14: On The Road
When I returned to the inn, I left my belongings in the small room—or storage closet, I suppose—I used to call a bedroom, then joined Geo in the kitchen. The night was halfway done, and I wasn’t to go out front in case I was spotted. To pass the time, and to keep myself from spiralling into panic, I decided to cook some food for Geo to use, drawing from the supplies I had in my Chef’s Pantry.
If I were leaving with a caravan, I wouldn’t need the large amount of supplies I had stockpiled for going solo, and this would be a good way to help repay Larry for the favour he was doing me.
Deciding to stick to traditional dishes, I settled on two pies and a stew, figuring the pies could serve for lunch while the stew would keep well enough for dinner that evening. This might even be enough to push me to level 10—or at least very close to it—which would be an amazing surprise to get on the road.
I got to work, making small talk with Geo while I prepared the vegetables, since both dishes used the same ingredients: dicing onions, carrots, and celery, peeling tubers, and chopping a green herb called Garlic Grass.
Next, I took out the large piece of Buvul meat I had purchased—about half of my remaining supply—and diced it into small cubes. I browned the meat in a pot, then removed it and added the onions to soften in the rendered Buvul fat.
As the night came to a close, I had finished two Buvul pies and set a stew to rest near the edge of the stovetop. The pies were partially cooked, and Geo would be able to finish them in the morning. I confirmed that three lots of 5 mana had been removed.
Finally, I looked over all my stats before turning in for the night.
Name: Trevor
Class: Arcane Chef
Rarity: Rare
Level: 9
Experience: 213/4190
Hit points: 150/150
Mana: 160/270
Stamina: 80/150
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 19
Endurance: 15
Intelligence: 27
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 10
Willpower: 12
Perception: 8
Luck: 6
Unspent: 0
Abilities:
Basic Meal Prep: 3
Butchery: 2
Knifework: 4
Infused Flavour: 1
Chef's Pantry: 2
On Level Up:
+2 Intelligence
+1 Wisdom
+1 Dexterity
+2 Unassigned
Basic Meal Prep
Level: 3
Experience: 25/647
Can craft basic meals at an increased pace.
Butchery
Level: 2
Experience: 50/325
Able to identify usable parts, Increased yield from target.
Knifework
Level: 4
Experience: 932/1056
Efficiency with a kitchen knife.
Infused Flavour
Level: 1
Experience: 50/100
Never underestimate the power of good flavour.
Chef's Pantry
Level: 2
Experience: 176/325
Every chef needs a place to store the special stuff.
I noticed I had gained a level in Basic Meal Prep. By now, I could absolutely feel the effects of both Knifework and Basic Meal Prep. Meals came together faster, and when I was cutting, it might have been partly practice, but I truly felt my knife work was becoming more consistent, quicker, and far more precise.
Finally, Micca entered the kitchen, locking eyes with me before running over and wrapping me in a warm hug.
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“Travel safe. I'm going to miss you, and make sure you come back,” she whispered before I had even registered what had happened.
“I will, I promise,” I replied, hugging her in return.
A moment later, Larry entered the kitchen, followed by a man I'd never seen before.
“Trevor, this is Troy Stevens. He's the lead merchant of the caravan tomorrow,” Larry said, gesturing toward the older gentleman in fine clothing.
“Pleasure to meet you, young master. I hear you've run into some trouble with the local government,” Troy chuckled.
“We leave at first light. The caravan will pick us up outside the inn here. I'll have you hide in the back until we're on the road, and to pay for your travel, I hear you’re a fine cook, so you can assist us with evening meals and breakfasts.”
I just nodded my head, not knowing what to do or say. But in a moment of impulse, I asked.
“Is it dangerous on the road?”
“It can be. However, we have a strong adventurer party travelling with us as our guards,” he replied, clearly not thinking much of it.
“Right, I need to get some sleep,” he said. “We have a long journey ahead of us. I'll see you in the morning.”
