I get to join the others in their preparations for the expedition the next day. The adventurers try not to make this look any bigger than it already is. They, and especially Ediva and her group radiate composure and confidence. Apparently Ediva making a spectacle of herself upon her arrival isn't a problem though. It seems she is just like that and people everywhere in the frontier lands expect this behavior from her.

I guess it is important to avoid a panic and the societal and economic turmoil that would go hand in hand with it. Yes, I can see how it will benefit us, and everyone else for that matter, if we avoid unnecessary excitement like that.

Is it due to good organizational skills of the guild officials? Or is it the influence of the city's lord? I'm not sure, but right now it doesn't really matter either. In the long run though, I probably should find out who is responsible. This is the kind of thing I'll need to know eventually.

Either way, I don't have to prepare much. This time around my lack of additional gear might just be to my advantage. I'll travel light. I just take a little time to clean and sharpen both my sword and my utility knife. One of the guild attendants offers to check my cloak too. I graciously accept that offer. It shouldn't have too many holes or tears, but if I can get it mended for free, I certainly won't complain. As far as I'm concerned my guild membership is already paying dividends.

I can't completely avoid spending coin in preparation for the expedition though. While we will have some porters along, who will among other things set up camp and prepare meals, I invest a penny into a fresh loaf of bread. Well, fresh is relative in this regard. It's baked twice and hard enough that I'll have to break off pieces to eat slowly. That's intended though. Starting with the recipe for the dough to the second baking, this bread is intended to keep long. It'll be my new emergency ration. I hopefully won't need it, but it's still better to have it anyway.

One of these days I probably should invest into a ranged weapon too. A simple crossbow maybe or at least some throwing daggers. Acquiring the skills to go with the weapon, whichever one, shouldn't be too hard afterwards. That will have to wait though. This expedition is neither the right place not the right time for experiments like that.

Well, so far the preparations aren't anything special. The guild's dorm on the other hand takes some getting used to. I never would have thought it possible, but after the wilds and the empty solitary room at the boarding house this is quite the change.

It may sound trivial, but it isn't just one single change, no it's several. For one I end up in a real bed again for a change. Well, the mattress is stuffed with straw and not down, but it's soft and clean enough anyway. On the other hand I'm not sleeping alone. No, I'm sharing the room with half a dozen other women, Aila and Núira among them. At least the men have a room of their own. That is important, as, as Núira points out, Rami does indeed snore. Not always but often enough to make it an issue. And last but not least, I have gotten used to my nightly trips across the city's rooftops.

In the end I have a little trouble getting in any actual sleep and when I finally fall asleep, morning comes around entirely too soon. At least I don't have to worry about missing the departure. As morning comes around I sit up, yawn and blink as a divine whisper brushes my mind.

[*Ding!* You slept. Not bad, but not terribly well either! Health increased by 4! Mana increased by 2!]

Well, that could be better. It could be worse too though. I just wish that my Mana would recover a little faster. Oh well, it's no use to complain. I'll have to manage.

I get out of bed, as the others get up too and get ready for the big day. Except, it actually isn't that big of a day. Honestly, we are only heading out into the wilds of the frontier land. Since we are moving as a group, a group of considerable size as becomes obvious as we all gather at the indicated point just outside the city, it is highly unlikely that any wild animals will attack us.

Tomorrow will probably be another matter. After making camp once, much closer to the fungal infestation, this trip might get very serious very fast. Until then it should be smooth sailing, at least in theory.

Of course that doesn't mean that we are slacking off. Especially the scouts like Núira and me don't get a chance to relax. The scout from Ediva's party coordinates our efforts.

I'm still a little torn on how to call her. Just calling her Agnes seems wrong. While Ms. Pale sounds entirely too formal. In the end I settle on the former. It's a problem mostly limited to the confines of my own mind anyway. And it's not of much consequence either. What matters is that she seems competent and is not afraid to take charge. I can respect that. I can respect that very much.

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She sets the rest of us scouts on a rotation to secure the area around the traveling group in general and especially the stretch right ahead of us, to make sure we don't stumble into an ambush. No one complains. It's only prudent after all.

I especially won't complain as this gives me another chance to improve my skills. Maybe I can even get a little closer to my next level up. That would be very convenient, considering we are about to get in a big fight. The ability to catch a second wind during one of those is nothing to sneeze at.

