Brook's eyes darted nervously as he looked around for any dogs. Eli held closely onto Brook. They grew anxious at the thought of hellhounds getting close to them.
"Are we going to be alright? Isn't that the dogs?" Brook asked with a concerned voice.
"Yeah. I'm surprised that they're this close. We should hurry up and get out of here." Agnis hurried them. Their steps quickened.
"We need to pick up our pace if we want to get there by noon," said Zero as he looked behind him with worry. He could not afford another tumble with the hellhounds. The only person able to fight in their full strength was Zeraph, except that his mana was depleted. Zero's small band of escapees continued forward.
#####
The rain finally stopped, and the sun peeked out of the clouds. Zero's group walked out of the forest. In the distance, they saw the City of Diadem. Its large white walls glistened like pearls underneath the rays of sunlight. A warm breeze blew and welcomed them home. Zero sighed with relief.
Dense farmlands and houses were littered around the city as smoke rose. In the middle of the city, a majestic castle overlooked its residents upon a large rocky cliff. Sentries were posted up high against the wall, where they watched and patrolled the city borders. Flocks of white cranes flew over the city, croaking and signaling to their comrades. They surrounded the east side of the wall where the lake was. Zero noticed a small cottage sitting on a hill overlooking the lake.
"Home." Brook fell to the ground and began kissing it. He looked like a homesick sailor who had just come ashore. Eli giggled at Brook's odd behavior. Clay laughed as he followed Brook's example. His laugh was contagious, and soon Agnis, Eli, and Tino laughed and smiled with him. Zeraph gazed upon them and stepped back nervously.
"I can smell the sweet scent of chicken rice soup," said Zero. His stomach grumbled and agreed with his comment.
"I want some sweet hot pumpkin pie." Agnis began to drool thinking about the food she was going to have upon arrival.
"Mmmmm," replied Eli. She closed her eyes and imagined the hot steaming pie. She could taste and smell it already.
"I want some caramel apple candy!" exclaimed Clay excitedly. "Pat said it tastes great, and I want to try it."
"Cold beer, canned silkworms dipped in hot spices that have been pickled for a long time," chuckled Tino heartily as he rubbed his belly.
Agnis, Zeraph, and Zero stared at each other and blanched in disgust. Everyone at that moment lost their appetite. Zero wondered how he could have such an outrageous food choice. He did not want to know. Such things were best left alone or he would regret it later.
From behind them came the sound of loud squeaking wheels. A merchant riding on a rusty, old wagon with no covering rolled up to them, pulled by an old horse.
"Coming through!" shouted the merchant, who wore royal purple clothes and a beret. On it was a single large peacock feather that fluttered. His dark-colored skin and his pointed ears were prominent. Brook got up and moved out of the way as the merchant wagon screeched to a complete stop in front of them. It was badly in needed to be oiled.
"Hello. My name is Alan. Do you guys want to buy anything?" asked the merchant. He gazed upon them as bags of full coins.
Zero walked forward and introduced himself.
"I'm Zero. I was wondering if you have any cheap clothes for sale for my friends here." Zero motioned towards his group. Upon viewing, they looked like a ragged bunch of hobos who lived in the forest like wild men.
"Yes, I do. Let me show you my wares." Alan began pulling out different varieties of colorful clothes from cute simple dresses to exotic wares. Zero beckoned Tino to come forward.
"Each one of you gets something to wear. I'm pretty sure the guards won't allow us to go in. The majority of us look like beggars right now," said Zero worriedly. There was a high possibility that the guards would turn his group away. To be unjustly stopped by guards at the front gates was not something he wanted. He was hoping that his quest reward would compensate for the amount he had spent.
"This is an investment," he mumbled under his breath. He moaned in sadness as the thought of chicken rice soup with honey bread slipped through his fingers.
Clay and Eli excitedly picked through. Agnis carefully skimmed through the products and took her time to match the outfit.
