Chapter 27

I woke up the next morning well rested. I was happy to be on the road again and traveling towards the capital. All of this time in the village made me appreciate staying out in the forest and living on the land. Nights in and Inn were nice but there was something I really enjoyed about sleeping outside. I felt like I was becoming more restless since becoming an adventurer. I wanted to be on the move and accomplishing tasks. I didn’t want to be restrained by the walls of a city or town. I made my way out of the tent and started helping with the tear down. It was time to be on our way again. After getting everything packed back up and having a quick breakfast we all boarded the carriages and started making our way back towards the Capital again. Much like the day before we spent our time politely talking about ourselves and what we had done. We also talked about the things we would be doing after we left the Capital again. Devin wanted to spend a night in the Capital to get all of their supplies replenished and then we would set out on a contract. He would pick ones that he thought wouldn’t be too difficult for Sora and I to help out with. What his definition of not that difficult was I didn’t know. What I did know was that I was already ready for another adventure.

Our last contract hadn’t gone as planned. We had tried our best but in the end we still needed saving. I wouldn’t let that keep me down. We need to push on and try new things. That was the only way to grow as an adventurer. Polite conversation passed into boredom as there was nothing to do in the carriage. At least when you were on foot you had the scenery and the need to keep a look out for bandits and monsters on your mind. With the carriages that wasn't necessary. The horses would alert the driver if they noticed anything and the drivers were always on alert for potential ambush. Bandits typically wouldn’t attack two carriages like these. They were usually well protected but we had seen the evidence of this type of attack at the beginning of our journey. When the bandits had attacked the caravan in search of the necklace I now wore. Though that wasn’t normal bandit behavior. Bandits were cowards and would rather attack a lone wanderer than a couple of carriages that could contain many adventurers. It eventually came time to let the horses rest. Everyone was more than ready to get out of the carriage. It was a comfortable ride but sitting in that position for so long had made all of my bones and muscles ache. We made sandwiches from the meat, cheese, and bread that had been brought along and stood around talking until the horses had rested and eaten for long enough. We climbed back into the carriage and set out once again.

This time we talked more in detail about what we would be learning. The general idea was that each of the members of the group would teach us whatever they were specifically good at. That way we got the best training at each thing. Some of the things we may never use but it was still good knowledge to have. Each member of the group specialized in a different form of combat. Devin used a sword so he would teach us more about how to effectively fight while using one. Morigan would teach us some basic magic. She couldn’t teach us the more advanced things she knew but after we were taught the basics we could build off of them. Charlotte was an archer and would teach us how to use a bow as well as some basic woodcraft survival techniques. Adriane wielded a giant sword and sometimes a giant ax. It depended on the foe. He would teach us the basics of fighting with those massive weapons. This would be a lot to learn, but we had plenty of time to learn it. There was more than enough time to learn everything they had to teach us. I was excited about learning how to fight properly. Swinging around my sword with no real idea what I was doing would be helped a lot from even a few lessons. I was also interested in learning more about magic. The fireball spell we had learned had come in handy and more knowledge of the spells could only help us in the long run. Another thing that wasn’t as glamorous as magic and sword fighting was the survival skill that we could learn. The use of a bow would also come in handy I was sure. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was using Adrians giant weapons. I guess it would help build strength but I couldn’t see myself wielding one of them in actual combat. Only time would tell how much we could learn but this was an opportunity we could not afford to pass up.

We soon enough came to a stop once again. The horses needed a rest again. Once again just like yesterday everyone went about their tasks without being asked. After a quick rest and some lunch we were back on the road. The day passed without anything interesting happening. No one with any sense would attack these carriages. As the sky darkened we stopped for the night. We shouldn’t be too far from the Capital now. We should be there by midday tomorrow. After supper I made my way to the tent and went to sleep. I was excited to see what kind of adventure we would be going on. That day passed and a new day came to take its place. I woke up to the smell of bacon cooking. I ate my breakfast and then we climbed aboard again. Only a few hours into the trip we caught sight of the Capital. It was good to finally come back to the Capital. We would only be there for a day or so but we could resupply and prepare ourselves for the journey we would soon partake in.

We eventually made our way through the city gates. Devin told us to enjoy the rest of the day and to meet him at the adventurers guild tomorrow. He and the other would look through all of the contracts and pick a few that fit our group. They wanted contracts that would take us to far off places and deal with things that Sora and I could help with. So we set off into the Capital to resupply. Before we could move off too far, Veronica came up to us and handed me a bag. She said. “ Don’t argue. You’ve more than earned this.” With that said she walked away. I looked into the bag and what met my sight were twenty five pieces of silver. This to me was way too much for what little I had actually accomplished. I called out to her. Without looking back she waved her hand and continued walking. This would help us get some of the things we needed. We both needed new sets of armor after all of the fights we had been in. As well as new sets of traveling clothes. The holes that had been put in them were becoming too much to handle.

