bladed fan on the floor through his skull. “Well that is 2 down 4 to go.” Bursting from her shadow the fourth assailant appears and trie to stab Kathicia in the back. Kathicia spins around and smashes the jaw of the man with her wing. This proceeds to knock him out.

“3 out of 6, 3 left.” Comments kathica as she drops the clean dagger she was holding onto the neck of the last guy. “And that means two left.” Kathicia begins walking into the forest when an arrow smashes into her arm so she jumps backwards picks up her final clean dagger and the clean bladed fan from the floor. Kathicia then flew off into the opposite direction from which the arrow had come from.

After a few hours of dodging through the forest and trying to kill of the remaining two bandits Kathicia had finally succeeded in getting them both. She then began her preparations for taking them to the location that had been specified on the request by making a small sled out of the tents that the bandits had.

Kathicia arrived at the place dropped them off for Solas to deal with and returned to the guild without bothering to take care of her wound

Spoiler: Notes

Kathicia ended up killing bandits who were also heretics in her eyes There are 2 horses roaming in the forest and a broken carriage on the roadway between Nagrand and the Lakeside Village
Solas now has custody of 6 bandits who also happen to be heretics in the eyes of Kathicia.
Kathicia has an arrow wound in her right arm
I didn't bother to go looking for the original quest for Solas so I barely mentioned her~

"I'm done with exterminating the bandits and I don't think anyone will miss those damned heretics." Kathicia smiles at Aria.
@AliceShiki

 

Spoiler: Report

"Huh... That's interesting." It was a nice day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, flowers were blooming, and Zoan... is looking at a small crow standing before him. The black feathered chick that is before him... is Fey Blackfeather, the black winged-kin whom was found by the nomad less than two weeks ago. However, it is clear that something had happened with the winged-kin; she has become an actual bird instead of a birdbrain.

--- --- ---

One hour prior to this event, the nomad had taken the quest of testing potions and decided to take his employees with him. Upon arriving the shop, the half-elf apprentice Doyle had thoroughly warned the party about the dangers that may befall upon them. The party took heed the apprentice's warning and proceeded to the laboratory of the alchemist.

The alchemist, whose reputation had even reached the nomad's ears, was compounding a red liquid with a black powder with the most intense look on her face. The party was watching Lyra, whose personality was notoriously known to be cheery all the time, perform her work in utter silence. --that is, until Fey began to run in the laboratory and Herst chased her. Fortunately Herst had become used to watching over Fey over the past few weeks, and took held her within his arms before she even took her third step. Nothing was spilled, broken or drunk.

"Oh!" Lyra noticed the guests standing next to the entrance and shook the tube she is holding with care and haste. "Welcome! Welcome! How may I help you~? Are you perhaps here for the potion testing~?" Within an instant, her personality changed from strictly serious to a jolly joyous. The nomad, standing in front of the woman and the orc holding the girl, nodded to the silver haired girl before him.

"Well well! Not much of a talker, are we? Let's go straight to business then!" Lyra then took a glass beaker, containing four tubes with the potions in it. "Here are the potions that you will drink. Now, drink up!" the alchemist shouted with a bright smile on her face.

Zoan nodded once more, took a tube filled with dark green liquid inside and opened it. It had the smell of... trees? However as soon as he recognized the scent, Fey had broken from Herst's grasp and took the tube from the nomad's hands before drinking it. Within mere moments, faint dark green light shone from the black winged-kin's body and the body shrank in size, turning the girl into a bird.

--- --- ---

"Huh... That's interesting." It was a nice day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, flowers were blooming, and Zoan... is looking at a small crow standing before him. The black feathered chick that is before him... is Fey Blackfeather, the black winged-kin whom was found by the nomad less than two weeks ago. However, it is clear that something had happened with the winged-kin; she has become an actual bird instead of a birdbrain.

Lyra took notes of the occurrence and forcibly made the crow drink another potion which returned the girl to her original state within mere seconds. Then, with a wide smile on her face she said: "This should fetch me some good money~"

Zoan looked at the alchemist. 'A potential potion... made by someone from such a young age? This girl... despite her appearance and personality, she is a genius among geniuses!'
He then took the second tube containing a magenta colored liquid. Herst volunteered to be the tester this time. He took a sip from the tube. No smell. No taste. No changes. Thinking that he should perhaps drink more, he tried moving his hand when he realized... he could not move his arm.
The alchemist noticed what happened after Herst did not move for five seconds, and gave the orc the antidote immediately. Herst later disclosed the experience he had had: "I could not move my arm, then I realized I could not move my eyes, and then I realized that I could not breathe... " Lyra avoided making contact with the poor orc and insisted the party to take the next potion with a nervous tone.

