{SP-F1} Greenie Trials Begin <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>> [Complete]

[Fiora 0]

9:13 am, near the Black Iron Palace in the Town of Beginnings

Fiora stretched her arms above her head, enjoying the artificial rays of the morning sun skimming across her skin. As she walked down the detailed cobble streets of the Town of Beginnings she was in absolute awe at just how much time had been spent on the environments. The virtual reality of the brisk morning air, moist with dew almost made this whole scenario not seem like a bad dream. Almost. The abrupt news of being trapped in Aincrad still left a sour taste in the back of her mouth. But that had been a few days ago, now, Fiora had rid herself of the panic and decided she’d try this whole VR experience out.

She had gotten a tidbit from a friend about beginner quests posted on bulletin boards littered across the Town of Beginnings the night before. Having decided that instant she would begin her hunt for one in the morning, Fiora had went to sleep a bit giddy for the events to come. And now here she was, strolling across a plaza with one hand perched over her brow to shield her eyes from the sun in search of one of these infamous bulletin boards. One last sweep across the bustling bazaar had caused her to stop mid step, a young girl crashed into her back before profusely apologizing and running off. Fiora paid her no mind, her soft lavender eyes drawing toward a small crowd around a rather large sign like a beacon. She swiveled on the heel of her foot, quickening her pace toward what looked to be what she had been searching for.

Politely elbowing her way to the front of the small swarm of level 1-3 players, her mouth twitched into a small smile. Her slender fingers plucked a yellowed piece of parchment from its tack, allowing the other players to push her back out into the foot traffic. A light ping alerted her of a notification, a menu popping up before her, asking if she’d accept this newbie quest from an NPC alchemist, Zackariah. Fiora tapped the green icon, a bit excited for this little adventure.  

Edited July 19, 2017 by Fiora

[Fiora 0]

Fiora brought the piece of paper closer to her face, reading off the streets she would have to take to find this Zackariah character. It didn’t seem to be too much trouble, in fact, it gave Fiora a reason to explore this huge town. Taking a moment to search for the street name she was on, the brunette made her way down an unfamiliar street. The cobblestone turned to a more brick like texture and the aroma changed from crisp morning air to a thick, savory smell. Butcher shops and a few food stalls lined the sidewalks, merchants trying to grab her attention as she walked by.

The next street she passed through held fancy shops owned by tailors and artisans, the windows packed with beautiful handcrafted items. A street performer playing a stringed instrument took up a chunk of the sidewalk. If her funds weren’t so painstakingly shriveled she would have tossed a couple col into the beat up metal pot at the performer's side. Once she took her last turn she found herself secluded in a part of town she never knew existed. Heavy brick buildings dotted the street, their windows covered in a thick layer of soot. From a few buildings, stacks of dark grey smoke billowed from the chimneys. A handful of players leaned against the buildings, each dressed respectively in different occupation uniforms. A young man spared her a glance, giving her a salute as she walked further up the street.

She stopped in front of a withered old building, the shutters in desperate need of a new coat of paint. The windows in the front were all perched open just a enough to allow a unique herbal scent to waft out into the street. A crippled, old sign hung above the door, “Zackariah’s Alchemy” branded into the wood.

“This is it,” she hummed to herself, pushing open the door and stepping inside.

[Fiora 0]

The herbal aroma hit her like a brick wall once Fiora stepped inside. She coughed into her hand, eyes stinging slightly from the strong mint like stench. The stone floor was cluttered with empty jars and yellowed paper. Shelves lined the walls, full to the brink with glass containers in different shapes and sizes. Various colored liquids filled bottles in stacks of crates in the back. A large, wooden table sat in the middle of the cluttered room, an array of confusing looking equipment perched on the stained surface. An old gentleman stood with his back facing the door, his long white locks pulled back to keep them from getting in his vision.

