The weather is growing hotter by the hour. Our clothes are starting to get heavy from the dampness and our boots unrecognizable through the layers of mud. We are in one of the easternmost locations of the land of the Order, right at the feet of the mountain chain that separates it from the Mist Continent.
Monsters were bleeding over and blending in with others around this area.
My name is Julian Laroute and this is entry one of my research journal. I am a proud citizen of Acadia in the coastal region of Lazonté and at the sturdy age of 25. Despite the setbacks and trials in our perilous journey up to this point neither my equipment nor my body have suffered any damages as of yet. Still the same blonde, spiked hair with curled tips. The odd mud spatter or stick here or there, but still manageable. Green eyes, not affected by any infectious diseases, and my equipment still unharmed. That equipment being a light, thin gambeson with leather pauldrons and studded, black leather gauntlets for at least a modicum of defense in case anything really went wrong.
Along with that, I brought this trusty journal, observation tools and... regrettably...
"Ow! By the gods! Watch where you're going Luther!" I yelled in panic and frustration as a tall, heavily muscled man bumped against me and knocked my journal right out of my hands and into the mud.
He looked at me over his shoulder with an annoyed grunt. "Don't keep standing in the middle of a path. Something like this is bound to happen when you're so blind to your surroundings. Just thought I'd give you a little wake-up call so you'd stop staring at that blasted book."
"It's not a book, it's a journal. It's the whole point of this trip!" I grumble as I brush the dirt off its cover. Thankfully the pages were unharmed. "I didn't hire you to disrespect me and my equipment like that!"
"And we didn't let ourselves get hired by you just to watch you scribble in your diary. We want to fucking get this job done and over with already. What, you gonna go back to Acadia to hire someone else?"
"Hrmph, wish you weren't right about that. At least try to make sure that my equipment isn't harmed. Think you can do that for me?" I respond, suppressing my spite as best as I could.
He mockingly saluted me "As you command... boss..." grunted and tread onward through the brush.
I pocketed my journal and decided to continue it later. Maybe once we had established a surveillance camp. And just as I was going about getting on with it, I hear yet another annoyed grunt behind me, though this one seemed a bit more warranted.
"Hey Julian, could we keep moving? I swear I'm sinking into this shit more and more as we speak."
"I was just about to, Franz. You doing fine with the camping equipment?" I asked, looking at the bulking pile of bundled-up stuff on his back. Franz was already slightly hunch-backed and incredibly strong but this amount of weight couldn't have been healthy for his body. He was the second of the 2 mercenary brothers I hired for protection and transport though it seemed that Franz did a lot more of the latter than Luther did.
"Ah, this? This is nothing. I've hauled stacks of swords and armor over mountain ranges before. I'll be fine. Just... keep moving okay? It's easier if I can keep a constant momentum." He answered as his knees wobbled from trying to keep balance.
"Don't start acting like your brother now. There's no shame in sharing the burden. Give me the tent at least." Without even waiting for him to fuss over a response, I take off the top layer of the bundle, an iron-barred, sturdy field tent with an olive-green tint. It took up a significant chunk of the load and even though it was only one part of the baggage, I sure as hell felt the weight on my shoulders. "Good lord! You've been carrying this since Acadia? No wonder your posture is this messed up."
"Well... you know it gets a lot easier over time. You eat some rations, you use up some supplies and it gets lighter bit by bit."
"That still can't be light enough to carry it all this way. Why didn't you let Luther carry some of it?" I continued asking him as we walked.
"Luther says we both have assigned roles. Muscles of two kinds. He has the muscles to wield weapons and armor; mine are for carrying cargo and putting up equipment. We're just each doing what we're best at, as he puts it."
I scrunched my eyebrows a little but decided not to pry further. "Oh well, not like it's my business. If you need me to lighten the load a little though, just let me know, alright. I may need to hire mercenaries to defend myself but that doesn't mean I can't provide some muscle every once in a while myself."
"Huh..." He noted as if he was surprised.
"What?"
"Just thought you're pretty proactive for someone from Acadia. Normally you guys from the North Coast are much more lazy. You know if I had the kind of money you kids from up there have, I sure as hell would not bother carrying shit through these mucked-up jungles."
"You've gotta work to get that kind of wealth first, Franz. Money like that doesn't come out of nowhere. Sure, they're novelists and biographers and so on but even they at some point had to sit down, crack their knuckles and write."
