Chapter 1

Old Gregortown was a hot, noisy place with boring matchbox architecture. If you have seen one building you have seen them all: A dirty, ginger bricked square of the house with a single door and a few windows coupled with a huge chimney that can make St. Nickolas proud, although he almost never crawls out of his frozen rut these days. Bet he got tired. Same routine every year for centuries will do that to you. It happened to me and I am not even 50! But on the flip side I retired and opened a bookstore he can't do that. I wonder how he is. Haven't seen him for 15 years. Thank god Rudy pops up from time to time.

My musings were interrupted by a doorbell. Two young girls walked in bringing a sweet choking aroma with them. What is it? Rose? Berry? Don't matter anyway.

They stood there for a good 10 seconds exchanging looks. Oh I know this look, big city girls came for a visit and were shocked how ancient everything is and how devoid the place is of magic. Some things just never change.

Shorter girl noded to her crimson companion and turned towards the counter. Time to work.

While getting up from the chair I noticed the girl getting closer which gave me an opportunity to observe her in detail: Short stature, well defined face with a mole beneath her lower lip at the corner. Neck length black, almost charcoal colored hair shaped like a wave of sorts, but the most peculiar traits were her eyes and walking manner: These round blue eyes full of caution and wonder, that appraising stare trying to analyze everything unfamiliar. I know it. She looks at me in a similar manner to Nathan! I swear if her eyes were silver instead of blue I would have believed it was him under some disguise spell. Would have been fun, but I hope not. Traveling the continent for a decade and half only to meet him like this will be horrible, especially after I promised to forget him.

Her walking on the other hand told a different story: Unsure, slow, hands fidgeting slightly. Trying to seem confident I see, but you can't completely hide nervousness. Well then it is up to me to break the ice.

"Hello and welcome to my humble bookstore young lady how can I assist you?" I said in the most cheerful and non-threatening tone I could. She stopped, looked at me and cautiously said: "H… Hello sir we are just checking the surroundings and one of the villagers recommended this place saying the owner is a foreigner who can help us navigate to the nearest city." Are they adventurers? No they lack gear and weaponry. Only weapon I detect is redhead's lustful gaze which is potent, but not enough against dog-vipers lurking at nearby territories so that leaves few possibilities. "That villager is Lenc am I right?" Silence and confusion appeared on their face. "Ok I guess you didn't ask his name. No worries." their looks changed from confused to curious. Bet lasses didn't expect a stranger old guy smiling, gesturing like a madman and generally being enthusiastic. Thank god I am not one of those "Back in my day." Old farts, but again I am not THAT old either.

"I am indeed a foreigner and a traveler, however whenever you need my help or not depends on your destination." I said in a calm, even tone to make extra sure they heard me correctly.

My choice payed off since the girl with curly red hair who stood beside the door happily strode to her short partner and cheerfully announced: "We got accepted into Frospes national university!" curious. Lasses have some brain huh? Good! Now they need wisdom to realize they will waste half a decade here and be slaughtered on the battlefield soon after, but I was stupid at their age as well.

"Truly? Congragulations. Being accepted into number 1 military university is quite an achievement." Red beamed with happiness and showed her toothy grin, while Shorty looked down and blushed. Embarrassed about it? I know the feeling, like you don't even know you deserve the spot and if you can do it. As a result you want as less people as possible to know about it. Kids never change.

I looked at the blushing girl with a smile and said: "You are worried aren't you? Don't be. Tests are designed to weed out the weak and unworthy. The fact that FNU gave you green light proves you are qualified." Her partner backed me up. "Yeah Becky even adventurer agrees! Don't screw yourself for nothing." I have not told her I was an adventurer and I am positive my brain functions properly. She is intriguing and daring to jump to such conclusions and the look in her brown eyes just oozes with jealousy. Young ones are so easy to read.

"So Rebbeca, nice name and who might this beauty be?" A bit of the mischievous energy in the voice would do the trick. "My name is Emma. Emma Skurr and this shy, sexy girl is Rebbeca Svan." SVAN? WAIT! WAIT A SEC! Same last name, Eyes and worrywart personality as him. Could she be little Rebby? Screw you Nathan. You manage to haunt me even at the other side of the continent.

