I think I’m advancing in earth magic. I’m not rank nine yet, but I feel my connection with earth magic growing stronger every day. It’s much easier to manipulate the ground and it doesn’t require as much mana either. After this mission I’ll need to take some time to focus on training my abilities.

That won’t be for another two or three weeks though. This mission should only be a month long, but I’m not so certain. I’m glad Lady Eleanor handled the contracts and negotiations. One-hundred gold coins base pay with additional charges depending on circumstances and time over the allotted period. I probably would have just accepted what I thought was a fair price.

We’re a small group, only six of us together, so one-hundred gold coins is a decent amount of money. Twenty goes to me with fifty going to the others to be split. The leftover money was used to pay for equipment, supplies, and some was held to pay for future training.

Unfortunately, a large amount had to be spent on horses, basic equipment, food, and travel supplies. Our members were pretty ill equipped so there was a decent amount of startup costs. Lady Eleanor included all of the details in the one-year contract she made the other members sign.

I thought they would have a problem with it but they all signed the contract excitedly. I guess ten gold coins is about how much a person can make in a year. For a half-blood though even earning two or three gold coins in a year would be rare.

Once we get back I’ll need to recruit more, but the scale of this mission didn’t require any more than the number we have and there wasn’t time to recruit any further. We needed time just to train the half-bloods on riding a horse.

“Boss are you up?”

“Yes, I’ll be out in a moment.”

“Alright, breakfast is ready. You’d better hurry before it’s all eaten up.”

I don’t understand Darren sometimes. I told him to call me Jayce, but he continues calling me boss. Guess he wants to stay professional, or maybe he’s doing it just to mess with me. He’s pretty interesting though. As a Northsmen mix he’s enormous, at least four or five inches taller than me. He always has a grumpy look on his face that makes him look older than he really is. Almost looks like a war-hardened soldier but his personality is completely opposite. He’s more like a big kid than a warrior.

His carefree attitude makes him easy to be around. If it wasn’t for how big his frame was you probably wouldn’t be able to tell he’s not fully human. Northsmen-Human mixes have less of a stigma than other mixes. Apparently a long time ago the Alliance tried to mix humans and the Northsmen together to create better soldiers. They were able to do it because unlike other half-bloods, Northsmen-Human mixes aren’t sterile.

Breakfast is the only meal I’m able to enjoy now. Eating meals with our client became so stressful I decided to make breakfast a group meeting meal. We’re supposed to discuss anything about the trip, talk about the day ahead, and bond with one another now that we’re a team. But really it’s just to escape our client.

The problem is how much he talks about money. Every meal he tells me how much the food costs or how much the drinks cost. It’s gotten to the point to where every time I eat around him I feel like I’m eating a sack of coins. But maybe that’s how merchants are, everything is money to them.

The food has seen a real improvement since we left the cooking to Lily and Mira. Both of them are excellent cooks but Mira is really talented. She had been a maid and a cook for many years at a wealthy estate so she has the experience. When I asked why she left the job though it turned very uncomfortable.

I guess something bad had happened. She looked down and didn’t really want to answer so I let it be. She’s a rare Halfling-Elf mixture, so she’s slightly shorter than a normal woman. She has short wavy auburn hair with light brown eyes and a petite frame. I wouldn’t say she’s pretty, maybe cute would be a good word, but I’m more interested in her talent with mana. She’s able to manipulate mana directly, but not in the same way as an Elementalist. I guess it would be classified as mystic magic, but I’m not sure how you would rank it.

She’s able to infuse mana into anything and make it explode. I thought it was similar at first to making a boulder or ice explode, but actually she's making the mana explode itself. It's very similar to the magic of the head of the Osborne family. Her magic is extremely powerful and if she wasn’t limited by her small mana pool she could probably take down a fortress on her own.

She was always taught to be afraid of her power so she doesn’t have much experience with it, for now, I’m having her use a bow. The arrows don’t require a lot of mana, and those explosive projectiles should be great in keeping dangers at a distance. She’s still learning so she’s not great with the bow, but if she keeps practicing I think she’ll get there and her mana pool might increase as well.

“Good morning Mira, Lily, where are the others? Are they still sleeping?”

“Yes, Darren said he was going to wake them.”

That bastard. He made it sound like everyone was up and eating already.

“Is that so? Food smells really good, what did you make today?”

“It’s just some of the leftover stew from last night with some of the sausage jerky added. Darren wanted to hunt for hare but I stopped him.”

Why did Lily stop him? Maybe she was worried about him making us late. Lily and Darren are almost like a brother and sister with Lily being the older sister. She has that mothering type personality that older siblings get. She grew up in an orphanage so maybe she had to take care of younger children as she grew older.

She’s almost as tall as I am with fiery orange-red hair that goes slightly past her shoulders and freckles. Her bright green eyes remind me of emeralds, and it’s hard for me to not notice her athletic body. I think it’s cute how she’s always tucking her ears under her hair. Though I'm guessing the reason she does it is because she's embarrassed or ashamed of them.

