Aiden began waking up after a silent and dreamless sleep. He could feel a weird numbness on his forearm, a sensation like many tiny pins came in contact with his skin. The feeling was painless and so it just annoyed Aiden as he moved around in his bed and finally opened his eyes. He pushed down on the bed and sat upright before looking at his arm. The scar caused by the Goblin’s scimitar seemed to have disappeared, in its place there was a golden light that completely faded a couple of moments after Aiden placed his gaze upon it. Confused, as he was, Aiden stretched and noticed something that made him freeze for a second: Even though he had slept with his night clothes, he now only had his underwear on. His eyes quickly panned to the left and then to the right side of the room. Next to the bed, on his right side, there was a wooden chair with a white pillow on it. Sitting on the chair there was Serena with her brown hair tied up in a ponytail and her eyes staring at Aiden in what seemed to be a pretty awkward moment for her. “G-Good morning Aiden! Don’t worry about me… Miss Lin instructed me to stay by your side during the night and help heal your scar!” As she said her hands were raised in front of her chest and were gesturing Aiden to calm down and not be alerted. “Uh… Good morning, Serena. Thanks for your help, but staying up all night wasn’t necessary. There is always time to heal such a minor wound.” Hearing this Serena was quick to shake her head in disagreement. “I don’t know much, but Lord Lloyd wants to have a talk with you as soon as possible. He said that you need to be fully healed.” Aiden seemed thoughtful. – A talk, with me? This seems to be serious. I don’t suppose something has gone wrong. – Aiden nodded and stood up at the same time as Serena. She gave a bow and hurried out of the room without saying another word in order to give him all the privacy he needed to get ready.