What do I do now? She obviously has no idea who I am, which is normal considering she was three when I last saw her, but telling her everything now would be a mistake. Better to pretend to be strangers. She doesn't need the baggage I am carrying and by the looks of it she grew up to be lovely girl minus the self-doubt, but that can be improved with due diligence.

"Umm… Is something wrong?" Oh Claus! I zoned out staring at her and even grinned like an idiot too. Damn. Hope I didn't come off as a creep. Last thing I want is for my best friend's daughter to think I am some amoral dirty old man.

"Sorry I tend to zone out. Rebbeca is a rare name here, made me remember home." Rebby eased up a bit no longer holding her shirt. Hope that helped, please I am not a creep. "Where are you from sir…" Ah subtle hint. Emma is a pro I see. "Benjamin. Nice to meet you Emma, Rebbeca." I said while extending my hand to them. Rebby gave me a weak trembling handshake and immediately returned to her usual position. I flashed an innocent smile and proceeded to Emma. Her handshake on the other hand was firm and confident, her eyes looking into mine. She is something, but too naïve to recognize herself out of her hunting field. Well the same smile to her and back to the counter.

Once I sat at the desk I lifted a small wooden box and started going through it. Not locked. Forgot again, but who's gonna steal a box with old trinkets, a map which I have memorized and an old sentimental photograph? Probably no one, but I witnessed one lad stealing a unicorn in Dryasil forest so nothing is off the table, although I still wonder how did he transport the poor thing. "What are you searching for Ben?" Asked Emma. "Emma! Address him properly!" Said Rebbeca. I guess she isn't always a mouse. Interesting. "Oh come on Becky I am sure he's cool with it, right Ben?" Deliberate emphasis on the name huh? Old trick missy. You won't get emotional feedback. "Hmm.. don't care, anyway wait a minute." I continued to fish through the box until my hand firmly gripped the map after which it was carefully placed on the counter fully open. "To answer Emma, I searched for this map. It shows Gregortown and its surrounding area which will be our reference. You want to get to Uni which is in the capital meaning a lot of work and time spent if you go on foot and by your being here I assume you are indeed on foot." Pause hanged in the store. Redhead still was processing my retort and Rebbeca was fighting her nervousness. For a few seconds nothing happened which made me question if they understood context of what I said or not, but Rebby managed to squeeze out an answer at last: "Y… yes we are on foot."

Red finally snapped out of her trance and stared at her friend. Ok… this is definitely not her base behavior. I am curious about it, but back to business. "Why are you not using the train? You must be from a city and nearest is kilometers away." Girls exchanged glances and smiled. "We wanted to go on an adventure!" Said Emma. Adventure?" Do they understand the danger of crossing mountain range unprepared, especially when it is populated by beasts? "So dear adventurers did you leave your equipment at the Cotel?" Rebby pressed herself against the wall trying to seem as small as possible while Redhead minx looked proud like she had won an award or something. "We are great Mages. We need no equipment!" She said in an elated tone and kept gesturing energetically with her hands. "I am the elite Fire mage and Becky is a prodigy in Wind manipulation nothing will stand in our way." Naïve. It isn't about ability, but common sense I for one on my first expedition almost lost limbs because of frostbite, despite being a potent magician. Guess kids have to learn in a bitter way. Better give them reality check now.

Classic move: Close your eyes, smile, clasp hands and put them below your chin, tilt the head slightly forward, leak out a bit of Mana to rile them up and say in a sweet voice: "Well when you will die." Instant reaction: Minx lost her enthusiasm which was replaced by fear and confusion while Rebbeca was holding her shirt tightly and ready to devour her ugly yellow scarf. Maybe too excessive, but I didn't expect them to be THIS soft. The hell are you doing Nathan? Being strong is your motto or are you a bad teacher? No! Thinking like this will only do me harm. Its better instead to smooth the edges.

