11 Chapter 9: Truth from the past

Chapter 9

"These are herbs, wild spices, fruits and roots used for healing and well uh, killing. You need to identify any of these three, on which is which? Antidote? Medicine? Poison?" he flashed his playful smile. Why do I feel like he is setting us a trap? I don't feel good.

"The purple liquid is called Greuthe, the yellowish liquid is liquified ginger and the powder is cannabis. Now, which is which?" he looked at the both of us and I grabbed Sera and turned our backs at him.

"I may not be much of a help but one thing I know is ginger is organic and no matter how much you consume it, will not have harmful effects." I told Sera and she looked at me with a poker face.

"What?" I asked.

"Dumb-dumb. All of those are organic. Greuthe is like a poison ivy but much on the less itchy side but lethal when the dose exceeds 2 table spoons. And you are right, ginger is not dangerous when taken on large quantities. Greuthe is obviously a poison and ginger can be an antidote and medicine at the same time. Ginger has many healthy benefits." Sera said and now we are stuck between ginger and cannabis.

"Cannabis can be a medicine too. It has been proven by many research studies that it can cure nerve illness. I saw it on the web when a guy with a Parkinson's disease smoked it and his tics slowly rested. But cannabis can also cause disorientation when consumed on large quantities." I can't believe that all of it came from my mouth.

"Impressive. You knew so much about it, are you taking it?" she asked with a bitchy smile.

"No. I don't smoke. Wait, so cannabis can be a medicine?" I asked, shrugging off her bitch smile.

"It can be. Cannabis shows much promising effects when smoked. I don't know much about modern medicine but what I've learned and read from the books, cannabis can be taken orally and topically. It can be taken by mixing it with water or swallowing the powder and it even treats witch blisters. Witch blisters are curses from witches and it gives off blisters on the body with green pus, just so you know." She is quite amazing.

"Greuthe is poison, Cannabis is antidote and ginger is medicine. Right?" I asked Sera. And I am nervous as hell.

"Right." She nodded her head and we turn our backs facing Loco.

"I believe you have your answers?" he asked.

"Yes. Greuthe is poison, cannabis is antidote and ginger is medicine." I may look brave but my hands and legs are shaking.

"Are you sure about your answers? There is no turning back. Remember, one wrong move and your dead." He looked at me as if he knows that our answers are wrong, but no! I trust Sera, she knows all of these more than anyone else. I have to be brave, I don't want to look intimidated.

"Then if that is the case. Then…

That is a long pause.

your answers are correct."

Yes! I hugged Sera and I felt relieved. There is no much better word that I want to hear from him and that word is "correct."

"Second question" his voice sends goosebumps to my skin. Please get this over with!

Emerging from the ground are the same three stumps of wood. But this time all of it has coconut shells and filled each with a black liquid, a very pale blue liquid, and a clear one. And I don't have a single idea what it is!

Loco showed us a long needle-like thingy.

"This is called dipstik. It is similar of what you called acupuncture needles. This dipstik is used to administer medicine, antidote and counter-spells inside the body. This dipstik is made out of citrus' plant thorns. What you see there, are what are used as poison, antidote and medicine with the help of this dipstik. I will not be providing the definition of these liquids so it is on you to identify." Shit. He is definitely playing with us. There are a million plants and we need to identify these three? This is a trap.

"Sera. I knew it. He is setting us a trap. How in the world can we identify these three when we have millions of possibilities?" I was exaggerating, I know! But Sera is silent. She is concentrating.

"Then we shall not let him. He is setting us a trap but he will fail." Damn. Sera is serious and feisty on this.

"Your godliness, since you haven't introduced us these liquids. May I have a closer look of it?" Sera looked at Loco's eyes without breaking a contact.

"Suit yourself." Loco backed out a little from where he stood. Sera grabbed my hand and we carefully examined all of it.

"Don't inhale any of it directly, Smell it's scent within a few inches away from your nose. Just to be sure." Sera took the first coconut shell with black liquid. She smelled it and she put it down eventually. I studied her expressions and she seemed doubtful and hesitant.

"Ro, here smell it. What have you smelled?" She took the coconut shell with the pale blue liquid. I took the coconut shell carefully and positioned it a few inches away from my nose and smelled it. I quickly put it down because I feel nauseated.

"Oh god! That smelled horrible! I think I'm gonna throw up! That smelled like sewer water mixed and a dead rat!" I feel like throwing up. I feel dizzy and nauseated. I need candy!

Sera looked at me and she smiled a little. Is this dumb bish laughing at me?

We moved to the last coconut shell and she smelled it. And she look. Confused. She repeatedly smelled it and she still looked confused.

"Here Ro. Smell this." She offered the coconut shell to me.

"Hell no! I still feel like throwing up and you want me to smell that?" I looked at the clear liquid and I don't feel like smelling it.

"Do you want to get here out alive and save your sister or not?" I looked at her with annoyance and I carefully smelled it.

It doesn't smell anything. No particular scent.

"What the? This smells like…

"Water. Spring water." Sera cut me off and she pulled me back to where we originally stood.

