"Oh Child it's been a while since you have come to visit, Did that fool hurt himself again?" she let out with a wiry smile.
Carol introduces Anvil to Auntie May and says "No no the old man is ok, It's this guy here who needs some help" Carol points at Anvil.
"Oh I see, come here boy let me take a look at you."
Anvil slowly walks over to the woman by the counter and slowly shows his injured arm forward.
The woman slowly grabs his arm and unwraps it to see that it was badly burnt with boils all over it. She lifts up her hand and proceeds to whisper out some strange words and her eyes start to glow. She scans Anvils up from shoulder to fingertips with her glowing eyes.
"Oh my how cruel" May lets out with a small gasp when she finished.
Anvil looked amazed as he had never seen someone use this form of magic before no one in his village used magic proficiently so he was mostly aware of just super basic spells and mana usage.
"Who did this to you? These burns are very severe, you must be in a lot of pain."
Anvil tried to remember what had happened a few days ago but all he could remember was passing out next to a tree on his escape to Black Rock.
Anvil looks at her with a pained expression and says "Well all I remember is being chased by Empire soldiers who attacked my village. I really don't remember much of how I got these injuries but you are right they are indeed very painful. Without the medication Carol gave me for the pain i dont think I'd be out of my room."
"The Empire is always nipping at our borders, how shameful of them." May said with a disgusted look. " The innocent always get injured."
Anvil tried his best not to look at her directly in the eyes. Holding back some tears remembering his father and uncle.
Anvil's mind was still hazy on the details of his ordeal but knowing that his uncle might be dead and his father had already passed his heart started to get heavy and slowly build up with emotions.
Carol looked at Anvil with a curious expression.
May noticed his face and decided not to dig any further and said " Looks like this isnt going to go away in the short term. Your injuries are very bad and if not healed properly it won't be able to function like normal. In the whole of Black Rock healers who can do something about these injuries are only seen in the upper district and they all require beast core or mana crystals to attend to anyone."
"Why so expensive?" Anvil remarked with shock.
Carol steps in "Well Nobles are all just greedy scum."
"Well Greedy or not it takes years of training, natural affinity, and precise mana control to be able to use adequate healing magic. It's a rarity to see healers so far away from the capital." May retorted.
Anvil's face turned grim as he thought to himself 'Dammit, I have never seen a real mana stone in my whole life how can I even obtain it? As for beast cores they are so rare amongst lower ranked beasts and so small when found they aren't even worth it. Shit what do I do?'
Carol and May both saw the anxious look on Anvil's Face.
"Child it's ok, I can help but it won't be cheap and it won't be quick, but I can make a few formulas to alleviate your pain and make the healing process succeed" Auntie smiled at Anvil.
"The real issue is that the ingredients aren't all too common for the healing process, But I know some traders, the only issue is that it goes for around 2-3 gold pieces."
Anvil looked at Carol with a grim face once again
He said with a pained heart "Give it to her." he told Carol.
Carol was still holding Anvil's money pouch for him.
Carol proceeds to hand the 3 gold coins from his pouch to May
"Hold on, let me get you the medicine for the pain as for the healing ointment and pills you guys have to come back a little later. I need to pick up the materials from someone I know."
Auntie May slowly put down Anvil's unbandaged arm on the counter and walked behind the curtain for a few minutes before with a glass bottle containing several pills in it and a few rolls of bandages.
She fumbles around the back of the counter and grabs a small jar cream in it.
"Take one of these pills twice a day for the pain, but if it hurts too much you can take two, however never take over 5 within the same day. I will rebandage your arm with some herbal cream to alleviate some more pain but it will do nothing for the healing process. Come back in a few hours and the other items should be ready. You guys go on now I'm going to need to close up to meet with my person."
"Ok, Auntie we will see you later." Carol said
After Anvil's arm gets bandaged up he and Carol leave the shop though he feels somewhat hesitant he follows Carol out since he practically gave away all his money to a woman he barely even knows.
As they say farewell to Auntie May and walk away some distance Anvil whispers to Carol. "Are you sure about this? that's nearly all my money?" He said with a worried face.
With out a doubt on her face she turns and says with a soured expression "Who do you think I am? Why would I bring you here if I didn't have full trust of auntie?"
Anvil slowly backed off. "Ok ok, calm down. It's not like I have much of a choice anyway."
For the next few hours Anvil followed Carol as she went around running her errands, the whole time he was thinking 'I should start making a plan with my current funds. Otherwise there is no way I can make it to the capital. I'm going to need to do something. For now I'll just heal up and when my arm is better. I'll try to make some jewelry. At least I should be able to do that no problem.'
The city was filled with all kinds of things and as they walked around Anvil couldn't help but be curious about the other side of the wall inside the city.
In the lower city there were all kinds of merchants. He saw different weapons for sale and beast core peddlers trying to persuade people to choose them.
They stopped at one of such stalls and the man was trying to sell a book that looked old and wrinkled saying it was an ancient book on magic but everyone around looked at him with skepticism. Anvil asked to take a look at the book the man allowed. Anvil inspected the book, It was written in a language he had never seen before he handed the book to Carol. She couldn't make sense of it either.
They returned the book to the man with an uninterested expression. The man said " 15 Silver and it's yours today only it's an ancient bargain." Both Anvil and Carol looked skeptical of what the man said. 15 silver was considered good money that could buy a family food for 2-3 months.
The man tried to sweeten the bargain and showed them a ornate brush made from a beasts bont that had been carved very decoratively. "I'll throw this in for the lady." the man said.
Anvil inspected the book one more time as he opened it to the cent page there was a thin metal spine holding the pages of the book together. He noticed some similar patterns on this spine he couldn't place where he had seen this before. Suddenly it came to him like a lightning bolt he remembered the patterns on the pillars in the room in the amulet.
He changed his mind and decided to take the deal.
Carol looked confused as she thought he decided to buy the book only for the brush. The brush looked very delicate and it looked to be for women. She was thinking if he had bought this expensive brush just for her and began to blush.
Anvil started to walk away forgetting about the brush all together and intently looking through the book this time with restored interest.
Carol paid the man, grabbed the brush and walked after Anvil saying "here is your brush" he ignored her and just said "It's fine you keep it". Carol scratched her head at the sight of Anvil somewhat ignoring her 'is he trying to act cool she thought'. After a few steps minutes gave up on looking through the book.
Anvil asked Carol to Bring to stalls that have ores and precious stones for sale so he could get a gauge on material costs. After a while of scouting they take a break and grab a snack. Anvils asked about the smithing guild she said it was in the nobles area and there was a cost of 20 Silver to enter the nobles area.
After a few hours around the lower city and Carol showing him around they headed back to the shop to pick up the medicine. But what they found was auntie May surrounded by a few rough looking men.