Chapter 19 -  Traveling to Flood Village

Riin's POV

Asperd Isle - Fall, Herbalist's Hut

That was the worst night of all nights! The pure horror, no person should behold such horror, ever. To be hugged, while only wearing underwear, by one's parents… the power of words are scary! I will never say them again, never! By pure luck they both snuck out in the early morning hours, or I think they tried too… they were really horrible at it, not that I slept at all that night, no, I was stuck between two mad people!

After getting up, I went downstairs to eat breakfast, much to my surprise mother have prepared a bath for me, with healing herbs mixed in the warm water, by the smell of it.

“Sweetie, come while the water is still warm. I mixed the [All-Heale] plants that you found on your trip together with [Amrans] it will help speed up the healing process, after your bath, we will apply a mix of [Base Mullein] and [Kelventari] to help heal the burns, okay?”

[Amrans], the lilac flower, that blooms in the spring, mother must have some dry ones saved up. The [Base Mullein] is the tall yellow stalk flowers in mother's garden, they grow year round. [Kelventari] a small green forest plant that also grow year round, but I'm nowhere near being good enough to find them in the dark of night, while I'm sure they were around when we were on our trip.

“Thank you very much, mother”

I step behind the linen that serves as a wall between my bathtub and the rest of the kitchen, slipping down in the steam warm water, I relax and let the herbs work their way into my pores.

After a while father joins us, from outside, as he enters the kitchen he gives me a bright smile. Yeah, I'm never saying those words ever again.

“A message came.”

He holds a letter in hand, weaving it around as he goes and give mother a kiss and a hug.

“Oh, from old Reinhold at Wave Inn?”

Who the hell name their kid ‘Reinhold’ ? poor poor kid, I say. But, Wave Inn, was that not the place mother and father stayed last winter?

“Yes, were you expecting a letter from him?”

Mother is laughing at father, while trying to grab the letter he is weaving around.

“Don't be jealous, my love, he is far too old for me, and I have you and Riin.”

She tiptoe up and kisses him again, while grabbing the letter from him as he embraces her, get a darn room! I'm trying to take a bath here, fucking hell people…

“And to answer your question, dear. Yes I was waiting for a letter, we are going to spend the winter there, I don't want to take any chance of that last winter repeating. So I told him to book our room, plus an extra one for Riin, all that was left, was a letter, telling me when he was ready for us.”

A week has gone by with mother and father, being in a extremely good mood, since ‘that’ night. Mother has spent the week gathering up her herbs and dried plants, carefully placing them on one of the small hand pulled wagons, in the shred. Father has filled up his wagon with pelts and bow materials, even the yew that we got from our trip… Seems like we will stay longer than the winter, better get my stuff packed up as well, not that there is much. I start filling up the old backpack with the few pieces of clothing that I have, the small pouch that I made and… well that's kind of it, it's it?…oh! the omelet egg! I need that as well, I can't leave that here. With the egg taking up most of the top layer of the pack, I call it the end, in trying to fit more stuff into it, the rest I can carry on me.

The morning light falls in my window, as I sit and study my new swords, [Queen's Claws] I understand the name now, the simple yet strong streamline design, as the two and a half feet slim bone comes into a perfect handle with a small tunnel down into the bone itself, truly a queen's weapon, or at least a lady's weapon, the weight is just under two pound each. In the week that has gone I have made leather straps to my belt to hold the swords, I also made a harness to hold them on my back, but for now I will use the belt straps, on the side of the backpack and have them there. The small knife is hidden inside the cloth that I have coves the belt with, what better safe than sorry, you know. My travel clothing is composed of my trusty boots a pair of thick linen pants, a trick long armed shirt and of course my leather belt, that is undercover as a normal kids cloth slash, heh, be fooled, fools. Well, it's not like the two swords can be hidden very well, but who cares, if they come, I will kill, it's that how the saying goes… or is it something else, hmm it seems wrong somehow… oh well, no matter. Now, all I have to do is wait for mother or father to come and say that it is time, time to leave this place… what is this feeling? As I ponder over the new feeling that I'm having, a knock on the door sounds. 

“Sweetie, we will be leaving in an hour or so, can you be ready then?”

Hell… will it ever end? gone is the wired feeling that I was having, it is now replaced with a growing annoying feeling of being called sweetie, all the fucking time! Deep breath, deep breath…

“Yes, mother.”

I hope that she will not call me that when people are around, the embarrassment.

An hour passes with me rechecking my ‘gear’ and making sure the egg is safely secured in my backpack, I recheck my room for anything I might have missed and find nothing, making sure the window is closed, I walk downstairs to find mother.

“Good timing, sweetie, I was just about to go and get you. Are you ready to go? Is everything packs? Do you -”

And there we are, another endless stream of question, lucky for me father comes into the kitchen, breathing heavily.

“Dear, the wagons are ready and…”

Mother, stops mid sentence to look at him.

“Oh, now? Okay, sweetie let's goooo.”

