Chapter 05: The first few steps into a giant world

The outside world was far larger than she had ever imagined. Nevertheless, she had to get the medicine for Eryll, so there was no turning back now. As he looked around her, she suddenly felt so small in comparison to the world around her. She feared that no matter how hard she tried, she would never find the medicine needed for Eryll. Heck, she didn't even really know what she was looking for.

 She shook her head, now was not the time to start panicking. Instead, she decided to try and find the road that Norschtalen had told her about. Which was proving rather difficult given how large the world was. She ended up walking round the rim of the woods, when she followed the woods North West, it led her to an older scarier looking forest. It gave her a creepy feeling, so decided to head South East. As she went further, she came across large boulders, they made it difficult to go any further.

 Meeth was lost. She had no idea where she was going. In her despair, she decided to try and follow the river, maybe a walk along the sand would help her out. Besides, this was the first time she’d ever seen sand, surely it wouldn’t hurt too much. As she walked along the beach, she noticed something strange. It was a dirt bath, almost like a road. It was a fair way in the distance, but she could see it.

 "If you leave this village and follow the main road, eventually you’ll reach a big town." A voice whispered in the back of her mind. It was what Norschtalen had told her early. Everything clicked into place, she’d finally found the path she’d been searching for. If she was lucky, she would make it back before night full. Besides, it had only just reached the afternoon, there was no way it’d take her the rest of the day. Right?

 With a path to follow, Meeth finally set out again with a new-found determination. It would be simple, walk into town, find the cure, and then bring it back to the village. As she walked along the path, another thought wiggled its way into her head. "It’s attached to a very powerful monster" Bachenn had said to his son. Which was making her feel suddenly less sure of herself once again.

 As she approached the large bridge which seemed to lead into town, her nerves were starting to get the better of her again. *It was huge!* She’d never seen anything like it. She wanted to turn tail and flee. Still, she pushed on. As she began her trek along the bridge, she noticed two people standing either side. One was a tall yuke, dressed in purple robes and hat. While the other, a selkie, hair purple, clothes green.

 Noticing her approaching, they seemed to perk up, probably with the intention of talking to her. Though it was likely the mage looking fellow would know something about making the medicine, it was quite possible the adventurer looking man would be able to deal with the ‘powerful monster’ that she may end up battling. With her mind set up, she decided to approach the selkie.

 He grinned at her, “Hey-ho, what’s up? You’re new in town, huh?” He said before she could even get a word in. “This place is the main watering hole for treasure hunters, searching for whatever’s left of the ancient civilisation.” He paused for a moment. “You’ve got a hankering for gold, too, right, kid?”

 Meeth wanted to explain the reason for coming all this way, but wasn’t given the chance. She wasn’t really interested in gold, she didn’t even really know what you were supposed to do with it. All she knew was that people used it to trade it for other things.

 Even though Meeth hadn’t said a word, the selkie continued to talk. “Well, you’re going to fit in just fine here. This town is full of dreamers! If you’re looking for a fellow adventurer to hook up with, drop by the guild and talk to the guys and girls there.”

 (Well you’re a dreamer all right.) Meeth thought to herself. But his suggestion might not be too bad, it would give her a chance to make some companions on her quest for the medicine. Before she could ask for directions, the yuke chimed in.

 “Just one moment, PLEASE! Those so-called treasure hunters of the guild are nothing but grave robbers!” he declared. “You should know better than to try and mislead a nice young girl such as this.” He said while gesturing towards Meeth. “In the middle of this town there is a great library. Archaeologists from the world over gather here to study artefacts of the ancient civilisation. What better way for a young person to spend her time than reflecting on the romance of the ancient civilisation and partaking of its wisdom?” He inquired, before becoming stern, “Do not allow yourself to be led into wicked ways!” he warned.

 The selkie waved his hands, “Oh, pipe down, scroll-head.” He snapped. “If we didn’t dig up those treasures, you scholars wouldn’t have anything to study!”

 “Poppycock! If you cared about learning, you would donate your findings to the museum.” The yuke retorted, waving about also.

 “Hey, I gotta eat like everyone else, old man.” The selkie yelled back.

 “Harrumph!” The yuke said in response. Before the pair turned away from each other.

 Meeth looked at them both, really, what a pair. She wasn’t quite sure if there was any point in continuing to try and talk to them. Though she did want to find out more of this ‘guild’ and the library. She looked between the pair and decided to try talking to the yuke instead. The library could be helpful, it might tell her what medicine she might need. Strolling over to the yuke, she decided to ask.

