Well, this kind of job would be something as high as mighty as the other things she had done on the meantime her clan moved about in Clover, but still...out of everything she did do so far, it seemed the thing most suitable to her particular skillset. She was out and about in the town known as Kikka this time. Once again, she had done all her own chores with his family so she was once again granted the liberty of strolling around the town on her own, provided she would not get herself into any kind of dangerous trouble, of course. Those predicaments wouldn't stop her from finding out something to do. Possibly something that could bring a little more coin into her and her family's pockets. Not to say they were struggling, quite the opposite. Business was blooming. Hell, it was almost better than back home. The people of Clover seemed much more interested in becoming knights or go about adventuring rather than doing something as "normal" as hunting in the woods. Well, people still gotta eat no?

She almost missed the old man calling out for her help while she was going about her stoll through town in her usual bubbly attitude. She had seen him before, first buying stuff from her parents and then selling stuff on his own to other people and tourists passing around town. The old man was a broom maker, and from what the little kurah'in kid had seen he seemed quite adept at his craft. Drawing closer, Makoto listened to what the man had to say. Apparently, he had a backlog of orders to fulfill yet he couldn't. He was missing the wood required, the next shipment of the stuff not due to arrive in a few weeks. That's where he would have her come in. As he explained, the woods around the settlement he lived actually had naturally grown trees that could provide the wood required to make the brooms. The old man just needed someone who knew enought about forest to go in, collect a few pieces and deliver them back to his workshop. Easy peasy! If only he knew she basically lived in forests most of her time to do her hunting! Gathering wood sounded much easier than hunting any kind of quarry, plus it also sounded like a nice game to keep her occupied for the day. Besides, if she was ever going to need the special wood the old man was rambling about again, knowing what the plant is ahead of time would be something very useful. Perhaps if this wood was so special, she could harvest some and sell it for profit on her own.

After hearing all she needed to find the plant, Makoto saluted the old geezer and set about to survey the locations the guy indicated on the map he gave her. He was quite nice, he didn't really need to give her the map at all. She was more than capable of remembering all by heart, she always had good memory. Nevertheless, if she already was super mega awesome at knowing where to go and not get lost, now she certainly wouldn't be able to get lost in the woods for any reason. It would take her a little to walk out of the village, only because the young hunter wasn't really rushing herself. Sure, the old man said he would need the wood the same day so that he could start work in earnest...yet the day was far from over. The sun was still quite a way from going over the horizon. She would have ample time to do the deed and make sure she wasn't going to hurry back with bad wood. She would treat it like any other of her hunts, mediocrity was out of the question. She was the best when it came to wild stuff and she would make sure she would deliver.

The woods were quiet this day. There wasn't much movement around. Just the odd critter or the occasional small little bird flying to or from its nest. Makoto took a moment to just stand around silent. Most times, just waiting and listening for nature's voice was more than enough to know the ins and outs of the place she was treading in. Her tabi boots would make little sound as she looked at the map and began tracking down the location of the trees she would need to harvest wood from. She was used to stealth, moving silently around so that her prey would run away. She wasn't hunting animals per se, but all the years of muscle memory helped making the motions effortless. The ground was also somewhat humid, as it had rained not too long ago but not enough to render the ground beneath here muddy and slippery.

Walking at a steady pace, Makoto would correlate the various landmarks to the old's man map. From the looks of it, the old guy knew his surroundings pretty well. Following those direction was straightforward and easy. She wouldn't even need to look at the map to walk back to Kikka. It would take her around half an hour, but eventually she would spot what she believe the tree she needed in the distance. Raising the map up, she compared the drawing the man had given her to the actual thing. Yep! The two looked pretty similar. Not only that, but she could feel a larger amount of mana emanating from it. Hopping over to it, Makoto took out the tools she had stashed in her bag so that she could harvest four large chunks of the wood from the tree without disrupting it too much. She cut off what seemed the less important branches, ending up with a sizable haul. It was probably more than the man had asked for but hey, at least he would not run out again like he did!

The trip back was as uneventful as the trip to get the wood. She didn't even need to go that far in the first place and she was more than strong enough to carry all the wood in one go, to the old man surprise. The young lady would wait there until the artisan confirmed that the wood she got was the right one, then she would also make sure to give the map she was lent back. She would then help the man settle the wood in his workshop just the way he wanted before taking her leave for the day a little heavier with gold. A job well done, now she could go back to her place and relax with a heavier wallet. Perhaps she could spend it on something to wear? Or perhaps more arrows. She was about five paces from the shop when she heard her name again, turning back only to see the man waving at her.

Did she forget something there? Apparently not, it was the old man waving something at her now that she was squinting in his direction. The old guy was trying to have her pick up one of the brooms he had left in the shop as an additional thank you for the extra wood. She tried to respectfully decline, considering she had just been paid a heft sum, but the old man would have it. Oh well... it looked like she was going to spend the rest of her time learning how to use the thing. 

WC - 1247

I thought I had 1200 but apparently I dunno how to count >: D

Fixed!