It’s been five days since Orchid and the others depart to Verol, thanks to the safety of the route and the carriage they manage to advance in a constant peace even with Orchid lack of stamina.

The road is easy to travel, they just need to go downstream, it’s a six days travel following the riverside road, there is another road, which is faster but goes throught the forest with a high possibility for monsters attacks.

To kill time the apprentices have been studding the books provide by the scholars guild, for the regulars they need to start by learning how to use magic, a process that can least a full week even with proper guidance.

Orchid and Victoria are reading books that they were allow taking from the guild library, Orchid took two books a monster/animal encyclopedia and a human species/races guide, while Victoria took a gastronomy book and a herbology guide.

Orchid tried searching for books related to Heroes in seek for information about Marcelle just to find that with her current rank she is unable to access those records.

And Ryckna has been questioning Orchid with her physiology, both are sitting in the front of the carriage Rickna is riding and Orchid is reading the human encyclopedia.

Ryckna: So the plant in your hips can take different forms.

Orchid: Yes, aside from the four larger petals the rest can grow and take the form that I want.

Ryckna: How many vines you have?

Orchid: Two in my neck, four the plant in the plant at the back of my head and around fifty-three all along my legs.

Victoria: That many, how you keep track of them.

Orchid: They are part of me so it’s like having sixty-one arms.

Ryckna: The plant in the back of your head what is it porpoise?

Orchid: It’s like a predator plant, it can eat living things by approaching them with vines or luring with other means, it dissolves the prey and absorbs the nutrients.

Mirna: Do they feel pain?

She has a sad look in her eyes, as if she is remembering something.

Orchid: I only had do it twice, against volves and bees and I kill them before.

Mirna: I see.

She starts walking faster to reach Bors and John who were ahead of us.

Gustav: Ryckna, aren’t you supposed to teach us magic and how to be scholars?

Ryckna: Well technically speaking I only have to look after you.

Kori: What does that means?

Orchid: That there is nothing to teach us, we are investigators not magicians.

Victoria: So, that means?

Ryckna: It means what it means, our work is research no front line fighters.

Kori: Aren’t we suppose to aid the adventurers with magic.

Ryckna: Aid, no fight along them, but nowadays most people want to join us just to learn magic and go in quest with adventurers.

Gustav face looked displaced; it was obvious that he wanted magic just for power.

Bors: It’s getting late, we should camp here for the night.

Everyone knew what they should do for camping, Kori and Gustav will start a campfire, Bors and Mirna will prepare food, John and Ryckna will set the tents, and Victoria and Orchid will look for water at a nearby river just a couple of minutes from their camping site.

Victoria: Orchid, have you thought what will you research?

Orchid: Not really, and you?

Victoria: Hmm, maybe something related to gastronomy.

Orchid: Maybe I should research about my own kin.

Victoria: *smiling* So you will ask yourself embarrassing questions.

Orchid: He… maybe I take a historical approach.

The two girls fills two buckets with water and return to the campfire.

After eating dinner and have a small talk between them, the group went to sleep.

The next morning after a couple of hours, Verol is finally at sight near it a couple of meters from the town a small forest is visible.

Orchid: Is that the place, where the raid objective is?

Bors: Yes.

Orchid: Can you tell me what kind of monster is?

Bors: Are you sure?

Orchid: I have a feeling and I want to confirm it.

Bors: An Alraune.

The feeling that Orchid has was true, even though she is not going to the front lines she feels bad, bad for helping other kill one of the last of her kin, she wants to talk with her first but there is no way of doing it, at least when everything begins.

Victoria: That forest wasn’t there two weeks ago.

Kori: You are from that town right.

John: Can an alraune really do that?

Everyone turn to look at Orchid.

Orchid: I haven’t tried that… but I can say that it should cost a lot of magic to do it.

Bors: Are you a;right?

Asked to Mirna that was lost in her thoughts.

Mirna: Ah… yes, it’s just that something is off.

Ryckna: That’s why I am here, to investigate that forest.

The group continue their way into the town, Orchid could not stop looking at the forest she also felt that something was wrong as if the forest was calling for someone.

In the entrance of the town a male figure was waiting, it was a dragonewt, as they get close enough to him, he introduce himself.

Elluet: I was waiting for you arrival Lady Ryckna, I am Elluet Craven, the one that will lead the raid, now if you could please…

With a snap, a group of warriors surrounds the carriage where Orchid was.

Elluet: Leave that monster in our care.