“...Yeah? We’re relaxing. Right, Theo?” Adam asked, crossing his arms.

Theo shifted his feet, not exactly meeting Adam’s eyes. “Well, perhaps not. I’ve been given… somewhat of a boon from the Terrent family. I can go into that forest if I’m quick about it and gather potion ingredients.” He stared into Adam’s eyes now, pleading.

The man’s shoulders slumped. He sighed. “Okay. I get that you’re trying to grow your business. Just… try to have a day to relax soon, okay?” Laying a hand on Theo’s shoulder, Adam stared down at him with a small smile.

Theo smiled back up at him and went on his tiptoes. Their lips met in a quick peck and Theo turned, running toward the group.

Telsa took a bit more convincing before she conceded to some especially vigorous puppy-dog eyes from Theo.

“Y’know, Theo, I’m beginning to think days around you don’t stop moving,” Telsa said, watching Pina skip ahead and pick berries from bushes while humming to herself. “Hey, Pina, be careful. Those berries might be poisonous.”

Pina made a face at Telsa. “I’m not going to eat the berries. I just think they’re a nice shade of red.”

“These are corinfer berries. Telsa’s right, they’re moderately poisonous. Some alchemists use them to make rat poisons,” Theo said, picking one off a bush himself and rolling the berry between his fingers. “They won’t kill a human, just cause some… stomach problems. Well, if they ate enormous amounts of them they may be deadly… Can’t speak for other races, however. Regardless, these berries mean we’re close.”

“How long were you ah, intending to stay here gathering, Theo?” Nils asked. “I still have errands I need to complete today.”

Theo inclined his head in thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Until I don’t have space to hold anything I suppose. It’s a shame my bag is so full of enchanted items right now, I won’t be able to store as much. You’re welcome to head back if you need to, Nils. I wouldn’t want to keep you.”

Nils glanced back at the path they’d taken. “I suppose I can always walk back when I need to.”

“You can use my bag to hold some stuff, Theo. I’ve got plenty of space,” Pina said, grinning and holding up her bag.

“That’s highly appreciated, Pina. Thank you. I just wish we had something larger to really gather-” Theo paused. He glanced at Telsa. “Telsa, where did you leave that picnic basket?”

She pulled it out from… somewhere. “Here. Good idea. It’s still pretty full of food though. Pina’s dad provided enough food to feed an army in this thing.”

“It has a small holding enchantment on it. No idea where Telsa pulled it out from though,” Pina said, shrugging.

Telsa mirrored Pina. “I’ve got more spells than you know about, Pina. My specialty is space after all.”

“Ah, may we continue walking?” Nils interjected, motioning the group to keep walking.

“Oh, my apologies, Nils. Yes, but first…” Theo grabbed the picnic basket from Telsa and walked up to Adam. He met the man’s eyes with determination. “Adam, I don’t want to waste food so I need you to eat everything you can from this basket.” He offered it up.

Adam’s eyes watered up. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever asked me to do.” He grabbed the basket and began to pull out wrapped foods.

It turned out that even Adam’s reinforced body could only handle so much perren cuisine.

Theo stood next to Adam, patting the man’s back as his stomach evacuated its contents.

“Gods, it still burns,” Adam said before heaving once again.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize it would have this kind of effect!” Theo said, fussing over the warrior.

“It’s-” Adam coughed and spat. “Fine. I probably shouldn’t have eaten it all so quickly.”

Theo held out the second - and last - healing potion he’d packed. “Here, for your throat.”

Adam took the potion gratefully, swishing a swig of it around his mouth, and handed the bottle back to Theo. “Oh, that’s so much better.” He glanced at Pina.

She stood off to the side, attempting to whistle nonchalantly but not meeting Adam’s eyes.

Theo put his hands on his hips, scanning the area. “...In other good news. We’re here! Or, close enough. I recognize those ladelia bushes Elouise told me about. They’re the last location I have on my list. There should be a stone with a notch in it somewhere around here…”

“Is this it?” Nils asked, indicating a large, somewhat mossy stone next to him.

Mana flowed into Theo’s eyes almost painfully before he focused on control once again, the mana leaks rearing their head once more. A complex web of hidden runes scattered across the rock revealed itself, a diamond-shaped hole in the centerpoint of it all. “It is. How did you know, Nils? It was supposed to be hidden by enchantments.”

