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Act I Chapter 5 - Motherly love

Asperd Isle - fall, Herbalist’s Hut, Riin’s POV

You have crafted a primitive wooden mortar and pestle. Doing so you have gained the skill, [Woodworking] by crafting a tool you have gained the sub skill, [Tool Craft]. By dragging the wood stump around and working on it, you have gained + 1[Strength]!

You have crafted a primitive wooden measuring cups and spoons and cut a square board making a cutting board. Doing so you have gained experience in [Tool Craft]. By crafting small items with precision, you have gained + 1 [Dexterity]!

You have crafted a primitive basket from combining twigs and cloth straps into a cup from. Doing so you have gained experience in the skill, [Bag Craft]. By combining wood and cloth into a use able item you have gained + 1 [Wisdom]!

It had taken me most of the year to carefully gather the items and tools needed for me to create the things that I needed to complete most of my list, but the outcome had been productive. Under the way I had gained a few useful skills in the process of my work, in that time that I had been working I had naturally gained a few stats as well. Since dragging stumps of wood around is using one’s body and sewing…Yes, I know not real macho like but what can I do.

The list was now down to the few things that I had no way of getting my hands on right now, that being;

Vials for the complete potion. Labels, for names the containers. Pots for boiling the herbs in.

Checking out my status, stats and skills, I can't help but to let a smile slip, my hard work has paid off and it seem I gained some passive stats since I’m growing.

Name: Riin Trovarar Age: 5 years [Child] Race: Human Sex: Male Level: 0 Health: 20/20 Stamina: 25/25 Mana: 30/30 Experience: 0 Next level: 1000 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 4 Intelligent: 6 Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 5 Skill Name: Progression Level: Language: Common Master Lv. 10 Herbalist's Lore Intermediate Lv. 1 Tailor Beginner Lv. 1 Tailor Sub skill - Bag Crafting Beginner Lv. 1 Woodworking Beginner Lv. 1 Woodworking Sub skill - Tool Crafting Beginner Lv. 2

Tailoring, you know the art of sewing together clothing from cloth and leather materials.

Sub skills:

Bag Crafting - You know how to make bags of any size.

Woodworking, you understand the idea behind working with raw wood.

Sub skills:

Tool Crafting - you know how to create simple wooden tools and items of use.

The orange and faded red falling leaves mark the end of summer and the being of the fall. I had ‘gotten hold’ of an old leather backpack from father’s pile of unused items. Reminding me of a travel backpack from my old life, with straps from the shoulders crossing over to get strapped around the belt. The leaves slow became hidden under the fine layer of the newly fallen snow and with me really paying attention to the time a season had passed me by as I filled my own work, trying to craft up the finer details as to how I should ‘acquire’ my last few items.

You have obtained a [Leather Travel Backpack] that you ‘found’ in your fathers’ old travel items!

As winters first snow fell over the land and the forest grew quiet as the night approached Mother and Father stayed up later and later with each passing night it confused me for a while until I decided to stay up and see what they were doing in the middle of the night, since they were not staying in their bedroom for their nightly actives, they hopefully did not try to spice up their sex life in the livingroom…

So, stayed away with them one late winter night, I need to know what was happening around here. Even though I was afraid of angering them for still being awake I asked them as softly as I could. Even with my voice being low they still heard me clearly.

“Mother, father, what are you doing?”

They both stopped their work and turned around with the sound of my voice, smiling at me.

“Did we wake you, boy?”

My father’s voice rumbled in the silence of the night even as his own voice was in the low end. I shook my head, no they did not wake me, I’m not one to sleep much anyway.

“We are packing for the trip to The Floods Post, it’s the closest encampment near us.”

I leaned my head to the side a bit, thinking. If they left to sell their items and goods in this ‘Flood Post’ then that would mean that I was free to do what I needed to without me having to sneak around in the middle of the night, not that I minded it.

“Can all mother and father’s items be sold at that post?”

At this question mother shook her head and looked onto me with a sad look in her eyes.

“No sweetie, we will have to also travel to Flood Village, to sell the last of our items. That alone takes a day’s travel by boat, since the bridge that they are building is not yet complete. So, just the traveling will take us tree days alone to get to and back, and there is no telling if we can get it all sold the first day so we might have to stay for a bit.”

Having finished explaining this to me she let out a small sigh under her breath.

Hmm, well now does that not sound like fun, for me that is. Five days of freedom sound good, but I doubt they will let me stay here alone. I nodded to myself while thinking about the information I had gotten.

“I see, so five days is the minimum time you will need to sell the goods for a fair price.”

Father, at my comment gave a rough laugh and rubbed his bread while mother seem proud of my calm analysing of the situation.

“You are right, boy. Five days would be needed if we need a good price for the goods, but since I have no clue about your mothers’ plants and she would never let me sell them for a too low or high price, so we can only go together.”

Giving him an understanding nod at this as it is sound logic, he continues is talk, a lot more to more to himself than me it seems.

“But you see boy, this is where it gives us a little problem.”

He looks at me with a deep and hidden look in his eyes, my body tights under the grace, pictures of fists hitting me flash past my eyes as I ready myself for what may be coming my way.

His rumbling laugher breaks me from my dark thoughts, I blink… Pull yourself together Riin, they are not him. Having taken a few deep breaths to calm myself down I think over what has been said once more. Hmm, thinking about it I really don’t see a problem at all. Not like I’m a darn kid…Wait… Ah, fuck me!

My mother’s voice brings be back to the present.

“Sweetie…The trip that we are going on is a long one and…”

She trails off, but I know what she wants to ask from me, her sadden and nervous look hidden in her eyes tells it all. I truly don’t know why it’s hard to ask of me, guess I still don’t understand the whole motherly bond of love thing. I had better help her out or we will be standing here and walking around in circles all night. I give her my best and brightest smile and trying to speak with my most serious tone that I can muster in this underdeveloped body of mine.

“Mother, I can handle myself fine for a week or so, there is no need to for you to feel bad about it. I’m a big boy after all I’m already seven.”

Goosebumps, having to call myself a big boy… Let’s add that to the list of things to forget ever happened. But mother seems to be happy now at least. She rushes to me and brings me in for a bone crushing hug. I just stand there going stiff from the physical contact and waiting for it to be over.

“I am so, so very proud of you my sweet lovely child.”

That’s fine and good now let go of me woman…

“Dear, if you don’t let the boy go you might not have a child to be proud of, since you are hugging the air out of his lungs”

Thanks for the help father, we men must stick together. I take some much-needed air into my lungs again. Mother give out a girly giggling sound as she lets go of me and kisses my forehead and looks at me with a more serious look on her face.

“Sweetie, don’t forget that you are still not seven yet, only as wither pass will you be so.”

Yes, yes. Well I’m as good as half way to be seen as an adult, so that must count for something, right?

“Well, then I will be off to bed, goodnight”

Giving mother a quick kiss on the cheek, only because she had tears in her eyes over almost crushing me! Nodding to father, I head for bed. Tomorrow will bring many good things. I smile as I fall into a dreamless sleep.