Untapped Memories

The peak spring sun cast its warm glow over Moonbridge. Fragrances of flowers from the street pots filled the air, mixed with the salivating aroma from a nearby bakery. Laughter and chatter mingled with the noisy steps of the townsfolk, adding more life to the town.

Nicholas scanned the streets in awe as he roamed, guided by a roughly drawn map. Though the blond halfling had already walked quite a distance, his short body was still overflowing with energy beyond his size. After all, the vibrant and enchanting Orvandian town offered refreshing views he had never experienced.

The buildings typically stood three stories tall, crafted from wood and fired bricks, topped with clay roof tiles. Cobblestone streets ran through the town, lined with tall lamps powered by mana instead of electricity. Despite its old-fashioned appearance compared to his hometown, where asphalt and concrete now dominated, Moonbridge exuded a timeless charm—the very charm that resonated with his historical fascination.

“Ah, there it is!” Nicholas said as he stopped.

A wooden signboard painted with a winged black horse logo hung before the halfling. He raised his flat cap and adjusted his glasses to observe better.

"Black Pegasus. This should be the tavern, right—"

A loud bang interrupted the halfling’s self-monologue. Two drunken men flew out of the tavern before him, landing headfirst on the road. A moment later, an angry red-haired maid appeared from the entrance, yelling like mad.

“I said pay your overdue tabs, you dipshit! You two are banned here until you do!”

“But, Miss Ellie, please! It was on our friend—"

“What friend?” The maid rolled her eyes. “You can fool our newer maids, but not my ears! Move your asses out of here, or I’ll sic our cooks on you!”

The drunken men screamed in terror. “N-No! Please don’t! We understand! We’ll leave in peace!”

The maid crossed her arms, watching the evicted patrons escape with their tails between their legs. She stayed until she was sure they vanished from view before stomping back into the tavern, huffing.

Nicholas trembled.

He was thousands of miles away from home, out of the safety his family could provide. He had not prepared himself for violence—it was too much for his fragile heart.

If those men were not paying, the maid was in the right to kick them out. For one born into a higher-class household like himself, avoiding this problem was trivial. However, his father had warned him countless times there were many ways to offend people, and sometimes, one would not realize it until it was too late. Whatever happened to them could also befall him if he was not careful enough.

“W-What should I do?”

The halfling considered returning home, but his parents’ faces haunted his mind. They had spent so much money on his education. In particular, this trip’s cost was on par with a month-worth of his tuition fee. He had to settle with the exorbitant airship fare since there was no safer alternative to reach this town.

“A-Alright. It’s now or never!” Nicholas summoned his courage and entered the tavern, albeit tiptoeing. After all, he had no other viable option.

Once inside, his eyes opened wide.

It was his first time visiting a non-high-class public eatery, especially with such diverse patrons. Among the people were the hulking beast-like orcs, the short but sturdy-looking dwarves, and even the supposedly rare and elegant elves—he had never seen any of them outside of books and newspapers.

The halfling shifted his attention towards a table with six people dressed in blacksmith clothes, minus the leather aprons. Two of them, a dwarf and an orc, were arm-wrestling while the others cheered. The match continued until the dwarf slammed the orc’s arm on the table, claiming his victory.

“Eat that, Abrob! We’re even now!” The dwarf laughed in triumph.

The ponytailed orc tsked. “Fine, it’s my treat today. Next time won’t be so easy, remember that!”

Such a motley crew was sharing a table in friendly terms as if they were brothers. To the halfling’s knowledge, orcs and dwarves were supposed to be natural enemies—what happened at this table was the exact opposite.

Those blacksmith workers were not the only ones showing this unlikely closeness between them. A nearby table was also full of traveling merchants comprised of Malkarian and Orvandian humans, discussing their business as equals. Both parties were once historical enemies and had an uneasy peace agreement following Malkaria’s independence, yet they bore no animosity towards each other in this tavern.

The other table had people dressed like adventurers, also comprised of equally diverse members: A middle-aged dwarf warrior, a halfling scout, an elf druid, and a human knight, eating at the same table while discussing their ongoing job.

Nicholas admired how these people could mingle with each other as if their differences did not matter. Something even his fellow Malkarian were unfamiliar with, humans and halflings alike.

A bell ring distracted Nicholas.

“Table fifteen!” a masculine voice yelled.

“Coming!” a feminine voice answered.

Curiosity piqued, Nicholas turned back towards the source of the ring. What awaited him ignited his intrigue as it came into view. The interior of the tavern’s kitchen lay open, seamlessly integrated into the dining hall by a long counter. It was an arrangement unlike those in the restaurants of his hometown, leaving him holding his chin in wonder.