We found a shop that sold travel clothes at a reasonable price and each purchased five new sets of travel clothes. We threw away the old worn out ones. After that we headed for a blacksmith to look for some armor. The man behind the counter eagerly showed us armors and weapons. We decided on new chainmail and we each purchased a new sword. They were of better quality than the ones we had purchased in the town that seemed so far ago. I once again chose a longsword while Sora stuck with a shorter straight bladed sword. With new weapons, armor and clothes purchased we heard of gathering the essentials. Food and better sleeping equipment. We wanted to upgrade all of our equipment because we figured we would be gone for a very long time. We went to the general store and bought everything that we needed. We wanted to make sure we were doing our part in supplying our new team with food and supplies. We knew they had their own equipment but supplying some basics would help show our gratitude. While we walked through the Capital we ate at different stalls. WE wanted to enjoy our brief break from adventuring. That last contract had been hard. We had both almost died and there was lingering anxiety about that. Going back on the road so soon was exciting but also a little scary. The only way to overcome those fears was to face them directly. We would head out tomorrow in search of greater adventure. We had bitten off more than we could chew with the last one, but with the training we were being offered this time it should be different.

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They seemed like genuine people that really wanted to help us learn. It would give us extra insurance as well in case something did go wrong on our next contact. With their experience it would help to show us what to do in the different situations we may face. We made it back to the Inn we had been staying in before leaving. Once confirming that our rooms were still available we asked for baths to be made ready for us as well as some supper. We ate while we waited for the baths to be prepared. Once we had finished eating we made our way to our separate baths. After the bath I made my way into my room to prepare my belongings for the trip tomorrow. I owned more things now than I ever thought I would before. I had multiple sets of clothes as well as a sword and armor. I also had a good bit of coin saved up since Veronica had given us so much for our help with the vampires. With everything packed up and ready to go I decided to go to sleep. Adventure awaited me the next day and I couldn’t wait.

I woke up the next day excited for what the day might bring. I grabbed up all of my gear and took it down into the dining room. Sora followed closely behind with her gear. We had a quick breakfast and let the owner know we wouldn’t be back for a while and that she didn’t need to hold our reservations any longer. She told us we were welcome back whenever we made it back to the Capital. We made our way outside and then towards the guild. They were waiting for us outside. They all had their packs sitting on the ground beside them. “So where are we going and what are we doing?” I asked. Devin grinned and said. “Now what would be the fun in telling you that? You’ll know soon enough. Since you two are here, let's head out. All I will say is that we are heading north.” I couldn’t think of a reason why he wouldn’t tell us where we were going. Unless he just wanted to joke with us. I figured that must be his angle.

With nothing left to be said we headed out. It was still early enough in the day that we could make some good progress out of the Capital and on our way. We talked as we walked and I got some sense as to what the plan was. We would walk for a few days and once we had made some distance from the Capital we would settle into a nice camping spot and start our training. Devin wanted us to be far enough away from other people so that they wouldn’t get caught up in our magic and sword practice. There was also no better place to practice woodland survival than in the woods. It was nice to walk in a big group like this. It really decreased the odds that we would be attacked by anything. Sora and I had been victims of that in the past but being in a bigger group we were far less likely to be attacked. Just as with our travels we walked for a while until we wanted some lunch. We stopped and ate and then started walking again. There were quite a few people traveling on the road this close to the Capital. We were much too close to the Capital to be practicing magic. So after we ate we got up and started walking down the road again.

Time and ground passed quickly under our feet. We talked as we walked. We had gotten comfortable with each other over the few days in the carriage and we would only grow closer over time. Miles passed by and I took the time to think about what we were going to learn. I would finally be able to fight like a real adventurer. I wouldn;t just be swinging my sword around with no real idea what I was doing. Only relying on luck and instinct. To survive in this life you need more than just that. Also the thought of getting to learn more magic was very enticing. I had wanted to use magic even as a small boy. Now that I finally could, I wanted to know all there was to know. Of course the survival skill that we would learn would also be very valuable. Even more valuable than the rest in certain situations. Then there was the giant weapon training. I wasn’t looking forward to it. I understood that wielding those weapons would increase my strength but I didn’t see myself carrying one of them into battle. Though one could never be certain of anything in this life.

It started to get later into the day so we stopped and set up camp. To my surprise Adrian was the one that did all of the cooking. It seemed the big man was quite the cook. I was looking forward to sampling what he cooked up. We set up the tents and assigned a rotation for the night. Two people would stay awake for a few hours and then switch with the next pair. I would take the first watch with Devin. Sora would go second with Charlotte. Adrian and Morigan would take the final watch. It wasn’t really necessary this close to the Capital but it was always good practice to keep a watch rotation. You never knew when some bandits or monsters may try something in the night on unsuspecting travelers. The night passed uneventfully. After my watch I climbed into my sleeping bag and went to sleep. I woke up to the smell of food being cooked. It was nice to not have to cook for yourself on the road. Adrians cooking turned out to be rather good and I was looking forward to breakfast.

After breakfast it was time to pack everything up. We needed to start back down the road. The road passed quickly under our feet. It was a few more days of the same thing. We would stop in the middle of the day to eat lunch. Later in the day we would stop and set up camp. We eventually made it to a large clearing that looked like it had been used as a campsite many times. We all started setting everything up. We needed to get the tents set up for long term use. We also need to collect a large amount of firewood. I didn’t know how long we would be here but I figured it would be for a while. So we needed to set up a semi permanent campsite. We also scouted out the local area to find a river nearby. This would be a nice place to spend some time while we trained and learned all of the things we needed for the journey ahead. It would be hard I was sure but it was necessary. Tomorrow we will start our training. We had a lot to learn and only time would tell how fruitful this experience was. After getting everything ready we had a meal around the fire and then settled in for the night. I climbed into my tent and went to sleep thinking about the trails that were to come.