It was still dark when the caravan started moving.
This was a bit unusual. Normally people wouldn't move in the dark, monsters were far more active at night than any other time of the day. On top of that, recently there were more rumors of strange black beasts that could not be killed.
Chronos knew that these were not just rumors, the black beasts were real. However, his family had easily killed these creatures when they were found. The only strange thing about them was that their bodies disappeared when slain.
Still, he kept his eyes on their surroundings. They were in a lightly forested area that was connected to the Averest forest just east of here.
While doing this he started considering what monsters might appear on this journey and in the surrounding landscape. The giant monsters of the north or the wild beasts of the Averest forest were both a threat in this location.
During the last 400 years, since the Ulv family took over this territory, there had never been a major monster breach through this territory and into the kingdom. Small groups or individual creatures would occasionally get past though. The Ulv family members had done such a good job protecting this border that even other lords would ask for help if their territories struggled during the beast tides.
Chronos took note that they were still too close to the northern mountains. Some of the giant-sized creatures from the last beast tide could have survived and may be wandering nearby.
It was unlikely but he might be able to fulfill his wish to fight a giant sized monster, as he hadn't been allowed to participate in the last beast tide.
Continuing to ponder on the surroundings, the east was covered by the massive Averest forest. No one was sure what was in the center of that forest, or if they did know they didn't talk about it. There were plenty of rumors, like a nation of elves or beastkin in hiding, but nothing had ever been confirmed to the public.
What was known was that it was a monster's den. The whole forest was overflowing with magic which mutated the beasts and insects inside, transforming them into monsters. Some brave, or perhaps reckless, adventurers swore that even the plants tried to kill you.
Due to this, a constant flow of monsters came out of the forest. However, this also meant that all the noble domains near the forest were quite prosperous from the sale of monster parts and rare plants.
The lightly forested area they were currently traveling through was connected to the Averest forest. If they were attacked by something it would likely come from there.
"Hey, do you two think we will have to fight monsters soon?"
Sariah thought for a moment before responding. "You mean from the forest? I don't think so. We are still too close to the Ulv domain, and they regularly clear the surroundings. I suppose you could pray for it, Chronos."
Upon hearing this Chronos promptly clapped his hands together and began to pray for a monster attack.
Gregory snapped. "Stop that right now! I don't want some God listening to your prayer...again."
"But the priestess said to pray for it."
Placing a palm to her forehead Sariah spoke in an exasperated tone. "I wasn't serious. Also, I am not a priestess, I'm a mage."
"Oh, that sucks. I thought a priestess's suggestion could bless my prayer."
"I doubt it. Now be quiet. I don't want to attract something before dawn at the earliest."
That was fair. Even Chronos was hesitant to fight the more common monsters from the forest in the dark. Bugs, being the most numerous creatures in the world, were also the most common monsters in the forest.
If bugs came out of the forest the best way to fight them was to block the first attack, then cut off their limbs. This would slow or stop their rapid movements giving the defender time to make a killing blow. But in the dark it would be hard to see their movements clearly.
The second danger, admittedly the more lethal threat, came from birds. They have large hunting grounds and could fly high enough to avoid most detection skills. With the right mutation it was hard to tell what sort of extra attacks they might have. Most simply grew physically stronger but some would have magic or otherwise special attacks to watch for.
All of this was good to consider in the dark hours of the day but what Chronos was really looking forward to was the Dracon fen that the caravan was headed to.
The Dracon fen is a large swamp just south of the Averest forest. The swamp was a low land area that had been filled by a large river coming from the forest. Since Averest forest was filled with magic, the river that came from it could easily be turned into spirit water for potions and other alchemic products.
The locals were lizard folk with several large naga clans in the central areas of the swamp. From what he had heard they didn't like most outsiders and would chase them off or feed them to the swamps beasts.
Because of how paranoid the lizard folk and nagas were of outsiders no lord could rule them, but both tribes revered dragons. Which led to the strange situation of having the dragon church, that normally abstained from interfering in the government's affairs, start ruling this domain.
As part of their tax the church would collect potions from the tribes to be turned over to the kingdom and in the lean years they would provide food for the tribes. This won a great deal of loyalty from the tribes of Dracon fen.
What caught Chronos's interest were the rumors that dragon church knights were strong, strong enough to be considered elites of the kingdom. The tribes were also rumored to have powerful warriors, but he doubted he would get the chance to fight them. Unless he could convince his friends to enter the fen, which probably wouldn't happen. They were more cautious than him.
Other than the kingdoms bread basket, there wasn't much to the west.
