The first rays of the morning sun poured down on the stone paths of the small town of Dawnsinger, and the air was fresh with dewdrops. Gareth stood by the wagon, scrutinising the wheels and reins. This carriage was a gift from the town's blacksmith, Mr Tom, who had been helped by Gareth during a certain roundup and had given him this old carriage that he had restored himself as a token of appreciation. Although the exterior was slightly outdated, after Tom's skilful hands, the carriage's axles were smooth, the planks were sturdy, and there was even an awning added to the roof.
'Elena, are you ready?' Gareth asked, looking up.
Elena stepped out of the doorway of her home, clutching a thick notebook in her arms. She smiled slightly, 'Long gone, don't forget to bring dry food and water bottles.'
Little Vetril stood by with anticipation in his eyes. He wore a clean linen shirt today, his hair was neatly combed and his whole body looked refreshed.
'Today we're going to the next town over, Krell, to visit the old mage Alvin. He's a learned fellow,' Gareth said, 'and he may know something special about you.'
The three of them got into the carriage, Gareth sitting in the front to steer the horses while Elena and Vetril sat in the back seat. With the sound of the horses' hooves, the carriage slowly drove away from the town of Dawnsinger.
After pulling out of the town, the carriage travelled along a muddy country road. Soon, they entered a small forest. The woods were dappled with light and shadows, and the sound of birds chirping rose and fell. A small stream gurgled in the forest, giving off a tranquil and vibrant feeling.
'This forest is called the Morning Dew Forest,' Elena said as she pointed out the window, 'It is said that the plants and small animals here are sheltered by the forest guardians, so there are rarely any large magical beasts.'
As soon as the words left her mouth, a small furry magical beast burrowed out of the bushes by the roadside. It had the body of a rabbit but a pair of antlers.Vetril opened his eyes wide and asked curiously, 'What is this?'
'That's a Primary Magic Beast (Tiner) Horned Rabbit,' Elena explained, 'It has a docile temperament, but if pushed, it will use its horns to attack its enemies. For adventurers though, they are not a threat.'
Gareth added with a smile, 'If you're fast enough, you can still catch it for dinner.'
Before the words left his mouth, a low hissing sound came from the depths of the woods. Gareth immediately pulled on the reins and the carriage came to a halt.
'Looks like we're in a bit of trouble.' He frowned.
From the shadows of the trees slowly swam out an elongated magical beast, covered in dark grey scales, with sharp bone spikes at the end of its tail, its snake's letter slightly spitting out, exuding a dangerous aura. Elena said in a low voice, ''That's an intermediate level magical beast (Beast)-Scaled Tail Snake. Not only is it powerful, it will also spray venom with its tail spikes, be careful!'
Gareth drew the longsword at his waist, while Elena took out a magic scroll from her travelling bag. 'Vetril, stay in the carriage and don't come out.' Her tone was serious.
The Scale-tailed Snake let out a hoarse low roar, its pupils locking onto Gareth as it lunged at him. Gareth quickly rolled over and dodged while swinging his sword across the snake's body, yet the blade only left shallow scratches on the hard scales.
'Vetril, watch it!' Gareth adjusted his footing and said in a low voice, 'The core of a Junior Knight's battle is flexibility and precision.' As he spoke, the core of the source within his body glowed faintly, and a warm aura quickly flowed to his limbs, adding to his strength and speed.
He took a deep breath and retreated with his right foot, holding his sword with both hands in a stance of storing up his strength to slash. The Scaled Tail Snake attacked again, its tail sweeping across like a whip. Gareth jumped up, and with the force of spinning in the air, he chopped his sword at the Scale-tailed Serpent's tail stinger, making a metallic clashing sound.
Elena stood aside, folded her hands and chanted in a low voice, 'Spirit of flowing water, turn into ice blades, repel the enemy - "Frost Blade Dance"!' As the incantation was completed, several sharp blades of ice appeared out of thin air and shot towards the scale-tailed snake. The sharp blades struck the snake's body, finally causing a rupture in its flank and blood oozed out.
The Scale-tailed Snake flicked its tail angrily, its bone spikes spewing out a stream of green venom, heading straight towards Elena. Elena quickly stepped back while chanting, 'Wind Guardian, protect my surroundings - "Wind Shield"!' A whirlwind formed in front of her, blowing the venom away.
At this moment, Vetril was lying on his back at the side of the carriage and couldn't help but look over, his mind moving. A set of virtual transparent panels instantly appeared before his eyes:
Scale-tailed Snake
Level: 15
Realm: Intermediate Magical Beast (Beast)
Characteristics: toxic attack.
Weakness: thin scales on the abdomen.
