Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Chapter 6

Published at 6th of June 2021 10:50:50 AM

Book 1: The Explorers of Flowtier

Chapter 6: First Expedition

Jend: “And we’ve arrived. Henry, this is where we hunt demonic creatures - the Flowtier Forest.

It was a massive forest. The trees were spread far enough apart, so we wouldn’t have too much trouble swinging our weapons, but it went much deeper than I could have imagined.

And at the edge of the forest, I can sense the corruption suddenly getting thicker. Well, I say “thick” but this would be average anywhere else in the world, but I’ve been told that it does get worse the deeper you go.

Well, any natural setting without much human interference would end up like this.

Looking cautiously around, I locate a lone Killer Dog hiding behind a large tree. He’s looking this way.

Jend: “If you were an adventurer that went deeper into the woods, you would normally camp inside the forest.”

Henry: “Dang, then it must be a pretty large forest.”

Now that I think about it, I should have purchased maps of the Flowtier area. Well, I guess that can wait.

Cyril: “A Killer Dog is staring at us…”

Henry: “It’s probably a scout. See? It’s running now.”

Killer Dogs travel in packs of 10 to 20. There are apparently jobs and roles they play within the group, and sometimes, you’ll see them coordinate effectively as they attack.

They’re only a little stronger than your average dog, but if you’re a novice adventurer in a solo or pair team, facing these things suck.

Well, Jend and Cyril have been fighting these guys mainly, and I’m not lacking in experience. From what I gathered from them, these Killer Dogs do not differ greatly with the ones around Ligaleo.

Henry: “...alright.”

I take out my Nyoiten Spear and extend its length.

The trees could get in the way, so I keep the length as a short spear that is slightly longer than my height.

Henry: “Alright, let’s do this just as we discussed.”

Cyril: “Yes! Let’s do this!”

The scariest thing would be getting caught off guard behind us, so I’ll cover the very back and be on the lookout.

When it was just the two of them, they would stand side by side and be very weary of attacks from all sides. With our current formation. We can move more smoothly and more quickly.

Henry: “Oh, are we able to gather medicinal herbs in this forest?”

Cyril: “Yes, there are herbs you can pick, but their quality will be low.”

Jend: “I’ve seen some other adventurers trading golden apples. Maybe you can find some deeper in the forest?”

Henry: “Oh wow. That’s used as a recipe item for high-level potions. They’re also good eating them as-is.”

We are being cautious with our surroundings, but continue our chat.

It’s hard to stay focused 24/7, and you don’t have to completely let your guard down, but easing some of the tension will help you move more efficiently.

...and a little further up ahead, a pack of Killer Digs greet us.

They most came after their scouts report. Killer Dogs tend to be more aggressive and won’t back down from a fight.

They let out a low growl towards us.

Their deep voices rumble as they try to intimidate our group

There are 8 out in the open that I can see...there must be more hiding elsewhere.

Henry: “Jend! Watch your flanks! Don’t let them catch you off-guard! There’s a few hiding!”

Jend: “Got it!”

As I was sending precautions to Jend, Cyril went straight into her song.

Jend: “Come at me!!”

Jend gets into his main stance with his large broadsword, and taunts them with loud shouts. This is a good way to draw their attention. There’s actually a certain way you can inflect your voice to make your taunts more effective.

The pack of Killer Dogs charge towards Jend, but before they get there...

Cyril: “Jend! Step back a little bit! …[ICICLE COFFIN]!!”

Cyril completed her magic and a straight blue line blasts straight forward.

It hits the Killer Dog in the front and center and instantly turns him into an ice cube.

A giant iceberg taller than me traps 3 Killer Dogs inside.

Jend: “ZeAhh!!”

5 more still come forward at Jend. He swings his sword and dispatches them with little effort and risk. One by one they fall, and he punches one with his gauntlet when it got close.

One Killer Dog got past and runs by Jend.

Jend: “Sorry! One got through!”

It’s running towards us. I was about to step in front of Cyril when my ears catch 3 sets of footsteps.

They probably took the long way around to try and attack the rearguard. There is two from behind and one flanking Cyril from her left.

The one in front still has a little ways to go.

Henry: “Cyril! I’m leaving the one in front to you!”

Cyril gives me a thumbs up, as she starts her second song.

Henry: “[CONSTRICT] Katerno + [LAUNCH] VELOS!”

I deal with the one running towards Cyril with a trap arrow. If I send an attack and fail to kill it, the consequences could be severe. With this, I can slow it down for sure.

An arrow of light streak across the air. The nimble Killer Dog jumó aside to dodge the arrow, but too bad. The arrow transform into a chain and wraps around its legs.

I confirm that my spell captured it before turning my attention to the two approaching fast behind me.

...but honestly.

Henry: “Sh!”

Two deadly thrusts to both Killer Dogs coming from different directions.

One pierced its head while the other pierce its heart, and both fall lifeless in the air and crumple as they hit the ground.

