“Please, hand over this report to the guild. They should respond proprietary to the mana presence in the forest. You can expect a lot of more adventurers in your establishment.” Celine gave a piece of paper to the waiter responsible for guild duty. The man had concern on his face but it changed immediately after he heard about more customers coming to their village.

Sam and Sien waited for their new companion in front of the inn. They played “rock, paper, scissors”. Clear annoyance was visible on Sam’s face as he was unable to win since they started.  

“Shall we begin our journey?” The elven mage said, informing them that she is ready to head out. 

The party headed out south to their next destination, a village near the mountains that is known for the passage between mountains with a skilled guide, Skalern. With this help, they will shorten their travel by a full five days of walking. If they are lucky enough they might catch the boat downriver to save even more time. 

While they were traveling Celine taught Sien the basics about the runes she knew about. Most of them were simply spells like making a fire, a source of light, or a gust of wind. Whenever they made a stop, Sien trained with his saber. He had two masters—one for swordsmanship and one for magic. Before he went to sleep he would always repeat all the runes he knew. That way he could quickly remember and draw them when needed.

Before reaching the village they found an elderly man lying down by the tree. There was a broken cane by his side. Sam and Sien rushed to the man's aid. They were asking if he was hurt or in any pain.

“I’m not hurt. It’s hard for me to walk without a cane and the main broke as you can see.” The man explained as he showed them his broken cane. It was made of old wood that slowly deteriorated. 

“Were you going to the village by the mountains by any chance?” Asked Sien.

“Yes. In fact, I live there.” 

“We’ll help you get back home.” Sien gave the old man a hand, helping him walk toward the village, he took the man over his shoulder and assisted him with walking. Sam had a genuine smile, seeing that his students took his teachings to heart.

The mountains grew tall right in front of the party's eyes. They passed a few lumbermen on their way. Each of them greeted the old man. When they reached the Skalern, everyone turned their gaze at them and the old man beside them. Some showed concern for his health to which he replied “I’m fine. My cane just broke.”

Skalern was a lively place. A lot of stalls selling wood or items for daily use. The village lived out of the wood they cut and processed. There weren’t any major farms. Only small gardens that the villagers set up in their homes. 

The man instructed where his home was and on the way, a woman ran up to them. Everyone thought it was a relative of his until she said “Did something happen to you chief?” 

“I’m alright Julia. This young man helped me get back to the village.” Said the old man as he patted the boy on the back, letting him know that he could handle himself for now.

“You’re the chief of Skalern?” Asked a bit surprised Sam.

“Indeed I am. Have been for the past twenty years. This place is not some small village as you can see. What brings you to our humble place, if you don’t mind me asking? Is it for the festival?”

“There is a festival?!” The boy's eyes widened with just a single thought of how fun a festival could be.

“Yes. It begins tonight. Right after sunset.”

“Can we go?! Can we go?!” Asked Sien, turning to Sam with big eyes to convince his master.

“That depends on the guide. We have to reach our destination as fast as we can.” Said Sam, trying to sound as serious as he could to knock that idea out of Sien’s head.

“The last guide of the day will probably leave in around an hour. But it doesn’t make much difference if you go now or early in the morning. In the end, it will be a two-hour difference and you’ll have to sleep two days in the mountains where the weather drastically changes.” Explained the chief.

“I’d like to reduce the time that we have to sleep on hard ground… Let’s take the one in the morning.” Celine was tired of sleeping on the ground for the past few days. She only wanted to get a proper sleep on a comfortable bed.

“Fine.” Sam finally admitted his defeat. Sien and Celine celebrated their victory. Celine didn’t look like it on the outside but inside she was as happy as the young boy beside her.

After parting ways, the group went to find the inn. The chief pointed them in the right direction. The establishment was built on the side of the mountain. Most of the building was made of stone carved into tables, stools, and railings for example. The dominating color of the building was purple with banners at the bar that had eagle on them. Those were the banners of Peresia House.

“I don’t like this place…” Whispered Sam.

“Why is that?” Asked Sien as he didn’t know much about other families except for their colors and symbols.

“Is it about the rumors about the Peresia House?” The elf asked.

“You heard rumors. I heard the truth from my master. Alk House was the kindest, the rest were natural, and Peresia… Greedy. It’s all about money for them.”