I couldn’t believe my luck finding someone skilled in healing magic. In the Empire she would be an extremely important person. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was a half, she probably would be doing pretty well here as well. I guess her only option other than working for me was becoming a combat medic, which meant 20 years of service to the military.

With the ability to heal open wounds, minor fractures, and small internal injuries Lily is probably close to a sixth-ranked healer. But I’m certain in time she’ll be able to do even more. I think she’s only a year older than me so she has plenty of time to improve.

She’s also surprisingly fast and strong. I guess her athletic frame isn’t just for looks.

“Hey Jayce, you’re up early. I thought the boss was supposed to sleep in a little.”

“Well, I have Darren to thank for that.”

“That guy, cackling about like he’s some sort of rooster. Morning ladies, ah what a beautiful sight. Such beauties making food for me, if only one of you had woken me instead of that beast.”

Caleb, the only person with any type of mercenary experience. A full-blooded human like myself, after he left the military he became a mercenary and eventually settled in the alliance doing odd jobs. A bit shorter than me and stockier with a thick beard, his bald head and the rest of his body is littered with scars from battles. He’s a bit flirty but not to the point of going overboard.

He doesn’t have any remarkable talents or skills but I brought him on for his experience. I’ve never led a group before and honestly, I’m not very confident in my abilities in that regard. Thankfully he’s able to cover for some of the areas I need to work on.

“Lily, Mira, don’t pay any attention to him. All those battles he’s always talking about rattled his brain something awful. It’s amazing he’s able to walk and talk at the same time. Morning Jayce, it looks like there’s bad weather on the horizon.”

Sophie Acklin, a fire mage. She was also in the military, but I don’t believe she ever served with Caleb. You wouldn’t be able to tell though with the way they banter back and forth. Her long dark near black hair and pasty white skin almost give her a sickly look but she’s shockingly full of energy. Another full-blooded human like myself, after she left the military she got married but her husband died before they had any children.

We met by accident after she had threatened to burn down the house of some love rival. Once I found out she was a fire mage and was facing possible jail time due to a debt, I paid it off and had her join. She has a bit of a temper and she likes to drink, but a seventh-ranked fire mage, there’s no way I could pass up on the opportunity to have her join.

“Ah shut up you old hag, maybe if you didn’t look like a soulless doll I’d show you some attention too.”

“Old? I’m the same age as you, you frumpy dope. Going around harassing young girls as if they’d be interested in someone whose face looks like a piece of tattered leather, Jayce, why do you keep him around?”

Ah, what a headache. It can be amusing at times, but it’s just too early for it right now.

“Alright, alright, let’s just eat in peace before discussing our plans for the day. We still need to make it to the forest before it gets dark.”

And I’ll need to meet with our client. I’m sure he’s still sleeping but his scout and personal guards should be awake by now. It’s awkward working with a second team, but apparently he doesn’t go anywhere without them. Well, it relieves us of night watch at least. Alright, let’s just try to enjoy this stew without thinking about anything else.

***

Ice pellets and ice cold rain are making this trip extremely difficult. Looks like Sophie was right when she warned me of bad weather this morning. It’s a shame the road we’re on isn’t like the roads throughout the rest of the Alliance.

This isn’t much more than a well-traveled trail, unlike the wide roads between towns and cities and it’s getting hard to follow now that ice is building up and coating everything.

“Boss it’s getting hard to see more than 200 feet in front of us. Shouldn’t we stop for today?”

“No, we keep going. We shouldn’t be too far from the forest. If we need to we’ll just follow the Aelen River up.”

Who knows how bad this storm will get. The wind isn’t blowing too hard right now but that could change. I don’t want to be caught in a windstorm on these open plains. If we get stuck out here I'll have to make a rock shelter for all of us and I'd rather not have to do that.

Besides, the scout said we weren’t far off. I really want to make it to the forest before nightfall.

“I’m going to check on our client, for now we’ll continue following Caleb.”

Caleb is the only one other than our client’s scout who has been to the Zualf forest. He came on a similar mission years ago to protect someone looking to make a business deal. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to enter the forest, so his knowledge of the matter ends there. Although he did tell me a few interesting rumors about Naefir.

“Mr. Burton, I’ve told my men to continue on, does your scout know how much further it is until we reach the forest?”

“Jayce come in come in, the weather is terrible and I can barely hear you. Dennis, take Jayce’s horse and let him in.”

Aldo Burton, one of the wealthiest merchants in Asmuth, also one of the cheapest. He could have hired an army if he wanted to but he apparently set a small budget for this trip. I’m told he was worried about spending too much on an endeavor that may turn unprofitable. Well, he’s cheap with some things, but the inside of this carriage he certainly spent a fortune on and he has no problem spending money on food.

“That’s better, then Jayce, what were you saying?”

“Yes, I was wondering if your scout knew how much longer it would be until we reached the forest. The storm is making it difficult to see and if it gets much worse we may need to stop.”

