Guila proceeded to hand out all the required quests for those with small-sized pets. Jack and Jet could only watch from the side.
“Damn, kid. I have been swindled by you,” Jet said. “I drag my old bones all the way here in the middle of nowhere and for what? No armor for my pet.”
“Go die!” Jack shot back. “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy the trip. Teasing those girls all the time like a teenager going through puberty.”
Flame came to them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that she can’t make armor for medium-sized pets,” she said.
“It’s not your fault,” Jack said.
Jet also said, “That’s right. There’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m grateful already to be able to spend the time with all of you, gorgeous girls.”
Jack made a show to kick at him. Jet jumped away from the attempted kick.
Peniel said, “If you are so eager to get the armor pet, you can still try the Hunter’s Lodge. That faction should have the service for that. But for Beastmaster’s medium-sized pet armor, you will need to be very high-rank and lots of that faction points.”
“I’m in hunter’s lodge, I don’t see the option for that,” Jet said.
“Neither do I,” Flame added.
“That’s because your ranks are not high enough,” Peniel said.
Hearing them, Jack said, “Too much hassle, I don’t have the time for it. I need freelancers like this place who can do it without consuming much time.” He then turned to Flame. “By the way, your relationship with Guila is quite good. You mentioned before you did a lot of quests before you can use her service, right? Now, it only takes you two hours of talking and she is already taking crafting orders from four strangers.”
“It’s not exactly just based on our relationship,” Flame said. “I’ve struck a bargain with her. She required a regular supply of ferret skins, as well as regular help in thinning out the pesky monsters around this area. I’ve taken the liberty to propose that our guild could help her regularly on these matters. In return, she would accept armor-making requests from our guild members. Of course, these guild members still needed to pay the fee and did the material-gathering quests.”
“So, we have to arrange for members to come here regularly?” Jack asked.
“I will do that for free this time,” Flame said. “The next time, she would put in the request to our guild. So, it will be a guild quest with discounted pay. However, we have to make sure to complete this quest. Rejecting it or waiting too long to complete it will result in her service no longer being available to us.”
“I see. I will send a message to Jeanny so that she could organize,” Jack said.
Flame nodded.
“So, are we heading back now?” Grace asked. “They would take some time to get their pet armors, right? Are we going to wait here until they are done?”
Instead of answering, Jack asked Flame, “Do you need help doing these tasks she asked of you?”
<br/>Flame shook her head. “No need. At my level, I can complete it easily by myself. There is no need to trouble everyone.”
“In that case, we won’t stay,” Jack said. He saw Guila was done instructing the four. They had gone out of the hut to search for the materials. Jack walked to Guila then.
“Ma’am,” Jack greeted with a slight bow. “I understand that you can’t craft pet armor for medium-sized pets, but is there by any chance you know of anyone who can?”
People of the same profession normally knew one another. Jack was hoping this was true as well for the pet’s armor craftsperson.
Guila was laying her head on her palm which was resting on the table. She eyed Jack with a weird stare while the fingers of her other hand were tapping the table.
“Well, it’s not that I don’t know any,” she answered after a while. “It’s just that I don’t think it will do you any good even if I tell you.”
“Don’t worry about us, ma’am. As long as there is such a person, all you need to do is just point us in the direction. We will take it from there.”
Guila chuckled. “I certainly am not worried about you. All right, if you want to find someone who can craft armor for your medium-sized pet, I will tell you. You can head deeper into the woods of this region. Continue until you find a place called the Lost Forest.”
“The Lost Forest?” Peniel uttered after hearing.
“You know of the place?” Jack asked.
“Oh. So, you already have a guide? Then this good fairy can lead you there then,” Guila said.
“That’s not the problem,” Peniel said, she was visibly agitated. “What’s the point of going to the Lost Forest? No one is living there. It’s a forest that trapped everyone who goes in.”
Guila laughed. “I see you are quite knowledgeable, little fairy. However, not knowledgeable enough. I know for a fact that people are living inside that forest. In fact, there is a whole village of people there. However, this village is closed and hidden from all others except those who live in the village.”
Peniel frowned, “How do you know?”
“Because I am from that village,” Guila answered. Jack caught a hint of sadness in Guila’s eyes when she mentioned this.