--- --- ---

[[The report about the third potion has been removed.]]

--- --- ---

"...let's never talk about what had happened," Lyra said before sealing the third potion away. She then had had enough experiments for the time being, but Zoan insisted that he should take the responsibility by drinking the last potion. The alchemist gave in to the nomad's plea in the end and thus Zoan opened the cork off the fourth and final tube.

The color of the last liquid... was transparent, and there is no smell emitted from the liquid. Zoan drank the potion with no haste, and as soon as he finished consuming the potion to the last drop, he realized... "I think this is just water."

Without even waiting to see whether the effect was delayed or not, Lyra spoke with a tempered tone: "Good! Drink the antidote just in case, please! We wouldn't want any delayed effects now, would we?" Zoan smiled wryly and took the antidote, got the confirmation stamp for the quest, and headed back to the guild.

@Quaesitor

 

Spoiler: A Bandit and A 'Small' Boat

Arawn found that there were a surprising number of ferrymen along the river. While the area with the fallen bridge was the most ideal to ferry people across, there was also a handful spread out in either direction away.


Arawn decided to stay away from the most populous areas, having heard that the bandit preferred to strike when he and his victims were alone. That meant that any place with too many guards or other ferrymen would be no good. With this in mind, he started upstream and worked his way downstream to search for his target.


Arawn was dressed in an outfit that was similar to his usual clothes. The only major difference was that he’d forgone the breastplate and weapons. However, he was hardly unarmed. There was a small blade hidden in his left boot and his larger hunting knife in the bag he had slung over his shoulder. He wasn’t going to be unprepared when he faced the bandit.


As he walked downstream, Arawn observed the prices that each ferryman had posted, trying his best to act the part of a harmless, penny-pinching commoner. In addition to this, he made to sure to discreetly display a heavy money pouch at his waist. Any ferryman who was too seedy looking was skipped over, but the more promising ones got special attention. Every once in a while, Arawn would even take a ferry across with the suspects who seemed like they could be the bandit.


Unfortunately, after a few hours of doing this, he had yet to find the bandit. There were few ferrymen who seemed trustworthy and had good prices, but even those had tried nothing when he had crossed. Now he was a fair distance downstream from the original bridge, where there were fewer and fewer ferrymen to be seen.


Arawn noticed one small ferry up ahead and moved over to check the prices. It was rather cheap at only two Large Copper Coins. The ferryman himself was also not very suspicious. He was a taller man with plain features and broad shoulders. He didn’t stand out in any way other than that he exuded a certain warmth and friendliness others lacked. Given who Arawn was looking for, this made him more suspicious.


Arawn strode over to the ferryman to inquire about his services. “I’d like to cross the river,” he stated plainly. The ferryman nodded and offered his hand to shake.


“My name’s Davy,” he introduced himself. “Glad to be of service. We’ll start off now if that’s alright with you?”


“I’m Cernun,” Arawn replied, introducing himself with a false name. “I’ve no problem with that.”


The newly acquainted pair stepped into the small boat and prepared to leave. Davy motioned for Arawn to sit in the front of the boat while he stood in the back. Arawn sat down with his back to Davy, facing the opposite shore of the river and they set off.

Even though he couldn’t see Davy, Arawn was acutely aware of his movements. He strained his ears to hear every move and sound Davy made, even making sure to use the river’s surface as a makeshift mirror.


As they floated across the river, neither of the pair spoke or made any attempts to communicate. Arawn began to doubt if Davy was the bandit. After all, he might have just been a normal ferryman. When the ferry had traveled over half of the river’s width, Arawn began to relax. Just another dud.


Suddenly, Arawn saw a flash of movement in the reflection in the water. Instinctively, he lunged backward, drawing the blade in his boot and turning in a fluid motion. He narrowly avoided the large oar that was swung at his head and slashed outwards.


Davy blocked the strike with the oar and stumbled backward, obviously surprised to have missed. Arawn gave him no room to breathe, moving in too close for the now confirmed bandit to wield the oar.


Davy kicked at Arawn while trying to bring the oar back, forcing him to take a few steps back. He threw the oar at the hunter and dove for a box stored nearby. Wrenching the lid open, Davy pulled out a short sword at brandished it at Arawn viciously.


He swung wildly, driving Arawn back towards the edge of the boat. Finding himself cornered, Arawn tried to push back against Davy to no avail. Arawn faltered, unable to make a move in any direction. Davy grinned cruelly and capitalized on this, unleashing a particularly heavy blow that would have split Arawn from shoulder to hip had it landed.