He looked hard at work, grinding green leafs into a pulp with a wheel mortar. Fiora almost didn’t want to interrupt him, but once she remembered he was only an NPC she realized it was his coding that made him look busy. She cleared her throat, taking a few steps closer to the table to rest her hands on the worn material. The man looked over his shoulder without pausing his movements, a gentle smile crinkling his wrinkled face.

“Welcome, welcome. How may I help you, young lady?” he greeted, resting the wheel on its side and turning to give Fiora his full attention.

“I’m here because of this,” she handed the flyer over to him, examining the realism of his work worn hands. “You’re Zackariah, right?” The old man laughed, his wise eyes nearly closing from such a big smile.

“That’d be me, little lady. You’re here for the quest then? Great!” he exclaimed, rounding the table. “I need five ingredients outside the walls of the Town of Beginnings. Think you can do that?” Fiora grinned, it sounded straightforward enough.

“It shouldn’t be a problem,” she answered, getting a pat on the shoulder from her company.

“Good, you get those herbs, and I’ll show you how to use em.” Fiora nodded, and after some parting words she was on her way to finish the first part of her quest.

[Fiora 0]

A gathering errand sounded perfect for her first quest. Fiora wasn’t in any risk of getting hurt, and she wouldn’t have to rely on her nonexistent fighting skills to get her out of trouble. It would also be her first time venturing outside the safety of the town walls, she would get to experience the beautiful landscape first hand. Taking the directions the alchemist had given her set her on a rather lonesome route, no players or NPC’s in sight since she left the working district. It was peaceful but left a heavy feeling in the pit of her gut.

The directions spat Fiora out at a nearly empty gate leading out to the fields beyond the wall. She assumed it was because it was rather early and nobody really cared enough to leave the city limits. Fiora felt a bit uneasy at first, staring out at the open fields waiting for her to go find those ingredients. Her right hand found comfort in gripping the rapier at her side, even if she didn’t really know how to use it. She took one last look around the scarce gateway, eyes darting toward the fields again. Biting her lip, Fiora shook herself out of her stupor and headed outside of the city.

[Fiora 0]

The overgrown fields were even more beautiful than she had imagined. Tall blades of grass swayed against the breeze, wildflowers dotted the vast green land like dollops of white and yellow paint on a canvas. A worn path traveled a little ways forward before steering to the right toward a bundle of trees close to the wall. Fiora decided to start her hunt a little ways away from the wall. Instead of heading toward the trees, she continued straight, breaking down grass and weeds with her boots as she headed to what looked like a small meadow.

The strong aroma of sweet flowers made her jitters go away. Carefully leaning down to settle on her knees, Fiora tipped a few petals back to peer down into the soil of the meadow. She spent a significant amount of time searching for… something that piqued her interest. However, when she found nothing she wasn’t at all disappointed with being surrounded by what felt like a million flowers. She laid in the middle of the meadow in serenity for a few extra minutes, letting the scent soak into her clothes.

Spoiler

ID# 86654

LD: 9 (+1S&D) 

Results: Aye, you'll get em next time tiger

[Fiora 0]

Getting up from her little nest made of flowers, Fiora peered up at the towering willow tree only a stone's throw away. How she hadn’t noticed it before was beyond her, but now she was standing in front of the curtain like leaves. She pushed them aside, noticing the dramatic change in temperature underneath the shade. The smell switched from the cheery sweet scent of wildflowers to a damp, musty stench. Moss squished under her boots as she walked closer to the trunk of the tree. Fat, ugly insects crawled along the bark, some pausing as she neared to inspect her.

Fiora tipped her head back, eyes searching for small specks of sunlight between the branches. Walking under this willow tree had been like entering a dim closet and closing the door. If sunlight and a few flowers hadn’t been peeking in through the bottom of the leaves, Fiora would have questioned if she was even out in the fields anymore. Her eyes trailed the branches, squinting to see if any interesting looking fruits or nuts were hidden in the shrubbery. She walked around the trunk, careful to not trip over the massive roots sticking out from the ground. A vibrant magenta plant caught her eye. Under some of the vines growing around the bark a bright pink patch of moss was latched to the tree. Tiny golden flower buds speckled the plant, this was definitely an interesting find.

