"Brekka Town is a pigsty. There's shit everywhere." The young mage complained as she pulled off her leather boots. "It's filthy. I have to spend ages washing my shoes by the stream every day."
Lailas had left the day before yesterday. The ranger had barely any luggage, coming and going like the wind. Perly apparently hadn't discovered that the half-elf had stayed here, so Renato simply kept it to himself.
"Brekka Town has always been like that. What, have you gotten so used to the city that you can't stand going back after a few months?"
At Renato's teasing, Perly replied irritably:
"I'm not some pampered noble lady. I'm not that delicate. Brekka Town really is much dirtier than before. In winter, a lot of adventurers can't stand the cold, so they just relieve themselves right outside their doors..."
Well, that sounded like something Brekka Town's adventurers would do. Having just finished dinner, Renato decided to change the subject.
"Perly, how did your assignment go?"
"Finished it and got paid." The young mage sprawled on the bed. "The earthquakes were so frequent I couldn't even get a decent night's sleep."
"I spent a week running around, and we still didn't find the cause. Luckily, I was an outside contractor, so I could leave when my time was up. The association's mages still have to stay in Brekka Town and wait for further instructions."
"Wasn't it geological?" Renato remembered the drake he had encountered on the Misty Path before leaving. "The monsters in the Phantom Forest have become very active. Could magic be affecting them?"
"Who knows? The association's mages only cast spells to take rock samples around Brekka Town. They didn't go inside."
"They seemed rather reluctant to enter the Phantom Forest. I heard a few rumors." She rubbed her