Instead, Arawn avoided it by a hair, the blade embedding itself in the wood railing behind him. Before Davy could wrench the blade out of the wood, Arawn bulled into him powerfully with his shoulder, driving Davy backward and away from the sword.


The bandit fell to the deck of the boat, gasping for breath in an attempt to recover from the heavy blow. Before he could do so, Arawn was upon him, slamming the pommel of his dagger into Davy’s temple.


The bandit collapsed limply and stopped struggling. Arawn moved over to his bag and retrieved a length of rope. He secured Davy quickly and dropped the trussed up bandit on one of the seats in the boat.


Arawn then moved over to where the sword was still embedded in the wood. With some effort, he pulled it out of the railing. The sword had an old, bronze blade and a hilt wrapped in brown leather. It was scratched up and in no way in good condition, but it had a sharp edge. Shrugging apathetically, Arawn moved over to where Davy had first retrieved the sword. He opened the box and found a similarly aged scabbard. Arawn slid the blade into its sheath and deposited it with the rest of his items, a safe distance away from the unconscious Davy. It wouldn’t hurt to keep the blade. Spoils of war and all that.


He picked up the oar from where it had landed after Davy threw it at him. He still needed to get across the rest of the river to deliver the bandit. And now that said bandit had been restrained, it was up to Arawn to row himself.

Spoiler: Notes

Acquired an old bronze sword and sheath.

@AliceShiki

 

A white haired ran in the tavern and place the report on the desk.
"Haah...haah... Am I....haah... in time?"

Spoiler: Looking for poems

"U..um sir, I heard you will go to Randgriz?"
"Yeah, in a few days. Want me to send something there?"
"N..no... I want to ask... if you can take me there..."
"That will be tough miss, unless you can pay for XX large copper coins, not many merchants can take you there, that's including me."
"I know... but it's simply too much for me."
"Then I can't help you miss." The man said that and went back to his own business.

I on the other hand, sighs for n'th time after the 5th failed attempt. By now I'm seriously considering if I should just drop the job, but before I could make a firm decision, a strange person called out to me.

"...ey... hey missy. Yes yes, you there with the brown hood, I'm calling on you."
"M..me?" I asked, hoped he got the wrong girl.
"Exactly." The man nodded, waved me closer to his cavern shop. Unsure of what he wanted, I went closer to him and stopped in what I considered of a safe distance. The man shook his head at my wariness before he started a deal with me.

"So missy, I overheard your conversation with that merchant earlier, not the most courteous thing to do, but I can give you a trip to Randgriz."
"...I..I.. don't have enough money for it..."
"Yes, I know. It's why I want something else from you.
"..What is it...?"
"Something interesting, I don't care if it is a thing or some information, as long it can pick up my interest."
"U..um.. Will a talking tree be in your interest?"
"A talking tree is indeed unusual, but I had seen a few of them by myself, so you need something more to spark my attention."
"B..but the one I'm talking about is a tree that talks in poems..."
"Heeh... now that sounds good, what else?"
"Ehm.. I have to exchange a poem with it?"
"Now that's something I want to see, I take you with me if I can see the exchange."
"E..eh? You will join me there?"
"Indeed. What do you say, missy?"
"I...don't have a chose, do I?" To my question, the man made a real business bow and made a wide grin.

"Glad to do business with you!"
That was what he said to seal our deal.
___________________________________________

A few days later, we quickly arrived at Randgriz, much to my surprise.
We apparently took the fastest route, by crossing the river to South of Nagrand. After which we went down through the mountain crossing service, sailed more to south and finally shifted to drive on land.
There were maybe a village or two, but we mysteriously never encountered a single monster on our way. My guess is that something inside the cavern or on the weird man has to do with it...

The odd merchant was probably prepared for this trip, for another boat was ready to take us to Randgriz through an even wider river.
When we finally got to Randgriz, we planned to meet with the tree tomorrow.

....

"Hey missy, how about you sing the song we talked about yesterday?"
"E..eh? W..why so suddenly?"
"Couse I'm bored, and we seem to be lost."
"I..I think so too, but I don't think singing that song here, will be a good idea."
"Well, I don't mind to hear your poem then, however... you don't remember the ones you know?"
"I..I can't recite a poem without practice... and I dropped the one I had written down..."
"I don't think the tree can hear it, I mean.. we still haven't found it."
"...Why this song? I..I know of others too."
"Couse, it sounds interesting."

I sighed tiredly to the man's words and decided to do as he wished, not because I couldn't win against his persistence, but it was rather to calm my growing anxiety. Ever since we got lost, I felt like the trees have moved around while we didn't look, hoping it was just my imagination, I started on the song I somehow remember.

