PART B

Away from the general foot traffic was housed a small shop. A bright red banner stuck on a pole outside the door declared the place to be Bo's Pan Noodles and Ramen. Crue opened the door and the smell of soup stock and garlic hit me. My stomach gave a resounding applause at our choice based on that smell.

The place was small with only four tables that seat four people each. There was a counter where there were six more seats. Behind that counter was a tiny middle-aged lady with black and gray hair tied back in a high bun. She was squinting slightly at us as we walked through. Her glasses were perched on the top of her head. Behind her tossing noodles around in a large rounded pan was a large middle-aged bald man. He didn't bother to turn around but yelled a hearty welcome without losing a beat in his cooking.

There were two guys sitting at the counter, so Crue sat us in the far corner table. The little lady came from behind the counter and handed each of us a menu made out of thick paper.

“Special today is fried veggie noodle 3 copper. We have duck eggs, venison, and pork today for our meat selection. Do you know what you would like to drink?”

“House tea, please Miss Bo,” Crue said.

“Tsk,” she clicked her tongue, “and you?” She asked me.

“I'll take the tea too.”

“Where are your manners!” She tsked again, “Didn't your mother teach you manners? Is a simple please and thank you so much to ask?”

Thinking this woman was a bit rude I glanced at Crue. He was trying not to laugh as the lady got up into my face and squinted at me even harder. I had just had a mild breakdown in the middle of the street I wasn't feeling up to dealing with cranky old ladies.

“My grandmother taught me to show respect where respect is given. However, she also told me that I should respect my elders if for no other reason than that they've managed to survive longer than I have. So, MA'AM,” I emphasized, “I would like the tea,” I paused a second, “please.” Crue was hiding his grin behind his menu.

“Cheeky bastard you are. Fine, Miss Bo will get you your tea, be grateful.”

“Yes, Miss Bo,” Crue answered dutifully as she walked away.

I raised my eyebrows at Crue. What on Earth, or rather Elrich?

“Miss Bo used to teach manners and deportment to young ladies of status. She was of a wealthy merchant house herself and was well thought of. She did it for years until falling for Mr. Bo later in life. They were married about four years ago. She's retired from her lessons and helps her husband with this shop.” Crue lowered his voice a bit and leaned it while keeping an eye on the lady to come back from the kitchen.

“About a year ago she suffered an attack of the brain. She's fine now in nearly every way except that her personality got a bit rough. It's as if most the manners she had early in life were reversed. She still expects proper manners from her patrons though.

She stopped going by her given name, I think it was Hortence, and started going by Miss Bo. They aren't noble it's not a last name. She just took her husband's name and told everyone her name was now Miss Bo. We all go with it because, if she doesn't like you she will refuse to serve you. So something you said made her like you, I thought we would end up with street food after all.”

“You could have warned me,” I protested feeling a little guilty for being so curt with the lady.

“That wouldn't have been as amusing.” He grinned down at his menu.

Thinking some rather rude thoughts, I also looked at my menu. Hand-drawn pictures with simple wording. There was a bowl with noodles with black dots, there was a bowl with noodles and an oval on top, then a bowl with noodles and a few wavy rectangles sticking sort of out of the side. Whoever drew these had little talent since the plate noodles looked like worms with bits of triangles and squares mixed in. The simple written descriptions gave me a better clue.

Ramen with green onion, ramen with a boiled egg, ramen with meat. The plate noodles were vegetables and meat. Then there was a simple description, mix and match at an extra charge. Then a list of ingredients. What an odd menu. Though the smell from the kitchen was promising.

Miss Bo came back with two cups and a pot of tea. She placed them on the table then stood there her hands on her hips.

“Do you know what you want yet?”

“Yes, Miss Bo,” Crue said. “May I please have the mixed vegetable noodles with pork and garlic added.”

“Sauce?” She asked.

“Whatever Mr. Bo thinks is best. I'm feeling a bit sweet and savory today. Thank you.”

“And for the Cheeky Bastard?” She turned to me.

“Pork ramen with green onion, garlic, and an added duck egg, please.” I handed her the menu and reached for the pot to pour my tea.

“Butter? Do you want it spicy or regular?” she asked.

“Regular, why would you put butter in ramen?” She gave me a look, “If I may ask.”

“Butter makes it better. Mixing fats, fuller flavor.”