Carefully, she peeled the soft plant from the bark, cringing at the yellow syrup clinging to the back. It smelt of honey, which surprised Fiora, and stuck to her fingers like tacky glue. This find had boosted her confidence of finishing this quest with no problem.

Spoiler

ID# 86683

LD: 19 (+1S&D)

Results: Oh snap, she found item #1

[Fiora 0]

When Fiora left the shade of the tree she had to stop for a minute to adjust to the bright sunlight. After she blinked away the spots in her vision, Fiora found herself looking at an overgrown thicket. It was a small walk away, closer to the wall than the meadow had been. It also looked ripe for picking, who knew what kind of alchemist ingredients she could find there. Hiking her knees up, she waded through the tall grass. A row of dead stumps made up most of the vegetation. However, thick milk weed and an array of various shapes and sizes of leaves and flowers decorated the stumps like a grave. Most of the stumps were rotted, some home to what looked like a bunch of creepy crawlies.

Fiora reached down into some bramble, pulling back almost instantly once her fingers caught on a stinging nettle. She swore under her breath, shoving the side of her finger into her mouth in hopes to ease the bee like sting. Being more cautious this time, she scanned the area before stopping on shiny red berries growing between two stumps. She hopped onto one of the less rotten stumps and examined the little fruits closer. Deciding this would definitely work for another ingredient, she grabbed the goods and scoped out a new place to look.

Spoiler

ID#: 86687

LD: 17 (+1S&D)

Results: Thing #2 has been fetched!

[Fiora 0]

Deciding that the thicket still had some potential, Fiora jumped from one stump to the other. She kept her eyes peeled for anything that could look valuable for the alchemist, and sadly not getting much luck. She paused, squatting to get a look at the stump next to the one she was balanced on. One side of the trunk was rotted out, a hole taking the place where bark used to be. Strange looking weeds grew out of the hollow and Fiora took that as a possible clue to another ingredient. Without much thought she shoved her hand into the stump, feeling her way to the edge of the weeds inside. Her fingers clamped around something fat and fuzzy, excitement sparkled in her eyes at the thought of getting her third item in a row.

She pulled the item out of the stump and brought it up to her face, the sudden excitement leaving her in a heartbeat. A huge green horned caterpillar was staring at her, it’s fat bottom wiggling persistently as it’s legs looked for something to perch on. It took her a few seconds, slack jawed and not entirely sure how to react, before she panicked. She let out a loud squeal, the innocent caterpillar going airborne when she lost her balance on the stump from the sudden scare. Fiora flailed her arms in an attempt to catch herself though it was too late. She fell in the knee deep weeds, her shoulders hitting the ground hard enough to hear an audible thump.

“Ow!” she whined, clutching at the small of her back that had landed on something jutting out of the ground. A soft weight landed on her chest, as she peered down she wasn’t too surprised to find her little “friend” resting against the material of her clothes after it’s flying adventure. “Here , little guy,” she groaned, taking the bug in her hand and setting it on a leafy plant as she rolled off of the rock digging into her back. After making sure the insect was okay, Fiora learned that the rock she landed on wasn’t a rock at all. Laying on the ground was a muddy, orange root awkwardly bent into the dirt.With an exasperated sigh, she thanked her caterpillar friend for helping her find her third item.

Spoiler

ID# 86690

LD: 14 (+1S&D)

Results: Three in a row, nice! And she made a friend.

[Fiora 0]

Heading for the beaten path toward the wall, Fiora steered clear of the stump graveyard. Her heart was still thumping quickly from her run in with the fat caterpillar. She never knew they could get so big, but she couldn’t be mad at how cute it was. The sun had climbed a few inches in the sky from the start of her adventure, the temperature rising with it. A cool breeze fluttered by and Fiora leaned her head back to enjoy it. Even though she was still trapped in this game, the creator had done well to make it feel homey.