It didn’t take long for him to prepare himself. Including the brushing of his teeth he must have been in his room for about ten minutes before pulling the door open and rushing downstairs. There, in the familiar long, wooden table Duran, William, Lin, Serena and Lloyd were all sitting in their respective spots. Aiden could tell it was fairly early so the other two servants should be still asleep. He tried to say good morning but due to the serious atmosphere of the chamber he was only able to raise his hand as a form of greeting. The other responded with silent eye contact, it didn’t seem hostile, more like a way to tell him it wasn’t the best time to greet each other. Aiden quickly pulled back his usual seat and sat down. Lloyd then turned to look at everyone and opened his mouth. “Greetings Aiden, I would have liked to have a talk with you about your first adventure, but unfortunately we got some grave news. You already know of the assassination attempt that almost took our King’s life. Apparently, the royal guard have found some evidence that has led them to think of the Pinewood Mines as a possible hideout belonging to the assassin and their group.” A slight pause was more than enough for Duran to jump into the conversation with a growling voice. “BAH! You can’t be serious! The mines are overrun and crawling with ice elementals. Only a fool would dare to seek refuge there!” Duran took a healthy sip of his brown ale and let Lloyd respond and continue his statement. “I am well aware of that Duran, and the Royal Guars are too. But they found a fragment of a blade on the crime scene. A blade made out of Kurlim.” Lloyd took a short pause and turned to Aiden who was currently a bit confused. “Aiden, allow me to give you some extra information about Kurlim. Kurlim is a rare metal that can only be found in a small number of mines around the continent. One of those mines belonged to Pinewood and the Lords who came before me made sure to take proper advantage of it. But fate had it that after centuries of extracting Kurlim, the Ice Elementals of the mountain would retaliate and take back their land. This happened when my Grandfather was sitting on this throne and my Father after him tried to retake the mines on numerous occasions. A few months before he stepped down the final group of mercenaries were sent to the mountains. Most of them came back, but they failed their mission.” Lloyd took a break and sipped some his mead. Aiden, processed the information and thought of something that created a noticeable hole in the assassins’ plans. “Lloyd, why would the assassins try to kill the king with a blade made out of a rare mineral that can be easily traced back to a handful of mines. Sure, they may have gotten it from a store, but isn’t steel a good enough material to use if you just need someone dead?” Aiden looked around at the rest to see if they agreed with him and saw some raised eyebrows. He then turned to Lloyd who also seemed to be in deep thought. “You seem to have a quick mind Aiden. The same question was raised against the Guard, but they had an answer. Kurlim is a powerful mineral, brittle but is easily enchantable and, if a blacksmith is experienced enough, it can be used to create some blades of extreme quality, especially against cloth and flesh.” Aiden was only half satisfied with the answer and his look showed that. Lloyd took a deep breath and continued speaking. “Kurlim also has a unique ability. Its nature makes it compatible with many forms of magic, but it is one of the few materials around the world that can be enchanted not to use magic, but to cancel it. Cancelation is powerful but it isn’t used very often.” Aiden suddenly placed the pieces together and realized what Lloyd meant. “A king would be protected with more than just his men.” Aiden said that while looking at Lloyd. The lord nodded and was now finally able to get to the point of this early-morning meeting. “Duran, now that you know what we’re dealing with, take Aiden, Serena and another man of your choice and go check on the mines. Ideally they should have remained unused.” Duran nodded and stood up, pumped for a new adventure. “Aiden! Any questions you have I’ll answer on the way there. Serena! Gather supplies and make sure you healing is ready to be used at any moment. I’ll go find another pair of arms to join us!” Aiden stood up and took a few steps towards the stairs while Serena was moving to the back of the household and Duran, with exceptionally large and fast pacing made his way to the door. As he got near the exit, the door got pushed open and the speed of it, surprised Duran as he got hit by the wind the heavy, wooden door blew. Through the morning light a figure walked inside the considerably darker hall. A pair of strong and bright blue eyes stared at Duran as Elianor made her way inside the building. Aiden stared at her from some meters away and was shocked by her sudden entrance. Before anyone could say anything, the girl spoke loudly and clearly while maintain eye contact with Duran. “I heard everything! I want to come as well!” Duran was visibly taken aback by the event and so was Lloyd. Aiden on the other hand was quickly to speak fearing that he would take the blame for letting her stay here and get trained by Duran. “Elianor are you crazy! You can’t just eavesdrop like that. This is an important meeting! What if you get executed because of this!” Aiden only got one response from Elianor: a sigh and a hand movement gesturing that he was overacting. Aiden frowned as he got more worried, then Lloyd cleared his throat. “Your brother did as a great service, but I can’t overlook the fact that you came uninvited to such a vital council. Tell me why I should let Duran take you with him. If I’m not satisfied, you should get ready for a lengthy stay in the Pinewood dungeons.” Elianor took a few steps outside the building and everyone followed her to see what she was up to. Outside the household there was a wooden cart with a bunch of barrels on it. No horse was yet tied to it, but it seemed extremely heavy. The girl took the leather binds and tied them around her waist, chest and arms. She then waved goodbye and with a kick on the ground both her and the loaded cart were off with respectable speed, for a humanoid. Everyone seemed rightfully impressed by her strength, Elianor simply took a tight turn and returned, then unbound herself. “See? I can help!” Lloyd listened to Elianor’s words and looked at Duran who was currently flabbergasted by the realization that a young girl was stronger than him. Lloyd sighed. “Very well. You can go as well. But keep in mind, if there is the slightest suspicion that you are up to no good, Duran will make quick work of you.” Elianor cracked a wide smile, similar to the one she gave Aiden the day before. “Worry not Lloyd! Steelthunder’s allies are my allies! He is my mentor after all.” With that last statement she turned to Duran who had now switched from having an open mouth to stroking his bushy beard. Without a word he gestured her to go and get ready for the expedition. Aiden was watching all of this unfold and realized how weak he was compared to everyone else. He wondered why they would waste time and make him go to the Mines as well, but decided to ask that on their way there. He simply followed the rest inside and moved on to do what he had been instructed to do.

Aiden took a moment to appreciate his new armour, since his old one was ripped and had the horrific stench of decomposing bodies and goblin faeces. The new armour was better suited for his way of approaching certain situations. Two plate bracers allowed his forearms to be used as a way to block incoming blades. His new black gambeson was covered by a hard leather jerkin offering decent protection against cuts, stabs and bludgeoning hits. Two plate pauldrons covered his shoulders and his padded pants were protecting his knees, while his boots and plate greaves shielded his shins. Finally, he strapped his now clean zweihander on his back and hanged his travelling bag diagonally on his body before double checking his possessions and heading downstairs. This time his phone was to stay with Lin in fear of breaking it. Soon he had made his way down and saw Duran already waiting for him. He too was wearing a set of new armour, similar to the previous but with way more prominent fur and padded clothing to protect him from the cold of the mountains. Aiden’s armour was mostly black with some red accents on the hard leather and laces of his clothes. Duran on the other hand cared little for his colours, his plain brown and beige outfit clearly showed that. “You’re finally ready lad! Now, lets go pick that friend of yours up.” Duran said and both men bid farewell to Lloyd and Lin before heading outside. “I don’t know if I’d call her my friend. I mean, I’ve known her for… not even two days.” Aiden said to Duran while they were walking down the road, towards the inn. The rising sun was now almost entirely over the trees of the nearby forest. “I advise you to get to know her better during this trip of ours. Ice elementals are no joke. It’s always better to have friends around the place you fall.” Aiden was surprised by Duran’s pessimistic talk, usually he wasn’t like that. They were soon pretty close to the inn and Duran turned to Aiden one last time. “For an old man, friends are few but apprentices are plenty. I trust you Aiden, if destiny allows for one of us to come back, don’t try to stop me…” Duran stared Aiden dead in the eye. Aiden opened his mouth but Duran continued before he could utter a word. “I’ll make sure, Lloyd sees your face again.” Aiden kept silent and Duran gave him a few pats in the arm before resuming their walking.

