Ben started his narration with the reason for going hunting in the first place and the fact that the amount of game was decreasing. When Ben was talking about the game shortage. The mayor started to frown and faintly released an extremely overbearing aura. Thankfully it still was somewhat reserved. Enabling Ben to continue.

As he kept talking, the pressure started to increase. The mayor apparently didn’t like the fact that he had to search high concentration mana zones to find something to hunt.

But when he arrived at the part where he found the trails that all lead into the same direction, the aura started to trouble Ben. If it wasn’t for the fact that his father shielded him, he wouldn’t have been able to continue talking.

Already thinking that the pressure couldn’t increase any further, Ben proceeded to finish his story. When he finished his earlier presumption was proven incorrect. The fact that the boars didn’t care about the death of one of them and continued walking somehow agitated the mayor so much that he unconsciously released his full aura.

The pressure was so big that even Keith, Bens father, started to sweat. If it weren’t for the protection he gave Ben, Ben would have fainted.

“You are absolutely sure that the boars simply continued their way up the mountain after you killed one of them?” asked the mayor in a rougher than usual voice.

“Yes, only one looked back, but it still followed the rest,” Ben answered through gritted teeth.

“Tomorrow you will bring me and a few of the stronger guards to the place where you shot the boar. We will investigate where all the animals are going.”

“Sir Hal, I hope you won’t bring my son further than he already went.” Bens father asked worriedly.

“I won’t. But he has to at least show us the trail. After that I will send him back. Now please leave, I have to inform the elder council and the guard captain.” the mayor shooed them away.

------------------------>

On their way back, the father and son duo didn’t speak. Only when they arrived back at their home, Bens father talk again.

“Go to bed early. Tomorrow will be a hard day. I will talk to your mother. Tell her I will inform the town council before I talk to her”

Ben only nodded. He was still a bit out of it. He couldn’t understand why the mayor had such a strong reaction to his story. On his way to his room, he quickly told his mom to wait for his father.

When inside his room he immediately went to bed, this would be the first real sleep in almost a week, that was if he could still sleep after what happened earlier.

Just when he drifted into sleep, he got woken up again. His little sister was bent over him and looked at him expectantly.

“Did you bring something for me? You promised!”

It took ben awhile to really register what was happening when he did he wanted to flare up, but couldn’t. Inside he cursed the person who made his five-year-old sister so damn cute.

“No I didn’t, but tomorrow I will go into a high mana zone with the mayor. I will collect a nice plant there for you.” He said while stroking her head.

“But you really have to do it! If not, I will not heal you if you get hurt while hunting.”

“I promise Keila,” Ben assured her.

Keila was the pride of their family. She was born with a rare natural nature affinity.

Different from acquired affinities, one could get after training, her affinity let her control plants instinctively.

And that was while she was still a baby. Ever since she was three, one of the elders in the elder council taught her how to control her gift. Now, only two years later, she already was able to heal most wounds and illnesses. One could imagine how far she would come in the future.

One of Keila’s favorite hobbies was to grow plants. This was why she had Ben bring back a plant whenever he went hunting.

She even had her own little garden. Her master had gifted it to her after she found out that Keila could mature plants way faster than normal. Besides growing faster, she also saturated her plants with mana.

The first plant Ben had gifted her, a little apple tree sapling he had found in an abandoned monster den, had already reached the magical plant level. Not that Ben really knew how to distinguish it from a normal tree.

“If I like it you can pick one apple. But only one! Grandma Bostrid said I can only pick one every week.” Keila chirped happily while leaving his room.

He really had to bring something nice. Despite being unable to distinguish a normal tree from a magical one, he could distinguish a normal apple from one of Keilas. Her apples where tiny, despite the considerable size of her tree, but held a huge amount of mana. The last time he had eaten one he da directly broken through.

He could still remember the strange gaze the old trainer gave him when he was able to complete his regimen without breaking a sweat.

Thinking about the many uses of Keilas magic apples he drifted back into sleep.

------------------------>

Ben woke up with sunrise. After a quick wash and breakfast he made his way to the foot of the cliff. There he waited besides the main entrance.

Most public buildings and storages where inside the cliff. Bens father explained that that was so that in case of an attack, be it human or beasts, they could evacuate those that didn’t live in the cliff and as long as they could defend the few entrances on the base of the cliff they wouldn’t lose too much even if everything in the village was destroyed.

In case of a prolonged siege there even where gardens and fields inside the larger caverns. Keila's garden also was inside the cliff. And because her master had used her considerable might as a member of the elder council, it was right beside the family cavern.

Why every family had a cavern inside the cliff was something Ben never understood. Especially the fact that besides a place to live there also where workplaces. His father for example also had a restaurant inside the cliff and it was even bigger and better equipped than the one in the village.

Another strange thing was that whenever a new cave was needed a new cave would appear, but only above a certain height up the cliff. The bottom layers where the same ever since Ben could remember. They also where the only places where not every cave had an obvious use. Ben speculated that they had something to do with defense. But because there never had been a need to evacuate into the cliff since he was born, he wasn’t sure.

