"This is as far as I can go." Elrion stopped in front of a city gate and turned his horse back towards the caravan. "This is the frontier city between the capital's territory and that of Coteau Viscounty, Altura. To all members of this expedition, I bid you good luck, and may Lord Flare's blessings be upon you."
The cavalry unit led by Elrion lined up neatly along both sides of the road, keeping their steeds steady and their bodies rigid at attention. Several carriages moved along the road towards the open city gate. Banners were set up, and cheers from the citizens of Altura rang through the streets.
"... Thank you for the hard work, father." Alfina, riding on her personal steed, moved past Elrion. Aria was following closely behind her and only nodded at Elrion, not uttering a single word.
"Be safe, both of you." At Elrion's words, both Aria and Alfina halted and turned their heads towards their father. "Aria, I will void the punishment that Melinda has imposed on you and your friends, so please, come and visit. I am sure Mona... and Eleanora, would miss you."
"I will. Be safe as well, father."
"Alfina... I am proud of you... and you should be proud of yourself. Everything you have accomplished, and everything you will accomplish in the future, will always be a source of pride for me. I am sure Melinda's strict discipline on you comes from her love to you."
"... I know. Just keep on watching, and you will see my name etched into history."
After a brief moment of silence, Aria and Alfina proceeded to enter the city, with Elrion watching them as they disappeared into the crowd. "All units! We will head West! Move!"
***
The governor of Altura, the head of a Baron family that branched off from the Viscount Coteau family, invited the entire caravan into his mansion. Utmost hospitality was given to the caravanners, especially towards the hunters bearing the mark of Angelos.
"It is truly an honour, to be of great service to those blessed with our Lord's grace." The governor bowed reverently towards his guests, but his eyes remained fixed on Aria. "Please, enjoy the meals and the honey mead."
Rosa, noticing the governor's gaze, stepped forward and gave an elegant greeting. "We are incredibly honoured by your kind gesture, Baron Dessous, however, we must politely decline the alcohol, for we have another long journey ahead of us."
"... There is no need to worry about that, lady Rosa. Enjoying a great drink before a perilous journey is a must."
"Fufu, that may indeed be the way of the old, but still, we must insist on not indulging upon the beverage. Beauty lies upon those who hold discipline and those who master their desire. Otherwise, one would be no different to uncouth savages." A gentle smile spread across Rosa's face, but her eyes gave off an angry look.
"... My apologies, I do not intend to demean you... We will be serving some premium juices and milk-based drinks instead."
The feast began with a calm atmosphere where polite greetings and jests were exchanged.
"... You have questions. What is it?"
"Eh, how do you...?"
"It is written all over your face, Aria. Let me be a good sister and inform you about the governor." Alfina got closer to Aria and, in a whisper hidden beneath the merry voices, told her sister that the current governor was a greedy man who wanted to climb the social ladder.
"... So that is the reason for the overly warm reception..."
"Despite being related to the honourable Coteau family, he was arrested for several crimes he committed in his own domain and was stripped of nearly everything he had. His cousin, the current head of Coteau family, intervened and had his sentence reduced. Now, he is essentially confined to managing this city under their watch."
"Hmm, why the alcohol though?"
"I am unsure about it myself but, I think by making us stay here longer, it would signal to the world that we are on good terms or something."
"... That makes sense, but still, it is a rather poor attempt. I do not think the rest of the Empire would think as such if we stay for another day."
"Well, there is a reason why he was caught in the first place." Pondering for a moment, Alfina made a wry smile. "A rather stupid reason, actually."
"... For some reason, I do not feel like knowing what he did and how he got caught."
"Sigh, someone like him who shows his intentions so openly is rather easy to deal with. On the other hand, those with power who know how to mask their thoughts are much more difficult to deal with."
The feast went into the night. As the sun peeked over the horizon, the entire caravan had gotten ready for their departure and exited through Altura's southern gate.
