Mages of the North: The Adventure Begins

Chapter 4

The day was young, and the sun was low. The air, for the moment, was calm with a cool morning breeze. The scent of the damp vegetation filled the air and birds chirped and sang from the trees. Spring was coming to an end and Summer was on its way. This ultimately meant nothing to the villagers since they lived in a swamp, but the nights were getting shorter and the days were getting longer, meaning Floris now had more daylight to collect the herbs and other ingredients he needed for his potion-making. Arrowhead Loch was a two-day journey for most, but Floris knew the swamp like he knew the back of his hand. From every tree to every bush to every hole in the ground, Floris knew the swamp and could navigate it with his eyes closed. It wasn't uncommon for him to spend multiple days on his own in the swamp when he was searching for supplies or animals and would often only return when he had what he needed. Occasionally, the village would send out a search party to look for him if something happened while he was away, but most villagers had learned to be extra cautious in what they were doing when he was gone.

Floris took a look around and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. Tall ancient trees with thick overlapping roots and twisting branches surrounded the village, making it one of the most isolated places. Among the many twisting roots and branches of the trees were deep puddles and tall grass where the swamp's wildlife thrived. The lower parts of the trees were covered in moss and twisting vines hung from every branch, making it extremely difficult to navigate through the swamp. There was only one path that led into the village. It was overgrown, but the villagers tried to maintain a clear way for the trade wagon to come to the village every so often, bringing the supplies they needed from the outside world, which remained a mystery to Floris and the only other child in the village. Neither of them had ever managed to make it far enough away from the village to see some other form of civilization. In some ways, they were scared of leaving the swamp because it was all they knew. It was the only home they had ever known and leaving it behind was a thought that terrified them both. However, they couldn't help but be curious from time to time to see what other villages were like. The trader would sometimes tell them what the outside world was like. Villages and roads made of stone rather than mud, straw, and wood, and settlements far larger than anything they could imagine. It was certainly exciting to think about, but what they saw in their imaginations was probably all they would ever see of what else was truly out there.

Aside from telling the two boys what the outside world was like, the trader would also bring news and political updates. Politics ultimately meant next to nothing to the village, and it wasn't until a few years ago Floris even knew the name of the country or province he lived in or that he even lived in a kingdom. He didn't understand politics, but the way he saw it, he didn't need to. The swamp was very unforgiving to outsiders, and only people who were born in the swamp have a chance of living in it. As far as he knew, the king's rule meant nothing here and no army would be able to advance far enough from the outside to reach the village. When he did find the time to ponder about the political world and the possibility of neighboring factions or countries going to war, he never found any reason as to how or why the armies would advance through the swamp and just assumed the swamp was more of a natural border defense rather than an actual land grab, which the trader would tell him he wasn't far from the truth.

As for the village itself, it was widely spread out. A house or cabin here, another over there and some further away. Some small, others...somewhat larger. Houses or huts were made out of dried straw or grass, mud, sticks and the occasional animal fur. Some houses were decorated with animal bones that would later be used for making tools or given to Floris for his medicinal studies. There were branching dirt paths carved into the ground from the villagers going about their daily business, leading to every house with the main path connecting them all. The grass surrounding the paths, however, was tall and thick, and could easily hide a lethal predator, which the swamp had more than its fair share of. The village held nineteen villagers, and with the exception of Floris and one other, they were all in their elder years. With each passing year, the village would lose one or two villagers to natural causes alone, but animal attacks, sickness, and disease took its toll on the people over time. The thought of what the future held terrified Floris. Eventually, in time, it would only be him and his friend left. What would they do then? Would they seek out another village as a home? Or try and explore the outside world? There were no younger girls or women in the village, so staying was not an option. What the future held was a mystery, but he couldn't afford to dwell on the subject. His mind had to stay in the present, so he could focus on his task at hand.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Floris started the first steps of his quest and made his way to the main path that led out of the village and over a rickety, old and decaying wooden bridge that crossed over the twin creeks that gave the village its name. Further upstream was a large boulder that cut the original stream into the two creeks that go underneath the bridge. Where the creeks joined again, Floris did not know. Neither he nor any of the villagers had ever gone far enough to see where it led. There was one place, in particular, that was forbidden for anyone in the village to go. An ancient graveyard that predates the village by many hundreds of years lies in the direction the creek flows. All the vegetation around it died off long ago, and the grounds around the tombstones were scorched to pitch blackness. Villagers who went to investigate in the past never returned, hence the reason for it being forbidden. No one knew how or why it exists, or who was buried there, but there was something unnatural about the place that even made Floris' blood run cold with fear. There were many places of strange origin deep in the swamp, but none as terrifying as the graveyard.

Within moments of stepping off the overgrown path, the village disappeared behind the thick vegetation and twisting tree branches. There was a path Floris preferred to take to Arrowhead Loch and it was one he had used for many years. Plants and herbs useful for his alchemical experiments grew conveniently thick along this path. Plants such as Lavender, Lady's Mantel and Aloe Vera among other plants grew in abundance along the path for some reason. Floris never bothered to question why, he was just thankful for little miracles like this since they often saved him a bunch of time. Sometimes the roots of these plants would prove useful, but Floris never dug up the roots of these since they were in such abundance he'd be destroying a place where precious resources grew in vast quantities.

With his work cut out for him, he didn't waste any time in collecting the herbs he needed.