Business at the tailor was finished quite quickly. Apparently, Velariah was able to haggle enough to get two gold for each water-resistant spool of silk. The fire-resistant one was not interesting enough for the tailor, she said. However, he was going to see how well it handled heat, in general, to see if it could possibly be used for desert clothing.

Velariah notified me she had received seventeen gold and five silver coins. They had agreed that the stronger version of the normal silk was worth one and a half gold pieces.

I was unlikely to make more of those if the water-resistant was just as easy to make, though.

I was quite happy about all of this. I could effectively double my daily income. I hoped he would keep buying…

Our next stop was Dworag’s. It didn’t take long to end up behind the shop, where Dworag was eying my new eyes curiously. I tried blinking them in the creepiest way I could, but this dwarf was persistent in staying close.

He really was a weird one.

“Aye, this is going to be an issue,” He commented while looking at my helm. “I think I may be able to make adjustments that should suit you.”

He took a piece of coal and put the helmet back on my head before marking certain areas on the helmet with the coal that I assumed he would cut out and change.

“I’ll work on this for you later, Miss Elania,” Dworag said.

Velariah reached into her pack, pulled out a spool, and handed it to the dwarf as I stood back up.

“Think you are able to do anything with this?” She asked.

“What’s this?” The dwarf said, eying the silk.

He rolled off some of the thread and I saw his eyes light up.

“Steelthread. A new addition to Elania’s arsenal.”

“This looks… interesting. How strong is it?” He asked as he bent the threads as we did before.

“Apparently, it’s still weak, according to Elania’s inherity sheet. It seems to grow stronger as she evolves, so I was wondering if this would be something you could use.”

“I’m going to have to test its strength out. It looks like something that I could work with.”

“Will it suit as payment?” Velariah asked with a smile.

“I’ll accept it, on the condition that if Elania manages to make this stronger, I get my hands on it first.”

Velariah looked at me.

“Deal,” I said.

“Hah, I can’t wait,” The dwarf seemed fired up. He tried to pull the thread apart but failed.

I had to admit, it seemed quite strong for something that was considered ‘Weak’.

“I’m looking forward to what you can do with it, Dworag,” I said, preparing to leave.

“And I’m looking forward to what you can do with those beautiful new eyes of yours, Miss Elania.”

Ah, there it was again. I was wondering when he would find the opportunity to flirt.

“Thank you, Dworag. We will return soon,” Velariah quickly said.

Dworag went back inside his shop after waving us goodbye.

Our next stop would be Coldanus.

The question was: Is he awake?

We walked a short trip through the village before Velariah entered the weapon shop with the idea I had in mind. I wanted a long pole with a curved sword on top. It had to be curved if I wanted it to use in charging attacks, so the blade would cut and slide off the target. This was why I wanted to replace my spear, at least for the outdoors.

I had charged with it before and lost it…

I would still have plenty of use for a spear in more confined areas.

I waited for a few minutes before Velariah exited the shop. I looked at her with four eyes that begged her for information.

“Placed the commission. His shop assistant estimated the cost for a high-quality weapon of your choice to be between twenty and thirty gold. Of course, I said it would be no problem. I asked for the best materials available, so I’m guessing it will be closer to thirty.”

I nodded. “That’s not an issue.”

Looking up to the sky almost made me depressed. I had hoped for it to be sunny. I imagined some more sunlight would be good for my carapace. I didn’t quite know how much sunbathing was ideal after a molt.

“Shall we see if Master Endomir has an interest in your old exoskeleton? I imagine Elly would be able to help him out.”

I nodded again. “Let’s do that and then go to the guild.”

“Sure.”

The treemender’s oak wasn’t far. We entered the tree and only noticed two treemenders about, Pylanor and some guy that I didn’t recognize. He noticed our approach and also looked at my new set of eyes with great intrigue.

“Greetings, Master Pylanor,” Velariah spoke. “Where are the other treemenders, if I may ask? This place has been quite empty as of late.”

“It’s the General,” Pylanor replied with a smile. “He is having most of us work in the fields to grow those new crops. He seems to be in quite a hurry to have them produce fruit.”