Leaves rustled over the gentlest of wind and flowers released their pollen. Insects flitted from flower to flower while birds sang their melodies to attract mates. The hilly terrain of Coteau Viscounty supported countless forms of endemic life that thrived at various altitudes.
"That must be where Lao-Shan Lung passed through." Looking down from an uphill road, Alfred analysed the damages caused by the presence of the elder dragon. "Trees were flattened and hills crumbled under its massive weight... Truly, the work of an elder dragon."
"Don't lean too far out." Scarlet rode closer towards her partner peeking out of the carriage. "You have already seen what that dragon did during the siege, that much destruction is natural. Also, despite leaving such devastation in its wake, nature will eventually reclaim the land and give rise to new life."
"Indeed, but it still brings a sense of awe and horror. Thank God that we survived that encounter; now, that behemoth is resting peacefully in the Hollow Valley."
"We are about to enter the Valle Forest!" The caravan leader, Remal Ruin Sabah, Marquis of Sabah from Kemet, informed the entire group of the sea of trees ahead. "Most of the monsters in this forest are harmless, but do be careful of the various poisonous animals."
As the caravan entered the forest, the temperature dropped and the light dimmed. Sandwiched between two hills, Valle Forest trapped the sinking cold air, while the various cave systems beneath the canopy held on to that frigid air, causing ice to persist despite it being the middle of spring. Water from the Great Lake of Cor Stella ran beneath the vegetation, making the soil damp and muddy in certain areas of the forest.
"The creatures in this forest are colourful. It is quite beautiful." Aria leaned back against a rock after finishing her bowl of stew. "Yet, the beauty hides a myriad of poisons."
"The bright colouration serve as a warning to others. That Viper Tobi-Kadachi we have hunted before was also brown or orange, which stood out against the greyish background of the caves." Marion gave Aria a cup of warm herbal tea before sitting beside her. "Therefore, if a creature is brightly coloured, there is a good chance that it is poisonous."
"Heh, that might be true, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Rathian, for once, blended well against the greenish vegetation despite packing such potent poison in its tail."
"Oh, right. Well, I have never encountered one so... you got to excuse me for that." A chuckle came out of Marion, clearly enjoying the conversation with Aria. "Speaking of Rathian, it is a shame that Princess Lilium cannot join us."
"Are you referring to her weapon, the Princess Arrow? That is quite the leap." With a wry smile, Aria enjoyed the floral aroma of the tea. "Well, Princess Lilium needs to finish her curriculum in the Nobilitas Academy. In fact, this year will be her final year."
"I was hoping she can graduate early, like Alfina..."
"Alfina is on a different level, actually. To think that she managed to pass all those brutal exams and graduated as soon as she entered... I am rather jealous of her intellect."
"Hahaha, I doubt I would even be able to enter that academy."
"Hey, you two! Let's clean up and get moving!" From a distance, Catherine waved her hand towards Aria and Marion. She took the bowls and cutlery from both of them and carried them to a nearby stream to wash before packing them together with the food supplies her mother, Astrea, was in charge of.
"Let me help you."
"Oh, there's no need for that, Viggo. I am done anyway. Just need to wrap and tie these things..."
"I'll do it, so just take a rest and join your mother." The young man who volunteered as a blacksmith to support the expedition took over from Catherine and neatly arranged the items before wrapping and securing them. "I owe you my life, after all."
"Oh, come on. That was months ago, and it is also because of you that I was blessed with the mark of Angelos."
"Still, if it wasn't for you, I would have been trampled by that dragon. For that, I'll always be grateful to you. So if you need help, anything at all, I'll always be there for you." Viggo beamed a bright smile at Catherine as he finished the task; something about it tugged at her heartstrings.
As Viggo left to get on his designated carriage, Catherine climbed up to the driver seat and urged the horses to move, pulling the carriage with food supplies.
"He seems like a good boy."
"Huh, wha... what are you saying all of a sudden, mother?"
