Srsli

90: Camp

We rode hard the next day, only stopping briefly for the horses to rest and have a drink of water. We were following the coastline, so there was a saltiness in the air the entire time.

I was surprised at how much the coast changed as we travelled. Near the city, the shoreline had been mostly sand. There were occasional rocks, especially surrounding the town itself, but overall it was smooth. Now, the land dropped into sheer cliffs that led down to the water.

While riding, I used A...

89: Portland

The road was getting smoother, and we were passing far more farms now that we were getting close to the town. The saltiness in the air was unmistakable at this point.

“Where is the red scar in the sky?” I asked curiously as I tried to spot it.

“Oh? That’s mostly a story told to kids to scare them. There’s no actual scar in the sky,” Milo said, shattering that belief.

“But they said it’s where the demons came from?” I asked, confused now.

“No. The de...

88: Tension

That night, we stopped near the crossroads. Hari said the army would almost always veer off here and head southwest—but Portland was directly south. Our plan was to head to Portland first, gather some information, and then, if needed, swing west to intercept them.

But the more important thing tonight... was dinner.

Or rather, how I was going to cook two giant Galvonson wings.

I’d already explained my plan to both Milo and Crisplet, who insisted on helping build the setup...

87: Right Track

This wasn’t training.

This was torture.

I groaned as Hari struck me again with the wooden stick he was using in place of a sword. He was taking it very seriously, and now—on the second day since we’d started—I was beginning to understand just how poorly trained we really were.

I couldn’t even land a hit. Every time I swung, I left myself wide open for a counter.

“Trev, you need to make sure you’re not leaving your side open like that. What if I had a dagg...

86: Training

Everyone was so engrossed in their food that no one was talking. There were only the occasional appreciative noises from Liane and Jen as they ate.

It really was delicious. I’d never enjoyed mushrooms at the orphanage—they were always bland and chewy—but these Death Caps had a rich, earthy taste that was beautifully amplified by the Garlic Grass and creamy sauce.

What I was especially curious about were the buffs, since I’d used a new wood for the cooking. But no one seeme...

Map - or the start of it.

I've started a map today to make my life a little easier. I've had a rough one going (see picture) but I decided to try and upgrade it a little today.

hopefully this will improve over time! or i'll commission someone to do it properly lol, but the ms paint one is what I was using to keep track of where the guys are travelling and the time spent travelling as well for some form of consistency

85: Escort

We rode into the cold morning air.

As we went, I was handed all the supplies the others had been holding for me—especially Jen, who’d kept most of my clothes and the gear for Sable. It quickly filled up the majority of my storage device. Milo also gave me twenty-five gold, which I was pretty sure was more than I was supposed to have, especially after how much I’d spent back in Divinmere.

I didn’t question it. Milo even admitted he’d probably short-changed me earlier and...

84: Rescue Plans

With everyone back, it was time to plan our actual departure—and what the plan even was.

Or so I thought anyway.

Micca suddenly appeared next to me.

“We got you something special!” she said excitedly. A moment later, an old-looking book appeared in her hands, and she handed it to me.

The Culinary Experience

Master Cook, Brù Din

“You got me a cookbook?” I said, quickly flipping through the pages. Recipe afte...

83: Candy

With Crisplet’s evolution out of the way and the skill chosen, it was time to do some cooking while we waited for everyone else to come back.

Looking through my inventory, I had several things I could use. First, I pulled out all the Lemon Tea Grass I’d gathered during the forest trek back to town and set it to one side of the oven for Crisplet to dry.

I also wanted to try something different. With everything else going on today, I pulled out several pieces of Echoheart wood. ...

82: Evolution

A short while later, we were leaving Nathan’s office. Our goal was to get everything done and get out of town as soon as possible, so everyone had a task.

Jen and Micca were heading to the market to buy food supplies, including plenty of berries and fruit for the desserts we wanted to make—but also small meat and fish if they could find any, since we’d be leaving the forest area.

Hari was heading upstairs in the guild to visit the alchemy shop and grab a variety of dried her...

81: Relief

I didn’t even get to leave the building before the ethereal green figure I had seen before appeared before us—alongside Lily.

“Ah, I see I have interrupted something?” Sylverith’s voice echoed out. This time, it appeared to be heard by everyone at least.

That didn’t stop everyone from freezing the moment it spoke, however, as all eyes turned to take in the ethereal humanoid in our midst.

“Uh—it’s okay. Not interrupting. They tried to rob the food I was prep...

80: Betrayal

Pulling out my book and looking through it, there were so many amazing options I could make, given the ingredients. But I figured it would also be worth making a list of ingredients I’d need, and the items I wanted to try, so I wouldn’t just impulsively buy everything I saw and hope for the best.

Flicking through the pages, a couple of things jumped out at me. Firstly, there were so many pies and cakes made using berries or simple fruits that looked incredibly easy to make.

Th...

79: Tail

The Drake steaks were taking a long while to cook, and with fifteen people here, I was about to make something large for everyone when Liane stopped me.

“Just prepare for our group. You have no obligation to prepare for everyone—they’ll all have their own food. If you’re feeling especially kind, you can prepare a bunch of extra stuff and sell it to them. But see Milo regarding selling it,” she said.

I was a little taken aback. I had always just prepared for everyone—co...

78: Impossible Cut.

Looking around, I observed Jen as she attempted several more times to cut into the tail. I even went so far as to try myself, but laughably, I couldn’t so much as leave an impression on the skin—let alone cut it.

In fact, I was fairly sure that if I continued, I’d end up breaking the knife rather than cutting anything.

“I don’t really want to lose the scales, but I also don’t want to anger the dragon,” Jen said, looking a bit worried.

“It’ll be hard to cook...

Interlude: Sylverith & Lily

Sylverith had been napping for several centuries now. She had entrusted the protection of her forest to her favourite child, Lily. Young—perhaps a millennia or two—but she performed the role spectacularly.

So it came as quite a shock when the bloated oaf, Nemorax of the mountain, interrupted her slumber. He claimed they had conspired against him—accusing her of plotting to have his god revoke its blessing and abandon him. Honestly, it sounded like nonsense. And to attack her while...

77: Aftermath

It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door, and a moment later, Hari let Nathan into the house. Knowing he was on his way, not much had been said in the few minutes it took him to arrive—mostly just Micca trying to understand more of what had happened. The idea of a random dragon showing up for a snack was something she simply couldn’t accept.

And I didn’t blame her.

As Nathan entered, his eyes scanned the room and landed briefly on Micca—likely because he didn�...

76: Sylverith

As we rushed back towards town, I was at least grateful we were following a road. It didn’t take us long to see the town in the distance, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though the roar had come from a different direction, I wasn’t sure I could handle another town being destroyed by that dragon.

What I did notice—despite having travelled for nearly an hour—was the number of worried faces still lingering in the streets. And I didn’t blame them. After seeing the destructio...