 Instead, the yuke turned around to talk to her. “Well, young lady, why don’t you tell me where you come from? There’s nothing around this town but ancient ruins and wastelands stretching away as far as the eye can see. I know of no other towns or villages nearby. And you don’t look like an experienced traveller. It must have been frightfully difficult for you to come all this way.”

 Meeth shook her head. “Not at all! I’m came from a small village within the forest. It really isn’t that far.”

 He looked stunned, “What’s that? The forest, you say!?”

 “You don’t mean THAT forest!” The selkie said in shook, pointing in the direction of the older and more creepy forest. “The place where witches dwell and the trees grow so thick and close that not even the sun can penetrate its eerie depths?”

 Meeth wanted to say the younger forest. There was no way she was going to live in the creeper one. Even she knew better than to enter the old forest.

 The yuke shook his head disapprovingly, “Y-you shouldn’t joke about things like that.” He appeared to be somewhat shaken up. “Dark humour doesn’t suit you. Forget about that forest, and stop telling stories about it!”

 “But I wasn’t-” she began, but quickly decided it was better not to press any further. The yuke probably wouldn’t mention anything else for a while, and the selkie just stared at her in horror. So instead she made her way past the shop with the cat out front and into the archway. She continued until she crossed a bridge with bunting on either side and found herself in a rather different area of town. She decided that this place would make a good place to start asking about the medicine. So, she first walked over to the store with a small lilty woman standing inside. “Hello” she said nervously.

 The lilty woman turned to face her, “Welcome to Ye Olde Storage Shoppe. We provide total asset management solutions for adventurers. Are your hands full of armour, weapons and other items? Then just leave it all with us! We look after your baggage so you can look after yourself. The service is provided free of charge by the town. It won’t cost you a gil! Of COURSE your goods are safe with us. We’ll never lose, sell or give away your precious belongings.”

 Meeth was bewildered by the woman. She didn’t even get the chance to say a word. Though when the woman paused for a moment, she said “Actually-” only to be cut off again.

 “Honest. You get everything back just as you left it.” She then waited to let Meeth give her something.

 Meeth shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have anything to give you.” She then turned to continue her search.

 “Please come again!” The woman chimed after her.

 “Maybe” Meeth whispered. As she began to make her way to a larger stand, another woman, this time a pink haired selkie stood at the shop. She was about to make her way towards her, when a lilty man, running around caught her eye. He had a bucket on his head, which she found rather funny. With a new plan in mind, she decided it would be best to talk to him first.

 He turned to look at her, “What do you want with me?” He snapped, he probably wasn’t in a good mood. “You can probably tell… but I’m a full-fledged, hard-core mercenary.” He puffed up his chest a little, looking rather proud of himself. “The thing is, I’m not into babysitting wet-nosed rookies. No offense.”

 Meeth glared at him a little. She was certainly not a wet-nosed rookie. A rookie, maybe. But not a wet-nosed one. She knew some of her stuff.

 “Hey, when you’re as experienced as me, you get offers ALL the time.” He said, possibly trying to reassure her. “I have over one hundred hours of play time!” He declared.

 She gave him a rather strange look. “Play time?” Was he suggesting that for him it was all a game? She honestly didn’t know.

 He ignored her question, “You’re looking for fellow adventurers?” he asked instead.

 She nodded eagerly, “Oh, if you’d help me out, that would be wonderful!” she responded cheerfully.

 “Oh? You want ME to be your ally?”

 “Please be my ally!” She begged.

 “So, how many hours have YOU played?” He asked her, before looking her up and down. “Hm, not good enough.” He said, apparently being able to tell how new she was at the game. “Look, I’m in a friendly mood, so I’ll let you in on a secret. There is no way I’m going to be allies with someone who hasn’t put in some serious time with the game yet!” He warned her before wandering off.

 Meeth shrugged her shoulders, it didn’t matter too much to her. She needed to get back on the task at hand anyway. She continued to walk towards the selkie woman. If Meeth was lucky, maybe the woman would know something about crystal sickness.