"Well, you are fifteen and in a few days, you are going to be sixteen. It is about time that spring comes for you." Astrea smiled gently, which confused Catherine. "Though, I must say you are a late bloomer..."
As days passed, the caravan traversed deeper into the vegetation and came across a large cave that served as a resting spot for many travelers to resupply their water. Large pools of clear water surfaced within the underground chambers and the workers went in to collect barrels of water for the rest of their journey through the forest.
"Ugh, why is the soil around here so muddy? Is the water in the cave even safe to drink?"
"You are right, lady Rosa. It is unnatural that the terrain this deep within the cave is still awfully muddy. In fact, it got dirtier. Are the pools overflowing?" Alfred inspected the muddy ground and was suspicious of the dampness. As the team reached the first pool, they realised that the wall had been breached. Soil was spilling into the pool, causing it to overflow and cover the area with mud. "I guess, we found the reason..."
"... Let us head deeper and pray that the other water sources are still usable." Alfina led the team deeper. Fortunately, the muddy ground was localised within the area around the first pool. "Seems like our fears are unfounded. Let us quickly gather the water and rest for the day."
The workers began filling up barrel after barrel of water and bringing them out of the cave. With so many horses and people in the caravan, the workers had to fill barrel after barrel, making several trips back into the cave before the caravan had enough water for the journey ahead.
"Hmm? What is that?" A worker on his way back into the cave whilst carrying an empty barrel noticed something moving in the dark corner where the first pool was located. He slowly got closer to inspect, but was startled when a Common Ground Hog hopped into the light. "Oh my Lord! It's just you, huh..."
"Hey, what're you doing sitting down there?" Another worker carrying a filled barrel approached in confusion.
"Nah, I'm fine. Just got myself spooked by this fella here." Pointing to the small animal, he let out a small chuckle. "Well then, I'll get going... hmm? Why is this guy acting weird?"
The Common Ground Hog, which would normally run away or charge forward, wobbled around as if drunk. Its mouth foamed while purplish viscous liquid covered its back. The sight puzzled the men, but before they could say another word, a whip swatted the animal, launching it towards them. Both managed to avoid the flying animal, but sparks of light pulsed in the darkness before a blinding flash struck their eyes, instantly incapacitating them as they wriggled around in pain.
"What happens?" Hearing the commotion, Aria, together with Alfina who had been guarding around the deeper pools, rushed into the scene. Seeing the workers wriggling in pain while clutching their eyes, Aria cast healing spells while Alfina launched a fire spell to illuminate the entire chamber. "So that is the source of this mess."
Startled from Alfina's fire, the creature charged recklessly towards the sisters, but Alfina performed an upward slash with her glaive to its head, redirecting its charge. The beast then spat out its purple saliva. Both Alfina and Aria held one worker each and dodged the attack that sizzled upon impact with the ground.
Several workers were coming out of the inner pools area while carrying their filled barrels, but Alfina stopped them. "Get back and stay by the inner pools!"
The other workers coming in to the caves with empty barrels were similarly stopped by Aria. "Drag these two and inform the rest that a monster has appeared!"
The monster had a stocky build with relatively small wings. Its long pinkish tail with bulbous tip stood in contrast to its bluish grey body, but its most prominent features were the lamp-like head crest and the oddly-shaped beak.
"I think I have read about this thing before. It looks nothing like what you drew." Alfina vaulted away from the beast to avoid the purple spit.
"Oh shut it. As if you can do it any better..."
"If I am not mistaken, this thing is weak against fire and resistant to thunder, right? Well, that's lucky for me and unlucky for you"
"Yeah, these Pulsar Hatchets are not going to be useful against this beast."
"Unless someone brought your other weapon, I will be the damage dealer while you support with magic." Alfina sent out her kinsect and twirled her glaive: Kut-Ku Pike. "Now then, let us begin the hunt of Gypceros, the Poison Strange Bird."