"How could you possibly know that it' a spring water?" I asked.

"In agriculture, seawater is definitely a no-no. Because the salt percentage of the water is not suitable for land plants. So we have rain water, spring water and the river water. Here in the forest, rain water falls down on every bodies of water. So we count the "rain water" out. So we have spring water and river water. Now, watch the water closely." Sera raised the coconut shell and brought it near to our faces.

"River water are homes of our planktons, algae that lives in freshwater. So river water water has traces of sandy residues and particles coming from the riverbed. Spring water is suitable for drinking. In other words, a human needs a clear and fresh water to not get diarrhea. Look at it, no traces of foreign particles at all. Clear, fresh and ready to drink water." She said. Yes, the water is indeed very clean. Liked a processed drinking water.

"Well how about coconut water?" I asked.

"Coconut water has a distinct smell to it. So this is definitely not a coconut water." She said. And well, that cleared out things.

"Okay. Dipstik does not have any particular dose to take, it only relies on the frequency of administering. So the black one is Joba and it is an antidote, the second one is diluted essence of mogi flower and the last one is spring water." She said.

"Okay so let's answer him." I was about to go but she stopped me. I looked at her face and her eyes is piercing with doubt and seriousness. Gosh.

"I think you are partly right that he is setting us a trap. Because right now, he is." She said.

"What do you mean?" I am puzzled. Sera maybe shrugs off at anything and cool about it but now, she is on her serious level 99th.

"Joba can be an antidote, poison and medicine. A mogi flower can also be an antidote, poison and medicine and what category do you think a spring water can be? He is messing with us." She said.

As much as I know about some basic herbal medicine, I don't know a shit about botany or voodoo herbs!

"The Joba and mogi flower should have their each exact and particular dose. It shouldn't go above or below the dose because it won't work its purpose. Joba should be administered until 76 only, both as a poison, an antidote and a medicine. Same as the essence of mogi flower, it should be until 23." she pulled her hair out of frustration.

I looked back at Loco, and the punk is smirking. He definitely make sure that we could not go out alive. So much for his hatred to humankind! Not all of us are mean you know!

Then I came up with this bright idea.

"Maybe, he is not talking about the doses! How about the formulation of the liquid? Did you said diluted essence of mogi flower, right? So it can be used as the original formulation of the essence?" It may sound weird and confusing but I hope Sera got what I meant.

"Yeah! Right! Why didn't I think of it!" Sera pulled me back in front of Loco.

"I believe you have your answers?" Loco asked.

"Joba and the diluted essence of mogi flower are all antidote, medicine an poison while spring water is just a medicine." her confidence is kicking back in.

"I said you must pick the three choices into each category. And why can a mere water be a medicine? " Loco's smirk is attacking Sera's confidence.

"But you didn't say that we should only choose one for each category. Right Ro?" Sera returned the attack with her smirk.

"Yeah. You didn't say anything." I crossed my arms and pretended to be brave.

"And any fresh water is a medicine. It relieves dehydration, it is what keep all living things alive. It is a medicine to a dying plant and it is also a medicine to lingering thirst and the reason why Earth is a habitable planet because of water!" I said. Wow. My geology subject paid it all off.

Loco's smirk turned into a forced smile and turning into anger and he shook his head maintaining his composure. Got ya!

"Very well. On to the last test." Loco let out a quick sigh and with a flick of his hand the wooden stump is now have three animals on it. A toad, a snake and a calf. And they are not moving.

"These are animals who have been bitten by a Skowra. They have been paralyzed from the eyelid down to their toes. I believe your novitiate friend here will know how to cure them. Here on the side are assorted herbs, roots and spices, anything you need. The challenge is you have to un-paralyze all of them.

Sera took some of ingredients and took a dipstick. I can't see what she's doing but the frog hopped out of the stump then the snake crawled down and she is down to the calf. She took so long. I went too her and I saw her looking at the poor calf.

"Sera? What's wrong?" I asked her.

"The Skowra's venom is lethal to mammals and even us humans. There is no such thing as antidote for this." Sera sighed and look at the poor calf.

"You played dirty." I looked at Loco's eyes and said those words to him. Then he replied it with a smirk and an I-don't-know gesture.

"I guess you lose now." Loco said.

Sera looked at me with apologizing eyes. "Sorry Ro." there she said it.

(Sera's POV)

I knew right from the start that Loco is playing with us. And now we are doomed. How could he do such thing. He knew that there is no antidote for Skowra's venom for mammals.

I knew it.

Because it took my sister's life.

The grand priestess can't do anything. They have been working for it and still Skowra's venom is too powerful. Skowra are vampires' wild dogs. They are made from dark magic, made as killing machine. Only vampires are immune to Skowra's venom. Their venom is too powerful.

Venom..

Too powerful…

Black magic…

Shit. I got it!

(End of Sera's POV)

Sera walked out with restless shoulders. I firmly gripped my steel batons and getting ready for a fight. I should not die here, Rizanna is waiting for me.

Sera came running back towards Loco, her pace becomes faster and faster. Loco is puzzled and he threw attacks to her. Sera successfully dodged all the attacks and I thought she was going to attack Loco but she pulled several sprouts on Loco's head.

