in days of yore

The sky was unexpectedly clear for a night in autumn in the Red Forest, when rains frequent. And the half-moon was shining peacefully over the little clearing near the SnowFalls.

The expedition group had decided to settle down on that clearing for two nights to rest and prepare their mind and body for the harsh adventures to come. Some grumpy explorers started the rumor that the Captain just wanted to wait for Filbert to rest and recover from his injuries, as he was still not able to properly use mana like his former self.

But those rumors couldn't perturb the old and experienced Captain, Alderman Yon, who has seen many different types of people and situations during his own adventures. By the way, the Captain still looks to be in his forties, despite being some 400 years old as he is a High Human. The average lifespan of a High Human is said to be about 500 years. Also, the same thing can be said about the Merchant Lord of Alison, Louis Dagbane.

Louis and Alderman are childhood friends. They met when both of them took admission at the UniversityUniversity of the north in the same year. Though Louis was the son of a wealthy merchant dealing in expensive clothes and Alderman was the third son of a small blacksmith, they quickly became friends because of their likemindedness.

Louis was revered as a genius in magic systems. He learned large scale destructive magic and several elemental spells during his study. He also studied arithmetic and the basics of magic engineering. And Alderman was a maniac for body-building. He learned martial arts during his tenure and some metal works.

After graduating from the UniversityUniversity, they went on to form an 'Adventurers Guild' together. But one black day, their whole guild, which consisted of only 8 members, was caught in a trap in a dungeon. Miraculously Louis and Alderman were able to escape, though with injuries, due to the efforts of the later. But the others perished in the darkness of the labyrinth.

Due to this disaster, their guild was disbanded by the then managing union of the Adventurers Guilds. Now depressed and aimless, Alderman trained in sword techniques to further increase his strength. Some years later, he was requested by the army to join the war against the orc kingdom, which had been raging for some 50 long years.

The war, fortunately, ended after 9 more years. Alderman and some other valiant generals were honored as war heroes by the King and exempted from military duty.

After the war, he returned to his old friend Louis to live with him. But Louis, now married, had become a family man and was securing livelihood by doing some odd business.

So, trying not to disturb his friend's private life, he went to MoonHarbor and established a small smithy called 'SilverHammer,' after his now-dead father's original silver hammer.

Some years later, after the request of his friend and in the memory of their former guildmates, he converted it to a new adventurer's guild. And due to his reputation as a former war hero and a master adventurer, many big names in the industry joined him, and the guild slowly became the largest adventurer guild in whole Wisteria[1].

In the meantime, Louis was scouted by the King to become the Merchant Lord of Alison on the surface, and secretly protect the town from the dangers of the Red Forest and the northern mountains. Apparently, the King somehow heard of his raw skills and gallant adventures with his small but powerful guild members.

But well, these are stories from some 300 years ago. Now, Louis has gained some extra weight, and Alderman has lost much of his vigor. Only their ages-long friendship remains and is as fresh as when it began. They spent that night drinking some strong rum and talking about their lives.

----

The next morning was again cold, and the activity in the camp was undoubtedly low. But, the loud wood cracking sound could be heard coming from the forest. It was the dwarf leader Alfosdor; he was chopping a large fallen tree some 100 meters away from the camp.

Some scholars of the northern UniversityUniversity hypothesize that the dwarves have initially been humans, as there has been no mention of them in the tales of the Old Gods. They say that some miner humans who secluded themselves in the mountains, working with ores and metals, crafting tools and weapons evolved into dwarves due to their peculiar living and working conditions. Whereas the dwarves claim that their ancestors were ancient earth spirits like the Gnomes. The scholars are reluctant to accept these ideas as reproduction between spirits, who lack corporeal bodies, and the living should not be theoretically possible.

But Alfosdor never concerns himself with such disputes. He came to MoonHarbor after the foreign business treaty was signed with the dwarven colonies in the Amber mountains[2] by the kingdom. Well, more honestly, he was thrown out of his household as he was not useful in mining or blacksmithy or any other kind of craftsmanship. But his innate talent in battle was recognized by the Captain. And so, he was recruited in his then-newly-formed guild. Thus, he is one of the oldest members of the guild.

