Returning to Sekandaya Port from Shadowfen Den, Reinh felt much more tired than when he had fought Wild Snappers for a dozen Sunpetal Flowers. It wasn't just his physical exhaustion after the battle against the Shadowfen Stalkers and nearly becoming a meal for the Venomfang Broodmother, but also his mental state. His encounter with Ghyfin, the mysterious woman with a pair of swords that moved as fast as the wind, had left a deep impression. Her strength and composure in the face of danger were a stark contrast to the panic and helplessness Reinh had felt.
He managed to hand over the poisonous fangs of the Broodmother to Livia Thorne at The Valiant Hall. Livia's face turned pale when she saw the proof that the Silver Rank mission had been completed by a novice adventurer alone—at least, that's what she thought, as Reinh didn't mention Ghyfin's help. The reward of 75 Copper Pieces felt like a treasure to Reinh after days of living hand-to-mouth. The coins glittered in the small leather pouch he had just bought, feeling heavy and promising.
That night, after enjoying a double portion of Roasted Boar Ribs and soft wheat bread at The Weary Traveler's Hearth, which cost him nearly ten copper pieces, Reinh returned to his inn room at The Rusty Anchor. He stared at his reflection in a dull, cracked mirror hanging on the wall. His clothes—the cream shirt and black trousers he had worn since waking up in the forest—were tattered, stained with mud, dried spider blood, and torn in several places. His simple wooden staff was also cracked in several places after being smashed against a spider's head.
"I can't go on like this," Reinh muttered to his light brown-haired, yellow-eyed reflection. He looked more like a vagrant than an adventurer, let alone a (formerly) great mage. With the money he now had, the first priority was to get decent clothes and perhaps a better magic staff.
The next morning, after a slightly more restful sleep thanks to a full stomach and exhaustion, Reinh headed to Sekandaya Port's market district, The Merchant's Row. This area was much busier and more diverse than he had ever seen in the game. There were shops selling all sorts of goods, from exotic spices from distant lands, glittering jewelry, to weapons and armor.
He found a clothing store called "The Wandering Thread," run by a plump middle-aged woman with a friendly smile named Mistress Elara—the same name as the herbalist and the guild receptionist in the game, which amused Reinh slightly. Perhaps Elara was a common name in Tierias.
"Welcome, young Master! Looking for clothes for a journey or a special occasion?" Mistress Elara greeted him cheerfully.
"I'm looking for something practical for an adventurer, Ma'am," Reinh replied, feeling a little awkward in his shabby attire amidst the colorful bolts of fabric. "Something sturdy, not easily torn, and... not too conspicuous."
Mistress Elara observed him for a moment. "Ah, a new adventurer, are we? Of course, we have many options." She showed him several sets of clothes. There were standard mage robes in dark blue or brown, reinforced leather tunics, thick cotton trousers, and sturdy leather boots.
After trying on a few options, Reinh finally chose a set that matched the description in the bio he remembered creating for Luminere in the past, but with a simpler and more practical touch for his current condition. A comfortable dark blue linen shirt, sturdy black cotton trousers, and a plain black robe made of a material thick enough to withstand the sea wind. He also bought a pair of calf-high Sturdy Leather Boots that looked durable. The total cost was twenty-five Copper Pieces, a considerable sum, but Reinh felt it was worth it.
Wearing his new clothes, Reinh felt a little more confident. He no longer looked like a lost person who had just emerged from the forest. At least, he looked like a serious novice adventurer.
Next, he looked for a shop that sold magical equipment. He found a small, somewhat hidden place in one of the narrow alleys, with a wooden sign that read "The Owl's Scroll & Staff." Inside, a thin old man with thick glasses perched on the end of his nose, Master Alatar, was busy reading a thick, dusty book. The shop was filled with the scent of old parchment and strange herbs.
"Excuse me, Sir," Reinh greeted.
Master Alatar looked up, his small eyes scrutinizing Reinh. "Yes? What are you looking for, young man? Spell scrolls? Or perhaps a magic staff?"
"I'm looking for a magic staff, Sir. Just a simple one, but better than... this." Reinh showed his worn-out simple wooden staff.
Master Alatar chuckled softly. "That looks more like a twig than a magic staff. Come, look at our collection." He showed several staves displayed on a rack. There was an Apprentice's Rowan Wand adorned with simple carvings, a sturdier Adept's Oaken Staff, and several staves with small crystals embedded in their tips.
Reinh's eyes fell on a staff made of dark elderwood, with a small blue sapphire crystal that emitted a faint glow embedded at its peak. An Elderwood Staff with Sapphire Crystal. It looked elegant and felt like it had a slight magical resonance when Reinh touched it.
"This one is good," said Master Alatar. "Elderwood is known to be good for channeling elemental magic, and that sapphire crystal can slightly help with focus and mana regeneration. The price is thirty Copper Pieces."
