Mariah approached the innkeeper at the table.
"What are you doing at the counter, Old Olaf? Where is Matilda?"
"Aye, can't do this job like the wife can. I am made for the physical work in the backyard but she is with cold. Been two days. I left her in the room to rest. Been working in her place until she gets better,"
Olaf said with a grimace, stealing a glance upstairs.
"She is a strong woman. Don't worry so much."
"Mhm," he nodded.
"What brings you here?" He asked, extending his big hands to grab Peter from her.
He then lifted him above his eye level. "He is not afraid, a good sign."
He nodded to himself with a satisfactory grin before carefully returning him to his mother.
Mariah passed him a parchment and a small book.
"Last month's calculations. I was on my way to visit Elder Minerva so I thought I would pass it on to you by my own hands,"
She looked around before asking, "I see some new faces."
"Thank you. I wish there was a skill that allows you to calculate," He nodded to her, putting the parchment and the book in a drawer of the counter.
"Adventures on a hunt for a magical beast deep into the woods," He added, noticing that the mentioned people were done with their breakfast and approaching the counter.
"8 coppers," he received a nod in return from the strong man carrying a Greatsword on his back before he tossed the shingles on the counter.
The young lady did not stop and continued walking toward the stairs, the eyes of the commissure closely following her figure.
Peter looked at Rose from the corner of his eye, she was livid and fuming with a dark look on her face. He could only shake his head and click his tongue at that.
***
Jane joined her husband at the counter, eyeing the newcomers around it.
She nodded at Mariah in greeting before her eyes fell on Peter.
The pair of ocean blue eyes were locked, taking turns to stare at the pair of red and grey eyes.
The staring contest lasted for a dozen seconds before Jane smiled and looked away.
"It looks like the child liked your eyes, love," Larry laughed, putting his hand on her shoulder to make her lean on him.
"Likewise," she giggled back.
"How old is he?" She casually asked Minerva.
"Four and a ten months old," she replied, tightening her hold on the child out of everyone's eyes.
"Hmm, Odd. I thought he was born on the night of moons convergence with how much mana he is brimming with. Events like that do have a precedent of expanding the mana pool of a child born under them. Regardless, your child has a lead if he wants to pursue being a mage once he grows up,"
she advised, out of no particular interest.
"How can you tell?", Rose couldn't help but ask, unable to hold her curiosity.
Jane smiled at that, pointing a finger to her red eye.
"This eye is a physical manifestation of rare skill. It lets me see the density, flow, signature, and type of mana in the environment. Comes in handy when tracking humans and beasts alike,"
"Children lacked the protection that people had after their first advancement, letting me glimpse a general sense of how much mana they possess. He contains a lot more compared to many other his age,"
She explained, waiting for Liz to come back with her Staff and her wand from their rooms.
"She means no harm, the skill is passive in nature," Larry added, in case the mother felt wary.
Mariah slowly nodded.
They soon left once Liz returned from the stairs.
***
Crunch, crunch…
The trio slowly navigated around the lush green trees with trunks wide enough that even if all three of them hugged it, the perimeter would still be larger.
The canopy of the trees only let a minuscule amount of sunray pass through, making it impossible for all but a few of the shrubs to survive in the ground.
The ground was covered in a layer of dead branches, leaves, and other bio-flammable materials. Thus, walking silently was almost impossible unless they made use of some sheath skill.
Liz didn't have one.
"Make sure to not use spells from the fire branch," Jean warned, avoiding an anthill.
"I am not a fool,"
"Good."
"We will go much deeper this time. The first few trips were just to get familiar with the forest before we fought in it, and now that Jean had identified the creature's mana signature from the rabbits it hunted, we could begin our hunt in earnest,"
he was not carrying his beloved greatsword, but rather opted for a much smaller blade.
It would have been a fool's errand to swing such a big weapon around trees.
All three were carrying a set of daggers on their leather utility belts and a few bottles of potions.
They marched on.
…
…
Hehe he he *screech* hehe hehe *woo hoo woo* rustle
"What is that sound?",
Heads spun full circle to identify the source of the sound.
"It's coming from above," Liz pointed into the canopy a few meters ahead of them.
In answer, a fruit with a hard shell came flying toward her which missed her by a tiny margin when she stepped aside.
A few more came flying down but the trio had already taken shelter behind the tree trunks.
As the volley of fruits subsided, Larry cautiously peered out from his hiding spot, curious to see the culprits responsible for the commotion.
Amidst the swaying branches above, he spotted them—the creatures whose fur blended seamlessly with the lush canopy, rendering them almost invisible to the untrained eye.
Their long tails hung gracefully as they moved from branch to branch with remarkable agility, their lithe bodies weaving through the treetops like shadows.
Larry noted the claws adorning their hands and legs, gleaming like polished daggers in the dappled sunlight.
These were no ordinary monkeys—they possessed the strength to break bones with a single swipe, a testament to their formidable power despite their diminutive size.
Observing their bat-like wing membranes, Larry grimaced at how effortlessly they glided through the air, covering vast distances with each graceful motion.
Despite their small stature, these creatures were masters of their domain, ruling over the rainforest canopy with unmatched skill and finesse.
And now, they had unwittingly become the focus of Larry's hunting gaze.
He turned to his counterpart, "Leafwing monkeys."
Jane nodded back. "How many,"
"A bunch,"
"Clustered together?", she asked, raising her staff.
"To your south, on top of a tree branch. Make sure to peek first.", He said, readying his sword.
He had full faith in the fact that they would be falling from the branches and it would be his job to finish them before they could realize what hit them.
Jane cautiously approached the southern edge of their hiding spot, taking care to remain hidden from view.
Slowly, she peeked out from behind the foliage, her eyes scanning the treetops for any sign of movement.
Sure enough, she spotted the cluster of leafwing monkeys perched on a nearby branch, their verdant fur blending seamlessly with the lush canopy.
With a nod of confirmation to Larry, Jane raised her staff, focusing her mana on its core.
As she targeted the closest monkey, her concentration intensified, channeling her energy into the staff before invoking a powerful skill.
{Chain Lightning}