My thoughts grew muddled for a moment as I tried to decipher what she was implying. As I am incredibly dense when it comes to being flirted with, I shuffle all female interaction under the designation of uncertainty. For me, understanding woman was a gamble at the best of times. Their minds were frequently a maze of chaos that even they at times didn't know how to traverse. Something triggered in my mind as I ran the word cinnamon over my thoughts. One of the unique qualities of the first plant I reviewed over and that she tested me on was that the leaves tasted like cinnamon. She continued to gaze at me with that unsettling smile. Her lips smacked as she appeared to have just finished up eating the last of the white root. A mental whiplash hit me as I made a dubious connection. No! She couldn't have! My eyes widened in suspicion and then dreadful realization as she nodded her head. "It is as you think." She paused to gently wipe her mouth with a napkin. "We were both poisoned with the Cinnamomum Proditor. I however, just finished up the last of the antidote." "What the Dusts!?" I yelled out in disbelief with more than a hint of anger. My mind struggled with the implications and reasons behind this. Raising her hand Victoria interjected with my thought process before speaking with a far more serious tone. Her voice turned darker and more solemn with the following words. "I do hereby invoke the contract by which we initiated. The true test as follows is to be held in the strictest of secrecy, and the success or failure of said test, will determine your placement or lack thereof as my official apprentice." She paused as her gaze bore deeply into me. "Your test, is to go out into the surrounding wild, to seek out and procure the antidote to the leaves of the Cinnamomum Proditor, which you just consumed. In case you think that this is a joke or that I am not serious, I made sure that we both consumed a deadly dose prior to informing you. As time progresses today, you will start to experience the stated side effects for consuming those leaves. My estimate is that the first side effect will occur about a quarter to sundown, which is around 2-3 hours from now." My mind blanked then seemed to restart as a myriad of ideas swam around in it seeking out a solution. Even as I did that, she continued. "You are not allowed to seek out the antidote from other shops or people, nor are you allowed to utilize the Seer Stone for healing." Despite my anger at her actions of poisoning me, my eyes glinted in curiosity at how she knew Travelers had access to such an option. She allayed my curiosity soon enough by clarifying. "Yes, in addition to telling of the arrival of Travelers, among other things, it is written that Travelers may seek solace and healing of many ailments once a day at the Seer Stone. Any use of outside aid will render your test as failed. As such, your only option is to seek out the Cinnamomum Proditor in its natural habitat." I sat back in my seat, giving the empty plate which originally held the poisoned dessert a dirty glare. I dare not do such with Victoria. In all honesty, as a Traveler, this test was completely fair since we couldn't truly die. I assumed that Victoria had saved her other prospective apprentices that failed the test previously, before they died. But I wasn't so sure she would do the same for me. Being split between feeling upset at her for her deadly meal, and admiring her for her very creative and effective test to weed out the weak, I chose to rise to the challenge and strive for victory in her evaluation. As I contemplated and planned out my next actions, I had to admit that such a test was brilliant. It is said that some of the best lessons learned, are the most painful. I have to wonder how much more impactful such a lesson, with your own life on the line would be in cultivating character, perseverance, and talent. Looking forlornly at the now empty napkin which held the roots of the Cinnamomum Proditor, I then looked towards the apothecary book, considering a last-minute review over the details of its entry. Victoria slid the book away out of my reach and then spoke up. "Unfortunately, part of the test is relying on what you have already learned. I already tested you on the knowledge pertinent to finding it. It is now your responsibility to recall the correct details while maintaining a clear head as you go out into the wilds to search for it." 'What do I need to accomplish my goal?' I thought as I stared at the dark wood grains of the dining table. The pack that Monroe had given me almost came right away to my mind. With that thought, I stood up from the table. "I thank you for this opportunity to learn." I said with a somewhat respectful bow to Victoria. I was certain that she could feel the slight sarcasm in my voice and movements, as she responded with another wolfish grin. Without further delay, I rushed to my room to take stock of my equipment. Once against dumping everything out of the backpack, I observed what I had which I could immediately use. The harvesting knife was a definite and so was the water canteen. The rope was a maybe as I couldn't think of any immediate uses, however, it's better to have and not need than need and not have. So, with that, the rope was added. I wasn't expecting to have a sleepover in the woods, so my bedroll stayed here to save on space and weight. The canister of healing salve was saved to be placed at the top of my pack for easy access. I certainly wasn't going to take any more chances than absolutely necessary. I looked at the tasty jerky trying to justify packing it. Maybe I could eat it if I failed, in consolation as my innards bled out of my rectum. Treating death with such passiveness made me chuckle. It truly was nice to