How long was I out? This forest is much larger than I remember.
Ollik was befuddled by the rapid growth of the forest. He couldn't have been out longer than a few centuries, could he?
He knew for a fact he was in the same region he was forced into hibernation. He recognized the mountain range and had found some of the rock formations withing the forest. So why was the forest so much bigger than it should be? He had been running for at least two days straight now, and all the trees seemed to be pretty old too, even though he should be in some more recently grown territory.
He didn't remember the temple, though, so that was also new.
perhaps one of the Dryads decided this place needed a little help in expansion. I know those idiots would see a forest that was being inhabited by any humanoid would be like 'Oh NOOooOo, hOw DARE yOu toUcH such INNOCENT things with YouR FILTH!' Ugh, gods I hate those people.
Ollik scoffed and began to chuckle to himself.
"It's good to be back."
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It's been another day since then, with nothing happening but Ollik speaking to himself and the occasional animal passing by. He hadn't seen any monsters yet so that confirmed his suspicions of the being a dryad's forest, which raised the question, how were there any cultists here? The dryad should have taken care of them the moment they stepped foot under the canopy.
Well, he wasn't complaining. They were at least able to do their job, however dead they may be.
The trees began thinning out though, looking newer and newer with each passing moment until he finally reached the tree line and came across a massive grasslands that stretched as far as the eye could see, with rolling hills and little to no trees. In the distance, he could see small plumes of smoke, indicating that there may be people close by.
Finally, I'll be able to have another meal. I shouldn't just start right away though, no. That would bring up too much attention. I'm going to have to play a long con.
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Johnson's POV
It's a good day, Johnson thought.
The guild hall was filled with many people looking to take a job, the sun shined its glorious yellow light upon the town and its inhabitants, and the wind was nice and refreshing.
"Hey, Johnson!" Johnson swiveled around on his chair to see Harry and Camry walking up to the table. They were both decked out in their equipment, with Harry in his leather armor and his bow at his side. Camry was wearing her robes and had daggers on either side of her hips.
"Hey guys!" he responded gleefully, he hadn't really seen much of them ever since Seira died 2 months ago. The loss of her life really had a massive impact on the team, no longer was her bright and cheery mood there to dull the pain or her spells to heal their wounds.
"So, its been a while, huh?" Harry started, sitting down on the opposite side of the table with Camry following soon after.
"Yep." Johnson replied unhelpfully. He really didn't know what to say right now, so he just went with an ole' reliable.
"So, we have been thinking about recruiting a new member for the team ever since Seira died and me and Camry came to the conclusion that we should ask you before any major decisions were made." Harry was twiddling his thumbs, clearly nervous for an answer. Camry was patiently waiting for one, her hands politely clasped together. Johnson knew that adventuring was very important for those two, is important for him as well, and admittedly, he had been thinking about recruiting a member as well.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Johnson took a deep breath and spoke. "I've been thinking that too, and honestly, we can't just sit around, sucking our thumbs and feeling bad about everything, we need to move on. Frankly, I think this whole situation has made us a bit soft, we need to grow up." he finished.
"So was that a yes or..."
"Yes, Harry, that was a yes."
"Good, because I already put up a new recruitment poster looking for a new mage." Camry added, pointing to the poster board.
"Really Camry? Already? I thought we agreed to put it only if John said so!" Harry seemed flabbergasted while Johnson wasn't surprised in the least, she always did stuff like this.
"What? He said yes, why is this a problem?"
"Yeah, he said yes- but only after you hung up the poster-"
Before their arguing could escalate, a gloved hand slammed a piece of paper onto the table. Upon further inspection, Johnson realized it was their recruitment poster.
The man wore black robes with golden embroidery creating patterns all over, his hood was flicked over his head which had a strange mask covering his face, like that of a plague doctor's, but detailed like it was shaped off of a skull, with a row of teeth hiding under the beak. If he were a kid, he would have thought it was an actual skull instead of just remarkable craftsmanship. At his hip was some kind of knight's blade, though which kind he couldn't put his finger on. There was also something about his strange amber eyes that put him on edge, but it was probably nothing, so Johnson dismissed it.
Even through the noise of countless adventurers, the man's voice pierced through everything like a knife through air.
"I'm here about the recruitment poster."
Harry looked a bit stunned at what he was seeing while Camry just looked at him with a plain look like always.
"That was fast." she commented.
It took another moment before Harry could collect himself and began speaking.
"Y-yes, the poster, we have been in need of a mage lately, sorry, I just didn't think someone was going to come so quickly. We are going to conduct an interview followed by an athletics test to test your combat capability, would you like to start now or start at a later time?" Harry was obviously unnerved by this man, looking like he wanted to be somewhere else.
"Now, please."
"Alright then, we are going to ask you some questions before the capability test, if you could kindly sit by Johnson right there that would be much appreciated." Camry said, taking over the situation with a polite and professional demeanor.
The man sat down, and after a moment, Camry began to ask some questions.
"Alright, first off, we'll start with the basics. How long have you been an adventurer and what is your rank?"
"I'm bronze since I've only just registered as an adventurer."
What? Bronze? We can't take a bronzy out there, we're silver ranks! He'll kill himself out there!
"But, before you say anything else, I'll have you know that I have much experience in combat, extraction, and more. That's what the physical test is for, right?"
"Yes, you are right, that is what the physical test is for. So we will be seeing if you are just shaking your own hand or are actually the real deal then." Camry responded, still in her professional act. "Alright, next question. If stuck in a situation where you are forced to choose between a child and an adult to save from death, who would you choose?"
What kind of question is that? The child, obviously!
"First, I would evaluate the situation to truly see whether or not I can or cannot save both of them. If I am forced to choose, I would choose the one with the greatest importance. For example, If there is a house fire and there is a child of a leatherworker and the prince of a king, who has no other children, and who is soon the next in line to rule, I would choose the prince."
Johnson and Harry were stunned by his answer, not sure what to say or think. Camry just nodded her head, unfazed, and asked another question.
"What kind of magics do you use?"
"I only know a basic healing spell, but I do have a magic item that does not require any mana to use and rivals many spells in versatility and power."
Oh this guy's so full of shit, Johnson thought. The look on Harry's face seemed to match the thought of Johnson as well.
Even with this obvious lie, if Camry was bothered by it, she didn't show it.
"Alright, those were all the questions I had for you. Now, we are going to be conducting the physical test, would you like to wait until a later time or would you rather start now?"
"Now please."
Oh I can't wait to see the shit get knocked out of his lying ass.
"Alright then." Camry cracked her knuckles, "Lets go out back, there should be an arena and personally, I'm very curious about your magic item that can allegedly rival most spell."