It was called the Rolling Golden hills and had been conquered by the people of the kingdom centuries ago. Afterward, they cultivated crops and large animal or monster farms to provide food for the kingdom.
Being on the northern side of the kingdom and surrounded by the two danger zones of the mountains and the forest, as well as the ocean on their far western side, kept the region safe from invasion by most forces. As long as the border nobles did their job to keep monsters in the danger zones that is. In recent years several nobles had been disciplined for not doing their job properly.
Outside of farms there wasn't anything else there, and the small monsters that occasionally showed up were able to be handled by the farmers.
"The sun is up, they shouldn't be upset if I talk now."
"Hey Gregory, how many merchants are in this caravan and what are their specialties?"
"Well, I don't know everything about them. I didn't have much time to gather information."
"That's fine."
"Alright, there are seven merchants starting with Brynn Harthrow. He is the leader of this caravan and owns the first three carriages here. He transports leathers and ingots as well as various textiles usually. I think he has some armor and weapons for the church this time, but his guards are keeping quiet about it. Most of the guards are in his employ since he regularly organizes caravans."
"The fourth carriage in line is owned by Garrick. A jovial fellow who eats too much and even "taste tests" his own goods. The public goods in question are spices and preserves including dried monster organs. Rumor in the underground is that he is a part of a "spice" syndicate."
"How trustworthy is that rumor?"
"At least 50% chance of it being true."
"Hmm...let's keep our distance then. Someone who regularly tastes potentially dangerous wares is likely to have a high risk of causing problems."
Gregory wouldn't have mentioned it if there wasn't some evidence to point this out. It probably was just a bit lacking to have him arrested. Pointing to the next in line he continued. "Whether he is or isn't, my instinct says he should be avoided. Anyway, the fifth carriage is owned by that tiefling Ilra Vexx, a reagent seller transporting alchemy reagents to dracon fen. He might be trying to sell to the naga tribes. I wish him luck with that."
"The sixth carriage is owned by Toma Bristlewatt. She's a gnomish tinkerer with a bunch of clockwork items. I tried to avoid getting close in case one of them exploded."
"Does she have noise makers or traps?"
"She does. I saw them when I walked past last night along with self-filling quills. I'm going to get one of those later." Replied Sariah as she prepared a spell scroll in the back of the carriage.
"I'll come with you, I can use some of her items when hunting."
Gregory continued his explanation "The seventh carriage is run by a wood elf worshipping a nature god. Strangely, the only goods I saw were textiles, but I am confident I heard skittering inside. I'm betting on spiders for silk to weave. His name is Saela Silken and he comes from Quiet Wood forest down south."
"The eighth carriage is the largest one and it is enchanted to be larger inside. It's a beast trading carriage that is managed by the orc Boruk Stonebell."
"Stonebell? The same one who delivered night wolves to the clan ten years ago?"
"Yeah, he's a bit weirder than other orcs. But he is trustworthy once you prove yourself. You might get along with him better than the rest of us Chronos. He likes animals after all."
"The ninth carriage is owned by Mirrelle, she is a half-elf that specializes in glasswork. Potion bottles, alchemy vials, spyglasses, and scrying mirrors. I couldn't find her family name anywhere so be careful what you say around her."
"Is that strange?" Sariah curiously asked.
Chronos spoke with a concerned look on his face "Elves nearly always have family names to keep track of relations over centuries of life. If she doesn't have one it's because she was abandoned at birth, doesn't know her parents, or was exiled. Because of how proud elves are of their name most elves who have no last name are exiled for some reason. This also applies to half-elves."
"I don't think she is a bad person. Probably just doesn't know her parentage." Gregory commented, causing Sariah to watch her like she might be a problem.
Chronos thought for a while before speaking. "Let's make a plan for today. If we are going to fit in with a merchant caravan, we will need goods and a spokesperson. We can hunt some creatures during breaks for our goods, but a good spokesperson will make life much easier."
Sariah looked panicked as she waved her hands in front of her. "I am no good at talking to others. I wouldn't even know what to say about the goods."
Gregory looked at Chronos "I don't have time to be spokesperson while gathering information. You are the only one of us that has any sort of training in this."
"I wasn't very good at making deals in my lessons, we might take a loss if I'm in charge."
"That's fine. We just need enough to get by during our journey."
"Agreed."
"Alright, so I am in charge of being the spokesperson, Sariah can make scrolls or assist in hunts, and Gregory will gather information in town. Once we take a break we will go on our first hunt. I would like to know what both of your specialties are and your current rank."