In the early morning the Aiu was woken up by Ana opening the doors.

“Ana where have you been? What happened?” Aiu asked still worried.

“I could ask the same. We chased and killed the bear, expecting for you to come. The rain got heavier while we waited. This washed our old tracks so we couldn’t find the way back. We decided to wait for you guys a while longer, but you never came!”

“I got chased by another bear that’s why.”

“Well you seem uninjured so I guess it ended well. Master killed it?”

“Yes just in time, I was very close to get mauled. Where is Ell?”

“He will be here shortly. He has a bear pelt we skinned. Sorry, but we couldn’t carry any of the meat.” Ana knew that they had to take as much valuable materials from the bear as they could.

“No need to apologise Ana”

“It was a wise choice, even if it rained the meat could have attracted other predators.” Guardian added his opinion to the conversation.

Ell entered the hut carrying the bear’s hide.

“You guys are fine, that is good.” Ell said as he put the hide by the fire to dry.

“You two must be tired, you can rest till late afternoon.”

“Thank you, Master.” Said Ell removing his tunic and wringing the water out of it.

While the elves slumped by the fire to sleep Aiu went to do her daily chores. Mostly processing the plants and brewing the potions.

The rest of the rainy days were quite uneventful. Aiu brewed her potions while elves did other small tasks.

The rain was getting lighter. Guardian went with ell to the town to sell their produce. He did not came back with heavy purse, it was lighter. He purchased a good amount of stuff.

The most expensive of their purchases was leather vest for Aiu. It was made out of the same Corpse Serpent leather they have killed. It kept the original colour of the serpent skin which was a mix of green and light brown making it easy to camouflage in the forests. It offered protection to her torso, the groin and hips were also protected by short strips of leather. The rest of her body was left bare but it was better than nothing. At least she won’t be easily gutted or stabbed in a chest. This have costed only 5 gold to make as they provided their own material.

He also got 2 hunting bows for elves, while the ones they already had did the jobs the new ones offered better performance. They were longer and had better range and piercing power.

Aiu got a new short bow as well. However, they were still stuck using the arrow they have made themselves. As iron tipped arrows were quite expensive and they did not need that sort of end game stuff. Sharpened stone worked fine against common beasts as they did not need to pierce armour.

The bows lightened his pocket by another 2 gold and 11 silver.

That was not the end of the things he purchased. He also got a bed roll made out of bear fur for Aiu and another one for himself. Elves received some sturdy linen work clothes which replaced their tattered rags. They were grey coloured tunics which could endure a lot of wear and tear. They will stain them in green later so it stands out less in the forest. This has cost another 2 gold and 10 silver.

All of this was to make the expedition to the magical depths of the forest easier.

The group gathered their equipment and departed the next day, early in the morning. They have spent most of the day slowly walking deeper and deeper into the forest. They stopped now and then to rest and snack on nuts and dried meat. They have cowered the most of the distance without being molested by the forest creatures, this was thanks to the Guardian who escorted them.

They made a camp for the night and continued their trek again early in the morning.

Midway through the day they started to notice changes in flora and fauna. The plants started to look odd and different from the usual, the air smelled differently and the sounds were also completely unfamiliar. They have entered the border of the magical forest.

Aiu was pushing her way through the thick growth, then her leg was soddenly looped by a vine and she fell to the ground.

“Oww… Aaaaaaaaaa” She was getting dragged through the ground by her leg.

She slid towards a big plant which resembled an oversized vase. Its base had many vines growing from it and stretching outwards making a circle.

“Help!!!” She shouted in panic.

Her guardian stepped on a wine, his weight stopping it.

“These plants are carnivorous, you need to watch where you step or else you will be snared and eaten by them.”

Elves aimed at the plant with their bows.

“No! Do not waste your arrows on it. I need it un-punctured so we can harvest its juices.”

More vines slid towards the Guardian. He grabbed the one who was clutching on Aiu’s leg and tore it, severing the connection. He grabbed the girl and threw her further away to safety. She botched her landing and fell on her bum, but she was out of the plant’s range.

The vines tried to loop and drag him just like they did with Aiu. But he was too heavy and too strong. He ripped the vines pulling them one by one until the plant was left defenceless.

“You can come closer. Aiu, cut the small vines around it and extract its juices from its pitcher. Be careful it will burn your skin and clothes if it leaks on you.”

