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The merchant caravans resumed their journey on the break of dawn. The skies were clear and the winds were warm, a sure sign of the rain’s absence.

Erin and Lyra were following on their own horses just beside Iris’ caravan. At Erin’s insistence, Iris allowed them to have their own mounts for the rest of the journey. Perhaps sensing a hint of solemnity in Erin’s insistent request, Iris relented to this suggestion but on the condition they remained close to her caravan.

As the journey was mundane with a fair path and the lack of threat, Erin allowed her mind to wander but not too far. She recalled the supper on the night prior. She remembered the gazes she and Lyra received when they arrived at the designated ground for meals. The local villagers were obviously dissatisfied but they knew better than to admonish a Fae. Some of the merchants praised the daring two with their subtle gestures but Iris alone uttered out loud her surprise and compliment for their passionate and intense repose. Lyra had flushed red, Erin remembered, but she herself wasn’t too bothered. She had been dealing with those manner of remarks and reception ever since day one; ever since she was reincarnated into this body. It was nigh time she became accustomed to this treatment.

During their supper, the conversation was quick to shift into matters that were relatively more important than the pair’s caper. Erin recounted almost every last detail of their succinct adventure after she and Siv were separated from the caravans. Iris and Joshua took her words as the truth without any question but the other merchants held some doubts but since Iris moved on from that subject, so did the other merchants. All in all, none of the merchants held any resentment or dissatisfaction towards Erin for beckoning the appearance of a monster horde. They got heaps of Cores from the many monsters slain after all. There was also the fact that they survived a horde and pressed on their journey without further deviation, that alone was a tremendous bolster to their reputation.

The conversation then moved on to the slaves as the meals moved on to desserts. The slavers were caught and imprisoned into a small cart. It was originally designed to imprison any living bounties they came across by pure chance. As for the enslaved children, many merchants offered themselves to accommodate the unfortunate younglings until they reached Maven’s Creek. Once they were there, they would let the town’s governing body take care of that hassle. Though Erin was initially doubtful of the merchants’ generosity, her suspicions were cleared when Joshua told her there were rewards in freeing slaves and turning in slavers. The reward was issued by the court itself.

The conversation then became an array of small talks until Erin and Lyra were called away to a desolated place by the healer who was taking care of Celia. It was then the pair was given the bad news. Celia’s mental health was dire. Erin was shocked but her following reaction was that of understanding. The girl went through a horrible event that would even break the minds of grown individuals. She was only able to walk and talk all this while due to her amnesia but should her memories of that horrible event resurface, her mind could only take so much before she completely broke.

Erin was given three choices to alleviate Celia’s condition. The first was to suppress her memories for as long as fate allowed. The second was to ask for the aid of an Arch Healer but they were hard to come by. Most of them led a secretive life and those that were known were under the employment of large nations or major organizations.

And finally the third option; was to seek out Mist Pearls, medicinal plants that could ease just about any mental distress. This was the most conventional option, Erin thought, but there was a huge catch. Mist Pearls grew only in shades and places abundant with magic. The closest area that fit those criteria was a place known as The Singularity, a basin southwest of Maven’s Creek. The paths leading to that area were devoid of beasts but ridden with other natural obstacles. The uneven grounds, the multitude of small but deep crevices, quicksands, and many others. As for the basin itself, it was filled with bizarre monsters that were extremely hostile to any beings that weren’t native to the basin itself.

Erin had asked for an alternative location to The Singularity. It was the Dusk Caverns but it was a two weeks journey, at the least, from here and it was even more dangerous than The Singularity with extremely high level monsters, starting from the lower fifties. In the end, The Singularity was their best bet.

Rarely had any adventurers ventured into The Singularity due to lack of any recompense. It was said that the monsters left no corpses behind, not even a Core. There were no valuable rocks or other worthwhile materials to be found, save for Mist Pearls but no adventurers were willing to tread into such dangers just for some medicinal plants with only a single benefit.

It went without saying Erin was more than willing to brave through all those dangers just so she could obtain Mist Pearls for Celia. However, she had other responsibilities. At present, Celia was in a caravan with the respective healer, who was in actuality under Joshua’s employment. Prior to their departure from Sapphire’s Fork, Erin visited Celia briefly. She saw the changing expression of the slumbering Celia, from pain to relief and back and forth. Remembering about that, Erin clutched at her chest with a troubled expression.

Lyra wanted to comfort Erin but found no words that could do so. She understood Erin’s dilemma but she could do nothing to help. As Erin’s lover and someone who had grown past the point of fondness for Celia, it pained her greatly for not being able to do anything. Lyra had proposed asking the assistance of Iris but that suggestion was quickly rejected by Erin. Desperate they may be, it wasn’t worth it or wise to put themselves into a great debt of someone they barely knew and trust.

Present an inch and miles will be taken, Erin had learned it the hard way in her past life. She had fallen into the vile scheme of a greedy and immoral merchant. However, her status and prowess as the Sword Saint did not allow herself to be threatened and taken advantage for long. But now, she was no Sword Saint. She may be a Fae but she wasn’t keen on relying on a privilege she knew little of.

This was the reason Erin had insisted to have mounts of their own. She needed to be alone with her thoughts out in the open air. Had she been in the cart with Iris, she was sure she would not get any moment to herself and the Umbrum’s constant scrutinizing gaze was too much for her current troubled mind to bear. Still, Erin’s thoughts came to an impasse in spite of the privacy she was given, incurring a sigh from her supple lips.