"So why not just sit at home, write a schmaltzy love story that everyone's just gonna eat up and retire?" He shrugged.
"Because I despise such laziness. The people of Acadia aren't ambitious. They're too content with the stuff they're familiar with. Nobody's got that urge to explore something new. Back home nobody even knows of monsters outside of the ones that have been accepted by the order. Elves, Dwarves, Centaurs urgh... so drab, so uninspired. But with this... this book here..." I say as I slap its cover. "I'm gonna show them how colorful this world is. Full of exotic creatures which are just begging to be explored. And since I doubt anyone from Acadia could handle anything like those, I hired you and your brother."
He looked over at me with a doubtful sideways glance. "So... you're saying you got this kind of ambition all on your own? From sitting at the beach, enjoying the sun to trudging through muck and observing wild mamono?"
I scratched the side of my head. "Yeah... mostly. Among some... other factors."
"You want to impress the ladies, don't you?"
My red flushed a little and I started to stutter. "I... no... I... I guess I considered the possibility of that. It's not the main thing that's on my mind but I can't say I wasn't thinking about it at all."
"Nah, no need to make excuses. I can't blame you." He bellowed in laughter. "The girls you've got up there in Acadia? Top notch! Whatever these girls are doing, it sure gained them some nice racks."
I blew a bit of air at that comment. "Come on, women are more than just a pair of breasts, Franz."
"Right you are. They've got some nice pieces of ass up there as well." He laughed and nudged me.
I rolled my eyes but smiled to humor him.
"Ey, don't give me that better-than-though look. Well, you tell me then, what do you look for in a woman?"
"I don't know actually. I guess I'll know when I meet her?"
"Ah come on. We're both guys here. Nothing to be bashful about."
I looked through the treetops as I thought about his question. "I guess if I had to say... I need a woman who isn't anything like anyone at home."
"How do you mean?"
"Adventurous! You know?An inquisitive mind! Someone who isn't just happy with where they're at in life. Someone with equal amounts brain and brawn who's never done learning more. I'm so sick of these short-sighted, vapid, lazy girls who just flaunt their wealth around, buy their way out of every problem and haven't seen anything outside of their own home. I need someone who can conquer the unknown and who can get things done by venturing into it. Exploring new worlds and new creatures and sharing it with everyone else. If I'd ever find a woman like that I think I'd marry her on the spot."
"Damn, and you can't just find someone like that back home?"
"Have you seen the women in Acadia? If they're not famous authors, children of wealthy families or some rich guy's entourage, they're self-centered, lazy narcissists who couldn't care less about anything outside of their bubble. Hell, I'd be lucky to find one that can walk her way to the market on her own." I sighed as I noticed his confused glances. "Hah, I guess I just want too much. Am I really that far off? Am I being unreasonable?"
"Well, I guess people say there's a cover for every pot. But man! Yours has some very specific measurements. You might want to lower your standards and accept that people will never fit your standards no matter how much you think they measure up to them at first. Ask my 5 ex wives. Hahaha!" He bellowed once again and slapped my back way too hard as if I was supposed to laugh along with him.
I decided to study my notes for the rest of the journey instead of partaking in any more conversation. Don't know what I was expecting, talking about love with a bunch of mercenaries. At least they were entertaining enough and they did what they were told.
We walked until a certain point, where Luther called out to us. "This should be it! Found a nice dry spot. We set up camp here and survey the surrounding area. We'll be sure to find at least something of... whatever you're looking for."
"Perfect!" I groan as I drop the tent from my back and help Franz take his part of the luggage off as well. He didn't let it show, but it must've been one hell of a strain on his back. As we begin to unpack, Luther makes another announcement.
"You guys put up the field camp. I'll scout the area. See if I can't spot something interesting for your little diary."
"Journal, and drop the attitude. You're not in charge here! You help us set up as well. The more we are, the quicker we're done and can get to work."
He looked over his shoulder as he scoffed like I asked him to do something that's beneath him. "Well, you're fucked without me, so I guess you don't get to have a say in the matter... boss." He said with the biggest implied quotation marks you could imagine. "Me scout, you unpack. Got it? Good:" He said condescendingly and turned away.
"Fucking mercenaries, I swear." I mutter under my breath.
"Hey!" I hear as a complaint from behind me.