“I see,” Velariah replied. “Anyways, if Master Endomir shows up, could you tell him we have something that may be of interest to him? If he wants, he could visit us during the evening at our mansion.”

“I will relay the message.” He then turned his attention to me. “How is it going, Miss Elania? Are you holding up alright?” He seemed to be somewhat worried about my wellbeing, which I appreciated.

“Honestly? I’m growing tired of being targeted and being a prominent figure in this investigation going on. I truly despise it.”

“I can imagine. How did you gain those new eyes, if I may ask?”

“My inherity,” I replied without thought.

“You have two?”

Oh shit. I’d said too much.

I thought for a moment before replying. Having two inherities was a thing in this world. As long as he didn’t know I had four, I’d be alright. I should stop stressing about this.

I nodded. “It’s quite… interesting how that one works, so to say.”

He chuckled. “Interesting indeed. Don’t let Master Endomir find out. I’m pretty sure he is all too eager to examine you closer.”

“I figured as much, which is why we have something that may be able to quench his curiosity, at least somewhat.”

“I’ll be sure to let him know.”

“Have you found out anything about that massive borer yet?” Velariah asked in a pretty straightforward manner.

“I have found out a couple of things so far, which I have already shared with your father. I can’t quite disclose what they are, unfortunately. It seems to be going in the right direction. That’s all I can say.”

Velariah nodded before speaking softly. “Thank you.”

I nodded as well and bade Pylanor goodbye as Velariah led the way to the guild hall nearby.

Kaniar and his squad were waiting inside the guild hall. They seemed to be discussing something. I didn’t feel like eavesdropping and followed Velariah to the corner where Draco and Nira were already seated. Draco had a quest paper in his hands, which gave me hope it was something interesting.

Seralyn wasn’t present yet, but I imagined it wouldn’t take long for her to show up.

Velariah ordered drinks for the four of us as we passed the waiter.

“Anything interesting?” She asked the other two of our companions while she took her seat.

“Not that interesting,” Draco spoke. “But this will be a necessary quest. It’s a goblin extermination mission. A recent, verified report located a large group of them in the forest to the northwest.”

“Isn’t that in the direction of the witch?” I asked.

Velariah nodded. “It is. They won’t be able to get anywhere near her home, though. You’ve seen firsthand what that barrier of hers is capable of.”

I shook my head. “I know. I’d rather not relive that.”

“Anyway,” Draco continued. “It appears that they have teamed up with trolls. That’s quite interesting in itself.”

“That so?” Velariah said with a frown. “Haven’t heard about them teaming up before. Think that’s a result of the recent actions taken against them?”

“Possibly so,” Draco replied.

“If there are trolls involved, it’s all the more reason for me to get that new weapon,” I commented.

“What new weapon do you have planned?” Draco said.

I looked around to see if anyone would be able to overhear what I was about to say. With these new eyes, I didn’t even have to turn my head. I imagined that would draw less suspicion, too.

“See it as a curved sword on a pole. In my old world, it was called a naginata in a certain country whose military was quite intriguing to me. I’m aiming for a somewhat longer pole because of my size and to use it for charges.”

“Sounds… effective,” The lizardman smiled.

“It was massively effective in that country in the period in which it was used. Velariah actually told me the weapon exists here, too. I doubt it’s called the same.”

“I think we simply call it a polearm,” Velariah said.

“Makes sense. It is a type of polearm, after all,” I replied.

I saw Seralyn enter the guild hall at the same time that the waiter brought us our drinks.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Oops, maybe we should have ordered for her, too.

“You guys didn’t bother to order for me?” Seralyn said with a faked pout as she placed herself on the bench against the wall.

“Would you like to order?” The waiter said, while he placed the drinks on our table.

“Yeah, some milk would be good, thanks,” Seralyn replied.

“What took you so long, anyway?” Velariah asked the other elf.

“I had the arrowheads re-sharpened as well. I figured it would be a good idea to get it done at the same time, considering you two were out, too.”