Duran pushed the inn door open. Aiden followed him inside. A dim fire was burning in the centred pit while the table surrounding were occupied by a handful of tired looking men. Judging from what they were drinking they were trying to get rid of a hangover. Further in the back, behind a wooden counter Conrad was cleaning a glass with a white piece of cloth. “Morning gentlemen! I see you’re off to somewhere!” His loud voice made some of the men growl in complain, but Conrad only snickered. “The girls are upstairs, allow me to give them a yell.” As soon as he said that all the hangover men turned to him and tried to groan in order to stop him, but to no avail. “Serena! Elianor! The boys are here!” Duran smiled at Conrad calling him a boy and would have responded if Elianor hadn’t made such a noisy run down the stairs. In front of them appeared a backpack wearing, fully covered in plate armour Elianor, only her head was exposed, with her plate helmet hanging from her backpack. Strapped on her back, over the backpack, there was a metal, considerably thick, kite shield. Hanging from her hip there was a heavy looking, steel mace. Her metal was clean but an experienced eye could still tell that it was well worn and used for quite some time. Behind the steel behemoth appeared Serena, she seemed slightly worried about going to such dangerous journey. Her clothes were all black but didn’t seem to have any noticeable armour, she was no fighter after all. Apart from the mandatory dagger that all of them were carrying, the only actual weapon was a light crossbow tied on the outside of her shoulder bag, with a bolt pouch hanging from her belt. Aiden and Duran took a moment to imagine the weight Elianor was carrying around with ease. Serena seemed to have already made that assumption. “Now that we’re all here, what are we waiting for? Let’s begin our adventure!” More groans were heard from the hangover but they didn’t stop Conrad from wishing a safe journey to the group and seeing them out of the inn.

The first few minutes of walking down the road, away from Pinewood, were quiet. Duran and Serena in the front while Aiden and Elianor kept a close distance from the back. “Rumour has it, you’re a decent singer.” Aiden heard talking from his left. He turned to her and nodded in agreement. “Can’t say you’re right, but I won’t disagree with the rumours.” Elianor smiled, most pleased with the answer. “Come on then! Sing us a song! We have a long way ahead of us.” Aiden turned his head to face the road and took a moment to think. “It’s still too early for a song. I say we enjoy the noises of nature for now.” To Aiden such noises were uncommon. His life in a busy city had taken up most of his time, it was the first time he experienced such a pure wilderness. They kept walking quietly on the stone-paved path while the dawn passed over them and was now hanging high above their heads. Northward of the town no forest could be found, only some tall, sparsely planted trees that provided some cover from the scorching rays of the sun. Luckily after the first day there would be no need of shielding against the high temperatures, the cold air of the northern valley would take good care of that.

Pinewood was now completely hidden behind the many turns, hills and foliage the group had already journeyed through. Mostly silent they were, only speaking to each other about unimportant subjects, like what berries are good to eat and what sort of bird sounds like a dying toad, at least that’s how Elianor put it. A slow rumbling made its way through Duran’s leather armour signalling everyone it was about time they eat something except that hastily consumed breakfast they had before they departed. After settling under the leaves of a great oak tree, Elianor untied a cast iron pot that was bound on the side of her backpack. Serena was carrying some basic food supplies, mainly sausages and bacon as they would need the fats and protein they contained. Duran unsheathed his Claymore and used it to hack some sticks and twigs down from the oak before making a simple, but effective, campfire. Aiden was tasked with lighting the fire. His newfound abilities should be exercised as often as possible after all. With a bit of concentration and with his left hand close to the twigs he imagined a raging flame appear inside his palm and shoot towards the waiting sticks. Duran knew the wood wasn’t not perfectly suited for a fire, but he too wanted to give Aiden a bit of a challenge. After a few seconds of stillness, the first few embers appeared between his fingers and steadily grew. A couple more seconds passed and finally a small fire was crackling and dancing inside Aiden’s grasp, without hurting him of course. Serena seemed to have a very cheery look on her face, obviously supporting and trying to fill him with confidence. Duran seemed to be satisfied by the fact that Aiden could still use his magic, still he was slightly disappointed by the difference in power between this flame and the one that erupted in the depths of the Goblin Town. Of course, that was to be expected. Elianor seemed to have reassured herself that she was by far the better of the two apprentices, still that didn’t stop her from giving Aiden a pat on the back when his flame finally sprouted out. It didn’t take long for the campfire to start burning below the pot and for Serena to finally begin cooking.

