…

  “How can you be so calm and collected?” Liz scrutinised his face, taking a seat opposite him.

  “Haste brings disaster, young lady. Also, you insisted on tagging along with us,” Larry shrugged his shoulders and continued taking out small bites from his breakfast and gulped it down with the lemon-rosemary tea.

  He had quite a few dealings with her kind in his youth, some of them had even led to romantic encounters late at night. He knew how to please a young, erratic noblewoman.

  “It has been two weeks, Larry. I bear all the expenses! At this point, and I know not, if there is a crystal antler out there in the woods,” her grievings were barely a whisper.

  They didn't realise they had company.

  “Am I interrupting something?” Jane inquired, in a cheerful voice, completely discarding the air between them as she walked down the room.

  His wife had a certain charm to her that organically drew him to ignore the young lass and return to their room (the one Jane had just walked out of), with her in his arms. Being high-level individuals, they were allowed to retain their youth even in their mid-fifties!

  But he was well aware that he couldn’t act on his desires, knowing that Jane would not be pleased.

  Her wraith was something else. Venturing to the 15th floor and facing the earthen drake that guarded the dungeon floor in the city of Novara was a better deal.

  “Good morning, Liz,” Jane said, taking her rightful seat beside him. Their eyes met, and she gave him a playful smile, completely aware of the gears grinding in his head.

  He gracefully slid his plate to her as an offering.

  “You don’t have to worry about the Buck. They have terrible eating manners. I have seen some rabbit carcasses torn into pieces with not a shred of blood inside littered in the forest yesterday. There is indeed a vampiric monster prowling in the woods. No doubt about it,” Jane talked promptly, clearing the doubts without much fanfare.

  “That’s good then,”

  “Sorry to break your fantasies, young lady, but the life of an adventurer is overly romanticised. Most do not even survive three years in the business. You should be glad that your father ensured that you remained safe while experiencing the life of an adventurer.”

  “She is right. Our job is not just to bring the beast to your father but also to make sure that you remain safe.” Larry added, agreeing with his wife. The girl was just being impatient.

  “Have you eaten yet?” Jane probed her, receiving a cup of tea from the young lad working at the only inn inside the village.

  She smiled, knowing that the lad kept stealing glances at the girl sitting opposite her. Poor lad, the young noble was way out of his league.

  “Not yet,” Liz meekly replied, averting her face.

  “What are you doing then? We are leaving for the forest in an hour. Fill your stomach. You don’t want to fight a monster with an empty stomach.” She ordered, expecting complete obedience.

  …

  Mariah and Rose kept walking on the road, and soon Peter spotted a bunch of settlements covered by a large wooden perimeter. Two guards were stationed at the gate to the settlement.

  “Miss Mariah! How long has it been since we last saw you?” The guard exclaimed, standing on the left side. The other quickly nodded.

  The duo was a combo of old and young. The man who spoke had an unshaven beard with a mix of grey and white, and he lacked quite a lot of hair on his head. His teeth were not the best thing to look at, but his eyes were filled with a polite curiosity.

  “It’s good to see that you finally recovered with our own eyes, even though the captain assured us that you were fine,” the young guard in his early 20s said politely before setting his eyes on Peter. “He is a beautiful child, Miss.”

  “Yes indeed, it is good that he inherited his looks from you. Captain doesn’t have the best mug to stare at,” The old guy joked before slapping his belly as he laughed loudly.

  Mariah laughed along before adding, “The scar on his cheek isn’t so bad.” Defending her husband.

  “That’s the only good thing about his face, though.” The old guard fired back with another bout full of laughter.

  “Now then, that’s plenty of talk. We won’t hold you for long. I am sure you have plenty of places to be.” The young guard interjected, glaring at his partner.

  Mariah nodded before proceeding to pass the guards and enter the settlement.

  “Let’s visit the Inn first,” She decided. Rose, being subtly happy about it, went unnoticed.