“Now that Seralyn is here,” Draco started, “It appears we have an applicant for our party. A young human mage specializing in water and ice magic would like to trial with us. The Lore Keeper is ready to schedule an interview with him whenever we want.”

Ice and water? That sounded like it would be effective against a large, winged lion that breathed fire, at least, if conventional logic was anything to go by.

There was one tiny problem though.

“Sounds interesting, but I doubt it’s a good idea at the moment. Moreover, it’s a human,” Veleriah worded my exact doubts.

For all I knew, he was ordered to infiltrate our party and try to take me out. The timing was a bit too convenient.

“Elania?” Draco asked.

“I think Velariah is right. I wouldn’t mind a human per se, but not now. Let’s notify the Lore Keeper and have her tell him that we’ll look into it later.”

I sipped on some strawberry juice. “Vel?”

“Hm?”

“You think it would be too much of your father to ask him his reasons? You know... ”

I paused for a second. “Or would that be too much? I know he’s busy and all.”

“Hum,” Velariah let out. “We will see when we are ready. For now, I say we leave our party as it is. I’m having a great time with who we have.”

I nodded. “I think we’re a great team, but then again, I’m probably the least experienced with how other parties operate.”

“Yup,” Seralyn said, smiling.

Now, what was that good for?

“Arg, I’m dying for some action,” Velariah distracted me. “Seralyn, how was the weather outside?”

“Looks like it’s going to rain.”

The waiter returned with Seralyn’s drink. Draco paid for all of us while the brunette quickly gulped down her milk.

“You guys wanna head out to the dungeon?” Velariah asked impatiently. “I’m going to feel incomplete if we don’t kill another one of the monsters from last time.”

“I’m fine. Just remember I’m not currently in possession of a helmet. Aaaand we still have to pick up my weapons.”

“Let’s get going. Maybe we’ll get there before it starts raining.”

Draco smiled at Velariah’s eagerness and stood up. “I’ll just inform Kantasia.”

It still felt weird to hear the Lore Keeper’s name. I guessed it had taken too long for me to first hear it. Now I wondered if I’d ever get used to it.

“Well, let’s get going then, shall we?” I said, closing my side eyes to appear more human in public.

Deep inside, I knew that that would probably be futile. It wasn’t as if there were a whole lot of other things that made me appear less human.

We left the guild hall as Velariah talked to Kaniar’s squad and Draco finished his talk with the Lore Keeper. We’d stop by the mansion first to retrieve my weapons.

We’d barely left the guild hall behind, when a few drops of rain fell from the sky. It wasn’t much, but I felt each and every drop on my carapace behind me.

Wasn’t this the first time I’d actually been in rain?

I wasn’t sure. The weather had been so sunny in general that I’d almost forgotten what rain felt like. To feel every drop on my rear felt weird…

We decided to pick up the pace. After a quick stop at the mansion for me to gather my weapons, we moved towards the dungeon at an almost jogging pace.

I had no trouble with it whatsoever, but Nira had to take to the skies.

I wondered how long she’d be able to stay in the air with rain. I got my answer within ten minutes as the rain intensified. She was forced to land as her feathers had become soaked with water.

“Just hop on, already,” I told her.

“Thanks...” She replied softly before jumping on my rear.

We reached the dungeon and entered the tunnels as the rain had started to become an actual downpour.

What a shitty day to be outside.

Whose idea was this again?

Draco led the way down to the dungeon entrance with his torch. The soldiers followed behind me.

All of us were completely soaked. If we were to engage in combat right now, it certainly wouldn’t be comfortable. I would prefer to start a fire and dry up a bit before starting a fight down in the dungeon.

“Hey, Draco?” I asked as we arrived at the large metal doors.

“Yes, Miss Elania?”

“Is there anything we can use to start a fire?”

“I have nothing with me that we can use as fuel. I was hoping that maybe there’d be something down in the dungeon.”

I sighed. “I hope so. I’m not the most affected by this, but you guys, especially Nira, seem to not do as well as me.”

