The noise of an argument on the street below awake Liam from his slumber. “Three times this week you have been late on deliveries! Why do I even pay you Parker?” Liam spied a large man with a bushy moustache screaming down at a teenager. The quietly muttered reply which Liam was unable to hear seemed to mollify the older man. Shaking his head, he walked back into the building Jonah’s Jolting Couriers.

Cringing at the awful name of the courier service Liam hopped out of bed and put on his new boots and leather vest. Lastly, he dons the new scabbard, his dagger safely secured inside. He takes a moment to look at himself in the mirror. Some visible muscle was starting to develop on his average physique. He tosses on a jacket over the vest and walks downstairs with a smile on his face.

One hasty breakfast later Liam is heading out to find an alchemist. Godrick was able to point him in the direction of some alchemists. Liam takes off running with the morning sun on his back. He runs quickly through the city, market stalls, shopfronts and small patches of greenery falling behind him as he sped towards his destination.

Panting in exertion Liam stops at the area that he was directed to. Fangfeld Square a sign pointed over to his destination. Happy with the good time that he made, he looks down at his new boots and wonders how much they helped.

As he feels a bit thirsty, he checks out the fountain in the centre. Thinking to himself that it seems clean enough and not noticing anybody paying him much attention he dunks his head under the water to cool off and drink a few mouthfuls of water.

“Ahem ahem “a high-pitched cough sounded from behind Liam. Whirling around he sees an incredibly short green haired man. “Sir are you a farm animal?” he looks up at Liam from behind a pair of half moon glasses. “What, no! of course not, what?” Liam splutters confusedly “Then why are you drinking like one?” The short man nods over to a drinking faucet on the edge of the fountain. He then walks away with fast little steps, muttering to himself about disrespectful children as he does so. Flushed with embarrassment Liam takes a proper look around the square.

The area was mostly residential but with a few shops scattered throughout, he could see a young boy in a white apron sweeping the street in front of one of them. Not seeing any obvious alchemist shop he walks over to the boy who was happy to stop sweeping for a moment and direct him to a narrow stone building tucked on the edge of a corner.

Peter’s Potions a sign was etched into the stone above the doorway. “Straight to the point I guess” Liam thinks to himself as he pushes the wooden door open. His nose is instantly assaulted by a cacophony of smells, although not unpleasant it is certainly interesting. Doing his best to ignore the reagents odour running through his nose Liam walks up to the unmanned counter. He rings the bell and waits. Several seconds later Liam hears the pitter patter of small footsteps and sees a green tuft of hair appear, he sighs to himself.

“Oh.. it’s you.. shouldn’t you be off to the barn?” The man questioned in a nasally sarcastic voice. “I was just really thirsty! I ran all the way here you know!” Liam replied with indignation. “Oh yes, I’m sure you were faster than a horserabbit” came the smirking reply. “Look, sorry about the fountain. I didn’t mean any disrespect. Let’s start over. My name is Liam, nice to meet you”. He sticks out his hand and schools his face into a positive expression. The tiny man sighs and replies after shaking his hand. “Alright so, I suppose I was a wee bit rude earlier. You may call me Peter, welcome to my establishment, what may I do for you?”

“I need Lava root, hopefully a good quality or fresh one if you have it” Liam asks. “You’re not trying to brew dragon’s breath rum are you boy?” The man replies with a sharp tone. “What? No of course not, I just need some for my friend, she said it would help” Liam replied quickly. “Ahh, a pyro. I see I see. Overextended herself, did she? Lava root certainly would help, even more so if brewed correctly of course.” Peter says with a sly smile “Perfect, I’ll take one of those please” Liam says eagerly. “Unfortunately, we are all out. All the lava root in Eternia City has bought up by various families and adventurers. There is a rather large bounty on dragonkin right now and the root is needed in most decent fire resistance potions “. He continues on after the brief explanation.” However, you seem like a bright young man, perhaps we can help each other. If head out of the city and gather a few pouches of the root, I will concoct your friend an elixir to get her back up on her feet in no time”.

“I suppose I don’t have much choice, do I?” Liam sighs “Not if you want your friend to recover quickly and back to her full strength”. “Alright them, I’ll do it, where should I go, what does it even look like? “Questioned Liam. Peter pulls out a large book and flicks through the pages, stopping around halfway through he slides the book across the counter and spins it around while tapping at an elaborate drawing on the top of the page.

