Luca and Finn met early the next morning, just before sunrise. The cool morning air felt fresh as they set out on their journey to the mountain. The walk would take about two hours. After a quiet and peaceful walk, they finally reached the base of the mountain where they were supposed to gather the herbs.
At the foot of the mountain, they found a small stand with baskets for rent. Luca and Finn each rented a basket, and then they asked the seller about where to find the herbs listed on their scroll. The seller pointed them in the direction of some herbs, but when it came to a few of the rarer ones, he said he wasn't sure, and that other people might have already gathered them.
Luca and Finn looked at their scrolls, both of which listed the same ten herbs. After a brief conversation, they decided to split up and search for the herbs. They agreed to meet back at the same spot once they had finished gathering their shares.
Luca started his search, walking deeper into the mountain. The place was beautiful, with tall trees and flowers in every direction. The air smelled fresh, and the sounds of birds and small animals filled the forest. But there were also many signs warning not to harm the plants or pick immature herbs. The scroll also mentioned the same thing: they could only pick the mature ones.
Luca searched carefully, moving slowly through the forest to make sure he didn't miss any herbs. It was harder than he had expected, but he managed to find some of the herbs, each in their proper place. He picked the mature ones, being careful to leave the smaller, younger plants alone. He needed five of each herb, so he gathered ten of each type to share with Finn.
After a long search, Luca finally finished. Along the way, he had spotted some small, rare animals he had never seen before, which made the journey more interesting. It had taken him about four hours to gather everything, but now he was done.
Luca made his way back to the meeting point, where Finn was already waiting. Finn grinned at him, holding up his basket. "I've already finished! You're so slow!" he joked, laughing.
Luca smiled and rolled his eyes. "I wasn't slow, I was just being careful." The two of them made their way back to the foot of the mountain, to return the baskets to the seller.
The seller handed them a sack to carry the herbs. They packed everything carefully, making sure not to damage the herbs as they placed them inside. With their mission completed, Luca and Finn started their journey back to camp.
After completing their mission, Luca and Finn returned to camp. The mission hall was busy with soldiers and other adventurers submitting their tasks, and Luca made his way up to the desk where the soldier was waiting.
"Here's my scroll and the herbs," Luca said, handing them over.
The soldier glanced at Luca briefly before taking the scroll. "You'll get your deposit now," he said with a small yawn, as if he had done this a thousand times. "Do you want silver or military merits for this mission?"
Luca paused for a moment. Silver was always nice, but military merits could be more valuable in the long run. "Military merits, sir."
The soldier raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? You could get 20 silver for this, or just 2 military merits if you choose merits."
Luca nodded, determined. "Yes. Military merits, please."
"Alright then, 2 military merits it is. Congratulations," the soldier said with a bored wave. He handed Luca a small token of his reward, and Luca tucked it into his pocket.
As Luca made his way across the camp, he spotted Instructor Aaron. The man was pacing back and forth like he was in the middle of some grand crisis. His eyes flickered nervously between the tents, and his hands kept fidgeting with a piece of paper.
Luca raised an eyebrow. "What's going on, sir?" he asked, half-expecting some serious news.
Instructor Aaron turned his head quickly, as if caught off guard. "Oh! Luca, there you are! I've been waiting for you!" He quickly approached Luca with an urgent look in his eyes. "I've got an important mission for you, and it's time sensitive. Here, take this."
He handed Luca a small scroll, the kind of scroll that probably carried a very mysterious and urgent message. Luca took it, but before he could even ask what the mission was, Instructor Aaron launched into his explanation.
"That woman, Gina? She came by looking for me earlier that day," Aaron said, his voice suddenly very serious. "She's over at the southern side of the camp. All you need to do is get her to sign this scroll and bring it back to me. It's simple."
Luca blinked, momentarily confused by the sudden task. "Gina? The instructor Gina?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, that's her. Just go get her signature, come back here, and you'll be done. I'll be in my tent." Instructor Aaron started walking away, disappearing into the crowd before Luca could say another word.
Luca stood there for a moment, scroll in hand, wondering if there was something more to this than just a simple signature. But with no time to ponder it, he set off for the southern part of the camp, where the fences loomed like a wall separating him from whatever mystery lay ahead.
At the entrance, two guards stood watch, their eyes following Luca as he approached. One of them looked him up and down. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice full of suspicion.
Luca cleared his throat nervously. "Instructor Aaron sent me. I need to get Instructor Gina's signature on this scroll."
The guard eyed him for a moment before saying, "Wait here." She disappeared into the camp, leaving Luca alone.
It felt like forever, but eventually, the guard returned and motioned for him to follow. "Come with me," she said, and Luca obediently trailed behind her.
As they entered the camp, Luca couldn't help but notice how different it felt from the rest of the camp. There were no men here, just women, and many of them seemed to be busy with their own tasks. He felt a little out of place, and the quiet murmur of conversation in the air made him nervous.
The guard led him to a tent near the centre of the camp, where Instructor Gina was inside. She looked up from a pile of scrolls as Luca entered, her expression calm and collected.
"Give me the scroll," she said without any greeting, her tone business like.
Luca didn't hesitate. He handed her the scroll, and she read through it quickly, her eyes scanning the text. After a moment, she signed it and handed it back to him.
"Thanks, ma'am," Luca said, trying to sound polite and professional. "I'll head back now."
Instructor Gina nodded and offered him a brief, almost dismissive smile. "Goodbye, little kid."
Luca turned and left the tent, doing his best to mask the awkwardness he felt. He walked back through the camp, feeling like every eye was on him. As soon as he was out of the camp, he breathed a sigh of relief.
When he returned to Instructor Aaron's tent, the man was waiting, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Ah, good job, Luca!" he said as soon as he saw the signed scroll. "You're quick! You've done well. If I get any more of these kinds of jobs, I'll be sure to call on you again."
Luca nodded and said, "Thanks, sir. But next time, maybe send someone else for the 'urgent' tasks."
Instructor Aaron chuckled, shaking his head with amusement. "You're learning, Luca. You're learning."