Adolin stopped in front of the table.
"This is Dareth. A mage," Revel said.
Lira gave him a small smile.
"Clay," the man to Lira's left said.
He wore light leather armor, an emblem stitched onto his shoulder. A sword wrapped in flames. A blade rested at his hip. Light blonde hair, slightly curly.
"Blaise," the man on her right said.
He wore a grey mage robe. Crimson red hair.
Clay looked at each of them in turn, then chuckled. "A balanced party," he said.
It was one of the worst party combinations he could think of. One warrior. Four mages.
It went against every rule Adolin knew. It might have worked if the warrior specialized in defense. Looking at Clay, Adolin was sure he didn't.
Revel was still in a bad mood, but Adolin noticed a faint smile on her face.
They took their seats. Adolin sat next to Clay, while Revel sat beside Blaise. The last side of the table faced the fence.
Lira glanced at Clay and gestured for him to start.
Clay smiled. "Warrior. I focus on offense."
"Mage," Revel said. "Shadow and darkness. Stealth, sealing, and attack."
Adolin almost chuckled. The pink didn't really match stealth. He held it in.
"Mage. Wind and earth," Lira said.
They all looked at Blaise.
He didn't react. Dark circles hung under his eyes, his gaze distant.
"Blaise," Revel said, her voice sharp.
He blinked, then looked up.
"…Fire," he said.
Everyone except Blaise looked at him. It was his turn.
Adolin hesitated. He didn't have a single specialization. He had several. But what should Dareth specialize in? He didn't even know what was considered normal in this world. Most of the elements were already taken. Water and ice would fit. It would balance the group. And let him practice his weakest element. Ice.
"Water and ice elements. Offense and defense," Adolin said.
"What's wrong this time?" Revel asked, looking at Blaise.
"Well…" Clay said. "He spent all night reading."
"Again?" Revel asked.
"Yeah," Clay said, running a hand through his hair.
Revel shook her head. "The quest is to escort a merchant caravan from the capital to Blight Town in the north. There are four stops along the way. The first is Zent Village. The last is Blight Village. A few miles from Blight City."
She glanced at Blaise.
He was asleep on the table. She picked up his cup of ale and poured it over his head.
Blaise jolted upright. "That's not nice!"
"The road shouldn't be too dangerous," Revel continued. "But it won't be safe either. The path runs through forested areas filled with monsters. Higher-level ones usually stay away from the road, so we should expect weaker ones. The real danger starts near Blight Village. The corruption is usually contained at the front, but sometimes something slips through. If that happens, the knights will deal with it." She paused. "But we should be ready to face it ourselves."
She went on to explain the inns they would stop at. Where they would rest, and for how long.
Everything was planned. She was a natural leader. No one asked any questions. Every question Adolin had was answered a sentence or two later. He guessed the others felt the same.
A chubby man in merchant clothes approached their table. "Revel, dear. The caravan is ready," he said.
Revel smiled. "Master Eldritch," she said. "The one issuing the quest." She introduced the rest of the party, and they stood. "We're ready to move," Revel added.
Master Eldritch nodded.
They headed toward the stables, with Revel and the merchant walking ahead, discussing the escort.
Adolin followed behind.
This wouldn't be too bad. Revel handled most of it on her own. The rest of the party wasn't bad either. Blaise was half-asleep. Clay had been quiet since being reprimanded. Lira seemed fine. No visible strain. At least on the surface. He would need to heal her before the end of the day. So she wouldn't have to go through it again.
They reached the stables.
A convoy of ten wagons stood ready to depart. Each had a driver and a guard. It was well protected.
Ten guards. One warrior. Four mages. And the drivers. Adolin still didn't know how strong normal people were in this world, so he had nothing to compare them to.
They stood in front of the caravan.
"Dareth and Lira, take the back. Blaise, go to the middle wagon and get some sleep. Clay, with me," Revel said.
"Yes, ma'am," Clay said, giving a mock salute.
Blaise didn't respond. He walked to the fifth wagon and climbed up, then flopped down.
"Ignore him," Revel said. "He's better than this. Let him sleep. Since we're leaving the capital, there won't be any danger for a few hours. You can rest on the wagons."
"I'll come when there is," she added. "From then on, stay behind them."
Adolin nodded.
It was a good chance to close his eyes for a bit.
"When will the convoy start?" Lira asked.
"In a few minutes," Revel said.
Adolin and Lira sat on the last wagon, their legs hanging over the edge.
