Ichor Cell-Chapter 47: First Mission I

Life had a funny way of giving one hope, dreams and motivation, then slapping them in the face with reality.
When he’d seen that armour, that beautiful, seductive promise at freedom from the sun, Alex had been ready to charge into a dragon’s lair to get it—metaphorically, of course. And yet, before he even had time to set out on his mission, he got a reality check, which is why he now sat on the edge of his bed.
Waiting.
To understand why, one only needed to look at the time.
Having set out from the inn at dusk, the journey to the adventurer’s guild as well as their business there took several hours. By the time they were done, there was no way to do the mission before sunrise. Especially since they knew next to nothing of the region or even the plants they needed to harvest, making it twice as hard.
Instead of rushing through the task and messing it up somehow, they had instead decided to simply start tomorrow, leaving today as a day of waiting.
Which is why Alex found himself in his room.
He exhaled sharply.
“This is pathetic,” Alex muttered, rubbing his face. “I finally get my first mission, and I can’t even start it.”
Grenil shrugged. “Well, you needed to drop the slip off here anyway. No sense carrying it around.”
Alex nodded. That had been the only productive part of the trip. He’d left the mission slip in his pack, a medium size hemp bag Grenil had bought at some point in their journey. For safekeeping. Limited as their funds were, he didn’t want to be paying any fines for losing it if possible.
Duran tilted his head. “We could at least get started now.”
Alex glared at him. “And finish midday? Sure. Let me just gather herbs while my skin melts off.”
“A job involves more than just going there physically,” Duran said. “We’re missing a lot of knowledge and information that could help us in our task, and we have plenty of time to figure it all out before tomorrow. Plus, nothing’s preventing us from going out and gathering half now, half tomorrow.”
“Well, for one, it costs money to enter at night, money we don’t have.” Alex countered. “And for two, you have a point. We should probably actually familiarise ourselves with the quarry before trying to harvest it. It wouldn’t be a great look to bring back forty plants mangled from improper handling, or even worse, forty of the wrong plant.”
“Wonderful!” The old man clapped his hands. “So, it’s time to go to an herbalist?”
“Ehhh…” Alex shook his hand side to side. “It’s kinda late. I don’t know if any of them are still open.”
Grenil frowned. “An apothecary?”
“Possible.” Alex shrugged. “We’ll have to ask around. I’m sure one is open in case of emergencies, though I don’t know how accommodating they would be towards our non-emergency request.
The shopkeeper deflated all the way. “A library?”
“That… doesn’t sound too bad, actually.” The young man rubbed his chin. “At least in my wo-
cough, cough,
in the place I came from, libraries are usually open 24/7 and free to the public, but I don’t know how it works in this place.” He smoothly covered up his slip of the tongue.
“Riiight…” The other man gave him a long look. “Well, I believe that is the case here, or at least it
was
, back in my hometown, before I moved to Orenthia.”
Alex stood up and waved his hands towards the door “Great. In that case, let us commence forth.”
Filing out of the cramped bedroom one by one, the trio descended the staircase of the Rusted Fox, greeted the innkeeper’s daughter—Alex had already forgotten her name—and stepped out into the night.
Luterra was noticeably quieter than it had been earlier. Even as they returned from the guild, the streets still saw some level of activity from late night party goers and wanderers; now, they were practically deserted.
Lanterns still burned along the paths, but their glow felt softer now, accompanied only by the occasional passerby and the distant murmur of taverns still open for their truly dedicated customers.
Making their way out of the alley the inn was located in, Alex looked back at the others. “So… we ask around?”
“About what?” Grenil asked.
“Anything,” Alex said. “If there’s an apothecary still open, great. If not, a library. If not that, then maybe someone who knows the area.”
They began walking, approaching the first person they saw—a young man laid out on someone’s doorstep. When they got closer, Alex picked up an overwhelming scent of alcohol and some other chemical substance in the air, but figured that there was no harm in asking anyway.
