Dreiki had huddled himself close to Ezo for the night, fearing whatever monstrosity watched him from afar. Now that he’d seen the thing, it made that sensation of being watched ever-present.

Dreiki looked at the poor bat drake who was now panting in labored choppy breaths.

It had caught a fever from its wounds overnight.

He wet a few rags and placed them over its body to keep its temperature down. He

needed to forage for something that might help the poor creature pull through.

His mother had taught him about plants which he should always look out for and try to collect if he could.

Vitak Leaves, Guari roots, and Mierashrooms were ingredients to basic healing potions that could rescue a warrior from the jaws of death and help them overcome almost any disease within a day.

Dreiki didn’t know how much time he had, so he had to be quick about it.

He had to be careful not to exhaust himself, though. With that monster lurking about, it was likely waiting for the chance to strike when he was at his most vulnerable.

He had to leave Ezo behind since its weight would tire him out and slow him down. As far as he could tell, the monster had no interest in it, so it should’ve been safe to let Ezo rest here for now.

He set out, hoping that he could find what he needed.

Dreiki spent an hour searching the forest grounds nearby, marking trees with his knife so he didn’t get turned around, periodically checking to see if that monster was around.

His instincts told him he wasn't being watched anymore so he trusted them as they had not failed him yet.

With renewed focus, Dreiki managed to find his first patch of Vitak leaves. But when he came to pick the herbs, he noticed that they’d already been harvested.

Dreiki examined it, thumbing through the leaves. The stems had been cut and there had been a few left behind so it could regrow.

This ignited Dreiki’s curiosity. Was there an herbalist somewhere in the area? If that was the case, then he’d likely be able to find something far more effective than the raw ingredients. Vitak leaves were good on their own, but if they were dried up they would act a lot faster.

Dreiki scanned the ground for tracks and soon found large footprints in the soft rain-dampened soil of the forest.

Along the path were signs of life. Tree stumps which had been cut with an ax, more harvested ingredients like the Vitak leaves from before, and a few hunting traps. The likes of which Dreiki’s keen eyes had spotted in time to avoid triggering them.

He contemplated disarming and taking one of them, but decided there wasn’t enough time to do so.

It was another ten minutes of skulking before Dreiki noticed a pillar of smoke wafting above the trees. Whoever this herbalist was, they weren’t trying to hide. But as his mother had taught him, those who are not trying to hide out in the wild either had no enemies or feared no enemy.

If there was someone living out here, he didn’t trust them to help a half-breed like him. Especially since he had no money nor items to trade in return for their help.

The boy’s training once again overtook him, slinking down low and silent as a lynx, tenderly brushing aside the bramble as he came upon a decrepit log house. This had to be it.

Dreiki froze as the rickety wooden door of the cabin swung open. When he realized the figure stepping out of the doorway hadn’t noticed him yet, he took cover behind a tree.

It was the herbalist.

The xio’s appearance surprised Dreiki. He had never seen a xiozian with graying hair before. Normally, a xiozian remained in their physical prime adulthood up until they reached about eighty years of age, after which they would age rapidly until death. It was a process called ‘The Waning’”.

Most preferred to die in battle before then, so to see a xio this old was rare indeed. There was a sword on his hip and an ax over his shoulder. The xio was built like a bull despite his age.

Dreiki could see the remnants of who he used to be. His towering stature was already starting to bend into a hunch. His once proud horns were now curled and wrinkled. A shedding draconic tail lagged behind him, thick like a crocodile’s and ending in a vicious swollen club that could put any ordinary mace to shame. He had a well trimmed beard of white and silver, the remaining dark hairs of his youth almost completely swallowed by the first stages of The Waning.

To think in one year the xio would likely look as if he’d aged a decade or two.

As the xio plodded off into the woods, Dreiki took his chance. The old xio didn’t have much of a security system aside from a lock to keep bears and other beasts from entering. Dreiki took a dagger from his boot, wedged it into the crack of the door and found the latch. After a few unsuccessful tries he finally managed to free it.

Creeeeeeek…

Dreiki entered, the scent of dried herbs hitting his nose. It was his lucky day.

Potions of varying color, luminescence, and potency lined shelf upon shelf of the old wooden cabin. He spotted Mierashrooms which had been soaked in brine and diced into fine cubes. Dried cloves of Vitak leaves hung from the ceiling, emanating their sweet scent throughout the cabin. Atop a makeshift workbench in the corner sat a mortar and pestle filled with finely powdered Guari roots.

Numerous vials, balms, and salves littered any flat surface they could be stored on. Each in varying stages of completion.

The far end of the room is where Dreiki assumed the herbalist slept. A bed of furs resting next to a small mud brick fireplace atop a raised stone platform to keep it safe from flooding.

It looked as if it had served its purpose well last night.

The old xio had procured and planted numerous herbs and medicines in his humble cabin. But this much of a variety seemed out of place even for an herbalist.

Maybe he was searching for a way to delay The Waning? Or perhaps he was the supplier for tradesmen in Punuuk?

Whatever the case, Dreiki silently promised to repay the herbalist somehow. He took everything he needed, slipping one of the healing potions into his bag along with their prepped ingredients too. He needed something fast acting, and nothing was better than a fully brewed healing potion.

He stuffed his bag with what he needed, and took a wedge of cheese and bread for the road. Any meat he’d manage to hunt would be going to Ezo while he nursed it back to health. He looked again at the ingredients and decided to take a little extra just in case. He couldn’t be too careful, he might need them.

As Dreiki stepped out the door, a low gravelly baritone rang over his shoulder.

“Didn’t expect to find thieving rats this far from the city.”