After a long night's sleep the gas mage woke up feeling rejuvenated. The day he spent in the rain collecting herbs a couple days ago left the young man wrecked. He thought he was starting to catch a cold but still tried to fight it off. With his nose still leaking, the young mage got up pretending to feel okay and glimpsed at the sky to check the weather. It seemed brighter again with just a few clouds decorating the bright blue sky. He walked out into the fresh air and strolled through Magnolia's streets as he headed for the heart of the city where the board was located. 'No excuses' was the motto. He was still saving up for that Crocus trip. However he'd been hearing rumors around town that something might be happening in central Fiore. Something to do with the dark guild members plotting a scheme. When the gas mage actually gave it time to think about it, there were very few council members in Era currently. Ace tried thinking of more events that were taking place during this same time but he failed to recall any. "I'll have to check that up with the Knights" he thought to himself with a serious look.

Before the gas mage even realized it he was at the heart of the city standing right across from the stone walled church. His mind had drifted off thinking about what the dark guilds could have been plotting. For now he threw that thought aside and decided to look for a good request. After all, the quicker he gathers the jewels the faster he can leave for Central Fiore, and maybe then he can check out what was going on before his final destination on the outskirts of Crocus.

Ace scanned over the requests briefly and one of the requests grasped his attention. The handwriting was very unique and familiar. He paused for a second, then it hit him. It was the old man that asked for the herbs. He seemed to be doing something similar with this request by just listing everything you need to do on the paper instead of actually telling you to meet him. Ace chuckled as he read a footnote that said "I have a foot massage scheduled today. Come through for your reward only". The young apprentice walked away from the church with the request clenched in his hand. He liked the way this man handled things. He was blunt and straightforward very much like Ace.

The first part to the request was picking up a food parcel from a shop in the market. That part didn't seem too hard for the young gas mage. He followed the directions easily and received the parcel upon showing the lady that worked there the request paper and Khalash's signature at the back of it. He took the package and pulled out the neatly written request again. He was meant to deliver it to an old hermit who lived in a tree. Ace couldn't imagine that at first but slowly accepted the idea as he walked towards the east forest in search of the hermit's home. The location was vaguely described. The only clear thing stated was that his home was in one of the larger trees in the forest.

Ace wandered into the depths of the forest for a good hour before he finally stumbled upon the hermit's home. It was a large wooden door that was very hard to spot at a distance. It was simply carved into the aging tree's bark neatly. The young gas mage stood in front of the door barely making quarter of it's height as he knocked a couple times. An old man with a few white hairs sprouting out the sides of his head came to the door. "Hello!" he said as he greeted the weary traveler. "Come in, come in, you must be the mage who's delivering my food am I correct?" he asked. Ace was still busy examining the man's house, running over every corner with his eyes. It was very intriguing to see how a house came to be carved inside a tree's bark. The knowledgeable mage was interested in hearing about it. "Ughh sorry,  yeah, I'm here to deliver Khalash's parcel to you" he said while handing the old man the rather hefty package. The hermit was a bright man himself and had noticed that Ace seemed sick from his voice. He told the mage to wait in the living room while he went up to get him something. Ace sat there patiently with his runny nose and aching body, not knowing what the man went to get. "Here you go, this will make you feel better and increase your magical energy. Just chew on it on your way back". The gas mage thanked the old hermit and asked him for one last favor, "Is there an easy way out of this forest?". The hermit rubbed his chin for a second and said "It should take you about 15 minutes, bus most people take 45 to 90 minutes to get here because they get lost. I'll show you the way and hopefully you'll figure it out". The gas mage listened to the man's instructions and headed off to collect his reward from Khalash as he chewed on the plant.

He surprisingly made it out in fifteen minutes only and headed towards Khalash's place. He knew the man didn't want company as he was getting his feet rubbed in the comfort of his own shop. Ace wasn't planning on staying long there anyways, he just wanted his jewels. After this request was done he would almost have enough for his trip. Thanks to the hermit, he was feeling much better as his symptoms faded away. Not only that but he was also feeling a surge of magical energy flowing through his body. He arrived at Khalash's shop and knocked on the door before walking in as per the instructions on the request. The old man greeted Ace and told him to get his sack of jewels and leave. Ace wasn't going to enjoy the company of Khalash while he got his feet rubbed anyway. The gas mage left with his jewels and the plant still in his mouth.