 The woman seemed to cheer up, “Hey, you’re new, ain’t you?” Meeth nodded in response. “Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. If you’re lookin’ for adventure companions, you’ve come to the right place. We can fill out your party by introducin’ you to fellow adventurers to join you on your expeditions. But the only people we have listed are level one rookies. You’ll have to train them up yourself.” She warned. “If it’s expert adventurers you’re lookin’ for, then hire a mercenary or two. But good mercs are in demand, and they can be really picky about pay and conditions and stuff. If recruitment is a hassle, you can strike out on your own. It’s your adventure- you decide.” She advised cheerfully. “We can hook you up with as many new traveling mates as you want but if your party gets too big you won’t be able to outfit everyone properly.”

 Meeth looked at her weirdly. She was supposed to dress these adventures too? Why couldn’t they do it themselves? What was wrong with these people?

 The woman seemed to pick up Meeth’s reaction, so quickly added “Smart adventurin’ is all about balancin’ resources.” Noticing that Meeth seemed to agree with the statement she continued on, “If you do travel with allies, you can suggest what you’d like them to do. Commands like following you around. Do your best, don’t use magic. Stuff like that. Ya know?” Meeth nodded again. “When you’re out in the field, bring the party together using this.” She said as she handed Meeth a strange musical like object. “It’s not too hard once you get the hang of it. Best way to learn is to just try it out yourself.” She grinned mischievously. “So, what can I do you for?” She inquired.

 “Umm… Nothing actually.” Meeth was unsure of what to say. So she instead decided it would be best to try and find some place which might sell medicine or something. After all, at the moment she didn’t really need any allies. As she turned to head back, she noticed a staircase, which led down to the docks. Or at least what she believed to be the docks. So she skipped down the steps, till she noticed a moogle. It was the first time she’d ever seen a moogle wearing clothes. So she found it rather funny.

 Walking towards the moogle, he turned around to face her. “You want to try a quest?” He asked. “Well, you’re talking to the right moogle. The guild hires me to run the quest side of the operation. You know, process applications, provide info… Remember, this ain’t no charity. If you want to go questing you got to have the gil. Of course, you get rewarded if you do the job right. I also handle the payouts. We’re always adding more quests as information comes in from adventurers, so check back regularly.” He informed her. “Questing is all about give-and-take, right? So if you find any good info, you be sure to let me know. Here are the quests we have right now…” He then pulled out a list and handed it to Meeth.

 She took it, somewhat confused. “Ah, thank you.” She looked at it, “There’s not really much information, just reads a few quests.” she looked at the moogle, then back at the peace of paper “Oh, maybe the price as well.”

 The moogle nodded, “But of course, the whole point is you know we have some quests, but don’t know what to do. I mean if I just told you straight up, you’d probably go do the quest without giving me my pay.” He gave her a stern look. “I’ve dealt with plenty of adventurers before you, so don’t go think you can try and outsmart me.”

 Meeth shook her head. “No sir, that wasn’t what I meant.” She put the peace of paper in her pocket. “Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me out, know where I can get medicine?”

 The moogle gave a thoughtful look for a moment. “Nu uh.” He replied quickly, while shaking his head.

 Meeth bowed her head, “Thank you anyway.” She said glumly before walking towards a more normal looking moogle who seemed to be running a show of their own.

 “Greeting. We redeem scratch cards, kupo!” It declared cheerfully. “If you have a winning scratch card, you can use the special effect describer on the back, kupo!” It pom-pom wobbling about while it spoke.

 “I’m good, thanks.” She replied. Before heading back to the main part of the town. As she walked back through she decided to try and ask the shop keepers around. First heading towards the woman with her greyish blue cat.

 “Hello. Welcome to Custom Fabrications.” She said cheerfully. Her hair was a brownish grey which was tied back, a pair of onyx coloured eyes. Her scarf was brown, top beige with brown cuffs. While her dress was green and a small pinny wrapped around her waist. The rest of her was covered by the wooden counter. She continued speaking, “We produce custom items using material provided by our clients. Not only can we customise equipment you already own but if you buy a scroll, we can take your custom orders and produce completely new items.” She announced. “What can we do for you today?”

 Meeth was a little nervous. “Well, you see.” She stuttered. “I’m actually looking for medicine, for crystal sickness to be exact.”

 The woman gave her a strange look. “Hm? Medicine for crystal sickness? Well, I’m afraid we can’t help you with that. Perhaps there’s something else we can do for you?”

 “No, no, I’m alright thank you, perhaps another time.” Meeth said, hoping not to offend the woman.

 “Thank you. Come again soon!” She replied cheerfully.

