Minor Regeneration boosted with Rejuvenating Aura got to work. My eyes were really bad. That was a closer fight than I thought it would be. I need to pay attention to the dangerous feelings. Identify is the most basic skill of judging an opponent's level. It is not critical that I upgrade it, but a higher skill will probably let me know more details, like elemental affinities. That first surprised Earth spike could have been the edge he needed.

When I felt up to it, I made sure to reward Rob. Without him, I would be dead as well. I then went to see what they were carrying. I was pretty sure Titan had Storage, as he didn’t have a pack or anything. I wonder if there is a ritual or something to access a dead person's storage. I felt I was missing out on a lot, and there was nothing I could do.

The armour was a good quality set, not quite up to Dance of Death, but not far below. It was not suitable for me. It must have come from a Trial like mine. I stripped it off and stored it. Appraisal said it was the Earthen Warrior Armour, and there were three pieces. Boots, Leggings, and Jerkin all had earth bonuses and Self-repair. I would get a good price for it.

He had several Knives on him but no offhand weapon except his sword. Maybe he used a knife, or maybe something was stored that he couldn’t get with his ruined arm. The Sword was a named weapon, but not soul-bound. It was the Blood Moon Reaver and had some nice bonuses.

I left him for Rob to eat and went to see the younger one. Rob hadn’t eaten him yet, so that was good. He had good-quality armour but nothing from a Trial, the same for his weapons. This dude had a spatial bag, so that would be useful. He wasn’t rich, but he had a good stock of potions and a few Poisons. He had some good backup weapons. He was a member of the Adventurers Guild. Maybe there was a reward. It was not that likely, but worth checking.

I went back to see if the Guild Token had dropped for Titan as that would indicate there is a quest available to complete. I found one, so a trip to the Guild Hall is in order.

I sat for a bit and thought about the fight. It was too close. I chose to fight. I could have backed away, and that would have been the wiser course. I need to be ready for these fights because sometimes I will be ambushed and fight at a disadvantage. What could I have done better? More Images, maybe. I used Flash, but combining it with Eclipse straight after might be more effective. I didn’t try to disrupt his mana or syphon his mana. I need to test that. If I could Dirupt his mana, I might not have been earth spiked. I see Toughened Skin went up a level. Most of all, though, I need to level my skills. His ability to parry my skilled strikes, including Thrust and Holy Strike, was impressive.

After we rested, we moved in a circuitous direction and back to Slyhill. I decide to head to the Guild Hall first. I haven’t been since before the Trial upgraded for the second time. Raising my membership status will enable me to be eligible for more quests, but it has never been a priority for me.

Quest Complete:

Remove Al’verren Grey Hands, Red Hands, and Silver Hands from the Al’Dross Duchy.

Reward: 1x Grey Hand, 500 Gold; 1x Red Hand, 100 Gold.

That is quite a reasonable reward. The Questing Pillar also liked the Trial First Clears. I would need to do quite a bit more to get from Iron Rank to Steel Rank. I imagine I might be there by the time this trip is over.

Special Action:

You are now eligible to receive Bounty Hunter Quests. Would you like to be registered as a Guild Bounty Hunter? Y/N

Bounty Hunters are specifically tasked with bringing down or capturing Sapients. They are more dangerous than monsters, as I witnessed in my last fight. My seeker class allows me to locate the bounty, but I need a team to help me. The last fight was too close. I chose yes because I can pick and choose what bounties to collect. When I know who I am going for, I can also get a team together.

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A number of local, regional, and world quests became available. I checked the local quests, and I assumed those “Hands” were the Al’verran Spies, as there was a standing bounty for them. There seemed to be no other local bounties, but there were some sizeable World Bounties, especially for Duke Lewis Al’Dross and Cullen of Aldrossford. I was not touching those, regardless of the Gold.

I tested my Seekers Intuition on some others, and a couple seemed to be heading in the direction we were headed, so I picked them up. You never know. I can choose to walk away. The bounties weren’t that high, so I figured they would be more like the Grey Hand than Cullen.

The next few days, I was collecting supplies for the trip. If we didn't get delayed, it would be a month’s travel each way, and I figured we would be a month at the destination. I wanted at least three months' supplies, even though we would probably find places to supply on the way. The Permanent Trials on the map will have towns around them. They may not be friendly towns, though. There are plenty of local warlords and dictators that would rather rob you than sell to you.

With all the Supplies I was storing, my Storage levelled to 6. It was good to have the extra space and the extra Disguise. I also added a Dry Goods Larder to storage. I had fourteen small add-ons to Storage now, and I had the feeling several could be greatly expanded if I figured out how. Ranar told me about the Armory and Wardrobe functions, but things like the Golden Plunder Stall showed there was so much more.

We assembled at dawn on departure day. Alistern was leading two squads of six soldiers, all of whom looked experienced. In addition to the twelve, there was a sergeant who was Alistern’s second in command and a Healer, so fifteen soldiers in all. There was a Scout in each Squad and a mage type, but the others didn’t seem to have discernible roles.

I approached Alisern, “Can they Duchy spare so many experienced troops now?”

He grinned, “I am told we have time, and part of the reason for this is to gain levels and experience.”

That is right, they have a seer. They probably know what the Al’verrens are up to. They, probably want advanced classes for their troops, as well.

In addition to the troops, there were eight from the Academy. Myantha was in charge of those. I made nine. We were all mounted, and there were three pack horses/spare mounts. There was no wagon, and all the supplies were in spatial bags or people’s storage.

Then, a small, skinny, but tough man steps up to Alistern. He is on foot. I am definitely getting the danger warning from him. He might be an Elf or probably half-elf. Elves look down on halfbreeds, and usually cast them out. It always seemed strange to me as half-breeds require a full elf parent. Therefore a lot of consensual cross breading happened as rape is taboo to elves. They are not as united as they appear to the world.

I look at Myantha. She regards the newcomer with mild disdain, so her reaction is not as strong as some others I have seen. She is one of two elves on the academy contingent, and the other one is having a stronger reaction. Rylark did not come across as a danger to me, so he had better watch himself, or the newcomer would slap him down.

Alistern spoke up, “I want to introduce you to Zeek. He is a Professional. He has the Explorer Profession and high-level Pathfinder and Route Planning Skills and will be our guide to Merryport. He is on contract to the Guard, so he takes orders only from me or my second.”

A professional specialist. You don’t see many Professionals outside the safe zones, but it does make sense that there will be professions that specialise in other areas. It is an Infinite World. This guy seems like someone from whom I can learn a lot. I wonder why he chose a profession before a class. That means he levels his profession like I level my class, and his class acts secondary to his profession. He definitely had a Class. He is giving me the danger signals.

We have at least a month on the road, so there will be plenty of time to talk to him.

We were soon on the move. Rob was the only non-horse Mount with us, so he stood out. It would take us two days to leave the extended Slyhill safe zone. This was a properly equipped and Skilled group to head out into the wilds with. This is how it should be.

NOTE. If you saw this story for sale, it has been STOLEN. I have reported a stolen copy that appeared on Amazon. This is fanfiction, and I don't have the rights to the universe. This will always be free and is only published here on Royal Road.