"Thank you for this." Sera went back in front of the calf, took the dipstik and Loco's sprouts. Loco's eyes widened in terror and confusion. Me too! Everything happened too fast!

Sera took a tiny bit of the sprout and she squished it in between her thumb and index finger. She rubbed it in between the calf's forehead and started poking in the dipstik.

Then the calf's eyelids began to blink, the legs began to shake and the calf slowly stood up shakingly.

"There. There. Take your time." Sera assisted the calf and after a few seconds struggling, the calf finally stood firm and even walked!

My eyes widened in shock and horror. Well, horror in a good way though. Sera discovered the Skowra's antidote! As much as how my eyes widened, double it when you look at Loco. His eyes widened in disbelief and he dropped his jaw. He looked at Sera and he looked again at the calf running away.

"Please close your mouth." I told him and he looked at me with annoyed eyes. There, it served you right. Now you are done!

Sera looked happy and satisfied. I held her arm.

"Hey, how did you do that? You said that Skowra's venom don't have a cure, well now! You made it! Or discovered it? Anyways, you did it!" I hugged Sera out of excitement.

"Only good magic can defeat bad magic." She said it proudly and sarcastically. Back to being bitchy Sera. Sera leaned forward to Loco. It's funny though, Sera looked him in the eyes but he is avoiding contact.

"You passed the final test. I will grant you your fruits and your passage." Loco waved his hand and a bunch of scrumptious and juicy fruits appeared in front of us.

"Wait." I was about to pick one but Loco stopped me. Then she sprinkled something to the fruits.

"Are you putting poison?" I arched my brows to him.

"These fruits will be fresh until a month. It will not rot or decay. I know you have a long way to go so you need these to last long." He said.

Then I picked the fruits one by one and I managed to put 8 pieces inside. But oddly, the bag don't weigh more and it's not full yet. So I added another 3, then 5, then 10 until I put the whole bunch to my bag. Wow! If I count correctly, it has probably 100 plus fruits inside my bag. How did it fit here? I lifted my bag and it didn't weigh so much. It didn't weigh anything equal to a 100 plus fruits. It's like putting a piece of notebook in my bag. Sweet!

"I think you forgot something." I took a bite of a fruit and it tasted heavenly. I closed my eyes in deliciousness and every chew is nirvana.

Loco handed Sera a little drawstring filled with something. Sera looked at it and she nodded, it's like they are talking about what's inside it.

("This is Chupla. It will protect you on your journey. I believe you are aware of Chupla's benefit. There you have Chupla's sprout, bark, leaves and fruit and I also provided you seeds."

Sera looked into the tiny drawstring and she saw the consumable state of Chupla. Dried and processed. It's her first time seeing Chupla. Chupla is known as a "miracle plant". A mature Chupla is a 4 foot tree and only grows in the spirit world. She only read Chupla on books and now she have one on her own. Chupla can be a lifesaver and she is thankful for it.

"Can I plant this back home?" She asked.

"Chupla only grows in spirit world. But that seed will grow in your world. Once it bears fruits and seeds, share it with everyone." Loco said and he looked at me then he vanished. His traces always leaves sprouts. In the spot where he vanished, grew a tree.)

As soon as they are done talking, Loco looked at me and he nodded. I bowed a little in return, then he vanished. He was being swallowed by the ground and there it grew a tree.

Sera walked towards me.

"Where are we going next? Are we still in search of the second clue?" She asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"It's Oshun. She is what we are looking for. Come, the sea is right around here." She grabbed my wrist and we walked again.

"I can't see the road. Where is this fog coming from?" The white smoke blocked the road and everything is unclear and blurry.

"It's not a fog. It's the mist from the coast. That means we are here." Sera said and we took a few steps forward and I could here the sound of crashing waves.

A few steps more and we arrived. The sea is dazzling. Everything is blue and beautiful. The sand were twinkling. The fresh breeze of the ocean is therapeutic.

The water is crystal clear and I scooped an ocean water in my hand and my bracelet glowed. Then just like Moses, the sea parted in front of our eyes and it looks like it granted us a passage toward something. The seabed is dry. Blue pearls emerged from the sand it looked like it is leading us to something.

"After you." Sera said.

I don't feel good. I have this preposterous idea that the water will come down once we are in the middle of the sea. It's like walking through an ocean park with huge aquarium. You can see silhouettes of big and little fishes.

"That one looks like a whale! That one looks like a hammerhead! WOW!" I saw Sera is amazed of what she is seeing right now.

I hate it. I don't like it. I'm afraid of sharks. I'm afraid of large bodies of water. My mind always plays tricks on me. I feel fear when I look to a deep water and what's lurking down beneath me. A gigantic octopus? A megalodon? A kraken? I heard, a study said that only the 10 percent of Earth's water and creatures were discovered. Great white sharks and box jellyfishes are scary enough. How about the other 95 percent? Creepy. I closed my eyes as the goosebumps ran down to my spine. I kept walking but I still closed my eyes.

Don't do anything weird, sea.

I don't know how to swim.