Towards Ortava

With Mira's weird behaviour and boyfriend kind of dealt with, I met up with Vick once again. "Hey, this is for you", "What's that?... An eye mask of some sort? And.. something?", he replied unsure. "That is an eye mask, since using a whole mask is pointless… and I didn't have one. A nice lady tailor made that for me, and I've placed a Formation for you. This mask will seal your eye, in other words, you can train your ears and smell", I explained.

"The other item is a bit different. Simply place it inside your ears, it should fit just fine. Once you activate the Formation, your hearing will be sealed. This will help you with the sight practice. I also explained how your mother needs to help you, so she's going to introduce everything", I added.

"Hehe, not bad. These Formations really are useful. Once Remi returns, I'll be sure to extort a few of such Formations from here, hehe… Anyway, does that mean you're leaving?", ".. Yea, pretty much. Your mother will help you, so don't be sad", I replied with a grin.

"Bah! Who's sad?... Thanks, Anna. For your visit, and for the few days of practice. You also helped me convince my mother to help out. I'd like you to stay a bit longer, but I'm sure you want to see your grandpa, eh? Anyway, drop by whenever you wish. Maybe next time, Lana will be here. You two can show off some moves for me", he said then gave me a hug.

"Hehe, I'll be back for sure. You take care of yourself, and practice well. I'll say farewell to your parents, then we are off". My aunt was a bit sad we were leaving so soon. She really enjoyed our company, and Vick had someone he could look up to. I promised her we'd visit again, after we had our little trip around the Empire.

"You will see Remi, I assume. Can you give this to her? It's from all of us, we haven't seen each other for a long time. Once you come back, please tell me how she's doing at the Academy. That child was always shy and kept to herself. I hope she opened up a little there", "Sure auntie, but perhaps make some time and visit her yourself… Maybe when father comes around. He can take you on Frosty's back", I replied.

"That's not a bad idea. Surely would save us a long trip both ways. Anyway, have a safe trip yourself. Look out over there, we as women need to take extra care when travelling", "I will auntie, you take care of Vick and uncle too. And don't be so lazy, you are still young", I teased her a bit.

My friends already waited next to our Tauruses, ready to leave at any time. Before we left the village though, I met up with uncle at his office, and bid him farewell too. "Back to Savala Town?", Tara asked. "Yes, for a few days. Kara gave me this book on herbs, and once we come back, she'll teach me a few simple recipes. Ability to make my own medicine and poison might come in handy", I replied.

"Heeh, you're learning something new? I thought you had no interest in medicines and stuff", "I'm not very interested in that, but as travellers, it's a useful skill. Moreover, the ability to distinguish between herbs isn't that bad. We are travelling through the forest after all. You focus on cooking, Tara. I'll worry about medicine and poison for Dawn", I said.

Back at Savala Town, my friend decided to hang out and relax, while Kara taught me some recipes. Medicine making was similar to cooking. One had to choose appropriate ingredients, proportions and cooking time. Thanks to my experience in cooking, medicine making wasn't that difficult. At least the basic recipes weren't.

She taught me how to make medicine a few different ways, and depending on herbs, the strength or effectiveness would vary. She also taught me some weak poison recipes. Usually, such poison would either numb, or in worst cases immobilize a person for a short time. More complex poison required deeper knowledge and of course time.

She wasn't aware that Dawn was an actual Shade. She thought the poison would be used for emergencies, in a battle or something. Of course the poison could be used that way, but my father's poison was much better for that.

We ended our little lessons after three days. Though not much, she told me to practice, since that's where experience came from. I promised to visit again on my way back, after all, I promised the same thing to my aunt and Vick. She wished me luck and a safe journey.

I also met up with uncle Aron. He seemed a lot better, but with no one by his side. That was understandable, the events before my parents' wedding were still fresh in our minds. "You grew up a lot, Anna. You also broke past the Half Step, which isn't a small achievement", "Don't embarrass me uncle. My friends are also strong, I'm not that talented. Besides, my mother worked me to the bone from a young age. Hehe, there shouldn't be any surprises", I replied.

"Hehe, maybe you're right, though we can't belittle your hard work either... You seem worried about me. I'm fine, I've managed to come to terms with what happened. Your father went through something similar, though he was a bit more lucky. Anyway, I don't complain. Though, he could visit more often. With that Frosty, it shouldn't take them a lot of time", he said.

"I'll tell them about it, though I guess they're simply busy with stuff… On that subject, why don't you come back with us, to the North? I'm planning to come back here after we visit a few places, you could come with us. Have you been to the North?", "Really? I'm not some village boy, of course I've been there… Many years ago. Hmm, perhaps that's not such a bad idea. We'll see about that once you come back, alright? I'm not against it", he kind of agreed.

After that, we chatted for a while longer. I told him about the previous journey and our lives in the North. Uncle on the other hand, shared some of his stories. Mostly from the past, when they found my father, and how he looked up to him. "Alright, little princess. Run along, I'm sure there are more interesting things than listening to some rants from an old uncle", he said before bidding me farewell.

"You're leaving so soon?", my great aunt asked upon my return. "Hehe, yea. I'd like to see my grandpa, and Remi's at the Academy too. I promised everyone to visit on our way back… Though that might be in a few months. Anyway, we'll be back for a bit… Perhaps you guys should visit us in the North? Uncle Aron kind of agreed already. How about you join us, a large family trip, that wouldn't be a bad idea, eh?", I proposed.

"Hehe, I don't know… I'm not used to leaving the town. Besides, with Aron gone, who'd take care of the town?", great uncle replied. "Hmm… Maybe Kara? She's not that weak. Or perhaps uncle Aran, or uncle Paul. Dad said uncle Paul is like family to us. There shouldn't be any issues, right?", I asked. "Hehe, you little. Well, we have a few capable people around…", he said but then looked at great aunt.

"I've never been there, and it's a good opportunity. I'd like to spend a bit more time with little Dante. Nex and Sonia must be busy there, maybe it's our turn to visit", she commented. "There's no need to worry about the barrier either. With me around, you'll be able to pass without any trials", I added. "... Sure, it's a great opportunity after all. We'll ask others if they'd join us. Hehe, I'm looking forward to Nex's surprised face when we get there", great uncle agreed.

With that decided, I grabbed my friends and our Tauruses. "Kids grow up so quickly. You became more like your father, but more beautiful, hehe. That travelling sense is probably from him", great aunt said. 'That's not entirely true… My mother used to travel a lot, instead of learning Formations from grandpa', I figured but decided not to comment.

"Watch out on your journey. I'm sure you heard that many times, but we old people will always worry. Don't do anything rash, just keep to your plan and have fun. That's what adventures should be like", great uncle added. I hugged both of them, "Thank you. I'll be back once we explore a bit more. You guys take care too, and uncle, don't eat too much. You're starting to develop a nice round belly, hehe".

"I told you, didn't I?", great aunt said annoyed, while great uncle grabbed my head and rubbed it. "Don't be a vixen like your mom, it's not healthy. Now, have a safe trip, and say farewell to others. It's not nice to leave without a word", "I know! I'm not a child. See you guys!". We stopped by at various places to say farewell. Uncle Aran, uncle Paul, his wife Elen, Gerond and a few other people I befriended.

"Hehe, this was a lively town. The villages were alright too. Quiet, and mostly welcoming", Dawn said at the experience so far. "I'm assuming the city will be much more expensive. Since the prices in a village are smaller compared to the town. Anyway, me and Teri had some fun too. Our next stop is Ortava, a big city, eh? Let's see what they have over there", Tara added. "Hehe, let's", I replied with a smile.