Patricia
**It likely wouldn't take long for Almann to figure out that the book was in fact a memoir disguised in the form of a children's novel, of how her mother's life changed once she birthed Mercy. Evidently, the mother in the story, regards very highly about Mercy and how she felt a radiant energy from her at all times. Unfortunately for Mercy, she didn't exactly turn out how her mother expected her to.**

**Meanwhile, Mercy herself had returned to the campsite hauling a load of large sticks and heavy branches. She dropped them near the fire, then threw one in, it was quickly engulfed in flames and the ensuing brightness illuminated the clearing, it also bled into the nearby area, flickering orange.**

"I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Mercy Foxton. My mother was Meadow Foxton. You'll read about us in there... She... Really loved me." (
Steven
_Almann kept reading through the book. He could read quite fast, a skill which was useful among merchant circles. Being able to navigate quickly through ledgers and more dense contracts saved money and allowed him to make more deals quicker._

_He would go meticulously page by page, reading the narrative and it's nuance. He could tell the story was both well written and something meant for Mercy to read herself. It was entirely subsumed in an intimate tone. Almann was perhaps more surprised this was written by her mother. Mercy didn't strike Almann as a woman of any sort of stature, though her speech and words might've suggested otherwise. Her family, particularly her mother must've been wealthy enough to learn to read and write, a luxury not afforded to many in the empire._

_As he got towards the end of the story, he could tell it had an abrupt ending. It wasn't finished. As she said, her mother disappeared when she was young, and this reflected in the cut off of the narrative itself. This was a book characterized by a mother who loved her child, and the ceasing of such love in it's material form was symbolized by the end of the story._

_Almann closed the book and furrowed his brow._

"Before I answer your question, was your family well off?"
Patricia
"Well off?...Noble? No, we weren't but..." **Mercy had a seat against her tree, and rested for a moment before continuing. She was in quite a better mood now, the hostility earlier was a product of teenage angst and being startled by a stranger. Now, she was mellow and willing to converse decently.**

"We owned just a small amount of land in Usauntur. A coastal village. Our farm was very prosperous, we were the main supplier there, we earned a lot of money like that. My dad? He was a merchant for a while, but stopped when he and my mother married. Uhh... Let me think... Wait... I'm sorry, I didn't really answer your question directly. We weren't well off, but we were educated. Why do you ask?" (
Steven
_Almann scratches his chin._

"I'm curious is all. It isn't often that farmers produce literary works such as these. Education comes with expense and experience. I would wager your father being a merchant knew how to read and write quite well, and it was passed in the family to your mother and yourself.

Many if not most farmers and townsmen are illiterate. They can't read or write, so often they are scammed out of deals. This is why every village has a broker or ledgerman, who makes sure the numbers are right for them. Your family was a main supplier for goods for an entire village, I doubt the land was that small.

Either way it is a good story, a shame it ended when it did though."

_He flips a silver towards Mercy and offers the book._

"Now what questions do you have of me?"
Patricia
**While listening to Almann explain things, Mercy nodded every now and then, to agree with the various things he stayed, such as her father passing on knowledge to the family, such as literacy. He was correct in the assumption.** 

"Mhm... It's a shame alright. Biggest shame in my life." **She sighed, reaching out quickly to catch the silver coin and quickly pocket it.** "I have a lot of questions for *You* Stranger. Why are you paying me to talk to you? That can't be good for... Your business or... What ever."

**She scoffed.** "If you're not a lackey sent by my Uncle, then what are you doing out here and how did you find me? I thought for sure nobody would, this far." (
Steven
_Almann continues to smoke his pipe for about half a minute before responding. He just liked stories and information. There wasn't much to it._

"Because I'm bored. I like hearing the stories of others, even if they aren't that entertaining. Don't worry about my business, it is just fine even in my spending endeavours.

As for why I'm out here..."