"Sorry might have been too direct. Look at this." I point at the map to the north from Gregortown. Both kids leaned in closer after the shock wore off. "These Mountain ranges are called Venomous path and between them is Bravery valley. Do you know why? Because mountains are infested with vipers, poisonous plants and fruits, let alone other creatures. Made the wrong move? Dead. Ate the wrong thing? Dead and valley is rumored to inhabit the ghosts of the fallen travelers. In short: a bad place to cross and unfortunately the fastest way to the FNU. Other ways are either train which bypasses mountains or an alternate path through North-west region which will take about a month at least." I finished explaining and looked up. Both of them were listening intently. It was evident in their expressions. Guess they are serious about adventuring.

Rebbeca even managed to forget her nerves and addressed me." How do you recommend tackling this Venomous path?" Firm voice, eyes burning with passion and curiosity, same as mine back in a day. I will humor her. I straightened myself in the chair, put my right hand on my chin, tilted the chair slightly back and said: "Since we talk poison simplest solution is to bring antidotes to the local venomous species and a healer, Venomancer duo to minimize lethal outcomes. As for provision a careful study of the flora will help distinguish between edible and unedible food and prey." She winced at the word "prey" not used to hunting then. "Can't you bring your own food and water instead of risking your life?" Asked Emma making me smirk. "Valid point, but impractical. Food either perishes or is never enough, plus more you bring the bigger your carry weight becomes, which in turn slows you down. It IS good idea to bring water and some non-perishable food, however being able to hunt and collect correctly is essential for survival, if you can't do it when you are a dead weight in expeditions."

They were mulling over my words when bell rang signaling the arrival of a customer. Well time to get back to work. "Ladies I am sorry, but duty calls. How about continuing this discussion tomorrow? We won't be going today anyway, sun is almost down. What say you?" Lasses looked at each other, went to the entrance to make a decision and after a short time Redhead spoke: "Thank you for your time Benjamin we will visit tomorrow." I can live with that. "All right I will make the time and if you go to the Cotel tell them I sent you. Rooms will be guaranteed." Smile on Emma's face deepened. "Ok thanks and goodbye." And with that they left.

***

Two friends walked out of the store and picked up their luggage placed near it. A careless action at first glance, however suitcases were enchanted with defensive runes and a good dose of electricity. Anyone brave enough to touch it will be instantly zapped into oblivion. As soon as they were safe distance away from the shop redhead said: "What was that? I never saw you so meek like ever! Did you catch a love bug or something?" Rebbeca was furious. Her behavior WAS strange, but why is Em always assuming the cause to be a crush? It's as if she never grew out of puberty. Becky's hand twitched. A symptom of her wanting to smack Emma over the head, however she held herself. Em was always like this, no use getting worked up. She will laugh it off and continue to harass her. Better rlesponse is to calm down and explain things robing her of the reason to fight back. "I don't know. It feels like I have seen him before somewhere. I just got lost and couldn't think properly." Emma's face contorted into an expression of the predator about to devour its prey. "Seen "Somewhere" before? Is he perchance your ex-lover? Didn't expect you to be int– Before she could finish a fist collided with her ribcage nocking air out of her lungs, causing her to cough and bend forward. The villagers stopped strolling around and snapped their necks to the two girls, their Onyx like eyes and olive skinned faces peeled to the rare spectacle unfolding in front of them.

Rebbeca regretted her actions immediately, but she already did it. Even attempting to stay calm didn't help. Emma just knew how to get under her skin and actively perfected that skill as well. Dammit. Dammit! Clear your head and apologize Beca before it's too late!

