Chapter 14: The Fae Forest
(This chapter is from Amily's perspective)
.......
At first glance, I didn't really think much of him.
He looked almost a sickly pale, with a thin and lean build reminiscent of a wolf that hadn't eaten in a few days.
I briefly watched him walk over to Tyr before I continued to ask adventurers for help.
All of the adventurers declined me, as what I asked of them was either too difficult or I didn't have enough money to compensate for the request.
I sat down at a table. sighing in defeat.
I had offered the adventurers pretty much all the money and belongings I had. The closest I got to someone agreeing to my quest was when a young great-sword wielder had told me he would do it if I slept with him.
I responded by drop kicking him and quickly walking away. If he wanted to sleep with someone he could go to the city brothel, but I was definitely not offering those kind of services.
I was about to give up on finding help in Beniham, but then the pale man who was talking to Tyr walked past me.
As he walked by, I felt the crushing density of the man's mana for a brief second. As he sat down to order food, I stared at him incredulously.
He was powerful, incredibly so. He could definitely help.
I couldn't afford a party of adventurers for my task, but maybe I could pay enough for this one man.
I could only hope he would agree, despite the dangers.
C'mon Amily, that guy is your last hope in this city! Go for it!
......
It was close to noon, and the guardsmen had begun eating their lunches.
I was currently waiting at the city gate, waiting for the man to show up.
I was still a bit dumbfounded by him. Most adventurers just wanted money to buy better gear or good food, but the man had wanted information.
I mean, the information I had promised him was pretty classified from outsiders of the High Inquisition, but I was still confused at the idea that he didn't want any money for payment.
While it was unpleasant for me to revisit my memories from before I ran away for the Grand Monastery and abandoned my Sisterhood, it was a small price to pay for my future security and ability to fight.
As I continued to wait, I double checked my gear to make sure I remembered everything.
Health potions: check. Robe is in good condition, my weapon is ready to go, my escape bombs are packed along with my emergency teleport scroll, looks like I'm good...
A harsh and gravelly sounding voice called out to me from a distance, bring me out of my thoughts.
"Hey, how's it going?"
I was slightly startled by hearing him talk to me. I kind of pegged him as the quiet, brooding, antisocial type.
"O-oh hey there, ummmm...."
"Ah right, I forgot to tell you my name yesterday. Charon."
He extended his hand. I grabbed it and shook it.
"....hey Charon, I'm doing alright. Ready to help me?"
As I asked him, I examined Charon's equipment. He looked pretty much the same as yesterday: skeletal hand necklace and orb necklace around his neck, edgy looking sword on his left hip, Bottomless Travel Bag <expensive! this guy must be stacked!> on his right hip, and the freaky three-eyed raven perched on his shoulder. The only thing different about him was the clothes he was wearing. Yesterday he was wearing some old, tattered pants and a ripped up shirt, but today it looked like he was wearing a plain grey shirt and black pants.
He must really like his dark colors.
"Yeah, what are we doing today?"
"Well, I'll tell you along the way...."
As we departed, I noticed the guardsmen staring at Charon intently, some stared with wariness and others with slight fear.
What had happened between them?
.........
So as we walked to our destination, I filled Charon in on exactly what I was setting out to do and what I needed his help for.
To begin, I told Charon of my situation.
Ever since I left the Sisterhood, the System forcefully re-classed me into a rare, unique class called (Weaver (Bio)).
I knew Weavers were a kind of sorcerers that manipulated a certain material that they were classed in.
For example, if a person was classed as (Weaver (Stone)), or what most would call a Stone Weaver, they could use their abilities to manipulate and change the properties of rock and stones with their mana. They could change a rock's hardness, its shape, its weight, and other aspects without the modifications being counted as an enchantment or blessing or curse.
The only evidence that something had been messed with a weaver would be that in the object's status conditions, it would list the word [Modified] and then list all the modifications that had been done. So if a weaver manipulated a rock into a fuzzy shirt, the item would still be recognized by the system as a rock, but in its status it would note it had been modified to be softer, more flexible, etc..