With his short stature, only the upper interior of the kitchen was visible to him, including the cooks from their waist up. In contrast to the maids, most of the cooks were towering muscular men. No wonder the red-haired maid would call upon them to remove those unwanted visitors.

“Welcome!” A soft, euphonious voice greeted Nicholas.

The halfling turned around and stopped as a woman’s long dress came into his view. He raised his gaze at the tall lady. His heart skipped a beat the moment his eyes met hers.

The one greeting him was another maid of the tavern: a blonde elf in her early middle age. However, that was not all there was to her.

People tend to describe an elf’s beauty when talking about one, but this was the first time the halfling comprehended what they meant. Peach skin tone, silky golden hair, and emerald-green eyes were typical traits also possessed by most halflings in his hometown, including himself. Yet, her knife-like long ears, braided bun hairstyle, and fair facial features accentuated them into a beauty he had never seen in his people.

“Umm, may I help you?”

“Uh, erm, well.” Nicholas looked away to hide his blushing face. “The guild informed me that I could meet the famous ingredient hunter duo here... I think?”

“Ah, I see. Let me ask them if they are free. In the meantime, please take a seat.” The maid threw her head back. “Ellie! Cassa! You’ve got a guest!”

“Coming!” A feminine voice answered.

“Gimme a minute, ma’am!” A masculine voice answered.

“I’m Nicholas Wirtz, from Vidasa Institute of Technology,” the halfling introduced himself.

Nicholas sat at the same table with the adventurer pair, discussing their business while having lunch.

The first of the pair was that angry red-haired lady he saw at the entrance. She was a half-elf, half-human, with half as long ears and more pronounced human-like curves than the previous elf maid. Nicholas estimated she should be in her early twenties according to human age.

Unlike when she booted those non-paying patrons out, she interacted with the halfling in a friendly manner. He somewhat expected it, considering he was an actual customer, seeking both a meal and the pair’s help. However, the image of her violent stunt persisted. Thus, he did not let his guard down.

“Vidasa?” asked the hazel-eyed maid. “Ah, so you are Malkarian?”

“Yes. And you are?”

“I’m Eliana Krahl, just call me Ellie,” the maid introduced herself. “And this is my partner, Cassa Ironbrooke.”

“Yo!”

The other pair was a silver-haired cook wearing a plain white bandana. He was a towering wall of muscles like his fellow cooks, at least six feet tall.

Nicholas was intrigued by the cook’s unique features. The man had an angular jaw like typical Orvandian men, yet his skin was light brown like most Malkarian humans. Meanwhile, his eyes were small and slightly narrow, resembling a common feature of far eastern people. The most bizarre would be his ruby-red pupils, a trait rarely encountered outside literature.

Like his partner, this burly man also had a cheerful demeanor, except his sharp eyes and almost permanent grin gave somewhat creepy and malicious impressions. The demon-like eye color was not helping either.

“So, umm, basically, I want to obtain several key ingredients required for my final assignment,” Nicholas said. “I visited the guild earlier. Unfortunately, almost all adventurers of bronze class and above were occupied somehow.”

“Well, of course.” Cassa sneered. “That scheming scoundrel of our mayor hired most of ’em to clear an area north of the forest.”

"Sssh! Cassa!” Ellie shot her partner a glare. “Shut it!”

“What, I’m just telling the truth—”

“Not like that! Especially not in public like this,” scolded Ellie. She turned back at their client. “Uh, forgive my partner’s rudeness, Mr. Wirtz. Please continue.”

“T-Thanks.” Nicholas refrained from prying further. “Because I have to return by next week, I only have three more days in this town. When I informed them my time constraint, they recommended you. You are experts in ingredient gathering according to them.”

“Well, yeah, sort of,” replied Cassa, chewing on his bread. “Just so you know, we are quite busy with this tavern. I can’t promise you we’d take your job.”

“I’m informed, yes.” Nicholas nodded.

“So, what ingredient do you want us to pick?” continued Cassa.

“A few of these...”

Nicholas opened his waist bag, taking a small cloth purse containing a fistful of dried mushroom samples.

“Aren’t these Myrten Mushrooms? While they aren’t exactly abundant, you can find them in almost every forest in Orvandia Kingdom, even in Malkaria,” commented Ellie, observing the mushroom samples. “Why Moonbridge of all places? Wouldn’t it be easier to obtain them in your own country instead?”