be able to experience certain things when they weren't permanent. But the memory would always be there. With that thought, I left the jerky on the bed, deciding not to bring it along for my excursion. The last thing to bring were the 3 cloth bags. They were lightweight and took up a negligible amount of space. As I set out for my journey, feeling the light weight of the pack and knowing the contents, I felt woefully unprepared. With my hand on my sheathed harvesting knife, secured at my waist I felt minutely better. Not even bothering to say goodbye to the suddenly absent Victoria, I left the shop and stood on the bustling streets. As I wasn't the slightest bit familiar with any area other than the path back to the falls, I opted to start my search along the pathway between the city walls and the crashing waters of the falls. Thankfully, at the current moment, I wasn't feeling any adverse symptoms from eating the poisoned dessert. I still had a hope that this was all just a mock test that would end up being Victoria lying about the whole poisoning. However, recalling seeing her eat the root afterwards and enact the terms of the contract, I was fairly certain that this wasn't a joke on her end. My mind continued to wander as I backtracked the steps that Monroe and I took from the Falls to the marketplace. I really had to wonder how far her prior would-be apprentices got before they failed. Did any of them even set out to find the plant, or did they give up at the start seeking to be cured of their deadly ambition. Admittedly, it was unfair regarding the advantage I had, since I couldn't die for real. However, I'm not one to seek an even playing field, not when the stakes and the subsequent knowledge were this high for my sake. Different prizes are precious to different individuals. Give a rich man on his death bed a choice between $100 million in US verses getting 1 additional year of good health, and his choice of life was almost a forgone conclusion of extended life. The same goes for an ordinary healthy young man or an indebted college student in the prime of their life, opting for the $100 million. Each has their sights unwaveringly set on a different prize. In the here and now, my prize was Victoria's preceptor-ship ****************************************The trip back to the Falls was relatively uneventful. As I traversed the cobblestone pathway within the city, the traffic of pedestrians and horse or people drawn carts dwindled as I got closer to the outer city wall. It appeared to be in the midst of a harvest season as many of those carts held a variety of foodstuffs. I would occasionally get a nod or a hello from the drivers of said carts as I probably appeared interested in their wares. Instead of accepting their possible invite to look further with the hope of buying, I simply nodded back and continued on my journey. The recalled scent of laundry had dissipated and been replaced by the dusty and earthy scent of recently harvest fields. Unfortunately, the odor of raw sewage once again began to lightly flavor the air. I had to wonder if there was a problem with the sewage system in the city on the outskirts, if there was a different less treated system here, or if it was something else entirely. I didn't recall anything unsavory smelling out of place at or near the marketplace, despite the much higher concentration of people. My mind lost itself in thought about the construction of ancient aqueducts, and how it might be implemented here to get rid of the smell of sewage. Spending about 20 minutes creating several mental scenarios of construction, utilizing the surrounding lands as reference points, I had reached my destination. Taking a closer look at the manned gate I saw a different pair of guards housing it this time. One was an upright reptilian looking woman who was filing at her nails, while the other guard looked like an armadillo crossed with a human. He, at least I think it was a he, had natural armor plating over his arms, back and neck. There was also a very generous amount of long hairs sprinkled all over. He was only clad in a pair of shorts with a sash while the lady had a top and bottom uniform and a sash. They both had 2 solid black stars and 2 solid gold stars on their sashes. Neither really paid me much mind as they gave me a brief once over before letting me pass. I almost felt offended at how little importance they gave to me as I assumed that they felt I was no threat. Maybe it was that, or maybe they weren't as concerned about me leaving the city instead of entering it. Yeah, I'll go with that. *Haha* I chuckled to myself. I knew I wasn't a force to be reckoned with as I currently was, but it would certainly be nice to be seen as dangerous and competent by others, even if only for the potential. Individuals with obvious dangerous potential, were rarely seen as prey by opportunistic bullies. But even more-so, being dangerous without integrity is scary and off putting. Among the many lessons I heard from my grandfather before he passed away, included one about women and who they are frequently drawn to. A natural average woman seeks a confident and competent protector. One who can safely protect her from the metaphorical wolves in the world if necessary. The problem and difficulty in that seeking, is that wolves can be confident and competent protectors as well. However, they are untamed and quick to turn on those that show weakness when life gets tough. Beautiful and majestic creatures that they are, when they find themselves unable to cope with the extra weight upon their dwindling resources, that is when their lacking integrity and empathy shows through in terrible ways. Even their own weaker pack members are not safe from eviction or reprisal, when food is scarce.