“What?” Peniel said with surprise.
From the exchange, Jack understood that this Lost Forest was not someplace that one traveled safely. And since Peniel didn’t know there was a village inside the forest, it meant the location and entrance of this village within the Lost Forest were well hidden.
“Since you came from this village, you should know a way to find and enter this village, shouldn’t you?” Jack asked Guila.
Guila again eyed Jack with a weird stare. She then answered, “Unfortunately, no. And if you want to know the reason, it’s because I’ve been cast out. If I enter the Lost Forest now, I will similarly be swallowed by the forest like any other who enters. I can’t find nor able to tell you the way to enter the Village of Peace.”
“The Village of Peace?!” Peniel uttered. This time she was even more agitated than before.
“Oh? So you know about this place as well, little fairy?” Guila asked.
“The Village of Peace is inside the Lost Forest?” Peniel asked.
“It is,” Guila confirmed.
Seeing the two didn’t elaborate any further, Jack decided to ask, “What is this Village of Peace? Is it an impressive place?”
“It is the place where Harmony Keepers dwell,” Peniel answered.
“And I’m supposed to know what a Harmony Keepers is?” Jack asked, slightly exasperated.
“The Harmony Keepers is another divine faction,” Peniel answered. “One that worships the Goddess of Serenity.”
*
It was almost night when Jack and the others entered Guila’s hut, so they decided to stay for the night inside Grace’s Repellent Group Tent. She set it up next to Guila’s hut. They only departed for the Lost Forest the morning after.
Now, it was only Jack, Jet, and Grace who were heading to the Lost Forest. They summoned their steeds again. Peniel knew the location, so they had no problem with the direction to take. The trees around them caused their steed to unable to run at their top speed, but it was still faster than if they travel on foot.
Peniel was glum along the way. When Jack asked, she mentioned that what she was worried about was the Lost Forest. She warned them that the Lost Forest had a notorious reputation of making anyone who wandered inside to be lost. Jack told her not to worry, whatever causes this forest to earn that notoriety, they would deal with it.
“I wish I can be as blindly confident as you,” Peniel mocked.
“Fake it till you believe it, sister, then you will be confident as well,” Jack said.
“By the way, didn’t you say that your sword and Peniel were bestowed by the Goddess of Serenity?” Grace asked.
“That is true,” Jack confirmed.
“Then you should be allowed into the village, right? Considering that the village worships her and your good relationship with the Goddess, perhaps whatever prevents people from finding the village within the Lost Forest will allow you a passage.”
“That is an example of good confidence. However, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint. There is no such thing as the good relationship you mentioned. I met her twice. Talked to her for just a brief time on those two occasions. She comes and goes as she pleased. I don’t exactly have a way to contact her. So, don’t put your hopes up of relying on her to give us any aid.”
Jack then turned to Peniel and asked, “You don’t have a way to contact her as well, do you?”
Peniel shook her head.
“She is a Goddess, right? Perhaps you can talk to her by praying?” Grace suggested.
“Hma?| Let’s give it a try.” Jack closed his eyes. After a while, he opened his eyes and said, “Nothing. I don’t receive any signal.”
Grace rubbed her temple, “I take it you are imagining a phone when you are praying.”
Jack looked back. Jet was riding there at their back. “You are awfully quiet,” Jack remarked. “I also noticed, you didn’t tease her like you did the other two girls. What’s wrong? She is even more beautiful than those two, right?”
Grace’s cheek went red hearing that.
“I don’t flirt with my buddy’s girl,” Jet replied.
“Buddy? Old dude, you are old enough to be my gramps!” Jack uttered.
“Oh? Does this mean that you admit that she is your girl?” Jet asked.
“What? How can you say that? We are just friends, right?” Jack said and turned to Grace, who was looking at him as well.
“Hah, you two! Keep on pretending like that. I know there is something between you. Now, cut the crap! You won’t fool my experienced eyes!” Jet said and jumped towards them. Without any warning, he grabbed both Jack’s and Grace’s heads. He then shoved them toward one another.
The two were completely caught off guard. And since the two were facing each other, their faces touched when their heads were pulled by Jet. More correctly, their mouths touched. The two were wide eyes as they were force-kissing each other by Jet.