“It’s not that simple. Umm, how do I put this, instead of the mushrooms themselves, I’m trying to observe their unseen qualities. As in their souls and such.”

“I’m afraid we didn’t follow.” Ellie exchanged a glance with her partner. “Could you please elaborate more?”

“Well, uh, I...”

Nicholas was out of words. His attempt to sound less technical ended up confusing them even more.

“Our customer probably meant the mana characteristics, correct?” a feminine voice said.

“Ah! Yes, that! More or less—” Nicholas threw his head at the voice. The charming elf maid who greeted him happened to walk near their table. That voice came out of her.

“I see. Now it makes sense.” Ellie nodded, waving at her passing-by workmate. “Thanks for clearing it for us, Miss Claudia!”

Nicholas let out a relieved sigh. At least half of the hunter pair seemed to understand the term mana characteristics. For sure, they knew what they were doing.

“But then again, we don’t usually check for this mana thing when collecting ingredients. I hope this won’t wear Ellie out too early.”

“Speak for yourself, you musclebrain! It’s always you who went out of steam first!”

“Oh come on, last time you didn’t even appear when I had to kill and bring home that big boar,” retorted Cassa.

“I had a shift, you idiot!”

“Ah, umm, you don’t need to worry about it,” assured Nicholas. “I’ll do the identifying myself. I’m the one who knows the right criteria.”

“What? For real? That would be great.” Cassa seemed relieved. “So, how would you do it?”

“Before we pick a mushroom up, I’d like to imbue it with my rune magic.”

“Wait, did you just say before we pick one up?”

“Yes.”

Cassa froze as the true nature of the halfling’s job offer seemingly dawned on him.

“Well, uh, that would make this an escort job rather than good ol’ shrooms gathering, then.” Cassa shrugged. “I’d pass.”

“Cassa! What the hell—”

“Think about it, Ellie. We have our day shifts here for the next three days, so we can only do this at night. See where I’m going with this?”

“I see your point,” replied Ellie, dejected. “I’m afraid there is a constraint, Mr. Wirtz.”

“Is there any problem?”

“As Cassa had pointed out earlier, due to our partnership schedule, we could only perform your request by night. Unfortunately, Moonbridge forest is far too dangerous to travel at night. Because of that, we rely more on airships for long-range transport and shipping instead of land route,” elaborated Ellie with a regretful tone. “I’m sorry, but we have to decline your request. We could not risk your life for this.”

Nicholas frowned at Ellie’s disheartening explanation. Without any available escort left, continuing his research would be impossible. He would have to postpone his graduation for another year.

“Well, if your shifts are the problem, why don’t we ask the owner to move them?” The elf maid passed by their table again, offering them a solution.

“Miss Claudia, we’re currently three cooks short,” argued Cassa. “They won’t make it in time tomorrow!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help in the kitchen alongside Ellie. Go ahead and help our guest, we’ll be fine.”

“Wait, what? Ellie... stays?”

“Why, yes. You and Ellie are the only ones who can easily cover three cooks. Our kitchen can’t function well without at least one of you, can it?”

“B-But,” Cassa protested, “how am I supposed to do this job by myself?”

“Don’t worry! Ellie may leave by noon to help you. I suppose you can hold on your own until then.” Claudia winked.

Cassa turned to Ellie for backup. She clasped her hands in front of her face, to his dismay.

The burly man grunted, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Alright, fine, but it’s all up to our customer here.” Cassa turned at Nicholas. “What do you say, Mr. Wirtz? You okay with our terms?”

“N-No problem!”

Nicholas was about to complain at first. However, with no other bronze-class adventurer available, this was his only chance to continue his research.

Hopefully, he had made the right choice.

The spring sun bathed Moonbridge forest with its warm light, filtered by the tall trees. Birds’ chirps and chipmunks’ chatters blended into a soothing melody. Scents of pine needles and earth wafted, offering refreshing air to the surroundings.

It had been four hours since Nicholas and Cassa departed by morning, a third of their basket already filled with Myrten mushrooms.

The halfling did not expect Cassa to be so helpful. It took him at least twice the time to collect that amount from a Malkarian forest. Here in Moonbridge, his escort casually pointed out where they should go here and there. Every time he did that, there would be a grove of those supposedly uncommon black mushrooms waiting at their destination.

They did not call him an ingredient-gathering expert for nothing.

Cassa cleared his throat. “So, Wirtz—”

“Umm, I told you to call me Nicholas,” the halfling requested one more time. “Please don’t be so formal.”