Reinh considered it. It was almost half of his remaining money. But he needed a better weapon if he wanted to take on more serious missions. Finally, he nodded. "I'll take this one."
With new clothes and a magic staff that felt more solid in his grip, Reinh felt a little like his old self, even though his power was still far from Luminere the Awakener. He returned to The Valiant Hall, intending to look for another Bronze Rank mission, not yet daring to risk another Silver Rank one alone after his experience in Shadowfen.
As he was staring at the Quest Board, trying to choose between "Goblin Scout Patrol near Old Lighthouse" or "Deliver Medical Herbs to Widow Hemlock in Willow Creek," a familiar voice greeted him from behind.
"Hey, Mage."
Reinh turned. Ghyfin stood there, leaning casually against a wooden pillar, her arms crossed. Her dark green leather armor looked clean, and her twin swords were neatly sheathed at her waist. Her brown ponytail swung slightly as she nodded at Reinh.
"Ghyfin," Reinh greeted. The way Ghyfin called him "Mage" now felt more natural, considering he did use magic, even if his appearance was now neater.
Ghyfin's red eyes briefly scanned Reinh's new appearance from top to bottom, a slight frown on her forehead, but she made no comment. "I heard you managed to complete the Shadowfen Den mission alone and came back alive," Ghyfin said, her red eyes looking intently at Reinh. "Livia at the front desk won't stop talking about it. You caused a small stir, Mage."
Reinh felt a little embarrassed. "I... was just lucky." He didn't mention that Ghyfin was the one who had actually done the main job.
"Luck is a fickle friend," Ghyfin replied. "I'm looking for party members for a slightly more challenging mission. Investigating strange activity around the ruins of an ancient temple in Whispering Woods. There are reports of mysterious lights and strange noises at night. The villagers around, like those in Oakhaven Hamlet and Willow Creek, are getting restless."
Reinh frowned. Whispering Woods. The place Barnaby had warned him about Shadowfang Wolves. Ancient temple ruins? That sounded interesting, and possibly related to the Keys of Aura or the mysteries of this world. But, joining Ghyfin's party? This woman was too strong and too sharp. She would surely notice Reinh's oddities soon enough.
"I... usually work alone," Reinh said, trying to find an excuse.
Ghyfin raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Like yesterday in Shadowfen? Nearly becoming breakfast for that giant spider was part of your plan too?" she teased, but there was a faint smile on her lips.
Reinh's face flushed. "That... was unexpected."
"Of course," Ghyfin said, not looking entirely convinced. "Listen, Mage. I need someone who can handle magic and maybe provide support from a distance. You, despite your strange fighting style, can at least conjure fire and ice. And you have the courage—or foolishness—to go into Shadowfen alone. I appreciate that."
The offer was tempting. A chance for a bigger reward, experience, and perhaps answers. But also the risk of being exposed.
Feeling not yet ready to interact further or be tied to a party, Reinh shook his head slowly. "Thank you for the offer, Ghyfin. But for now, I prefer solo missions." He pointed to a Bronze Rank parchment on the mission board. "I'll take this mission: 'Investigate Missing Livestock in Farmer Giles' Pasture'. It seems more suited to my current abilities."
Ghyfin looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she shrugged. "Alright, Mage. Your choice. But don't blame me if you run into something bigger than rats or missing goats out there." With that, Ghyfin turned and walked towards Livia's desk, presumably to look for other party members.
Reinh took Farmer Giles' mission parchment and registered it with Livia, who looked at him with some confusion after seeing his interaction with Ghyfin.
Farmer Giles' pasture was located not far from Sekandaya Port's western gate, Westgate. Reinh walked alone, his new Elderwood Staff with Sapphire Crystal feeling more comfortable and powerful in his grip. He felt a little relieved to have declined Ghyfin's offer, but there was also a slight sense of regret. Perhaps joining a strong party like Ghyfin's could speed up his progress.
Unbeknownst to Reinh, Ghyfin, whose curiosity about the "strange Mage" had grown, decided to follow him from a distance. She moved silently among the trees at the edge of the pasture, observing Reinh, who looked awkward as he tried to track the missing livestock.
Reinh himself was more focused on his mission, or at least trying to be. He found some large footprints that didn't belong to cows or sheep, as well as some coarse dark fur. Goblins? Or perhaps a larger Wild Boar? He followed the tracks deeper into a small forest bordering the pasture, Gileswood Copse.
The atmosphere of the forest felt different from Oakwood Forest or Whispering Woods. There was a strange energy pulsating, something that made him shiver. Suddenly, from behind a thicket, a luminous entity appeared. Not a monster, nor a human. The figure looked like a young woman made of wind and dim light, her hair fluttering despite the lack of strong wind, her eyes radiating wild energy. It was Kanae, the Silent Stormcaller, one of the Keys of Aura he had tried to summon unsuccessfully when he first woke up in this world. Now, she just appeared, looking wild and aggressive.