"How are you holding up?" Adolin asked.
Lira smiled softly. "Better than last time. I can feel it coming back, but it's not as bad as before."
Adolin studied her.
The strain in her face was gone. Only faint dark circles remained. Her skin looked normal. Before, it had been pale. Rough. Her hair was golden brown, shoulder-length and wavy. Her eyes hazel.
"May I?" Adolin asked, raising his hand.
Lira nodded and placed hers in his.
He didn't waste any time and cast Toxin Removal.
A few moments later, "Better?" he asked.
"Yeah," Lira said. "Thank you."
Adolin nodded. "How is Telion doing?"
"He was a little sad that I had to go, but my mother bribed him. She promised to take him to the academy with her."
Adolin chuckled lightly.
"What do you plan after the escort?" Lira asked after a short silence.
"Not sure," Adolin said. "I promised to heal the Count, so I'll have to return to the capital. I didn't plan anything else."
"The one that kidnapped you?"
"That one," Adolin said with a small chuckle.
Lira didn't say anything about the Count, but continued talking about different things. She was more lively now and did most of the talking. It was different from how she acted at home.
Adolin noticed. He considered whether it was worth asking, but decided it wouldn't hurt.
"You're more talkative than usual," he said.
Lira hesitated for a bit.
"I—It's just that… it's hard to talk in front of my mother. After everything I did to her." She paused. "I almost ruined her career at the academy. Got her pushed out of her social circles. She had to…" She kept her eyes down. "She had to beg the church to get me healed. And they did." A short pause. "But I did it again. And after that… she had to send me away. So she could keep her job."
"Is the job that important to her?" Adolin asked.
"No…" Lira shook her head. "She hoped that, with the influence of the academy, she could get the High Priest to get rid of my addiction. That was the only way for her."
"For me… before you came."
That answered a lot of the questions he had. And the most important one. Why did Lissandra try so hard to help him? It made sense now. He did feel better after hearing it. He made the right choice back then. Everything that came after… Was worth it.
"That's why," Lira continued, twirling a strand of her hair, "I feel ashamed in front of her. I can't really…"
"I understand," Adolin said. "You'll be back to normal before we finish the escort quest. That's something I can promise." He gave a small smile.
They talked for a while after that, but by the end, Lira seemed better. Happier.
"It's time," Revel said, coming up beside the moving wagon.
They dropped down from the wagon and took in the area around them.
They were in a forest, following the King's Road toward Zent Village. According to Revel, they should arrive before nightfall and spend the night there.
Lira moved to the left side of the wagon, while Adolin took the right.
He was supposed to move from the back to the center of the caravan and back again. Afterward, Lira would do the same, keeping both sides covered.
He glanced at her.
Lira nodded.
Adolin moved behind the last wagon, keeping his eyes open.
It wasn't the first time he had escorted a caravan. He knew how to do the job.
Yawning, he cursed under his breath. He knew this would happen. The talk with Lira took up the time he had planned to use for a quick nap. It wasn't like he had a choice.
Adolin clicked his tongue.
It was fifteen minutes later that Lira returned.
"Your turn," she said.
Adolin picked up his pace and moved toward the center of the convoy, walking just a little faster than it. His eyes stayed on the tree line, his focus shifting to the sounds coming from the forest.
A few minutes later, he reached the middle.
He walked between two wagons, still keeping to the right side. Lira had the left covered, so he only glanced there every so often. It was boring. But it was also peaceful. He didn't mind the job.
A few hours later, as the sun began to set, Adolin started another round toward the center. This time, it was different. The forest had gone quiet. Even the smell had changed. There were only a few explanations.
Either a predator was moving along the right side of the path. Or it was an ambush. He leaned toward the latter.
From the back of the caravan to the center, the sounds were gone. He considered using Mana Sense, but quickly dismissed the idea. It would drain more than half his mana. He would have to do this without magic. Slowly, he moved back toward the rear of the convoy, keeping his eyes on the tree line.
It took him about a minute.
"Lira," he said.
She turned toward him.
"Go to the front. Quietly. Don't alarm the drivers. Tell Revel to expect an ambush."
"What?"
"Just go. Stay on the left side of the wagons. Tell her to wait before announcing it. We need better positioning first."
Lira nodded and started jogging toward the front.
Adolin moved back toward the center of the convoy.
Waiting.
Two minutes later, a shout echoed from the front.
"Ambush!"