The scent of damp earth and distant pine filled the air as Alexander approached the gate of T'sgitshi. Though all he could physically see was black and grey, every living thing around seemed to outline with different colored lights.
He navigated the town's outskirts with ease, sensing the auras of small animals scurrying through the underbrush and the gentle hum of plant life.
As he stepped into the town, Alexander paused, feeling the subtle shifts in the auras around him. He turned to see an outline of light blue of someone in armor. The person's aura was flickering like fire.
Then, after a moment, Alexander Noticed another aura approaching from far away. They are just getting closer and closer to T'sgitshi. As it got close enough, it seemed more detailed, and the aura seemed... Different.
The aura glowed faintly and also roared furiously as if two auras were fighting for power. The faint is red, which is odd since red usually has a more aggressive aura. Mixed in, almost overpowering the red is a golden aura.
"Gold...", Alexander thought, "I've never seen such an aura... Even on Lord Kalverk."
As the strange aura walked forward, the light blue aura seemed to grow excited.
"Winston!" the figure called out; their voice sounded low but also high. Like a young man's voice.
Winston's aura, the source of the strange, flickered in response. "Yep! It's me! I survived," he replied jokingly.
Alexander stepped forward carefully, "Winston..." he thought.
Then Alexander notices something he didn't from before as Winston picks up a fox that was following beside him. The aura of the two-tailed fox is a softer blue than the fiery one.
Winston smiled as he petted the fox on the head, "This is a friend I met on the way! His name's Buddy!"
The light blue aura seemed to pulsate with excitement as Winston introduced his companion. "Buddy, huh?" as they speak, they seem to be staring at its tails.
Winston smiled and nodded before gesturing towards the light blue aura, "Buddy, this is S'uu. She saved me from being mauled by a bear..."
Buddy pipped concerned as S'uu chuckled.
"So, S'uu," Winston said, turning his attention to the figure with the light blue aura, "Any news or updates on Z'zataria?"
S'uu's expression grew thoughtful. "well... Nothing new, however, since you're back... I hope you brought the item we need to save her..."
Alexander's curiosity was piqued as he observed the interaction between Winston and S'uu. Both their auras are saddened at the mention of this person named Z'zataria.
Winston's expression grew serious as he responded. "I have the ingredients Elara asked for. It wasn't easy to gather them, but I did it..."
S'uu's aura shimmered with relief, though a hint of worry remained. "That's good to hear. We'll need to act quickly. Chief Kaigara is getting more anxious."
Buddy, sensing the gravity of the situation, nuzzled closer to Winston. S'uu's light blue aura flickered with a gentle warmth as they observed the fox's comforting gesture. Winston's aura seemed to softly pulse in reaction as well.
"Let's head to the healer's hut," S'uu suggested, their voice steady.
As the group began to move toward the healer's hut, Alexander tailed them from behind. "They're connected to the chief... Maybe that's the lead I need...", he thought.
Alexander followed Winston and S'uu through T'sgitshi, his senses keenly attuned to the auras around him. As they approached the healer's hut, the ambient glow of the area became more vibrant, blending the earthy tones with soft hues of blues and greens. This building seems to be covered in plant life.
The healer's hut, with its warm and inviting glow, melded with the feeling of the noon.
Alexander noted the contrasting auras of the building: the welcoming green and the comforting lavender of the crystals that glowed faintly through the windows.
As they entered, the soothing scent of herbs and flowers filled the air. The room was relatively empty until an older woman emerged from the back.
Her aura, is calm and soft off-white, like a pearl. However, her mood seems to affect her aura, making it more anxious.
She has a few gems, herbs, and flowers in her hand before placing them down on her desk.
"That must be Elara.", Alexander thought as he came in and sat down at one of the wooden waiting chairs. He adjusted his cape's hood to make sure his features were hidden.
"Oh!" Elara said, surprised, as she looked up. Her gaze shifted to Winston. "You've returned just in time."
Winston carefully placed Buddy on the ground. Then he placed his backpack onto one of the chairs and rummaged through it, pulling out a bag. The bag weirdly had an aura, which means it's a magic item.
Usually, when a magic item is activated, it shares the aura with its mana supplier. Which is exactly why Alexander is confused. Consider it doesn't have the same faint red aura but a calmer version of the golden aura that Winston has.
"Here," Winston pulls out a clear bag with two flowers and a scale. "I got them... Though I did get both of these flowers since I didn't know which was the Moon bloom."
Elara nodded. "It's alright, the Moonbloom is the silver one. However, the black flower is a Starbloom, which I could use for some nice Starbloom and ginger tea."
She tried to giggle but ended up coughing as she saw the others' faces, "Um... The Chimera Serpent's scales are incredibly hard to obtain. So, Thank you for obtaining at least one."
S'uu, standing close by, asked, "Can we hurry?"
Alexander considered the gravity of the situation, noticing the tension in Winston's aura, blended with fatigue.
"Amazing...", He whispered, "How can someone so weak nab a scale off such a dangerous beast... Hm..."
"Yes," Elara replied, "You're right, S'uu; we should head in the back to Z'zatira."
As they moved towards the back of the healer's hut, Alexander remained at a distance. "If I follow, I'll be spotted..." He sighs, "I should wait for now."
.
.
.
Following S'uu and Elara into the back room of the healer's hut, I couldn't help but feel anxious. We didn't head right into where Z'zatira was; Elara led us into another room on the opposite side.
The room looks like a Halloween store had exploded in here, with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and a large cauldron in the center of the room. Another cauldron sat in a fireplace in one corner, its embers glowing faintly.
