Walking up to the group of men who were embarking on the expedition, John went ahead and introduced the people that were going. John first introduced a man who's stature was well built. Stood around 180cm and donned a full plate of armor which was all black with a green trim.
"This here is Hugo, he has been with me the longest and is currently my knight commander of all my forces."
Once John finished the man named Hugo turned around, Drake deduced this man to be a honor bound character where duty comes first. His stoic expression didn't show his feelings about the matter of Drake coming along. He had short brown hair and firm brown eyes.
"Welcome aboard. Sir, all men are ready to go."
John gave him a nod and moved on. The next man had a scholarly aura with his short build with a slight hunch. Black hair which was combed to the side and blue eyes with square spectacles, the man gave a weary glance of disdain towards Drake as if he should stay home.
"This fellow here is Rullin, hailing from the capital. He will be in charge of locating resources and any map making that is required."
"Baron Tenebris, I do not recommend bringing this boy along."
Drake's crimson eyes squinted into a slit but neither said anything nor cared. Rullin's clothes gave Drake the impression that he was a professor or royal dignitary. Rullin's clothes were not green or white either. Drake figured he would just ignore the man and no problems would come of it. Drake was interested in the land himself to observe what resources the world could provide him for experiments and inventions he could make. Finding things like iron, gold, and other resources would be critical for him.
John moved on to the last two people that looked like twins. Both men were tall and lean standing around 185 cm, close to the height of John. They had light brown hair and yellow eyes. One was wearing a white robe with green trims while carrying a wooden staff. Drake noticed a large mana crystal intertwined through the wood which he assumed was a power source to control his powers. The second man had a long bow strapped on his back with a large quiver. He wore the same clothes as his twin.
"The mage is Marn and the archer is Karn. They became my retainers three years ago, which was a year after I became a baron."
"Yo, how's it goin squirt?"
"Pleasure."
Marn acted as if Drake and him were best friends for years while putting his arm around Drake's shoulders. His brother Karn was the complete opposite, less talkative and more reserved.
"Now that everyone you need to know has been introduced we are leaving. Marn will show you to your horse. During the expedition he will show you how to handle it."
John gave his last orders to Marn and went back to mount his steed. Once everyone was settled the expedition headed out. Drake figured out how to ride the horse almost on instinct. Marn was pleasantly surprised considering he thought Drake was amateur in horse riding.
The group of retainers; Hugo, Marn, Karn and the observer Rullin rode behind John out of the estate. Drake was trailing after the retainers. When they left the estate Drake realized that there was a city around the walls that protected the house of Tenebris. The town of Feldar was the provincial capital of the barony. The provincial capital was where all administration for the barony occurred. The city had been established years earlier but it did not have a noble, now that the land had a ruler the city was growing. Approximately 5000 residents lived within or around the city. In the distance one could see Lake Leslie, a small gourd shaped lake to the west side of the city.
The Hunter Mountain Range was so massive it could be seen in the distance. It covered the entire western part of the barony all the way down to the Straight of Sigveil and onto Center Claw Island which was south of the barony. The expedition took the southwestern road to go around the south of Lake Leslie towards the Hunter Mountain Range. John had estimated the time to arrive would be a day and a half. The group would have to sleep on the grass plains during the journey.
Once they left the city Drake had a few questions about the retainers and figured Marn would be more than happy to talk about it.
"Marn, what made you and your brother become retainers to John?"
"Hmmm...well Karn and I lived in a small village to the far east in the forest of Gruul. It's within half a day ride to Port Minus which is on the eastern edge of the barony connected to the sea. It was a normal day for us villagers, there are very few warriors and mages in the village, so I was patrolling making sure no stray beasts found their way in to the village. At that time a delegation of knights approached the village and told us that a barony had been established and they were looking for men to recruit. Naturally I was hesitant at first but when we saw the decree from Duke Byneim there was no reservations left for me. So I got my twin brother to come along and try our luck. We weren't sure if we would get a job but it turned out we were some of the best! Heh...I remember that clearly where me and brother wiped the floor of those wannabes."
"He forgot to add that he dragged me there against my will..."
Karn spoke up to clarify where Marn missed a portion of information eliciting a nervous chuckle from Marn. Drake was digesting this information while listening. He hadn't even seen a map yet so collecting information through conversation was the next best way.
"Do you have a map of the barony you could show me?"
Drake decided to go ahead and see what the barony looked like. Marn pulled out a scroll and handed to Drake while continuing to talk.
"From what I heard this is one of larger baronies in the Proxima Empire. Due to John's contributions along with the marriage of John and Tina many norm's were broken. Duke Byneim probably assumed that since his well educated daughter was proficient in management he gave a good amount of land to Tenebris's."
Marn rambled on about how the barony came about while Drake studied the map.
"Are we headed to Miller town on the eastern side of Hunter Mountain Range?"
"Right-o boy! But we are not staying there for long. We are going into the mountains. The plains around the city have already been used for farming. Its a small town but the villagers refuse to go into the mountains because of rumors."
"Rumors...?"
"Mmmh. Apparently there are lots of Grade A beasts that lurk within the mountains which are tough noogies to deal with."
Now realizing that there were different classes of beasts Drake was confused. After a minute thinking he realized maybe there's a reason.
"What are the grades of monsters and what makes them different?"
Before Marn could respond it was surprisingly Hugo who clarified the answer for Drake.
"Beasts are classified from F to triple S. Grade A are stronger than most beasts. Once the grades start ascending the beasts of higher levels become more rare and harder to find. Most have already been hunted down on the main continent due to large number of warriors. What makes them different is the amount of Aether Energy they could absorb to use for attacks. Grade Triple S has large and robust mana circuits where Grade F has thin and weak mana circuits. Usually size of a beast has an effect on their mana circuits, the larger a beast is, the stronger its magical power."
'So the larger a beast is, the stronger they are. Hmmm makes sense. I wonder what a Triple S beast is like. Too bad I can't use Aether Energy, if I saw a beast like that I would die before I knew what happened to me. Now that I think about. I wonder what kind of beasts a non-magic warrior could fight.'
"What Grade can non-magic users fight like me?"
"Depending on skill, up to Grade B or A. You have to stick to Grade F and hope nothing higher than that approaches you. Those that can fight Grade A beasts are usually sword masters"
Hugo seemed to very talkative about fighting beasts. Drake figured Hugo had his fair share of enjoyment with fights against beasts. They continued to talk about classifications for a little longer. Once the city was out of sight every one became quiet while Drake was left in his thoughts.
'If I want to survive this world I need to know how to use a weapon. I can't use magic but that doesn't mean I'm weak. If only nobility and few other lucky people can use magic then I don't have a huge disadvantage. Until I can figure how to use resources here to make a gun, I'll just have to learn how to use a sword. Maybe Hugo or John will teach me...'
The ride was long and road bumpy. None of the roads were paved, just worn and packed down dirt paths. While riding a horse seemed to wear out Drake's hips he just powered through. Drake was memorizing the map of the barony and the day came to end. The expedition group set up camp along the road in the middle of the plains.