“Then I'll try it, thank you.”

Once she walked away taking our menus with her Crue smirked.

“To be honest there's very little point in ordering off the menu. You either order pan noodles or ramen. Other than that what you get is sort of a surprise. One time I ordered ramen and I got this huge double portion with meat, eggs, and veggies. I'm not kidding when I tell you the bowl was this big.” He held out his hands like he was holding a basketball.

“But the food is good even though the service is questionable and you might not get what you ordered?”

“Yup, they have the best noodles. This place usually has a line around dinner time. At lunch, they are a little less busy. They don't advertise either. This place is mostly a local spot, it's out of the way and not many tourists make their way down this alley.”

I guess it was nice that he took me to a local spot. I still didn't feel much like a local though. I was planning on staying here a while, but a few days wasn't long enough for me to get acclimated. I guess becoming a local has to start somewhere. A noodle shop was a decent place to start.

Miss Bo came back carrying a tray. In front of Crue, she placed a plate full of Chinese style noodles. I could see all sorts of mixed vegetables sticking out shiny from the oil they had been fried in. The meat he got didn't look like pork, but I could certainly smell the garlic.

My bowl of ramen smelled amazing. Right on top was a sliced egg, and a layer of meat followed by a bunch of noodles. There was corn and green onion, but I didn't smell the garlic. Miss Bo placed a little plate with a single pat of butter on it beside my bowl. She stood there and waited.

“Thank you, Miss Bo,” I said thinking she wanted more politeness.

“Butter goes on while hot,” she muttered as I just sat there. She picked up the plate and using the spoon she plopped the butter directly on the corn. Then she put the spoon back in the bowl and walked away with the plate.

“What did you get?” I asked as Crue bit into a piece of meat.

“It's venison, instead of pork. The gamey taste actually goes well with the garlic.” He spun some noodles onto his fork and dug in.

It seemed sort of wrong to be eating ramen with a spoon and fork, but I too dug in. The butter on the corn was amazing. I was sort of glad that I didn't get garlic in my soup since that would have overwhelmed the flavor. The broth was a clear brown soup, I think it was a mix of meat broths. It made for a fuller richer flavor.

The pork was just on the red side of done, so I poked it a bit to submerge it so that it would finish cooking in the hot soup. I picked up a slice of egg with the spoon and the creamy yolk center gave an entirely new flavor to the soup. Crue was right, these were amazing noodles. Definitely a contender for some of the best noodles ever. Certainly better than the instant ramen crap that sustained me in college. There was something to be said about a well-made broth, handmade noodles, and fresh ingredients.

Crue and I ate in silence. A few other customers wondered in and Miss Bo was just as curt and abrupt with them as she was with us. Good to know that we didn't receive any special treatment. I paused a minute to sip my tea. It was good tea, light and refreshing with a slight herbal taste. It had been mixed with honey to make it slightly sweet.

Good food didn't help the inner panic I was still feeling. I felt like a state of calm was unreachable at this point. My Grandmother would have said her nerves were shot. A combination of stress, anxiety, or emotional distress usually brought on this state of nerves in her. Well, I was feeling very nervy. Emotionally empty on one hand and on the other so stressed it seemed like I had to keep remembering to relax my shoulders. I would develop a migraine at this rate.

“Will I be able to get something to help me sleep and maybe some of that headache powder at the apothecary?”

Crue frowned a bit, his inner healer kicking in. “Have you not been able to sleep? It's understandable being in an unusual place. I wouldn't recommend anything too strong for that though. Perhaps some light exercises a few hours before bed followed by some meditation. Many of my clients find that those simple things help a great deal in getting to sleep.”

“It's not that. I've never had the issue of not being able to sleep in new places.

“I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight because of stress. I also tend to get migraines when I'm this geared up.”

Crue nodded in thought, “They will have some stuff you can take to sleep. Some of it stronger than others. There is an herb that will make you slightly drowsy. You can use this every night, but you have to drink lots of water with it. Then there is a syrup you can take. One spoonful of it and you will feel fuzzy and will likely pass out within 10 minutes. It can be addictive, so you shouldn't take it every night. Some people have hallucinations as part of a side effect, it can also turn your urine slightly green.