Alfosdor was very proud of his position in the guild and as one of the senior members. He worked hard day-and-night to increase the reputation and the scale of operations of the guild. But now, at 310 years of age, he has passed on his responsibilities to the younger generation and is thinking about his retirement. Apparently, the dwarves have an average lifespan of about 400 years. But the rare elder dwarves can live for about a 1000 years.

Still, he never fails to keep his muscles in good condition as taught to him by the Captain when he was a muscle maniac. Today too, he has been swinging his broad dwarven ax to chop wood for campfire in the forest as a form of training.

----

"I see them. There are a few hiding near those shrubs. I think you will be able to spot them when they make small movements. Shoot quickly, as soon as you see them." said Mylisant from atop a tree by using a small binocular-like tool. It didn't look like an ordinary tool, though. It was actually a magic tool, an artifact created by a famous magic engineer of the royal capital. It can detect living organisms with high enough lifeforce when viewed through it.

"I know when I have to shoot. You don't have to tell me everything," said Ryan with slight irritation in his voice. He was also equipped with a one-eyed scope strapped on his head. He then geared up his bow and stood atop a rock to have a better view.

He was asked by the Captain to hunt for food during the morning discussion. Usually, he hates doing such manual-labor-like work due to his royal background. But harsh life conditions after leaving behind royalty forced him to change his views, and he accepted the job with a 'tsk.' And Mylisant, who acts as his current guardian, decided to go with him for his safety.

Well, formerly, Mylisant was not acquainted with the royalty. She was an orphan living in an orphanage in the royal capital. But the deplorable living conditions in the orphanage forced her to steal money from the manager. And as a consequence, she was expelled from the orphanage at a young age of 9. After that, she roamed the dark alleys of the capital, stealing more and more, eventually becoming a phantom thief, stealing money and ornaments from the wealthy, and then distributing them to the poor. But her large scale operations enraged the victims, and a signed warrant was issued of her arrest. Eventually, the royal knights intervened, and she was caught. She was 20 by then and was sentenced 25 more years in prison.

While in prison, the prison master noticed her talent and decided to train her in the scout and ranger jobs, who was an expert himself. She worked hard diligently, and after her release, she was immediately hired by the royalist faction of Ryan to be his bodyguard, who was a small child then.

Ryan's mother was one of the mistresses of the King and a foreign princess. But Ryan was not a Godling by birth. So, his mother was treated poorly by the other consorts of the King, as there has been a tradition, or more like a pattern, that the royal Prince and Princesses have always been strong Godlings by birth.

The small feud leads in no minor dispute in the capital, and assassination attempts were made on Ryan and his faction. Somehow Mylisant managed to safeguard the young Prince and escape.

Later, when the King got word of the truth of the story, he offered him amnesty and funds to live a worry-free life away from all the backbiting and politics of the capital. And the young ex-prince grew up strong under the care of Mylisant.

But he was not satisfied with the handling of the case by the King. And the loss of his mother fueled thoughts of revenge in his mind.

One thing led to another, and the ex-prince Ryan found himself entangled in some pretty complicated business once again. Mylisant tried her best to calm him down and ease his sufferings. But hatred had already planted firm roots in his heart. So, she had no other way but to listen to his selfish desires and protect him in his mission.

Well, she was still vexed by the details of the mission. But the figure of Ryan, whom she had raised like her own brother, carefully taking aim with his longbow, filled her heart with love.

As he pulled the bowstring, an arrow of mana was formed and knocked. After two long breaths, the arrow was released, and it flew straight for some 300 meters and struck one of the rabbits hiding in the shrubs.

"Got it!" He said in a low voice and ran towards the now immobilized prey.

But Mylisant had already caught it and killed it. "A splendid shot, my young hero!" she said with a sweet voice. By the way, Mylisant still looks like in her twenties despite being in her fifties, as the humans in Eden have a longer lifespan of 200 years.

"That was not difficult. I could have easily caught it even without your help."

