Ajax stands infront of the blue vortex. A small pressure on his chest from the mana coming the vortex. The control rods around the portal look like stones up close. Ajax has only ever seen pictures or looked on from afar at the vortexes. His beating heart drumming against the pressure. He grips his cane to stop himself from walking back.
Valerie holds onto his hands leading him in. She is shaking while doing it but is also excited she has news to share with him once they are done here. Ajax pokes the vortex with his cane first allowing it to shimmer before following Valerie and His cane in. Inside the vortex It is also early morning the sky still hidden away the night hangs thick. Valerie is in front of him lit by a orb that is floating in the air. The trinket is sold at many Hunter store and is a mandatory item for success in hunts. The orb also lights up the forest around them around.
"Come we are going to the edge of the Floating Forest..." Says Neo
"Omg!" Says Valerie not as loud as Ajax who screams when Neo comes out of the shadows. She is nervous but she still her wits about her. Ajax would have run if not for Valerie holding his hand. Neo had come out from the right of them his hand landing just before his words.
"Shh! You'll trying to us killed. During times like these the most dangerous and hard to find monsters out." Says Neo his eyes darting about as he tries to see if they called any monsters.
"I'm sorry, I will to do better man. This is really different from the notes and reports I have read." Says Ajax. He is taking as much as he can in. The vortex lands are known to different biomes found on the earth. Populated with monsters of various kinds. This particular a Floating Forest has many mana grown monsters due to the concentration of mana found on the Floating Forest. It is why Ajax is so jumpy the pressure makes him feel sluggish.
"Son don't let it happen again let's get to stepping. What in tarnation a you doing?" Say Neo as Ajax start to walk in the light of Orb.
"What do you mean old man?" Asks Ajax, Valerie also confused by the mans sudden tug on them.
"I don't know what they teaching you'll but here is a tip, the light is beacon that can attract monsters. So walk a few steps behind it most monsters will jump into the light because of the mana it produces." Says Neo showing them how to guide the light ahead of them.
"That's really clever!" Says Valerie walking as close as she can to Ajax.
"No it's not beau....Val its common sense. Why do you think an orb leaks mana. It's so that it can be used as a lead. " says Neo leading them through the forest.
"Got anymore advice dude?" Says Ajax a genuine glint of interest in his eyes.
"Water, shelter, food in that order." Says Neo holding his sword and shield. Ajax doesn't recognize the the dragon beneath three mountains. It could represent a company, a guild or even a small band.
"Excuse you why are telling about survival." Says Valerie she has a hint of mana building up in her. Her purple eyes glowing firefly bright. The hint of power is the first time he has sensed her mana. It has a pressure so strong he almost fell over. As her mana enters him his body is unable to refine such thing quality mana.
"It's all about survival. Ever hunt is a risk and well knowing how to survive is prime." Says Neo unphased by the mana that she released.
"I don't get it my guy explain better." Says Ajax he eyes firm on the plants and bugs all around him making sure to not touch anything but he is analyzing each plant and bug. It doesn't always work but when it does he learns a it more about the Floating Forest.
"Seriously Son, did you not do the basic Hunter course?" Asks Neo, while not illegal it is prerequisite for using Association facilities like party grouping a life line for new hunters.
"I start in Monday Sir." Says Ajax his smile no comfort to Neo.
"First water is your life, no matter how strong you are. You can't survive without water. Water is above even fixing your wounds with water survival is always possible without it..." Says Neo
"You can't be serious dude if I'm wounded you saying find water first." Asks Ajax using his cane to free another plant hiding behind a mushroom.
"I am deathly serious son. Lost blood can only be replaced by having lots of water. Exhaustion can soothed by water even most fevers can be slowed by water. Water is life as mana is power." Says Neo pointing out the direction the he is guiding the orb.
"Okay I will keep that in mind, by the way shouldn't we have some monsters by now we have been walking for almost an hour now?" Asks Ajax he knows it's very early but they should have stumbled across at least a Forest Faiere.
"Look here boy this is a repel totem." The dragon's head trinket looks more like a badge than a totem. Ajax can detect a small amount of mana too small to cause this effect.
"How does it work?" Ask Ajax Neo's totem worries him a little. A trinket is one thing it is comman and easy to find. His totem thou is at least A rank.
"It's has dragon essence inside the mana spreads it out enough. Most monsters instinctively fear a dragons scent like smoke. It is a great monster repellent." Says Neo
"That's a very impressive Hunter for a rank D." Says Valerie eyeing the old man again.
"You are not the only one to suffer losses okay." Says Neo his red eyes glowing too. He is anger but not anger at them it's a general anger. As he continues his feet leaving deep imprints in the ground.
Valerie gets a tingle at the back of her head. She looks around trying to remember where she heard about the dragon's head totem. She is sure that a memo was sent around the office. Valerie can't for the life of her remember what about the dragon's totem. She lets it slip from her focus looking around. Again they are moving through the Floating Forest.
"Ajax since its your first time I'm going to explain the next part of the Forest. As you must know mana in this Forest is attuned to gravity which creates spikes and sometime gaps. We will be using the gaps to get to there..." Says Neo pointing up at a series Floating rocks the size of buses several rocks up is a massive Floating Forest.
"We can't go there!" Says Valerie
"The Kings Float is only thing place that has anything of value on it. The Queens and knights Floats have already been cleaned out." Say Neo puffing on his unlit pipe.
"Ajax honey listen to me, we can't go there it's a real mess up there." Say Valerie to Ajax who's thoughts are only on how lucky he is to have someone take to a fertile land on his first hunt. Fertile land are vortexes nexus points where there are more pronounced rewards alongside an increased risk.
"You promised you wouldn't do that," says Ajax the only time she calls him honey is when she is manipulating him. He knows she is trying to say something else however it's his first hunt. He doesn't want them to go back yet.
"it's dangerous and I don't mean monsters." Says Valerie with a strange chill to her voice it is also the first time she has let go of his hand. Ajax pulls on her hand that she tries to snatch away. Neo shaking his head at the young couple, looking deep into the clouds above trying to plot a route up.
"Valerie this is it for me, who else will take me over there even a bug up there has higher growth potential than any of the monsters down here. Please I need this." Says Ajax doing the east same thing she just did. He reckons that unlike his plan that would have him risk his life for at best a class D monster. He could get a B class monster on the Kings Float.
Valerie holds her head low as she struggles with her emotions for him. As a class B Hunter she can out run all the monsters on the forest floor. She just doesn't want to loss him, she needs him to understand the dangers of fertile lands without the emotion in it. It's his first hunt such a fertile will make it his last hunt. She holds back the tears gritting her teeth and holding tight to his hand.
"Promise me we get leave if anything unexpected happens." Says Vale Ajax is shaking his head in agreement smiling like its Gateway Day. Neo is also smiling.
"Good good lets up there then." Neo is the first leap into a gap that shoots him upward into the sky on a small floating rock. Valerie and Ajax follow him jumping together. Them holding hands causing them to fly amiss. Valerie using her free hand since Ajax is holding her and his cane in the other hand. A dark voile spiral chain shoots out of her into the Rock pulling them to it.