“There’s some form of Phrenic spell passively emitting from this stone. If we hadn’t been following you, I believe we may have simply walked around this spot for hours,” Nils said, knocking a knuckle against the stone in question.

Theo kneeled down in front of it, running a finger over the runes. “It’s highly impressive work. Beyond anything I can do currently. This must have been done by an enchanter who is at least tier five. Just look at how well the creator was able to add three dimensional layering to his runes.”

“Uh, Theo, no one else can see what you’re looking at except me,” Adam said, kneeling down next to Theo. “You’re right though, this must’ve taken some serious funds to have enchanted. It’s subtle. Look at how they latticed these Phrenic runes.”

Theo leaned in closer. “Goodness, I’d been paying too much attention to the individual runes. What a gorgeous lattice. I-”

“You two done geeking out?” Telsa asked, tapping a foot on the ground.

Theo colored, standing up and dusting off his knees. “Right. Yes.” Patting his pockets, he pulled out the silver brooch Kennard had handed him. “Let me just…” He slotted the brooch into the revealed point of the rock.

It slipped in effortlessly, snapping into place. The line of dense bushes and brambles in front of them vanished in an instant. A path sprawled out in front of them, leading to an area considerably denser in flora.

“Oh my, the mana density is so much stronger in this area,” Theo said, mana still flowing into his eyes. The expanse in front of him gleamed with energy. He stepped into a patch of sunlight coming through the leaves. Mana coursed into him, gentle and pure, faster than any rate he’d felt before. Each remaining leak in his mana pool made itself known as it coursed out from him.

Theo closed his eyes, mentally probing each leak. He frowned, but took a deep breath. Just like mom used to have me do… With that thought, he pushed, and the mana within him began to refine, more flowing into him with the freed up space. Energy flowed in and out of him with every breath, refining and purifying itself.

“Whatcha doin’?” Pina asked, poking Theo in the side.

He cracked an eye open. “Practicing a meditation my mother taught me. I grew… comfortable in my mana tier before. I can’t exactly access dungeons without a high risk of death, but the mana density here is appropriate for this kind of practice. It’s no wonder that Relicor man has this place hidden so heavily… To think an area with this level of mana density could exist without forming a dungeon, it’s rare to say the least.”

“No idea what you’re talking about, Theo. The air does feel kinda nice I guess…” Pina said, shifting her feet on the ground and inclining her face toward the sun.

Theo glanced down, noticing small roots jutting out from Pina’s feet into the ground. “Uh, Pina? Is that… supposed to happen?”

“Hm?” She glanced down at her feet. “Oh, oops. Guess I got a little too comfy. I’ll just… stay here while you guys gather. This soil feels great.” Her eyes closed once more and her body stiffened.

“Um, sure? Telsa, would you mind staying with Pina while she uh, roots into the ground? I wouldn’t want some monster to attack her,” Theo said, pointing at the floral girl who had already fallen asleep standing up.

Telsa leaned against a tree, twirling a dagger across her fingers. “Does that mean I’m off plant gathering duty?”

“I suppose so. If you see anything interesting, I wouldn’t mind you grabbing it though…” Theo said, gesturing vaguely around them.

“No promises. The mana is dense here, isn’t it? I’ll practice some spells,” Telsa said, unsheathing her second dagger.

“Very well, have fun,” Theo said, waving to her and walking toward Adam and Nils. The two stood in a patch of sunlight, mana glowing around them.

“Damn, I feel powerful in here, Theo. How is this place not a dungeon?” Adam asked, eyeing the trees with suspicion.

“I suspect because of the sunlight. The trees are so dense here that they’re containing the mana especially because they’re…” Theo stopped to inspect the flora around them for the first time. “Drarmwood trees? If I could harvest some of this wood, the wands I could have made with it…” The numbers began to add up in his head.

“Your eyes are looking greener than usual, Theo,” Adam said, smirking. “Go gather, we’ll carry the bags.”

“We will?” Nils asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yup,” Adam said, dropping Pina’s bag into the mage’s arms. “Theo needs his hands free to cut herbs or whatever, right?” He winked at Theo.

