Srsli
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21: Healing
🕑 Added 2025-08-09 13:47:14 +0000 UTCAs I rushed back to the inn, I realised I probably should have asked the owner before committing myself to this task.
The inn was nearly empty, with just two elderly men sitting near the bar, mugs in front of them.
“Ah, welcome, young master!” called the owner, Carl, from behind the bar.
“Hello, sir! I was hoping to borrow the kitchen, if possible?” I asked hopefully.
“Yes, absolutely. One of the young adventurer ladies mentioned you’d be cooking again tonight, so it’s all yours!” he said jovially. “It’s nice to relax now and then,” he added to no one in particular.
That was news to me, but I guessed Liane or Jen had requested it earlier. I went into the kitchen and got to work. The soup itself wasn’t difficult to make—I needed to defeather and prepare the chickens, which went as smoothly as it did back in Dunhearth.
I soon had the soup simmering by the fire. I’d used two whole chickens, thinking it would be nice to have for dinner alongside a main course.
I didn’t infuse the soup with any flavour yet, since I hadn’t experimented with whether infused food also healed.
I was adding starch powder to the soup when I heard Carl instructing someone through the back to the kitchen.
In walked the same woman from earlier. She looked absolutely haggard, with large bags under her eyes, clearly worn down and not taking great care of herself during this time.
“It won’t be much longer,” I said as she entered. “My name’s Trevor, by the way. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier.”
“Ah, yes, sorry. I’m Paula,” she replied. Our conversation was brief while I finished up.
A short while later, the soup was properly seasoned and ready. I nodded at my handiwork before placing it in my storage.
The soup vanishing startled Paula, and she gasped. “What was that? Where did it go?” she asked, shocked.
“Oh, sorry. That’s one of my skills—I can store food and keep it fresh and hot. Shall we get going? I’ve got bowls, a ladle, and the soup,” I said, moving toward her as she lingered near the kitchen entrance.
“Oh, uh, are you sure? I don’t want you to get sick too,” she said, her voice trembling.
“I haven’t had time to clean the place,” she mumbled, clearly not expecting me to bring the soup directly to her daughter.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I should be fine—I’m immune to toxins. But even if I do catch something, I’ll find a cure somewhere. It’s no problem. Let’s go; time’s of the essence, right?”
Her protests faded, clearly overcome by the desire for her daughter to get better quickly despite the unclean surroundings.
A short walk later, I stepped into a wooden hut with a thatched roof. Inside was a single large bed, and on it lay a young girl, pale as snow. Her face was gaunt, and beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.
“Okay, let’s get this served up. It’s going to be hot, so feed it slowly. Also, it’ll take some time to take effect. When my own friend had a deadly fever, it took nearly a whole bowl and half an hour before colour started returning.”
I wanted to set expectations so she wouldn’t be disappointed—the soup wouldn’t work its magic instantly.
Pulling the soup out onto the wooden table, I served up a large bowl and handed it to Paula to feed her daughter. It was a quiet, tense affair as she spooned small bites slowly. I stayed for well over an hour before we noticed some improvement—the girl’s face was regaining a bit of colour, and her breathing was no longer as shallow.
“It’s hel... helping...” Paula said through tears, her hand trembling as she struggled to keep feeding her daughter.
I stepped over and gently took the spoon from her. “It’s okay; just take it slow. Do you have a pot I can fill with more soup?” I asked, trying to help her focus on the task.
She nodded and got up, walking to the pantry without taking her eyes off her daughter. She pulled out a fairly large pot, big enough to hold eight or nine bowls of soup.
“Perfect, I’ll fill this up so you’ll have more.”
She just nodded and returned to her daughter’s side, who now looked less pale and was clearly regaining her strength.
I filled up Paula’s pot, “Paula, I’ve left you plenty of soup here on the table, I’ll need to return to the inn to cook for tonight, but you know where to find me,” I said placing my large pot back into my storage, her face never left her daughter, and she just mumbled out a “Oh yes thank you.”
Deciding to leave them to it, I stepped out of the house and made my way back to the inn. Before cooking for tonight, I figured I should ask if they had had a bath. As I entered, Carl caught my attention and gave me directions to the bath. It wasn’t hot, but I was used to cold baths.
Afterwards, I returned to the kitchen, now wearing a fresh tunic and trousers. I pulled out the remaining soup and cast Infused Flavour on it.
Would you like to Infuse [Common] Chicken and Corn Soup for 50 mana? Yes/No
Selecting “yes,” I put the soup back near the heat to keep it warm. Then I went through the supplies I’d gathered, feeling spoiled for choice. For tonight, I decided to go all out with the boar. I chose the smaller one I’d purchased to roast whole. I pulled it out and got to work—removing the guts and deciding to skin it because of the fur, not really sure how else to handle it.
Once it was skinned, cleaned, and heavily seasoned with fire salt, pepper, and regular salt, I left the kitchen to find Milo. I wanted to know if he could make me a spit out of stone for the roast.
I found him half-asleep by the wagons. The small crowd around had mostly thinned, though it seemed more people were selling items to Troy than buying.
Getting Milo’s attention, I explained my plan and asked if he could help. After a quick chat with Hari, we headed back to the inn together.
“How are you going to cook it in that oven? Even with a spit, it seems a little small, doesn’t it?” Milo asked—and he was right. It hadn’t occurred to me at the time, but while I was having my bath, I noticed an outdoor fire pit and wondered if we could use that to roast the boar.