“Uh, sorry, but I think it’s easier to call you by surname, way simpler than your mouthful first name.”

“Really?” Nicholas chuckled. Most people he knew would deem Cassa’s remark rude, but the adventurer voiced his with a straight face and humorous tone. The halfling had judged his escort as malicious when they first met. That image crumbled away when he got to know him more.

“How about Nico? That’s what my friends call me,” he suggested.

“If that’s okay with you.” Cassa nodded.

“Great!” Nicholas smiled. “So, what were you going to talk about?”

“You know, I’m curious about this assignment of yours. You told us you’re trying to extract mana out of those shrooms. What are you doing exactly?”

Nicholas paused, not sure how to answer his escort’s question. “Well, if it’s that...”

“Ah! If it’s a trade secret, I won’t push you—”

“No, not that!” Nicholas interrupted. “I... have trouble explaining things to people outside my field of expertise. I don’t want to confuse or offend them, so I need to be mindful with my words.”

“Right, you did that too yesterday.” Cassa nodded. “No worries, just go in your pace. We have lots of time anyway.” He raised his thumb.

“Thank you, Cassa.” An awkward pause followed. “Umm, I apologize in advance, but it seems to me that, uh, you are not familiar with the concept of mana itself.”

“Yep! I know jack squat of anything magical,” replied Cassa. “I know what it is, but only in a nutshell.”

“Then, would you like me to describe just the end result of my research?”

Cassa grinned. “No problem, man! It’s way better like that.”

“Alright.” Nicholas smiled in relief. It was the first time he could relax when discussing his trade outside his academic circle. “So, I’m developing a universal antidote for various deadly poisons.”

“Antidote? But we’re collecting edible shrooms here, not poisonous ones.”

“These mushrooms aren’t even included in the final product.”

“Oh, right, you only wanted the mana after all.”

Nicholas shook his head. “Not the mana either.”

“What?” Cassa’s brows furrowed. “Then, what’s the point of this job?”

“N-No, I mean yes, I still need the mana, but for a purpose other than ingredient. It would be the design base of runes needed to produce that cure, somewhat like a recipe book.”

“Recipe book?”

“Yes. If you gather the right mana in a specific way, you can obtain valuable information out of it. In my case, it has to be from myrten mushrooms growing in this forest. In other cases, it could be stones, land, plants, animals, anything. There is a more common term for it, what is it called again? Ah, I believe it’s Untapped Memories."

Cassa froze. His eyes widened as his body tensed. It was as if a sudden lightning struck him.

Nicholas gaped as concern began to gnaw at him. Was it something he said? If so, which part of his explanation had triggered such a reaction?

“Cassa? Are you alright?” Nicholas waved his hand before the adventurer.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m okay.”

“Uh, s-sorry, did I say something wrong just now?”

“Oh, n-no! Of course not! Don’t worry, Nico!” Cassa chuckled.

Nicholas let out a relieved sigh. At the very least, his escort did not look offended.

Cassa pointed his thumb forward. “By the way, let’s turn right at the next crossroads. There should be another shrooms grove—”

A heavy snort from behind interrupted their exchange. In response, Cassa zipped behind Nicholas and turned his back.

“Nico,” the adventurer whispered, “be quiet, and don’t make a sudden move. Slowly turn your back and stay behind me.”

“What’s happening?”

“A boar. A big one. It looks upset somehow.”

Nicholas followed Cassa’s order, freezing at the menace coming into his view. As the adventurer had warned, it was a wild boar almost a bull’s size, grunting with rage. Only several steps away before it could harm them if they were not careful enough.

“Don’t move. Don’t scream. I can deal with—”

The boar charged at once.

Nicholas screamed in terror and lay down, covering his head with his arms. Soon, a loud crash echoed from behind, along with a brief quake. He closed his eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable world of pain.

Nothing happened.

Nicholas opened his eyes. Cassa was somehow still standing, not suffering any injury.

“The boar! Where is—”

“Behind you, Nico. To the left.”

The halfling peered in the given direction, gasping when his eyes discovered the boar. It lay on its side below a tree, seemingly unconscious.

Nicholas held his head with both hands. Previously, the boar went straight for them while they had no time to evade. Yet, somehow, the enormous beast missed and hit the tree instead.

“N-No way,” Nicholas stammered. “Cassa! Was that you?”

“Yeah. I diverted its course a little.”

“But how? You didn’t even have time to draw your weapon! You can’t possibly do this barehanded! No human can!”