“The headache medicine is common enough, but if you want something for migraines they have a stronger version that is mixed with a black tea. It's very bitter and most people have to add a lot of sugar and honey just to be able to drink it. Some people can't take it at all because the bitterness makes them nauseous.”

“What do those people do?”

“If a migraine is bad enough, they can request a healer. Though not many people want to pay for a home visit from a healer. Some people suffer long enough to go to the temples and wait in line for a healer.”

“Good to know the healers at the temples deal with mundane things like migraines.”

“We also try to treat the cause of a migraine. If it's stress related then a simple course of relaxation therapies can help. We are lucky that we have the hot springs as part of our treatment options. They are incredibly relaxing.”

“That's certainly true,” I nodded in agreement.

Miss Bo handled the payment after we were finished eating and she had cleared away the dishes. Only 6 Coppers for me and 5 for Crue, it seemed like an amazing deal.

He lead me back down the road and after some walking, we made it to an area with nothing but shops. There were a few tourists buying souvenirs from the stalls. I'm not certain how I knew they were tourists, but something about their clothing seemed different than the simple clothing the townsfolk were fond of wearing. One woman in the crowd had on a dress with one of those butt bump things. It reminded me of something I'd seen in a Victorian period drama.

Some of the things women do for fashion just confuses me. How would you sit with that? While eye-catching, it wasn't exactly attractive. Perhaps, the woman just didn't have the correct body type to pull off such a look. I suspected few people could successfully wear something so preposterous.

“Over here,” Crue brought me back from my distraction and went into a nearby store.

Leaving the mysteries of odd fashion choices behind, I followed after him.

Stepping through the door it was obviously the general goods store. The store was very cluttered. Every space that could be used as a display was used. There was even a small boat hanging from the ceiling with a price tag. Food items were to the right of the store, what looked like camping gear in the center, and household items on the left. At least I thought that was the general idea of where things were supposed to be.

Going down the center aisle towards the back with Crue, I noticed that some of the items were new while some of them were used and labeled as such. I guess with camping gear it didn't much matter if your camping cookware was used. Though, I did wonder at the reliability of few rolled up used tents stacked horizontally in a corner.

The smell of the place was also unique. While it didn't stink, it wasn't a very pleasant odor. I couldn't pick out the exact source of the smell, but I suspected that it was some sort of combination of old sweat, dust, and maybe some sort of pine-scented cleaner. There had obviously been some attempts at keeping the place clean, but with so much clutter even a hoarder would be hard pressed to collect, I guessed it was difficult to keep up. We reached the empty counter and Crue collected two round wicker baskets handing one to me. There was precariously perched tower of baskets beside the counter. The handles made of cloth and threaded through a hollowed out palm-sized piece of bamboo.

“This place is certainly interesting,” I stated honestly.

“There used to be more of the shop at that end,” Crue pointed to the right, “but about four years ago that half of the building began to collapse because of a small sinkhole. It had to be knocked down and that entire part of the building couldn't be rebuilt. The council filled the sinkhole but smaller ones kept popping up over there. That's why that area on that side of the building is a vacant lot.

“Anyway, the owners of the store decided that instead of reducing the inventory they would just get creative in their methods of storing their items. The result is this hodgepodge of goods.” Crue waved his hand at the stacks of shelves.

In all honesty, I hadn't even noticed the vacant lot. So this was news to me. From a business perspective, I would have tried to sell this half of the building as soon as I was able. It was probably only a matter of time before more sinkholes damaged this part of the building as well. It wasn't my store and perhaps the locals knew more about the situation than I did. So I tried not to judge the mental abilities of the store owners too harshly.

“We will just be getting the basics today. We can do winter preparation later.” He walked past the rows of tents and stood in front of a shelf that was stocked with what looked like yoga mats made of layers of pressed leather. They came with a wool blanket and leather cords. When you rolled them up they were surprisingly small considering that they rolled out into a bed.

“Bedrolls,” Crue explained, “they are made so that they keep you up off the cold ground. If it's raining, they won't absorb the water from underneath. Though if it's raining you will probably be in a tent anyway.”

Crue picked one out from the limited supply. It was a very utilitarian brown blanket and brown leather mat. It did look a bit thicker than some of the other ones though. The bulk of an item didn't really matter to me since I could just put anything in my inventory.

Crue grabbed an extra wool blanket from the top of a nearby folded pile and added it to his basket.