Deep in thoughts, Ben didn’t notice ten men in Greencliffs guards uniform and armor that had gathered on the other side of the entrance.

“Oh man, I hope whatever that boy found is at least a bit interesting. It has been over 15 years since the last time we had to intervene.” The youngest looking of the ten said.

“I don’t think the captain would have sent us if it wasn’t something dangerous. I believe he said that Sir Hal will accompany us.” Responded the obvious leader of the group.

“If even that old man comes it shouldn’t be easy.” Turning to the man that first spoke, he continued. “Seth, why are you always so negative about our missions? I still remember when the town council sent us to get that old witch Bostrid, you also said you wanted some action. And you know how that turned out. She had one of her plants inject an aphrodisiac into you.”

“Thankfully I was fast enough to bind you… I don’t want to know what you would have done if you were free.” Interjected another man whilst laughing.

Except for the first man they all started to laugh.

“It’s good that you are relaxed, but I hope you will be a bit more serious when we’ve left.” An old voice suddenly said behind them.

Without waiting for a response the mayor turned to Ben. “Ben let’s leave.”

------------------------>

Soon they arrived at the clearing where Ben had shot the boar. He then showed them in which direction the other boars left.

After inspecting the clearing for a bit the mayor sent Ben back. A few minutes later they made their way after the boars.

Halfway home Ben remembered that he had promised Keila a new plant or seed. He wanted something special to make up that he had forgotten to bring something when he came back yesterday. And he really wanted one of her apples.

So Ben turned around and went back to the clearing. After finding the track of the mayor and the guards, he decided to follow them.

Mainly because he was curious about where they were headed. But also because he thought that following behind them would be safer.

Just over an hour later he discovered that the number of tracks increased tremendously.

Another hour later he arrived at a small clearing. Cautiously he stepped in.

On the opposite side of him was a roughly three-meter-wide hole underneath a bundle of what looked like roots.

Curiously he walked over, he saw that the tracks of the mayor's group led into the hole.

When he stood in front of the hole he felt highly concentrated mana coming from it.

Ben debated with himself if he should let his curiosity or caution win. In the end, he decided to look for a gift for his sister and leave.

After searching the entire clearing for a bit without finding anything he turned back to the hole. Maybe he could find the plant which belonged to the roots.

Climbing around the hole he found a small sprout, little more than a thin stem and two leaves. Thankfully it didn’t grow out of one of the almost a meter-thick roots but had a small root that connected it to one of the thick roots.

Ben took out a special knife his sister had given him for cutting cuttings she could grow.

With a surprising amount of force, he was able to cut the small root right where it connected to the big one.

Satisfied with his harvest Ben quickly made his way back home.

When Ben arrived back at Greencliff he went straight to the cliff. He knew that Keila would be in her garden and he needed he to plant whatever he had brought back immediately.

------------------------>

Keila was sleeping underneath a tall ash tree she had planted just a few months ago. While she was sleeping underneath it, it was easy to watch it grow.

As quietly as possible, Ben sneaked towards her. When he was right in front of her, he pulled out his waterskin and poured a little water over her.

Keila woke up with a startle. “Ahh! Ben! Why are you so mean? You always do something like this.”

“Hehe, I found a super special plant for you didn’t even hear me when I walked right beside you.” Ben defended his actions.

“You’re still mean! But if the plant is really cool I’ll maybe forgive you.”

Ben put down his backpack and took out a small wooden box. “Here, it grew out of a huge root above a hole. I think it was right above a mana spring or something like that.”

Keila took the box and opened it. “Wow! It has so much mana!” Keila shouted excitedly. “I’ll plant it immediately!”

She walked into the middle of her garden. Her master had told her that she had to leave a space in the middle of her garden. If she found a magical plant she could plant it there.

Despite not understanding why she followed the advice. But now she had found a plant with a high mana concentration.

Carefully she dug a small hole, put the cutting in and covered the root with dirt.

Then she used her magic. Keila slowly established a connection and started to pour mana into it.

Different than normal plants, it needed a few seconds before it started to grow. And its growth speed was extremely slow.

Over an hour later, Keila stopped supplying her mana. By now the cutting had grown into a roughly half meter high oak tree sapling.

To Ben, who had been watching the entire time, it had been a very boring hour.

“Do you like it? Why didn’t you grow it a bit bigger?” Ben asked Keila.

“I love it! I tried, but it needs so much mana, I can’t make it grow quicker.” Keila seemed exhausted. “I will show it to master tomorrow. Can you tell mom and dad that I want to sleep in the garden today?”

“Wow! I knew that it was special!” Ben was quite proud of himself. “I can but only if I get one apple. I will tell them that master Bostrid wants you to try something overnight.”

Keila allowed Ben to pick an apple. After sitting down beneath the apple tree he ate the apple and started to circulate his mana in the way the old trainer had taught him.

It was already dark when Ben finally finished absorbing the mana from the apple.

Keila was sleeping underneath the now one-and-a-half-meter tall oak tree.

Ben took a blanket out of his backpack and covered her.

Then he made his way home.