[What's your elemental affinity, mister mage?] (Kael) Sitting at the chair across the table, is a grey....no, silver haired girl with her hands crossed in front of her chest.
The air around her is really strange, it was as if she's constantly trying to read what's on my mind....perhaps she's even reading my gesture and expression. As soon as she told me that she's my partner for this mission, it was also decided that she would tell me the details when we eat during lunch.
This was just the start of the rise of my problems.
[Just call me Asher, or you can just call me Acer] I smiled at her.
Kael leaned back in her chair, her mismatched eyes glinting with amusement.
[Acer, huh? Simple enough. You don't look like much, but looks can be deceiving—or so they say.] (Kael)
[Gee, thanks. I'll be sure to put that glowing endorsement on my gravestone. My elemental affinity lies within fire, water, and null] I replied, my tone laced with sarcasm as I poked at the roasted meat on my plate.
She smirked.
[You'll need a sense of humor where we're going. Not much else will keep you sane.] (Kael) She eerily commented as she also dug at her food.
Her casual demeanor only made me more curious—and wary. Something about her felt familiar, like a shadow in the corner of a room you couldn't quite place. But I couldn't shake the feeling that she knew more about me than she let on.
[So, are we going to dance around it, or are you finally going to tell me where we're heading?] I asked, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
Kael took a sip of her drink, deliberately drawing out the moment.
[Impatient, aren't you? Fine. The job's simple: retrieval. The catch? It's in the Forgotten Hollows.] (Kael)
My fork froze halfway to my mouth.
[The Forgotten Hollows? The place where adventurers go to…and you know, not come back?] I tried to keep my voice steady, but even I could hear the edge in it.
She just shrugged.
[Most of them don't come back because they go in blind. Lucky for you, I've been there before] (Kael) Proudly she said....
She's been there before? Then why...
[I need a companion to go there, especially a magician] (Kael) Oh....so she wasn't alone when she went there before.
[And you survived?] I asked, incredulous.
Her smirk widened.
[Obviously. But don't think that means it'll be easy. The place is crawling with traps, restless spirits, and things that make regular monsters look like house pets.] (Kael)
Great. Exactly the kind of "opportunity" I'd hoped for.
[So what's so important that it's worth risking our necks?] I asked, leaning forward.
Kael's expression darkened, her tone losing its playful edge.
[An artifact. The guild's been commissioned to retrieve it. Details are on a need-to-know basis, and apparently, we're on a need-to-know-very-little level. All I know is, it's old, dangerous, and whoever wants it is paying a fortune] (Kael)
A noble, definitely it is a noble that had tasked such a tedious quest. Haaaah. What a day-
[Sounds comforting.] I muttered, the sarcasm returning.
Kael chuckled, but there was an undertone of seriousness.
[Look. Big dreams don't come cheap, and they definitely don't come safe. You're either in or you're out, mage. So, what's it going to be?] (Kael)
Her words hit harder than I expected. She was right. This was the kind of job that could make or break me. And if I wanted to be more than just another name on the guild roster, I couldn't afford to back down.
[Alright. I'm in.] I said, forcing a confidence I didn't quite feel.
Kael nodded, satisfied.
[Good. Meet me at the west gate at dawn. Bring everything you've got—because trust me, you're going to need it.] (Kael)
She stood, her movements fluid and precise, and slung her bow over her shoulder.
[Get some rest, Acer. Tomorrow, the real fun begins.] (Kael)
As she walked away, I couldn't help but feel like I'd just signed up for something far bigger—and far more dangerous—than I'd bargained for. My grip tightened on the staff I'd just bought, its faint glow a small but reassuring presence.
The Forgotten Hollows. High risk, high reward. Maybe, just maybe, this was the chance I'd been waiting for. But as I sat alone in the guildhall, the weight of my decision settled on me like a lead cloak.
For better or worse, there was no turning back now.
...........
.......
......
Dried rations...check
Water Ration...check
Magic Lamps...check.
I wonder what I have yet to check, but the essentials are ready...oh wait, the potions!
[Hmmm...I need to buy some more] The remaining potion stash at my satchel is getting low, and potions are the lifeline of adventurers so I had to make sure I always have a sufficient supply of it.
Healing potion, mana potion (especially) are the essentials. Antidote potions, which is quite expensive, is definitely needed as having it or not determines your life when you are influenced by venom or poison in your body.
[Okay, I think I am ready] With a bit of preparation, I have secured what I needed to bring and I need to sleep as the night is getting deeper.
Yet, the place where I am headed is the forbidden hollows.
A place so infamous for killing adventurers both newbies and veterans. It's a place that strikes fear to those that hears the tales it carried, the lives it had taken, and the words spoken by those that had trekked it.
Kael is one of them, and that automatically makes her a veteran in my perspective. Damn, if she had walked and came back out of it that means....
[Haaaaah. God please guide me] I just prayed at my heart as I closed my eyes to sleep.
Tomorrow will be a very long day, and boy I hope it can end as nice as I wanted it to be.