“I have a tent. Most tents are made to hold two people. So until you get used to camping out I would prefer it if you didn't stay out in the forest at night. When we do go out, we can share my tent and my gear. Though, you'll need your own bowl, cup, and such.”

Saying that he took me around the corner and we looked over some of the used camping gear. I got a used tin set with a bowl, mug, spoon, fork, and a few metal skewers.

They had some decent cooking sets, so even though Crue already had a set we could use, I went ahead and got a skillet, a stew pot with a handle and lid that fit both the skillet and the pot. My basket was getting full so I left it on the counter and grabbed another one.

There was a basket of wound up cords and ropes near the desk. I tossed three different types of cord and rope beside my full basket and went looking for Crue.

I found Crue packing his basket with packets of dried stuff. We were in the food section so I assumed it was food.

“Dried food. This is lamb, it's fairly tasteless but if you break it up and boil it with some of this,” he grabbed a few brown paper packs with handwritten labels. “This is dried broth. You add water and it's instant soup. You can do a lot with these. You can use the dried meat and these,” he tossed more hand labeled packs into his basket, “onions, celery, carrots, potatoes to make a good stew.

“These packs up here are seasonings for meat. Salt, pepper, garlic, are standard. This here is instant curry. You add water and meat and potatoes in your skillet and you have curry. Rice is a bit bulky to carry normally, but that's not a problem for you.” He added a five-pound bag of dried rice to my basket.

“When it's raining and you can't get a fire started these will stave off hunger.” He pointed to a basket of hard looking biscuits. “They are called ration cakes and they have nuts and dried fruit in them. They don't taste very good, but they will keep you alive if you get stuck out in the forest and can't start a fire. Do you want to get some? I mean the lack of food won't be an issue with you since you can pull fresh fruit and....” He paused a second then looked at his basket.

“Now that I think about it, you can carry fresh ingredients with you. You don't really need this dried stuff do you?”

“I think the instant soup base, and the seasonings are important. I can carry around fresh vegetables though. So I don't really need those. Can you eat the meat as is without cooking?”

“Yes, you can eat it whenever it doesn't have to be cooked. There are some people who use it like the biscuits. If it's raining and they can't get a fire started to cook they can just eat some of the dried meat.”

“Then we better keep the meat, get a few of those biscuits and anything else you can eat without cooking. Dry goods, that we can't get fresh, too.” I motioned towards the bag of rice in my basket. Crue nodded and lifted a bag of dried peas. I figured that perhaps fresh peas were harder to come by and held out my basket.

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Along the aisle we went, grabbing a rough ground sort of flour, sugar, and tea all went into the basket. All the while Crue was keeping a mental tally of the items that we could get fresh in another part of the marketplace. Personally, I was hoping that tomatoes were still in season. There wasn't anything better than a good fresh garden tomato.

There were small bottles of vinegar above larger one-liter bottles. When Crue placed two one-liter bottles in the basket I had to question it. I couldn't see any scenario where we would use that much vinegar in cooking.

“It's good for cleaning minor wounds, small cuts and abrasions. It's a lot cheaper than the stuff we will be getting at the apothecary. You should only use that stuff if you are seriously injured, like a stab wound. However, for minor injuries vinegar will do just as well.” Coming from a healer I took his advice as solid.

The last few items we got dealt with fire starting. There was this neat little kit that had a bottle of oil, some cotton fluff, and a flint. It even had a nice wooden box. However, Crue snorted at it in derision.

“Those kits look nice, but they are only used by people who won't be out much. You have to keep replacing the cotton and the oil. It's just simpler to use leftover paper or fabric soaked in this,” he held up a pint-size jar of oil. It was certainly bigger than the thumb-sized bottle of oil that came in the kit and it cost the same. “You can use hay, or dried leaves or tiny twigs as well. The cotton will burn for a short time and the burn doesn't really last long enough for you to really get the fire fed before it's all burned up. Then you end up having to use more oil on the leaves and twigs.

“Plus, the flint in that kit is tiny. Let me ask you how you are going to get a firm grip on it in order to strike when they are that small. No, your best bet is one of these big ones,” he pointed to a box of rocks that were all the size of eggs. “or if you are fancy and want to spend the money you can get a fire stick.”

He pointed to three metal rods sticking out of an old dusty jar. At the end of each one was a small red pebble no bigger than the tip of my nail.