“Excuse me,” Alex said gently. “Do you know if there’s an apothecary or a library nearby?”
The man peeled one eye open. It drifted left. Then right. Then settled somewhere vaguely in Alex’s direction.
“I… know…” he slurred, pointing at the night sky with intense authority, “that you are… are… rude.”
Alex blinked. “I’m… sorry? But I meant—”
“Do you even know how I am!?” the man shouted, shaking violently from the effort.
He sat up abruptly and jabbed a shaky finger at Alex’s chest.
“You… you need… to tell my brother.” He said. “He lives… in the middle. Of the thing.” He paused, squinted hard, and tried again. “The thing. The… round… middle… of it.”
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Grenil leaned forward slightly. “Of what?”
“The thing!”
Alex gave up. “Okay. Thank you. Have a nice day. Don’t choke on your tongue.”
“Can’t!” The man said proudly. “Lost it… in the… uh…” His head slowly drifted backward until gravity reclaimed him and he lay still on the doorstep again, snoring immediately.
Alex stared for a moment. “Right. That was pointless.”
They tried the next person—a woman walking briskly past them. When she saw Alex moving towards her, she quickened her pace and lowered her head.
“Hey, excuse me!” Alex widened his stride to catch up. “Could you please tell me the direction of the nearest library? My friends and I need some information.”
She didn’t stop, but she did point vaguely down the street.
“That way,” she said before continuing on.
Alex scratched his head as the woman practically ran away from him. At least they had a direction now.
Another couple of questions to the few passersby clarified things.
“A bit north of the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Big building with a sign out front.”
“That way”
When they reached the square, it still buzzed with some level of activity, but nothing compared to what it was a few hours ago.
The fountain gurgled softly, lit by warm lanterns as small groups of adventurers moved to and from the guild. A few of the inns and restaurants were also still open, presumably catering to those same adventurers at this unreasonable hour.
Crossing the square, they stepped onto a street running alongside the Guild’s massive compound, and there, off to the side, stood a wide stone building with a sign depicting a stack of books hanging out front.
The library.
Alex smiled. “Finally.”
He pushed the door open and stepped through.
Inside, warm lamplight illuminated a decently large space, though considerably smaller than a modern-day library from earth. That was expected. The level of information sharing achieved by the internet was something that had not been replicated in this world, even with magic.
Rows of shelves stretched into the distance, casting soft shadows across polished wooden floors. The air smelled faintly of parchment and old ink—pleasant, dry, and somehow calming. A handful of patrons sat hunched over reading desks, quietly absorbed in whatever research had dragged them out at this hour.
A librarian at the front desk glanced up briefly, then returned to his writing, evidently deciding the three of them did not constitute a disturbance worth addressing.
The trio made their way deeper inside, scanning the signs mounted above each aisle—history, geography, magical theory, botany. That last one was tucked near the back, squeezed between agriculture and a section on medical texts.
“Here,” he said quietly, angling toward the shelves.
They walked until they reached a row of thick reference volumes, their spines embossed with categories of local flora. Alex pulled the first one whose title included “forest herbs,” flipped through the index, and skimmed until he found a small entry.
Duskmint:
A low-growing herb commonly found in shaded soil at the edges of temperate forests. Broad leaves with pale veins. Emits a faint, natural luminance specifically at dusk, making it easier to locate if gathered during that brief window. Used in poultices, basic potions, and several common household remedies.
It was followed by a quick explanation on how to harvest it—just pick it up, it’s a regular plant—and where to store it.
Alex closed the book with a quiet snap.
“Well, that was easy.” He said, mildly surprised at the ease with which the information had been acquired
Grenil nodded. There was no need to linger; they had what they came for, and the rest of the herbal entry was irrelevant trivia. They had no interest in the plant’s history, etymology, or its use in anti-phlegm teas.
The librarian didn’t look up as they left.
Outside, the night felt cooler after the library’s warm interior. The fountain’s distant gurgling drifted faintly across the square.