Spoiler: The Willow Maid

Spoiler: Lyrics

A young man walked through the forest
With his quiver and hunting bow
He heard a young girl singing
And followed the sound below
There he found the maiden
Who lives in the willow

He called to her as she listened
From a ring of toadstools red
"Come with me, my maiden
Come from thy willow bed"
She looked at him serenely
And only shook her head

"See me now
A ray of light in the moondance
See me now
I cannot leave this place
Hear me now
A strain of song in the forest
Don't ask me
To follow where you lead"

A young man walked through the forest
With a flower and coat of green
His love had hair like fire
Her eyes an emerald sheen
She wrapped herself in beauty
So young and so serene

He stood there under the willow
And he gave her the yellow bloom
"Girl, my heart you've captured
Oh, I would be your groom"
She said she'd wed him never
Not near, nor far, nor soon

[Chorus]

A young man walked through the forest
With an axe sharp as a knife
"I'll take the green-eyed fairy
And she shall be my wife
With her I'll raise my children
With her I'll live my life"

The maiden wept when she heard him
When he said he'd set her free
He took his axe and used it
To bring down her ancient tree
"Now your willow's fallen
Now you belong to me"

[Chorus]

She followed him out the forest
And collapsed upon the earth
Her feet had walked but a distance
From the green land of her birth

She faded into a flower
That would bloom for one bright eve
He could not take from the forest
What was never meant to leave

As I finish my last verse, the forest opens up to an old tree and a booming voice rumbled out to us.
"Huuuumaaaannnnn giiiiiirrrrrllllll, coooommeeeee cloooooooosssssseeeerrrrrr."
To that voice, I couldn't but shake in fear and confusion, I panicked and just froze in place. The merchant however didn't care, he gladly pushed to the tree as if it was nothing. When I was face to face with the tree, I tried to be calm and failed miserably...

"Staaaaaattteeeeee yoooouuuuurrrrrr buuuuusssssssiiiinnnneeeeesssss." The tree slowly said. For me, it was quite scary but fascinating to see its face was moving.

"Well, the missy's job here is to exchange a poem with you, I have just tagged along with her."
"Y..yes.." I mumbled, too nervous to say much.
"IIIIIII seeeeeeeeee. Thhhhhiiiiisssss trrrrreeeeeee shhhhaaaalllll shhhhhaaaaarrrrrreeeee aaaaaa sooonnnnggggg tooo." The tree stated and song in an unknown tongue, to which I don't understand, the sound was just sad, angry and foreign to me.

After it was done with singing the tree asked about my song story, so I told some of the stories before it was over.

@AliceShiki
((Eh... please don't mind my copy paste lyrics...))

 

Deanna handed the report to Aria, “ Sorry, hope I’m not late,”

Spoiler: Report

Early morning, Deanna headed out from the Inn and made her way out of town. She caught a ride with a merchant group heading to the capital.

After a little less than a week, they finally got to Randgriz. Deanna bought a horse and headed southwest.

She asked some locals and followed their instructions to a beautiful place of flowers and butterflies.

The poetree was the only tree around so it was easy to spot. The tree had a dark oak with a tint of pink? There were small light pink blossoms and Deanna could slightly make out the face of he tree. She walked up to the poetree and felt a light breeze as she stood in front of the tree.

“Come,
Tell tales and stories,
Experiences and adventures,
Mysteries and legends.

Let us share,
As I would like to hear
Stories from you,
And listen to them too,” the poetree said to Deanna.

Deanna thought for a second before remembering a bedtime story her mother once told.
“Secrets we hold,
Shared with another,
But never to be told
And always covered.


Deep within the Fairy Land,
To protect,
The elves play a hand.
A secret to fortify,

And to ensure
That Edhellen
Won’t be mortified.”

“Interesting story,
I see,
Now for me,
I shall sing you a song.”
The tree started to sing a song.

Although Deanna didn’t understand it, she could hear the peacefulness in the song. The tree’s voice was very melodic as his voice was carried by the wind and it echoed all around.

After the song, they exchanged a couple more poems, songs and stories. When it was starting to turn dark, Deanna said goodbye to the poetree. She headed back to Randgriz and stayed the night. Sold the horse she bought and got another ride back to Nagrand.

Spoiler: Notes

Pink tinted tree.
Shared stories and poems

@AliceShiki

 

Well, I have to wonder how your arms have enough strength to break through chains, but... Good job?

The rewards are 18 Large Copper Coins and 8 Guild Points~

Take care now~