After a quick chat with the owner, who didn’t mind, Milo crafted a stone spike that I held steady as he speared straight through the boar. Then he made simple supports on either side. It was a very basic spit, but it would definitely get the job done. Milo also fired up the pit beneath the boar, arranging coals that looked like they’d been burning for hours already.
I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of that skill.
Once done, Milo waved goodbye and presumably headed back to the wagons. I stayed by the boar, turning it regularly to make sure it cooked evenly. It was several hours of work; in the meantime, I’d gone back to the kitchen, removed the soup from the heat, and accepted Carl’s offer of bread rolls.
I was joined by Liane and Hari, who were relaxing by the roasting boar and the fire, quietly sipping their drinks—either meditating or simply enjoying the moment. Everyone else was inside the inn, drinking and having a good time.
When I was confident the boar had cooked through properly, I first cast Infused Flavour on it,
Would you like to Infuse [Common] Slow Roasted Fire Boar for 50 mana? Yes/No
I selected yes, but was puzzled by the term it used—Fire Boar? Was that because of the fire salts I’d added, or was it a different type of boar altogether? I’d have to ask the others tonight.
I attempted to store the boar while it was still on the spit, and to my delight, I could store just the boar, leaving the spit behind. Curious, I tried to store the spit as well, and was pleased to see it vanish into my storage too.
Entering the inn, I found a table in the centre of the room with a large stone plate conveniently the size of the boar, along with a stack of stone bowls and a small pile of rolls Carl had provided.
I first pulled out the soup and placed it on the table with a ladle so people could help themselves. Then I set the boar on the oversized plate, which drew an appreciative “ooo” from the group. Jordan in particular, I swear drooled a little.
Carl came out with a large metal fork and a long carving knife. I honestly hadn’t even considered this part, but I was relieved when Carl took charge and started serving the guests.
I first took a bowl of soup myself, enjoying it with a bread roll. Most of the group went straight for the boar, but that was fine—there was plenty of food for everyone, and then some. Even Carl had left his usual perch behind the bar to join in the feast.
Liane was the first to notice—or rather, the first to say something.
“Two buffs tonight, or just a particularly strong one? I have a +1 Wisdom and a minor fire resistance buff,” she said, reading over her status.
“I infused both the soup and the boar tonight,” I replied. “Also, it said it was a slow-roasted fire boar? I don’t know if that’s the type of boar or if it’s because of the Fire Salt I added.”
“I’ve never heard of a fire boar, and it certainly looked like a regular one, so I’d assume it’s the seasonings you added,” Hari said.
I guess that solved the mystery—for now. I’d have to test it one more time to be sure.
We were well into the night, most of us absolutely stuffed, when the front door of the inn suddenly burst open. There stood Paula, tears streaming down her face.
“She’s better! It worked! Thank you so much, Trevor!” she cried out, dropping to her knees as tears of relief and joy overtook her.
“Told you he was worth a shot,” Milo said smugly. Most of the others looked confused, not quite understanding what had happened. I wasn’t sure what to say—of course I’d help if someone was sick.
“I don’t know how to repay you,” Paula said through her tears. I felt awkward.
“It’s fine; don’t worry about it. I’m just glad she’s okay,” I replied, unsure what else to say.
Milo must have sensed the awkwardness because he quickly took over.
“Is your daughter okay right now? Do you need to rush back home?” Milo asked her.
“Uh, no sir, sorry. She’s resting. She was awake just moments ago and speaking. My husband is with her now,” Paula said, clearly taken aback by Milo’s directness.
“You look starved, my dear. Come in, have something to eat—we have plenty to spare. Young Trevor here cooked up a feast for us all. Take some home for your husband as well, come, come,” Milo said before she could protest, gently helping her to her feet and loading a plate with meat and a roll.
That evening, as Paula was leaving, she wrapped me in a huge hug, sobbing and thanking me profusely for the help. Before she left, Milo handed her two full plates of boar and bread.
“For your husband as well, and for your daughter if she’s awake,” Milo said warmly.
As she left, Milo turned to me, making eye contact.
“We’ll need to explore that healing aspect of yours a bit more. I think, Trev, it’s stronger than we give it credit for. But not tonight!”
The jovial atmosphere carried on into the late evening as people began heading to bed. I was honestly exhausted after the day, but overall, it had been a really successful one.
The next morning, we woke early to find breakfast already prepared by Carl, who thanked me warmly for the meal the night before. We were to set out early that day, heading back on the road. I knew I’d be sorry to leave the village behind—it reminded me of the good times I’d had with Geo and Micca back in Dunhearth. I really missed that.
Once breakfast was done, we climbed into the wagons and made our way out of town. To my surprise, Paula was standing by the roadside, her daughter who looked much healthier, both waving happily.
“Thank you for saving me, Trevor!” she called out loudly.
I wasn’t quite sure what to say, managing only, “Any time!” as I waved back.
I’d never seen the people I helped at the Medical Pavilion again, so seeing this now brought a tear to my eye, knowing I had truly saved someone.
Several hours into the journey, Milo came up beside the wagon and joked, “So, what’s for lunch?”
I laughed a little. “Boar, and probably boar again for dinner.”
I still had half the boar left over from last night, and since I could keep it fresh, we didn’t let it go to waste. I also packed the leftover rolls, along with some extras Carl had gotten from the bakery that morning.
Milo chuckled at my answer. “Lucky I like boar then, eh?”