Wind Mage crouched and helped her friend get up. "Emma I am sorry. Everything just went red for a second." Red dusted off her dress and nonchalantly said: "Oh no worries Becky I know you and expected violence, but not so suddenly." Beca rubbed back of her head apologetically not knowing what to say. "I just noticed your shift and the fact that Ben was totally into you so sorry for putting two and two together." The what? Svan girl was shocked to hear such a preposterous thing. She kept her jaw from dropping, but her entire body screamed about her state of mind. "Wait you didn't catch that? Tsk tsk tsk Awful. How can you hope to find a boyfriend if you miss something so major?" Rebbeca was getting angry again. Her hands clenched into fists and she angrily demanded: "Get back to the point!" Emma raised her hands in a surrender gesture. "All right all right. It doesn't take a genius to figure out. His handsome green eyes were practically glued to you while he didn't even notice my presence. The guy is probably pushing towards two meters in height, is quite muscular for an older guy and gives you so much attention on his own. That screams "interested" in my book." Emma dropped her hands and observed her childhood friend who was obviously perturbed by the news.

He? Liking her? That was gross! Benjamin was old enough to be her father for god's sake. Her father… It was a long time before someone reminded her about him, a VERY long time. Her expression darkened, fire in her eyes dwindled. "What's wrong?" Asked Em concerned about her. "N… nothing just remembered stuff. It doesn't matter let's go to the hotel." Tone was commanding indicating she will not take no for an answer.

Girls went to the hotel or as Ben called it Cotel. It was quite different compared to a traditional inn since it had the whole auxiliary building dedicated for horses and carriages. For a small fee a stable boy will take care of your four legged companion for a day.

Unfortunately our wanna-be adventurers ventured out without transport so these services weren't needed, however it did clear out why Benjamin used the term "Cotel" since it was an excellent for the Coachmen seeking reprieve along their journey.

Girls made their way to the main building and booked their rooms. The owner demanded 60 silver coins from each, but as soon as Benjamin's name was mentioned he went pale as if he saw a banshee and dropped the price to 20 silver. That made them wonder what kind of a man Ben was to terrify an amoral old businessman with a mere mention of his name, but it faded then one of the local drunks at the bar told them about his first arrival.

"It was a whol… *hick* show I tell ya! Mean ol Ben jus… *hick* pulled up here asking for a room two weeks in advance. Ol Reggie here decided to ri… *hick* ..p im off which mean ol Ben saw and got *hick* angrey so .. *Hick* so." The man started coughing loudly and violently. One of the older waitresses got up and went to the kitchen saying: "OI! Berny drink some water and lay off the booze or I ain't gonna nurse ya again." The man smiled from ear to ear like a puppy. "Oh Donna ya always know how ta cheer meself up." Waitress rolled her eyes and entered the kitchen. After around a minute she came back with a glass of icy water and placed it on Berny's table. "Thank ya mistress of me dreams." Donna glared at him, her black eyes leaking malicious intent on which she acted smacking Berny over the head with her callous palm. "Shut it and don't try to beg the misses here to give ya drink hear me?" Emma and Rebbeca tensed up. This interaction was clearly a routine for them. Both waitress and the man should have had scuffle like this dozens of times and Becky concluded that the drunk was always getting a drink by telling stories to travelers. Are his stories even true? Is current one true? She didn't know and preferred to ask Benjamin directly rather than believing in a wild fantasy of an alcoholic seeking free fix. Becky started getting up which didn't go unnoticed.

"Oi ladey where ya goin? I ain't finished tellin the story yet." Emma caught on to what her friend was doing and got up as well, smoothing the edges left by Becky was her job. "Mr Berny we are sure this story is amazing, but you are not well and we do not want to make your day worse. Please forgive us and let's continue later." Red gave a gracious bow which in conjunction with her tight shirt accentuated her cleavage which of course didn't escape drunk's eye. Men are so simple.

Berny flashed a perverted smile, his already warm face started to burn from excitement. Woefully for him Donna caught the interaction and hit Berny with a full fist this time. They continued their fighting while the girls quietly left for their rooms.

Two hours later Novice adventurers were relaxing in their rooms after a long overdue shower.

The room was not that fancy: a single bed with dark blue Blanket, a brown bedside cabinet at the far side with two empty compartments without any lock, two side by side windows hidden behind a plain, ugly yellow curtain ah and a small closet for the clothes of course, which was hard to notice since it was blending in with the white walls. Not an ideal slipping space, but after days of restless travel anything was a blessing

Beca sat at the edge of the bed in her nightgown wanting to hit the sack, but something was bothering her and forcing her eyes open. She knew the reason: Bookseller. The moment Benjamin laid his eyes on her she felt something familiar like she knew those eyes. Emma suggested what she usually suggested, however that was not it. That hulking green eyed blonde looked at her not with desire, but something different, as if he looked past her into someone else. Could he be a family friend?