“Well, let’s say I’m way stronger than your average human. Not as strong as dwarves or orcs, sure, but enough to pull this off when I need to.” The adventurer wiped his sweat. “And I so happen to know some Dwarven and Easternfolk’s wrestling moves. I can’t do it otherwise.”

Nicholas gaped. Cassa was strong enough to subdue a bull-sized boar barehanded. Why was this man only a low-class adventurer?

“Looks like our friend here’s alright,” concluded Cassa as he examined the boar. “Now, let’s get outta here before he wakes up.”

“You aren’t killing it?”

“We’re here to collect mushrooms, Nico, not meat. I don’t kill unless I’m planning to eat it.”

It was around an hour before noon. Black Pegasus’ open kitchen roared with its fast-paced activity. Near the counter, the barkeeps expertly concocted the drinks ordered by the patrons. Meanwhile, the cooks maneuvered their pans and pots over the flaming stoves with flair, spreading the warmth and irresistible aroma in the air.

The tavern was already busy from the moment it opened that day. Most of the earlier patrons were adventurers ordering takeout rations. Meanwhile, the later patrons were workers on their breaks or travelers and merchants who had just arrived around lunchtime.

“Ellie! Is table seven ready yet?” Claudia asked as she crafted a cocktail.

“A minute, please! It’s almost done!” Ellie replied, moving her stir-fried pancit into four plates. She rang the bell. “Table seven!”

“Coming!” a maid answered her call, delivering the fried noodles at once.

Ellie worked as a cook instead of a maid to make up for several absent cooks, including Cassa. Her sweat drenched her face as she endured the kitchen heat, alleviated only by the breeze drifting through the ventilated hall. She was somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden influx of customers, yet she performed her tasks well without a hitch.

While Ellie’s half-elf body usually struggled with intense heat, her honed cooking skills were nothing to scoff at. If she was born a full-blooded human, she could easily rival even the head cook himself.

“Hey, bro, ’sup! I thought ye joined today’s beast hunt,” a chipper masculine voice reached Ellie’s ears.

"Yeah, right! I broke my left arm just yesterday, see? The pay’s superb, but like hell I’d take that quest again,” a rougher and deeper masculine voice replied.

“Fer real? Holy crap, it’s true! Even tha‘ Unbreakable Keith’ could be broken too, eh? Bahahahaha!”

"Get lost, asshole!”

Thanks to her elven bloodline, Ellie’s ears could still overhear some patrons in the tavern. She subconsciously did this out of worry since her partner was escorting their foreign client by himself.

“Nawh bro, seriously, how’d ye break yer arm like that? Pretty sure me and the boys had reinforced that shield of yers just like what ye wanted.”

“Sorry, but I think I’d need a new one. It’s already smashed beyond repair.”

“What tha hell did ye fight yesterday?”

"Hell itself! Just imagine your usual forest critters enlarged twice. Add a dragon while you’re at it.”

"A dragon? Holy crap! Anyone died?”

“Eh, fortunately none was harmed, other than me and some other boys who broke one or two of their bones. If that old man wasn’t there, I’d surely end up as dragon’s snack.”

"What old man?”

“Oh, come on, you know which one. That first rank geezer.”

"Ol’ Denver? Tha hell’s he doin’ here?”

"Beats me. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere and killed every single critter including that dragon, then vanished in no time when he’d done. Haven’t seen him again since.”

Ellie smiled in relief when a familiar name appeared in their conversation. She had already listened to the same story last night.

"But there’s something amiss.”

"What’s it?”

"When I landed hard after that dragon sent me flying, pretty sure there was this huge wolf coming for my ass. But instead of attacking me, it just ran south. I don’t know what happened to it after that.”

Ellie gasped the moment they mentioned a missing creature.

"Wait, have ye told anyone about this yet? If that thing makes its way into our town, people could die!”

“I’ve told the guild, no one believed me, though. And then there’s that witch who kept tabs on the critters. If she said their number’s check, then that’s it. Perhaps they were right, I was just hallucinating.”

"She could be wrong for once, ye know.”

“Nuh-uh, she’s a ranker, not just some regular gold class. Even if she was wrong, I doubt it can breach through that barrier put by those priests.”

"I hope so.”

The more Ellie eavesdropped, the more worried she became. She wanted to end her shift right away, but it was still an hour before the agreed term.

“You can leave now, Ellie.”

“Eh? But, Miss Claudia, it’s still too early—”

“Don’t worry. I know.”

Of course, Claudia would know; a full-blooded elf with vastly superior hearing would not miss the banter.

Ellie steeled herself and left the kitchen, praying for her partner and their client’s safety.