Flower Prince - Corpsekkuno

- Chapter 2 -

 Sykkuno wakes up, feeling more refreshed than the day before. While sitting up, he experiences a mini blackout, where he goes light-headed and his vision goes to a blurry black. ''Curse low iron levels.'' After steadying himself, he takes the basil he preserved from yesterday in a small jar out and decides to eat it raw. He'll need some source of energy as his training to enroll in the pharmacy is today.

He remembers that inside the pharmacy, somewhere on the wall was a symbol of an anchor. Like the one, he had seen inside the carriage with Lily and Michael. Ludwig mentioned that the pharmacy had connections with the castle. ''Maybe the anchor is a symbolism of it? Are Lily and Michael connected to them?''

Sykkuno shakes his head. It wasn't any of his business, so he shook it off.

Putting on his cloak, he walks outside. Sykkuno has time to kill before the training, so he explores. He met a few artists on the streets and a few more people at different trading booths. He even ran into a miner named Dan, who was extremely lucky when it came to mining. Especially diamonds, but of course, his skills to navigate through caves were also excellent. (By Dan, I mean DanTDM :) )

The time had come for his training, and he walked back towards the pharmacy. This morning he had done a quick recap on herbs, how to preserve them and harvest them. ''Ah, I see you've made it,'' Ludwig says as he sees Sykkuno walk in.

''I've read your answers from the questionnaire I gave you yesterday,'' he tells Sykkuno. ''We've decided that you are eligible to take the course.''

Sykkuno was internally celebrating, glad he is one step further. He follows Ludwig into a large room with multiple seats and desks. He notices that many others are also here sitting down and reading.

He takes a seat by himself and flips through his notebook. The notebook has a light maroon-coloured cover and a gold border along with an icon of a leaf. He's written notes on different plants and herbs, organized by which season and places in which they grow.

''Everyone, please prepare for the course,'' Ludwig announces.

Sykkuno takes a deep breath and closes his book. ''Here we go,''

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The test seemed to fly by for Sykkuno. Firstly, Participants were provided jars of herbs to be sorted and organized on a shelf, ''Like the one in the pharmacy.'' Sykkuno thought. They also had to carefully prune specific plants. The boy had lots of practice in this concept. Then finally, they had to create a small dose of medicine for sickness or injury. The participants were provided with an encyclopedia to help them, but Sykkuno decided to use his own notebook instead. He decided to create a medication for curing headaches using the following.

-Chamomile, for a mild sedative with relaxing properties.

- Basil, for an analgesic effect and helping to stimulate the body's natural processes and relieving pain.

-Fennel, which Aztec tribes would use to cure headaches and eases digestion.

-Finally, using rosemary for its positive effect on the mind but has also been found to significantly reduce pain.

After grinding the herbs together into a moist like sandy texture, Sykkuno pours it into a tea bag and ties the top of the bag tightly. Thankfully, by the time he had finished, the examination was just about over. Everyone was sent away, and Ludwig seemingly begins to discuss with himself about everyone's scores.

Sykkuno decided to explore more of the town. He noticed that the streets had strings of light producing a light orange colour, ''Hey Sykkuno!'' He heard a voice call. Sykkuno turned around to meet face to face with Dan, the miner he'd met earlier. ''Hey Dan, what's up?''

''Nothing much, how did your course go?'' He asked. ''Right, I did tell him about the course,'' Sykkuno recalls.

''It went pretty well, I think, but I can't say for sure yet.''

''I haven't known you for long, but I think you did well. You're clever.''

''Thanks, that's nice of you! I was just exploring the town.''

''I could be your guide if you'd like?''

''That would be lovely, thank you.''

Sykkuno followed after Dan, showing him local shops and booths and meeting Dan's wife and child, Jemma and Asher. Sykkuno learns more about the history of Offpire. He discovered that it was built from nothing by only a group of 10 people. ''Sounds impressive. I wonder how they did it.''

''Here we are, the entrance and exit to the kingdom. If you look to your left, you'll also notice a path to the woods. There are a few people who live there, but we mostly just go there for lumber. However, we have lots of wood from trading, so we haven't had the need to gather any yet.'' Dan gestured towards the path. The cobblestone path had an archway that was completely overgrown with moss and leaves. ''But this is where the tour ends. For now, there is still a lot more to explore.'' Dan said. ''Will you be fine getting back to the Inn?''

''Yes, I remember where to go,'' Sykkuno responded. Dan nodded and walked off. 

The boy looks at the path leading into the forest and determines to go and adventure into it.

''But wait, it's night. Should I head back?'' Sykkuno wonders. ''I think it'll be fine, just for a little bit, right?''

''Could I borrow this?'' Sykkuno asks a villager for their lantern. ''Go ahead,'' the female says. ''Be careful if you're going into the forest since bears and wolves unfortunately exist.''

That froze Sykkuno, sure he had escaped a few bears and wolves, but maybe the animals are different in this nation and more aggressive.

''Good luck and have fun,'' she said.

''Thanks...'' Sykkuno responds.

Sykkuno walks into the forest and holds up the lantern while he walks further away from the town. He sees a river running and follows it upstream, finding some flowers and picking a few daffodils and tying them together with a thin piece of rope he had. Tucking them neatly away into his bag. 

He continues to follow the river upstream and sees a large mountain before him, where the water is coming from. At the base of the mount, he notices a cottage invested with flowers. It seems well built, so he goes to explore. Walking up to the door, he knocks and shakes the handle. The door was open.

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I'm starting this off strong >:0 I have a lot more ideas as well, you'll most likely be expecting a chapter tomorrow as well :)

Goodnight, good afternoon, or good morning to whoever reads this. Have a nice day and thank you for reading! :D

-fai