Chapter 18: The Heart of the Journey Part 2: Changes
[Location: Town of Valestián - Kingdom of Tevell]
[A week and 5 days have passed]
The next morning I woke up and I could see that Celes was not there and neither was her things, which seemed very strange to me since she always came to my room to see if I was already awake, that made me wonder where she could have gone so early, The best thing would be to go out and see if I could find her outside the inn.
-Zyrus: Good morning, haven't you seen my partner leave?
-Innkeeper: (Sleepy)...uh?....ah...good morning..., if you mean....(yawn) the red-haired girl with....armor...she came out about 2 hour and a half....
-Zyrus: Thanks and.....uh....take care...
"She got up early, but why didn't she tell me where she was going?"
The innkeeper, like yesterday, was in that state of exhaustion, I don't know how someone can work in those conditions, but it wasn't my problem anyway, I left the inn and tried to see if Celes was in sight but among the people What was there that morning I didn't see a trace of her.
-Zyrus: Where did you go Celes?
I was starting to worry, maybe it was something I told her yesterday or something I did or didn't do, but whatever the reason, she doesn't usually leave without telling me first, I looked for Celes through the streets of the town, where the cart was, in the restaurants, in the blacksmith shops, throughout the market but I couldn't find anything that would indicate where I was.
-Zyrus: Ugh....this is ridiculous, why does she even think of doing something like this now?
-????: Did you lose something friend?
I heard someone talking to me behind me, when I turned around I saw a young man with medium short green hair, because of his clothes he looked like a traveler or something similar.
-Zyrus: Ah!...I...I'm just looking for someone.
-Young Enthusiast: Oh, did your girlfriend run away from you?
-Zyrus: (Blushing) What!?... no... she's not my girlfriend, she's my... partner.
-Young Enthusiast: Just kidding friend, I'm Duane Mercer and I'm a Merchant by profession.
(Duane Mercer - Merchant - 28 Years)
-Zyrus: Oh..uh..I'm Zyrus Corvus, I'm a traveler.
The young merchant and I shook hands, because of his attitude he didn't seem bad but it was strange that out of nowhere he started talking to me.
-Duane: Traveler? Geez, I thought you were a Hunter because of that beautiful sword you carry.
-Zyrus: No, it's my partner who is the Hunter, I carry this sword for my personal protection.
-Duane: I see, well the truth is I was hoping you could help me with something.
-Zyrus: Why don't you post it on the Tavern board?
-Duane: This is a more discreet matter, don't worry, it's nothing illegal, you'll see I have several alchemy shops in the kingdom and this town is where I do most of my work.
"Several alchemy shops? Wow, this guy must be swimming in money"
-Duene: But I made a request for some materials that are a little...complicated to obtain and those who bring me the order are not entirely...friendly, so I thought that having someone armed present would be good security, of course you I will pay for the help.
-Zyrus: I'm really busy looking for my friend so I don't think I can help you.
-Duane: Ah but that's not a problem, tell me what she looks like and I'll see if one of my lookouts saw her.
-Zyrus: Huh? really? well, she's tall, about my height, red hair with a ponytail, she wears steel armor and a sword on her waist.
-Duane: Okay, give me a few seconds.
At that moment Duane whistled and after a few seconds a blue bird came down from the sky and landed on his arm, then I think he whispered something to him and sent the bird back to the sky.
-Duane: It will only be a few seconds.
-Zyrus: What was that?
-Duane: One of my lookouts, I have several of these little birds flying around the town and around her.
-Zyrus: Incredible, I didn't know you could do that.
-Duane: Ah, they are not mine, they belong to a person who works for me.
A few moments later the little blue bird descended back into Duane's arm and he looked into his eyes as he released his peeps, this was something really strange, it reminded me of Douge's ability to control animals.
-Duane: Aha...I see, thanks my friend, you can go back to your work.
Then the little bird took flight again in the sky and flew through the town.
-Zyrus: And what he told you?
-Duane: Apparently your partner has been going through the boards outside the Guard Station and City Hall doing hunts, she was last seen leaving the west exit like about 30 minutes ago from where you came from.
-Zyrus: So she's been doing that all morning? I think she was serious about raising her Hunter rank, .... wait, how did you know which way we arrived?
-Duane: I told you, my lookouts tell me everything, no one enters or leaves this town without my knowing.
"Is this guy serious? He sounds like a mob leader right now."
-Duane: When you have a job like mine, it's always good to know everything that's going on around you, it's a type of security.
-Zyrus: Well, I appreciate the help, I suppose that now you want me to help you with what you asked me for.
-Duane: Exactly, normally I would ask for someone more intimidating but the moment my lookouts saw you they told me that you are more than what you seem.
-Zyrus: Sure, let's finish this, surely she will worry if she doesn't find me at the inn.