I looked at the harpy. Her wings seemed to weigh a ton with all the soaked-up water. They dragged across the dirt.

Leaving her like that would probably result in her catching a cold.

An idea popped up in my mind.

I invited the soldiers to go down with us and wait at the bottom of the stairs instead of here.

Draco opened the doors and I went downstairs first. Velariah followed me and asked me what I was planning to do.

“Well,” I said overly loud. “Damn, that rain sure was terrible. We’re soaking wet! I hope we run into some monsters that could possibly fuel a fire. I wonder if the dungeon has any of those?”

Velariah chuckled. “I see what you’re doing.”

Draco, Seralyn, and Nira joined us, followed by the soldiers.

The temperature down here was quite a bit lower than it was outside in the rain. I wanted to get a fire up as quickly as we could to ensure nobody would fall ill as the water in everyone’s clothes cooled down.

“Let’s go guys,” I said, readying my spear for attacks. “I’m feeling lucky.”

We left the soldiers behind at the bottom of the stairs. Kaniar had a torch of his own, which he used as a light source while they waited.

We entered the first part of the dungeon, the cave-like tunnels with stalagmites and stalactites, and found it occupied by several monsters which were ideal for what we needed.

“Thanks, Arch. I’ll make sure to repay you for this,” I said as I looked at one of the tree-like creatures that walked around the area.

It was literally a trunk, the size of half a human, with a couple of branches. It had no leaves. It did, however, have a pair of full-red eyes, very much like my own. These creatures seemed to move with small roots that they used as legs, eerily similar to the mushroom creatures we fought before.

“Seems we got our firewood,” Seralyn commented.

“Exactly,” I replied.

“These things have a name?” I asked Velariah and Draco.

“Treants,” Draco spoke. “Common low-level creatures in certain enchanted forests. They are not a threat, however they are usually surrounded by more… dangerous creatures.”

“Is the forest next to Dawnleaf enchanted?” I asked next.

“The area that is located in the Elven kingdom is not. Part of it in the Human kingdom is.”

“Very interesting...” I said.

“Enough talk,” Seralyn interjected. “I’m starting to get chilly, and poor Nira here seems to be doing far worse than me.”

I opened my side eyes again to see Nira shivering.

Poor Nira. I’d allowed myself to be distracted by talking about magical creatures.

Draco charged forward with his dual axes and brought them down upon one of the creatures from behind.

The treant in question seemed to die within seconds, as a dark-brown substance oozed from where his axe had impacted.

He gripped the treant by the upper branches and tossed it towards us. It landed on the ground before Velariah’s feet. Draco then switched his attention to the next.

His next attack piqued my interest. His right axe impacted the creature’s bark. The next moment, a long cone of what looked like a small stalagmite floated in the air where his weapon had just swung from. It hovered in the air for a second or so, before it flew and impacted the treant with its spiked side, just above the wound.

The creature fell dead and Draco let go of his weaponry and stared at the rock embedded in the monster.

As did I…

What was that?

Velariah, Nira, and Seralyn seemed interested as well.

“My new ability. I learned this when I evolved my inherity before Miss Elania passed out. I kind of wanted to see it for myself.”

“That looks like a pretty neat ability, Draco,” Velariah commented at the sight of the attack. “How does it work?”

The lizardman removed his axe from the creature. “It appears to be an ability that I can only activate after striking a target with an axe. It’s a form of earth magic that creates a spike of rock that strikes near the impact location.”

“That’s really neat,” I said.

I was slightly jealous that I didn’t possess something like this. This was an actual form of magic. I hoped that one of my unknown abilities would be something with magic.

“What did you name it?” Seralyn said as she walked forward and grabbed the large log.

“Don’t have a name yet. I wanted to see it first.”

Velariah unsheathed her sword and walked forward to one of the treants that was approaching us. She caused her blade to glow with a faint white light before cutting into the creature from the side. After it died, Velariah re-sheathed her sword and picked it up.

“Let’s go back to the soldiers and get a fire going. You can think of a name in the meantime. Our healer is freezing,” She said.

Draco nodded.

“Sound plan.”