Valkyr's Forest

Leo looked at Trevor with curiosity. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Trevor sighed and pointed to his potions.

"I need some herbs to keep making potions. Normally, I would hire adventurers to do this or just buy it from a merchant. But I can't do that now because I am busy selling the potions. So if you can do it for me, I might even employ you in the future," Trevor explained.

"So I need to find these herbs for you?" He asked Trevor.

"Yes. Specifically the Glimmer root. It is the root of a plant that emits a faint glimmering light. The stalk itself is useless, but the root can be used to make healing potions. I will give you 10 Starcoins for every root you can find," Trevor said.

His eyes gleamed. Each Starcoin could buy him a meal, so 10 Starcoins would last him and Daphne two days. He would just have to find 5 Glimmer roots and he would be good for 10 days.

"Where can I find Glimmer roots?" He asked Trevor.

"Valkyr's Forest," Trevor said solemnly.

Leo's eyes lost their gleam instantly. Valkyr's Forest was the forest bordering Solhaven, the city they were in. It was full of dangerous monsters that could rip adults to shreds. Moreover, there were some beasts that could even use magic called magical beasts. He would become food for these beasts instantly.

Trevor saw this and assured him, "I know it might seem dangerous, and it is. But the Glimmer roots grow on the outskirts of the forest, and there shouldn't be any magical beasts there. Any beasts should be killed by the city hunters. You would only have a problem if you ventured in too deep."

He thought about it for a minute. Leo knew that the money he could get would help him immensely. His eyes looked up at Trevor's face, looking for any ingenuity.

"How many roots do you think I can find?" He asked Trevor.

"If you are looking for an hour, you should find around 15 roots. They grow around each other," he replied.

"How often do you set up shop here?" He asked Trevor.

"Very often. Are you going to do it?" Trevor asked him.

"Yes," Leo replied. He was making a gamble based on the impression he had of Trevor.

"Remember. Go with a target. Don't be greedy. Don't risk your life," Trevor warned.

Leo went back to the shack to prepare for the job. He didn't have many possessions, but he had one knife to guard against the world. He knew it wouldn't hurt any beasts, but it was better than nothing.

He took the knife out of the sole cabinet in the room. Daphne was still sleeping, so he did it quietly. He didn't want to tell her what he was going to do because she would worry for his safety. The knife was cleanly slid into his clothes as he left the shack quickly.

He then went towards the outskirts of the forest. The shack that Leo and Daphne lived in was in the slums. It was the closest area to the forest. The Mercenary Guild was next to the forest because of its proximity. It made monster subjugations more convenient. He walked to the city walls that stood between the city and Valkyr's Forest.

The gates were open because it was day, and there were no guards at the exit. Most of the guards were stationed at the inner wall that guarded the nobles. They didn't care about the commoners enough to station guards there. They only had enough to shut the gate in case a monster breakout occurred.

He walked out of the gate into the outskirts of the forest. Well, almost the outskirts. The land right outside the city was barren because of the battles fought against previous monster breaks. So he would have to walk a mile to actually reach the outskirts of the forest.

By the time he got to the forest, it was blazing hot. The sun was just starting to dip from the middle of the sky. He took out a bun that he had bought with his last Starcoin and gobbled it. His hands were a little dirty so he wiped his hands free of the crumbs.

"Let's do this. At least 15." He muttered to himself. A satchel was strapped to his side, there to store the herbs he collected. However, it was very old and clearly almost garbage.

He walked into the forest, giving him shade from the sun. He looked around for glimmering objects. There was a lot of grass that grew pretty tall so it obstructed his line of sight. It was going to be a very painful search.

After around 5 minutes of aimlessly wandering around, he finally saw a shimmering light in the grass a few feet away. He walked towards it and saw what he was looking for.

The plant was around half a foot tall, and it exuded a soft light. He took his knife out and started prodding at the soil around it. It was very soft, so he was able to dig out some with his knife. He then gently pulled the plant out. The root was emitting the same light as the stalk. He smiled and put the plant in his bag.

He looked around to see if there were any plants around the one he found. He tried since Trevor said that Glimmer roots grew around each other. The advice was spot on. Two Glimmer roots were clinging to each other less than 5 yards away. (A/N: Yard = 3 Feet = 0.9 Meters)

He quickly went to the plants and dug them out. Over the course of the next hour, he found 23 Glimmer roots including the first 3.

He looked around to see if there were any more when he heard a snarl. He turned around slowly towards the source of the sound. 10 yards away from him, a wolf was slowly approaching him with saliva dripping out of its jaw.

"I am screwed."