“Fire core,” Crue explained, “it will save you a lot of time trying to get a spark to catch, but they are pricey. However, you will be more likely to be able to get a fire started when it's wet out with it.” There was a slight gleam in Crue's eyes. I had the feeling that he actually really wanted one, but hadn't broken down and got one for himself yet. I checked the price and figured it would be worth the headache of not learning how to use a flint. The fire core rod acted like a lighter, I knew I could work a lighter just fine. I didn't have faith in my rock smashing skills. I didn't have a lot of money left, but surprisingly the food was really cheap thus far the most expensive item was the bedroll at 30 coppers.

By the time we were done, there was a person at the counter totaling up the baskets we had left. I couldn't personally tell if it was a man or woman, or even if the person was middle-aged or elderly. They did have white hair that poofed out all over the place like an overly enthusiastic Bob Ross happy bush. The person had deep wrinkles around their eyes and mouth, but the rest of their skin was fairly smooth.

The outfit they were wearing didn't give me any clue either as the apron they had on was so large and encompassing I couldn't tell what they had on under it. On top of that, they were barefoot with thick cracked soles and nails that needed a good trim.

I was totaled out without the person saying a word to me. They just handed me a piece of paper with an itemized list, their prices, and the total at the bottom. Efficient, in a way. I handed over 2 silver coin and 15 copper coins.

They didn't offer any sort of delivery service, so I placed it all in my inventory. I left the fire core rod out because Crue wanted to play with it a bit, to 'test' it of course.

I picked up fresh vegetables from the street stalls as we walked by them. I bought one woman's entire stock of tomatoes. She gave me a great deal since I bought the lot of them. She said she might have some more tomatoes ripe in about a week and that I should check back then. However, I told her if she could send some green tomatoes to the inn next week along with whatever she had ripened I would pay full price for them. She readily agreed and took down my information.

I also bought some pears, watermelon, cantaloupe, summer squash, zucchini, onions, all sorts of different kinds of peppers, red skin potatoes, garlic cloves, an entire ginger root, small pumpkins, and carrots that were purple and yellow rather than the bright orange I was used too.

That purchase with all the vegetables to feed a small army only cost me 87 coppers.

Meat and dairy items were sold elsewhere. They could wait though because even though meat prices rose in the winter, I would still be able to get the cheese and milk products at around the same price. On top of that, I would be hunting so if I developed a good relationship with my local butcher I would be able to sell him my meat and he should be more than willing to trade part of my pay for milk and cheese. Crue knew a few guys, so sometime in the future, I would be able to do some trade with the local butchers.

I was glad that the Inventory Bracelet used space dimensional magic. I would be able to store and keep all sorts of seasonal items through the winter without them going bad. I actually considered starting a small side business re-selling food stock during the winter. I was sure people would pay to have fresh fruit and vegetables during the cold winter months.

Visiting the temple kitchen I found out that they had refrigeration. I was just guessing, but I suspected it probably ran on something like an ice core. I would also hazard a guess and say that not all households had refrigeration. So there really could be a market in re-selling fresh vegetables.

I could go a few steps further and transport seasonal or local items to one area to another. The Item Inventory would be incredibly handy if I ever decided to become a merchant. However, to become a merchant you needed money in order to purchase items to sell. So I would be working for the Guild for the time being.

If in the future I did decide to leave Yellow Springs and venture out and see the other areas I would always have a job with the Guild. That would provide a steady constant income. The ability to buy and store local items and resell them later would just be a possible side job. The money I could save up for my old age and retirement. They didn't have anything like a pension plan or accident insurance in the Guild, so I had to think ahead. I promised myself that at my next visit to the library I would look at any books on merchant sales.

“This way,” Crue caught my attention as I was contemplating a stall with rows upon rows of items made of Green Tailed Apes tails. Some tourists were pawing through them and one woman had a long fluffy tail draped around her shoulders like a shawl.

Crue led me down a bright side alley. It was positioned in a way that the alley got sun most of the day. When you think about potions and apothecary shops you tend to think dark, moldy, rat-infested looking alleys. This alley was bright and sunny and even had a window box with planted daisies outside the storefront. The stone path was well kept, clean, and had a grumpy looking orange tabby on watch for any stray rodents.

