Setting Off

Sun was lazily climbing up the sky. Elias finally was satisfied with his harvest after scouring through the area for two hours straight. Of course he did not pick the rarely occurring herbs, though he mostly ignored common herbs like Blue Alacita. Before setting out, Elias decided to drink some more tea. It gave him a pleasant refreshing feeling, that was still welcome after work despite his now superhuman endurance.

Feeling relaxed after drinking a cup of tea, he gathered his harvest in preparation to leave. Of course he did not forget to take some tea with him. Who knew how valuable it could possibly be? He picked up a protesting little furball and stuffed it into his robes as he set out for the caravan.

Elias adopted a brisk pace as he walked through the mountainside forest. It was still relatively early in the morning, so he was able to enjoy his little trip. It was summer, yet the mountain winds were gentle. They lacked the overbearing heat one would expect in the summer, and instead were comfortable and refreshing, and the lively singing of the birds only added to the atmosphere.

Such a pleasant little trip brought a smile to Elias's face. It was probably the first time since he came to this world when he felt genuinely good. As he was getting closer to the caravan, he was able to hear Safar barking out orders to his subordinates. Soon enough, Elias had arrived at a clearing where the caravan was stationed.

It was already bustling with activity. Some of the workers were too heavily injured to recover overnight, so the preparations were coming along slowly, and even guards had to help.

"Good morning!"

Elias's voice tore the attention of Safar and Nannar away from their jobs.

"Ah, our benefactor has graced us with his presence once again! Good morning to you, Elias."

Safar's mouth grew into a wide smile.

"I have come to trade. I have brought herbs, and even some tea."

Elias did not beat around the bush. He wanted the things he was promised, and he wanted them as soon as possible.

"This… Sigh. I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that the spices I was transporting were untouched by fire. The bad news is that half of the clothes have burned down. We generally don't trade much in clothing, I usually just trade in textiles instead. So, no clothes, unless you want yourself a summer dress."

Elias's jovial mood instantly took a hit. His clothes were practically rags at this point, so he really looked towards at least getting something structurally complete to wear.

*Do I have to hunt and make myself some clothes out of furs like some kind of a caveman?*

*...*

*Wait a minute, I literally am a caveman! I live in a cave!*

"Sigh. Alright, spices it is. At least I could enjoy some seasonings on my meat today. Do you have salt? Please say you have, I really want some salt."

Safar's smile turned apologetic.

"I am sorry, but I have none."

Elias could only roll his eyes. He was getting a little angry from the frustration, but Nannar's voice sounded out and caught his attention.

"Elias, why don't you come with us? We are going to Whifras for its salt, so there would be no problem getting some there. As well as clothes, and whatever else you might need."

*This is actually not that bad of an idea. I need to gather more information about this world, and it is better to start early. Who knows what I can learn in Whifras? I would have to visit a city at some point anyway, I can't sit on this mountain forever if I ever want to learn about magic. Maybe I'd just have to leave a little bit early.*

"Nannar, don't-"

Safar was about to reprimand his son, but he was interrupted by Elias.

"Actually, yes. I don't see a problem with that, as long as you are not seeing one too."

Safar and Nannar exchanged looks. Nannar whispered something in his father's ear and a look of understanding appeared on his face.

"I do not. Welcome to the caravan then. We are setting off soon, as our preparations are almost complete. If you need anything to take with you, you should go and fetch it now, while you have some time."

"No, I have pretty much everything I need here with me."

Elias spent the next hour listening to Nannar about the upcoming trip. If everything were to go smoothly, they would reach Whifras in just four days. The route itself skirted some rather dangerous areas, but Elias was not the one to judge, as his geographical knowledge was reliable only in regards to the places around here. Anything past a day's walking distance was pretty much unknown territories to him.

As the hour passed, the caravan was ready to leave. It was rather tight in regards to space due to one of the carriages burning down during the wolf pack attack, so Elias had to walk. It was not a problem for him, rather an opportunity to take on proper breathing as he walked. He had already integrated the breathing techniques into his unconscious breathing, but there was still some room for improvement. As well as one very energy hungry system to feed.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander again after some time. Being again with the caravan, his thoughts went to the wolf pack. Well, not the pack itself, but the means Elias used to defeat them. If a couple of pebbles had such an effect, just how would a set of proper throwing weapons perform.

*I should get myself some. Or maybe I should get myself some proper hidden weapons? Maybe some simple iron balls could do the trick? They should be more dense than rocks and a sphere would be a lot more aerodynamic...*

Elias thought about that but he abandoned that line of thought as soon as he noticed the weapon a caravan's guard was wielding.