Several figures, covered in dark attire, rushed through the darkness. Running straight forward, and despite minimal light, they all expertly avoided the trees and roots in the forest that stood in their way.

Upon closer inspection, their eyes glowed in the shadows of the night, like those of ruthless ambush and night hunters of the animal kingdom. However, rather than a physical property of their eyes, the glow came from concentrated swirls of Mana inside.

They quietly traversed the woods all the way up to the tree line, where the forest turned to lush meadows filled with fields of wheat and grazing animals. They stopped there, at the border, and hid among the tall summer flowers and grass.

Their targets were usually political enemies of the Empire, taken out with absolute precision and in secrecy. This time it was a bit different, though their expertise in discretion was still required. Their informant in the nearby town already relayed all the necessary information for a successful ambush. Now they just had to sit tight, and wait.

"Alright, see here?" Gerald lowered himself and picked a small yellow flower. "This is a Daybloom flower. It only grows in late spring, and early summer, which is now. It has a few medicinal properties, however, the most useful one can be extracted when combined with a Fireblossom," he explained.

The group was currently outside Ethana in a lush meadow between the fields and a forest. It was early morning, with warm sun and calm winds, a perfect time to go outside and enjoy nature.

"Know that the Fireblossoms usually grow around dormant volcanos, so they aren't easy to find. However, should you manage to get one, you can then make a potion of Frost Resistance. The ratio is about 5 to 1 Daybloom to Fireblossom. And you need to use the flower of the former while extracting juices from the latter's roots."

Quina quickly scribbled down his every word while the rest simply listened.

"Or, at least that's what I've read in a few old books in the Royal Library. Can't be sure if they are accurate though."

The potion of Frost Resistance changed the properties of the blood and other bodily liquids for a few days, similar to antifreeze. If drunk in small amounts it was completely safe and could be used to prevent frostbite, or at least delay it for a while. Though the body then needed at least a week to recover and purge the brew from its system before it could be safely consumed again.

And with a slight change and the addition of another ingredient, the potion could be amplified and gain another effect, though that one wasn't as desirable. It made the skin of a person weaker to fire and sunlight for a while.

After drinking it, the light from the morning sun already becomes too powerful, capable of giving you sunburn, much less the strong noon sun rays.

That peculiar effect was discovered by accident, and apart from using it on an enemy to inconvenience him for a day or two, it was basically useless.

Still, Gerald explained it all in detail despite its seemingly irrelevant use cases. At least they wouldn't make the error of making it by mistake.

"Next," he began, "We'll have to find a stream, and perhaps a few damp, cold places in the forest. The herb we are searching for this time is named Sage's Beard," he said. "It's a gray lichen that grows in long strands off of trees in shady and moist places, usually near small brooks or in forested marshlands."

They made their way along the forest road slowly, each of them walking on foot, with Toby following a few meters behind while sniffing around for a snack. The giant Warg jumped from one bush to the next, sometimes spooking a few birds or small critters hiding inside.

"Oftentimes it grows with the combination of Lionheart Moss, and the two can be made into a medicine to fight infection. Now, I know that Healing Potions can be used for the same effect, but that is only if it is administered early," Gerald pointed out.

"If the infection is left to spread, it can become extremely difficult to cure, and that's where this medicine comes in." He pointed further forward, "Now, according to the map, there should be a small stream not far from here, we might be able to find some of it there."

Whenever they would stop after finding an ingredient, the two alchemy girls would gather a few handfuls and store them in the Space Pouch for later use. Since time didn't run in there it was perfect storage to keep herbs fresh. Though, it was a bit on the expensive side as a storage container and wasn't often used in that way.

A few minutes later they met a group of people walking towards them, about a dozen or so of them. The group didn't pay them any attention as they were just local hunters returning from a night hunt.

"… And, for example, Obsidian Boxwood," Gerald continued, "While it isn't exactly used in alchemy directly, its properties can oftentimes..."

The group of hunters split up and let them pass in the middle while they chatted among themselves on their way back home, with a bit of small game on their shoulders.

Gerald gave a simple nod as a greeting, and they returned it back in kind.

"… If made into a bowl, it can be used as a sponge to absorb many toxic compounds often found in various plants…"

Howl!