"My my, the little Prince has magnificently grown up. He doesn't need his big sister's help anymore. Ahh! How will I live without him!!" Mylisant started her crying or acting. Well, whatever she did, she was good at it.

"Come on..." saying so in a bored tone, Ryan ran towards the base of the mountain in search of other prey. Mylisant packed the rabbit in an odor-proof leather bag and ran after him.

They stopped atop a large rock overlooking a small stream and surveyed the surroundings.

"Shall we use it again? We are at a sufficient distance from the camp and pretty close to the mountain," asked Ryan, while shooting at another rabbit he saw at the opposite side of the stream. The rabbit couldn't evade and was shot at the head by the small arrow shot by the small but powerful bow that was used this time. Ryan carries two bows. One is small, about 2 feet long, while the other one is as long as the English longbow.

He then excitedly crossed the stream by making a jump and picked up the rabbit. Mylisant also followed him and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I have brought all the necessary tools. Let's try again." Ryan answered.

"Okay." Saying so, Mylisant pulled out a palm-sized capsule-like object from her pouch tied on her belt. The crystalline artifact was divided into two parts in the middle. The lower part was opaque and perforated. The upper part was transparent and contained a liquid inside. Another translucent oval crystal was floating inside it, which contained a small piece of bone.

She held the transparent part in her right hand and passed mana into it. The liquid emitted a faint blue glow, and then, white mana, more like Ynni, was slowly emitted by the perforated upper part. The mana gradually dispersed in the surroundings as they lacked a will controlling it.

"No matter how many times I use this, I am always stupefied by this mana," said Mylisant while frowning her brows.

"Don't worry. You will not have to do it anymore." Saying so, he focused his attention on the top of the mountain.

"Is it coming?" asked Mylisant putting the capsule in her pouch and then readying her black colored dagger.

"I cannot guarantee that it is what we are looking for. But something is coming. And... it is powerful." said Ryan while calmly taking a stance with his longbow.

But Mylisant was not composed. The strong magic presence she felt coming from the mountain slope sent chills down her spine. "It is terrible," she whispered.

Suddenly they heard a short howl in the distance. "They are mountain wolves. We are retreating," cried Mylisant.

"Tsk." Ryan clicked his tongue and ran after her.

----

As usual, Kenny was late to get up in the morning. Slowly trotting out of his tent, he washed his face in the waterfall lake, gargled his mouth, and walked near a campfire after feeling refreshed by the magical water.

Some of the other explorers, who were also late in the morning, were sipping hot herb tea near the fires. Kenny approached the one where he saw a person he was familiar with. It was the young, sociable dwarf mage with whom Kenny got acquainted on his first day in the camp. When he noticed Kenny, he merrily asked him to sit on the stool him and offered him a big cup of herb tea mixed with honey and rum.

"Thanks, Reidrin," said Kenny to the young, lively fellow while taking the cup and sitting down. And yeah, Reidrin is his name.

"Hahaha, it's no bother," he replied with a hearty laugh. "Here, chew these for breakfast." Saying so, Reidrin passed the meat skewer, which was left to cook on the fire to Kenny. "Since there is no breakfast for the late risers like us."

Kenny passed the cup to his left hand and took the tasty looking skewer with the now free right hand. "Looks delicious," he replied. The third person who was around this campfire was the one preparing them. She was sitting on the ground with her legs crossed. It was the demi-human feline girl whom Kenny saw on his second day in the camp. Though being in the same group for some days now, Kenny had never talked with her. Well, actually, she was the one who seemed more distant with a gloomy atmosphere around her.

But now, as Kenny observed her, she looked exquisitely attractive. Her bluish-silver dorsal fur shined like silk under the sun. Her cat-like ears and whiskers, and the big round pink eyes together with her small mouth could only be described as extremely cute. Though Mimosa is in an entirely different league, he concluded.

Intrigued by the sadness in her face, Kenny asked Reidrin with a whisper, "What happened to her?"

And Reidrin replied with a whisper as well, "Well, it was terrible. She lost her cousin, whom she loved a lot. It was when we were attacked by some Shadow Cats."

