For the second time that day Akira woke up in a unfamiliar room, but this one was filled with the bitter sweet scent of herbs and medicine.
"Easy lad I wouldn't move around too much just yet you took a nasty fall this morning." An old man with combed back salt and pepper hair said as Akira moved to sit up.
"Who're you?" Akira asked cautiously not recognizing the man.
"The name's Jared Hawthorne and I'm a herbalist by trade. Thought you'd left us as your uncle carried you in saying you'd collapsed. I don't need Curtis blaming me if you ended up a halfwit cause you moved around with a concussion, so stay put." Looking around the room, various jars and tinctures could be seen lining the shelves of Jared's clinic. Akira could see a table littered with old books and a mortar and pestle.
"So Doc when do you think I can get out of here. I still have my chores to do on Uncle's farm." Akira hoped that it'd be soon as what he knew from his memories of his past life that treatments of most doctors in the medieval ages were half the time worse then the original ailment.
"Well let me run a few tests to make sure your not concussed, and you'll be good to go." Jared held up one hand, "how many fingers am I holding up?"
"2 and your thumb." Akira answered.
"Good now look at me and ignore the light." Jared muttered under his breath in a otherworldly tongue as a light akin to a flashlight glowed from his index finger as he moved it back in forth in front of Akira's eyes. Akira gaped as his mind raced with the possibilities that the old herbalist's casual use of magic could mean.
As the Herbalist finished up the tests Akira's mind continued to wonder what sort of world did he reincarnate to. He glanced up at the Herbalist and asked, "Sir if I may, was that magic you just used?"
"Why, yes it was young lad. Although you as a farmhand in this quiet little backwater village may never see it, but the world of Acies is a land of both monsters and magic. But anyway I digress you are as healthy and hale as a bull so off with you."
Akira stepped out of the herbalist's clinic for but a moment and was pulled into a soft embrace, "Akira Wolfhame don't you scare me like that I thought my cousin had done keeled over on me."
Akira looked down as his only cousin Amelia Barrest beat out a staccato rhythm on his chest. His face softened as he pulled her into his embrace. "Sorry Amelia, I had a dizzy spell and tripped. I promise I'm not going anywhere just yet. Focis will always be my home, even if I do journey out I will always return here."
"That's right! I have something for you!" Amelia exclaimed as she pulled away to rummage through the satchel hung from her waist. "Happy Birthday Akira!"
She held out a narrow bundle wrapped in linen. Taking the bundle Akira slowly unwrapped it to find a sheathed dagger it's blade being straight tapering to a point, about 7 inches from guard to tip. the hilt being wrapped in a colored black leather with and iron pommel shaped into the likeness of a wolf.
Akira unsheathed it slowly noting the characters along the fuller "Wise Fang? A play on my own name I presume?" Looking to Amelia as he speaks.
"Yep I paid for the materials with my allowance money Da gave me, and Thorin forged it himself. Said it was his finest blade yet so I hope you like it.."
Akira smiled as he didn't expect anything for his birthday with his new family being farmers but his cousin and bestfriend in this life got Akira a present far beyond any expectation. Speaking of his best friend Akira couldn't help but recall his first meeting with the gruff dwarf.
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Thorin Vultheim had been a wandering blacksmith until he ran afoul of some bandits who thought the lone dwarf an easy mark. Akira, who'd been 13 at the time, had been out hunting in the nearby forest of his farm. In hopes of putting more meat on the table. Coming upon the scene of Thorin staving off his attackers with great sweeps of his axe. Akira didn't hesitate to unleash a salvo of arrows into the backsides of the brigands. Young Akira shuddered at the sight of blood but pushed through it as he renewed his determination to help the dwarf. Thorin seeing an opportunity brought his axe down hewing one of the three bandits in twain from the waist. Akira's final arrow found its mark in the temple of the last bandit. The second one had already succumbed to his wounds from thorin.
"Haha! Good shot, laddie. you're all right in my books." Thorin laughed heartily as he clapped the slightly squeamish looking youth on his back. "The name's Thorin, lad, what's yours?" Thorin clasped Akira's hand in greeting.
"A-Akira Wolfhame is my name sir." Akira retched at the sight of the bandits guts steaming in the morning air.
" Well Akira is your village near here?" Akira nodded and took a breath looking less pale. " Good cause I think I owe you a drink laddie for saving my arse."
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|Flashback Over|
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