The first few sausages rolled on their plates and they all begun eating before Elianor raised a question. “Aiden, I don’t know you for too long, but I can tell you are not from around these parts.” Hearing this Aiden looked over and quietly munched in his meat while waiting for the climax of the question. “I don’t mean to be digging into others’ pasts or anything, but considered me intrigued. Mind telling me where you’re from?” Elianor finished her question and proceeded to eat some of her own food. Duran and Serena, both knowing the answer waited to hear Aiden’s response. “No, I don’t mind at all. I am simply worried that you won’t believe me even if I told you.” Aiden said that and smiled at Elianor who had just swallowed her sausage piece. “Try me.” Aiden raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. “Fine. I come from another world, one that is totally different from yours and, before you ask me, I have no idea how I got here or why.” Aiden took another bite while Elianor had widened her eyes in disbelief. She turned to Duran and Serena only to see them nodding, sort of approving the legitimacy of Aiden’s claims. “Told you it would be hard to believe me.” Aiden kept eating allowing Elianor to decide whether or not his story was truthful. “Steelthunder seems to believe you… Serena as well. Truth is, your claim is a very outrageous one, but I have no reason to not believe it.” There was a short pause while everyone exchanged some looks. “But if you’re making a fool out of me to get a cheap laugh, I’ll make sure to make you pay!” Elianor threatened Aiden whose smile turned into a slightly worried one and after raising his hands in front of his chest he reassured her. “No, no I swear I’m telling you the truth.” Elianor squinted her eyes in disbelief and took a sip from her waterskin. “I’ll take your word for it…” After that short conversation they resumed their lunch, only stopping to discuss about where they would find themselves in the upcoming days. Apparently, they should reach the Mossy Bridge, a structure that helped travellers pass over a rather cold and unforgiving stream that flowed down from the Mountains. Also, the bridge was a way to tell where the Pinewood sphere of influence ended. After the mines where taken over Bandits saw the now less used roads that stretched towards the Mountains so they decided to settle in the land around them, posing a grave danger for travellers and merchants that pass through that route.

After their food was eaten, they stood up, gathered their items and continued their long trip to the Mines. The rest of the day went by without any important information shared, or shocking evets happening. The most noteworthy part was when a couple wild foxes stopped by Serena and allowed her to pet them, making her visibly happy as she loved their soft and fluffy fur. The weather was also kind, no rain found them and the heat was not that hard to deal with especially after the sun got covered by a large, white cloud. The sun was now on the lower part of the western sky and Aiden could feel his legs beginning to seek a few moments of rest. They stopped for a short while Serena made sure to use her restoration powers on their bodies, granting them enough relief to keep walking until it was time to sleep. And soon enough, it was that time. Their calculations were spot on, the place they decided to use for a temporary campsite was a few hundred metres away from the Mossy Bridge, so everything was going according to plan. They had only brought two tents with them so they would carry less stuff. They set them up next to each other and then thought of how they would end up sleeping. Duran and Serena had no problem sharing the same tent as it wasn’t the first time they’ve travelled together for quests around the town, so Aiden and Elianor were to share the second tent. They all slid inside their tents and then slithered inside their bedrolls. For a while there was now sounds coming from both tents and after they had all gotten comfortable Elianor turned towards Aiden who currently had his back looking at her. “Aiden? Are you asleep?” She spoke quietly so she doesn’t disturb Steelthunder and Serena. “Not yet.” Answered Aiden and turned in his bedroll too, his face was now turned towards Elianor’s. “Why? Do you need anything?” Elianor seemed to not be too keen on having discussions with other people, her eyes kept darting around trying to avoid eye contact. “I…. It’s been a long time since I’ve travelled with anyone else other than my brother, and I’ve never been asked to go on such a mission with strangers.” Aiden wasn’t sure about what he should say, but he tried to do the obvious and comfort her. “Don’t worry, you trust Duran, don’t you? He’ll take good care of the both us. Also didn’t Traynor leave you alone before going to kill the Goblins, maybe he thinks it’d be best for you to travel with other people for a while.” Elianor made temporary eye contact with Aiden and then looked down. “I suppose you’re right. Also, I wasn’t alone. He left with a group of merchants that passed through Pinewood while you were sleeping.” After finishing that sentence Elianor opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it and turned around. “Goodnight Aiden, also you can call me Eli…” Aiden nodded and turned around as well. “Goodnight Eli…”

Chapter 7: Another quest begins.

End.