The cat flicked its tail at us in acknowledgment as we walked past him towards the shop door. I had the sudden urge to reach down and pet him, but he really didn't seem like the type of cat that would welcome unwanted pettings from strange guys walking down his alley. He had a job to do and I would leave him to it.

The door tinkled with a little bell as we opened the door. A very heavily pregnant woman with long braided blonde hair and a slight smattering of freckles greeted us with a smile. She levered herself up out of her chair, rocking back and forth in order to gather momentum for that final push upward, and waddled up to the counter. She placed both her hands at the small of her back and leaned a bit on the counter.

“Hello Crue, who do you have here?”

“Emily, this is Eri.” Crue waved his hand at me. “Eri this is Emily.” More waving, then he continued, “Eri is training to take over for me as Surveyor.”

“Oh, well you've been doing a splendid job Crue, but it will be nice knowing that we have someone keeping an eye on the monster situation fulltime. I still remember the time when I was a child and we had a horrible infestation of Red Wolves. They nearly decimated the local herds.”

She reached over the counter and we shook hands.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“Emily is one of the best herbalists in town. Her husband does most of the gathering and collecting and together they run this place.” Crue waved at the store with its glossy wooden shelves with bottles, wooden pots, and paper envelopes. Sunshine poured through the window showing that the store was very clean, incredibly organized, and all surfaces were well polished.

“I took over from my father when he retired. We've been herbalists in this area since my great-grandmother's time.” Emily smiled at me encouragingly. “So I hope we can count on your business in the future.”

“Why do you think I brought him here?” Crue interjected with a laugh before I could comment.

“Well, we never really know with you, now do we?” Emily poked fun at Crue. I could tell she was teasing him, but I think the joke was between the two of them since I didn't quite get it.

The two of them joked around a bit more, bringing up mutual acquaintances, the lack of certain herbs in the area, and the progression of her pregnancy. I basically stood around politely while they got their small talk out of the way. Emily was a bit of a gossip, nothing malicious, but it was just dawning on me that Crue was a gossipy sort too.

I browsed a table that looked like it might have been makeup. The only reason I thought this was because of the little brushes that were stood up beside each group of items. They weren't packaged like the makeup I was used to. Most of them were in the same sort of stackable wooden pots that the shampoo and body wash came in. There was a color dot on the top of each one.

I think the majority of the items were lip glosses. Since they were mostly in shades ranging from pink to burgundy. There were what looked like charcoal sticks wrapped in paper. So some of those other pots must be eye-shadow. I lifted a pot with a golden looking dot. Inside, wasn't a power like I was expecting but something that looked like hardened beeswax. I put the pot down a bit baffled.

Having makeup sold at an apothecary seemed a bit odd to me at first. Then as I picked up different pots I remembered that drug stores usually had a huge makeup selection. I wonder if the origins of drug stores carrying makeup stemmed from pharmacists making makeup. Did pharmacists make makeup back in the day? It seemed like they would since they already had access to all the equipment needed.

Crue and Emily seemed to be trailing off in their conversations. Either that or they both noticed how fascinated I was trying to figure out what pot was used on what facial area. I was half tempted to get a charcoal stick and start the goth movement in Yellow Springs.

I had skipped that period of teenage rebellion mainly because Hot Topic was too expensive and my Grandmother couldn't afford it. I was raised on Walmart jeans and t-shirts. Sometimes she would take me to the mall to get new shoes or a winter coat, but most of my clothes came from discount stores. I winced inwardly again at the money I had spent today. It wasn't over, unfortunately.

Finally, Crue gave a list of items that I would be needing to Emily. A basic medical kit topped the list. Emily put them together herself and stocked the kits in the store. They were oiled canvas bags that rolled up into the size of a person's fist.

“There are the clean bandages and wrappings of course,” Emily explained as she took apart her kit to show me what was in it. “Needle and thread, for emergency sutures.” She placed a curved needle and a packet of thread on the counter.

“Hopefully, you'll never need those, but it's good to have them just in case,” Crue added his commentary.

“This bottle here is a numbing liquid, it also acts as a wound cleanser and antiseptic. Burns like crazy when applied to open wounds, but after a bit, the area will numb and you can work on it. I recommend soaking both the needle, thread, and the wound in this before you start to stitch yourself up. It will keep you from bleeding out until you can get to a healer.