Aiu did as instructed extracting acidic substance from carnivorous plant, Acid Pitcher was its name.

They went deeper into the forest and started to harvest potent herbs which grew there. They stayed close to be safe, if any of them got looped by Acid Pitcher others would help to cut its vines and then harvest it’s juices.

Good amount of herbs was harvested and it was getting dark. Elves and Aiu could not believe that they were not attacked by any of the animals inhabiting the forests. They heard creatures making noises and felt their presence around, but none of them came close to be seen. The trio felt extremely tense but trusted in the one who brought them here. He must know what he is doing and what to expect.

It got completely dark and it was time to set a camp. They put a small fire and sat to rest near it.

The forest was basked in the light of full moon and they could try to gather some more, but did not want to risk it.

“What is that?” Aiu pointed towards a faint blue light coming from distance.

“Gh-gh-ghost!” Ana screamed.

“I don’t think so, let’s go and investigate.” Guardian knew that this forest was not a haunted kind. They would feel drained and low on energy if it was the case.

“Master, you can’t’ be serious.” Ell protested.

He stood up and motioned to follow. He did not seem alerted or scared. The trio followed him staying behind his large frame. The blue glow was getting stronger. Once they got close enough they realised that it was plants who glowed in the night.

“I have never seen anything like this.” Guardian said in surprise.

“Could It be?” Ana said in wonder.

“What? Do you know what it is?”

“I never seen it with my own eyes, but this must be it.”

“What?” Aiu asked?

“Moonlight flower. It is mentioned often in elven folklore. It is a special flower which blooms only during the full moon. In stories it is given to elven maidens by men. Noble men do so to win their hearts as it is extremely beautiful.”

“Any other uses? More practical ones?” Guardian inquired.

“Some stories say their extract can empower one in willpower. Some mages also used them to power their spells.” Ana added.

“That is what I want. Harvest them all.”

They started to harvest a patch of blue glowing flowers. All of them were plucked and stuffed into the pouches. Even then plucked they kept glowing in rich blue colour.

Suddenly something snorted deeply, it was a beast pushing the air through its nose. The bush rustled and the beast charged towards Ana.

It looked similar to a horse but couple times bigger and more muscular. Its head was shorter than that of a horse and it had a mouth full of sharp teeth.

It tried to ram into Ana and trample her. The beast looked enraged. Ana jumped to the side barely dodging it.

“Wow what is that?!” Aiu shouted out.

“Kill it, it is dangerous.” Ell warned shooting a poisoned arrow. It flew and embedded in the beast’s side. The wound fizzled and bubbled in bubbles of blood.

The beast turned and aimed at Ell instead. It charged him.

“Shit!” He shouted out.

Aiu and Ana shot their arrows towards it. The beast puffed releasing an odd sound and the arrows were knocked off it mid-air. Its body released a gust of wind to block and knock the arrows away. Magic was at play.

It butted the Ell’s chest with its head toppling him over. The beast quickly turned in its tracks and bent its neck to bite at the Ell. However, it was knocked down by the black guardian, the one leading the group.

It tumbled on the side and nayyyed in displeasure.

“The poison should start working soon even if it’s only one arrow.” Said Ana helping Ell to stand back on his feet.

The beast let another strong gust of wind preventing the Guardian from catching it in his grip. It stood up and ran towards the bushes.

“It fled?” Aiu wondered if the beast had enough.

“I doubt it.” Guardian replied.

The beast emerged from bushes aiming at Aiu’s back.

“The bastard is avoiding me. Arrows are of a little use against it. What a bother.” He complained.

Elves shot their arrows but they were deflected just like last time. Aiu knew that she won’t be able to dodge and braced for impact, hoping that it won’t kill her.

“Fine we will have it your way!” Her guardian shouted. He stretched his left arm sending a ball of red pulsing light.

It collided with the beast, sticking to its head and knocking it off his track. The horse-like creature missed Aiu.

“Huh?!” “What?” Elves exclaimed.

“Burst!” their master shouted.

The red strings of light which was stuck to the monsters head burst it flames. The beast let a high pitched scream of pain and panic.

The flame was not powerful and lasted only couple of seconds, doing minimal damage. However, this was enough to scare the beast, it did not enjoy being blinded and the feeling of its skin burning. It changed its course and tried to flee for real this time.