The merchant nodded and asked me to follow him and we started walking out of the market and through some streets, I didn't know exactly what to expect but knowing that Celes was out hunting, I guess I have some free time until she returns, we finally arrived. to a warehouse where there were many boxes and people of different races working but I noticed that all of them wore the slave collar.
-Duane: Here we are, this is my warehouse where I store and ship to my other stores.
-Zyrus: They are...your workers?
-Duane: That's right and I know what you're thinking, because I would have a lot of slaves working for me, surely it's inhumane and stuff, but believe me when I tell you that it's more preferable to have workers you can trust.
-Zyrus: I guess you say it from experience, right?
-Duane: Something like that, in my beginnings I was somewhat naive and I made several mistakes, the biggest was entrusting some personal recipes to a "trustworthy" employee.
I could see how his face twisted in annoyance when he mentioned that employee, and he turned his gaze to the ground while he looked at his fist.
-Duane: Days later I found out that the competition began to sell products made with my recipes, the bastard had sold them to the highest bidder, so to prevent something like this from happening again, I decided to use slaves.
-Zyrus: I see what you're trying to say but...
-Duane: Relax, as you can see, they receive daily food, decent clothing and I take care of their health, also because they are under my control they cannot disobey an order, are they more trustworthy? Yes, it is morally accepted, it depends on who you ask.
-Zyrus: Huh... I guess so.
As we got closer, an elf woman with blonder hair and a ponytail came up and looked at Duane while holding a wooden board in her hands.
-Elf Worker: Welcome back Master, as you requested, we already have everything ready to receive the shipment of materials.
-Duane: Perfect, Zyrus let me introduce you to my right hand, Mizell Rivertalon, she takes care of everything when I'm not around.
(Mizell Rivertalon -Duane's Right Hand- 136 Years)
-Mizell: Nice to meet you, Mr. Zyrus.
The elf gave a curtsey and I returned the greeting then she looked at Duane, at the same time he returned the look and nodded, followed by the elf giving a whistle and after a few moments a red bird came down from the sky and landed on it. the elf arm and just like Duane did earlier Mizell looked at the bird as he chirped.
-Mizell: I understand, Master, the shipment has just entered the town, they will be here in a few minutes.
-Duane: Excellent, tell everyone to get ready, this guy is not easy to deal with.
-Mizell: As you order.
The elf sent the little bird back to the skies of the town and then returned to the warehouse, she saw Duane somewhat nervous and worried, whoever the person she asked for the cargo must be someone dangerous to put it that way.
-Zyrus: And exactly what do you want me to do?
Duane: Huh? ah... well, just stay by my side and try to look tough, let him know that I'm in charge here.
I nodded a little confused, I didn't know exactly what I had gotten myself into or what to expect from all of this, but maybe this way I could learn something from all of this. A few minutes later a carriage appeared and from behind a large cart that stopped at the entrance to the winery, from the carriage under a short-haired man in a purple silk beret with feathers and a purple silk coat who then approached to Duane.
-Fancy Merchant: My, my, Duane, you still have this old stinky cellar, you should be grateful that I came personally.
-Duane: I'm glad to see you too my lord.
The merchant put a white handkerchief to his nose and I could see Duane forcing a smile and kindness at this guy, now I understood well what he had to deal with.
-Fancy Merchant: Hmpt....I see you still employ these filthy creatures, if you wish I can send you better quality workers.
-Duane: No, that's fine my lord, they serve his purpose well but don't pay attention to them, I hope you didn't have any problems on the trip.
-Fancy Merchant: Except for those pesky checkpoints, having to pay those guards to keep their mouths shut is a pain, so I hope you get the pay I asked for, Duane.
-Duane: Of...Of course my lord, I'll bring it to you right away.
Duane signaled to Mizell who entered the warehouse in search of the money, at the same time the merchant ordered his men to unload the cargo. they were huge and muscular guys, now I understood why he asked me to look intimidating.
-Zyrus: What's in those boxes?
-Duane: Some materials that, let's say, are very rare and are not found in these parts.
-Fancy Merchant: Huh? who is this?
The merchant looked at me quite closely and I tried as Duane told me to see me as a tough guy, putting on a serious look and puffing out my chest.
-Duane: Ah, he's Zyrus, he's helping me with security, there have been many robbery attempts in the area and I wanted to increase security just in case.
-Fancy Merchant: I see..., you look familiar to me, haven't I seen you before?
-Zyrus: Huh? no...I...I mean, not my lord, I come from the capital and I arrived yesterday to the town.
-Fancy Merchant: Really?...I'm sure I've seen you somewhere, but I don't remember where.
The merchant was looking at me for a long time trying to remember something that clearly never happened but in the end he gave up.
-Fancy Merchant: Bah... forget it, I think you just look like someone I saw.
