Chapter 3 Adjustment Period

Over the course of the next several months, thanks to the assistance of his new friend Daquan Mourntree and his family, Khyree had come to know quite a bit about the outside world.

For one thing he had learned that the outside world was much bigger than he had ever guessed. That his birth place and former home was only one of many such Wilds. Though he did take some pride in knowing that the Northern Wilds was the biggest one out of the bunch. In total there were three other Wilds. The Eastern Wilds, the Western Wilds, and the Southern Wilds.

He had learned that the outside world was divided into regions and areas controlled by many nations that consisted of kingdoms and empires. Apparently the outside world as he was used to calling it actually meant the entire planet. A concept he was still trying to wrap his head around. It was revealed to him that the planet of his birth was called Planet Origin, and that all of the bright lights in the night sky were either stars, planets or other celestial bodies and phenomena.

Planet Origin was only one of seven planets that made up their local solar system. The two nearest bodies that often appeared in the sky were called moons that orbited the planet. Those two moons were called Phoenix Moon and Crystal Lake Moon. Khyree understood that the names of the moons related somehow to their defining characteristics. While the idea of the moons was fascinating to him, he accepted that they were so far removed from his life, that he doubted that he would ever need to know a lot about them.

Daquan told Khyree about how Planet Origin had four massively large continents, three enormous oceans and an unknown amount of islands scattered about. Some inhabited and others that were not.

The Northern Wilds occupied the northernmost part of the Central continent. It seemed that the Central continent consisted of several different kingdoms and the Imperium of Man. Each of which occupied large areas of land known as countries. The area that Khyree found himself in was the village of Idlewild. It was a frontier village near the northern border region of the Oakentide Country which was overseen by the Winter Kingdom.

During his many talks with Daquan, Khyree also learned a lot about the village itself. It turned out that the Village of Idlewild was a small village by the standards of the kingdom. It only covered an area of several dozen kilometers. But there were more than a hundred different families that called the place home.

The Mourntree, Daquan's family owned a small plot of land just outside the village proper. His family had been farming that same piece of land for over twenty generations. According to Daquan, his family had once upon a time owned many of the neighboring plots as well, but due to some misfortune in the past they had been gradually forced to surrender their claim on the former plots.

Daquan's family had been in a state of decline ever since. They barely brought in enough money to keep the farm, and provide some resources for Daquan's cultivation. Rashad, Daquan's father, while he had been ecstatic to learn of his son's potential, he was also aware of how much an extra burden it would be to raise an Immortal.

According to Daquan the sheer amount of resources needed to cultivate was staggering to the common mind. Apparently most Immortals needed the backing of a well established Sect or a rich family to pursue cultivation. It was why there were very few rogue Immortals.

The saving grace for Daquan's family was the fact that since the odds of having the potential for being an Immortal was so low, that village heads would give financial compensation to any family that was blessed to have one in their ranks. While it was not an extravagant amount by any means it helped.

One of the few things that bothered Khyree was the concept of money. Apparently, people in the outside world traded small coins of different denominations for goods and services. It was such a foreign concept to him.

Back in the Wilds he had always been raised with the belief that if there was something that he wanted he could take it if he was strong enough or smart enough to get away with it. Of course over the years he had learned very painfully that there was a difference between taking something and being able to keep it.

Another thing that he struggled with was reading the hieratic script. The official written language of the people. While he knew how to speak the language, and read the glyphs that he had found in the ruins, until he came to the village he had never been exposed to the written language. Daquan had figured out his inability to read when he kept avoiding the manuals that Daquan kept trying to get him to read. Finally fed up with the situation, Daquan offered to teach Khyree how to read.

Khyree was initially very resistant to the idea. He hated the idea that he could be defective in any way compared to other humans. Khyree knew himself. He knew that he was strong. He knew that he was fast. There was nothing wrong with Khyree. So he refused Daquan’s offer repeatedly. That was until he began to notice just how much reading was a part of human’s daily lives. Khyree knew there were some ways around it, but eventually he just decided to take Daquan up on his offer.

In the meantime, there was always the work. Work allowed for the clarity of mind. The strain of muscles. It quickly became very clear to Khyree that while he found that the back breaking hard work of working on a farm to be fun and exhilarating, that it was not the kind of work for everyone. Daquan though he was physically able to despite his size, especially since he was an Immortal and had enhanced strength and endurance he had no interest whatsoever in working the land.

No, instead Daquan spent most of his time cultivating. From what Khyree had observed, it largely consisted of seated meditation for extended periods of time. He had been told that the purpose of cultivating was to bring the body more closely in tune with the heavens themselves. Whatever that meant. Khyree freely admitted that it was undeniable that Immortals were enhanced compared to regular humans; it was just the way they went about it that threw him off.

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While the goals appealed to him, Khyree mostly found the act of meditation to be extremely boring. He was used to being able to move freely for hours on end. Sitting in one place, while breathing in strange patterns did not interest him in the slightest. No, Khyree had to have his freedom at all costs.

