Chapter 13 (the mysterious figure)

After a few minutes pass, and a man

approaches Drake, "Hey, hello buddy,

you must be the one she said is traveling

with us." A huge fat man with a pot belly

stretches his large, thick right hand to

Drake.

Drake stands, looking at the man, with

two young ladies and two men all in their

twenties standing behind the man.

"Yes, that's me. I am Alexandra Drake.

Nice to meet you." He claps his right

hand around the man's hand, shaking it.

"My name is Sam. Nice to meet you

too," Sam turns to his comrades, "that

Lilly, our healer, Binter, our guide, Arcane

Amplifier, Ben the Archers, and Larry,

our tanker, while I'm the guide, Warlock

also the leader. Don't worry too much;

we are going to protect you until we

depart at our destination. So let's move."

Sam leads them out of the guide office,

and the others follow behind.

At the entrance, a midsized mercenary

transport waits for them. They all hop in,

and the voyage begins. 

Inside the carriage is Lilly, who is sitting

opposite Drake. "Hi, Drake. She initiated

a conversation. May I ask why you're

going to the fog forest? As you may not

know, there have been a lot of mysteries

about that forest." Her eyes slightly

widen, darting around, and her face turns

red, admiring the handsome figure

sitting opposite him. "Actually, I don't

have a main reason going there, but

someone I must pass a message to is on

a mission there."

Meanwhile, all the other members sit all

ready to notice her reaction. Instantly,

Ben bursts into laughter.

"Hahaha, who would have believed this?

The most stubborn lady would once be

gentle." He said while trying to hold back

his laugh. Others join in except Drake,

who is confused about what is going on.

"Okay, before I forget," Sam brings out a

map with a bright red line around a

specific section of a forest, pointing at a

destination.

"The administrator gave me this mini-

map to pass it to you. She said this will

direct you to the appropriate location."

Ben passes the minimap to Drake.

"Thank you very much, and thank the

lady, when you return from your task."

Drake accepted the map. They continue

their discussion as they journey.

Late in the day, they arrive at the

commons, close to their destination.

"Guys, why don't we stay for the night in

an inn and continue with our task the

next day?" Sam said.

They all nod in return. Sam stretches his

hand, taping the driver's shoulder.

"Please, take us to the nearest inn to

spend the night." The rider turns his head

a bit and nods.

A few minutes later, they all arrive in

front of a stacked building, and they all

enter. Inside the building, noise, laughter,

and different segments of discussion

roar from the large crowds setting at

different sections of the building.

A man with a white scarf rapped around

his head with a tray under his right armpit

approaches them.

"Welcome, please. What can we offer

you?" The man shouted through the loud

noise for Sam and his crew members to

hear. Sam places his mouth into the

man's ear. "Get us an empty table for six

people." He said, raising his voice.

The man gestures for them to follow him,

which they comply with. A restaurant

table at the right corner on the second

floor of the inn, which they provide for

their VIP customers, is arranged for them

due to no more regular restaurant tables.

They all sit around the table.

The man walks to Sam. "What dish

would you like to be served?"

"Get us the best wine you have with six

plates filled with roasted pork. Also

reserve three rooms for the night. "

"Okay, I'll be right back with that." The

man turns and leaves. 

They are awaiting their meal when a

sound catches their attention, coming

from a man hitting a table next to them.

There's another man in front of him, and

their conversation goes like this.

"Hey, comrade, is everything okay?

Come on, tell me what's wrong." 

"It's nothing much. Haven't you heard

about the Go Village incident?"

"Are you referring to the incident where

different groups of mercenaries went

there on a mission, one after the other,

and they were all turned into the Crimson

Rot (undead)?"

"That's not all. Two days ago, it was said

that the whole Crimson Rot horde was

burned down in a flame, leaving

nothing." 

"But on the Thralia continent, only

mages with an affinity for water mana

and aura exist, except the mage is from

Vas'tarim (central continent)."

The two men are engrossing in this topic

when another man walks up to them,

placing his left leg on the table.

"What's all this?" The man who slammed

the table raised his voice.

Meanwhile, Drake, Sam, and the other

crew members are already served and

are eating their meal, enjoying listening

to those men's conversation.

The man with his leg on the table lifts it

back to the ground, packs his hair

backward, and sits next to them. 

"About that incident, I'm part of the

unaffected mercenaries saved during the

incident." 

The man who slammed the table eyes

widen, stretching his neck forward a bit,

"Then you must have seen the face of

the mage that took care of the Crimson

Rot, right?" 

"Not really because of the thick smoke;

we couldn't see, but one thing is sure:

the mage is a lady in her early twenties." 

"But how can you tell from the thick

smoke?"

"That's simple. An unclear image of the

mage showed a ladylike figure through

the smoke, especially; her boobs shape

explained that, and everyone who was

also saved all said the same thing.

After their meal, they all move to their

respective rooms. Drake and Sam share

the same room, laying down on a large

mattress. Since neither of them has

fallen asleep, Sam decides to spark a

conversation.

"Drake, after delivering the massage, do

you have any plans?" Drake turns his

head, looking at Sam, and then back to

the roof of the room.

"Yes, to join the Diamond Mage

Academy. Why did you suddenly ask

about that?" Sam breathes heavily,

"I married when I was twenty years old,

and I am thirty-three this year. I have a

daughter who is twelve years old; you

remind me of her, since it's been a long

time since I've seen her." He gently turns

his head, looking at Drake.

"Anywhere, we need to sleep early;

there's a lot of work for us tomorrow.

Goodnight." He turns his back at Drake,

covering his body with a blanket.

"Goodnight." Drake responded.

The next day, they ultimately arrive at the

fog forest at noon.

"Finally, we're at the fog forest. Let's

finish this task quickly so we can

celebrate and enjoy some wine." Larry

said as they all hop out of the carriage,

approaching the fog forest with

trepidation, navigating through it.