“No worries no worries, I just spoke to Ollie and he said we’re nearly there. Once we arrive we’ll be checked by the Elves and they’ll escort us the rest of the way to Naefir. The storm shouldn’t be a bother to us once we enter the forest.”

Hopefully so. If I’m having a hard time keeping warm I’m sure the others are doing even worse.

“That’s good to hear. I don’t want anyone falling ill due to the cold.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Jayce, have you ever tried dried swamp Draveggs?”

“Swamp Draveggs? I’ve never heard of them, what are they?”

“Here you need to try it. They cost 11 gold coins a pound but they’re worth it, go ahead, taste it."

It almost looks like sausage jerky, the smell is quite a bit different though, almost a bit rancid. Anything that smells like that can’t be good, but he seems pretty enthusiastic about it so I guess I should.

“Alright, then I’ll try one.”

Hmm… it’s a bit chewy, and bitter as well, actually it’s really bitter. I can’t say it’s very good, but it’s not really bad either. Maybe it’s something you begin to enjoy as you eat it more often. Or could it be it’s supposed to be used in a soup or something?

“So how is it?”

“It’s not bad, I can’t really think of anything I’ve ever had that is similar. So what are they?”

“They’re a type of leech that lives in the marshlands of Elkia. Yeah, these little things can get over a foot long and love ogre blood. They’ll suck a man dry though. Real difficult to get your hands on these treats. Yep, that’s why they cost so much.”

Ugh, I should have known better. Anything that smells that bad can’t be good. That smile on his face tells me he knew I wouldn’t eat it if I knew what it was. Oh, we’ve stopped. Is the storm getting too bad to continue?

“Sir, we’ve arrived. There is a small delegation of Elves who wish to search us. Should I allow them?”

“What? Of course, of course, they don’t just let anyone in. Send them over here as well, I have to give them my referral from Asmuth.”

“Then Mr. Burton, please excuse me. I need to return to my duties.”

I should greet the Elves, but before that, I need to rinse this leech off of my tongue.

***

Zualf Forest is unlike anything I could have imagined. The trees are probably twice as tall as any other tree I’ve ever seen before, and it’s as if the storm raging on the plains doesn’t affect the forest at all. It’s almost like it is a different world. Outside of the forest it was cold and icy, but inside it is warm and humid.

There are so many plants and creatures I never knew existed. Colorful birds that mimic the noises around us and large insects buzzing about. In the trees there are small red furred creatures with long tails they use to wrap around branches as they scurry from fruit to fruit storing them in their mouth.

What should be a dark forest due to the canopy blocking light from the sun is actually a brilliant world lit up by glowing spheres that are attached to the trees hundreds of feet above the ground.

“They are Ruhmballah fruits, and they are the reason why the forest is so bright and warm.”

“Fruits? Those glowing spheres are fruit? Do they really grow on these trees? Then does that mean they grow and die?”

“A Ruhmballah fruit takes 5 years to become ripe before giving off the heat and light that it does. It will shine for 6 months before the seed drops and the fruit is reabsorbed back into the Ruhmballah tree.”

Our guides are the first pure-blooded Elves I’ve ever seen, and they are exactly how the rumors describe them. They’re nearly as tall as the Northsmen at close to seven feet but they’re much thinner. Their thin frames don't take away from their strength though. Nearly twice as strong as a normal human, Elven warriors cannot be taken lightly. The broadswords on their backs are probably at least three times as heavy as a normal sword.

All of them have fair skin and long pointed ears but each of them has a completely different hair color! Their leader has dark red hair with pinpoint silver eyes. He hasn’t said much, mostly giving directions in a language I cannot understand to the other elves.

The one answering my questions, Farfyr, has hair that is so gray it’s almost white with golden colored eyes similar to mine. It looks like he’s the only one able to speak human tongue so he has been explaining everything to us as we walk.

The other two have just been watching us. One has bright blond hair with extremely light blue eyes, and the other has black hair with green eyes that almost glow. Each one is so different you would almost think they’re from different species.

So far we haven’t seen any other type of Fae, but I’m told there are fairies that can fly and pygmy people that build homes in the ground. Perhaps when we enter the capital we will be able to see them.

“Farfyr, when will we be able to meet with the king?”

“When we arrive, it will be two days after that Mr. Burton.”

“Two days huh, not too bad. We’ll be able to get a look at the city then right?”

“You will have an escort to bring you to view many places. We have arranged for a tour for all of you Mr. Burton.”

A tour huh? So basically we’ll be allowed to see the places they want us to see. That’s fine I guess. Our main goal is to escort Mr. Burton safely, so a tour of the city is just extra.

“Well, that sounds fun. Hopefully there are some good places to eat on the tour, what do you think Jayce? I hear Naefir has some pretty exotic foods. Oh, it looks like we’re coming up to the gates, they really are just as big as the tales say.”

The gates of Naefir. They safeguard the only road that leads to the capital city from outside of the forest and are said to be protected by-

“Two undead beasts…”

“Yes, Iolas and Alinar. The undead shadowcats who guard our gates. You have heard of them before Mr. Jayce?”

Necromancy, well, that’s interesting.