After a few minutes of finding shapes in the puffy clouds obscuring the sun’s light, she decided to get back to work. Fiora had made it to the edge of the collection of trees by the wall, the tall oaks shading her from the sun. Something sparkly caught her eye. Looking down she found deep holes carved into the ground. The sun was glimpsing off of an object inside one of the holes, almost like a beacon for Fiora to pick up. Her sudden run in with the caterpillar came to mind. Deciding she’d limit herself one ominus hole to dig in each adventure, she side stepped the holes and moved into the trees.

Spoiler

ID# 86784

LD: 5 (+1 S&D)

Results: She's lost trust for random holes in nature. Nothing this time.

[Fiora 0]

With quick movements, Fiora weaved through the jumble of trees. She hopped from one root system to another, dodging areas where slick moss grew on the ground. She came to a stop when she felt like she had found the heart of this tiny forest. The sun broke through the branches where she stood, a few flowers bloomed here and there. Pollen particles lit up like falling glitter, birds tittered to each other from across the trees. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw a rabbit bound through a patch of grass and out of sight. For a second, Fiora thought she had been transported to some Disney universe and any second the animals would break out in song, transforming her into a princess. She giggled to herself at the thought, moving from one foot to another in a small twirl.

She moved around the patch of sunlight, stopping at each suspicious looking tree. Her nimble fingers searched through numerous weed patches. When her actions became fruitless, she took a seat against the trunk of one of the trees. She stretched her legs out just enough so her shins could be bathed in the warm light.

“That caterpillar ruined my luck,” she mumbled, gazing up in the trees with a prominent pout on her lips.

Spoiler

ID# 86787

LD: 6 (+1 S&D)

Results: Blaming the caterpillar will get you nowhere, yet another dud.

[Fiora 0]

Fiora bit into her lip as she kicked at some tall grass a little angrily. A loud sigh escaped her as she pressed the heels of her palms against her eyelids. This task was starting to become tedious. She roamed around the trees, getting turned around once or twice until she found her way again. There was nothing at all special in these trees no matter how magical they looked. It took her a few minutes to find her way out of them, though it didn’t do much good. Nothing stood out much to her. She decided to walk toward the wall in hopes of finding something close. When she passed deep patches of grass she would pause long enough to peer in between the blades before continuing on her way. Yet again she came out empty handed. This was getting annoying.

Spoiler

ID# 86788

LD: 9 (+1 S&D)

Results: Shes getting a little angry, still on the hunt

Edited July 17, 2017 by Fiora

[Fiora 0]

When she made it back to the gates, Fiora began to walk the length of the wall. Birds perched on top of it, squawking back and forth to each other. Fiora couldn’t help but think they were laughing at her misfortune. First she had been stung by those evil stinging nettles and then the caterpillar, not to mention her worsening luck of finding these ingredients. The only comfort she got was a gentle gust of wind. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked up. Strange shaped birds with long tail feathers flew overhead. For a moment she wondered how much easier it would be to look for something special to take back if she had a bird's eye view.

Fiora went back to watching the path in front of her, glancing back and forth between the shrubs against the wall and the plants growing on her other side. It had taken about five solid minutes of just walking and looking before she found a tall leafy plant growing out of a small stump. The stem was thick and was nearly as tall as her shoulder. Fiora kneaded the leaves between her fingers, shocked to find how fuzzy they felt under her fingers. The leaves were also fat, as if they had been absorbing the life right out of the stump. Deciding this would work as an ingredient, Fiora went on her way to find her last item.

Spoiler

ID# 86791

LD: 10 (+1 S&D)

Results: Finally! #4!

[Fiora 0]

On the way back to the gates, Fiora took an interest in the tall wall. Her eyes traced the stonework along with the creeping vines reaching over the top. She had a bit more pep in her step now that she was down to just one more ingredient. One more! She was almost done with this part of her quest and things were definitely looking up. With that new confidence in her system, she held her head high and broke out into a skip. A happy smile found its way on her lips, her brunette hair tickling her cheeks. Those darned birds weren’t laughing at her now.

