Inside a small but tidy room that was saturated with the strong smell of herbs, an elderly man was resting on a simple bed. His pale visage, sunken eyes and rough breathing were a tell-tale of someone struggling with a disease. Despite this fact, the elderly man was grabbing his own unkempt beard with force as he stared fiercely against a black skinned dwarf that was sitting at his bedside. The dwarf also didn’t back down on his stare and tried to overpower the other with his gaze.

“Just drink the panacea!” exclaimed the black skinned dwarf.

“No! My own treatment is doing just fine, thank you.”

“You old coot! How long have you been afflicted now? Seven months? It’s praiseworthy that you managed to keep it at bay so far with your skills, but now you can barely get out of bed! If you keep this up, you’ll die.”

“You’ve been saying that for the past seven months and ain't I just fine till now?”

“Just fine? You keep getting worse as time goes on!”

In the middle of their discussion a small boy ran to their house and knocked on the door with vigor. He smiled from ear to ear and gave the residents of the house the good news.

“Mister, mister! Liza is back! She was spotted just outside the village. I’m going with the others to receive her, so stop sleeping already.”

“Ha! Now what? I bet the little girl is going to shove it down your throat, whether you want it or not. I’m going out to welcome her too.”

“OLGAN!” shouted the old man with more energy than his frail body suggested. “Ever since I’ve saved your life many years ago you have been going on and on about repaying me. Do not betray me now. Not a single word, you hear me?”

“But Otto–”

“No buts. Bring me my medicine bag and go receive her. I’ll wait for you two back here.”

The dwarf clenched his fists and struggled for a couple seconds, but in the end, he gave up with a sigh. He scratched his large and bald head and went to the other room to fetch the medicine bag. He dropped the bag on the old man’s lap and stared at him once more.

“Do you think she’ll be happy with your decision after she finds out?”

“Probably not, but my decision remains.”

-

“So that’s Tirin village. A lot of people are coming out,” said Ben.

“They are here to receive us. It’s been a while since I’ve last visited,” replied Liza.

The children of the village all rushed forward to hug and welcome Liza. She was like the elder sister who looked after them and taught them a bunch of new things. It was the same before she went to travel on her own and now.

“Gather around now, I’ve brought some snacks from the capital for all of you. Just don’t eat it all on your own. Remember to save some to give to your family.”

“Yay! Thanks, Liza!”

“Big sis is the best!”

The black dwarf watched the commotion from afar and smiled. He approached the group slowly, giving time for the children to grab their presents and disperse a little. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to get close unless he trampled over the young ones.

“Hey there, girl,” said the dwarf with a smile.

“Olgan! How have you been?” asked Liza as she got on her knees to hug the large dwarf.

“I’ve been well. I’m especially okay today now that I can see you’re doing fine.”

“How is master? How come he isn’t here?”

“You’ll see for yourself,” said Olgan after releasing an imperceptible sigh. “He’s waiting for us in the house. But before that, aren’t you going to introduce me to your companions?”

“Right. Everyone, this is Olgan. He taught me how to use the bow and everything I needed to know to be an adventurer and survive by myself. He works as security for my master when he does his routes.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ben.”

“I’m Eliot!”

“I’m called Boro. You can bow down if you want.”

“The name is Fang Chu. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you all. Thanks for looking after our girl. Come, let us go to see Otto.”

They walked slowly. Along the way, Liza told him some stories and heard a few back from the dwarf. The children followed along, delighted to hear about the interesting things that happened in the world outside their village. When they arrived at Otto’s house, the kids said their goodbyes and went back to their work.

The group went in to find an elderly man busying himself in the kitchen preparing lunch. The pale countenance and sunken eyes were all but gone and a rosy glow lingered in his face. Anyone who saw him before would have a hard time believing this man was sick just a few minutes ago. Liza and Olgan trembled slightly upon seeing the old man mincing meat, but for completely different reasons. Fang Chu closed her eyes for a bit and furrowed her brows slightly.

“Master!” exclaimed Liza as she ran forward.

“Oh! Hello, my girl!” said Otto as he dropped the knife and received her in an affectionate hug. “But why don’t you call me grampa like you used to? Master is so dry it makes me sad.”

“It became a habit, grampa. Whenever I help someone with my skills, I make sure they know that the one who taught me medicine was my master, Otto Clemens. This way they know that they survived not only because of me, but because of you too.”

“Foolish girl, what’s the point off increasing the fame of this old man? You should be trying to make a reputation for yourself.”

“I don’t need such thing. Right, let me introduce you. These are my friends, Eliot, Ben, Boro and Fang Chu. Everyone, this is my grampa, Otto Clemens.”

“Hello everyone, nice to meet you. You came just on time, lunch will be ready after a while, so just relax for now.”

“Let me help you. I’m sure you weren’t expecting four more mouths to feed,” said Ben.

“All right, I won’t say no to that. Grab another portion of meat and mince it for me.”

Half an hour later, they all sat at the table to eat. The meal was simple but tasty and the mood was good. Liza and Otto were especially happy about reuniting after so long.

“How long are you planning to stay, Liza?” asked Otto.

“We’re only stopping by, grampa. I was just about to tell you, but I finally found a clue. It seems his people live in the depths of Duskwood. After looking for him for so long, now I’m this close! We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Really? You’ll finally be able to put that matter to rest. That’s good. And honestly, even if you hadn’t found out any clues about him, I’d have kicked you out by tomorrow anyway. I don’t want you to turn complacent before you finish out what you started. A day’s rest is more than enough for you,” laughed Otto.

In the middle of their conversation, Olgan clenched his teeth and got up abruptly. “Sorry, my stomach is acting up. I’ll be right back.”

“Wow, so cruel grampa!” Liza joked. “I’m sure you wouldn’t do that.”