With that, Troy left the kitchen, heading back through the main room to the lodgings upstairs.
Before Larry could walk off, I asked the only other question that was absolutely burning inside me.
“Where is the caravan heading? And how long will it take?”
Maybe I would see Amanda in Elarith Vale up north.
“I believe it’s heading to the city of Boltron in the northwest, at the base of Mount Divinus. If memory serves, it’s a two- to three-week journey—not that long,” Larry said, now lost in thought.
Two to three weeks of travel? That seemed like such a long time on the road, but I guessed, in the grand scheme of things, it was pretty close by.
I just nodded.
Larry then grabbed me by the shoulder.
“You stay safe out there, and come back when you can.”
With that, he left through the door to his office. Clearly not one for big goodbyes, he was gone.
I ended up spending the next hour in the kitchen, talking with Micca and Geo. Both of them made me double- and triple-check everything I had. I showed Geo the kitchen knife I got and listed roughly the supplies I was carrying, worried it wouldn’t be enough for three weeks.
“The caravan will have their own supplies for travel, and you’ll find the adventurers will probably go hunting while on the road and bring back some fresh kills to work with. Honestly, for your class, I think that will be a good thing for you,” Geo explained patiently.
After a long yawn from Micca, they both said their goodbyes. Micca hugged me again, making me promise once more that I would be back.
As Geo left, he gave me a hearty pat on the back.
“You’ll do great out there. I can’t wait to see what your class develops into, and when you return, be the man I know you will be.”
They both left, leaving me alone in the kitchen. That’s when it dawned on me—where would I sleep? Larry had already filled the storage closet back up, so I couldn’t sleep there any longer.
“Damn,” I muttered, gathering my stuff and laying out a bedroll on the kitchen floor. At least it was warm in here, with the coals burning down.
I woke up before dawn the next morning, nerves hitting me like an out-of-control wagon. I double- and triple-checked everything, washed my face with some of the water left over from the night before, put on my most comfortable tunic and trousers, then threw on my travel cloak and entered the main room of the inn.
Taking a seat in one of the corner booths, I waited until it was time.
It felt like forever before I heard movement on the stairs and saw Troy shuffle into the main room, yawning and looking around until he spotted me.
“Ah, good. You didn’t sleep in,” he mumbled. “Let’s head out. I need to get you into the back of the caravan with the goods. I doubt they’re looking for you at the gate, but better to be safe.”
I nodded, grabbed my belongings, and followed Troy out to the front of the inn, where a wooden wagon was hitched to two large horses.
“We’ll meet our adventurer guards near the gate on the way out,” he said. “The others are coming down now. Saddie’s had to store hers at an inn elsewhere—she’ll meet us with her own wagon by the gate.”
Troy climbed into the back of the wagon, shifting crates and barrels to make space while also, I guessed, checking that nothing had been tampered with. The driver at the front, seated just behind the horses, hadn’t said a word yet—he only nodded at Troy and faced forward.
“Right, up here. Take a seat,” Troy said, pointing to a small spot on a bench he’d just cleared before sitting himself across from me in a much roomier section.
A moment later, the wagon took off. This was it. I was finally leaving Dunhearth.
As we approached the edge of town, the walls and gate came into view. A group of four riders waited on horseback. One of them looked like they were actually asleep in the saddle. How odd—was it really possible to ride while sleeping?
As we drew closer, one of the riders broke from the group and approached the wagon. He was an enormous man, clad in impressive-looking armour, with a shield on his back and a sword at his hip. He looked incredibly intimidating.
“Name’s Hari,” he said to Troy as he came alongside the wagon. “We’ll be your guards for the trip.”
“Good, good. Everyone’s here on time. We’re just waiting on Saddie, then we can get moving,” Troy replied.
A bit of small talk followed, during which I learned the names of the other three adventurers: Jen, an archer; Milo, a sorcerer, judging by his robes and staff; and the one who’d been asleep—Liane—a lightly armoured melee fighter of some kind.
