A Journey

"I wonder how long it will take for us to get there." Petter said after a few minutes of walking.

"At this pace, we should be able to arrive there in around a week. However, we will probably stay in another town on the way there called Lage for at least a few days."

Lily followed up after hearing his words.

"I see."

"Miss Lily! Can I talk to you for a second?"

Some other person called out, and she went to their aid right away.

"She helps everyone out, doesn't she? Must be tiresome." Luzia commented, realizing Lily's hard work.

"Well, nothing too hard compared to what she had to do when she was an adventurer." Katyl continued.

"She used to be an adventurer? What was she like?"

"Hmm, we can say she was the normal agile dagger user girl, but this one was really strong. Her party killed seven adult wyverns by themselves."

"Wow, that's a surprise! Never thought the boring guild center receptionist used to be such a badass." Nolan said while looking at Lily. "And where are her party members?"

"All dead. Killed a little more than a decade ago in the war against the Argo Kingdom. She refused to join another party or make a new one and became an ordinary receptionist after that."

"I see..."

Damn it mom... That kinda ruined the mood, but I guess we can't get too happy since we're in the middle of an evacuation...

Lost in his thoughts, Nolan then looked over at the guild master, Nathan.

"Hey mom, was Master Nathan an adventurer as well?"

"Indeed, he was. He isn't really popular, but he's definitely one of the most powerful wind magic users there is. You saw him fly like it was as easy as walking, didn't you?"

Flying really seems nice... Can't wait to do it myself.

Nolan thought to himself, imagining all he could do with enough practice.

~~~~~~~~~~

Uhhh, wh-where am I? Paul opened his eyes, only to find himself locked up in a dark cell.

Although he could barely see anything, hooked around and spotted a familiar face.

"Zlodey!"

"Paul, you're finally awake."

They're both handcuffed and chained to one of the cell's walls. Their magic was completely drained, meaning they couldn't use any spells for the time being.

"What happened? Where are the others?" Paul asked, worried about the remaining members of the hunting group.

"Our kids managed to use the teleport scrolls Faye gave them and escape. Suddenly I think one of the enemies used some spell that made everyone fall asleep. I've never seen anything like it..."

"HEHEHE, of course, you haven't. I came up with that spell myself!"

The voice came from outside the cell. On the other side of the bars is the same man they encountered in the ruins was sitting on a chair, looking at Paul and Zlodey.

"You... What do you want from us? Where are the others?"

"Mmm? As far as I'm concerned I don't have to tell you anything... Let's just say that you'll end up in a cell or even killed not much after we met, HEHEHE."

"Asshole! I swear as soon as I break free I'll end you myself!"

"PAUL! Calm down." Zlodey shouted out at him. "We're not in a position to make threats."

"..... Sorry."

"Hahahaha! So he's the smart one!" The man laughed after the quick rage from Paul.

"Sir Enor." Another voice could be heard in the same room. One of the red-armored knights had come to talk with the man called Enor. "Your Highness demands your presence. He is enjoying the feast at the war map room."

"Tsk... Very well, I'll be on my way." Enor stood up and looked at Paul.

"I'll be back to play with your pathetic lives later... See ya!"

He walked away from the cell, opening the door to the building they were currently in, seemingly a prison.

Just when it was about to get good... This better be worth it or I may end up killing them just cause I am mad.

Enor thought to himself as he walked his way through the dark, almost empty street. Most of the people that could be seen were wearing the same red armor as the other knights, while he was more detailed, meaning higher power. The buildings were all made of some sort of dark toned wood, giving the place a sad and depressing atmosphere. After a few minutes, he arrived at the entrance to a stone castle. Its walls had a few knights roaming around and ballista turrets in every main seccion.

"Look who it is, didn't think you'd show up." A voice came from behind him as he was going up a stairway leading up to the castle's gate.

He turned around to be met with a woman looking at him. Her bright orange hair matched the black outfit she was wearing, with a few orange ornaments on the shoulders and waist. However, the most prominent feature she had was her bright red eyes.

"Glad to see you, miss Zaya. I hope you're having a wonderful day. Your father has called me, will you be going to see him as well?"

What the hell... He sounds much less crazy than usual, I wonder if something happened to him.

She thought to herself, noticing Enor's unusual behavior.

"No, I'll be going to my room now. Whatever my father has planned is nothing of my concern, and I'm sure it would just bother me. Oh, and give him a message for me will you? Tell him I refuse to marry whoever he's got ready for me."

"I see. I'll let him know."

"Well then, good luck with everything."

Zaya then left at a fast pace in the direction of a house next to the castle, while Enor continued his way to the gate.

I didn't even see him and I'm already bored...

Upon getting there, two black knights were guarding the gate. Their armor was not as detailed and fancy as Enor's, but they were much better than the usual red armor present everywhere in this place.

"Good afternoon Sir Enor."

They greeted him and opened the gate.

He entered the castle, now finding himself in a bright and lively atmosphere, completely contradicting the other side of the gate. A huge feast was being held in the castle. Tables covered in many different foods could be seen all around the giant room, with lots of people surrounding them.

"I wish food was the reason King Argo would summon me sometimes..."

Enor murmured, jealous of all those who were filling their bellies with a delicious meal.

Such a feast just because of a small win... Bunch of idiots.

He thought as he walked through the crowd. The Argo Kingdom had just finished conquering another nation that was situated to the north of them. It was not a major kingdom and so it wasn't a reason for any big celebration, at least in Enor's opinion.

He reached the other side of the giant room and opened a door that led into a hallway. A few other doors could be accessed through it, but those were currently being used by butlers and maidens that were taking care of the feast. He ignored everything and walked down the hallway until he reached the final door, the one where King Argo was.

*Sigh*

Here I go.

He opened it, and he could feel the smell of wine right away, even more than in the main room where everyone else was eating.

"Your Highness."

"Ah, Enor! Come in." The man had a deep voice and a bulky body. Even in his casual clothes, the king was intimidating and made everyone wary of how they would talk to him.

"Have a seat, I ordered some special wine from the east."

Enor obeyed his king and sat on a chair next to him after grabbing a cup full of wine.

"I'll go straight to the point my dear Captain Enor, tell me everything that happened at the teleport."

Does he really want to talk about this while he's drunk? Whatever...

Ignoring the king's state, Enor gathered his thoughts and reported the situation.

"We were successful in connecting our teleport rune to the one our spies built in the Heodal Kingdom. However, a Night Bear managed to sneak into our camp and stepped into the teleport, so I followed it into the ruins. Once I got there I made quick work of him, but there was a small group of explorers from Heodal inside the ruins. I blocked off the exit and managed to capture most of them, but two kids managed to escape."

"That means they have their guard up now... Mmm, no matter what's done is done. Make sure to extract as much information as possible from the ones you brought."

"I'll do my best, Your Highness. Also, your daughter has a message for you, she demanded for her marriage to be canceled at once."

"Tsk, that brat... I'll have to talk some sense into her..."

Enor could only imagine what the king would do to Zaya if she kept denying his orders. The king had been working hard to arrange a wedding with a member of the royalty from an allied kingdom so their alliance could be fortified. However, Zaya never agreed to it and kept running away from everything.

"Anyway, you can go now, or stay and enjoy the feast, do as you please." King Argo said while putting a large chunk of meat in his mouth.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Enor got up and left the room as soon as the king got his attention elsewhere.

Those two kids... they'll cause problems if they tell anyone what happened... Well, by now their village should be on high alert, if not the whole Heodal Kingdom. Perhaps going back there and killing everyone would be for the best... HEHEHE, doesn't sound too bad...

Enor left the castle without getting any attention, his mind now focused on killing and making people suffer.

~~~~~~~~~~

"We'll spend the night here, and start setting up the camp." Master Nathan said after noticing the sun was already laying low. They were still around a day away from the closest village, and rest was needed. They were currently in a large valley, with a dense forest covering it on the sides. No water sources nearby, but that wouldn't be a problem with all the magic users currently present.