She smiles and does, believe it or not, a fist pump in the air. As we get ready to head off, father closes up the doors and windows and is nodding to himself and doing a ‘hmph’ sound, each time he close a window or a door… these people…

We start our walk southwest to [The Flood Outpost], there we will wait for a boat to take us over [The Flood], a river that separate the Asperd Isles into two and from there a walk of a few hours to [Flood Village], where we will be staying the winter, or so they say, but judging by the amount of thing they are bringing, we will be there longer. Half a day, will be passing with the walk, to our first destination. Father says that the [Lightstone]’s that I found in the spider caves pool, can sell for a good prize in [Flinty Village] a day's horse ride west from [Flood Village], so I hope that some people from that village will come by in the time we are staying there, so I can get some money. Father told me that [Flinty Village] is a mining village, - the only one on Asperd Isles.

The trail southwest of out from our home is one that we rarely use, father hunts inland towards the mountain range, and so do I when hunting for game. So this road is a new sight for me, and I'm getting a good chance to look at it, as mother stop every five feet to pick herbs, not that I mind and father seems to be used to this happening, as he is not reacting to it. So far the trip is going slow and easy with mother picking herbs and father whistling a random tune. I'm using the time trying to spot herbs up ahead before mother goes to them, so far it's hard as she seems to zigzag around from herb to herb with no stopping to look for them, just how good is she at spotting them? it seems like I have a long way to go before I'm near her level.

“Want to play a game, sweetie?”

Hmm, a game? what can we ‘play’ seeing as we are in the middle of a forest, but let's humor her, shall we.

“Oh, a game? Yes, let's play!”

She seems happy about my reply as her eyes brighten, and she gives me a big happy face… grinning face?

“Okay, you saw the book mother has, on plants right?”

Saw? I fucking read the thing, two times… well I guess that counts as seeing it too.

“Yes, mothers plant book!”

Okay, I feeling stupid now, but hey! none of them has thought me to read yet, so how else shall I describe her book?

“Yes! Now let's see how many plants you can find as we walk, if you find a lot, mother will get you something, when we reach [Flood Village]!”

Get me something… hmm, that sound like a fifty fifty chance of being my win, and a chance of spotting plants like mother.

You have received a small request from your mother!

Spot ten herbs kinds of herbs, along the trip to [Flood Village], if you can spot more, you will increase your chances of getting a reward!

Huh… a freaking quest? like in them games? hmm, so in another way it differently a promise that she is making.

“I can! I remember lots and lots of them!”

I really do… and their names, not just the stupid picture of the plant.

“Okay, let's go! can you find the plants for mother, sweetie!”

And so it begins, my first quest, - find and call out herbs. I jump down from my spot on the back of fathers wagon, so I can spot them and point to them, as I walk beside mother.The first one I spot since our game started is, [All-Heale] and that one I know, that mother knows, that I know the name of, one of ten. My next find comes at a cluster of larger rocks along the trail, [Bastit], a small succulent, ‘that, when crushed, tends to repel parasitic insects, including mosquitoes and the like. It has a pungent but not unpleasant odour.’ Or so the book said, see I remember it! Ha, two down, eight to go. A while passe before I spot anything that I'm sure of, as we hit a small stream along the trail, I finally see one! A [Dainabush], is a creeping, thorny vine, much like a bramble. It has blue bell shaped flowers and in autumn, it carries dark blue or purple berries that have a strong effect on mammals, those who eat them fall asleep. Hmm, this is proving more difficult than I thought I would be. As we near the edge of the forest, - according to father. I finally spot my fourth herb, and a rather weird one at that, the [Hart’s Tongue], a fern resembles a deer's tongue. When eaten, it serves to decrease the users libido. [Kelventari], the berries of this plant, are applied to help treat burns. Five of ten, huh.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

With my focus on the plants around me, we reach the edge of the [Asperd Forest], the place I have been staying, for almost nine years now. Still I'm five herbs form the count of ten… we have reached a grassland with rocks laying around the place, guess the mountains is showing even this far away from it. As we walk on the trail leading out of the forest I spot something that I'm sure is a rare medical plant, [Saddilia] a tree that has dark red wood, and equally dark blue leaves. It's small, trucked in between some rocks along the path. Hmm, can it really be?

“Mother, that one.”

I point towards the rocks, waiting for mother to see if I'm right.

“Ah! A young [Saddilia]! Dear! Stop!”

Father, who has been ignoring us the whole time, turns at mother's yelling.

“What is it, love?”

At this point mother is truly excited.

“Our sweet boy spotted a young [Saddilia]! Amazing right?”

Father, - who has no clues on plants and herbs just smiles.

“Oh, really? That's amazing, good job, boy”

Mother has at this point abandoned the wagon and gone to the small three. I understand her excitement, it is a very rare three, the nuts that grows from it can increase one's [Intelligence] and [Wisdom], while the chance is small of it happening there still is a chance.After mother is done gathering the nuts around the three, we head onwards towards the outpost. Along the way I spot a useful herb, [Shepherd's Purse] a small plant that can act as a bandage by stopping the bleeding temporarily. Seven of ten! just a few more to go!

Half a day's traveling comes to an end as we finally reach the outpost, and along with that the coastal view. There we are greeted by a few builder as they carry wood around the place, ah right, they are building a bridge. As we wait for the boat to come, people gather around us, I rest my hand on my hidden knife, I don't like them being this close to us, there are too many of them.

