Chapter 4
Due to the doings of some crazed manic a disease of madness spread throughout the land. The disease could easily cause anything that contained Mana to go crazy as the Mana went haywards. It was just an infectious disease that even some low level dragons had caught it. When infected with the disease the person would go crazy with madness and would start attacking everything around them without care for anything. Normal people could never escape the clutches of the disease which made the number of infected to reach a sky high level. The worst part of the disease was that it could cause the person's potential and life source to be burnt. But in return it gave them power that could push them over the limit. Most got a small push that could still be contained but there were some that put common sense to the test. Monsters with immense power could reach the 'S' ranks. It was a disaster for all.
The saving grace was that as long as the infected person could resist the madness brought by the disease with their will power they would be able to get the same power at the cost of their life force. A fight on the magnitude of a war was fought by both sides. The disease plagued the land for a whole year causing the death of millions. Only when the cure for the disease was discovered did peace return to the lands.
The 'cure' could not actually cure the infected but it could prevent others from being infected. It took a while before everyone was fed the cure but after that the disease slowly died done. The only existence left of the disease were the semi-infected ones but even they did not last for long. Even the heroes had no choice but to succumb to the disease that sucked their life force to give them the power that everyone else craved. Small things like the Guild Ranking System were all that is left to honor the fallen.
Emery walked through the streets of Redwood as she made her way towards the address written on the quest to meet up with the requester and the other 4 adventurers. Entering the Traven written in the address, Emery was surprised by how much quieter it was than the streets. She could tell that there was some kind of sound barrier at work in this place. For a Traven in a 'small' town to have a sound barrier meant that it was a place for the rich. That explained the excellent pay promised on the quest.
Looking around Emery tried to look for her requester. Different types of people were sitting and chatting inside the Traven. Most were in small groups of 2 to 4 while there were some with bigger groups with 7 to 10 members. But one thing that all of them had in common, Emery noticed, was that they were either adventurers or a merchant/trader which made her slightly curious about the place.
But the curiosity did not last long before she was back to looking for the requester. Soon a man at the counter caught her attention. He looked to be middle aged and well educated with a clean look. The clothes he wore blended well with everyone and there was nothing particularly eye-catching about him except the insignia on his clothes. It matched the one on the quest.
Setting her eyes on the man, she made her way towards the counter to make sure that he was the right person.
As she walked towards him, the man turned his head and looked at her. Emery was a bit surprised with the man's instinct. It was not something she expected of a merchant. But the surprise did not last long as the man questioned her about her identity the second she got close enough. The man only calmed down when she explained who she was and why she was there. Admittedly the man was a little embarrassed about his little outburst. It was only then did Emery notice that he had eye bags under his eyes and he looked quite exhausted.
The man coughed a little and apologized for the late introduction. He introduced himself as a merchant from the east who was on his way to travel Scarlet Haze and beyond the border into the neighboring empire for trade. This was one of the many times he had traveled so he was no stranger to Redwood and its mercenaries. He knew fairly well that most did not want to travel outside the border and waiting for someone who was willing to escort him that far was a waste of time and time meant money for a merchant. So like any good businessman he found the most efficient way. He would normally hire escorts up to Scarlet Haze and request for another escort party there. The mercenaries of Scarlet Haze were more willing to travel since it was a border city. All in all, the guy played smart and made money from it. Something that Emery liked in people. A reasonable personality.
After chatting for a bit with their merchant to confirm her involvement and the day, time and location of the meeting, Emery walked out of the Traven to go back to the inn. The merchant was to set out tomorrow morning so she had a day to laze around and she was going to make the most of it. Which can, of course, only be accomplished by sleeping the day away inside the soft and warm covers of the bed she oh so dearly missed after such a long day. So with a spring in her steps, Emery made her walk towards the inn as she daydreamed about the soft bed waiting for her.