“Ha!” Guardian shouted forcefully sending a shockwave similar to the one the horse monster had used before.

It knocked the beast down. The guardian ran quickly aiming to bind it to the ground with his heavy body.

The beast sent a shockwave of its own, but it was too late. Its body was already pressed by the ground by Guardian. All the blast did was to agitate him; the guardian was too heavy to be thrown off.

“Quickly! Kill it.” He shouted. His hands were busy holding the horse-like monster and he did not want to be blasted again; it felt unpleasant.

Elves ran towards the monster and tried to stab its body with their knives.

“Be careful of its head, it is full of teeth.” Ana warned Ell while moving away from the beast’s head as it tried to bite her.

“The hide is too thick. Simple cutting knife is not doing it.” Ell made an observation as he tried to cut into its body.

“I have an idea.” Aiu ran quickly to get something from the pile of their stuff.

She came back holding a clay pot in her arms. She raised it above her head and smashed it on the monsters head. Its head started to sizzle and the beast screamed and twitched.

“Ahhh!” the trio screamed as well as their ears were assaulted by a high pitched wail of the beast.

The cries of the monster were too unpleasant to bear. Elves and human girl plugged their ears with their palms leaving their master struggling to keep the beast pinned to the ground.

Acid did its job eventually eating through the skin of the monster and killing it. Ear piercing cry was replaced by a muffled gurgle and then it stopped all together.

“This was terrible.” Aiu said shaking her head.

“Agreed.” Ell nodded in agreement.

“I had to bear it all. While you just stood there useless.” Guardian complained.

“Sorry. Sorry, Master.” Ana apologised.

“Our weapons were useless against it. Even the poison did little to weaken it.” Said Ell.

“Lets cut it open. I want to see what is inside.”

Its hide was ripped from its body instead of being neatly cut; it was too tough. Monster was gutted and its mana core extracted. Guardian put it in his mouth and ate it.

“What are you eating?” Ana asked all grossed out.

“It is mana core. Guardian is a mage. It was a secret but the cat is out of the bag I guess.” Aiu explained.

“I figured that, but still…”

“Why to eat it?” Ell finished his sister’s sentence.

“It’ is because…” Aiu tried to enlighten the two but was cut off.

“You are not entitled to know that.” Guardian said licking his lips. His mana was recharged in full.

“Ammm, ok. So you are a mage?” Ana was still unable to believe it.

“And I thought you were a warrior who retired to be a hunter.” Ell found it hard to believe too.

“If you value your employment keep it a secret.”

“Yes of course.” Booth elves agreed.

The beast’s corpse was left there to rot. It had plenty of useful alchemical ingredients but there was little use in harvesting it as they would be rotten by the time their party went home.They took their stuff and set a camp further down. The guardian stayed awake guarding it in case they got attacked again.

Then the morning came the group scavenged a bit more for goods and then went back home.

There Aiu distilled the Moonlight Flowers they have gathered. It came out as a blue liquid which would glow slightly in the darkness. She tried to identify it but was not skilled enough to be able to tell what it does or what effects it has.

The guardian took the potion to the alchemist guild for master brewer to inspect it.

“This is clearly a mana potion. You were very lucky to find this, I will pay good coin for everything you have.”

“What grade is it?”

“Basic. That is why this is quite valuable.” Most potions alchemist guild received or made were weak grade mana potions. Basic grade potions came in as a relic of more prosperous days.

“How valuable?”

“Hmm…” he tested the potion by drinking it, it was safe because he inspected the properties beforehand. “It tastes fresh. Must been stored well. One gold per vial.”

“We have a deal.” This was good money.

“Say stranger, is there a chance you made these.” Brewer asked thinking that potions were probably too fresh. It was unlikely they kept this well in storage, even if they were in enchanted containers.

“Maybe.” It was Aiu who made the, but he happily took the credit.

“Really?! I am willing to pay a fortune for a recipe if you allow me to gather the coin.”

“Not happening. But I will sell the batch I have.”

“I had to try. Here is your coin.” He knew that were very few who would share a recipe like that. The strange traveller clearly possessed some foreign techniques from his land, maybe passed from father to father. No wonder traveller was unveiling to share them. This was brewer’s assumption.

The brewer will have a new competitor by the looks of it.

The guardian took 9 gold coins. He will be able to make a good coin once he opens his shop and starts to sell stuff like that. He came back home to bring Aiu good news.