The small group had followed one of the few roads that led into the forest. Compared to the other major road, this road was better maintained. The reason for this was quite simple, it was a road that led through the less dangerous parts of the forest and thus allowed for easier and safer transport of goods. It was therefore quite important to keep the road maintained and to cull the monsters and demonic beasts regularly.

In addition, a few weak charms lined the edge of the road. These were, as far as Elise knew, simply there to deter weaker monsters or demonic beasts and to send a warning to the Association, the local administration and the church if a strong monster or beast crossed the road.

The journey through the forest, however, would take longer. The road did not run straight through the forest. Instead, it had some curves to avoid the territories of known monsters, monsters so ancient that they had very few equals in the forest. Fighting them was extremely foolish, as most battles ended in the monster's victory, albeit a costly one.

Most traders usually opted to take the safer route. It was not as fast, but one had a much lower risk of falling victim to a monster or beast. The road was also frequently used by mercenaries, as a branching road led to the nest in the middle of the forest.

Merchants who were part of a larger guild usually used the faster but more dangerous road. They had the money to pay for adequate and much needed protection. As far as she knew, it was quite a lucrative job for most mercenaries. However, it was also much more likely that a mercenary could die.

They finally reached the edge of the forest. A pleasant smell lingered in the air, entering her nose. A quick count followed, luckily no one had managed to get lost, before the small group agreed to take a short break to eat something.

It wasn’t as if the herbs would decide to wander off or as if the small group had any competition. To be more precise, there was no competition. The pay was abysmal unless one managed to gather enough herbs or find the rarer herbs that the alchemists so desired.

The children finished their short lunch just mere moments later and were eager to fill their bags with the herbs.

Elise had already decided that she would just stand guard and train a little. She was well aware that she was strong. Thanks to Heinz's lessons, she was pretty decent with a sword. However, she would not win in a direct fight against the more experienced mercenaries or the more cunning monsters and beasts.

Therefore, she had to train at every opportunity if she wanted to become a famous and powerful mage. She doubted many mages could wield a sword or win in a purely physical fight. But that would perhaps make her a tiny bit better than the ordinary mage.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes before she decided to strike up a conversation with the young man who was also standing guard. She had quickly decided that training could wait, honing her rather limited conversational skills seemed more important, at least for the moment.

"So," she began, followed by an awkward stutter, before finally asking, "Why did you become a mercenary?"

He eyed her and shrugged, "Guess you are bored too. My old man was a mercenary, his old man was a mercenary, runs in the family I guess. Being a mercenary is fulfilling, puts food on the table and helps others. That's it. I would have liked to be a baker, but I'm not that.... patient I guess. Maybe when I retire, but being a mercenary is fun too. No two days are the same. You see new things, you learn new things, you make bonds that will last a lifetime.... Before I start to ramble, why did you become a mercenary? You are awfully young. I mean, the kids are young too, but they don't fight, you do."

Elise looked at the children in the distance and nodded before saying, "Yes. But I feel like fighting is my calling. It … it sounds strange but fighting fills me with joy, I suppose. I don’t think that I am a born warrior, but I like to help and fighting is a good way to help others, I think? I don’t believe that I will become a hero… although it is my dream to be one."

She laughed before adding, "It's a childish dream, but everyone deserves to have a dream. Leave a footprint behind in history? Maybe that’s a good reason, maybe not."

She shrugged and continued, "I also need to find out what my node does. Fighting is the only option I have."

The young man nodded in understanding and murmured, "I suppose you could become a great warrior. I saw you fight Alexandra, and ... if you had been half her age, you probably could have defeated her in a normal battle. Though I don't know much about your kind. I've only seen a few and most of your kind keep to themselves. Maybe because we humans tend to have.... prejudices?"

He shrugged, "But luckily I wasn't born with blue blood and don't have to deal with complicated aspects of life. It's hard enough to go on living and brooding over things that don't concern me doesn't really help."

The mercenary paused, "No offence. But I think most people think along the lines of 'as long as something doesn't affect me, it doesn't matter'."

Elise frowned but did not answer. She was a child, smarter than most, but she didn't know enough about life to agree or disagree with the man. What she did know was that she hadn't made a single friend, of any race, and that very few people didn't show their fear when they spoke to her. It was heartbreaking but she hoped that this was going to change.

Elise stood up and dusted her clothes off, flicking a green bug away that had crawled onto her knee.

"Do you know of any animals that live nearby? Small, about the size of a bird or a small cat, easily tamed, maybe as smart as dogs?" she asked the man.

He shook his head, "No. Most of the animals I've seen in the forest have been deer, though they tend to move in larger groups. There are a few carnivores in the forest, mostly bears, wolves or foxes. But most of them turn into demonic beasts. Why do you ask?"

Elise rolled her eyes, "The best way to a girl's heart is with a gift."

The mercenary smiled and asked, "Your mother or a friend?"

"The latter," Elise replied and quickly added under her breath, "Hopefully."

She walked a few steps before turning and stating, "I'll be back in maybe half an hour. If anything happens, just scream ... or if you can use magic, fire something in the air. I have good eyes. If I'm not back in... let's say an hour, go to the Association or whatever."

The man cracked his neck, an unpleasant sound reaching her ears. He grinned and said, "Sitting takes its toll, my back isn't the greatest part of my body - but I'll keep watch and if anything happens, I'll inform the Association. Just stay safe and ... I don't know, good luck with your hunt?"