Master Of None

”Hey Remey, the old man in the shop said you could show me some things, like household alchemy right? Did you learn it yourself or did someone teach you?” Walker was curious if Remey would tell him while in her good mood.

”Oh it’s not much; I just snuck in there when I was little so I could learn how to make medicine we couldn’t afford. I got caught by that old guy there but instead of kicking me on the street like he should have, he let me stay.” Walker could definitely imagine Remey not giving up if she couldn’t get something but the words sneak and Remey didn’t quit fit well together in his mind.

”So Remey the alchemist brawler, I wonder what Su and Gil will think about your new job class.” Walker bumped her slightly on the shoulder.

”Oh if you tell they I’m some medicine maker I’ll punch ya until you forget today!” Remeys threat wasn’t light but she sounded too playful for it to be serious. The rest of their walk back they chatted about various herbs and some household herbs. Some that help stay away, others that can get rid of headaches, Remey even knew one that helped with muscle soreness.

The pair had only been gone a few hours but they could see the shutters had already been made and repaired, three workers were on the roof placing new shingles. There was about five people using earth skills on the walls and fixing them. Walker even noticed someone washing windows, that must have been an adventurer sent by the guild.

”Let’s go put these in the workshop!” Walkers excitement grew as he realized they would complete another task.

Reaching the Side with the alchemy workshop the two quick  began pulling old rotted crates and scooping out ashes. Walker opened the chimney up causing a pleasant flow of clean air. Now that they could let the dust fly their speed would soar. It took only two hours of their time to get the shop clean enough to where walker felt comfortable storing herbs and placing new tools.

”Put the snow sprout near the ground; it like the colder earth than the warmer are up top.” Remey gave Walker a glance, as she worked explaining how to store the herb. Walker who had become a believer in Remeys hidden talent, followed her words and had a feeling that the herb just looked greener on the bottom shelf. Almost more alive.

The process was simple since they didn’t have too many herbs but the knowledge that walker could easily fill the shelves with many more let him smile. Soon Remey began roughly chopping the three herbs she had asked for and tossing them in to a small pot.

Filling it with water and moving it to one of the hearths she tossed some small sticks underneath to start a fire. Walker was watching intently to see how long and how much she would heat it to make the tea. Once she had gotten it started she left the room and soon returned with a handful of sugar. She dropped it in ”that’s the basics of the tea it’s nothing tough but instead of sugar, honey is better but it’s not the right season. Also do not bring it to a boil just until it’s steaming then strain it in to cups. After that the tea is drinkable. The honey and sugar is to sweeten it so it’s easier to drink but does not effect the quality in any way.” Walker hadn’t even asked a question and Remey already knew what to say.

”Maybe I’ll leave this workshop to you Remey, I think you can make better use of it than I.” Walker was worried he would step on Remeys toes if he was in here experimenting for new skills.

”I can only do the basics, some things you need skills for so when I need those I’ll drag your butt in here then” she had accepted his offer but in the condition of him being at her call for more challenging things.

Soon the herb tea began to steam causing a fresh earthy aroma to penetrate their nostrils. Remey pulled the pot and grabbed one of the new tools from a shelf. Inside the room was a strainer and she slowly poured the liquid through it in to some stone cups. There were enough for everyone. She even grabbed a small bowl for Midnight which Walker smiled at.

”Let’s go visit everyone and see how we’re all doing” Remey was in full mom mode, which opened Walker’s eyes to how great his party was becoming.

As they walked the mansion finding someone here and there to hand a cup to, walker concluded that the roof was nearly finished, the walls were done completely and the gate being hung, the dust and dirt had left the building along with shiny windows, the craftsmen had brought training dummies for the grounds, and the difference in the garden was astonishing.

”The garden looks amazing it’s been trimmed and cleared! It’s totally ready for when spring comes!” Walker was very happy to be able to envision the wondrous place it would be come spring.

”Well of course I used to deal with fields much bigger than this. I just used a bit of muscle to take those thorns over there and the rest fell in to place.” Gil’s mother was nodding her head in approval. ”I’ll plant some fruit trees along the wall, we’ll have some vegetables here and there, I saw you two in that workshop and now that I see this tea I’ll make a place for herbs. I may not have many skills for growing rare ones but the basic ones I can grow if you pick up seeds. If there’s anything else you want just let me know.”

”Hmm I may ask you to grow something a bit challenging, I just need to see if I can get seeds from the fruit later.” Walker was wondering if growing more dragon fruits would be helpful to midnight and decided that going back to the library to read up on monsters may be wise. There was plenty of knowledge he had not pursued yet.

”Aye just let me know when, I do like a challenge every once in a while.” With that Gils mother gave the empty cup she had drank from picked up a rake and moved towards another part of t front garden.

”I think I’m going to head for the library now, tonight we can all check the quest rewards together!” Walker was stuck on studying the books to find more information on dragons. If He had neglected to learn he could accidentally harm midnight. He was now on a mission!