After a few minutes pass, and a man
approaches Drake, "Hey, hello buddy,
you must be the one she said is traveling
with us." A huge fat man with a pot belly
stretches his large, thick right hand to
Drake.
Drake stands, looking at the man, with
two young ladies and two men all in their
twenties standing behind the man.
"Yes, that's me. I am Alexandra Drake.
Nice to meet you." He claps his right
hand around the man's hand, shaking it.
"My name is Sam. Nice to meet you
too," Sam turns to his comrades, "that
Lilly, our healer, Binter, our guide, Arcane
Amplifier, Ben the Archers, and Larry,
our tanker, while I'm the guide, Warlock
also the leader. Don't worry too much;
we are going to protect you until we
depart at our destination. So let's move."
Sam leads them out of the guide office,
and the others follow behind.
At the entrance, a midsized mercenary
transport waits for them. They all hop in,
and the voyage begins.
Inside the carriage is Lilly, who is sitting
opposite Drake. "Hi, Drake. She initiated
a conversation. May I ask why you're
going to the fog forest? As you may not
know, there have been a lot of mysteries
about that forest." Her eyes slightly
widen, darting around, and her face turns
red, admiring the handsome figure
sitting opposite him. "Actually, I don't
have a main reason going there, but
someone I must pass a message to is on
a mission there."
Meanwhile, all the other members sit all
ready to notice her reaction. Instantly,
Ben bursts into laughter.
"Hahaha, who would have believed this?
The most stubborn lady would once be
gentle." He said while trying to hold back
his laugh. Others join in except Drake,
who is confused about what is going on.
"Okay, before I forget," Sam brings out a
map with a bright red line around a
specific section of a forest, pointing at a
destination.
"The administrator gave me this mini-
map to pass it to you. She said this will
direct you to the appropriate location."
Ben passes the minimap to Drake.
"Thank you very much, and thank the
lady, when you return from your task."
Drake accepted the map. They continue
their discussion as they journey.
Late in the day, they arrive at the
commons, close to their destination.
"Guys, why don't we stay for the night in
an inn and continue with our task the
next day?" Sam said.
They all nod in return. Sam stretches his
hand, taping the driver's shoulder.
"Please, take us to the nearest inn to
spend the night." The rider turns his head
a bit and nods.
A few minutes later, they all arrive in
front of a stacked building, and they all
enter. Inside the building, noise, laughter,
and different segments of discussion
roar from the large crowds setting at
different sections of the building.
A man with a white scarf rapped around
his head with a tray under his right armpit
approaches them.
"Welcome, please. What can we offer
you?" The man shouted through the loud
noise for Sam and his crew members to
hear. Sam places his mouth into the
man's ear. "Get us an empty table for six
people." He said, raising his voice.
The man gestures for them to follow him,
which they comply with. A restaurant
table at the right corner on the second
floor of the inn, which they provide for
their VIP customers, is arranged for them
due to no more regular restaurant tables.
They all sit around the table.
The man walks to Sam. "What dish
would you like to be served?"
"Get us the best wine you have with six
plates filled with roasted pork. Also
reserve three rooms for the night. "
"Okay, I'll be right back with that." The
man turns and leaves.
They are awaiting their meal when a
sound catches their attention, coming
from a man hitting a table next to them.
There's another man in front of him, and
their conversation goes like this.
"Hey, comrade, is everything okay?
Come on, tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing much. Haven't you heard
about the Go Village incident?"
"Are you referring to the incident where
different groups of mercenaries went
there on a mission, one after the other,
and they were all turned into the Crimson
Rot (undead)?"
"That's not all. Two days ago, it was said
that the whole Crimson Rot horde was
burned down in a flame, leaving
nothing."
"But on the Thralia continent, only
mages with an affinity for water mana
and aura exist, except the mage is from
Vas'tarim (central continent)."
The two men are engrossing in this topic
when another man walks up to them,
placing his left leg on the table.
"What's all this?" The man who slammed
the table raised his voice.
Meanwhile, Drake, Sam, and the other
crew members are already served and
are eating their meal, enjoying listening
to those men's conversation.
The man with his leg on the table lifts it
back to the ground, packs his hair
backward, and sits next to them.
"About that incident, I'm part of the
unaffected mercenaries saved during the
incident."
The man who slammed the table eyes
widen, stretching his neck forward a bit,
"Then you must have seen the face of
the mage that took care of the Crimson
Rot, right?"
"Not really because of the thick smoke;
we couldn't see, but one thing is sure:
the mage is a lady in her early twenties."
"But how can you tell from the thick
smoke?"
"That's simple. An unclear image of the
mage showed a ladylike figure through
the smoke, especially; her boobs shape
explained that, and everyone who was
also saved all said the same thing.
After their meal, they all move to their
respective rooms. Drake and Sam share
the same room, laying down on a large
mattress. Since neither of them has
fallen asleep, Sam decides to spark a
conversation.
"Drake, after delivering the massage, do
you have any plans?" Drake turns his
head, looking at Sam, and then back to
the roof of the room.
"Yes, to join the Diamond Mage
Academy. Why did you suddenly ask
about that?" Sam breathes heavily,
"I married when I was twenty years old,
and I am thirty-three this year. I have a
daughter who is twelve years old; you
remind me of her, since it's been a long
time since I've seen her." He gently turns
his head, looking at Drake.
"Anywhere, we need to sleep early;
there's a lot of work for us tomorrow.
Goodnight." He turns his back at Drake,
covering his body with a blanket.
"Goodnight." Drake responded.
The next day, they ultimately arrive at the
fog forest at noon.
"Finally, we're at the fog forest. Let's
finish this task quickly so we can
celebrate and enjoy some wine." Larry
said as they all hop out of the carriage,
approaching the fog forest with
trepidation, navigating through it.