After a few moments Mizell appeared with a small chest in his hands which he placed in front of Duane who proceeded to open the chest in front of the merchant.
-Duane: Here you have my lord, see that here is all the money you asked for.
-Fancy Merchant: Ahhh...excellent, yes, it seems that everything is here.
The merchant ordered one of his men to take the chest and took it to the carriage, after the merchant's men finished unloading, they returned to the cart, he seemed very satisfied with the deal.
-Fancy Merchant: Very good, Duane, I hope we do business again in the future hehehe.
-Duane: Of...Of course my lord and have a good trip back.
The merchant got into his carriage and within moments he and his escort disappeared from the scene.
-Duane: Damn that was hard....
-Zyrus: But at least it's over, although I don't feel like I've done anything.
-Duane: No...No...you were perfect, if you weren't here for sure that old bastard would have tried to charge me more than what we agreed, he is that kind of person who likes to change agreements halfway.
-Zyrus: Seriously? Well, in that case I'm glad I helped you... I think.
-Duane: Come with me, surely you want to know what's in the boxes.
I nodded and followed Duane into his warehouse where his men were already working moving and accommodating the boxes inside, Duane ordered one of them to open one of the boxes and after a few seconds I could see the inside of him .
-Duane: Look at this, animal parts and flowers that come from the other side of the world, I had to pull a lot of strings to get this deal.
-Zyrus: Incredible, it is like nothing I have seen before.
-Duane: Exactly, with this I can create all kinds of potions and concoctions never seen before in these lands, anyway, I'll bring you your payment for the help, wait for me here.
He entered a room inside the warehouse while I was looking inside the box, that made me think about how huge this world is, I had only seen something of this kingdom but Niciqueira I stopped to think about what there was more there, how many other kingdoms or continents.
-Duane: Well here you go, a bag with 5 gold pieces and a special gift, one of the most recent creations, I call it the "Hero's Elixir"
I took the bag of gold that Duane gave me and also the vial that contained a yellow liquid inside that I thought was my imagination since it also shone a little.
-Zyrus: The "Hero's Elixir" ? And what exactly does it do?
-Duane: Well if my calculations are correct and they always are, that should boost your body by increasing your base power up to ten times more but the effect will only last 5 minutes and may have some side effect.
-Zyrus: Wait, like what side effect?
-Duane: ah...nothing serious, extreme exhaustion is the most possible result, in the worst case it could end up causing you a heart attack due to the excess adrenaline that the elixir generates.
"A heart attack? Is this guy serious?"
-Duane: But don't worry, surely nothing will happen to you, besides, it wouldn't be great to have a quick improvement at hand in case a situation gets complicated, it could even save someone's life.
That got me thinking, there was no doubt that this elixir had dangerous side effects but having something this powerful on hand would undoubtedly be very useful, you never know what could happen in the future, besides what that merchant told me Knowing me, I worry a little.
-Zyrus: I appreciate it Duane, I'll put it to good use.
-Duane: If you survive, come tell me how it worked for you, okay?
Those final words that Duane said to me as I walked away didn't give me much confidence in using the elixir very soon, I put the vial in my bag and headed back to the inn, possibly Celes must have already returned.
-????: Zyrus!
While I was walking down the street back to the inn I heard someone calling me from behind, when I turned around I saw that it was Mei who was running towards me.
-Mei: (Gasping) I...I was finally able to find you...uff...where you were,...I spent a long time looking for you.
-Zyrus: Mei? what happen? What were you looking for me for?
-Mei: When Celes didn't find you in the room when she came back, she got scared and asked us to find you.
-Zyrus: Really? did she get scared? Imagine how I felt when I woke up and she wasn't there.
-Mei: Gosh, don't act like a child now, we agreed to meet in the tavern after half an hour, she goes there, I'll go tell the others that I found you.
After that, she ran away from where she came from and I stared at her while she got lost among the people.
-Zyrus: Geez, I guess she must be more panicked than me when she didn't find me in the room, ah but wait for me to see her she'll also get an ear tug.
Nothing more to say, I went to the tavern, I was asking the address of the taverna since Mei forgot to tell me where it was and after about 5 minutes I finally arrived. she had never entered a tavern before, but it was just as I imagined.
-Leah: Zyrus!
Leah and Aeryn were sitting at one of the tables in the tavern, they were happy to see me while Leah raised her hand to call me.
-Leah: Where have you been? we were worried about you.
-Aeryn: Wh... when we didn't see you here, we thought you were lost again.
-Zyrus: I was walking around and I didn't get lost, only Mei didn't tell me where this place was.
-Leah: Oh...hehe, I must have imagined it, you still don't know this town well.
I sat next to them to wait for Mei to return and after a few minutes we heard someone enter the tavern and take quick steps towards us.
-Celes: (Gasping) My....My Lord!