His teachings were cut short as Toby yelped out loudly in pain. As Gerald slowly turned around, he had just enough time to notice the group of hunters collapse on his teammates.

Sera was immediately captured and bound before she even had a chance to react. A thick rope was tied around her face after having a rag stuffed down her throat. She barely had enough room to breathe, so any spell-casting was out of the question.

Warren resisted for a few seconds longer, however having been ambushed so suddenly and without warning, he didn't even have time to grip his sword when two men jumped on him and brought him down to the floor in an aggressive manner. He was similarly bound just like Sera and dragged over to her.

Qiona posed no resistance whatsoever. At the first strike from one of the men's fists, she collapsed and lost consciousness, before getting dragged over to the other two.

It all happened so quickly, that Gerald barely had time to blink. These guys were good! And they were absolutely planning for this, no doubt about it. And so he didn't have any qualms about absolutely slaughtering everyone here!

His silver hand moved by itself and opened the barrel as his other hand started gathering flames.

Boom!

With a quick flick, the barrel moved to intersect one of the five attackers that jumped at him, instantly blowing away the head of one of them. Blood sprayed and formed a small mist cloud that was quickly blown away by the force of the explosion. An instant later, another cannonball was already in the chamber, with Mana levels rapidly rising, ready for another shot.

Boom!

However, his next target was quicker and ducked down just as Gerald fired. Then the remaining three arrived, taking hold of one limb each. They were strong, holding him in place so tightly that even with his strength, he had difficulties moving. Just difficulties though.

He lifted his remaining free hand, the right one, in which he had already gathered massive amounts of energy, ready to detonate it point-blank. He might hurt himself, but at the moment, he really didn't care. Adrenaline was pumping through his blood, and he was beyond angry.

How dare they attack his thing- err, people! Unacceptable! They all deserved immediate death!

"AAARGH!"

Funny how sometimes things turn around so quickly. Just as he was about to detonate the fireball, he felt something pierce his back. His super magically reinforced back!

Some sort of blade made its way into his body just to the right of his spine and below the rib cage. The scorching pain that shot out and began spreading across his body was unimaginable! The feeling he experienced was hundreds of times worse than a simple stab wound, and his body involuntarily spasmed, even going so far as to break his concentration while forcing him to release his destructive magic!

"Haha, worked like a charm!" The backstabbing guy laughed and held the blade tightly, not letting it slip out. Gerald was completely paralyzed, and no matter how hard he tried, his magic powers did not work.

His unresponsive body was brought down to his knees without effort and his metal hand was immediately torn off and tossed to the side. While he was still recovering from the shock, bluish rings with golden runes were put on each of his three limbs, one on his hand and two at his ankles like they were some sort of GPS monitors.

In the meantime, Toby was getting pummeled from all sides with no chance of resistance. Despite being unarmed, the three men that were taking him on were seemingly effortlessly beating him, despite the massive size difference.

"Ugh, what the fuck…" Gerald tried to move, but he was now being held down by six people at once. No matter how strong his body was, he couldn't resist anymore. The feeling was slowly returning back to his body, but he quickly realized something was wrong.

"It's draining my Mana?!"

It was a shocking revelation that frightened him to no end. The blue bracelets, or whatever they were, pulled Mana from inside his body and spewed it into the outside world.

"Haha, that's right, boy! Void Cuffs are great, aren't they?!" one of the thugs sitting on his back confirmed while laughing.

"Keep an eye on him. When he's completely drained we can continue," another one said and went to check on the other captives. He appeared like a leader as his clothes were the nicest looking despite being simple work attire. He did have a really expensive-looking pair of boots though.

"Who are you, what do you want?!" exclaimed Elly who was the only one not yet bound. She was held in place by two of the thugs though. As the man neared her she became scared and prepared to bite him if he tried anything, but he did something completely unexpected.

"Your Majesty!" The leader-bandit knelled on one knee and bowed before her. At the same time, Elly was also released. "Princess Emillyinn Vell," he began. "On the order of your father, His Majesty the Emperor, we have come to take you home." He then revealed an insignia on his chest that was previously hidden beneath a leather vest.

"No…" Elly gasped and covered her mouth in shock. She recognized the symbol as she knew it all too well. The Dark Cloaks, the personal assassins of the Emperor. Also known for never leaving any witnesses.

"Oh, my god," Gerald groaned. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"