  It took them five minutes to reach the Inn. During this, they passed by a smithy, a carpentry, an herbal apothecary, and a place of worship, among plenty of single-story wooden houses.

  Peter wanted to explore each of those, but he contained his curiosity.

  …

  As Mariah pushed the heavy wooden door to step inside, Rose followed just behind. The scent of freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon had Peter’s tummy protesting. The morning light streamed in through the open windows, casting long shadows across the worn wooden floorboards.

  Directly ahead, a sturdy wooden counter stood, manned by a powerfully built innkeeper who greeted them with a warm smile. To their right, a narrow doorway led to the bustling kitchen, where the clatter of pots and pans could be heard as the cooks hurried about their morning tasks.

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  Along one wall, rows of sturdy tables and chairs were arranged haphazardly, each bearing the marks of countless meals and tankards of ale. A few patrons sat scattered about, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of flickering candles set atop the tables.

  Peter's gaze wandered to the staircase at the far end of the room, its wooden steps were worn smooth with footsteps. It spiralled upward, disappearing into the dimly lit corridor above, promising a glimpse into the mysteries of the upper floors.

  Despite the lack of glass windows, the space felt warm and inviting, filled with the comforting sounds of chatter and laughter.

  Mariah approached the innkeeper at the table.

  “What are you doing at the counter, Old Olaf? Where is Matilda?”

  “Aye, can’t do this job like the wife can. I am made for the physical work in the backyard, but she is with cold. Been two days. I left her in the room to rest. Been working in her place until she gets better,” Olaf said with a grimace, stealing a glance upstairs.

  “She is a strong woman. Don’t worry so much.” Mariah reassured, hoping to help him feel better.

  “Aye,” he nodded. “What brings you here?” He asked, extending his big hands to grab Peter from her. He then lifted him above his eye level. Peter just stared at him, earning him praise “He is not afraid, a good sign.”

  Olaf nodded to himself with a satisfactory grin before carefully returning him to his mother.

  Mariah passed him a parchment and a small book. “Last month’s calculations. I was on my way to visit Elder Minerva, so I thought I would pass it on to you by my own hands.”

  She looked around before asking, “I see some new faces.”

  “Thank you. I wish there was a skill that allows you to calculate,” He nodded to her, putting the parchment and the book in a drawer of the counter.

  “Adventures on a hunt for a magical beast deep into the woods,” He added, noticing that the mentioned people were done with their breakfast and approaching the counter.

  “8 coppers,” he received a nod in return from the sturdy man carrying a Greatsword on his back before he tossed the shingles on the counter.

  The young lady did not stop and continued walking toward the stairs, the eyes of her young server closely following her figure.

  Peter looked at Rose from the corner of his eye, She was livid and fuming with a dark look on her face. He could only shake his head and click his tongue at that.

  …

  Jane joined her husband at the counter, eyeing the newcomers around it. She nodded at Mariah in greeting before her eyes fell on Peter. The pair of ocean blue eyes was locked, taking turns to stare at the pair of red and grey eyes. The staring contest lasted for a dozen seconds before Jane smiled and looked away.

  “It looks like the child liked your eyes, love,” Larry laughed, putting his hand on her shoulder to make her lean on him.

  “Likewise,” she giggled back.

  “How old is he?” She casually asked Minerva.

  “Four and a ten months old,” she replied, tightening her hold on the child out of everyone’s eyes.

  “Hmm, Odd. I thought he was born on the night of the moons convergence with how much mana he is brimming with. Events like that do have a precedent of expanding the mana pool of a child born under them. Regardless, your child has a lead if he wants to pursue being a mage once he grows up,” she advised, out of no particular interest.

  “How can you tell?” Rose couldn’t help but ask, unable to hold her curiosity.

  Jane smiled at that, pointing a finger at her red eye.

