Well, there isn’t much to say about the trek in the woods, I just focussed on learning as much as possible from Layla, while also keeping my senses alert for dead bodies or traps.

At the end of the 3 days, I and Layla found a bunch of traps still, which she disarmed, and a few more dead bodies, including Layla’s dad, all of them either had their throat slit or got hit by darts, they didn’t have a chance… I need to be way more careful with my friends… and probably tell them when I feel like we shouldn’t stick our nose into problems that are not ours, but it is also true that this endeavor earned me a lot of magical energy, while I used most of it, I still feel better than I ever been… but do I want to grow my power on the life of people that have chosen to help me?

As I mull over these things Evan and I get the wagon ready to depart, giving Marina and Lionel time to get ready.

The village paid us for helping the foreigners… even though they paid us more for getting rid of the renegades killing people, Layla threw in an extra for me helping her find his dad’s body, so stopping here wasn’t a complete waste of time.
Also since my part in the fight was big and after the “threat” from the foreigner, Lionel decided to pass by one of the big towns on the way to the capital, to make it know I’m an aspiring adventurer and not a rogue magical creature killing people unchecked. Another reason to pass by a proper city was that Lionel’s chest plate could not be saved, the darts did a number on the metal and it was scrap at this point.

So when we are all ready we depart saying goodbye to George and Layla which are the only ones seeing us off aside from some of the other rangers.

We get back on the road, the forest starts getting way noisier for 3 days.

In those 3 days, my traveling companions were mostly silent, which wasn’t normal so, I decide to confront them. I wait for the time when we stop to eat and ask: <so… how do you guys feel? you have been kinda quiet for 3 days… And I admit I’m not that great at reading the room>

Lionel looks at me and says: < It’s not because of you Ivo, you did a good job, on my side though if you weren’t around I would have just thrown my group into a death trap, to help idiots none the less, I felt bad for the rangers though and thought we could pull it off, but there were so many red flags, the confused intel, how uncooperative the foreigners were being… I should have refused the job. That is why I’m silent Ivo...> he chuckles and continues <...I’m regretting my decision>
Evan says: <hey old man, nobody here blames you, nobody is perfect, I will still follow your lead, no matter if it leads me in a grave, I’d still be in a crap situation if you didn’t hire me>
Marina says: <Y-Yeah Lionel, it’s not your fault, we just need to train harder, and replace your chest plate, plus, we learned that something is going on and that multiple people seem to know about the vacuum of power left in the forest after Ivo leaves, there is no reason for a Nekra and its entourage to be in this forest, foxes, and cats never were friends, during the 1st wave they were made to fight each other, but it still doesn’t explain who or why tried to seal your “mother” it takes some serious magic to seal someone that powerful, and they did it without anyone knowing until the smoke could be seen from the nearby villages, and they’re just happened to be a party of “renegades” ready to take it over>

I am a bit confused and say: <What? you lost me, you think the Nekra and its entourage knew there would be “free” territory soon and they were going to my temple fortress?>
Marina nods energetically: < it’s the only thing that makes sense, a Nekra you could dispatch would have no chance against any of the other known magical creatures around the human empire… we kind of make them thrive to make us thrive… or stay very far away from them.>
<Wait wait wait… if humans have a good relation with magical creatures, why do I need to be this covert? why all the distrust> I ask, even more confused.
Evan chimes in and says: <Nobody knows you, and you saw what happens with Demi-humans and careless humans, with magical creatures, it can be 10 times worse, plus magical creatures tend to clash with each other, introducing a new magical fox into a place where there is already someone else owning the territory is just asking to see some very dangerous fireworks, so with that in mind, no human wants anything to do with an unknown magical creature, even if friendly, its just way too much trouble, but our kind leader decided to trust you, and hey, you saved us, so, good choice>
Lionel said: <Dont suck up now, I never doubted Ivo for a second, I even allowed my armor to be broken for him>
Evan laughs and says jokingly: <”Allowed”>

I pretty much understand why people would be afraid of me… they don’t know if I’m hunting for life energy or about to fight one of the magical beasts they are familiar with for power, reasonable enough… I hope it stops once I become a proper adventurer… but probably not, still them being scared should prevent them from attacking me.

After Evan’s joke, the mood lightens a little and I feel better knowing that they are less tense now and after the meal, we get back on the road.
Soon the forest starts giving out to hills, nice and sunny hills, I feel pretty naked now that there are very few trees around, but I just need to get used to it I guess. The hills don’t last more than one day and ahead I can see many fields, as far as the eye can see… well probably a human’s eye, I can see better, I strain my eyesight past the fields and I can spot something that looks like a city surrounded by walls, though it’s still miles away and I can barely make out anything, I notice the walls mostly, and some tower-like things.