“Ah, I heard you had gotten a son! How fine he is, what's your name son and how old are you, hm?”

… am I required to answer them, I wonder. Well, I can't be rude with mother around, better address them and get it over with.

“My name is Riin, ma'am and I'm eight, greeting nine this year, sir.”

There done, now go away people. Huh… did I mess up? nobody's saying anything and now that I look they are just staring at me, my grip on the knife slowly tightens.

“Ah! So polite he is, Elisa! That's such a great kid, you have gotten yourself.”

Mother smile and thanks them, they start to talk about other things, I slowly make my way out of the crowd, going down to the riverside, not that it looks like a river to me, just part of the ocean, if I'm honest about it. There on the rocks I find a rather large patch of [Attanar] moss, which when applied to the forehead of a sick person, will cure fevers, I scrap the patch of the stone with a smaller flat rock that is laying around. Two more, I can make it!

With the moss rolled into a smaller form, I walk along the waterside looking for more coastal plants.  Closer towards the settlements buildings but still near the water I find my ninth herb, [Arfandas] If the stem of it is bound up in the dressing of a fracture, it will double the healing of the fracture. I'm surprised to find it here as it normally requires colder weather, I guess winter is closer than I thought. As I make my way around the outpost I finally find my tenth herb, the [Arkasu] a small plant with a tick sap that helps to heal wounds when applied to them. With all my findings in hand, I make my way back towards the wagons, and to find mother so I can get my reward! I circle around the buildings and come to the trail we used to enter the small encampment, I greet the few people that I pass with a simple nod, no need for words here. I spot father, who looks to be bantering with the builders about something, as I walk near them I start to hear their conversation.

“Ohh, that some fine wolf pelts you got, Raval. You interested in trading it?”

Oh, trading, so they are not using money… but items for item of equal value or something father can use as we travel, by the sound of it.

“Ah, might do. What do you have for trade?”

“You looking for pelts or materials, Raval?”

“The pelt I will sell in the village, if you have some materials, from around here, now that would be great.”

Hmm… I wonder if I can sell or trade the herbs I find too? walking past fathers group, I find that mother is looking around the place, she seems worried. I make my way over to the side of the wagon she is at.

“Mother, is something the wrong?”

At the sound of my voice, she spins around looking at me. Why… does it look like she is about to cry?

“Oh! Sweetie! Where did you run off to?”

… She fuckimg went and did it, calling me sweetie while we are around people.

“I went down to the water.”

I lift up my hands, showing off the herbs that I have been carrying here, guess I better explain to her that I went sightseeing for plants.

“I went looking for coastal plants, that could be useful, for mother.”

Her eyes fall on my outstretched hands still holding the herbs.

“Oh, sweetie. You found a great deal of them I see, and you even took them to me, let's pack them up, shall we?”

She is smiling as she carefully take the plants, one by one, and pack them up and onto the wagon.

“Elisa! The boat is here.”

A man wearing a white linen tunic, which is covered in dirt, comes cover to us.

“Let us help you, with the wagons.”

Mother smiles and thanks the man, as he starts to move the wagon towards the small dock build off to the side of the outpost. Father join us at the dock, he seems to be in a good mood, guess he got some useful items, for the wolf pelt. As we get our wagons loaded down in the boat, we wait a while until some food and building materials, by the looks of it, are unloaded. As the last of it gets off the boat, we are told to take our seats.

The boat is seems to be a board boat, with a wide deck for transporting larger items, I'm quite sure it can ferry a few cows or horses at a time. It uses both a sail and paddles, to transport its cargo and passengers across. Mother is looking at the herbs that I pointed out during our trip, plus the does I collected during our downtime in [The Flood Outpost], she seems to be thinking about something, not that I care really. A quick glance to my other side and I find father with a rather weird facial expression… is he seasick? but there is not a single weave…

“Wow, sweetie, you really did find ten different plants for mother. I'm so proud of you.”

Wait, why are you completely ignoring your husband…

“Erm, mother is father okay? he looks…”

Hmm, how to describe him without sounding rude… not that I get the chance as mother answer me before I find a word fitting for his looks.

“Oh, he is fine, sweetie. He just can't handle sailing, that's all.”

She is smiling at me, why does she find it funny? I look at father again, he seems like he really is feeling it… so hope he is not going to start puking.

“So, what shall we get you, in the village?”

You have completed your mother's request. Finding ten different kind of herbs along your travel to [Flood Village]. You are now reliable for a reward.

---

By finding a rare herb, [Saddilia], you have increased the amount of money your mother will spent on your chosen reward.

With me pondering over what to get as a reward, we reach the other side of the isles. The men paddling the boat, helps unload the wagons and help father get out of the boat, it seems like they are used to him, since they just laugh a bit and pat him on the back, while wishing us a good trip the rest of the way. As the sun is setting we can see the outline of the village in the horizon, our last walk begins, soon we will be in the rooms mother has gotten for us. With the last rays of the sun, we enter the walled village, - even if the walls are wooden poles. A small sign, hanging over the door of a larger two stories house, marks the end of our journey.