Those who could use earth magic created a few small houses made of rock for people to sleep in, while water users made sure everyone had fresh water.

"Four of you stay here and guard them, the rest will come with me and look for food." Master Nathan ordered the adventurers that had come.

I think I will go with them... Nolan pondered for a minute and went to ask the guild master.

"Mmm, can I help as well?"

The guild master looked over at Katyl, who nodded in approval. She knew she couldn't do anything to hold him there, so might as well let him stay with the experienced adventurers.

"Very well, stay close to me."

"Yes Sir!"

The hunting group departed at once so they could feed everyone as soon as possible. Katyl watched as they entered the forest and could not stop thinking about her husband.

"I hope he's alright..." She murmured to herself.

"I'm sure they'll return safely," Petter said after hearing her words. "My father and your husband are strong, we were simply caught by surprise. However, I trust they're skillful enough to handle the situation, and they are not alone."

"Ye, you're right..."

Silence took over, until Luzia appeared with fresh water.

"Here, there's enough for everyone." She said as she handled a wooden cup to each of them.

"Thank you."

Petter grabbed it with his only hand and gulped down every last bit.

"Someone was thirsty... Just say something next time." Luzia said in an angry tone.

"Sorry..."

"How 's your wound?"

"Your spell helped a lot, it hurts a little but nothing compared to bleeding to death."

"I'm glad... Although you'd have a new limb if my magic was strong enough."

"Don't be like that, you've done more than enough. There are only like five people that can do such things in the world right now."

Petter could feel his friend's disappointment in herself, but she had saved him and that's all that mattered.

"I'll go lay down now, will you two stay up?" He continued, realizing how tired he was because of everything that happened that day.

"I'll stay up until the others come back with fresh food. Won't you eat?" Luzia asked.

"Not hungry, and I need to rest... Walked so much after losing an arm."

"I see... Well, have a nice sleep then. Feel free to eat with us in case you change your mind."

"Will do."

Petter grabbed one of the blankets they had brought from their homes before leaving the village in a hurry and went inside one of the rock formations the mages had made. He used a leather bag as a pillow and fell asleep as soon as he got comfortable.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I see three wolves up ahead." One of the adventurers whispered after scouting his surroundings from atop a tree branch.

"I see them. I'll lift them up with my wind and you two kill them, understand?" Master Nathan said after planning their coordinated attack.

"Yes sir." Nolan and the other adventurer, Usol, replied right away.

The hunting group had separated into several smaller groups to cover more ground in less time. Nolan stayed with the guild master and his now new hunting partner, Usol. He was around the same age as Nolan, and his best magic attribute was earth.

"Let's go." Master Nathan said, and dashed towards the wolves.

He got to them very fast, so fast that the beasts had not noticed him until he cast a spell.

"Lifting Winds!" He shouted, and everything around him suddenly flew up into the air, a few meters high.

"Now!"

Nolan and Usol appeared from their hiding spot and prepared to kill the wolves.

"Focus on the left one, I'll handle the other two," Usol told Nolan.

"Very well."

Nolan focused his magic on the bow Petter's father made him, and activated the spell it had. The arrow became enhanced, just like when Petter used it against Enor in the ruins.

"Ah!" He released it, and the speeding arrow went through the floating wolf's neck, ending its life in an instant.

At the same time, Usol cast an earth spell which created spikes from the soil, and if used correctly they could be lethal, even as a simple spell.

"Piercing Spikes!"

It was as if the ground was being pulled, forming two big spikes right below the other two wolves. Since they couldn't move due to master Nathan's spell, Usol managed to hit both wolves' hearts without any problem.

"Well done boys." The guild master said, proudly. "And it looks like we hit the jackpot."

Right next to the wolves, five dead goats were on the ground. The beasts had just finished hunting as well, and the group had killed them just in time.

"I can lift three of them with my magic, you two will carry the rest." The old man said, extending his arm towards the pile of bodies. Three of the goats began hovering around him, while Nolan and Usol grabbed the other two.

"Let 's return."

END OF CHAPTER 5