"She loved her cousin?" Intrigued by the incest like events, Kenny asked.

"Well, mating between brothers and sisters or cousins is common among demi-humans," Reidrin answered, maintaining the whisper profile.

"... " the culture shock made Kenny fall silent.

Reidrin continued, "That guy was a fine warrior. So, everybody mourned for him. And he belonged to our guild, the SilverHammer."

Suddenly, the feline girl who caught them whispering glared at them. Reidrin looked troubled, and while sweating from his forehead, he let out a dry laugh, "Haha... Well, Nensi, why don't you introduce yourself to Kenny. I am sure you heard about him - the guy who joined us in the Red Forest."

She stared with the same mean look at Kenny and curtly introduced herself after a pause. "I am Nensi, an apprentice cook of the AquaRoses guild." And taking no offense with the behavior of the lady cook, Kanny introduced himself as well.

The AquaRoses guild she mentioned is the second-largest guild of Wisteria. They are led by a team of leaders who specialize in various fields, and Lady Janet is one of them. The services provided by them range from sorcerers to healers, from maids and cooks to artists and decorators, from weavers to stage performers. In fact, it is one of the oldest surviving guilds of Wisteria, dating back to a thousand years.

Kenny had heard about AquaRoses from Lady Janet herself. But, he was surprised by the fact that they also trained cooks.

With a 'hmph,' Nensi looked away and focused on her work.

"Why is she angry with me? I am sure this is the first time we have met." Kenny again asked Reidrin with a whisper, and Reidrin paused to think for a while and answered, "I can't think of anything."

Looking up, she again glared at Kenny for a while and said in a low voice, "Those eyes of yours; they remind me of those vile Shadow Cats." Then she quickly got up and walked away with the bowl towards her tent.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Kenny asked the only person who was now around the campfire beside him.

"Well, they say, 'Time is the best medicine,'" replied Reidrin softly while sipping the hot liquid in his cup. "Don't worry, Kenny. The people who were selected for this expedition are strong, both physically and mentally."

Kenny sipped from his cup as well. Reidrin picked up the last one of the skewers that Nensi prepared before she left. And then they enjoyed the warmth of the fire in the cold morning in tranquil silence.

Sometime later, Reidrin informed Kenny that the Captain had tasked him to help Lady Janet with her work today during the morning discussion he missed. And as Kenny was about to start his day's jobs, he sensed peculiar mana like that day, before the skeletons attacked the group. He focused his attention towards the direction from where it originated, but couldn't make out the possessor of the pleasant mana. It was definitely not coming from Ryan or Mylisant who were hunting in the foot of the mountains.

"Kenny boy, is there something wrong?" asked Reidrin when he saw Kenny staring blankly at the empty forest. Then trouble showed up. Kenny sensed some wolves who were coming down from the mountains.

"Aa, its nothing. Just going to take a leak." Saying, so he walked briskly away from the camp and disappeared into the forest.

----

It was the afternoon, and most of the people in the camp were listlessly taking a nap after lunch or working silently inside their tents.

But if one were to look at the east side of the waterfall lake, one could see a series of small puddles carefully dugout on the sandy shore. And by listening closely, one could also hear some burbling sounds.

By following the puddles from the largest one situated near the lake, one would come across a girl who looks like in her twenties. She was filtering the water from the puddle beside her using a handmade, small, but handy filter. It was basically a long glass cylinder fitted with sand, gravel, and other materials for precise filtering.

She is actually one of Lady Janet's attendants. And her master, Lady Janet herself, could be spotted if one would look some 10 meters away from the sandy shore. She was carefully observing a small fractional distillation setup while stirring some other substances in a beaker. The problematic process of fractional distillation was being carried out in glass apparatus atop a small, low wooden table, while other equipment was laid out bare on the rocky ground. An ornate box of various chemicals, contained in small bottles, was also lying open near her.

Due to the availability of a convenient carrier tool like the 'case', it was effortless for Lady Janet to carry these apparatus with her wherever she went. So, she can test unknown substances on the go and also bring the bulk of those substances back with her for further research.

