A wooden ceiling with hanging herbs was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.

The environment unlike anything I saw the last couple of days, but I've come to expect that.

There were herbs hanged everywhere. On the sole doorframe, the shelves, cupboards and the two other beds.

I lifted myself into a sitting position at the edge of the bed all the while ignoring the constant pulsating pain shooting up my arms.

The fireplace in the corner was lit, providing warmth to the room. Meanwhile a small pot was hanging over it with a vicious liquid that was simmering inside.

A strong medical aroma was wafting from it. I started coughing because of that.

The door banged.

And it seemed my coughing acted as an alarm.

A wrinkled hand opened the door and entered, before the whole form of that hag.

"Lay down kiddo. I don't bite."

"Really? What about the fireballs then?" I tried standing up when a sudden burst of air hit me. It wasn't strong, but strong enough to leave me sitting.

Magic huh? What else can I expect from a witch.

"That was to make you leave... for our own safety... and yours. You understand that don't you or are you perhaps slow on the uptake?"

"Yeah, I get it. Cindy made it easy to figure out everything. Plus, your Mayor made it easier, thanks to treating me like a prey."

She motioned with her hands for me to shush. "Don't talk that loud. You don't know who might be listening."

I wasn't, but even if I was, I didn't have to as she came beside my bed. Of course, before that she took the liquid from the fireplace.

If she thinks that I'll drink that, then surely she's mistaken.

"So, you know. That makes it easier. An ability I suppose you've gained. I won't pry that's your private thing as is every Otherworlders'." She was whispering even though she was right beside me. I humoured her and did the same.

"Who took me here?"

"Cindy along with the kids did."

"Thank them for me, will you? I'll be going." Even before I could a hand was already on my shoulder holding me in place.

"Not so fast kiddo." She said and poured the liquid into a flask she took out from besides the bed.

"Norton knows you're resting here." She sighed and shook the flask a bit. Flumes floated out as she was doing so. "Please drink this and run away. It's a medical concoction used to induce vomiting after you finish vomiting, you'll gradually stop producing the mana mark in half an hour. Drink it please and run."

I took it from her shaking hand, careful not to spill a drop, but instead of drinking it I let it sit in my lap.

"What about you won't you be implicated with my escape?"

"It's fine. I'll tell them that you vomited when you were sleeping and you were gone long before I could do anything. Don't worry, drink up."

"No, I won't." It wasn't like she was lying to me - it had clearly written above it [Medicine to Vomit]. Instead...

"I have a plan."

"Does it include your ability?" She asked. My response was to keep silent and look at her. That was enough as an answer. She stood up and started preparing something on the table.

I'll be waiting for them and I'll show them who's the hunter and the hunted. After I prepare a bit of traps and other things, all thanks to this and my system.

I shook the liquid a bit and found a couple of corks on one of the many shelves - on others there were bottles filled with liquids of various colours.

I stood up and this time she didn't use magic to stop me. I put the cork into the flask and turned to her. I saw my hand and the stitches on it.

"The stitches. Did you redo them? I don't remember them being like this?" They were crisscrossing placed in neat rows without any muscle showing.

"Yeah, I did. Whoever did it before did a poor job. A blind person could've done it better."

"... Some of them I did myself, the others the Mayor."

"That explains it." She continued mixing some things on the table. Adding some here, smashing some there.

"Are you an alchemist or something? A witch perhaps? You'd fit the description with your house looking like this."

"An alchemist." She agreed on that and didn't take her eyes off whatever she was concocting.

"I was trained in the Royal Academy of the Rumbrad Kingdom. These woods were once a part of their domain. Now, their borders are shrunk and the woods are a neutral zone."

"So, the Prophesized Ones captured this territory from them."

"That they did."

In silence she continued working and I watched on seeing what would be of it. Then she stopped and took her little mix of miraculous herbs to the fireplace and put it over it.

After stirring for a while she returned back and started all over again. This time with a grumpy face.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Am I bothering you? I can leave."

"No, no. It's the potion." She took a good hard look at the bubbling liquid above the fireplace. "It turned out… not like I expected."

I looked at it, too.

[Antidote (slightly weakened)]

Without checking if I was listening or not, she continued talking. All the while making another antidote.

"I'm trying to make an antidote for the kids. A one that won't upset their stomachs and will taste good."

"They don't seem poisoned to me."

"After all they aren't. Right now. If one of them was, they would be all here wailing for me to give them a cure. So, they can go and continue their antics."

"You talk about it like it's a regular occurrence." I sat across from her.

"And it is." She said with a smile and I... let's say had complicated feelings, but she didn't keep me in the dark for far too long.

"They go to the edge of the forest, behind the fields and sneak to the berry bushes. They eat whatever they find there and this is the result. A painful stomach."

"So, you're helping them like this." I said more to myself than her. "Why don't you let them suffer a bit and they would stop?"

She laughed at that.

"I don't mind them eating them. Hell, I'm even glad that they do. It'll help them in the future. Now, they build up their resistance and if something happens, they'll be able to survive better...longer." The last part was where she lost her smile. The words lingering in the air as if bringing back unwanted past.

Tough life.

"Mind teaching me a bit? Alchemy, I mean."

"Yeah, why not? But I won't be repeating myself. I'll finish this one potion and then you'll have to go."

"Sure thing… grandma?"

She chuckled before telling me. “Inga.”

“Eli.” I responded back to which she nodded probably not even registering it.

"I added Bren Abra to get the blood pumping..."

What followed was a twenty-minute lecture after which my mind was turned to mush from all the different herbs and their effects. Plus, how they act together and in different temperatures when they are best gathered and where.