-Zyrus: Hey Celes, what's up?
When I turned around, I saw Celes agitated, I imagine that running in search of me, I simply limited myself to greeting her and looking at her with a smile as if nothing had happened.
-Celes: (Gasping) What...what's up? Do you know how worried I was about you? I thought... I thought something had happened to you.
-Mei: (Gasping) We... you had us all worried.
-Zyrus: I was also worried when I woke up this morning and you weren't there, Celes, I went looking for you in the town and luckily someone had seen you leave the town to go hunting, so I decided to take a walk when you were coming back.
-Celes: Bu...But My Lord, I left you a note that I was going to be hunting in the morning.
-Zyrus: Wait, what...?
-Celes: That's right, I left a note on the table and when I arrived and he wasn't there and there wasn't a note from him either, I worried... I worried a lot.
I could see how her face twisted with how worried she was, although I didn't exactly see the note and even if she had seen it I don't think she would have understood it.
-Zyrus: I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to worry you.
Both Celes and Mei sat down with us and I explained where I was and what I was doing, I decided not to tell them about "Hero's Elixir", I wanted to keep it just in case and I didn't want anyone to know about it yet.
-Mei: Well, at least you did something productive.
-Aeryn: Bu...But don't scare us like that again.
-Zyrus: I already said I'm sorry, the opportunity presented itself and I took it and I didn't know when Celes would return.
-Celes: It's okay, My Lord, I'm not angry, I was just worried about not finding you, but there's nothing to worry about anymore.
She ended up smiling happily at me and I felt bad for thinking that she had left without saying anything, I guess sooner or later I'll have to learn this language or things like this could happen again.
-Leah: Well since everything is solved, how about we talk to you about what we planned before all this?
-Zyrus: What were you planning?
-Mei: There is a super hunt that the tavern keeper mentioned to us.
-Celes: A...super hunt?
-Aeryn: Formerly in this town there was an iron mine near the northeastern mountains, but after a landslide it was abandoned.
-Zyrus: Huh, an abandoned mine, that sounds appealing.
-Leah: Since then the monsters took over it and a few weeks ago they tried to clean it up to get it back but they say that deep down there is a huge monster that took the mine as its lair.
-Mei: So we think that if the five of us go, I'm sure we can defeat that monster, what do you say, the reward is huge and they claim to instantly rank up the group that manages to defeat that monster.
The three girls seemed convinced about doing this, I think they completely forgot how they were running for their lives from a bunch of Kobolds just yesterday and already wanted to risk their lives like this again, I guess they were thinking that by going with me and Celes, the hunt would be easier.
-Zyrus: Entering an abandoned mine to hunt who knows what thing living in its depths with high risks of serious injuries and possible death? Maybe it's the smells I inhale from the merchant's exotic materials that cloud my judgment, but it sounds interesting.
-Celes: Are you sure, My Lord? We don't know what could happen.
-Zyrus: Of course, I want to take advantage of the adventure while we're here, don't you think, Celes?
She looked at me slightly surprised knowing what I was referring to and then smiled at me as she nodded.
-Celes: You're right, it would also be the perfect opportunity for you to experience combat in other environments.
The three girls were happy to see that we accepted the idea, I suppose this would be interesting but above all I don't know why I felt so excited about this, normally I would avoid this kind of unnecessary danger but something inside me drives me to do it, I I had been feeling like this since I woke up from my long sleep, I thought that this change might be due to how my Blessing affected me not only physically but also something else may have awakened within me.
-Mei: Well, we'll go get ready, we'll get there faster if we go in your wagon so we'll meet there when everyone is ready.
We all nodded and the three girls left the tavern, I kept thinking about all this, I didn't know if I had the time to deviate like this, but I also wanted to experience more in this adventure, there are so many good and bad things in this world .
-Zyrus: Do you think I've changed since we met Celes?
-Celes: Huh? why do you ask me that?
-Zyrus: Since my Blessing was activated, I have felt that something in me has changed, not only in my combat ability but also something in my personality.
-Celes: Well, if you ask me, if I have felt a change in you but since long before your Blessing, since we faced the Tamer and the King of the Forest, I could notice a change in you.
-Zyrus: Since that? Oh, when I decided to learn to fight.
-Celes: Yeah, I wasn't sure at the time if it was a good idea, but seeing her determination to learn was really inspiring.
-Zyrus: It's not that big of a deal either, hehe
-Celes: And since you woke up from your dream I also felt another change, I no longer feel so reserved but more lively, as if what before weighed on your mind had gone.
-Zyrus: Well, that being the case, I guess it's because of everything I've already lived here, I still wanted to go home but I'm not in as much of a hurry as before, so while we're here, let's enjoy.
She agreed and before leaving we ate something delicious and went to prepare for the expedition that we would have, who knows, this could all end up being a great story to tell one day.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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