Weavers were rare as the conditions to become a weaver were unknown. Even if someone did become a weaver, becoming a good one was difficult. The art of weaving was mainly in modification, which required a solid understanding of the nature of the material that was being modified as well as how the material interacts in the presence of mana.
Because most people were uneducated/unaware of Magic Theory and of the laws and functioning of nature, becoming a successful weaver was unlikely.
News of successful weavers spread like wildfire, and were either killed by the High Inquisition for practicing heretical magics or they went deep into hiding.
Because of this, there was no one to teach new weavers the basics of the class or reveal how the skills of the class are unlocked.
And even if there were experienced weavers to teach, my main dilemma came from the fact that no one in recorded history had ever been classed as a Bio Weaver before.
I had been confused at what I could do with the class at first, as I had no idea what "bio" really meant.
As I experimented, however, I realized my new class let me manipulate the flesh of animals, people, and monsters.
While I could make modifications, they all either killed the monster I was experimenting on or it just formed useless clumps of flesh.
Basically, I had a fundamental lack of understanding on how flesh works.
Because of that, I decided to go to the Fae Forest and drink from the fabled and legendary Fountain of Knowledge.
The only problems were that the Fae Forest was home to dangerous monsters and that the Fountain might not even be real.
And so, I needed Charon to help protect me as I searched for the Fountain.
After I had finished explaining, Charon was silent for a few seconds.
We continued walking, the monotonous sound of our feet hitting the ground being broken by Charon's voice.
"So, I'm just here to guard you while you search for something that might not even exist?"
Hearing him say it out loud made me embarrassed and caused me to squirm.
"U-uh, erm, yes....."
"How long will you search?"
"I was thinking giving it 2 weeks maximum before I decide to let you go and search by myself I guess..."
Charon let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
"Well, I'll help you look until you decide to give up. If I left you by yourself in the forest and you died because of it, it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth."
Wait what?! What did he say?!
"Wait, you don't have to stay that long! I appreciate the offer but it would be rude and inconsiderate of me to take so much of your time and-"
"Well, I don't have much going on in the near future. Plus, I'm pretty interested in this Fountain now. I'll be tagging along until you call it quits."
I looked down, confused by this sudden kindness. Amidst my confusion, I managed to find the right words.
"....t-thank you...."
"Huh, what? Did you say something?"
Gaaaaah! I mumbled!!!! This is embarrassing! Why am I so stupid?! Why is he being so nice?! Why can't I speak words right?!!
I decided to shut up for the rest of the journey.
Charon would occasionally give me a confused look, would look to his raven, and both would shrug.
..................
Charon pointed ahead, stopping to scan the scenery.
"This the place?"
It was almost night time, yet the surrounding area glowed with a blue light. Ahead of us was a strange forest, a mix of giant glowing blue mushrooms, thin and wispy trees that glowed pink, and glowing grasses.
The entire forest was a light show.
"Yeah, this is the fae forest. Now we have to find what I came for."
"That Fountain of Knowledge thing, right?"
I nodded.
"Alright Charon, I'll be in your care! Let's try to stay together, I heard it's easy to get lost in the forest."
Charon nodded, and we slowly walked into the forest.
The forest was truly beautiful, a place that seemed out of place in our world. The plants and wildlife were so strange compared to everything else I had seen or had read of in the Church Library.
I slowly wandered in deeper, hoping to look for some clue to the location of the fountain. A path, some ruins, markings, anything.
But the deeper I got into the forest, the more confused I felt.
"Hey Charon, have any idea where we are?"
As I asked, I felt something land on my shoulder. It was Charon's raven familiar, Wiz.
Wiz looked at me with his three eyes, shining with an alien intelligence.
"Squack! He left! Squack! Looking ahead!"
"Wait w-what?!"
I quickly turned around.
Charon was gone.
What am I going to do?!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone