29 The Beginning
After saying goodbye, Archer Blinked out of the castle, appearing near the gates. He noticed his hair was messy.
Taking out some string that came with the baskets, he tied his hair into a man bun as he began to walk away. Archer heard someone calling out to him from behind. "Hey Arch, wait there for a second."
Turning around, he spotted a green-haired woman in a blue kaftan with bright yellow eyes staring at him. She was one of his mothers,d Janna.
She was his father's third wife. Janna stopped in front of him and spoke in a caring tone. "I thought I'd never see you again. How have you been?"
''I've been fine, why?'' Archer answered.
Janna got a sad smile on her face. ''What your father has done is wrong; even if you lost the fight, you're still an Ashguard.''
Archer spoke in a neutral tone. ''I'm not one anymore, Mother. I was thrown out of the family. Remember, I'm just Archer now.''
A sad look appeared on Janna's face when she heard him speak. ''Sorry for what you've gone through. I know I was involved, but I never wanted to harm you.''
He didn't hold it against Janna but wouldn't go out of his way to be caring toward her. ''It's okay, I'm enjoying my current life.''
Janna was happy when she heard that, but his new look caught her eye. ''So Arch, why are you here, and what has happened to you?''
Archer answered honestly. ''I evolved when I reached level twenty.''
The older woman asked in a curious tone. ''You met little Ella, didn't you?
He looked at her. ''How did you know that? ''
She smiled at him. ''Well, she walks around with a beaming smile and is always in a good mood, and you're the only one who could be responsible.''
Shaking his head, he told her he had a quest. ''Mother, I have to go now. I got an escort quest to get to.''
Janna grabbed him and hugged the boy against her chest, whispering something that made him happy.
''I know what has happened to you, and I think it's completely wrong, but never forget I'm also your mother, and I'm sorry for not stopping it.''
She pecked his forehead and walked off while waving at him. Archer stared at her as she walked back into the castle. Janna has never wronged him so that Archer wouldn't disrespect her. He went to the southern gate to meet with the guild caravan.
As he was walking along, he pulled out some dwarven flatbread and started eating. When he spotted the southern gate, he started walking towards it.
Archer noticed a stall on the right side of the road. He walked over to ask a question and saw a boy his age standing behind it, waiting to serve any customers. ''What is in the bottles?''
The grumpy-looking boy answered in a deadpan voice. ''Fizzle Fig, Moon Juice, Dragon's Tears, Rune Shine, and Honey Brew are travel drinks, three silver each.''
He liked the sound of them and bought some. ''I'll take twenty of each.''
The boy looked at him with wide eyes and whispered. ''Really?''
Archer nodded, and the boy then told him the price. ''Three gold for twenty of each.''
He gave the boy the coins and stored all but a bottle of dragon's tears. Popping the cap, he took a swig. Its flavor burst onto his tongue like a symphony of magical sensations.
It tasted like the juice of a freshly picked summer berry enchanted with a hint of citrus. The other flavors are more complex.
With hints of spices he's never encountered, dancing together in a warm and inviting balance like magic. He was leaving a comforting warmth that seemed to spread throughout his body, bringing a sense of calm and contentment.
It seems to be made from a blend of rare and exotic ingredients that only a skilled and experienced potion maker could craft. But he knows one thing: he's never tasted anything like it. Shortly after, Archer arrived at the southern gate to see Sarah ordering people around.
Four people stood by her, and another group sat off to the side. As Sarah turned around, she saw him walking towards her and calling out with a smile. ''Come over here.''
He approached her as she motioned for a group of four, two men and two women. ''Archer, this is Tiefel, her husband Barador, and Isaiah and his wife Jaen. They are the Fate's Fortune adventurers group, all Rank C'
When he looked at the four, he noticed two were elves, and the others were human. That's when Sarah started speaking. ''The caravan waits for two more groups, and then we can leave.''
Archer spoke up. ''We?''
''I am accompanying you as a representative of the guild. After all, we are traveling to a different kingdom, and the civil war is worsening.'' She replied with a smile.
Sarah motioned at the groups sitting around.'' That's why there are four adventurer groups and sixty guild guards so that we will be fine.''
'She jinxed us.' Archer got a bad feeling but ignored it.
Not bothering with anything, he found a place to chill. Pulling out some of the gummy-like sweets, he started eating again. An hour later, everything was ready, and the missing groups arrived. Archer began to walk alongside the caravan while drinking some dragon tears.
He decided he needed a radar-like skill to track incoming enemies. It would be helpful. As he was walking, he thought about the spell he wanted to create.
[Spell Creation Activated]
Archer thought about Earth's radar system and wanted a version for himself. Nothing happened while he was walking until he heard a click.
[Aura-Detector skill created]
[Aura-Detector: A skill that allows the user to detect all aura signatures around him]
[Spell Creation cool-down activates until user ranks up]
He was happy with his new skill and wanted to try so he started it. Sensing everyone in the caravan, where they were, and the random beasts approaching them. After messing around with that, he checked his status after eating the thirteen hearts with Ella.
[Experience: 300/3000]
[Level Up: 43>44]
[SP: 2>15]
[Aura Detection Learned]
That's when he recalled a memory from the old Archer. Aura is energy from achieving spiritual power through extreme mental focus and strong emotions.
Everyone has an Aura, but only those powerful enough can use it. Archer pulled out some chocolate and started eating. That's when the human of the group that Sarah introduced earlier approached him. ''Hey boy, what's your name?''
Archer looked at Isaiah's brown eyes, staring back at him. He had short brown hair with stubble on his face. ''Archer.''
Isaiah smiled upon hearing his answer and tried to start a conversation with him, but Archer wasn't in the mood to talk, so he gave up and left him alone.
He walked back to the group as his wife laughed. Archer was minding his business as he walked along when dozens of pings from Aura Detection.
When it did this, it showed him that loads of beasts surrounded the caravan, and he soon recognized what they were. 'Wolves.'
Casting Cosmic Sword as one rushed at him, it was covered in black fur and had glowing red eyes.
He was prepared to fight but saw three more pairs of red eyes behind the first one. Archer pointed his hand and cast three fireballs at the incoming wolves.
Three balls of violet-colored flames appeared out of nowhere and shot toward the wolves, smashing into three of them.
His attack caused three massive explosions. Archer quickly rushed towards the last one and sliced it down the side of its body, causing it to drop to the ground.
The guards managed to kill the rest. He cut out the four hearts and stored them alongside the bodies. They didn't encounter anything else as the large group continued. Archer kept getting odd pings here and there from his aura detection but couldn't find anything.
He shrugged it away when he heard a shout from the carriage that carried members of the guild. ''We will rest here for the night, people.''
The caravan pulled off onto a patch of grass next to a river. It looked peaceful. Archer looked around at the grassland. It bordered a forest on one side and a river on another, allowing only one way in and out.
He saw some rocks and made his way over to them while pulling out the troll thigh he bought, cutting a big piece of meat as he sat down and started to eat. While sitting there, he watched the tents set up and Sarah directing the people's cooking.
Sarah looked over at him and waved at him before making her way to the group, gathering the water that the camp needed, and started barking orders. Archer stood up as he finished eating the troll's thigh, spotting the tree he wanted to sleep in.
It wasn't far from the river bank bordering the forest. He made his way over to it and jumped up, using the spell of body enhancement to give him more power.
Landing on a branch, he ate the four wolf hearts. Once he was finished with the hearts, he checked his status.
[Experience: 1300/3000]
[SP: 15>19]
He was still getting the strange pings but couldn't see anything, even with his dragon eyes. After scanning the area one last time, he settled down and tried to sleep. A couple of hours later. Archer felt something on his leg. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.