When Daquan was not actively cultivating he would then spend days at a time studying strange chemical formulas on papyrus scrolls that he spent most of his money on. Formulas that he would go over and over again in his mind until he knew them backwards and forwards. Once he felt confident he would go out into the outer edges of the Wilds in pursuit of plants and materials to pursue his true passion. Daquan wanted above everything to be an alchemist. From what Khyree took of his explanation it was some kind of profession in which an Immortal concocted alchemical medicines for a variety of effects.

Alchemy was something that only Immortals can do, and though Daquan was an Immortal he was still in the very early stages. As such he was severely limited in his capacity to concoct medicines. In fact, it would be fair to say that as of this time he was more of an apothecary than an actual alchemist. But that did not stop him from studying whatever formulas he could get his hands on.

While Daquan was interested in learning and expanding his repertoire of the formulas mastered, thanks to Khyree constantly getting injured from fighting above his weight class, most of the reagents he actually ended up making were health elixirs.

When Daquan would attempt new formulas, he failed more times than not. Disposing of his failures were often a troublesome prospect as they tended to be highly toxic in nature. He couldn’t take the risk of ruining the land by disposing the failed batches in the earth. Luckily, for him Khyree took it upon himself to consume the failed medicines. At first, Daquan was shocked to see Khyree drinking the failed concoctions. But after seeing no negative side effects, he just allowed Khyree to do as he pleased and counted his blessings.

Sometimes when Daquan would take his trips, Khyree would go with him on his outings. Thanks to his familiarity with the Wilds he was often able to help Daquan to find the plants or low level essence creatures he was looking for. They tended to stay near the outer rim, as the more dangerous beasts lived deeper in the Wilds.

Daquan Mourntree was not much of a fighter, as Khyree found out the first time they were ambushed by a pack of crazed hyenas. As soon as their creepy laughter could be heard, Daquan fled the area faster than a jackrabbit on a speed boost. Khyree was thoroughly impressed by just how fast Daquan could move. His brain occupied with how he could use that information in the future, he went about the business of killing the hyenas.

But most of the time, Khyree helped out on the farm. At first glance Khyree was not very muscular, but he had a will that would not quit. For most days he worked from sunup to sun down on the farm with no rest breaks in between.

Today was a very special day for Khyree. For today was one of the days when the Mourntree family brought their goods to market. Khyree always looked forward to these days. He would often be unable to sleep the night before because of his anticipation. Ironically it was for the very same reason that the Mourntree family looked upon market day with dread.

After they had loaded up the wagons, Khyree and the Mourntree family got on the road and headed towards town. By wagon, the trip usually took the better part of two hours. The whole time that they were on the road, Khyree could be seen practically vibrating in his seat. Rashad would frequently glance back at him and shake his head.

Khyree was well aware of how the family felt about him making the trip with them every time. But he refused to be left behind. Though it’s not as if the family hadn't tried. He smiled ruefully as he thought about the number of attempts the family have made over the last few months. He remembered a time when they thought they were so slick by leaving the night before. But he had heard them loading up the wagons and snuck onto the bottom of it, his arms ached relentlessly for hours after that. But he held on for the entire trip.

They had tried sending him out on a long distanced errands, right before they left. But Khyree was so suspicious of them by that point that he rushed to finish the chore in record time and was able to catch up to the wagon after only an hour had gone by. Khyree took great pleasure at the looks of shock on their faces.

One time Daquan had even fed him a high quality sleeping draught, the morning of. He must have forgotten that Khyree often drank the failures of his medicinal concoctions. The sleeping draught was largely ineffective on him. He had woken up in minutes instead of hours and was able to catch up with the wagon in short order.

Along the way, Daquan at the constant urgings of his brothers and his dad tried talking with him. After all of this time he knew that his words would be in vain but he tried regardless. “Khyree, please tell me that there will be no more of your mischief to be found on this trip. You know the village guards threatened to lock you up last time,” he said in a pleading voice.

“Mischief? What are these words you say to me? Look, I’m just here to help out,” replied Khyree in a very earnest manner. “Daquan, you and your family have done a lot for me. You all have given me shelter to rest my weary head, honest work so that I may earn my keep, and food to fill my stomach. Please my friend, do not think that I am ungrateful for your bountiful kindnesses.”

Actually Khyree knew where these words were coming from. He knew that his friend meant well, but he had long accepted that they had two very different views on the world.

“See that’s what I’m talking about,” said Daquan. “You said words very similar to those last time we went to market, and I know you remember how that turned out. You Khyree have an anger problem.”

“Nonsense. That is a very hurtful accusation. I, my friend am quite at peace with the world around me, and as far as last time goes. I am sticking to my previous defense. I was provoked beyond reason, and therefore was not responsible for my actions,” Khyree said with a straight face.

With a frustrated sigh, Daquan dropped his head. He just knew that this conversation was not going to go the way that he wanted. But he had to try, if for no other reason then to be able to say that he had given it his best shot. “Alright, well can you promise me at least that you will restrain yourself until after we finish up at the market? My family really needs to sell all of this produce before getting started on the next batch of plantings.”

“I will endeavor to be on my best behavior,” said Khyree. “Though I will remind you that I am not responsible for the actions of others, or how I might respond in kind.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” said Daquan in a dejected voice. He prayed to the heavens for strength, but he seriously doubted anyone was listening to him. Especially when it came to Khyree.