“Who knows? But here, I’ve a present for you,” said Otto as he got up. He rummaged in his belonging for a bit before placing a small bottle on the table in front of Liza.

“What’s this?” asked the half-elf as she grabbed the bottle and eyed it closely.

“The divine medicine, a panacea.”

“What? Did you make this, grampa?” asked Liza in astonishment.

“How could I? I don’t have the recipe, much less the skill necessary. This was a gift I received from a friend that I once helped out,” replied Otto. [Strangely though, neither I nor Olgan can remember exactly when I received it or which friend of mine it was that gifted it to me. Though I better not mention that or she would waste part of it on authenticity experiments,] he thought.

“Isn’t that too fishy? You may have helped him, but to gift you the divine medicine as repayment?”

“It does feel somewhat too good to be true, but all my years of experience tell me that this is the genuine article. It also checks out with all the historic documents, be it in appearance, color, smell and viscosity. The legendary medicine that can cure all ailments and close the gravest of wounds. No matter how grave the injury, if one is alive, they can still be saved by this legendary elixir.”

“Incredible, a legendary item!” exclaimed Ben.

“Wow, it must taste good! If it wasn’t so important, I’d have liked to drink some,” said Eliot.

“If it’s true, then keep it, grampa. It was a present for you, after all.”

“Nonsense! What would I use it for? You’re the one always going to dangerous places and putting your life at risk. If you refuse to take it, I’ll just use it to cure one of the cows in the village that got sick!”

Seeing the stubborn face that Otto was making, Liza decided to keep the present. She knew that when he got like this there was no stopping him. He might really use the legendary elixir to cure the village’s cow if she didn’t keep it.

“Right, now that this is over with, why don’t you go outside to see how that buffoon, Olgan, is faring? While you’re at it, show him how much you’ve grown. I’m sure he’d like to see your friends’ skills too, to know if they have what it takes to travel alongside you.”

“Might as well. Sparing after lunch is a bit much, but shooting some arrows is fine.”

“You guys go ahead, I’ll help Otto clean up,” said the redhead.

“Let me help too, Fanu.”

“You already helped with the cooking, Ben. Now go outside with everyone and rest. Tomorrow we resume your training, so enjoy it while you can.”

Only Otto and Fang Chu stayed behind to clean after the meal. At first, they worked while exchanging some small talk, but after the noise of the others outside got loud enough, Fang Chu asked what she really wanted to know.

“What’s wrong with your condition? Why are you hiding it from Liza?”

“Oh? You could tell?”

“I’m sensitive towards mana. You look fine on the outside, but your flame is weak and flickering. There’s no way someone with a flame like that is healthy.”

“I don’t understand your talk about flames, but if you can tell my condition is not optimal, I can say you’d be a great apothecary. Even my best student didn’t realize anything was wrong.”

“So, what is wrong? Why are you hiding it?”

“I contracted a rather troublesome disease. It keeps gnawing on me and makes it hard to even get out of bed. You’ve been travelling with Liza for more than half a year, so you should know how much that little one is carrying on her shoulders. It took her many years and a lot of effort to move forward. I’d rather die than become the reason she gets held back again. So, I took some herbs that stimulate my vitality. I’ll look like a completely healthy person until tomorrow. After that my condition will become somewhat worse than before, but that’s nothing. I’m glad I did it, even more so now that I learned she finally has some clues about her father’s whereabouts. I’d never forgive myself if I was the reason she stayed behind.”

“Why didn’t you drink the panacea then?”

“To use a miracle medicine that could save her life in a moment of peril on me? Never! I’m old. Even if I wasn’t sick, how much longer would I live? One year? Three years? At most, five more years. That would be a waste.”

“It isn’t a waste! Can’t you see how much she cares about you? She would be devasted if she found out!”

“Of course, I know. But that’s the order of things. In every village, when famine hits, the elderly will refuse to eat so that the young ones may survive. The parents pave the way for their children. I bet you are the same. If you were blessed with good parents, I’m sure they went above and beyond to help you out and make you happy. So please respect my wishes and don’t tell her.”

The redhead bit her lip in frustration. She remembered her father and all he did for her so she could grow safe and unfettered. When she left the sect to avoid getting married, it was him that urged her on and prepared her ring of holding with all kinds of necessities for travel. Even though her disappearance would cause a lot of trouble and pressure to fall on his shoulders, he sent her away with a smile.

“I don’t know if it’s right or not, but I’ll respect your wish.”

“Thank you. I can see you’re a kind person. Please continue to look after our Liza.”

-

Outside, Olgan was finishing observing Liza’s archery practice.

“What do you think? I can probably match you in distance now.”

“I’m not sure about that, but you improved a lot, girl! I can see your bow has a heavier draw weight too, that’s good. Your arrows will be faster and penetrate harder targets.”

“Right. I almost forgot, but I’ve a present for you too. Here,” said Liza as she took out one of the pieces of the metal pillar they broke in the catacomb and gave it to him.

“What’s this? This is an unusual metal. Could it be? Nah, it couldn’t. But maybe… I’ll have to go back home and check it out with the smith.”

Liza left the black dwarf speaking to itself as he marvelled about that broken piece of metal. All she knew was that it was one of the hardest and sturdiest pieces of metal she’d ever seen. Therefore, she was sure it was valuable and that Olgan’s friends would be able to make a wonderful weapon or equipment from it. The other piece they’d use it themselves.

The rest of the day passed blissfully. Liza enjoyed being back at Tirin and made the most of it, spending her time with Otto and Olgan. The others also appreciated a rest day after such long while. Early the next morning, the duo saw them off and Liza could swear she saw the brave dwarf cry a little. That night, Otto Clemens collapsed and, two days later, he passed away.