"Mm-hmm…" Tones Akatosh exploring the room, the furniture, the pelts after they've enters the room.

"There's something I've found," Chifya says seriously.

"Mm-hmm…" Akatosh responds.

"I've consulted one of the receptionists and the guild scout still hadn't made contact for the past four days. People here aren't affright which is a good thing."

"Mm-hmm…"

"But I've found something which the people here aren't quite aware of," Chifya said slowly building up her frustration.

"Mm-hmm…" Respond Akatosh examining the stone statue. "Why did you stop?" he continues not looking at her.

"Is that all you have to say?" a frustrated tone coming from Chifya.

"Mm-hmm…"

He continues his despondent response not realizing Chifya's blood is boiling until she couldn't hold enough of his slur response till, she smacks his head.

"Damn homo sapiens! what did you do that for! You ballistic woman!" he exclaimed holding his head.

"Are you always like this!" Thwart Chifya.

"Sometimes." Akatosh sigh. "Look I just came here to get something that I need, not to get caught up by some heroic feat." He softly responds.

"So, is this all you came here for just something?" Mutters Chifya. "So, you just pass along as to watch these people die without feeling guilty from that selfishness of yours."

"It's society." a restlessness responds he wails then slowly crouches on the bed evading her debate.

"Now you're acting like a child!"

"I just need some rest. We can talk tomorrow, I'm tired." He excuses

"Tsk… how impractical you are," she says leaving the room in dreary emotion.

"Ahh… no howling, no growling just the comfy night." He utters as soon as Chifya closed the door in a bitter way.

"Tsk…" biting her thumb walking on the night cold road. "Why did I even bother".

Astray from town and as she walks through the open plain towards the forest brighten by the moonlight. Slowly her hair changes color that from silky pitch black to blemish silver capturing the white moon.

When the morning came… "It's morning already." He groans tucking under the thick pelt as soon as he saw Chifya sitting on the chair crossing her legs.

"Jeez… stop acting like a child and get up." She frowns dragging the blanket, shivering Akatosh from the morning wind.

"Fine, fine… I need to eat first." He yawns picking up his bag but eventually, Chifya had already brought him food, fresh and warm.

"Oh… how kind of you as my servant." Scratching his head.

Chifya strife her eyebrows. "It's not like I did it for your solace satisfaction, I merely did it for you not to escape."

"Mm-hmm… since when did I become your companions." A tedious response. "So, what is this all about." He says after slurping the last bowl of soup.

"I went through the woods the other night and this is what I've found." She says showing him a vile of purple paste.

"What's that?"

"It's a blight." A serious tone Chifya utters.

"Mm-hmm and what does it do?" He questions her without fearing her dangerous aura.

"I thought you know better than this." She sighs.

"What do you expect from a weekly old traveler."

Ignoring his excuse. "It's a powerful combination of magic and alchemy that can only be done through the help of…. Deedra's power." She says, hesitates to utter the word 'Deedra'.

"Deedra? You mean those disobedient diabolical gods." Akatosh swiftly spoke. "What?" he continues after Chifya glare at him.

"Just some advice, you shouldn't just loiter that name around town, that word alone is a curse to the people." She frowns.

"Fine, so did you tell the receptionist about that thing?"

"I intend to." She says showing him her golden guild crest.

"Keep that thing away from me," Akatosh thwart, picking up his bag exiting their room. "Oh… one more thing, make sure not to wind your search. Only you and the receptionist should be the only one to know, don't want the people to go on an outbreak of panic."

Both an inn and a guild at the same time Akatosh went towards the innkeeper asking for a piece of information. While as Chifya, she heads towards the guild-counter informing her findings.

"I need a bottle of ale." He requests.

"Here you go." The taverner said giving him his order.

"By the way mister, would you happen to know the location of this place." He calls after drinking half of the bottle.

"Ahh… it's through the west of here, don't worry about being lost there's a path for you to follow."

"I see…" He replies.

"Just don't go way up through the north when you get there" warns the taverner

"And why is that"

"It's dangerous, the place became hazardous."

"I see… well I've got to go then," he says leaving his sit with a mischievous intent bursting through his mind.