“...Right. Sorry, Nils. But thank you, it’s highly appreciated,” Theo said, bowing slightly. He turned to the forest around him, unable to decide what to check out first. He bit his lip, considering.

“First, let’s gather some of this drarmwood. It has to come right from the tree itself, the magic may have weakened otherwise,” Theo said, reaching up towards a low branch he could almost reach.

The branch came down to his hand. Looking up further, Theo saw Adam’s hand pulling the branch in question down.

“Oh, thank you, Adam. Could you cut that branch off for me?” Theo asked, pointing to the one he wanted.

“Breaking is probably smarter. Wouldn’t want Relicor to question a clean cut like that. I’ll do one closer to the inside so it’s more hidden too,” Adam said, choosing a similarly sized branch. Muscles on his arms bulged as runes lit up. With a string of curses, and finally a violent snap, the branch came off. “The fuck is this wood made of?”

“Wood?” Theo asked, grinning.

Nils groaned while Adam chuckled.

“Guess so. It’s some damn tough wood. What’s so special about it?” Adam asked, tucking the branch away into the picnic basket.

“It’s quite proficient at containing mana. Wands made with it have much higher natural capacities that don’t need to be supplemented with stardust crystals as often. It makes sense to me now that this area of the forest retains so much mana. These trees take a long time to grow, so let’s only take a couple more branches. I worry it may be suspect otherwise…” Theo said, pointing out a few more branches for Adam to break off of two different trees.

With another turn of the heel, Theo found himself picking through a treasure trove of various ingredients. He nearly fainted when he found a grouping of vindiya roots that were greener than any he’d seen before.

Nils and Adam followed along dutifully, allowing Theo to deposit various plants into their respective bag or basket - after he’d cleaned them of dirt, of course.

Theo continued to focus on the meditation his mom had taught him whenever they passed through patches of sunlight. It seemed to help with the leaks in his mana pool. They weren’t fixing by any means, but the denser mana leaked less.

“Oh, look, Adam! Kryaldrn!” Theo said, running over to a large, waxy-leafed plant.

“Um, bless you?” Adam said, walking over and prodding the plant with a finger. He jerked his hand away when a spark arced to his finger.

“Kryaldrn is a plant that naturally grows with a high lightning affinity. I could make a multitude of potions using this! A sparksprint salve, a bolt beat philtre… The possibilities are endless, just depends on what else I brew it with,” Theo said, rifling through his bag.

“How does one gather this… Kyal- plant, if they can’t touch it?” Nils asked, side-eyeing the plant.

“In this case, I’ll need to bottle it. One of my stronger Primordial affinities is lightning, so I’m… admittedly used to shocking myself. I’ll handle this one,” Theo said, cutting into the plant with Neniramli’s dagger. He grit his teeth as electricity coursed down his arm. Theo swallowed the remains of the healing potion Adam had used and rinsed it with water from his flask.

The tang of the potion helped to stave off the remaining pain from the electric plant. Even the aches in his feet from walking disappeared. Theo rolled up the leaf, grunting in pain once more before stuffing it into the bottle. “I’d gather more but… even at this point I realize I can’t afford to suddenly have a large amount of rare potions in stock. That may… turn some eyes toward me. How full are we anyway?”

“Quite,” Nils said, holding up Pina’s bag which nearly spilled over with flora.

“Same as him. We’re kinda pushing this basket’s enchantment I think,” Adam said, closing the lid of it.

“That decides it then. Let’s go find Telsa and Pina. I can hold that bag now, Nils. Thank you,” Theo said, taking the bag and settling it over his shoulder.

Theo took a moment to take in the forest one more time while Adam and Nils walked ahead. Movement rustled through some bushes. His heart rate spiked before a small serpentine head with a plume of feathers down the back poked out of the bush.

Beady eyes stared at the bag in his hand. A forked tongue ran over its mouth.

“Oh, you’re hungry, huh?” Theo asked, smiling at the creature. Sifting through the berries piled on top, he picked a few plump, juicy ones and tossed them in front of the bush.

The rest of its lengthy body revealed itself - along with a set of feathery wings. Theo gasped, and it dashed back into the bush, berries in claw.