“It's made by triple distilling the hazel plant it comes from. It's a lot of work and this item is the most expensive part of the kit, but don't let that deter you from using it. If you need it, use it. The longer it's bottled, the less effective it will be. So you should replace this about once a year or so.”

“It's not just for sewing yourself up either, though for this kit that's its main purpose. You can use it on any wound if you want. Nasty wounds, even if they don't require stitches, will benefit from being rinsed with it,” Crue interjected. Crue had made me get some vinegar for cleaning cuts and scrapes. This stuff looked like it was made so that your wound was able to be taken care of in the field until you were able to get to a real healer. The numbing effect would help. If you couldn't move because of the pain your wound caused you wouldn't be able to get to that healer.

“This is another painkiller, Valerian.” She placed a paper packet with a star drawn on it on top of the counter. “You take this powder orally, but be very careful with it. It can dull the senses and sometimes leaves people feeling more than drowsy. It can cause more harm than good if you take too much. So I recommend the dipstick method. Lick your finger and dip it in the powder and then lick the powder off your finger. Only repeat this once an hour.

“There are people who find themselves addicted to this. I won't sell you a replacement unless you bring me a healer's receipt. If you truly needed it, then you would be getting your butt to a healer as soon as you are able. This is only to be used in emergencies, not to be taken for recreation.”

She gave me a stinky eyeball emphasizing her point.

“This is just willow bark aspirin,” She placed another packet with a circle drawn on it on the counter. It was three times as large as the star packet and she seemed to think it didn't need any warnings because she moved on.

“This is a stomach powder,” She put down four packs with Xs on them. “Mix one packet with one cup of water and drink it. It's basically used to keep you from becoming dehydrated until you can get yourself to a healer. It doesn't matter what end you are having issues with, it will help you retain the fluids you need. It won't stop your symptoms entirely, but it will keep you alive for the worst of it to hopefully pass.”

She then held up the canvas bag. She showed me how to pull out the two wooded reinforcement stays. They were only about six inches long and looked sort of like old-fashioned tongue depressors. They fit into slots in the bag and helped maintain the bags' shape.

“They are small but can be used to splint small bones. The string that ties the bag comes undone as well and has a few uses.” She picked up the discarded cord. I hadn't thought about using the string that tied up the bundle or thought to take the wooden stays out of the bag. So it was good that she pointed them out.

“We will also be needing some Sleeping Powder, Nocturn Syrup, Buntel Wart premixed with the tea, and a few extra packets of aspirin,” Crue told her.

“I will need you to sign for the syrup. The Council is trying to keep track of the sales. It's not as addicting as Valerian, but they are finding the migrant and wall workers passed out in the streets. Not good for the tourism business.”

“That's fine. I think at this point I'm sort of his medical adviser so I'll be sure to see that he's using it responsibly.”

“Thank you, you know how I worry.” She pulled out a leather-bound notebook from under the counter. She flipped to the center of the book. She wrote down the item, quantity, and date purchased, then had Crue sign that he was authorizing it as a healer. Then she had me sign beside Crue saying that the medication was for me.

She waddled around grabbing a few things off her shelves. There were the large packets of aspirin that I recognized with the large Xs on them. She placed a six-inch bottle of green syrup on the counter. Then she put three packets with the letter Z written on the front.

Then she filled a large jar with dark brown leaves and bits that looked like broken mulched twigs. Then she dumped the leaves into a large mixing bowl. Then she filled the jar again and dumped the second jar into the bowl as well. Then she spooned three spoons of a light tan powder over the leaves. She then took a rounded stick and began to crush the leaves and the powder together. Once they were crushed to her satisfaction, she put the now ground tea leaves into another smaller jar.

“One of these,” she held up the large packet aspirin, “has twelve smaller packets. One packet one dose. Don't take more than six a day.” She showed me that there were smaller packets inside all with the same X label on them.

“This is Sleeping Powder,” She opened the packet with the Z on it. “Twelve doses. You mix one packet with one large glass of water and drink it. Try and drink a second glass of water before you go to bed. Don't take no more than two packets every twelve hours.

“Buntel wart. One spoon full per cup of water. You make it like tea.” She reached under the counter and added a wooden spoon to the pile. “Do you need a tea leaf catch?” She pulled out what looked like a metal mesh hat.

“Yes, he needs one. Thank you, Emi,” Crue nodded affirmation.