The walls are lined with shelves overflowing with herbs, spices, and other strange ingredients. The room has an eerie, mystical feel.
Buddy went into a corner and curled up, making himself cozy.
"Place the ingredients on the table over there," Elara instructed, her voice calm yet urgent.
I nodded, moving to a wooden table cluttered with various stuff I didn't understand much about. Carefully, I laid out the silver Moonbloom, the Starbloom, and the Chimera Serpent's scale.
S'uu moved to Elara's side, "What do we do next?" they asked, their voice steady but laced with worry.
It seems all of us our nervous and worried.
Elara took a deep breath, "let's start. S'uu, start the fire under the cauldron in the fireplace. Winston, grab four buckets of water."
Elara pointed over to a bucket, "There should be a faucet just outside here to the left!"
Nodding, I hurried outside the cool air a sharp contrast to the musty room. I found the faucet and quickly filled the bucket.
Returning with the now-filled bucket, she told me to pour the water into the cauldrons, and a soft hiss emerged as the water met the heated metal.
I repeated this as two buckets of water went into each cauldron.
S'uu had already started the fire, and soon the water began to bubble gently.
"Now," Elara said, focused, "we add the ingredients. Winston, hand me the Moonbloom first."
I did as she asked, watching as she carefully plucked the petals of the silver flower into the cauldron. The water immediately began to shimmer with a soft silver glow.
Elara snatched a crooked leather container from a shelf and popped the cap. Then she slightly poured the contents into the cauldrons as the water boiled. The liquid from the container is a bit familiar, green, and viscous.
With that Elara stirred it in with a wooden spoon. As she stirred, the texture of the potion became more and more viscous.
"Next, the Chimera Serpent's scale," Elara said, her voice stern.
With no hesitation, I passed her the scale. As she dropped it into the cauldron and stirred, the potion started to look metallic. The shimmering silver makes it look like liquid metal.
After taking a deep breath, Elara headed the wooden spoon to S'uu. "Continue stirring."
As S'uu does so, Elara walks over to a shelf and takes an amber-looking gem and a glass jar filled with tiny orbs.
She looks over to me, "Winston, grab that box on that shelf!", Elara pointed to a green box with a picture of a flower on it.
After gathering these items, she plops the gem into the water of the middle cauldron. Then Elara takes two of the orbs from the glass jar and plops them in. The orbs kinda look like fish eggs.
Almost immediately the water turns into a shimmering transparent copper color.
Elara then asks me to pour whatever is in the box into the water. I do so and a yellow powdery substance falls into it.
With so the liquid in the cauldron turns into a darker cooper.
"Huh...", Elara sighs, "I think I'm forgetting something..."
She turns and goes over to the table, picks up a book, and starts quickly scanning through it before landing on a page. I try to peak at it, but I still can't read the language.
"Oh..." Elara whispers, "It says it has to have the blood of a different species than the caster. And... It has to be red blood, that means no beast blood."
Elara looks at me. "Eh-! Well, How much blood?", I ask.
For some reason, I don't think Elara just realized this.
"Just a couple of drops.", Elara states calmly.
I take a deep breath before grabbing my dagger. I hesitantly wait a moment, "... Do you think you could do it? It doesn't feel right for me to do it to myself."
Elara sweetly smiles as she walks over and gently grabs the dagger. She cuts a finger just enough for a few drops to fall into the cauldron.
I take my dagger and place it back in my backpack as I watch the blood instantly turn the liquid into a copper-red color with golden sparkles. However, I looked over at Elara, and she seemed confused.
However, she simply shrugged whatever she was thinking of off. Then she takes a syringe-looking thing and a glass vial off a shelf.
"Winston? Could you bandage your finger and then grab another syringe?" Elara says as she puts a certain amount of the red copper liquid in the vial.
I nodded and quickly found a bandage from my pack, wrapping it around my finger.
I then retrieved another syringe from the shelf and filled it with the silver liquid from the cauldron that S'uu was stirring.
"You can stop stirring now, S'uu; and could you please put out the fire?" Elara asks, and then S'uu nods.
Elara and I switched syringes before she put the liquid into the vial. As the two liquids began to mix, they formed a rich, metallic shade, resembling liquid copper. Elara held the vial in one hand and began whispering an incantation, her voice soft but filled with focus. The air around us seemed to shimmer with the energy of her spell.
The cuff beeped, "Magic detected. Error. Mana full."
"huh... I guess it doesn't Activate the serum if I don't need to...", I whisper to myself.
Elara held the vial up to the light, admiring the shimmering, copper-like liquid inside. She nodded in approval, her face a mix of relief and concentration.
"Alright," she said, her voice still anxious. "The potion is ready. Now, we just need to administer it to Z'zatira."
S'uu, who had been watching intently, took a deep breath and turned towards the door. "Let's go."
Elara nodded and placed the vial carefully into a small leather pouch. I assume to be more careful?
She glanced at me, her expression a mix of hope and concern. "Winston, stay close."
As we followed Elara back to where Z'zatira was resting, the tension in the room seemed to increase with every step. My heart pounded in my chest. It's not like I'm scared, just... I hope this works.
Wait...
What if, because of the AA serum, my blood makes the potion not work, or worse, what if it kills her?!
With the thought, I felt a hole in my throat that wasn't there.
We reached the healer's main room, where Z'zatira lay motionlessly. Well, she still is breathing.
Elara took a deep breath opened the pouch, and picked up the vial.