“Theo, you coming?” Adam called out.

Theo blinked several times, unsure if he’d even seen that right. He turned to the bush - now empty. “Um, have a nice day… whatever you were.” This little moment of serendipity was his alone, he decided. He turned, jogging down the trail. “Coming, Adam!”

As he ran off, a voice spoke into his ear - his own voice. “...Nice day!” Theo’s eyes widened.

Theo dropped the bag on the ground in front of Telsa, smiling wide. “All done! I’ll have to preserve most of these, however.”

“Why?” Telsa asked, picking up a mushroom from the top of the bag and turning it in her hand.

“A sudden jump in the quality of my products would raise quite a bit of suspicion, I suspect. Regardless, it's a boon I won’t forget. I need to thank the Terrents later,” Theo said, looking in the direction of Romuen.

“Indeed. Now, may we ah, return to the city? I still have errands to complete,” Nils said, fussing with his robes and picking a burr from them.

“Oh, sorry, Nils! I got so caught up in gathering ingredients, the time escaped me,” Theo said, glancing up at the sun to see what time of day it was. “Oh my, it’s late afternoon already? I hope I haven’t inconvenienced you too much, Nils.”

The mage waved a hand, shaking his head. “Not at all, just a few small things to finish before the day is over. Though… we may not want to be in this forest after dark. Who knows what could be out there.” He shivered.

“Good point, I didn’t think about that. Now to just wake up Pina…” Theo said, turning to the rooted girl. “Um, Pina? Wake up, please. It’s time for us to go.” He nudged her slightly, but her body stayed in place.

“Nah, Theo, you gotta do it like this,” Adam said, walking up to Pina. He knocked on her body with a small rhythm.

It made surprisingly solid noises with every knock. Pina’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She stretched, yawning widely. “Wow, that was a great nap. Oooh, and look how lively my petals are.”

Theo inspected the yellow petals adorning Pina’s head. “Hm, they do look brighter than usual. Do you feel any different, Pina?”

She felt at her body as she pulled her rooted feet out of the ground. “Kinda? I feel like I could run really fast right now, but I sort of always feel like that, so I’dunno.”

“Well, we should make use of that speed. Nils has errands to complete. Shall we?” Theo said, indicating the exit of the mana dense portion of the forest.

Once through, Theo pulled the brooch out of the stone. The clear path flickered, returning to an incredibly realistic image of various bushes and trees. Searching for a moment, he found the stone Kennard had told him about and stowed the brooch under it. He gave the rock two solid pats for good measure and stood back up. “Ready!”

It turned out that gathering so many ingredients at once had a downside. They were heavy. Theo huffed as he lugged Pina’s bag full of plantlife through the forest. The walk hadn’t felt so long beforehand. Now, with both his bag full of ingredients and enchantments, and another bag full of more? He trudged along, his calves burning.

“You want me to carry the bag, Theo? I don’t mind…” Adam offered, holding out a hand.

“I’ve inconvenienced everyone enough at this point. I can handle this much, I assure you,” Theo said, shaking his head. Internally, he cursed himself for not just swallowing his pride and having Adam hold the bag.

As they rounded a corner, the field in front of Romuen crept into view. “We’re on the home stretch,” Adam said, hefting the picnic basket up onto his shoulder.

“I don’t wish to push, but I do need to be back soon, would you mind terribly if I ran ahead?” Nils asked, turning his eyes toward Theo.

“Not all all! Go on ahead, we’ll see you later. Thank you again for all of your help today. I’ve had quite a few unfortunate incidents lately, it’s nice to see my life taking a turn for the better for once,” Theo said, smiling at the mind mage.

Nils returned the smile. “I was happy to provide assistance, Theo. I’ll have to visit your shop more, especially with all these new products you’ll be able to provide.”

“For all your help, the first potion is free. Now, don’t let me keep you,” Theo said, making a shooing motion.

“Right, I’ll just ah, be on my way,” Nils said, increasing his pace as he turned back around.

He stopped moments later, however, as a tremor shook the ground. The earth cracked and split as a massive serpent covered in various magical flora reared its head up, towering over the group.

Hissing as it turned, the snake found its target. Its eyes locked on Theo, and in the blink of an eye, it struck.