For now, as I make my rounds, as quiet as possible and with all my senses sharpened I at least manage to improve [Stealth] and [Perception] a little. It will be quite a while before either skill will level up again though.

There is one other skill though that yields immediate results, as I keep moving about. The notification I receive via divine whisper leaves no doubt in that regard.

[*Ding!* Your skill Running has leveled up to level 6!]

There are more benefits to this level up than are immediately obvious. Running is a skill governed by vitality. And this level up improves the governing attribute too, as it's an even level. This in turn means my health improves too, even if just a little, and the same is true for my defense. Nice. Very nice!

Otherwise the day remains pretty quiet, both regarding trouble and improvements of my skills and other stats. There is one notable exception though. As I get a chance to listen to the others and their banter I come to realize that the language I have been using mostly so far isn't the only one spoken among this motley bunch. It becomes especially obvious as I listen in on Ediva and her companions. They are using an entirely different language when they are talking among themselves.

Thankfully I don't have to inquire directly. I really don't want to admit that I have been listening to them in secret after all. A divine whisper eases my curiosity instead, providing answers, before it can get too bad.

[*Ding!* You have unlocked the Arngarm (Language & Script) general skill at Level 1!]

That's what the language is called? Very curious. It sounds distinctively different from Syld. It's not just different vocabulary either. No, the whole structure of the sentences and the flow seems different. If I had to guess I'd assume that the two languages are from different language trees altogether and not related to each other at all. Well, not beyond a very, very distant common ancestor at best anyway.

It seems overall the frontier lands are being settled by people from at least two very distinct kingdoms. I was tempted to assume that they are distinct cultures too, but I don't actually see any evidence for that. No, there seem to be no big differences regarding culture and habits in between those who prefer the one language and those who prefer the other. Probably because the cultures have been in contact for a long time and there has been a lot of bleed over. That at least is my best guess.

I still have some questions regarding this, but I can't exactly ask them without giving away how little I really know. I don't want to reveal this lack of knowledge. Not now anyway. I'll need to find another way to find answers. Books might be a good start. If I ever come across any. Any other than ledgers and the likes anyway. A simple abridged history of the frontier lands, wouldn't that be nice? I doubt it'll happen, but I'll certainly keep looking.

For now though I need to keep my eyes open on the lookout for trouble. In the end no trouble rears its ugly head. Probably because a group like ours screams trouble in its own way. Whatever troublesome creatures can be found around here are too smart to bother us.

The camp we set up is well beyond what I remember from my own recent stay out here, even if the landscape looks vaguely familiar. Fireplaces get dug and piles of leaves, mostly dry ones thankfully, get arranged for our sleeping spots under simple tents. Overall I'd say that the night ahead of us won't be the worst I have ever spent out here.

This isn't all though. There is still more work to be done. Ediva's scout, Agnes who is not in fact pale at all, insists that we build a basic perimeter too. Freshly cut wood gets sharpened into spikes which in turn are spread out around the perimeter of the camp, forming not quite a fence. The individual spikes are not quite arm thick. They will probably slow down or outright stop anything but the myceloid monarch himself.

Participating in this work not only keeps me busy, it advances my [Survival] skill a little too. It's not enough for a level up, but I'll take what I can get. After that there is one last task I participate in. I help gather firewood and some tinder, the tinder fungi I have used myself to be exact. This in turn does earn me a level up, as the divine whisper brushing my mind affirms.

[*Ding!* Your skill Foraging has leveled up to level 3!]

This is shaping up to be a really productive day! Is it this feeling of accomplishment that makes the fresh, hot tea and the equally hot porridge we have for our evening meal afterwards all the sweeter? Actually, no, I think someone added a little honey to both. Never mind though. I still feel good about my accomplishments of this day.

This is as far as this day takes us as a group and me personally. After screening the group while it was moving, essentially running circles around it all day, I get to rest up for the night, just like the other scouts.

The warriors take over watch for the night instead.

To be honest I'm quite thankful for it. I'm not sure I could stay alert for a shift, maybe another two or even three hours. Hopefully the homicidal fungi have the decency to wait until after we have a chance to finish our morning meal before they pay us a visit. I would appreciate it very much if they were to show some restraint.

I don't share these thoughts with any of the others though. I don't want to jinx us and invite disaster to come crashing down upon us in the middle of the night. Thus I finally fall asleep exhausted but with a honest smile on my lips.

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