After taking a moment to study and memorise the shape and details of the drawing Liam begins to read. Lava root- A Tuber root which grows well when exposed to a large amount of natural heat under the earth. It is used in many potions and possess several qualities useful in enchanting. Many herbalists have attempted to replicate the conditions in order to grow some in safe conditions, unfortunately this is impossible for most. It is often found deep inside mountains and caves that have powerful crea… The book is snatched away before he can finish the paragraph. “As you can see, it’s very recognizable, just look for the glowing red lines, the stronger and older lava root will have thicker and quickly moving lines throughout.” Liam nods in understanding. Peter reaches under the counter and pulls out a tatty pair of gloves, a smooth leather pouch and a large atlas. “You will find a cave several miles to the east, deep inside you should find at least a few pieces, bring back as much as you can carry.” He pulls out a blank piece of parchment and quickly traces the relevant location, he hands the swiftly drawn map over to Liam. “Also, you’re going to need these”. He nods at a pair of gloves and pouch. Liam nudges a tiny amount of mana to his eyes and inspects them.

Moleskin Leather Pouch

An old pouch enhanced with a fading stasis enchantment which will keep any contents placed inside safe and secure.

Buckhide Gloves

A worn pair of gloves, the runethread throughout should keep you safe from extreme heat but do little to prevent the cold.

Peter looks up at him with a strange look after Liam takes the equipment. Ignoring him, he places them in his travel pack and asks, “Is there anything else I should know?” The green haired man makes a ‘hmm’ sound and replies “Well it might be a good idea to bring some water, it can get a bit hot when you go deep into the cave. A good rope and some rations are probably a safe investment too. The general store around the corner should be able to get you sorted out. I’m not too sure to be honest, I usually have adventures such as yourself bring me what I need” A smile breaks out across Liam’s face after being called an adventure. “Now make haste, if you are quick enough I can have the elixir for your friend done by tonight” . After thanking his new friend, Liam headed out the door.

Fangfeld square is a bit busier now, a young couple walks around hand in hand, the young boy seems to have moved on from sweeping and is now washing the window of his employer. Scanning the square, he spots a wooden building with a simple sign hanging from a metal railing. Food and Stuff.

A brief conversation and purchase later Liam makes his way towards the city outskirts, his pack now slightly heavier with some water skins, rations of dried meats, fruits and his new rope of course.

Halegrass Rope

A rope tightly woven from the fresh cuttings of halegrass. It is deceptively strong considering its light weight.

Liam gets a grunt in reply as he nods to the guard manning Eternia City’s eastmost gate. He heads out into the wilderness for the first time in his short life. Eager to get his quarry so that his friend Ignissa can recover quickly Liam does not take any time to explore or enjoy the new sights and sounds. He heads straight towards the location Peter indicated.

Remembering what the Ari, the healer he met in the park said, Liam pushes a small amount of mana from his spirit to his legs. Feeling himself run much faster than his old limits Liam lets out a yell of delight. He speeds up again as some farmers tending crops near a wall give him a strange look. As he runs through worn dirt paths, passing by farms and homesteads the city is quickly shrinks into distance behind him.

A fork in the road lies before Liam. He quickly stops, leaving skid marks in the dirt road, a bit surprised at how fast he was moving he takes out the map and some water. After confirming that he is on the correct route he sits down and takes a few sips of water while meditating briefly in the sun. But not so much as to lose focus and fall asleep.

After a few similar breaks, stopping at various landmarks Liam sees a large mountain looming before him. The peaks are hidden from view as they pierce through fluffy clouds. Mount Goliath. It stands alone, unlike the mountain ranges bordering Esterstone which he is used to seeing every day. A large stretch of open plains lies before him, the cave entrance should be just after that, near the base of the mountain.

Deciding the test his newly found powers once more, Liam pushes more mana into his legs, it takes a few moments to focus and get it under control but eventually he feels it. The power of the spirits, denied to him for so long, finally under his grasp. With his lesson learned after the incident at the park, Liam accelerates slowly this time. Gradually picking up speed as he feels his vision blur at the edges. Knowing he is at his limit and any more speed would likely cause another accident, he starts to slow down. After focusing on what is in front of him once more, he sees a dark stone formation.

There is a gap in the stone, a dark tunnel beckons him fourth. The grassy plains fall way to pebbly stones and dirt as he makes his way toward the entrance. With some slight trepidation, Liam calls some light into his hand and ventures below.