Kanae didn't speak with words, but Reinh could feel a strong wave of emotions emanating from her—anger, confusion, and a kind of deep sorrow. The spirit figure darted towards Reinh, her hand made of wind clenched.
Reinh was startled, reflexively raising his staff. "Wait! I mean no harm!"
However, Kanae didn't listen. A gust of wind slammed into Reinh, pushing him back several steps. This wasn't the usual wind buff he got from Sylphwing in the game. This was a real physical attack.
From a distance, Ghyfin, who was observing, saw the strange fight. She couldn't see Kanae's form as clearly as Reinh, only a kind of distortion of air and light around the Mage. Thinking Reinh was being attacked by an invisible creature or a magic trap, Ghyfin recklessly jumped out of her hiding place, her twin swords drawn.
"Mage! Watch out!" Ghyfin shouted, lunging towards the air distortion she saw attacking Reinh.
Ghyfin's swords slashed through the empty air where Kanae had been a moment before. However, Kanae, apparently surprised by Ghyfin's appearance, turned and focused her attack on the newcomer. A strong gust of wind hit Ghyfin, sending her flying and crashing hard against a tree trunk. Ghyfin groaned in pain, one of her swords slipping from her grasp.
"Ghyfin!" Reinh exclaimed, seeing the woman injured. Anger and panic mixed within him. He saw Kanae preparing to attack Ghyfin again, who was still trying to get up.
Without thinking, Reinh raised his new Elderwood Staff with Sapphire Crystal high. The sapphire crystal at its tip began to glow with a dim blue light. He closed his eyes, trying to draw energy from his surroundings, from within himself, from the faint memory of Luminere's power. The words of an ancient spell that were once just text on a screen or sound effects from his computer speakers now felt like they had weight and meaning. "Aeris et terrae spiritus, audite vocationem meam! De caelis fragmenta, et iram siderum invoco! (Spirits of air and earth, hear my call! From the heavens fragments, and the wrath of the stars I invoke!)" His voice trembled, but a new power began to be felt. The air around him swirled, gathering dust and dry leaves. The crystal on his staff shone brighter. He felt a different energy flowing within him, not the basic magic energy he usually used. This was stronger, wilder, more primal. A skill name flashed in his mind, an ultimate skill he had once used as Luminere to turn the tide in a difficult raid boss. "CRASHING DOWN!" he shouted, pointing his staff towards Kanae.
The sky above them seemed to split. Not a graphic animation like in the game, but a real atmospheric change. The air vibrated violently, and a series of blazing balls of light, each the size of an adult's fist, appeared from above, hurtling down with terrifying speed towards Kanae. Each impact was accompanied by a deafening small explosion and a ground tremor that made the surrounding trees sway. The villagers in the small hamlets in the distance, even some guards on Sekandaya Port's walls, might have seen strange flashes of light in the direction of the forest and felt a faint tremor, causing momentary panic and questions about what was happening.
Kanae shrieked, not with a human voice, but more like the howl of a wounded storm wind. Her luminous figure flickered violently, hit by several of those small meteorites, some of her energy seeming to dissipate.
After the attack stopped, Reinh staggered, nearly falling from extreme exhaustion. Using that skill unprepared and at his current level felt like it drained all his life energy. His Elderwood staff felt hot in his grip, its sapphire crystal dimmed.
Ghyfin, though in pain, managed to get up and looked at Reinh with a mixture of shock, amazement, and a little fear. "What... what was that, Mage? What kind of magic was that?"
Reinh didn't have time to answer. He immediately went to Ghyfin, who was clutching her injured arm. Awkwardly, he tried to use a low-level Heal skill he remembered. A soft greenish light emanated from his hands and enveloped Ghyfin's wound. There was a brief moment of closeness as his hand touched the wound, and Ghyfin felt a strange but soothing warmth spread through her arm, the pain slightly easing.
Kanae, hit by Crashing Down, did not disappear. Her luminous figure looked dimmer and unstable. With a spiritual voice that resonated not in the ears but directly in Reinh's mind, she said, "Go... to Halonial... something... awaits you there... Emissary..." Then, Kanae's light figure dimmed further, then shot out and entered Ghyfin's surprised body.
Ghyfin gasped, her eyes widening. "What... what happened? I feel... something... inside me." She looked at Reinh, confused and a little scared.
Reinh himself was just as confused. Kanae entered Ghyfin's body? And called him "Emissary"? This was all getting stranger and further from the game logic he understood. They had to return to Sekandaya Port immediately to treat Ghyfin's wound further and try to understand what had just happened. The mission to find the missing livestock was completely forgotten.