“Erin, be at ease,” Lyra said as her hand reached out, stroking Erin’s shoulder reassuringly. “We’ll figure something out. You’re a Fae and the winds often blow in a Fae’s favor.”

“Often, not always,” Erin retorted. She grimaced without realizing. “Lyra, you heard what the healer said. Celia’s mind is plighted with horrors not meant for a child. We can’t just wait until fortune smiles upon us. What if something happens before the winds blow our way? We’ll have to make our own luck.”

“I-I’m sorry, Erin. I was just—”

“No, you did nothing wrong, Lyra,” Erin stopped Lyra’s apologies when she realized the face she was making. “I’m just… disappointed with myself. I bit off more than I can chew...”

“Maybe we could put out a request?”

“And what will be the reward? I don’t think mere Silver will suffice. We don’t have much Gold.”

“A favor from a Fae?”

“Then we might as well ask Iris.”

“Hmm...” Lyra murmured with a shrug. “We could go with that...”

“You’re serious?”

“As a last resort,” Lyra quickly added. “Whatever option we choose, we’ll have to hand over the Magic Relay rod to the Guild first. We’ll decide from then.”

Erin chuckled softly as she nodded at Lyra's suggestions. “I see Nivia has rubbed some of her quirks on you.”

Lyra’s expression contorted into disgust. “Don’t say that. And why wasn't it the other way?”

Erin shrugged with a faint smile. It was moments like this that made her glad that she left her solitary life. Had she been alone, she imagined she would still be writhing in her own inability of coming up with a solution.

****

The rest of the journey was mellow, save for the occasional attacks by starving beasts and foolish bandits. Erin took the initiative to wipe the threats out before the adventurers could even ready their weapons. These minor recurring happenstances were welcomed by Erin as it helped her in staving her mind off the useless worries and as a plus, the kills yielded quite a bit of experience. The bandits and monsters were only stronger the closer they got to their destination and therefore, higher amounts of experience. The other adventurers couldn’t complain as there were no rules that were barring her from taking all the kills. If anything, the merchants were seeing her in a brighter light and a higher pedestal.

At the mid of the day, during lunch on the road, Celia had awoken from her slumber with no recollection of the monster horde’s attack. The last thing that she could remember was the arrival of the thundering storm. For her wellbeing, Erin and Lyra left her memories as it was. Lyra had Celia ride on the same horse as her for the rest of the journey. Erin felt a little envious but one of them needed to be able to combat-ready at any moment’s notice.

By dusk, the caravans made camp by a river and they began preparing for supper with the fish from the river. The talks of rumors began the same time supper did. It was mostly business matters and speculations but Erin’s interest was piqued when the Ruvan Paladins became the topic. The caravans had encountered other travelers in their path. Stories and rumors were shared for the short time their paths were crossed. The most prominent rumor was Azaela, who had made her presence known in Green Scar. Erin and Lyra turned pale at that news but Iris assured them nothing could have happened by reminding them of Aedan.

The topic then shifted to the Paladins’ prowess and legends. The more Erin heard about Azaela, the more eager she was to see Azaela’s swordsmanship for herself. Erin did harbor some hesitation when she heard about Azaela’s difficult personality. Azaela somehow became the main topic as the talk went on. The Paladin herself was only twenty-four at present, which surprised not just Erin and Lyra but a lot of other merchants who assumed Azaela to be older. Her abilities were mostly unknown but she was rumored to be so skilled with the blade that she could even cut magic.

“I must have a spar with Azaela if I ever meet her,” Erin vowed to herself. Her interest was hooked and reeled.

On the dawn of morrow, the caravans departed. The journey was mellow like yesterday but not even monsters or bandits showed up, thanks to the frequent patrols by the soldiers of Maven’s Creek. They were close. Erin was able to loosen her guard slightly. She took this transient moment to make merry with Celia with riddles and stories until midday, when their destination finally came into view.

Erin couldn’t express how relieved she felt at that sight. For the whole ride, she dreaded for another attack by the monster horde but it never came. There was also the presence of Kane that she didn’t forget when she was at the bottom of the cliff, but that premonition too never came to reality.

The town of Maven’s Creek had a name; it was Quinteburgh. Erin was stunned to learn about that but it was only reasonable as she had come to realize. The town of Green Scar was simply named as such due to the town’s relative miniature size. Quinteburgh was colossal compared to its neighbouring town. It was rumored that Quinteburgh’s name derived from the fact that it was around fivefold the size of its neighbouring town, but seeing how the merchants were a tad drunk when they told Erin about it, the Fox-kin took the information with a grain of salt.

Quinteburgh was surrounded by stone walls standing at a height of more than five meters. Ballistas and archers mounted the ramparts in the dozen. It was truly unlike the town of Green Scar. There was a long line at the entrance gateway but the caravans were able to skip the queue altogether with their reputation. There were even soldiers lining in two files to receive their arrival.

“Welcome to Quinteburgh, the heart of Maven’s Creek,” Iris said to the three on horseback through the window of her caravan.

Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin

Level: 14 | Status: Mild Exhaustion

Might: 20 | Arcane: 22 | Finesse: 19

Magic Arts

Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 4 | Arcane Armor Lv. 6 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4

Combat Arts

Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 4

Innate Skills

Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 1 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex

Unique Talent

Mystic Blade Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex

Level Progression: 95%

Remaining Skill Points: 2

Remaining Ability Points: 2