Caterpillar
Mikael awoke quite early next morning, excitement running through his body.
He laid still for some minutes, trying to remember some parts of the book he read last night.
'If even some few details or pictures remained, that would be great already.'
Taking out the wooden strip in the dim morning light, he looked at the information it provided.
'Meeting up in the Bar
Looking through the small window, the first bell did not even rang yet, he pondered if he should go early.
'At least it is not far away. I think the bar was located near the stand of that dealer.'
Mikael thought for a moment to try his luck, making from his meager amount of Copper some more with a good guess.
'Just a small bet at first shouldn't hurt, right. If more people bet, he won't try to cheat me...'
His mind wandered, but bore no fruit.
After some more minutes he swung his feet off the bed, making his way downwards, past a small group of people sitting on a table, all clad in good but not outstanding clothes.
'Weird that others are up so early here, normally no one other than the Inn keeper is awake.'
He said goodbye, walking towards the location of said bar, savoring the fresh and moist morning air.
It warmed up a bit, creating a loose fog that laid around the area.
Mikael soon arrived at that particular bar, the sign showing a green caterpillar winding around a bottle.
'Wonder if I'm the first. That early barely anyone would come.'
When walking inside, he was greeted with a clean interior. Brown tables showing the beautiful fibers, benches from similar wood along the wall.
Small windows let in some light, but only enough to make it not too dark.
Small candles on the tables made the light warmer, more privat.
A big bar was filling the whole site of that building, stools lining up a fair distance to each other.
A lone bartender wearing a black apron was washing some mugs. He was bald, only a mustache decorating his scary looking face. He was not very big, around 1.74 meters, but it only amplified his bull neck and muscular arms.
"Hi son, what can I do for you?" his thundering voice asked, showing a smile that could make a baby cry.
"It was written I had to meet up here. A Request from the Guild made this here the meeting place. Do you perhaps know something about that?"
The man eyed him interested, putting down his rag and walking to his counter.
"Can you show me proof? Ideally an ID, the token or maybe they gave you a strip or paper with the information. The ID is only secondary tho."
Mikael took out all of it, lighting up his card, making it display clearly the information in the dim room.
"Okay Mikael, Bjorn will come here shortly. He is my nephew, so this location presented itself. A quirky guy, easily distracted and sometimes loosing himself in the most absurd situations. That's why he needs protection, even when only gathering herbs in the vicinity."
He took a cup, filling it with a beer he had from a broached cask.
"He is only a bit older than you, so you can make good company. Take a seat and take this on me. By the way, you can call me Torik."
He quickly cleaned a table in a corner, lighting up the candle.
"How many others are coming?"
"Dunno, maybe three or four. After all one quickly escapes the wood rank, and the pay for other jobs is mostly better."
Mikael sat down, wanting to pass the time by reading in his book.
As the minutes passed, two other people came in, shortly before the first bell rang.
They also followed the procedure of identifying themselves, only they had no card.
'This thing after all is expensive, one has to go into debt for it.'
One was a young woman, wearing a hooded tunic in dark brown color. Her eyes were partly covered but occasionally her yellow eyes were seen.
The other one was also before twenty, short, dark hair and a stubby 3-day-beard. The man's weapon was obviously his sword that hung at his hip.
He wore a tucked in gray shirt and brown pants, together with sturdy looking boots.
They introduced themselves in order as Sophia and Leon.
"Quite young yourselve, if I say so. Not that it is a bad thing, but are you sure you have it to protect someone."
Leon was talkative, talking mostly by alone, not bothering if his partners respond or not.
"We will see if I can or not. Honestly, I already made it through some tough times, so I think protecting him won't be a problem."
Not further inquiring, they talked a bit about their possible encounters.
"Maybe some kobold, they like to prey at the domestic animals or sometime steal ripe harvest. Goblins wandering in the search of food also may pass along. Food is sarce at that time of the year, so all kinds of creatures are still searching, preparing for the winter."
Despite Leon's open nature, he knew what he was talking about.