It only took him seconds waiting for Chifya to finished her conference with the guild-receptionist only to be berated. "Have you been drinking?" She frowns.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Ahh… no, but thanks for asking."

"You're lying like an open book."

"What are you, my mom." He jests.

"Never mind." She sighs in disappointment going towards the exit so Akatosh follows.

"Chifya… you can sense magic right?" Ask Akatosh as they were in the outskirt of the town.

"Why?"

"If says, what if someone is following us?"

Right away Chifya suddenly release a burst of magical energy scattering all over the surroundings, detecting someone that might be lurking in the shadows.

"There's nothing." She sighs but was a shock since she can sense some magic tingling from Akatosh. With her quick analysis and knowledge about peculiar items, easily she identifies the sort of confusion. "You're using a magical item, aren't you?"

"Oh… you mean this." He says, showing her the bracelet. "W-wait a second." He continues to undo the bracelet and stuffing it into his bag. "Now, can you try that magic of yours again?"

She didn't speak a word but carry on with his request and for how many times she tries to sense the bracelet there's nothing but a drain-man, not even the slightest drop of mana she can find.

"Now first things first." Request Akatosh, unrolling the scroll map.

"What is it now!" She says frustrated by his demanding words.

"Itchy… I'm just asking our heading" he says joking her livid words.

Chifya sigh. "It's just here, the place where I've found the blight." pointing out the map northeast from the village.

"But-but it's nearly a day’s journey or more from here, and how the hell did you even one-night trip such a distance." He complains.

"Then what do you suggest then?" She asks crossing her arms.

"Surely… there are other ways to fast travel?"

"And I thought you call yourself a traveler." Says Chifya lifting her eyebrows

"I think we should head-on, don't want this place to go in ruins." He whistles lagging Chifya behind.

As they were pacing their way out of the forest. Again, "By the way, did you sleep with me last night." A tone joke he says. "I'm curious…" He continues but no response from her. "I'll take that as a yes then," he says.

"Shut up." She says knowing how she nearly bites his shoulder after returning from her investigation.

"Ahh… so that's why I've felt that soft sensation last night… wouldn't you agree?" A lewd tone he utters.

"You do know how scurvy you are." She frowns.

"Really?" He jokes, even though he comprehends how sensitive Chifya is, same with Ashalain.

Chifya couldn't say anything, she only shrugs off his sentence knowing how to shut him up is to ignore his words.

There were no roads for them to follow only tall grass and thick woods is their only pathway. For a couple of rest, Akatosh brought out a bow and a fully stock quiver to better train his marksmanship. While Chifya is busy sampling out her ingredients, plucking plants, crushing herbals, and after taking a break they resume.

Nearly to their destination, a group of monsters, goblins, and gnolls are scourging the place nearly two hundred meters away from their position. With its flat landscape and few trees to miss their sight, Akatosh prepares his bow.

Testing his archery, he takes aim. Carefully drawing the bow nice and hard. "Yeah, I got you now."

Once he releases the arrow it shoots one meter atop of the gnolls head.

"That's… unfortunate, I think there's a defect on the arrow." He reasons.

"Give me that!" Chifya exclaimed quickly snatching the bow as she precisely aimed at their heads and throat without using any skill. Firing dozens of arrows, in minutes the enemy that came rushing falls down on the ground without even reaching halfway through their position.

"Ahh… okay." Akatosh was stunned by her skill in archery and how she fired three to four arrows in one draw.

"Here… we should keep going," Chifya says returning his bow.

"Wait…" Akatosh says looting the fallen enemies

"What are you doing"

"There must be some good information regarding that thing." He excused where his real intention is ransacking the bodies.

Chifya sigh searching for a place to continue her alchemy research.

"Oh… nice dagger you have good for slicing my dry meat." He said to himself looting the remains of the monsters.

Time spends minutes searching through their bodies only to find two silver coins and ten copper, he even gathers all their remaining weapons.

"So found anything?" Chifya asks busy with her alchemy.

"Nothing," he responds watching Chifya mixing concoctions and such.

"What?" Says Chifya, blushing as Akatosh mesmerizingly watches her.

"What… is this your first time having an audience, it's just quite fascinating to watch people mixing concoctions." He smiles sitting on the tree.

Barley even holding her restless comfort. "Ca-can you please leave to my own work?" She stammers flushing her face.

