Chapter 8: Into the Woods

  The north gate guards waved them through without a second look.

  "Two miles north," Keya said, notebook out. "Whispering Woods, forty-three acres, oak and birch. Silverleaf grows near water. Stream runs through the eastern section."

  Tom grinned up at her. "You wrote all that down?"

  "Proper preparation prevents poor performance."

  "That's a lot of P's." He shrugged. "I was just gonna wander around until I found shiny leaves."

  Elias smiled. Keya plans. Tom charges. He'd be somewhere in the middle.

  Fields of wheat stretched gold on either side. Farmers in the distance. Elias felt a pang. His father would be out there too, wondering how his son was doing.

  I'm doing fine, Da. First quest and everything.

  "So, Elias." Tom pulled him back. "Scout skills. What can you actually do? Besides the headache thing."

  "It's not a headache." He activated Keen Eye. "That farmer has a patch on his left boot. Hawk circling half a mile east. Keya, you've got ink on your thumb."

  Keya frowned at her hand. "I thought I cleaned that."

  "Two hours," Elias said. "Used to be thirty minutes."

  "Two hours!" Keya's pen flew. "Walking speed three miles per hour, plus search time—you could maintain perception for most of our fieldwork."

  Tom laughed. "Math about everything."

  "Math is useful."

  "So are instincts." Tom dropped into a crouch. "Shh! Movement!"

  Keya's hand went to her sword. Elias's heart jumped.

  A deer stepped out, looked at them, and ambled off.

  Tom straightened, grinning. "Just checking."

  "That wasn't funny."

  "A little funny."

  ---

  Whispering Woods lived up to its name. Wind sighed through oak and birch, a constant murmur just below hearing. Dappled sunlight shifted on layers of last year's leaves.

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  "Stream should be east," Keya said. "Three hundred yards."

  Elias closed his eyes. Beneath the whisper, a faint trickle. "This way."

  He moved through the trees, feet finding quiet paths. Light Step guiding him around twigs, choosing firm ground. A week ago he would have stumbled and crashed. Now it felt natural.

  "You're good at this," Tom said.

  "Just paying attention."

  The stream was clear and cold, chattering over stones. Six feet wide, shallow enough to see the bottom.

  "Silverleaf grows low, near water," Keya read. "Five-pointed leaves, silver-green underside. Thirty bundles."

  "Found some!" Tom crouched ten yards downstream, pointing.

  A cluster grew in damp shade. Dark green on top, but when Tom turned a leaf, the underside shimmered metallic silver.

  "That's it." Keya checked her notes. "Cut stems an inch from the base. Ten stems per bundle. Don't damage the roots."

  Tom pulled out his knife. "How many per plant?"

  "Take no more than a third. Sustainable harvesting."

  They worked. Peaceful, methodical. Tom's small fingers moved with surprising delicacy. Keya counted stems. Elias used Keen Eye to spot more clusters.

  "Another patch here. And thirty feet upstream."

  "Eleven percent show previous harvesting," Keya noted. "Recent. Someone else took this quest."

  "Plenty for everyone." Tom stretched. "No monsters, no danger. I could get used to this."

  Elias kept scanning. The forest felt safe, but Sergeant Marks's voice lingered: Preparation keeps you alive.

  ---

  Twenty bundles. Two-thirds done.

  "My back hates me," Tom said.

  "We can break." Elias's Keen Eye had been active over an hour. Strain building, not painful yet.

  They sat on the stream bank, feet in cool water. Keya updated her notes. Tom tore a small loaf into three pieces.

  "Mum's recipe." He handed them out. "Bakery in the Merchant Quarter. Sent me with enough bread for a week."

  "Lucky," Keya said. "I've been eating Guild hall stew. It's fine. Economical."

  "Boring," Tom finished. "We're a party now. Look out for each other."

  Elias took the bread. Simple. Sharing food by a stream. But this was what he'd left home for. Not just adventure. Friends to share the journey.

  "Right," he said. "A party."

  ---

  "So why adventurers?" Tom asked.

  Keya was quiet. "Security. Adventurers can make good money. Guild protection, clear advancement. Plus, I like knowing things. Every quest teaches you something."

  "Practical." Tom looked at Elias.

  "I wanted to see what else is out there." Elias considered his words. "Millbrook is good. It's small. I grew up watching adventurers pass through, hearing their stories. I wanted that. To be part of something bigger."

  "And the levels don't hurt."

  Elias smiled. "The levels don't hurt."

  "My whole family are bakers," Tom said. "Good bakers. Happy bakers. I didn't want to spend my life covered in flour. I wanted excitement. Danger. Stories worth telling." He gestured at the peaceful woods. "Herb gathering isn't exactly dramatic."

  "Give it time," Keya said. "Statistically, we'll see combat within our first ten quests."

  "You really have stats for everything."

  "Information is power."

  "And I thought Elias was the Scout."

  ---

  They finished the last ten bundles quickly. Elias spotted a rich cluster in a shaded hollow where a fallen log pooled the stream. Keya tied off the thirtieth bundle.

  "Quest complete. Two hours, seventeen minutes."

  "Told you it would be easy," Tom said.

  ---

  The walk back was leisurely. Sunset painted the sky orange and pink. Elias kept Keen Eye active out of habit, watching the city walls grow closer.

  The north gate guards recognized them. "Back already?"

  "Quick quest." Tom patted his pack.

  Inside, evening crowds filled the streets. Lanterns lit, warm pools of light. Cooking smells drifted from taverns. Silvercrest at twilight felt intimate, different from daytime chaos.

  The Guild was still busy. Mira waved from a corner table. They waved back.

  Helena at the quest desk smiled. "First quest completed? Let's see."

  She examined the bundles. "Clean cuts, proper bundling, good quality. The herbalist will be pleased." She counted coins. "One silver, fifty copper. Congratulations."

  The coins were heavy in Elias's hand. His first earned coin as an adventurer. He divided it. Fifty each.

  "Not bad for an afternoon," Tom said, pocketing his share. "Beats baking bread."

  "Quest completion logged," Helena said. "Credit toward rank evaluation. Keep it up."

  They stepped away. Elias felt something settle in his chest. They'd done it. Completed a quest. Earned money. Worked together.

  "So," Tom grinned. "Meat pies. Three copper each. I know a place."

  Keya closed her notebook. "Meat pies are acceptable. We should budget—"

  "We just earned money! Let's celebrate."

  "Celebration is important for morale. Within reason."

  Elias laughed. "Meat pies. My treat."

  "Your treat? We all earned the same—"

  "First quest celebration. You shared your bread. Fair's fair."

  ---

  They left the Guild together. Elias let Keen Eye fade. He didn't reactivate it. For now, he just wanted to walk through the city at sunset with his new friends, coins in his pocket, tired in the good way.

  Tomorrow they'd take another quest. The day after that, another. Slowly, they'd get stronger. Rise through ranks. Become real adventurers.

  But tonight, three friends shared meat pies and stories.

  That was pretty good too.