"Kenny, where were you?" Recognizing the presence at her back, she asked without turning. "I was waiting."

"Sorry for making you wait, Lady Janet. There were some troublesome beasts on the western side of the camp. So, I was held up in chasing them away." replied Kenny in a polite manner.

Ignoring the reason Kenny used for being late, she started talking fervently about her work and findings. "Look, Kenny, after diluting and filtering the water from the lake, we have been able to separate its main contents and also identify the trace minerals present in the water."

"Oh! Ain't that impressive!" Kenny exclaimed her with a smile.

She gave out a big smile and said while turning back, "Thanks! I hope I can keep it up!" With excitement in her voice, she continued, "Now, listen to this, Kenny. After numerous testing, we have figured out that it was not the mana in the water which injured Filbert yesterday. As we know, normal mana, no matter how high grade it is, cannot harm a person to this extent."

"Then...?" Kenny appeared shocked and curious.

"Well, you see, it was the lifeforce which is dissolved in the water, something like the monster repellents we use to make. And this lifeforce is very strong. No wonder Filbert leveled up a lot after surviving that ordeal." It is true. Filbert leveled up by almost 110 units after he checked his level with his ID card. He is currently at level 609.

She continued, "This probably means that a lot of high-level creatures' dead bodies were dumped in this waterfall lake, which abounds in natural Ynni. Their mana and lifeforce dissolved in the water creating this beautiful yet deadly lake."

"Yes, right. That seems to be the case," said Kenny, while making a satisfied smile as if the big mystery has been solved.

"I think that their remains should still be at the bottom of the lake. Kenny, can you go and check?" she asked.

Puzzled by the sudden request, Kenny cooked up another excuse, "Ah, well, the waters are deep. And although I am not affected by the water, it is challenging to dive," said Kenny, deciding that it will be better for the other people do not know what is really there at the depths.

"Hmm... you're right," she said with a thought. "It might be dangerous. There may also be underwater undead."

Then, a faint sound of a small pebble dropping on the glass came from her back. "Ah, it distilled out," she exclaimed delightfully. A tiny pearl-like crystal dropped down from the setup inside a small empty glass jar. She immediately closed it off with its glass cap. "This is the crystallization of the lifeforce in the water. We will have to send it to the University to identify its source," she said while pleasantly looking at it.

Though he knows that it is not possible, Kenny maintained a poker face and congratulated her.

"The mana has also been distilled out," said she while pointing at another beaker which was collecting a fuming and glowing liquid dropping from another small tube. "This mana can be used to make very high-grade medicines and magic potions."

"It will be quite valuable if sold in major towns," commented Kenny.

"Not just valuable Kenny, it will be sold as a legendary item, if put in the auction," she said while refilling the distillation cylinder.

"Hmm... on second thought. We should make potions for ourselves. We might need them on our journey."

"I wish we could make them here and now. But there are no experts in alchemy with us in the camp. So, we should bring it to my colleagues from the AquaRoses guild. It will be a perfect souvenir."

"Then, shall I collect more samples?"

"Right, Kenny. Please fetch me water from different parts of the lake? The concentrations may vary depending on the location."

And so, Kenny spent the afternoon helping Lady Janet with her field study. She also told him about the general progress in alchemy in recent years. He was surprised that the field has developed to such an extent, considering the level of scientific development in this world.

Kenny shared some of his knowledge, too, while being careful not to mention any groundbreaking theory. He also helped in her work. Pleased with his knowledge and skills, Lady Janet asked him to visit her guild once whenever he visits MoonHarbour. She even handed him an AquaRoses badge to be used when visiting. The coin-shaped badge was beautifully made up of a crystal with wave-like patterns, and a red rose inside like a colored marble.

They continued their work until dark and then returned to the camp. The dinner, which consisted of soup and foraged vegetables, was light but tasty. But the most beautiful part of the experience was having dinner near the campfire and under the starry sky.

After warming themselves up near the fire, they went to bed early as they had planned to continue their journey soon the next morning.