The closer she got to the gate the slower her skipping became. The vines on the wall from before began to change into a darker green, the leaves changing from a two pointed end to an oval shape. Just beside the gates, Fiora noticed thin yellow things hanging from the vines. At closer inspection they looked like some type of nut. She cupped a few of them in her hand to look at them up close. She nearly jumped back at the pungent smell that came from them. With her nose pinched between her fingers and a grin on her face, she whooped in joy as she found her last ingredient.

Spoiler

ID# 86793

LD: 14 (+1 S&D)

Results: Oh snap she's found em all

[Fiora 0]

Fiora stood at the edge of the gates, enjoying the last few moments in the plains. She drank in the way the sun lit up the green blades like an ocean. Even if she had only spent a couple hours out here gathering things, she still got a taste of freedom beyond the safety of the town. She was jostled out of her thoughts when someone ran into her, nearly knocking her over. A party of three were headed out into the plains on some quet. The man who knocked into her shouted an apology over his shoulder before racing after his companions. Fiora smiled softly at them, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She turned on her heel and headed back into town. It seemed much livelier on the way back. Fiora assumed it was because it was nearing noon, which was usually the most busiest time of day around here. At least the trek back wouldn’t be as lonely.

[Fiora 0]

11:55 am, Zackariah’s shop

The door creaked as it was pushed open, the mint smell from earlier still as strong as ever. Zackariah stood at the mortar wheel again, grinding leaves just like the first time. Fiora felt a little bad for thinking her quest was tedious when an NPC was programmed to do a few tasks continuously until a player interrupted them. She let the door close behind her, the sound loud enough to catch the alchemist’s attention. Zackariah turned to inspect the sound as Fiora walked closer to the worktable in the middle of the room. She gave the old man a proud grin and a thumbs up, getting a chuckle out of the alchemist.

“I take it you found all the ingredients?” he asked, setting a few pieces of equipment to the side of the table she assumed she’d be working on.

“Sure did!” she nodded happily, “Took a little longer than I expected though,” she added, rubbing her arm a bit sheepishly. Zackariah gave a dismissive laugh, waving his hand as if to say not to worry.

“Everyone says that, dear. No need to dwell on it,” he cracked his knuckles and gestured toward her. “Well? Let’s see the loot you’ve brought.”

“Oh!” Fiora blanched, opening her menu and transferring the items to Zackariah’s care. The man hummed to himself as he looked over the items she brought back. Fiora crossed her fingers that what she had brought back would work for what he needed.

“This’ll definitely work,” he answered her unspoken question. Her body visibly sagged in relief that she wouldn’t have to spend an extra hour back in the plains looking under rocks and fighting off caterpillars. “You ready to get your hands dirty with some potion making?” Zackariah asked, amused at her sudden ‘fatigue’.

“Yep!” Fiora grinned, a determined glint in her eye. “Bring it on,” she replied eagerly, excitedly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

[Fiora 0]

Zakariah ushered Fiora around the table as he explained a few things she’d have to do to make the potion. She could feel sweat forming on the palms of her hands as she tried her best to keep up with what he was saying. Now that she was face to face with the equipment, her confidence in performing well sank. He went over a few of the tools, pointing out a furnace and an open flame that could be used for making this potion. The mint smell was starting to become a calming scent now that she felt a little overwhelmed from all of the info.

“You’re gonna do great, kid. Don’t be so tense,” he patted her on the back. She appreciated his kind words, though it didn’t stop her hands from shaking. After asking Zackariah to go over the instructions once more, Fiora took a deep breath and decided she was ready to give it a go. The old man set the items up on the table. With one final encouraging squeeze of the shoulder, Fiora pushed up her sleeves and got to work.