Just as the sun appeared on the horizon, another wagon came around the corner.
“Finally,” Troy grumbled. “It’s about time she showed up.”
“Sorry I’m late!” a feminine voice called from the other wagon. “I had a passenger to pick up, and he decided to sleep in and nearly missed his ride,” she added with a laugh.
With that, we started moving again. Flanked by our adventurer guards, we rode toward the gates.
“Hood up,” Troy said to me.
I followed his instructions, pulling up my hood to hide my face, though it turned out not to be necessary. The guards barely even glanced our way as we left town.
“Guess they’re not looking for you yet,” Troy chuckled. “That’s good news. No need for the hood, then.”
And just like that, for the first time in my life, I was leaving Dunhearth. Watching the gates grow smaller and smaller behind us, I felt a pang of loss. I was leaving behind people I truly believed were my friends—Micca, Geo, and Martin. But at the same time, this was it. I was finally stepping into the adventurer’s life I’d always dreamt of.
Of course, in all those fantasies, I’d never imagined three full weeks on the road.
“Are we travelling the whole way for all three weeks?” I asked.
“Oh, not really,” Troy replied. “There are a few villages, and a town along the way, but most don’t have proper inns. Usually, but usually there is a dwelling where we can rest for the night.”
“Will we go anywhere dangerous?” I couldn’t help asking, my head buzzing with questions.
Troy just laughed.
“No, not really. We might come across some aggressive beasts near the forest, but that won’t be for another week or so. This close to Dunhearth—and with all the farmland around—it’s very peaceful.”
I got a rough lay of the land from Troy and an idea of what we could expect. He told me that for the first week, we’d mostly be travelling through sparsely inhabited areas: scattered farms, logging camps, stoneworks, and the tanneries that couldn’t operate in town because of the smell.
After about a week, we’d pass a couple of villages before reaching the forest. Apparently, it was known by several different names depending on which region bordered it, but Troy simply called it the Great Forest, or the Dark Forest.
When I asked if we’d be travelling through it, he just laughed.
“Boy, even the elves would get lost in there. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if there were tribes of elves living deep in the Great Forest who’ve never had contact with the outside kingdoms,” he said with a chuckle.
“Why doesn’t someone explore it?” I asked.
“Many have tried,” Troy replied. “But the monsters in the forest’s heart are no joke. The mana density there is extreme, and the creatures are just as strong. Even on the outskirts, it’s not unusual to run into Treants—and they’re bad enough.”
After that, he went on to explain that once we passed the outskirts of the forest, we’d see Mount Divinus on the horizon. From there, we’d reach our first proper town, then make our way through the mountain pass before finally arriving in Boltron.
The morning passed by in a blur. Troy had moved up to sit next to the driver, whom I now learned was called Cee—though his real name was Craig. He didn’t speak much; even during our introductions, he’d only given me a brief nod.
Liane had finally woken up properly, and I learned she was a Rogue. But what fascinated me most was Milo. I had never seen magic up close before, and he seemed to take great delight in showing off. He explained that he specialised in earth and air magic, which made him invaluable for defence—but, as I would learn when we stopped for lunch that day, that wasn’t all he was good for.
For camp, he made a shelter!
I was stunned, staring at the stone shelter that had appeared out of nowhere. It was simple—just walls and a roof—but I couldn’t believe it. Someone could just make a house anywhere?
Lastly, I met our other travelling companions: Saddie, the merchant running the other caravan; her driver, Simon; and a boy named Jordan, who looked to be about my age. He was an apprentice carpenter heading to Boltron to find work. With all the positions in Dunhearth already filled, his family had saved up enough silver to send him on the journey, hoping he’d find a place in the larger city.
Troy handed me some jerky, and Milo produced a jug of water out of nowhere. I couldn’t understand how at first, until he explained that despite his specialisations, something basic like conjuring water or fire was still trivial for him.
Magic sounded amazing. I was honestly in awe.
This was going to be an incredible journey—I could feel it.