 Meeth was just about to leave the shop and try another, when the cat meowed at her. It stopped her in her tracks. Unsure of how to react, she knelt down and gave the cat a scratch behind the ears.

 “Oooh, my Claus Kaiser is being all affectionate!” the woman said in surprise. She then coughed, “Ahem, do excuse me.”

 The cat leaned towards Meeth, rubbing its head against her hand. It purred with delight. In turn, Meeth scratched the cat a bit more. Apparently Meeth was a fan of cats, something she hadn’t had much of a chance to discover until now.

 “Oh, he must really like you. He never does that to me!” she said, sounding somewhat agitated now. “Not that I’m JEALOUS or anything…” Despite her words, it was rather clear how annoyed the woman really was. The cat simply meowed at Meeth again, causing the woman to be more aggravated. “Tsk.” She bowed her head, trying to hide her rage.

 Sensing the fact her presence was no longer welcome, Meeth walked towards the other shop. Compared to the other one, this shop was a lot larger. She walked over to the yuke behind the counter. Though she could tell by the sword on the sign that he probably wouldn’t be much help either.

 “Welcome!” He said energetically. “From morning to night, Ye Compleat Adventurer is here to support all your exploring and plundering needs.”

 Meeth’s mood suddenly brightened up. “Do you by any chance sell any medicine for crystal sickness?”

 “Eh? Crystal sickness medicine? This isn’t a pharmacy, you know… and I’ve never heard of that disease. Would a nice flask of Cure do the trick? That’s about all we have in stock.”

 Meeth shook her head, “No, I don’t think it would work.” Her mood became dark again.

 “We’re working with our suppliers to expand our range. Drop by every now and then to see what’s new.” He said hopefully.

 As Meeth walked away, the dog barked at her, though it sounded as if it was questioning her. She ignored it, and was currently considering whether it would be better to walk up the steps and look around above the shops or go under the bridge and continue the search for other shops that may sell what she was after. After some time, she decided it would be best to continue the search deeper in the town. As she walked the empty sheets, she came towards a staircase, the largest she had ever seen. She raced up the steps only to be greeted by a large crowd of people going about their daily business. As she looked around, she decided to try and talk to the clavat girl, who was closest to her.

 The girl had brown hair, a hot pink bandana on top. Her sleeves were purple with pink cuffs, the rest of her top also pink. Her shorts like overalls were a bright pink, while for her feet, she said small ankle boots. Upon noticing Meeth, she smiled at her warmly “Hello. I haven’t seen you before. Are you new in town?” She asked. When Meeth nodded, a spark appeared in her eye. “This is the main plaza, and over there is the great library. It’s the town’s pride and joy.” She said as she pointed in the direction of the library. “It was built at the same time as the ancient ruins that surround the town. But over the centuries, it’s been renovated and rebuilt so many times it’s become like a maze inside.” She said with a shrug. “People were always getting lost, so the authorities sealed most of it off. Nowadays, hardly anyone knows what lies in the deeper recesses of the building.” She informed her. She shook her head, “But listen to me, I sound like a tour guide! I mean, you don’t LOOK like a tourist. And my guess is you’re not here for the archaeology or the treasure hunting…”

 Meeth nodded, “You’re correct. I’m looking for medicine for crystal sickness. I don’t suppose you’ve heard of it, have you?”

 “Hm? Medicine for crystal sickness? I’ve never heard of that disease!” She replied. “Maybe you should ask the old gentleman in the library?” she suggested. “I think he’s read every book in that library. He must know everything about everything! I’m sure he would be able to help.” She continued, trying to be of some help.

 Meeth smiled at her, “Thank you ever so much!”

 “If you want to know about that crystal stuff, talk to the old man in the library.” The girl repeated, as if making sure Meeth had been listening.

 Though Meeth figured it would probably be better to go to the elderly man within the library, she still wanted to try and ask some of the other people around. She decided to try and talk to the blue eyed selkie. He had a short spiky green bob which he wore with a dark and light blue striped bandana. His arms were bare except for a golden coloured bands at the top of each of his arms and cuffs over his wrist that were white with gold edges. He also wore a sleeves top, which started with a golden choker around his neck, a strip of white fabric with a blue design. White edging the top and bottom with a navy blue mid piece. He also wore a blue kilt with a base of white fur and a brown cord around the hips. His bare legs finished at his lower calf with white and gold cloth like martial on his sandals.

 Meeth asked him about the crystal sickness, his response was rather similar to that of the others. “Eh? The crystal sickness? Naw, can’t say I’ve heard of it. Sounds bad, though!” He said.

 Meeth shook her head, “No, no. It’s something that kids catch.” She informed him.

 He paused for a moment. “Is that right? It’s something that kids catch? Well, I’ve always been as strong as an ox, so I wouldn’t know anything about getting sick. Why don’t you try asking someone else?” He paused again, as if trying to figure something else, “Oooh, I know.” He burst out suddenly, “You could go to the library. I’m sure they have books about medicine. That great huge library takes up half the town. It would be nice if someone got some use out of it!”

 Meeth nodded at him, “Thank you.” She didn’t want to admit that she was hoping for a rather different response. Though she had to admit, the people closer to the library were a little bit more helpful than the people in the rest of the town.

 “If you went to the library, I bet you’d find books about the medicine.” The boy chimed before walking off, leaving Meeth to her own thoughts.

 Still determined to try and find someone else who could give her some advice, Meeth continued to look around. Noticing something that looked like another shop, Meeth decided to head towards the people there. But before she could ask them anything, she overheard a rather unusual conversation.

 “AWW, come ON! Please-please-PLEASE!” The small lilty child begged, hoping from one foot to the other. She had a golden head, with a rose bud on top. Her large round eyes were the typical lilty blue. She wore a white top with a furry collar and an orange cardigan that was closed with one large button in the middle. She wore dark brown trousers with ankle boots.

 “That’s enough! I told you, if you drink too many cold drinks you’ll get a tummy ache.” The mother scolded, with her hands on her hips. She had blonde hair, starting out dark, quickly fading to a light blonde. She also had the typical rose bud, which she tied it with what looked like a white doily and a gold band. She also had a dusky red kerchief around the neck, with a brown jerkin which went over a light green long sleeved top with red edging. There was also a cumber band of the same colour. Purple pinstripe trousers ending in brown round toed boots

 “But I’m so THIIIRSTY…” The child whined.

 “Then drink some water.” She snapped, she continued to stand her ground. Despite her child’s plea.

 “EWWW, no WAY!” The child responded.

 The mother seemed to be getting more and more agitated with each passing second. “You know what happens to naughty children, don’t you?” The mother warned. “The wicked witch of the forest comes and takes them away! And once you’re in the woods, you won’t ever be able to get out again.”

 The child wasn’t having any of it. “Oh, that’s not true. That’s just a stupid story to scare kids.” She continued to bounce up and down. “There aren’t any witches in the forest.

 It was at this moment that the yuke, who had been standing by the whole time chimed in. “Actually, every word of it is true.” She had a light pink backed helmet with a bronze-gold coloured face plate, that had a heart shape design to allow her to see. The collar was a dark pink with white edging a pink mid tabard that had a white pattern. At the centre of a long sleeved gold top which had a white edge. Her hands were a pinkish brown with white bands. The half calf length dark pink boots had a gold coloured band across the forefoot.

 The child stopped hopping about, with her mother, she turned to face the woman. “Eh…?” She suddenly seemed less sure of herself. There was a moment of silence. “Y-you’re just trying to scare me. But I don’t believe in witches!” she declared.

 The yuke woman seemed to chuckle. “I used to think the same. That is, until I went to the forest and saw the witch with my very own eyes!”

 The child looked at her in fear, “N-no way..!”

 The yuke woman raised her arms, “Yep. I saw her, all right. It was years and years ago now.” She sounded as if she was reminiscing about her past.

 The child suddenly gained some more confidence, “Oh, so it’s an OLD story, is it? Well, I guess we’re safe now, right?”

 The yuke straightened herself up, “People have been telling stories about a young girl wandering that forest for as long as I can remember. I suppose people figured she must be a witch or something. Anyway, the stories have been passed from parent to child down through the years.” She declared. “My mother heard it from her grandmother, and SHE heard it from my great-granddad. And so on. We yukes live long, long lives. But when I saw that girl in the forest, she looked just like she’s described in the old stories. So imagine how old she must be! The lands around here are full of ruins from the ancient civilisation. I wonder if that girl…” she trailed off.

 “Waaaaaaaaah!” the girl cried.

 As if she couldn’t hear the child’s scream of terra, the woman continued. “That reminds me, there was a girl from town a few years ago who disappeared into the forest.”

 The lilty mother chimed in, “Right, a young yuke girl.” Nodded her head. “Her name was Norschtalen, wasn’t it? She was always very timid. It must have been awful for her, alone and lost deep in that forest…” she also trailed off. The young lilty shivered in fear.

 It was this moment that Meeth decided to chime in, “Oh, she still gets lost there.” She added cheerfully.

 All three of them turned to face Meeth, “Hmm…?” the elder lilty said with curiosity. While the yuke woman simply stared.

 The child began to shake, “…Bw…bw…bw…” she stuttered. “BWAAAAAAAAAH!” She cried, hopping up and down once more. “NOOOOOOOOO!” The child screamed.

 The mother hugged her child, “N-No! You mustn’t take my child from me!”

 It appeared that both mother and child were now rather scary of Meeth, it made her feel a little guilty. Nevertheless, she was a little curious if the yuke shared their terra or not. Much to her surprise, it appeared the yuke was rather thankful towards Meeth.

 “Well, I don’t know who you are, but thank you. You’ve got that girl so scared I don’t think she’ll go within a mile of that forest.” She sounded somewhat relieved, she quickly added, a little quieter, “Although, I don’t mind admitting you managed to scare me a little, too.”

 Meeth smiled at the tall yuke, before walking off. It was rather clear they weren’t going to be much help. It was time for her to try and find somebody else to ask about the medicine. So she decided to trek towards the beautiful water fountain, it was surrounded by a large bush with plenty of different flowers blooming. In front of it stood two men, one a lilty, while the other a clavat man.

 “Ew, there it is AGAIN.” The clavat man said, he had chocolate brown hair, with a pair of grey-blue eyes. He wore a high collared top which was a light blue lined with white, the top also had a brown patch in the middle of his chest which had a large cross stitch. The sleeves also had large cross stitches over the top of the arm. He also wore a white kilt that had black points at the base. On each side was a tabard of cloth with a rope cinching the waist, while on his feet he wore green boots.

 “Yeah. The town fountain is turning into something the swamp thing wouldn’t want to live in!” replied the lilty. His onion hair had a green tinge which faded into blonde. While the sprout was green with a golden band tied at the bottom. Like many lilties, his face was round, and his eyes the same shade of blue as many others. He had a maroon collar, with grey long sleeved top that has a gold band at the top of the arm. Maroon coloured fingerless gloves with an open back. His blue dungarees had large brown buttons with a pink ribbon in the middle that finished just below the knee. White socks and brown shoes with turned up toes and gold bands across the forefoot.

 “Man, it stinks.” The clavat boy said, while holding his nose.

 “Sure does.” The lilty added while waving his hand in front of him, trying to get rid of the smell. “It’s kind of like rotting fish and wet fur, all at the same time. Yuck.”

 The clavat turned to face the lilty. “We’ve got to do something! You think an animal has gotten into the underground aqueducts?” he suggested.

 The lilty then turned to face him “Ungh, I feel sick. Why don’t YOU check it out? I really don’t like dank, smelly places.” He wrinkled his nose as he spoke.

 “Who does? Expect, maybe, for certain magic beasts. Which I’m not, by the way!” He snapped, “Wait. You don’t think…?” He broke off, the pair then turned back to face the fountain.

 Figuring that the pair wouldn’t be much help either, Meeth continued her search to try and find someone to ask about the medicine. Walking past the strange duo, she found another clavat man. He stood on a staircase which led up to a higher platform. He appeared to be far older, possibly one of the eldest in the town. He had grey hair that had a seed shaped spike at the front and choppy sides. His grey shirt's sleeves were in a leg of mutton style with brown above elbow gloves. His tabard was maroon and pink middle, the mandarin collar was maroon and pink as well. His leggings were the same brown as the gloves ending in grey socks and brown, round toed boots.

 As Meeth approached, the gentleman turned towards her. “Now, you look like a fine and mighty young adventurer.” He said as he looked her up and down. His response struck Meeth as strange. Nobody else had said that, which meant that he was after something. He continued on, “I, the greatest chef in the world, have a request. Yes, for you.” He pointed a figure at her.

 (Figurers.) Meeth thought to herself.

 “Whatever the ingredients, I can turn them into something mouth-wateringly scrumptious.” He declared, sound ridiculously confident. “How? Because I am the greatest, of course! However, there is one kind of ingredient that I have yet to use in a dish.” Though Meeth was a little curious, he was too cocky, and probably was more mouth then action. “What is that, you ask? Why monsters, of course. Monsters! My new culinary mission is to craft monstrously good meals from meaty morsels of monster! Mmm-MMM!” He rubbed his stomach as he spoke. “Of course, I cannot risk injury to myself outside the town. Although I put in a request at the guild, the results have been most unsatisfying.” He shook his head in shame. He then looked towards Meeth with a hopefully glaze. “So, my young friend. Will you help me? I want mus from the forest. But you must defeat them using only fire spells. You cannot use weapons or other kinds of magic. My plan is to serve the toasted little mus just as they are. Sounds delightfully delish, eh? You can accept my mission at the Quest Shoppe. You are my great hope!”

 Meeth rolled her eyes. He was as useless as she thought. He probably wouldn’t tell her anything about the medicine either, so it was pointless to continue to try and talk to him. She continued to climb the steps till she reached the top. She then walked forwards, noticing a selkie woman. With a small amount of hope, she tried to talk to her.

 The woman had a greyish-brown bob, with her hair tied back in a big curly ponytail. She wore a thick fur choker, below that she had a green crop top with white coloured lacing. She also had a small black top under the lace, while a brown strip at the bottom of the top. For her arms she long black fingerless gloves with a white fluffy bands. For the bottom half, she wore a green pelmet with a white Celtic design. Black cropped leggings. Brown ankle boots that were open toed, gold band around the ankle and green top. The woman smiled at her, “Hello, hello. I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new?” She asked, Meeth nodded again. “By the looks of you, I’d say you’re not here to train to become a scholar. Oh, the innocence of youth! I remember when I first came to town, chasing my dreams…” she paused “And then… It’s funny how life turns out sometimes. My advice to you is to try lots of different things while you’re still young. This town is chock-a-block full of adventurers like yourself.” She nodded her head as she carried on, “It can be a lot of fun to go exploring with people you’ve never met before. Even if you don’t share a common language, you can still enjoy the adventure together.” She advised.

 Meeth thanked her for the advice. It made Meeth want to return to the town and try and help out once her business had been dealt with. But for the time being, she would try and talk to a few more people before heading into the library. She walked to the other side and halted in her steps as she approached the pair near the tree.

 The clavat man slouching on the bench appeared to be in his late thirties early forties. Oblong face with grey-green eyes. He was wearing a green high collared short sleeved top with a brown jerkin over the top, the waist cinched by a brown leather with a metallic clasp. Under all this he wore a short white hose finishing above his knee. On his feet he wore round toed boots and thick socks that came over the top. He sighed, “I have the WORST luck.”

The lilty woman, perhaps a similar age to the man, appeared rather concerned for her friend. “What’s wrong? I thought you were really excited about that thing you found.” She asked. Her eyes were purplish blue, while her hair started out a pinkish red, fading into blonde, a golden headband on top. She also had a rose bud, which had a golden accessory that cupped it. Her top had a peter-pan collar and a red ribbon in the centre. The sleeves were buff coloured with white scalloped fringe that was also on the bottom of the green apron that was on the top which had two pockets. Her buff coloured leggings ended at the ankles with brown socks and red shoes. Trying to cheer him up, she continued “What was it now? A treasure map you brought from the antiques shop, right?”

 “Yeah, well. I went to look at it, and the stupid wind blew it out of my hands! It flew up into the air and then into the forest. Gone forever.” He replied glumly.

 “Well, well. I suppose the lesson here is not to open maps in windy places.” She continued to try to help him see the brighter side of things.

 He sighed again, “That map showed treasure all OVER the place. I really do have the worst luck.”

 “I AM sorry. How much did the map cost?” She seemed more sympathetic towards his feelings now.

 “Two gil.” He replied.

 She paused for a moment. “Er, I think the map was a fake.” She said flatly. Trying to sound more thoughtful, she added “I suppose everyone needs to have a dream.” More to herself than him.

 The man continued to sigh, mumbling “I have the WORST luck.” To himself.

 Meeth figured they wouldn’t be much help either. Which meant she only had one choice left. The library. She walked towards the staircases, decorated with large stone books either side. As she reached the top, she was greeted by a stone archway, and a pair of large melt gates. Walking through the gates, she was then walked along a stone path which led towards a rather large building which had a giant pair of wooden brown double doors.

<<<<<<<< Chapter 04: Crystal Sickness                                                        Chapter 06: The library >>>>>>>>