'Its weakness is in its abdomen!' Vetril couldn't help but shout.
'Good job, Vetril!"Gareth responded while adjusting his position. He circled around to the side of the Scale-tailed Serpent, aimed at the breach Vetril pointed out, and stabbed his longsword into the snake's belly with all his might. Accompanied by the flow of aura from the Core of the Source, his sword blade emitted a faint glow and brought up a tremor as it pierced into the Scale-tailed Snake, directly tearing through the inner wall of the snake's belly.
The Scale-tailed Snake let out a mournful hiss and tried to attack with its tail, but it was firmly bound by Elena's 'Water Currents Cage'.
'Happy co-operation!' Gareth shouted, and with a powerful twist of his long sword, he completely ended the life of the Scale-tailed Snake. The Scale-tailed Serpent's huge body collapsed helplessly to the ground, its blood soaking through the soil.
After the battle was over, Gareth wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to Vetril, 'See? That's the power of teamwork, you'll form a group of your own adventurers later.'
Vetril looked at his parents with unblinking eyes, as if his heart was filled with more fantasies and expectations of his future team.
The carriage continued on its way, and shortly after, the town of Krell appeared in view. This town was much more lively than Dawnsinger, with shops lining the streets and pedestrians bustling about. The shouts of vendors, the sounds of blacksmiths hammering iron, and the laughter of children were intertwined.
'It's so lively here!' Vetril said excitedly.
Gareth parked the carriage at the entrance of the town and the three of them entered the town on foot. They asked passersby along the way and soon learnt that Mage Alvin's residence was in a stone house on the south side of the town.
The outside of the stone house was filled with all kinds of plants, some of which even emitted a faint fluorescent light. An owl rested under the eaves of the house, watching the visitors with a sharp gaze.
Gareth went up and knocked on the door, and a short while later, an old man with grey hair opened the door. He wore dark blue vestments and held a wooden staff in his hand, his body was thin but his eyes were shining.
'Mage Alvin, we are here from Dawnsinger,' Gareth said, 'This is my son Vetril, we would like to ask you some questions.'
Alvin looked Vetril up and down and nodded, 'Come in.'
The interior of the stone house was arranged in an ancient and neat manner, the bookshelves around it were filled with all kinds of books and scrolls. Some strange maps and magical instruments were hung on the walls, and a crystal ball was placed on the table in the centre.
Alvin gestured for them to sit down, then took out a heavy ancient book from the bookshelf. 'What do you want to know?'
Gareth briefly explained Vetril's special sensory abilities and their questions. Alvin listened and fell into deep thought. He flipped through the ancient book and skimmed through it quickly for a while before finally stopping on a page.
'This reminds me of an ancient legend,' Alvin said slowly, "Legend has it that the roots of the World Tree hide a place called the "Land of the First Source'. It is said that there, the flow of Mana is as clear as a river, and any being born there will have a natural affinity with Mana.'
'Where is the Land of the First Source?' Elena couldn't help but ask.
'That's unknown,' Alvin shook his head, 'but the legend mentions a clue - deep within the Morning Forest, there's a relic that may be related to the Land of the Primordial Source. However, no one who entered the relic survived.'
Gareth frowned, 'It doesn't sound easy.'
Alvin closed the book and said solemnly, 'If you decide to pursue this legend, you must be prepared for anything. There is more than just danger there, after all, staying alive is more important than anything else.'
Before saying goodbye, Alvin looked at Vetril with concern and bent down, 'Remember, young man, knowledge is the key to exploring the world. You are gifted, but talent alone is not enough.' He took a thin notebook from the bookshelf beside him and handed it to Vetril.
'These were my favourite biographies of adventurers to read when I was younger, and may make the world more interesting to you.' Alvin's tone was gentle.
Vetril carefully took the notebook and saw that the cover read ''Biography of Legendary Knight Grand Mark''. He said gratefully, 'Thank you, Mr Alvin, I'll be sure to study hard!'
Alvin nodded slightly and turned to Gareth and Elena, saying with a slight sense of humour, 'Your children remind me of myself when I was younger, only my tutors weren't so friendly then.'
Elena smiled softly, 'Then we'll leave you to your trouble, Mage Alvin.'
At the farewell, Alvin stood in the doorway and watched them leave. His gaze lingered on the carriage that was fading away, and he whispered to himself, 'I hope your family can find their own answers.'
Under the setting sun, the shadow of the carriage was stretched long. holding his notebook, Vetril kept recalling Alvin's teachings and words in his mind. A longing surged in his heart, an urge to explore the unknown.
'Maybe, one day I will find that place.' He said silently in his mind.