135:To the Capital

Waking up the next morning earlier than expected, I contemplated heading back to sleep. I was curious whether it was possible to get a storage ring large enough to store a bed like this.

Getting up, I made sure I had collected everything. We’d be heading to the capital today, and to the meeting with the King, and I was really hoping it all went well because I didn’t want to rush out of the capital straight away like some of the past cities.

I have had dreams about visiting the capital as a powerful warrior and being a hero to the people. This time just felt very real, not knowing what was going to happen.

As I opened the door, I saw Hari, his hand just about to knock, standing in front of me.

“That was unexpected, but great. You’re awake. Come down for breakfast; we’ll be heading off within the hour,” Hari said. He had been in a great mood since coming to the inn.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. We were the only group down here eating at this time. Wyatt served a delicious meal of fried eggs, fresh rolls, and ground meat that he called sausage meat.

I was actually really disappointed that I didn’t have time to find out how to make it. It tasted amazing. It was fairly salty, but there was a strong pepper taste to it as well, but neither overpowered the buvul.

Once we were done, I saw Hari and Wyatt saying their goodbyes before, once again, Hari was encased in a bear hug from the man.

Soon he came by and shook my hand.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, Trev. A friend of Hari’s always has a place in my home. You’re welcome anytime. Oh, and if you ever want brewing lessons, I’m happy to help—heard you have a little something on the go already,” he said.

“Thank you. It was a lot of fun here, and I will take you up on your offer when we come back through!” I responded.

Heading outside and to the stables, I saw the three Royal Guards were there, having a discussion with Milo that I couldn’t help but overhear.

“I thank you for your offer, but we do not need, nor do we want, an escort to the capital. I have to insist that you keep your distance,” Milo said firmly.

“If you’re sure,” Artour said, bowing slightly, before walking off.

“All good?” I asked.

Milo just waved me off. “It’s fine. I think they just want to be the ones who walk you into the capital, but they won’t cause any issues.”

I looked behind me to make sure they were at least out of sight.

“They are real royal guards, right? Not just people pretending to be?” I whispered.

Milo chuckled. “Yes, they are real. The easiest way to tell is their chest armour. There is a magic seal there that both binds that chest piece to the individual user, but also gives off a unique mana signature for the royal house.”

Milo walked into the stable. “Come on, Trev, we need that wagon!”

Jogging to catch up, I moved to the clearing in the centre of the stables before pulling out the wagon.

This simple action, despite knowing what was going to happen, still surprised and amused me, just knowing I could store it.

As I climbed in back to bring the barrels back out, Milo was already bringing over the horses to hook them up.

“Uh, Milo, out of interest, on the way to the capital do you think it’s possible to complete some of the Arcane Foraging quests?” I asked.

I didn’t think I’d be able to get the three rare items done, not unless I got very lucky, and finding carcasses didn’t really seem like the direction I wanted to take it, but the eel buffs gave me an ability called Mana Sight. So I wondered if I could unlock a permanently on version of Arcane Foraging from the time quest?

He seemed to think about it. “I’m not sure which ones we could actually complete. After your recent run-in with mana issues, I’m very hesitant to suggest you take mana potions all day, and I don’t really know if you’ll find rare items on the way.”

Appearing from around the wagon, Jen said, “It shouldn’t be too bad if we give him low-quality mana potions, though. He’ll just need to monitor his mana, try to keep it around half rather than topping it off fully constantly.”

“I suppose it could work, but I’m just hesitant, especially with a certain cat being particularly protective right now. I don’t want to be the one she blames,” Milo said with a laugh.

Soon everyone came out of the inn, making their way into the stables.

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Both Darren and George had clearly got a new set of armour that actually fit, as they were both sporting a hard leather set, actually looking like guards now.

I couldn’t help but make a small joke at their expense. “Look at you two! You look like you might be able to fight now,” I grinned.

George just looked at Darren. “I think he’s challenging us to a duel. That’s what you heard, right?”

Darren nodded, and even Crisplet burst into sparks.

“Traitor!” I said before falling into laughter.

“So when are you getting the chef hat?” George asked with a grin.

“When you beat me in level!” I said, mounting Sable.

“No fair!” George grumbled, mounting his own horse, as Darren took the wagon again.

The ride out of the city was uneventful. Nobody stopped us, and despite some concerns from Milo, we were not being followed—well, not obviously anyway—and we made it onto the road before most of the city had properly risen for the day.

“How far is the capital from here?” I asked curiously.

“Three days? Roughly. These roads, the wagon can move a lot faster, but sometimes you can get stuck behind lots of farmers who are heading to the capital to sell their wares,” Jen said.