In a lively town in the western part of the Balt Kingdom, someone walked hurriedly through the streets. The figure wore a black gambeson and a hooded cloak which hid their appearance.

Beneath that hood was a young woman with long black hair, slightly pointy ears and a beautiful face with fine features. She was one of the very few of her kind, a half-elf.

She walked towards one of the biggest structures in that town, a large two-story wooden building painted in a bright red color. A sign that read “Adventurers’ Guild”, with a coat of arms of two swords crossing, was hanging near the entrance.

A dozen or so people stood in line in front of the guild, mostly young men, as a hawker bellowed to the side.

“It’s been twelve years since the group of brave adventurers, led by the courageous dwarf Thograk, ventured forth inside the Ancient Aldin Forest and managed to injure its master, making it retreat into hibernation to heal its wounds, creating a safer environment for us to explore.”

After saying all that in one go, the hawker quickly inhaled before continuing.

“Alas, they did not make a safe return. To honor their sacrifice and to commemorate the eight-year anniversary of the Adventurers’ Guild, we are cutting the registration cost in half for this week! Come and join us in search for riches and adventures! Join the Guild!”

He would then take a breather for a few moments and start again. The phrasing would change a bit, but the content would, more or less, remain the same.

The young woman made her way towards the door. When the people in line were about to complain, she dug a necklace from her clothes, putting it in plain view, and crossed the doorsill.

The necklace was simple, a wooden rectangle with a name carved on it and a cord. It represented the most basic rank of an adventurer, a fledgling, but it showed she was already registered, so there was no need to wait in line.

Inside was the spacious lobby of the guild. To the right there were three big notice boards and the stairs to the second floor. On the left side there were a few tables and chairs where burly and rough men were sitting. Finally, at the end of the hall were located four office desks with clerks ready to perform their duties.

Two of those desks were constantly being occupied by the registration of the new adventurers, whereas the other two were being kept free for attending those that have already registered.

The men sitting on the tables eyed the newcomer but, noticing her equipment that showed signs of being used in battle, a short bow on her back and the two long knifes by her waist, they lost interest.

They were probably trying to take advantage of the newly registered adventurers or give them a “friendly initiation”. The girl went straight for one of the unoccupied desks and sat in front of the clerk, a kind looking old woman.

“I would like to take assignments for collecting herbs inside the Ancient Aldin Forest, are there any available?” said the half-elf girl, as she politely removed her hood, revealing her straight black hair.

“Hum, I am pretty sure we have some of those requests, wait just a moment while I look for them dear,” said the old woman as she searched a batch of parchments in front of her.

“Here it is. There is a request to find Cloud Moss, Angel’s Blade and Purple Thorny Vines. Are you interested in any of those?”

“Yes, I would like to take the assignment for Cloud Moss and Angel’s Blade please.”

“Sure thing, dearie. We will pay you by gram, so bring as much as you can back. Would you like to purchase information on the characteristics of the plants or where to probably find them? Or perhaps the most recent news brought back from the forest by other adventurers?”

“No thanks, I am good,” said the young woman as she removed her wooden necklace and held it in mid-air.

The old woman took the necklace in hand, picked a weird looking brush from the table (a wooden stick with a fluffy piece of wool added to one point), and a bottle with the most common and cheap black ink.

She dipped the brush into the ink, smeared the carved name on the necklace with it and then stamped on a particular parchment. The name Liza Branwen appeared on the document.

“Well then, Liza Branwen, how long do you think you will be gone?” said the old lady.

“Three days to one week,” said Liza after pondering for a moment.

“Ok then, please do be careful. When you return we are willing to buy any useful information you discover. The same is true for any other precious materials you may find,” said the old lady.

Liza just nodded, stood up and left the building known as Adventurers’ Guild. She walked the streets a bit aimlessly before making her way to the market.

[Ok, Cloud Moss and Angel’s Blade I will probably find without going too deep into the forest. Now I need to buy provisions for at least seven days, a few more arrows and a bit of poison maybe? Better be safe than sorry, what if I encounter something really dangerous?]

After thinking for a bit, she bought food for seven days at the market, a few more arrows with two different arrowheads (broadhead for larger area damage and bodkin for better penetration) from the fletcher and proceeded to the apothecary.

The apothecary was a recent addition to this town of Sarton, an old gentleman who arrived but a few years ago. That was not strange, since Sarton was not that big before and could barely be considered a town back in the day.

But a dozen years ago a crazy rumor began to spread: the master of the forest was gravely injured and was forced into hibernation to recover. At the beginning no one dared to believe it, but as braver souls explored the forest and returned alive with respectable spoils, the rumor gained credibility.

An influx of all kinds of people started coming to Sarton and to the other towns near the Ancient Aldin Forest. There was money to be made, for both the explorers and the service providers.

Thus, Sarton was growing bigger with the passing of each year and many specialized craftsmen and professions could now be found in town.

Liza stood in front of the building which had a wooden signboard dangling with the words “Apothecary” and a symbol representing a pestle and mortar. She took a deep breath and went in.

The entire shop was filled with the scent of herbs. Looking around one could find an assortment of different kinds of plants, pots, flasks and tools everywhere.

An old man with white hair and a short beard filled with bald spots was sitting curved over a workbench, grinding some plants.

Hearing the clear bell that indicated that someone had entered the store, the old man straightened his back and turned around to look at his visitor.

Seeing the beautiful girl with long black hair and big black eyes standing by the door, he was surprised for a moment.

“Hi uncle Paul, how have you been?” said Liza smiling.

“Hey girly, when did you get in town? This old man didn’t know you were coming or I could have prepared a room for you,” said the apothecary.

“No need, I just arrived this morning and will be leaving for the forest soon,” she replied.

“Going to the forest? What for? If you need money or some herbs I can give you some, you don’t need to go to such a dangerous place. You will worry me and your master to death if you go!” said Paul with an anxious face.

“I knew you would say that,” said Liza with a wry smile. “But you know my aim. I need to hold my own if I am to travel throughout Balt to find that bastard.”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“To be honest, I wanted to visit you only after I was back from the ancient forest, but I think I need to bring some poison, just in case. Since you and master always refused to teach me about poisons, I had no choice but to come here and worry you for a bit.”

“Ah, well…” the old man sighed. “You were too young to be working with poisons, one mistake and you would be dead, so I believe you know where we were coming from.”

“I know uncle, you and master took good care of me.”

“I’d rather you didn’t go, but since I know I can’t change your mind, here take it. Normally, I would need to register that you bought the poison with your guild badge, but since I am giving it to you and I know you are a good girl, let’s forget that,” said Paul as he handed her a glass vial that was on the table.

“Thanks, uncle! I will definitely pass by when I return to say hi and give you some herbs,” said Liza as she smiled, turned around and left.

The old man kept looking at the door from where the young lass just left with cloudy eyes, lost in thought and remembrance. After some time, his eyes regained their focus and he sighed deeply before returning to work.

Liza made her way to the edge of town and entered what looked like a small stable. Inside there were four horses and a skinny youth who was caring for one of them. He turned his head briefly because of the sound of footsteps and immediately went back to work.

“Sorry lady, we only rent horses to registered adventurers that are going to the ancient forest. If you want to buy or rent a horse for yourself, you will need to go to the other stable in town,” said the youth.

“I just so happen to be a registered adventurer going to the ancient forest…” said Liza with a smile that revealed her somewhat pointy teeth, giving her the air of a predator.

“WHAT!” The boy turned around with a perplexed expression and froze when he saw her smile. It took him a few seconds to regain some of his composure.

“Ah, err… off course, my apologies costumer. To rent a horse you need to pay ten copper pieces. You must deliver the horse to our other stable near the ancient forest when you arrive.”

“Yeah, I know how it works, here you go,” she replied while giving the boy three silver pieces and her guild necklace.

The boy went to a desk in the corner of the building, smeared ink on her guild badge and stamped on two parchments. He left one in the table and picked up two copper coins from inside a drawer. He walked back to Liza with his head a bit low, still embarrassed about what he did.

“Here you go, give this parchment to the man who will receive your horse at the other stable and here is your change. Sorry about before…” said the youth shyly. “I will prepare your steed, just wait a bit.”

Liza smiled as the boy readied her horse. [He isn’t a bad kid,] she thought.

The boy kept looking as Liza rode away, her silhouette diminishing in the horizon. “Wow, so a girl my size can also be an adventurer? Cool,” he whispered admiringly.

She arrived at the border of the Ancient Aldin Forest after a few hours. There were only two buildings nearby, a stable and a tavern. They looked strangely out of place.

Parts of their structure looked almost new, probably not even ten years old, but other places looked haggard and had many repairs and fixes here and there. It was a clear indication of the risk of making business so close to the forest.

She first went to the stable to deliver the horse and parchment. After that was done she went to the inn to rent a room for a couple days.

Finally, she checked her gear, leaving behind anything she wouldn’t need, took a deep breath and entered the forest.

Her senses were instantly overwhelmed. There were trees and dense foliage in every direction, making it hard to see what was ahead. The constant noise of bugs, birds and other animals kept startling her as the foliage rustled and twigs broke every now and then. The air was damp and had an earthy and musty odor to it.

She kept walking carefully, checking her surroundings at every turn. She felt tenser at every step, knowing she was going deeper inside what was once considered a forbidden zone.