Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Almost Home

Chapter 17:

Almost home

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The moment I selected yes, the spiritual world around me began to fade away. Colors began to fill the white expanse surrounding me as my consciousness returned to my physical body. I blinked several times as my eyes adjusted, and before I realized it, I was back at camp.

Hershel was kneeling in front of me, holding my face between both hands. His mouth moved urgently, but I couldn’t make out a single word. Then, as if I had just surfaced from the bottom of a deep pond, my ears popped, and sound came rushing back all at once.

“Damnit Sam, I just told you that you were family, and now you’re trying to die on me.” Hershel not knowing what else to do picked up a cup of water and prepared to throw it into my face.

Just as feeling began to return to my body, I raised my hands to stop him, but it was too late.

“Hey, wait I..Aghhhh.” I coughed as the water ran up my nose and down the back of my throat.

Hershel sat back breathlessly and took a deep sigh of relief upon seeing me come back to my senses. “Well that makes us even now lad, you saved me, and I just saved you.”

“I was totally fine,” I protested between fits of coughing up water. “You just wanted an excuse to throw water on me!”

I could hear Neil laughing behind Hershel as he sat up from where he had been sleeping earlier. “Grandpa might have overreacted a bit when your eyes started to glow.”

Neil tried to stand from where he’d been resting, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t seem to keep his balance as his legs continued to wobble beneath him.

“Neil, let me take a look at your head again,” I said as I stood and walked over to him.

Neil nodded his consent and eased himself back onto the ground. I brushed his hair aside and examined the spot where he’d been struck the night before. The wound had closed cleanly… no swelling, no scar, not even a trace of irritation. Yet, something internally had failed to heal properly.

Well, what now? I was out of potential and there was nothing that I could…. wait, seriously?

When I focused my attention on the reservoir of potential within me, I found that it was once again filled to the brim. It had been empty this morning, hadn’t it? I did my best to recall my time on The Path, and realized I had overlooked a small detail that had appeared when I read my notifications.

You have leveled up.

Reservoir has been restored.

Oh, well that was interesting. I guess whenever I level up and visit the Spiritual Realm, my reservoir refills. I’d have to keep that in mind for future visits.

I turned my attention back to Neil who was staring up at me expectantly.

“Sorry, just hold still, this might take a little while,” I said, as I placed my hands on Neil’s head. “Let me know if this hurts.”

Neil nodded agreeably and closed his eyes.

Last night, I’d poured out as much potential as I could, hoping to make up for my lack of skill with sheer volume. In hindsight, that had been foolish. I’d probably used far more energy than necessary on Hershel’s wound, which left me running short when it came time to treat Neil. I couldn’t really blame myself, given the circumstances, but it was definitely something I needed to improve on in the future.

This time, instead of pouring the potential out like Hershel splashing water in my face, I applied it gently, forming a smooth concentrated layer over the top of Neil’s head. I was pleased to find that the skill, though still difficult to control, was easier to manipulate than before.

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As the amplified potential seeped into his skin, Neil’s body arched, and every muscle in his body seemed to tense at once. Then, just as quickly, his body relaxed as he sank back into his bedding.

“Well that was… unpleasant,” he admitted, then let out a breathy laugh. “But now it feels like someone poured warm honey onto my brain.”

“Try standing up,” I said, reaching out a hand. “See how you feel.”

At my urging, Neil grasped my hand and rose unsteadily to his feet. He took one careful step, then another, confidence building with each movement. When he finally jumped and landed without faltering, he laughed, a sound of pure relief poured out of him as he threw his arms around me in a tight embrace.

Relief coursed through me as I took in the joy of the moment. Despite how terribly things had gone the night before, I found myself filled with thankfulness. We had all managed to come out of that terrible night with nothing more than a bad memory.

“Well, if that hadn’t worked, I could’ve always gotten another glass of water,” Hershel said as he patted me on the back. “Thank you, lad. You just saved me from the wrath of me wife… and also helped my grandson, I guess that’s important too.”

I laughed, and Neil gave his grandfather a nonplussed look.

Hershel eyed me for a moment, as if weighing whether or not to ask a question. “It’s obviously none of my business, but…”

“It’s fine. Just ask,” I interrupted. “Don’t say I’m family then tiptoe around me.”

Hershel smiled.

“Well then, since you’re offering, lad. I was just curious about earlier. You damn near scared me to death, one second you’re drinking tea, and the next, it looks like a swarm of fireflies flew up your arse.”

