Upon reaching the forest, Celine took out a book and glasses. It wasn’t because she had a bad sight. The glasses were magical. They allowed her to see more clearly the movement of mana. An item often used by researchers.


    Without any warning she went into the forest, often changing her path. After a few minutes, Sam and Sien didn’t know where they were as they didn’t have time to pay attention to their surroundings as the elf rushed forward.


    “Miss Celine… Please… Wait!” Sien said, trying to grasp every bit of air he could as they marched through the forest. Unfortunately for the boy, the elf was focused on her task, unconsciously ignoring everything else.


    They stopped once they reached some kind of pond. Sam and Sien sat on the ground, taking the rest that they desperately wanted once they entered the forest. Celine took out a vial and dipped it in the water. She sniffed the water, observed it under the light and shadow, and shook the vial. Lastly, she placed her hand above the vial and the water began to glow a dim light.


    “There is a lot of mana in the water. Better to take more samples.” Celine took out four more vials. She filled two of them with water and two with dirt close to the pond. “Let’s continue. We found one source but there might be more of them.”


    They walked around the forest for another hour, finding two more pounds filled with mana. Some of the trees were resting in its presence and moved their roots toward the source.


    “That is a worrying amount of mana… Let’s head back.” The elf said being on a constant lookout. “Guys. I have one warning for you. I’m not a battle mage so I’m not the best fit for fights but I will assist you however I can.” Celine warned her companions making them draw their weapons.


    Sam remained vigilant, trying to find the thing that Celine was worried about. Sien stood right beside him, his hands shaking by fear of an unknown enemy lurking around. Celine chanted a spell in a language that they couldn’t understand. A burst of wind spread around them, making the elf look up.


    “They are above!” She shouted as she pointed her wand toward the trees. On them, there were thin creatures the size of a child with gray skin, arms longer than the rest of the body, and many sharp teeth placed randomly around the mouth. “Ghouls!”


    One of the monsters hidden in the trees jumped down at the elf. Sam dashed toward the mage and sliced the ghoul in half with one swing of his new sword. Celine stepped away from the tree and began another chant. A thin layer of yellow glowing energy wrapped all of them.


    “This will protect you from their claws. You’ll still feel the strength of their attacks though. Ghouls are weak, the strength lies in their numbers.” Celine explained their opponents'' weaknesses.


    One of the ghouls landed right in front of Sien. The boy swung his saber, staggered by the sudden appearance of a monster, he missed the attack. The ghoul attacked Sien with its claws. The force of the attack pushed his arm and he felt it but his skin was unscathed. Sam rushed to his aid and decapitated the monster.


    “Calm down Sien. With those shaky hands, you won’t land a good blow. Breathe slowly.” Sam instructed the confused boy as he defended him from coming monsters.


    Sien was able to calm down but his hands were still shaking a bit at the sight of a horrifying creature. He didn’t kill them with one strike like Sam, but he could land good hits making decent damage to the monsters.


    Sien had bruises all over his body from the constant attack from the ghouls. Sam and Celine were unscathed. The elf hid behind the fighters but she assisted them by pushing some of the monsters away so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by their number. The exhaustion was slowly visible on their faces.


    “There is no end to them!” Shouted frustrated Sien, breathing heavily as his saber felt like a boulder. “Miss Celine! Do you know any offensive runes that I could use?!”


    “Unfortunately no!” She replied as she pushed a ghoul that was about to jump Sien.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Sien slowly retreated back to the mage his mind focused on the monsters but he was thinking of a way to use his artifact. He drew the rune that was used to make a small fire but he made it much bigger. It looked like he had a campfire in his hand. He pushed it against the ghoul that was the closest to him. It didn’t kill the monster but it made it run away, screaming with pain. At that sight, the ghouls began hesitating. Keeping their distance away from the fire. Only attacking Sam.


    “Master! Come here! Let’s stay close together!” Sien shouted being close to the elven mage.


    Celine saw what happened with the burned ghoul and also made a fire at the tip of her wand. Much smaller than the one that Sien made but it was enough to make the monsters cautious. Sam joined them trying to be the group''s guard but he ended up being the one in the middle.


    They walked away, scaring each ghoul that got close enough with a fire. Since they were walking in one direction without much distractions they quickly found a way out of the forest. The monsters didn’t follow them after they left the area. They remained hidden between the trees, eyeing the group they fought.


    “Let’s warn the people about the ghouls. The guild might take immediate action.” Celine stopped her spell and took one last look at the monsters in the trees.


    “Good idea. Better if no one runs into them without knowing the danger.” Sam agreed.


    “Master… Can you lift me to the inn?” Asked Sien.


    “Can’t you walk by yourself? I also fought them off-” Sam wanted to urge the boy to walk on his own but he saw him flat on the ground, saber right beside him.


    “I don’t have much strength left… I’m… tired…” Whispered Sien as he fell asleep right in front of them.


    Sam picked Sien up and carried him on his back. The elf walked slightly behind him. Observing the boy. In the fight, he lost his coat and she noticed the emblem on his back.


    “Are you guys bandits?” Celine asked, aiming the wand at the man.


    “I thought you didn’t know any offensive spells.” Sam calmly answered.


    “I lied. Didn’t want the risk of being attacked by you.”


    “Why ask now? We accompanied you and assisted with the ghouls. Damn. We were the ones fighting them all while you stayed back.” Sam pointed out but there was no anger in his voice, he understood the elf’s concern.


    “The boy''s clothing. And the artifact itself. A nobleman traveling with a peasant? It’s hard to believe. Did you rob someone who finished the dungeon?” Celine gave valid points but Sam didn’t give an immediate answer.


    “Before I answer. What’s your stand on the royal families of Saradia?”


    “Natural. Not my country, not my biggest concern. Although I heard that one of them is shady.”


    “Which one?”


    “Don’t remember the name but they had a purple banner.”


    “Okay. I’ll give you an answer. This boy is a nobleman, hiding from the crowds. His family was falsely accused and we are on the journey to the south to get his brother’s help as he might have some influence as a commander in the military.”


    “And why are you accompanying him? For the money?” Celine asked, still having her wand ready to throw a spell.


    “No. My master served under his father and he didn’t believe the accusations since he knew the Lord personally. A kind man like him is innocent. By assisting the boy I repay my master for all he has done for me. No greed in my heart” Sam answered, not even looking back at the elf.


    “I heard a lot of bad things about Saradia’s nobles. Selfish and looking from above at everyone.”


    “He is different. If not for the mark and clothing, I wouldn’t have guessed he is from the royal family. Even though I wore the clothes of a farmer he spoke to me with respect. From my master''s tales, I know that Sien''s father was the same.”


    “What mark?” The mage asked not knowing about the royal houses and how their lineage works.


    “It should be visible because of the sweat. We hid his mark. Under his eye. He has three triangles. That’s information that he is third in line in his family.”


    Celine took a step to the side to get a better view of Sien’s face. She saw the marks unravel because of the sweat that destroyed the makeup. “Okay. I trust you.” She said as she put away her wand.


    “Just keep it a secret for a moment. We have another goal that we want to achieve on the way down south. To make Alk a better name. Good deeds that will show the true face of his family. A kind and generous face.”


    “I might be able to help with that. I can tell that he assisted me with the research. Just mention his name in the rapport.”


    “Will you really do that?” Sam asked, finally facing the elf.


    “I’ll gladly help the men that saved me today.” Celine answered with a kind warming smile.