An Owl's Rise

After going through all of the missions that Melisandre had given to Evelyn, she made sure to add one cavoite.

"Now along with the missions from the hall I have a few things that I will want you to gather as well, while you are out there." Melisandre said as she handed a list to Evelyn.

Along with the list were a number of pictures of the magical plants and even some ores that she wanted Evelyn to gather.

Among them we plenty of duplicates of the same things that she was going to be getting for the missions so that Evelyn could get two birds with one stone.

"Once you have completed these missions you will have a large supply of most of the basic materials needed for alchemy and can purchase the rest with your reward credits. Then you will be able to start learning under me. I will make sure that you have all the equipment that you need but you will have to gather materials on your own or buy them with credits you have earned. If I just hand everything out to you, it will make you lazy and content and when you need to do something by your own merit you will inevitably fail."

Nodding her head Evelyn agreed with Melisandre and she was already fine with getting her metaphorical hands dirty.

\'I have already fought to the death multiple times. I may have gotten a little used to how comfortable things are here, but I will never forget all I went through before coming here.\'

With her resolve steeled, Evelyn looked towards Melisandre waiting for her to continue.

"Okay here is the map of the area where you will find all of the materials that you need." Melisandre said as she unfurled a large rolled up piece of parchment.

On it was a very detailed map of an area that was mostly forest but had a number of large plains around it and a huge lake that was on the eastern end.

But as Evelyn looked at the map more she tried to remember if there was any area like this on the map of the continent she had seen, but nothing she could think about came up.

Still, it was not like she had inspected everything in detail and the maps in the atlas Mason had left her were centuries old, so it was likely a number of things had changed by then.

"Now the only way to enter and exit the Roost is through its warp points and there is one set up in this forest which is called the Glowing Woods." Melisandre said as she placed a finger on a pint that had a blue circle drawn on it.

She then went on to explain that the Roost itself was actually its own separate domain from the world that had been set up millennia ago by a group of powerful owls and was made to advance their species and give them a haven away from their enemies. Especially from humans.

"It takes a lot of magical energy to maintain the place, but it gives us pretty much guaranteed safety from the outside world. Only owls can enter here and only if they have a pass that allows them to open up a warp tunnel. I am sure you remember the cuff I made you put on before we came here. Without that you would have been unable to warp with me." Melisandre explained.

Apparently, it had actually been common practice for a number of different species of beasts to do this themselves and that the owls had allies among other species of beasts.

"And unlike last time where I used one of my personal talismans you will need to head to the warp hall that manages all of the Roosts entries and exits other than those of higher ups like myself. You will need to get used to moving around by yourself, so before you go, I will have Anneli give you a more in-depth guide of the Roost." Melisandre said as took out a type of pen and began drawing on the map.

"These are the areas where everything you will need to collect are generally located. Of course, beasts are prone to moving and the plants and ores you need can be found in other areas as well. I will leave the gathering up to your discretion. Just make sure to not get in over your head and be careful." Melisandre said with a slight bit of concern in her eyes.

"Now do you have any questions?"

"Yes, why is it called the Glowing Woods? Is there something I need to look out for?"

"No, the glowing in the woods is not from any sort of dangerous source. It comes from a luminescent moss that grows all over these woods. It is not very high in magical energy and serves as food for some lower ranked beast, so it is nothing you need worry yourself about. And as for things you need to look out for, the only thing would be the awakened beasts that make their homes here."

Melisandre quickly explained that these woods were an area rich in magical plants, but that none of them were very rare or powerful, so it was a not populated by any powerful beasts.

It was a place that mostly held fiend beasts and a handful of low tier and mid-tier awaken beasts that could be considered the area\'s rulers.

"You should not have to worry about any of the awaken beasts as long as you stay out of their territory which they will have marked. Though if for some reason you do come into contact with something you cannot handle, I have prepared two items for you to use in case of emergency."

Taking out of her storage item Melisandre took out a sliver potion that looked worryingly a lot like mercury, and a purple talisman that had an intricate looking magic circle drawn on it.

"This is a talisman that will put up a powerful barrier that will protect you from attacks of any awakened beast for over an hour. I am sure that with it you can defend yourself and get away from any enemy. As for this potion, it is a little more extreme in its effects and does have some downsides." Melisandre said as she looked at it dubiously.

She told Evelyn that it was a potion called unleash potential, and it brought any beast to their limit. Allowing them to wield greater than normal power for around five minutes.

However, once its effect wore of it left the user sore and stifled the flow of their magical energy. Making them weaker for at least a couple of weeks and maybe up to a month depending on how hard the user pushed themselves.

"It is a very powerful and valuable potion that should not be taken lightly. Though there is one thing that we will need to do before you can use it." Melisandre said as she pulled out a blade.

Apparently in order to be able to activate the effects of the unleash potential potion, the one drinking it had to register it to them by adding a few drops of blood to the finished brew.

\'Argh.\'

As Evelyn cut herself, she winced a bit in pain. But she took it easily enough, having experienced far worse in both her lives.

Quickly she drained around a milliliter of her blood into the potion, and it slowly changed color as it seemed to be mixed with very dull shades of green and purple.

"There, now the potion will work only for you. But I hope that you do not have need of it."

After that Melisandre wrapped up the map and handed it to Evelyn along with the potion and barrier talisman which she put away into one of her storage amulets.

"Now I recommend that you empty out everything that you do not need from those amulets in your room. I have prepared bags, jars, and vials meant for containing the materials you will be gathering, and you will need all of the storage space you can get. Still, it is convenient that you have four storage items already. Otherwise, I would have had to loan you one."

Once Melisandre was finished explaining everything to Evelyn, she packed up what she had been given and went to her room as Melisandre instructed and began emptying out her storage amulets.

\'That should be everything that I do not need to keep on me.\' Evelyn thought as she looked at the no longer bare shelves.

She had taken out pretty much all of the supplies that Mason had given her. Only keeping his diary and langue guide which were damning evidence to prove she was from another world.

Having plenty of open space in her storage amulets Evelyn went to find Melisandre, and soon she was filled up with the bags, jars, and vials that she would be using to store the items necessary to complete her upcoming missions.