Tino, Eli, Brook, and Clay were outfitted in their new clothes. Tino had a simple body-hugging green T-shirt with brown working pants. Zero thought he still looked like a buff grizzly bear. Eli got a yellow dress with a pink flower covering her whole body, including her stumpy legs. Her hair was tied nicely into a ponytail by Agnis. Brook wore something a bit more colorful with extravagant designs. He didn't look too bad with a tiger pattern shirt, black pants, and high-top boots. Clay got himself dark blue shorts, a blue T-shirt over a long-sleeved yellow shirt, and strap-on sandals.
Zero helped himself to the same style of clothes that he usually wore: black shorts with a wooly, black, long-sleeved shirt. On top of it, he wore a buttoned-down, light-gold shirt with the gold collar wrapping neatly around his neck. On his right side, he wrapped a gold scarf around his hips, and on his left, he attached two silver chains.
Agnis wore a unique dress that looked more like a long coat. It had triangular cut-out ends. She had high top shoes that reached her knees and black shorts. Her long white hair dangled loose down her back. Zeraph, on the other hand, pulled out from his backpack the same clothes he'd worn when Zero had first met him, except that he added a short-sleeved, long coat. Half of its side came up to his knee, and the other half reached his left ankle. It was an odd design.
As Zeraph put away his clothes, the merchant's eyes widened. "Is that side pouch the supposed magical Zenith side pouch? The one that's supposed to carry an endless number of items?" Alan looked at Zeraph's side pouch with a dreamy eye.
"Yes," said Zeraph slowly with unease. His hands moved on top of it.
"Are you willing to sell it?" said Alan as he inched towards the backpack with greed in his eyes.
"No. I'm sorry, but I like this." Zeraph's eyes shot him a quick dark glance that stopped Alan in his tracks before even trying to bargain for it.
"Ah. Okay," said Alan with fear in his voice. He gulped while pulling on his collar as if something was caught in his throat. "Well, if you ever have to change your mind… Please do tell."
Zeraph ignored him and continued on doing what he was doing. Alan turned towards Zero and began ringing up the total.
"That will be ten gold coins." Alan reached out with his hand open palm up towards Zero. Zero shakily gave him the gold coins.
My precious food money, he silently cried. He was hoping it wouldn't be so expensive.
"Can't you give me a deal?" Zero asked with a bit of plea in his voice at Alan.
"Sorry, but no." Alan shook his head. His arms crossed, not budging from his answer. "I'm a poor traveling merchant. I need some way to survive and make money."
Zero resigned.
Agnis walked over to Zeraph to look at the pouch. "Zeraph, how did you get that pouch?" Agnis wondered.
It was about the size of a small purse that one could attach to the hip. It was compact and could be carried around without much weight. Players usually got backpacks at a merchant store. Both Agnis's and Zero's backpacks could hold only a hundred items. Having a small pack that could hold more was extremely useful.
"Well, it's not that difficult. Talk with a gramp name Cylmar. He's the owner of a bar called Boar Bar in the slums near the red light district. You can only make one, though." Zeraph put away his wet clothes in his pack.
"I want one." Agnis looked upon it with envy. "Let's go get one, Zero."
"Sure. Later," he replied. He too, understood the importance of the bag.
"If you don't mind," Alan chimed in, "I would like to go with you when you get your Zenith pouch."
Alan knew that sticking around people who were fighters was the best chance of survival for a merchant. As a beginner merchant, he didn't have strong offensive abilities to fend off high-level monsters. He started out with paying for protection out of pocket when traveling between cities, and for a beginner merchant that was a bit difficult. He had to travel short distances from village to village, and eventually, he had made it here by the grace of God for not running into any monsters that he couldn't handle.
Alan worriedly looked at Zero and Agnis.
"A child and a girl…I don't think I chose the right candidates…" he mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Agnis curiously peered up at him.
"I look forward to working with you." Alan gave her a big smile as he shook her hand and looked upon Zero.
"Sure. I'll contact you when we are going." Zero didn't mind the extra company. The more people joined the faster they could get the job done. Alan, Zero, and Agnis exchanged contacts.