“Ok, one spoon in here,” she held up the spoon and mimed putting the tea into the metal mesh hat. “This goes into your mug.” I could see how it would fit nicely into a tea mug. “Add hot water, and let it steep for three minutes. Discard the leaves and add as much sugar and honey as you need. It might make you sick so drink it slowly don't try and down it all at once.”

She picked up the green bottle in one hand and the wooden spoon with the other.

“Nocturn Syrup, one and only one spoon of this. Do not take this more than three times a week. Green urine is common after taking this so don't panic. Also, some people develop hallucinations. If you start to see things that aren't there, try not to panic and just wait for the medication to put you to sleep.”

She handed over the items and gave a meaningful glance at Crue. I could tell it was meaningful, but once again I was left out of the loop. I wondered how long the two of them knew each other.

I handed over the money I owed her. Then we all said our goodbyes and wished Emily well on the impending birth. I even waved at the cat when we passed by him in the alley. He gave me a hearty MEOW.

“I think we've got most of the shopping out of the way. The rest can wait a bit. Eventually, we will both have to pick up winter gear. I need a new pair of winter boots. You will need all the winter gear. That will be pricey as well, with fur-lined boots, winter mantel, hats, gloves, insulated pants and shirt, snowshoes, skis, poles, balm to keep your skin from chapping in the cold, the list goes on. However, you still have at least two months before the weather really gets cold.”

“I've never been much of a winter person. I was raised in an area where there was some snow, but the temperatures never got too bad.”

“Oh, we get snow, perhaps not as bad as the northernmost areas. With the hot springs, a lot of the snow melts on contact here. Out in the forest, it's another matter. We can get about four feet of accumulation in one night.”

“I don't think I am looking forward to camping out in the winter,” I told him.

“It's not fun, but it's a skill you should have. You never know when you are going to get caught up in a sudden storm and have to wait out the weather in the snow.”

“Has it happened to you?”

“My brother and I spent nearly three weeks stuck up north when the snow came down the mountain blocking the path south.

“It will be a few hours before dinner, do you want to go out for a bit? Not far, I just want to gauge some of your basic skills.” Crue glanced at me to see if I was willing.

“You don't have any equipment.”

“I can use your hunting knife. This is to see where you are combat-wise, so I'll only need the knife if you get into trouble. We should be ok this close to town. There shouldn't be any high-level monsters this close. If there were, the farmers would never be able to work their fields.”

“Alright then,” I shrugged my shoulders in consent. Once again I figured he knew what he was talking about.

Name- Eri Veritas

HP 2335/2335

MP 64/64

Level- 11

Age- 18

Race/Species- (Human) Unknown

Gender- (Male) Unknown

Occupation- Surveyor of Adventurers Guild

Exp- 240

Physical Power- 220

Stamina- 278

Defense- 348

Agility- 489

Intelligence- 92

Magic Power- 8

Metal Rain Lv 1

Healing Hands Lv 1

Paralysis Resistance Lv 3

Mind Magic Resistance Lv 1

Skills

Staff Fighting Lv 2

Basic Sword Lv 2

Skull Bashing Lv 2

Martial Arts Lv 2

Spear Lv 1

Stalking Lv 1

Jumping Lv 1

Running Lv 2

Cooking Lv 1

Pain Tolerance Lv 3

Deception Lv 2

Poker Face Lv 1

Etiquette Lv 3

Leather Work Lv 1

Metal Work Lv 1

Rock Throwing

Dancing

Singing

Harvesting

Empathy

Telekinesis

Small Talk

Discretion

Party Tricks

Restraint

Alcohol Tolerance

Monster Biology

Entomology

Zoology

Dismantling

Appraisal

Special Skills

Abyss Walker

Racial Ability-

Hidden Among the Masses- 20

Stealth- 95

Party- 10

Items Equip

Inventory Bracelet

Succuba Star

Gold- 0g 8s 02c (802c)

Blessing 1- All Map Exploration

Blessing 2- Exp Points Required by Level Up / Current Level

Blessing 3-Exp Increase X Current Level

Blessing 4- Item- Gamer Glasses

Titles- Emissary of Amoris

Devotee of Amoris

Oracle of Amoris

Prince of Dreams

Grateful Petitioner

Lover of Leaves

Enemy of Apes