“Alright,” Alex said. “That’s step one. Now we need to see where the grove actually sits.”
Grenil turned his head toward the southern streets. “You should be able to make it out from the walls if you don’t want to pay the gate fee.”
“That’s the plan.” Alex confirmed, already walking in that direction. He turned to Duran after a short while. “Why are you being so quiet?”
Duran seemed startled that he had been addressed, briefly looking around before pointing at himself. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” Alex rolled his eyes. “You haven’t said or done anything since we left the inn. I almost forgot you existed. You good?”
“I… am fine?” The ghoul answered hesitantly. “I don’t really know what you want me to say. We’re doing what I suggested, so I’m just following along.” He shrugged.
“If you say so…” Alex squinted at him but decided to let it go. Duran was a grown man. If he was bothered by something, he could say it.
Before long, they reached the ramparts. Although lacking the sheer intimidation factor of the Crebes one, it was still a pretty impressive construction nonetheless. Somewhere around twenty feet tall, the wall was split into two halves.
A grey, blocky base, not dissimilar to a series of massive six-foot-tall jersey barriers, extended around the edge of the city. Above that base stretched the wooden part of the fortification; a series of stripped and processed trunks, inlaid side by side into the rock-like material.
Every inch of the base’s smooth surface was painstakingly carved with runes, just like any other structure of importance in this world. Considering he couldn’t see any runes carved into the trunks themselves, it was safe to assume the base somehow empowered the wood contained within. A necessity in a place where individuals could flatten normal houses.
Overall, it was still a daunting obstacle to overcome for any would be attacker.
Alex’s mind flashed back to the dungeon boss he had fought, with its prodigious size and ability to manipulate wood.
‘Most would be attackers.’
He corrected.
Sizing up the wall, he turned to the other two. “So… should I just jump up there? Or do you think it’s better to ask someone first?”
Duran shrugged, while Grenil sighed. “Of course you should ask, you brat. Jumping up onto city fortifications without permission sounds like a great way to get sent straight to jail.”
“I guess you’re right…” Alex turned back to the wall, his eyes settling a nearby watchtower.
When they reached it, the guard on top was surprisingly accommodating once he found out Alex was an adventurer, even coming down to unlock the entrance for him. It seemed like there was a hidden benefit to this badge that wasn’t mentioned anywhere: The ‘background check’ conducted by the guild was trusted quite a bit by most people. At least enough for simple things like this.
Once up, it was easy to find his target, especially with the guard pointing it out.
Westwood grove was, well, west. Mostly hidden behind the hill they’d crested while arriving to the city, a stretch of trees was still visible from the valley opening in the northwest.
Although technically part of the same forest they had been travelling through, Westwood grove was considered its own separate thing due to its position on the Prasanthi side of the border. The guild information was very clear that they were supposed to gather their herbs
only
from Westwood, not the forest in general.
Alex didn’t know why that would matter, but he assumed they had ways of checking, so he wanted to make sure he knew what was and wasn’t off limits.
“Well… I guess that’s that.” He said awkwardly, turning to the nice guard that had let him up. “Thanks for the help.”
“No problem, no problem.” The middle-aged guard chuckled. “I know how nerve wracking a first mission can be.”
Alex raised an eyebrow at that. “You do?”
“Of course.” The man winked. “I used to be an adventurer like you, until I took an arrow to the knee. Almost made it to silver, even. Now I just do my best to guide others to a treasure I cannot possess.”
“I… see…” Alex struggled to keep a straight face, his eyes tearing up from the strain.
“Don’t get emotional on my behalf.” The guard misunderstood. “I’ve made my peace with it long ago.”
Alex nodded mutely and turned to leave, thanking the guard again once he regained control of himself.
Stepping out of the tower, he quickly saw the other two standing off to the side, making conversation. Grenil looked up questioningly when he noticed Alex’s return.
“I know where it is now.” Alex shrugged, already heading back to the inn. “Now we just gotta wait for tomorrow night.”