" Depending how far we go in, some wolf's may roam around, and don't forget the possibility of changed animals." Sophia added, drinking nonchalantly her beer.
Mikael noticed something he did not know of, so he asked away:" What are changed creatures? What made them change?"
"Do we really may have to go out with that rookie here?" she asked rhetorical, annoyance in her voice.
"We all have to start somewhere, don't we? At least he didn't pretend, endangering himself or worse, us."
He gave Mikael a kind, but also stern look.
"You should really prepare yourself better. Even if you studied you book there, which you said contains herb lore, this is mainly about guarding. Talk to people, other hunter or go out yourself, if confident.
Enough with that, back to the topic." he stretched out one of his fingers, beginning to explain:" You certainly know normal animals or creatures. Pigs, Dogs, Rabbits, Squirrels and what not. But what do you know about magic?"
He grinned slyly, guessing how much a boy of his age might know.
"Magic is in every one of us, running invisible like blood in our veins. Some few are able to use that Mana and create phenomena." Mikael said what he was told.
"Didn't expect that, nah?" Sophia jabbed.
She looked at him with less apathy than before, still seeing barely more in him than a child with too much free time.
"Got me there, but thats only a part. As there is Mana as most call it is in all of us, it is also in the air, trees, grass, rain. Everything you can think of. And as some people can manage to use it, also some animals can do. More than people actually, as their connection to mother earth is deeper, their mind easier influenced by the medium. It can cause them to change, to what extent depends on the environment. So we may encounter a seemingly harmless mole, but it can have evolved into something dangerous."
Satisfied with his explanation, he leaned back onto the bench, wetting his lips with his remaining beer.
'Okay, that is a lot to swallow. Animals can become magical? What would a dangerous squirrel even look like?'
Mikael mind tried to accommodate the new knowledge, glad to receive it before heading out into the woods again.
"Our employer is here." Leon said, making a casual gesture towards a youth that walked in, exchanging some words with Torik.
He had curly black hair, around neck length. Wearing a white long shirt with a west over it, long baggy pants stucked inside comfortable boots, he didn't gave the image of a herbalist.
Walking over with a beaming smile on his face, he introduced himself.
"Welcome, my name's Bjorn, profession herbalist and Alchemist. But just in training, that's why I need more resources, to experiment and extent my abilitys.
I already looked into your profiles, to make a first picture of my guards. Nothing wrong there, even if one was quite short."
Smiling at Mikael, he continued:" I'm not against taking hunter as young as you with me, but be especially alert, and if you would have to follow a command, you don't question it. Understood?"
His clear intention showing, Mikael nodded.
"Of course. I'm aware that I lack experience and am not too proud to accept orders."
"Good, then let's chat a bit."
For the following half an hour Bjorn asked them several questions, how they would react to different scenarios, what measures they would take to protect him, and so forth.
'He looks like maybe 13 or 14, but conveys his questions like he did it many times. Impressive.'
Mikael answers weren't always perfect, but as he told no major errors, and even impressed Bjorn with his preparation about herbs, he was told, together with the other two that they would all be accepted as his bodyguards.
"I hope you all have your things at you, or got them in close proximity. I'd like to go soon, as at this time we will have the most of the day."
"Is there a chance of us staying in there? If so I may have to get more equipment." Leon asked.
"Yes, I planned our trip originally for only a day, but decided to extent it to three. Your pay will be adjusted accordingly, and when we get back the quest may will be updated to stone rank, but with three of us it shouldn't be a problem."
"Then there is a chance that we venture deeper than planned? Not that I complain, means more money for me." Sophia asked, not really worried, other than Mikael, who got more anxious after this announcement.
'Should I still go with them? I thought only one day was planned, not mentioning three.' he looked around the table, the relaxed faces of his two companions relieving some of his fear.
'But he also said with three people it will be more easy, and it's not like I never went into the forest, even if only escaping.'
"Maybe, if I feel like there might be a better harvest. So, are you still on?" he did not let his gaze linger on the other two, their answer shown by the questions and demeanor. He solely looked at Mikael.
"I'm still in."