...yeah, going against a Killer Dog’s speed, I can strike 4 times before they reach me.

Cyril: “[BRIGHT BOMB]!”

Jend: “It’s over!”

The one headed towards Cyril explodes in a cloud of light, and Jend cuts down the last remaining one

I end the life of the Killer Dog still trapped in my magic with a single thrust and the fight is over.

Henry: “Are any… no. None are left. Good job everyone.”

Cyril: “Great jo—b!”

I high-five Cyril.

Jend: “Sorry I let one get by.”

Henry: “Hey, don’t worry about it. You had your hands full.”

Jend returns from where he was out far ahead.

Well, I’m sure when it was just them two, it would have been more serious to allow creatures past and get to Cyril, but today, I had him focus on taking them down instead of slowing down the enemy. He doesn’t have to feel bad.

Even if Cyril’s magic wasn’t going to make it on time, there were still many options to deal with her threat.

Cyril: “Let’s see. I took down 4, Jend is also 4, and Henry is just 3. Henry is last!”

Henry: “Yeah yeah, I’m last. I’m okay with last.”

Cyril: “Yes! I beat Henry—!”

Henry: “Uh huh. You know there’s a way we can directly determine the winner and loser.”

Cyril: “Oh—-, you know I’m just kidding Henry. Just Cyril being silly.”

Well, yeah, I know she’s kidding.

If your merit in battle was purely based on the number of takedowns, then the rearguard focused on support would gain nothing, and that’s not the case.

Henry: “Well, that wasn’t too bad overall. Let’s collect the drops and look for more.”

Cyril: “Yes! This time, crush them while they’re iced, Jend!”

Jend: “Sure, sure.”

The demonic creatures begin to evaporate, and we went around collecting their remains.

In total, we were left with 10 Killer Dog fangs, and one rare drop of a Killer Dog fur.

Henry: “Alright. Is that about it?”

Since then, we took down 5 more packs of Killer Dogs, 6 Crazed Rabbits who came at us, and one stray Kobalt.

Cyril: “Yeah, considering our route home, we should start getting on our way.”

Jend: “We got plenty of drops and our luggage is getting full too.”

So I carried about 70% of the luggage, Cyril 20%, and Jend 10%. Cyril doesn’t have the muscle to carry more, and I didn’t want Jend, our main attacker to be weighed down, so it ended up this way.

Henry: “Okay, then let’s head back.”

Cyril: “Oh but usually, isn’t some trouble supposed to suddenly come at us when a new party member joins?”

Henry: “Don’t say stuff like that.”

It’s best to not run into those sorts of trouble and arrive safely back at home.

Henry: “By the way, how’s everyone feeling?”

Cyril: “I’m a little hungry, but otherwise fine. I still have plenty of magic left in me.”

Jend: “We rested in between fights so I’m still good for a while.”

…yeah, these guys are ahead of the game. Any other new novice adventurers would have been exhausted with the amount of fighting amar did.

That means they seriously trained well up until now. They’re not like newbies who fight with just guts or amateurs who only know how to wildly swing their weapons.

Jend: “But Henry, you’re seriously something else. You killed everything with a single thrust.”

Henry: “Well, they were just Killer Dogs.”

Jend: “If I could hit them head on, I could take them out with a single blow but…”

Cyril: “Haha, both of you have a long way to go. I can take out several with one shot.”

Don’t mix magic with standard weapons. Sure, MAYBE I could take out a few with a single thrust if they are lined up just right, but AOE magic of course has a better chance of taking out more with single shot.

Jend: “But you’re also good at locating them even before the demonic creature notice us. I really want to get better at that.”

Henry: “It’s just a matter of time. Once you start fighting more and more, it’ll get easier. Real scouts are much more incredible than this though.”

They don’t need to find the actual demonic creature, but they will pick up their footprints or sense remains of their magic and quickly track them down.

Cyril: “Oh, but this is our first time with a real adventurer, and you sure are the real deal! Definitely amazing and reliable! The Don of Adventurers! Heroic Warriors really stand out. I need to work harder.”

Henry: “Cyril, what are you after?”

She’s too obvious.

Cyril: “Oh nothing really. I may be thinking you would be way, way, WAY cooler if you carried my portion of the luggage too, but only that.”

I ignore her.

I let out a exasperated sigh as I think over our progress today.

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Cyril: “I wonder if I’ll get 4 draws again.”

Henry: “I may have earned at least one draw myself.”

Jend: “The Heavenly Treasure Vault, huh. I wish they would do something about those low odds.”

Henry: “I heard that wa———y back when, they had different items pop out, but apparently the contents have remained the same the last 2-300 years.”

There’s rumors saying the gods already got bored of it.

Henry: “Oh, looks like we didn’t run into any trouble on the way back.”

As we were talking, we come to the edge of the woods. The sun already crossed the high noon point a while back and was heading towards its setting point quickly. By the time we arrive at Flowtier, it will be sundown.