_He points to his fishing pole._

"I came out here to fish, there's a good alcove a little ways from here. I happened to be passing by when I heard you in this forest. I wanted to investigate, sometimes banshees and other foul creatures imitate the sounds of someone crying to lure adventurers in. Anything else?"
Patricia
"Banshees? Foul creatures?" **Mercy became intrigued quickly, and wondered just who this person was really. Perhaps it was rudimentary knowledge of the world to know such creatures exist, but Mercy didn't know better.**

"Do you fight monsters? Do you fight evil demons, or conjure spells to banish the wicked?" (
Steven
_It sounded like a child who had just stumbled in a sweets store and asked the owner what types of candies they had..._

_Almann gave a laugh._

"I work for New Sunlight part time. They offer quests and contracts to quell issues within the empire. Sometimes we fight monsters, but a lot of the time it's just criminals and cultists. Oni are few and far between around here, so I don't see them that often. They mostly keep to themselves. Holy magic isn't my repertoire, but the schools of martial, empowerment, and conflagration I use all the time."

_Almann decides to stand up and unsheathe his sword. Anhet glowed a faint bronze in the moonlight as expected. It was a blade he took great care of and it showed. Almann walks over to an average sized pine tree (about 3/4 foot in diameter), a little bit away from the fire. In rapid succession, Almann casts Veteran's Blow and Brawn of the Old Gods, activating Anhet's Blessing of Strength right after._

"Observe."

_Almann's entire body now glows a bronze color, with his blade pulsing a deep red. He winds up a swing using both hands and puts forth his entire body weight into the swing of the blade._

_It strikes the tree, cutting through the thin bark of the pine, through the main pulp of the trunk, and blows out the back in a singular swing. The tree begins to fall slowly towards the camp, and Almann simulcasts two Bronze Lances into the body of the tree to change it's direction. The two 2 meter long lances dig deep into the newly felled tree and remain inside of its trunk as it hits the ground._

_He uses his sword to cut off a branch from the tree and offers it to Mercy._

"Hold this out as far as you can from your body, horizontal, to the tip is pointed away from you."
Patricia
**These strange words Almann was saying, one of which she couldn't pronounce, Mercy didn't know what they meant entirely, but waited until he was finished explained before asking questions.** "Conflagration? Rep... Pertoire, you should tell me what those mean. I don't understand anything about magic, other than it's great and powerful."

**It was then time to observe, as Almann flexed his magic prowess and felled a pine tree with it, leaving Mercy in awe where she sat. She flinched once or twice, unsure whether or not something would bounce back and hit her, thankfully she turned out okay and watched as he approached with a branch.**

"Impressive." **She said, as she took the branch and followed his instructions.**

"What are you going to do now?" (
Steven
_Almann sheathes his sword. And breathes in an out for a few seconds. He walks towards the end of the branch and takes a deep breath. He casts Fiery Breath: a cone of red hot fire erupts from his mouth, envelopes the end of the branch, and turns it to ash._

"That... Is Conflagration magic. Magic is divided into different schools. Martial, Projection, Conflagration, Empowerment, Obscuration, Fulmination, Barriers, Conjuration, Displacement, Aqueous, Summoning, Transformation, Restoration, and Detection. There are also utility spells to improve the quality of products as well."

_Almann walks back to his tree and sits with his back to it, going back to nursing his pipe and fiddling with a steel knife in his hands._

"There are many schools of magic, my repertoire, or the ones I am familiar with, are largely combat based ones. The school of Conflagration, or fire spells like the one you just saw. The Martial school, or spells which directly aid you in combat. The school of Empowerment, or spells which aid your overall physical prowess. Finally, the school of Projection, spells that involve flying weaponry and objects, like the lances you saw. There are more combat based schools that I didn't mention, all with their own unique advantages and drawbacks. These are just the ones I know."

_He raises an eyebrow._

"Magic is only as powerful as the users who utilize it. It's based on how much latent mana you have within your body, and how familiar you are with the respective schools you use. There are many who do not use magic who can easily kill and hunt down magi. Magic isn't this huge factor that gives us who use it this automatic advantage. In fact, many people over-rely on it, and are useless when they run out of mana."

_He wanted to grill her on her knowledge of combat, perhaps give her some words of wisdom. She was young after all, and didn't look like she had wet her sword yet and actual combat._

"What experience do you have in combat, girl?"