<Is that the city we are going to?> I ask Marina, which is sitting next to Evan on the wagon driving bench.

I notice her strain her eyesight too but then she shakes her head and says: <if it’s in that general direction it must be, though your sight must be awesome to see something that far away… it is still 3 days of travel, around these parts is just hamlets farming fields or raising cattle… Evergreen plains they are called… since the weather is always nice all year round, and it is all thanks to 4 weather fairies that live in these lands… the people from “evergreen city” made a pact a long time ago with them, we don’t bother their rites and treat the land with respect, they let us farm all year-’round, most of the food that circulates the kingdom comes from here… at least the high-quality one. Oh! and they are called weather fairies because they can change the weather on a whim, but they get power through the sun and the moon, like plants, so they use their weather powers to chase away any unwanted dwellers of their territories… nobody likes a cloud raining lightning on you all day long. They do not like death or war, so this place is very much peaceful… well except thieves, but those are everywhere, their deity is one of the kinder, ones to those that...>
<That is enough Marina… I missed your information dumps, but let’s not catch up on those 3 missing days right now ok?> I say to stop her.

As much as I enjoy her “lectures” I prefer to be ready for them, or else I get a headache trying to follow, Its nice to know this land should be peaceful; hopefully, I can make a proper introduction to human civilization over here

<Sorry Ivo...> she apologizes
<No worries, tell me about it when we stop to eat, it is interesting, but not all at once> I say amused, so it’s not all bad, humans seem to be able to get along with magical creatures just fine if they live together like that.

We indeed get to stop for a meal near a field of what looks like wheat, or some kind of yellow grain, but before Marina can start I ask something else: <I noticed something, does this kingdom not have resting stops for adventurers or traders? except for the villages, there doesn’t seem to be any roadside tavern or inns>

Lionel answers me: <there are, but they are just on the main roads, once you leave the heart of the kingdom you are pretty much on your own, the villages either depend on what they can farm/hunt or from aid from the Noble that sponsors them and yeah, villages are generally a bunch of families sent to a place because there is need of human presence there, or for gathering of certain resources, and they generally only last until they can sustain themselves or until something gets pissed off enough to wipe them out, that said, it is not a “you are forced to be there until you die” situation, you are generally paid to live in a village, and well, most times a village just disbands the moment too many people die, like if we didn’t help the last village they would have probably lost a few families, or completely abandoned the village, that’s why I do my best to help out villages...>

Marina chimes in too: <not all villages are work camps though, some times it is just a group of families trying to find another place to settle, and well, that’s basically how we expanded from the capital… just attempting to settle into a place and see if we could get along or defend against what was already living here, I do have to admit no village doesn’t lose at least one family every year… either to attacks or bad living, but that’s why adventurers exist and thrive, we help those that can’t help themselves>

I nod and ask one final question: <One last question and then I’m ready for the lecture on the city... how many human kingdoms are there?>
Marina says: <Humans are everywhere but if you mean specifically kingdoms led by a pure human there are only 2, this one, and another one on an island a few months away from here, but they are isolationists… they don’t allow anyone on their island, it is speculated that this kingdom was born when people that wanted to be more open and friendly left the island and went colonizing elsewhere, but well, it has been since the start of the 3rd wave that nobody had contacts with them, so we can’t compare history, actually we don’t even know if a human is leading the island still.>

So it’s an exception and not a rule, I’m interested to meet the ruler or rulers of this kingdom now.

<Ok, you mentioned a wave already before… what are these waves?>
Evan and Lionel Stifle a chuckle but marina looks at me with a look of pity and says: <right… you don’t know anything… look you already said you don’t want long lectures so I’ll summarize things as quickly as possible, there have been 4 waves since creation, wave 0 is the wave of beginning when the dragons created the world as we know it and it lasts until they started bickering and separated. Next is the 1st wave, the wave of strife, when the dragon at the apex of their powers created powerful magical beasts to fight each other the wave lasts until the dragons start to lose their power and the magical creatures start accruing enough magical energy to ascend to godhood. The 2nd wave or the wave of Demi-humans starts when the dragons having less power start making demi-humans do their fighting, causing more deities to be formed, and the 3rd wave which is the one we live in started when the dragons almost completely lost their power and started creating abominations, called monsters to plague their creations and us, humans, with their pettiness… There is s much missing in this explanation that I am ashamed to even explain it like this, but like in school, it is a topic discussed over at least a month per wave, if not more. I’ll buy you a book on the topics in town, or point you to them if you want to know more>
I nod and say: <sure, something to read would be great, at least I would have something to do when you guys sleep>

Lionel says: < It’s time to be on the way again, I think you sufficiently talked Ivo’s head off for now>
I say: <I have to admit it a lot to take in, but if the look on marina’s face says something is that I need more knowledge, plus the more I know the less likely I am to embarrass myself>