The Sick Old Man by GrayOverload, on Flickr
Scott followed the dog and his master, who revealed his name to be Ryan, back to their hut. Ryan assured Scott his name meant "little king" but Scott could not figure out what the dialect was. The canine was named Holly, and though initially apprehensive, took a liking to the blue-clad wanderer with the black cape.
Back at the house, Ryan introduced Scott to his grandfather. The small, shriveled mouse of a man standing before him took Scott aback. He climbed off of the bed clumsily, leaning heavily on a small cane. A loose fitting gray cloak draped around his bony, pale shoulders. "You see, I sent the letter! My grandfather is quite sick, and none of the priests around here can cure him. I had nobody else to turn to, but I had heard of the apothecaries and their great expertise in the arts of medicine. I sent for the messenger in town and asked him to deliver this to the closest apothecary. And it seems he did!” the young-faced boy ecstatically exclaimed to Scott.
Scott learned the old man was mute, and slowly growing deaf. No doubt due to old age, but Scott suspected his ghastly complexion was due to a disease known as the White Grasp. The White Grasp was a disease of the soul, slowly sucking at the substance of the soul until nothing was left and the victim died, according to the priests. The apothecaries knew better, that the White Grasp was nothing more than an infection of the lungs, and could spread to other parts of the body, causing death if not treated. It appeared the old man was not too far along, and Scott could treat him. It wouldn’t be easy, as the potion used to treat the White Grasp required ingredients from all over Nortlen, which would take some time to gather.
“I shall procure a potion, no doubt, and expect me in a few weeks time.” Scott calmly noted, and turned to stroll out of the room.
“Wait!” Ryan called out to him. “I’m coming too!”
Ryan had already arranged for his sister to return from the farm she worked on inland to help care for their grandfather, and she would be arriving any day that week. Little did he know it, but Scott would not be able to convince the eager straggler of staying behind. And he could not guess that he would be better off for it in the day’s to come…
Another chapter in Scott's grand adventure! Now we're getting into the good stuff of the adventure I think, what with foreign lands and creatures. Two new adventurers join the (former) part of one! What will happen next? The next installment will surely answer that, and more!
C&C greatly appreciated.
However, I had to give some sort of indication to his illness (as well as his oldness), so I thought for just this once, a fleshie would be acceptable. Be well aware though, you won't see anymore of them anytime soon!