[Fiora 0]

Fiora filled a beaker with water, nearly causing it to overflow as she tried to remember Zackariah’s instructions. She placed the beaker over the open flame, careful not to spill any of the water. Taking one of the fuzzy leaves, she tore it in half. Holding half of the leaf over the still water in the beaker, she began to press firmly against the plant. Watching with fascination, what looked like half melted vanilla ice cream was squeezed out of the leaf. Too distracted to notice, Fiora failed to see bubbles not from the heat fizz in the beaker. Zackariah took a step back, hiding an amused smirk behind his hand. The white substance began to react to the water violently, bubbles beginning to overrun the top of the glass. Fiora gasped, snapping her gaze toward the alchemist who had taken cover by a medicine rack in the back.

“If I were you I’d duck,” he called. Fiora turned back to the bubbling mess on the table, watching in horror as the pressure inside the beaker began to build. A shrill whistle came from the concoction and she had just enough time to drop into a squatting position and cover her head. The glass exploded, shards of the beaker ricocheting off of the walls and onto the floor. A sopping mess of bubbles trailed off the table in a heap, landing in a pile by her feet. Fiora stuck her head up just enough for her eyes to peer over the table. A small piece of the beaker was intact, the strange mixture had been sent in nearly every direction. The small shop began to reek of rotten produce. Just before she could start to profusely apologize for the mess she had made, a clump of the liquid dripped from the ceiling, landing directly on top of her head.

“I don’t think that was right…”

Spoiler

ID# 86864

CD: 1

Results: Oops?

[Fiora 0]

After cleaning and opening the windows to get rid of the smell, Fiora was still a bit shaken. Zackariah had dismissed all of her apologizes through fits of laughter. This time he had made sure she was stress free, running over the instructions a third, and even forth, time. In the last attempt, Fiora had forgotten the tissue of the plant’s innards didn’t react to being submerged into water very well. But now that she had made the worst possible mistake, she didn’t feel too nervous anymore. Zackariah stood a little closer this time, making sure he could give her some advice if needed and not have a repeat of what had just happened. As much as they both enjoyed cleaning, it was agreed that another hour of scrubbing plant juice off every surface in the shop would be overkill.

Fiora stretched her neck, giving the old man a confident nod. After learning from her mistakes she knew she had this attempt in the bag. She filled a new beaker with water, this time carefully measuring out how much she needed. The glass was set over the flame and set aside for the time being. She reached for the pestle and mortar, taking note of the lack of fancy wheel mortars on the table. Fiora dropped one of the thin nuts into the clay cup and began to grind it into dust. After a while the powder began to glimmer in the rays of sun. Remembering what Zackariah said about this powder, that it was called stardust and she would know why at the right time, she dumped the shimmering dust into the boiling water. It began to dissolve almost instantly, causing the water to turn into a milky yellow color.

Now that the water had been tempered with, the soft white tissue of the leaf would go in next. Milking the strange substance out, it curdled as it touched the surface of the liquid. It would float at the top until it reached a high enough temperature to melt into the potion. Next was the moss and the berries. Fiora put a couple of the ripe red berries into the clay cup and began mashing them together. A strong aroma similar to strawberries wafted from the cup. Taking the moss in one hand, she scraped the honey like sap that clung to the back of it into the crushed berries and began to stir it together. The mixture began to take shape as a thick syrup, the color changing to a dull pink. Layering the syrup over the slowly melting plant tissue, Fiora began to peel thin strips from the orange root, dropping them slowly into the concoction boiling on the table. After a few minutes of sitting and waiting, the potion glowed a vibrant golden honey color.

“You made a rare potion, kid! Congrats!” Zackariah cheered, slapping her on the back as a job well done.

Spoiler

ID# 86866

CD: 7

Results: She's golden Pony Boy

[Fiora 0]

“You did a good job,” Zackariah praised as he dug through a drawer in one of the shelving units. Fiora wiped down the table once more to make sure the sticky plant mess was gone for good. She tossed the rag onto her shoulder and carefully picked up the honey colored bottle, holding it up to the light to watch the neat shifts inside.

