Chapter 316: A very special flower

"Here you are," Erik said, handing a small wooden box to a man covered in scars from head to toe. "But remember, these are only Tier 3 healing potions. Each is only as effective as one Tier 3 healing spell cast by an average priest."

"It will give you a burst of energy and focus healing where your body believes is the most damage. If you want to ensure the location, increase the pain on that place through pressure or fire."

The man nodded, cradling the box after handing Erik 5 silvers. "I don't get. Why do you keep your prices so low? Yours is only half the cost compared to the adventurers guild's, which is already 20% cheaper than buying it from the source. Yet on top of that, yours is more effective."

Smiling modestly, Erik looked at his soft light green skin. "Because I need to increase my clientele."

The man nodded upon hearing this, he had come here precisely due to the low cost. Even if the potions were worse, he could afford the loss. Many others he knew had thought the same.

With that, Erik turned around and left, looking at the money he currently had as he walked through the streets. The total came to just under 10 gold. Grumbling, Erik complained about how far he was from getting the rough estimate, a 100 gold, to get them out of the Vruntis. 

However, as he arrived at the inn they were staying at, a run-down place in the rugged overgrown part of the city, he replaced his frown with a smile. As soon as he entered through the doors, a small girl rushed to him and gave him a hug. 

"How many today?" She asked, Erik smiling and showing her his open hand. 

"Five!?" She exclaimed in excitement, only for Erik to shake his head. Pushing his hand three times. "Fifteen?" This time her voice carried uncertainty, however, when she saw Erik nod she jumped around in joy. 

"Alright, enough. You are bothering the innkeeper." Erik said after giving her a few minutes to celebrate. 

"Oh-no... It is no trouble at all." An old gray-haired man said, busy cleaning the broken pieces off the floor. Naturally, an inn in this part of the city would not go a night without a fight. 

Contrary to this, the people were nice. As of yet, no gangs or violent people have come. It was only people becoming too drunk and then fighting it out. Only to laugh about it the next day, hugging the other and comparing their ability by comparing the wounds on the other. 

"Let me help you with that," Erik said, taking the broken chair leg from the old man. Placing it on a table with the broken edges against each other. 

"Kalliergo," Erik said, the pieces soon fusing back into a solid chair leg. He repeated this until the chair was fixed, which took him just a few seconds.

He then moved on to the other broken chairs and tables, which Akarui had helped the old man put back together. Not repaired, but in such a manner that Erik just needed to cast the spell to fix them. 

"When are you going to teach me?" She asked, her eyes wide open as she marveled at the dead, dried wood springing to life and becoming whole. 

Pausing for a moment, Erik used Observe on Akarui. Still surprised that she was only six. 

He shook his head after seeing her stats unchanged. He had been trying to get her the best food possible, to help her grow. However, her health was still weak. Only a max of 35HP. She was far too fragile.

"Not yet, you still need to grow," Erik said, his voice tainted with sadness. Akarui had a strange condition, something he had failed to get any information past that which the system gave him. 

It had something to do with her past trauma, however, Erik did not know exactly what. It was easy to guess though, she was an orphan in a world of violence.

The system description said that she had a weak body, but a strong heart. It did not mention how to cure it, nor what problems could arise from it. 

"Butttt..." Akarui stretched the but until she ran out of breath. Taking a big breath before continuing, "I want to help!"

Erik shook his head and ruffled her hair, "I can manage. What flowers did you find today?"

His question made her completely forget about the little argument she wanted to bring up. Excitedly she ducked down to get her basket. 

It had taken them some time to get used to the city, and especially to find a place cheap to stay at. This particular area was disliked by most, not because it was filled with violence, but because the plants grew insanely fast. 

No one knew why, but it made the perfect place for Erik. While the plants were a hindrance, the people did not try to cleanse them. They did not spread further into the city, making it a nonthreat. They also grew faster than normal which allowed the alchemists to have a stable flow of ingredients. 

Due to this, most people thought all the useful plants were already claimed. However, people missed the normal plants that rivaled the magical ones.

Erik had been shocked the first time Akarui had brought a specific flower. She had just thought it was very pretty, and indeed it was. 

A flower with each petal a different shade of blue. From light cyan to navy blue. 

However, upon using Inspect, Erik had lost interest. It was just a plain flower. But then later Akarui had added it into the mix she was preparing for him. The results were amazing. 

A Tier 2 mana potion, with common herbs used for a Tier 1 health potion.

Upon this discovery, Erik had started ignoring Inspect and rather tried to use his own feeling for plants. That which came with being a dryad, an ability Akarui seemed to also have. She did not know it but each flower she found, while pretty to look at, also had hidden properties.

"Oh! Oh! I found a really cooool one!" She shouted from beneath the table, struggling to fit her basket out now that the surrounding chairs were fixed.

"See, it is just amazing!"

The flower she presented so enthusiastically was a light pink rose, with flame-like patterns on the outer petals. The flames a slightly darker shade.

"What on earth?" Erik gently took the flower from Akarui, unable to accept that one so unique was not a magical flower.

The feeling it gave him upon picking it up confirmed this.  It felt like a starving dog, however, when it had been in Akarui's hands, it had been like a cute puppy.

Unable to stop his curiosity, Erik used Inspect while the flower sucked at his mana, Erik only vaguely being able to feel this. His breakthrough to Tier 3 still recent, and as such his sensitivity to his mana a bit higher than normal. 

As the seconds passed, the flower started to change in color. The light pink becoming sharper and sharper, the flame patterns lighting up in a bright purple. 

"Wooowww." Akarui's eyes popped wide open as the flower started lighting up the room. 

[Trainta Roz]

[A very special flower, having no magical properties at first appearance. However, if it comes into contact with a being attuned with nature, say a wood elf or dryad, then it will truly come to life.]

[Beware, as the flower does not know about limits.]

Upon reading the last sentence, Erik quickly gave the flower back to Akarui. Falling to the ground exhausted. Looking at his stats he saw that he only had 20MP left. 

"Th-this..." Erik said between gasps for air. Losing so much mana in such a short time left him exhausted. 

After his breakthrough to Tier 3 in both magic and alchemy, his total MP had increased quite a bit. It was just 6 shy of 300. Yet in seconds that 294MP was brought down to 22.

"Wh-what is it?" Akarui asked in concern, looking between Erik and the flower. Concern in her eyes when on the former, and suspicion and anger when on the latter. "Did it hurt you?"

Chuckling at her concern, which just made her all the cuter, Erik stood back up and ruffled her hair. "No, it just sucked all my mana. It is a very special flower. Can you show me where you found it?"

He did his best to hide his exhaustion. Not wishing to worry her.

Hearing that he was okay, Akarui quickly lost her suspicion towards the flower. Nodding enthusiastically, she started heading for the door. Erik followed close by, the two quickly leaving the paves streeted and heading into uncharted territory. 

The plants covering every inch of every place insight. Be it walls, windows, chimneys, dirt. Nothing but green could be seen. Well... There were also the flowers of the plants, most of which looked like plain wildflowers. 

"Akarui, how far did you go in?" Erik asked with slight concern. The buildings they had just passed were the last ones where people still dared stay. Further in the growth of plants was so wild that they could not keep their doors open without needing to remove the plants each morning and night. 

"It's past those trees," Akarui said, pointing to two peculiar-looking trees. They swayed side to side, but there was no wind. Their bark looked alive, and their flowers seemed to contain unimaginable power. 

"Wait!" Erik grabbed Akarui's shoulder and pulled her back. Placing her behind him as he used Observe.