4 On the Road (1/2)

After Liliana opened the small sachet around her waist, the pile of monster materials vanished from the room. Looking at the face of excitement on the face of her brother, she couldn't stop a smug smile from creeping onto her face.

”Wow, where did they go!!?” Kalin asked with wide eyes.

”Hmph,” she stuck out her chest and bragged, ”something like this is a piece of cake. A great adventurer, such as I, has to have at least one or two storage items. How else do you think we would be able to carry all of our spoils?”

Seeing the way Lili was acting, Kal responded, ”Lili, you're so cool!”

The smile on her face got a little larger as she pointed her chin higher, as if to make herself look greater, ”I am pretty cool, aren't I?” Contrary to her intent, however, her height combined with her cheerful demeanor made her look more adorable than awe-inspiring.

As they finished preparing for their journey, they snuck up the stairs, as to not wake anybody up. They proceeded to exit the cabin, quietly closing the door behind them as they exited.

As they reached the edge of the valley, Lili stopped and turned to Kal, ”Remember, we shouldn't run into any hostile monsters because of my skill 'Friend of Nature'. Just make sure that you follow me closely.”

”Yes!” Kal answered, unable to hide the excitement that was on his face.

”Follow me” Lili gestured as she smiled at the reaction of the adorable creature. Following closely behind his sister, Kal took his first step of his first journey outside the valley.

They were moving at a somewhat cautious, but not too slow pace. As the trees passed by them, Kal felt like he was in a dream. The forest was a mixture of vibrant colors, as various trees and plants of many varieties dotted the landscape. Some of the plants, he was able to identify from Lili's potion and mixing lessons, while others were completely new to him. Occasionally, they would even pass by one of the famous Ironoak trees that became the namesake of the forest.

Ironoak trees were extremely hard to miss. Often passing 50 meters in height, the pure black trunks and metallic leaves stood out against the colorful surroundings. Famed for its toughness and versatility in the making of equipment, they were highly sought after by many craftsmen. As a material, Ironoak crafted more similarly to metals than other woods. Though some people did make decorative carvings out of the wood, the more common methods of refining included smelting and smithing. Along with its resistance to heat, they also had a high affinity to magic. As a magic conductor, it was comparable to much more expensive materials such as mithril, though it is used more as a material for armor and staves instead of melee weapons.

Despite Ironoak items were extremely popular and the material quite abundant, they remained small in number due to the dangers associated with gathering it. There are not a small number of adventurers that die each year from the razor-like leaves falling from the trees. If one is able to avoid being surprised by the falling leaves, they would find themselves with the task of cutting through several meters of one of the strongest naturally-occurring resources in the world. It is at this point where the real battle begins, legions of leaves would fall from the leaves as if to protect the tree from further harm. And this doesn't even take into consideration what happens after the tree is cut down and needs to be cut into smaller pieces, though I digress.

Through and through, the trip through the forest was passed without any danger. Though they didn't encounter any dangers, the duo did get lucky as they found some rather rare and valuable herbs along the way.

******

After leaving the forest, Lili and Kal soon encountered the road that lead from Den city to a nearby town by the name of Sweetgrass. Little towns with a few thousand residents, like Sweetgrass, dotted the landscape around the forest. While adventurers couldn't make as much money selling materials in these cities and the goods available lacked in comparison, many adventurers preferred to take these settlements as their base of operations. Due smaller population, navigating was much easier. Also, there were never huge lines in the various guild branches either. Everything was at a much more personal level, and many enjoyed living away from the overcrowded city while still being privy to its benefits.

As the two of them were walking along the street, Lili turned to Kal to confirm, ”Do you remember everything I told you?”

”Yes, I am a succubus, your half-sister, that is on her way to the church to get my status board. I've been living in a small village in the west that doesn't have a name.” Nodded Kal.

”That's right,” she nodded in conformation, ”you must make sure to not mention that you are an incubus, or even a boy for that matter. There are various perverts out there that would want to steal you, so they can lock you up and add you to their 'collections'.”

”Why would they want to do that?” Inquired Kal as he tilted his head.