Simply. It was a lot.

But unexpectedly I memorized like half of it, the interesting parts mostly.

For example [Bren Abra] is located near water in bushes underneath leaves. It's a small plant with saw-like leaves, with plethora of uses. Main ones being antidotes.

---

[Ben Abra]

Increases heartbeat

---

That was all that was written in the system about it. Pretty pitiful.

She finished her potion and was back at where she previously failed. Now concentrated more than ever carefully stirring it while with the other hand she was controlling the flame, making it sway all around mimicking her stirring.

Her lesson thought was not yet finished. "Do you see the bubbles?"

She didn't wait for me to answer and continued. "They shouldn't be popping and instead should be sitting on top. This just makes it lose its potency and-"

She didn't get a chance to finish as a knock on the door was heard before Norton stepped inside. Behind him a few men standing.

They were about to step in, but he turned to them and nudged his head. They understood him and stayed at the door guarding it.

Only then when everything was prepared did he turn to us, me in particular.

"What are you doing here?"

They were all looking at me, thankfully I had hidden the flask, but the remainder was still down beside the bed.

"I thought that Inga had already informed you. Besides that, she's making an antidote for the kids." As if not believing me he came to Inga and smelled at the pot. He gave her a look before he took the ladle and tasted the liquid.

The guards were looking at him, waiting for what's about to happen. Seizing the opportunity, I stood up, walked forward and just so managed to kick the pot under the bed.

"Ouch." I grabbed my foot in pain. Meanwhile everyone was looking at me once again. All though Inga's expression was priceless - she was looking at me as if I was stupid.

But the show must go on.

"Can't you clean up!? There's random stuff all over the floor!"

"You can watch where you're stepping, kid." She said playing along or maybe just angry at my remark.

"Well, it's not like she expects much visitors other than the occasional kids. And they make mess as they go. Isn't that right?" Norton now said. A smile on his face and even the farmers at the door relaxed.

"Yeah, if I were their mother I would show them discipline."

"They're young and don't know better."

"That doesn't excuse them. But enough of that. What did you come here for?" Nice one Inga. Let's see what he has to say now.

In the end I was disappointed as his smile never left his face. Perhaps he already had an answer prepared before even opening the door or it doesn't matter to him. If he gets caught lying. That would put me in a critical position. That would mean he’s got nothing to lose and that would be a quick end to my struggle.

I would have to get out of here, however I can. And if that happens, I will make sure those farmers will walk away just like that.

"They got strained muscles from working in the fields. So, I was wondering if you still have some ointments for that." Norton said pointing to them.

"The price is 10 copper coins a piece or whatever you have to trade that has a price of 10 copper." She said and took two small vials down from one of the shelves.

The two farmers looked at each other then at Norton. He nudged at them with his head and without any struggle they took the vials while handing her the money. Meanwhile Norton walked next to me.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Much better."

"That's good you'll be fine in no time. You just have to rest and have it heal." As if I can do that, now, can I?

"Yeah, but that's boring. I was wondering if I could go hunting in the forest. To spend the time and the game - if there's any it can be used by the village." I mimicked pulling a bow to show my eagerness.

"I don't know about that. You should ask the Mayor. He was a hunter in his younger days, a good one at that, he could hit a moving target at fifty meters from him and I suppose he still can. As they say time might pass, but the body remembers. Even though he's a few kilos past his prime.” He reminisced a bit of another emotion than nostalgy lingered in his gaze though, but that is given with memories. “Please don’t say that to him."

"Don't worry I won't." I patted his shoulder to reassure him.

"Glad to hear it."

As for the farmers, they already left. They probably saw the situation was stabilized and having nothing here to do left. Maybe into the fields... maybe elsewhere.

"I'm going out if you don't want to be locked inside then let's go." Inga said from behind us.

"Yeah, we're going." Norton said and we did. When we were outside, I couldn't have helped myself and spoke to Inga.

"Aren't you going to charge me too?"

"As if. The best payment you can give me is leaving. Besides with what could you pay?" She said as she locked her house and walked away.

"She can be quite grumpy. Don't take it to heart."

And so, we both begun walking further into the village. We were going into the dead centre where a big flame was already peeking out from behind the houses.

A preparation for a feast I presume. I should've asked Inga how long I've been out for.

"Yeah. I already heard that... and as you can see that. But when she was talking about Alchemy, she wasn't like that."

"What did she say? About alchemy I mean." His voice now still sunny as his smile, but... hmm. It’s somewhat off. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I couldn't see his expression clearly as we were walking side by side, but I think I saw him smiling.

"She walked me through the process of making an antidote. A one for the kids."

"Yeah, she's been working on that for quite a while. If my memory serves me right. She wanted to make it tasty."

"Yeah, that's it."

"And what do you say?" His voice still the same.

"About what?"

"Alchemy."

"Well, I think it's interesting." Now even that smile was wiped off his face, but I acted as if I saw nothing and continued walking along. "…But I don't think I'm cut out for it."

"Why? One would think that a strong young man such as yourself would be interested in finding out new things."

"That's true, but I value my life quite a lot and I don't think that one lecture is enough for me to make from me a qualified Alchemist." Better to play it safe a bit and lie to him a bit. After all, it's better to be taken as weak and ignorant in my situation.

"You've got a point there." He laughed. Maybe I’m imagining things with his voice and… stuff. It sounds normal.

He tuned to me before saying while smiling. "After all throwing up would be the least of your concerns if you tried it. One small mistake and you're poisoned or you breath in toxic fumes. Why shorten your life? For what? Knowledge that is already known?"