“I’m just glad it didn’t explode again,” she said with an amused lilt. The old man snickered to himself, finding what he had been looking for, and walked over to where she was leaning against the table.

“That would have been unfortunate,” he agreed with a smile, picking the rag up from her shoulder and setting it down in a crate full of other materials. “I need you to do me a favor, if you wouldn’t mind. Just a little errand,” Zackariah waved an envelope that looked as if it was made out of straw. A seam ran around the middle, a thin piece of leather keeping the two sides from falling apart. “Could you run this down the street to a dear friend of mine? His name is Lyle Tealeaf, he owns the smithery at the corner down that way,” Zackariah pointed toward the direction Fiora had come a few hours ago to take the quest.

“Sure thing, will that be all?” she clasped her hands behind her back patiently. The old man gave her a little smile and a nod.

“Take care of yourself,” he handed her the package, the straw material felt stiff in her hands. She grinned up at the alchemist, kind of hating that she had to leave the gentle NPC. He reminded her of her grandfather, always encouraging but also making fun.

“I will,” she nodded, bidding Zackariah farewell and heading outside.

[Fiora 0]

Fiora headed down the street, sticking close to the buildings. This street was oddly crowded but she assumed it must have been a shift change, some people coming in to take over what those people who were leaving had been doing. She pressed the package to her chest as a group of apprentice blacksmiths trotted by, talking about grabbing lunch and heading out to the plains to fight some boar. She wondered what it was like to have friends in this game to casually talk about fighting mobs after work hours. Fiora glanced up as she reached the corner of the street, the smithery standing two stories tall and on the other side of the street. Quickly, she made her way over to the other side, eyes taking in the thick soot layering the windows and bricks. The shutters could barely be identified with what color they had once been. The door was heavy as she heaved it open, stepping into the smoky building. Pieces of armor and weapons sat, freshly polished on some shelves near the door. A long stretch of counter nearly ran the whole length of the room. A bell chimed above as the door closed, alerting the man hammering at an anvil behind the counter someone had entered his shop. The tall man laid his hammer down, wiping his brow and turned to see who it was. Patches of soot streaked his face, sweat dripping from his chin as he gave Fiora a friendly smile.

“How can I help ya, lass?” he asked in an accent she had never heard before. The closer Fiora got to the counter, the hotter the room became. A furnace was on full blast in the back, she could just make out an apprentice shoveling coals into it to keep it as hot as possible. A glowing piece of metal lay on the anvil in a crooked shape, the floor covered in soot.

“Are you Lyle Tealeaf?” she asked, playing with the leather strip on the package. This man, no  matter how friendly his smile was, was more than a little intimidating.

“That be me, did ja need somethin’?” he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe at the grime on his hands.

“Zackariah wanted me to bring this to you,” Fiora held out the small package, watching as this man’s huge hands nearly crushed the straw envelope.

“Ah! This must be them herbs he wanted me to use,” he gave the package a nice shake, something on the inside made a rattling noise. Lyle pulled the leather string off the package, pulling the two pieces apart and shaking the contents out on the table. Dried up chamomile flowers made a mess across the surface. “He said somethin’ about these flowers would help my sore shoulder if I put em in tea,” the blacksmith nodded, scooping the flowers back into the envelop in one swift motion. “Thanks, lass,” he put the flowers somewhere underneath the counter and straightened his back.

“It was no problem,” Fiora smiled politely.

“Say…” the man began, scratching at his chin in thought. “Since you were so kind to help ol’ man Zack, why don’t you come by later and give me a hand with somethin’. Whatdya say?” he offered, leaning one hand against the counter. Fiora was a bit surprised at the sudden invitation, but if it was an invite for another quest she couldn’t deny it.

“I’ll try my best,” she agreed. After a few parting words Fiora exited the shop, breathing out a long sigh as she left the working district and headed back toward the iron palace.