"I do have a small favor to ask," Zero said cautiously. He was hoping he wouldn't have to pay extra.
"That is?" Alan gave Zero the merchant smile as he rubbed his hands.
"Well, you see, we would like a ride to the city. We had a long walk and need a bit of rest," Zero asked hopefully. He did not want to take that extra-long walk toward the castle. His feet were already killing him.
Alan's face dropped and was replaced by a stoic expression. It was far from what he expected.
"Sure…get on." Alan looked at his horse worriedly.
One by one, everyone climbed into the wagon. Brook helped Eli and Clay sit comfortably first before he got himself comfortable. Tino flopped down and made himself cozy as he stretched out in the wagon. Zero climbed up and sat next to Alan.
Large veins showed on the old horse as it strenuously pulled the cart forward. The wagon squeaked loudly as it began to move. Once it got moving, the old horse didn't have much trouble.
"So, what were you guys doing out here in the woods looking so beat up?" asked Alan. It was unusual to see a ragtag bunch coming out of the forest looking like lost souls that finally found the meaning of life.
"A quest." Zero paused while his group listened in uncomfortably and then continued, "It was a group quest."
"Ah, I see." Alan raised his eyes and mulled it over and was just about to ask for more, but Zero cut him off. He was busily scanning off into the distance near a lake not too far from them.
"If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you went near that cottage on top of the hill." Zero pointed towards the cottage, which sat halfway between them and the city gates. "I need to complete the quest, and I think it might be."
"Sure." Alan whistled at the horse as he pulled his rope to the side, directing the old horse towards the hill.
Zero sat back and enjoyed the nice windy breeze through the ride. The old carriage creaked as it rolled. Even a couple of times, the bumpy road made the carriage shake. It was a short ride till they arrived at the cottage. The carriage came to a stop.
"Wait here. It's going to be quick," said Zero in a hurry. He slid off the wagon and walked up the hill. The cottage had a shingled roof and a brick chimney. Grapevines hung over the whitewashed walls. One side of the enclosed porch was filled with split wood, ready for the fire. A rocking chair lightly rocked back and forth with the wind. Picketed wooden fence neatly surrounded it. A lovely arching gate opened up a pathway towards the front door. Grapevines draped on it as it wound up and down the whole arching gate. A small vegetable garden was growing enclosed inside of the gates.
Large sunflowers greeted him with a warm welcome as he passed. Zero lightly knocked on the door. Sounds of light footsteps were heard coming towards the door. Peeking out of the door, a plump woman greeted him. Her apron hung loosely as if she was cooking lunch. He could smell a waft of sweet-smelling potato pie drifting towards him. His stomach grumbled loudly, throwing a tantrum asking for food. The lady smiled warmly.
"Excuse me, I came here to deliver an item," said Zero as he rummaged through his pocket. He brought out a small tulip pin that glistened under the warm sunlight. He noticed a small ruby in the middle of the tulip pin intricately laced with vine-like patterns as he looked closer.
The plump lady cast her gaze down upon the tulip, and her eyes widened. Reaching down with trembling hands, she picked it up. She gently cupped it, and tears fell down her rosy cheeks. Closing her eyes, she brought it up towards her forehead. Zero felt awkward watching a stranger cry, so he tilted his head down and waited.
The young lady turned around and went into the room, leaving Zero alone in front of her door. In a couple of minutes, she returned with a ruby ring. She pushed the ring into his hands.
"Please take this with you and never come back. I'm sorry; I cannot bear to look upon the stranger who brought me news of my daughter's death," she said. She solemnly closed the door in front of Zero.
Zero was stunned at the lady's reaction. It was so cold. He was expecting more of a thank you but was given the cold shoulder instead. He turned around and left without a single word.
Ding!
Quest Deliver the tulip to her mother has been completed. You feel an unusual burden around your shoulders, slightly lifting as if someone has left your side.
He gazed upon the ruby ring and noticed intricate, leaf-like vine designs encompassing the whole ring.