"What if I decline." He teases her.

She sighs as to relieve her anxiousness ignoring the enthralling face of her partner. And slowly as minutes passes, didn't she realize her tense emotion suddenly replaced by tranquility. She paused why to see Akatosh silently sleeping, leaning on the tree.

Chifya shrug. "How heedless you are." She smiles resuming her work.

After two hours of alchemy and experiment her work paid off. Funneling one liter of golden liquid on a bottle as she begins to pack all of her stuff on the scroll similar to Akatosh's bag.

"Just how much do you intend to sleep." She said taking out a vile of potion. Removing the lid of the concoction she let his noise sniffs the odor.

"GAAHHHH…" He shouts waking up from the hideous smell of the potion. "Don't you have any ways of waking up people!" He exclaimed, in rage for disturbing his rest.

"I- I didn't mean to." She responds.

"Fuck! Do that again and I won't hesitate." He utters still recovering from the smell that burns through his nose going up to his head like acid.

"I-I'm sorry," Chifya responds trying to comfort him.

For the first time in her life had she never seen him this angry. And one thing is for sure never wake up people in a troublesome way.

Upset from her action, they travel in silence, and once they've reached a place desolated and blighted. They saw plants blemished, even Akatosh had never seen this kind of blight before, it isn't normal. Picking a stick as to not get his hands soiled. He saw the soil itself was corrupted in pigment purple color.

"It's spreading," Chifya says.

"Last time I was here it only covers a small portion of the land." She continues slightly pouring the potion she created. As the liquid meets the corrupted soil, it quickly rejuvenates the land.

"What's that?" Akatosh asks.

"It's a type of remedy, that is a combination of my potion and holy water. Though it used all of my ingredients but no matter we should find the source."

"So, if we used it in purifying the seedbed then will it weekend the blight?"

"Yes but no, I don't know if it will weekend the blighted land or not."

"Mm-hmm… we should concentrate on destroying the origin." He said, and as they head deeper through the blighted part locating the source, the stench became funkier to the nose.

"Here…" said Chifya giving him a seed. "It will help with the smell." she continues swallowing three seeds.

He blankly hesitates before gulping the seed and after two or four minutes the rotten scent slowly neutralized. He couldn't believe this sort of magic; he was left amazed.

Tracing the place Akatosh descry a very peculiar root bursting out from the ground. Using his sword as a shovel he uncovers some sort of pulsing black veins tracing the west side. "Yo what the f-" Out of curiosity he chops the root releasing jelly acid.

Informing Chifya, they continue where the roots came. Scattered like dots the blight was, but expanding slowly where the small ponds turn gastric like slime. Animals are too caught up by corruption. Decaying at an astounding rate they really need to end this as fast as possible.

The night was once again on the throne making them easy prey from their lack of sense. A great time for predators to quarry what bellows their food chain. Devious monsters from the shadows are now playing the unlighted lands.

"We'll make camp here." She says gazing through the large tree.

"So how will we be safe from here--" Right away without even climbing the large tree Chifya suddenly leaps like a grasshopper, reaching the fourth branch ten meters from the ground in mere seconds.

"Sooo…" A mixed-up emotion of upset, amazement, and jealousy like he was ditched alone. "Okay fine…" He whispers in a goosey tone.

Just as he was to make his own camp a vine slowly descends acting as his elevator. He shrugs groping the vines, slowly he ascends reaching a height of eleven meters. Much to his experience height is one of his common enemies "or should I say his fear." Upon reaching the safe place to rest, out of pride and ego he kept his composure masking his tense nervousness.

Then again Chifya uses her magic spurting little branches on the edges creating a railing and even flattens the round log. In exchange, Akatosh gave her some blankets to ease the cold night and breezing winds. Dead silent for both of them, Akatosh only exerts his eyesight on the land struck by the white moonlight and heavenly stars.

Once done feeding the glorious wonders of the night, he again silently tends to his book, uninspired and agitated. While Chifya silently holding, staring the necklace embroiled with purple jewels. It was no ordinary jewels Akatosh can tell. Presumably from someone, she lost since he can tell the long-face smeared on her emotion. This time around there's no infighting between both of them only borders of privacy to each other.