Her thought train was interrupted by a knocking sound. She almost jumped up from it, but managed to limit reaction to straightening up. "Who's here?" She asked despite logically knowing it could be only Em at this hour. "It's me Emma. Can I come in?" Asked the redhead cautiously, not wanting to inconvenience or disturbed her partner.

"Wait a sec Em I will unlock the door." Beca got up, walked around the bed to the cabinet and pulled out a key from the first compartment. This is awkward. It would have been better if the cabinet was on the other side. The bed and the door in conjunction were forming a right angle and bedside cabinet being on a far side from said door was indeed inconvenient for her, but it was just one night. Shush less rumination more action.

Rebbeca gripped the key and went to the door with a jog to not waste any more time. Once beside the door she tried to insert the key into a keyhole aaand.. she missed. After a few tries she managed, but it was annoying to every single time measure the distance and location of the keyhole by hitting it with a key. How can others just up and get it first try? That was beyond her comprehension. Thank god turning it around didn't require any trickery. Magic locks back home were so much better! At least the hard part was gone now to open it. Beca twisted her wrist to the side repeatedly and with a clanking sound the door was unlocked.

Emma stood on the other side of the door in a dark hallway and once the door opened light flooded her vision, momentarily blinding and making her wince. "Ouch. Too bright! Are you in Heligeia or something?" Emma and her humor as usual. "Quit messing around and get in." Beca retorted. Emma stepped into the room. The moment the door closed her face lost all of its glee and changed into a concerned expression. Becky motioned wordlessly to her to sit down on the bed. She did. Both of them looked at each other for a few moments. Emma was playing with her fingers. Nervous. Rebbeca didn't like it. Em was the social, the upbeat one. She shouldn't behave like this, which only reinforced Beca's worries. Unable to bear it any longer she broke the silence: "What is wrong Emma? Are you afraid of something?" Redhead snapped to attention her face alert, pupils dilated, hands gesturing actively. "No no no I am fine it's not about me, it's about…" She struggled with words. They refused to come out, like a legendary sword stuck in the rock. No matter how hard you pull it won't budge. Rebbeca concerned for her best friend decided to comfort her by taking her hands and brightly smiling. "Come on Em no need to be scared around me. If you have something to say then say it." Redhead curled up her lip after hearing this. She could always count on her partner in crime. Emma took a deep breath, preparing to start talking. "It's about well… you." Beca expected something along those lines, considering her late night visit. Emma paused, her eyes cast downwards. She never liked to talk like this. Rebbeca was on the quiet side of things. Less words more action was her mantra. Approaching the topic of emotions with her was like trying to kill a frost giant with ice peak or going Ifrit hunting with a switchblade. Impossible!

Screw it! I will just say as is. That's what friends are for.

Red unclasped her hands from Beca, clenched them into fists and with a determined, firm voice said: "Listen I will tell you as is. What is wrong with you? I KNOW something bothers the hell out of you Becky ever since we walked out of the bookstore." Rebbeca froze. She didn't quite know herself to be honest and telling Em will only worsen the situation. Where to start? From that man reminding her of her deceased dad? From the fact that she could swear she saw him somewhere as if the guy walked out of the painting? Painting… she felt a slight tingle at the back of her skull. Something clicked inside her head.

Not a painting, but a picture! I saw someone like him on the picture with dad!

She jumped up instantly, nearly giving Emma heart attack and went straight to the closet where she left her case. Emma followed after slight delay. It has to be somewhere here.

Rebbeca relentlessly dug through the case and threw everything out. once suitcase was empty she touched the bottom of it and concentrated her mana in her palm. Few seconds later a picture appeared with her father's adventuring party. With a single glance she identified the reason of her unrest. Benjamin although younger was among the group.

Jackpot!