  “This eye is a physical manifestation of rare skill. It lets me see the density, flow, signature, and type of mana in the environment. Comes in handy when tracking humans and beasts alike. Children lacked the protection that people had after their first advancement, letting me glimpse a general sense of how much mana they possess. He contains a lot more compared to many others his age,” She explained, waiting for Liz to come back with her Staff and her wand from their rooms.

  “She means no harm, the skill is passive in nature,” Larry added, in case the mother felt wary.

  Mariah slowly nodded.

  They soon left once Liz returned from the stairs.

  ***

  Crunch, crunch…

  The trio slowly navigated around the lush green trees with trunks wide enough that even if all three of them hugged it, the perimeter would still be larger.

  The canopy of the trees only let a minuscule amount of sunlight pass through, making it impossible for all but a few of the shrubs to survive on the ground.

  The ground was covered in a layer of dead branches, leaves, and other bio-flammable materials. Thus, walking silently was almost impossible unless they made use of some stealth skill.

  Liz didn’t have one.

  “Make sure not to use spells from the fire branch,” Jean warned, avoiding an anthill.

  “I am not a fool,” Liz hissed, a blush overtaking her cheeks.

  “Good.” Jean laughed, amused.

  “We will go much deeper this time. The first few trips were just to get familiar with the forest before we fought in it, and now that Jean had identified the creature’s mana signature from the rabbits it hunted, we could begin our hunt in earnest,” Larry explained. He was not carrying his beloved greatsword, but rather opted for a much smaller blade.

  It would have been a fool’s errand to swing such a big weapon around trees. It limited Larry from using some of his best skills.

  All three were carrying a set of daggers on their leather utility belts and a few bottles of potions.

  They marched on.

  …

  Hehe he he *screech* hehe hehe *woo hoo woo* rustle

  “What is that sound?” Liz murmured, dropping down to her knees.

  Heads spun full circle to identify the source of the sound.

  “It’s coming from above,” Liz pointed into the canopy a few meters ahead of them.

  In answer, a fruit with a hard shell came flying toward her, which missed her by a tiny margin when she leaned away.

  A few more came flying down, but the trio had already taken shelter behind the tree trunks.

  As the volley of fruits subsided, Larry cautiously peered out from his hiding spot, curious to see the culprits responsible for the commotion. Amidst the swaying branches above, he spotted them.

  The creatures had fur blending seamlessly with the lush canopy, rendering them almost invisible to the untrained eye. Their long tails hung gracefully as they moved from branch to branch with remarkable agility.

  Their lithe bodies weaved through the treetops like shadows. Larry noted the claws adorning their hands and legs, gleaming like polished daggers under the sunlight.

  These were no ordinary monkeys. They possessed the strength to break bones with a single swipe, a testament to their formidable power despite their tiny size.

  Observing their bat-like wing membranes, Larry grimaced at how effortlessly they glided through the air, covering vast distances with each graceful motion.

  Despite their small stature, these creatures were masters of their domain, ruling over the rainforest canopy with unmatched skill and finesse. And now, they had unwittingly become the focus of Larry's hunting gaze.

  He turned to his counterpart, “Leafwing monkeys.”

  Jane nodded back. “How many?”

  “A bunch,”

  “Clustered together?” she asked, raising her staff.

  “To your south, on top of a tree branch. Make sure to peek first,” He informed, grabbing his sword. He had full faith in her ability to bring them to the ground, and then it would be his job to end their unruly lives before they recovered from the fall.

  Jane cautiously approached the southern edge of their hiding spot, taking care to remain hidden from view. Slowly, she peeked out from behind the foliage, her eyes scanning the treetops for any sign of movement. Sure enough, she spotted the cluster of leafwing monkeys perched on a nearby branch, their verdant fur blending seamlessly with the lush canopy.

  With a nod of confirmation to Larry, Jane raised her staff, focusing her mana on its core. As she targeted the closest monkey, her concentration intensified, channelling her energy into the staff before invoking a powerful skill.

  {Chain Lightning}