Neil burst out laughing as I stood there, dumbfounded by the image Hershel had just forced into my mind.

My cheeks blushed with embarrassment as I rushed to explain myself. “I was on The Path, I leveled up from all the things that happened last night.”

“The Path, are you serious?” Hershel’s voice rose as he asked the question, as if I’d said something completely ridiculous.

“I’m telling you the truth. After I drank the tea, I opened my eyes, and I everything was like it was on my Choosing night.”

“Complicated farmer, my arse, you didn’t even have to pay one of them priests?” Hershel said incredulously. “Just what kind of path did you pick, lad?”

“A complicated one,” I said promptly, as I handed him a bowl of oatmeal. “Now let’s eat, and get back on our way.”

Around noon, the rain finally relented, leaving the road towards Salt Brine muddy but not entirely impassable. After a quick discussion, we decided it would be best to press on as far as we could before setting up camp again for the night. To my delight, the sun broke out almost as soon as the rain departed, causing a faint steam to rise from the wet earth.

As I walked alongside Blue, I patted his head affectionately. I felt so much love for the animal and I was thankful for his bravery the night before. In response to my love, the bastard nipped at my fingers disapprovingly.

“Blue, I’ve already told you, we are out of carrots. You ate them all!”

Blue stomped his front hoof and nipped at me again from behind as we walked. I glared back at him but couldn’t bring myself to scold him.

“Hershel, do you mind telling me some things about the South Shores Region? I’ve lived in The Belt my whole life. I honestly don’t know what to expect from life on the coast.”

“Oh sure, lad, that’s easy enough,” Hershel said, as he filled his lip with salted reeds. “Our family has been in the South Shores region for as long as anyone can remember. These reeds here were grown right along the coast, gives them a bit of a unique flavor. Tastes a lot like seaweed.”

What could seaweed could possibly taste like? We removed weeds from the garden back home, and in all my time there I’d never considered eating one.

Noticing my curiosity, Hershel offered me some of the reeds to try. I had never had a desire to try reeds of any form but after surviving a fight to the death the night before, I figured, what the hell. I’ll try anything once.

The flavor of the reeds was unlike anything I’d ever tasted. A sharp saltiness filled my mouth, followed by a distinct, savory undertone I couldn’t quite compare to anything I’d had before. To my surprise, I found I actually liked it.

Hershel smiled approvingly at me as I relaxed into the wagon. “Not bad, eh? Neil, if you try some you best not be telling your gran, ya hear?”

Neil smiled mischievously as he took his own pinch of the reeds.

“The weather stays pretty cool year round,” Hershel continued, as the wagon pulled onward. “The sea is damn cold this side of Reyleigh, so you can expect mild summers and a fairly bitter winter.”

“What else, oh, just be careful wandering off too far from the town by yourself. It’s a bit more dangerous out here than where you grew up. Magic is a lot denser, which means a lot more beasts tend to congregate.”

“Don’t tell him that Grandpa,” Neil said with light reproach. “His uncles land, well Sam’s land now, is as far from town as you can get.”

“Aye that’s true, but you won’t be completely alone out that far. There’s a small community that has lived on the opposite side of the lake for as long as anyone can remember. Sir Garner didn’t think it was right to chase them off when he was granted the land, so he struck a bargain with them. You’ll want to check in with them when you get there.”

“Are there any guilds? Like for adventurers and things like that?” I asked, having only heard about those from traders but never seen them in person.”

“Oh yeah,” Neil perked up, clearly excited by the subject. “Adventurers come from all over so they can go through the old mine in the mountains. The magic there apparently keeps it full of monsters and resources, so people use it to train during their early levels.”

“Aye, that’s true too,” Hershel said. “They bring a fair bit of coin into the city during the spring and summer months. Most of the guild folk head out to warmer climates when the cold sets in, so you can expect monster sightings to be more frequent come fall and winter.”

I couldn’t help but smile as Hershel and Neil continued to share tales about the port town that would soon be my new home.

The next three days carried on at a fairly leisurely pace. The muddy roads slowed travel, but it wasn’t outside the realm of expectations. Hershel assured me we were still making good time, and that we’d likely arrive in Salt Brine around late afternoon if we pushed Clyde a little harderthrough the last leg of the trip.

A feeling of hopeful anticipation swelled in my chest as I stretched out on the wagon to soak in the warmth of the afternoon sun.