Henry: “Well, good work everyone.”

Cyril: “Oh Henry, you can’t let your guard down until we reach town.”

Henry: “Okay, okay.”

Jend: “Oh, let me at least carry half, Henry. There shouldn’t be any battles on the way back,”

I pass some luggage to Jend, and we all head back together.

On the way back, I feel a slight weariness, but the walk back from an adventure is one of my most favorite moments. At Ligaleo, you had a 100% chance of running into more demonic creatures, so you could never be this relaxed .

I think I like this kind of slow pace more.

And with those thoughts, we hit the road returning home.

On our return to Flowtier, no one was badly injured so we went straight to the church.

I got 1 draw, and the other two got 3 draws from the Heaven’s Treasure Vault.

I got an uncommon potion that raises your speed.

Cyril got 3 common wands, and Jend got a sharpening stone, rope, and a common great sword.

Cyril: “They’re totally out to get me! This is so unfair!”

We try to calm Cyril down as we sell off our goods and split the earnings 3 ways.

And of course, we have to celebrate our first adventure together with a dinner at the Grandes Church tavern.

Henry: “To our adventure’s success”

Cyril: “To our safe return”

Jend: “To our victories”

CHEERS! And you can hear our voices echo in the tavern.

Henry: “Glug glug glug, FWEW~~~~!!! A long drink after a hard day’s of work is the best!!!”

Cyril: “Henry, you’re such an old man.”

Jend: “But I have to agree that the taste of ale after an adventure really is the best.”

Cyril is drinking a juice cocktail, and Jend is enjoying ale the same as me.

Henry: “Can you guys handle the drinks?”

Cyril: “Jend is strong against alcohol, but not me. I only started drinking after I became an adult.”

Jend: “Everyone in my family tends to hold their liquor well. We didn’t go out and drink, but had plenty of it during family gatherings.”

Oh I see. Maybe we can have a little drinking contest, huh?

And as we are talking, the food arrives.

They had a large pot of stew, so there was no prep time.

We split the large bowl into separate smaller bowls and…

Henry: “Oh this place is good too.”

The gizzards have a strong, deep flavor which goes well with the ale.

I mean, seriously, the difference of quality in the raw food items is night and day compared to Ligaleo. It was hard getting shipments to the frontlines, and we couldn’t farm and grow our own food.

Cyril: “Oh, Henry, where are you staying right now?”

Henry: “Oh, uhh, I’m at the Bear’s Keg Inn. You know the place?”

Cyril: “Um, yeah, I think I’ve heard of it.”

Jend: “I know the place. I heard good things about it.”

The son of a merchant would know of these things.

The rest of our food arrives, and we enjoy a feast that matches our ravenous appetites.

It’s important to recover and regain all your nutrients after an adventure.

And naturally, we start talking about our expedition.

Jend: “Man, it made a world of difference with 3 - the stability was astounding.”

Cyril: “I know right—? When it was just the two of us, we had some close calls, but we couldn’t find anyone to join us just for some Kilker Dogs—.”

Henry: “Oh, in that case, you could use tools to cover that gap. Like for example…”

I teach them about some useful support items.

...huh.

I was originally planning on going solo in Flowtier, but this isn’t bad either.

I could easily solo enemies like Killer Dogs, but solo adventuring always carries a high risk.

All it takes is one mistake, one moment when you lose your focus and let your guard down. Or what if you start feeling sick during the trip? What if you get injured in a spot you can’t address alone?

Of course, being in a party has its own risks. Especially because of the relationships you have to maintain.

Henry: “Hey, you two.”

Cyril: “? What is it?”

Henry: “This is only if you want to, but would you guys like to team up with me?”

It’s only been 3 days since we met. We only did one expedition together. Forming a permanent party May have been moving things along too fast.

Cyril: “I’m fine with that—. What about you, Jend?”

Jend: “Of course, I’ll be glad to have him join us. I was just thinking that it would have been hard moving up to the next step with just the two of us.”

That’s true. You can handle Killer Dogs with just these two, but fighting stronger foes would require a bigger party.

Jend: “Why don’t we go a little further next round and search out some Kobalt packs? Honestly, it felt too easy today.”

Henry: “Kobalts, huh. They don’t have great equipment, but they’re armed and have some wits about them so it’ll be tougher.”

But they are still in the realm of novice adventurers to target.

Cyril: “Why not go for Wild Bears more deeper into the woods?”

Jend: “I think it’s doable but I don’t want to be in too much of a hurry to rank up. You’re more likely to get injured.”

Jend is serious about reaching the Heroic Warrior class. He’s hungry to move up, but at the same time, he makes some solid and slow decisions. I agree with him.

No matter how strong you are, you can lose your life with one mistake. It’s best to be careful. Results will always follow later.

We lift our cups high in the air.

Today is a good day to drink.

From that day forward, we completed our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th expeditions and grew more as a team.

Chapter end