Ever since I arrived in Forest Glen, I have been rushing around like a chicken with their head cut off. I didn’t really have time to slow down and appreciate where I was. Now, as I left Covern House, I decided to take things slow. I actually had time to see what was around me. Covern House was part of a cul-de-sac. Except instead of being round, it was a square. Three sides had three houses, while one had two houses and a road. The lot on either side were actually part of the Covern House property. Covern House was the biggest house and was squarely in the middle opposite the incoming road. The square itself was covered in brick, which allowed horses and carriages to come and go without the possibility of getting stuck in the mud.

  Before I left the square, I marked Covern House on my mini map. Now an arrow always pointed in the direction of my house. I meandered down the road toward the market I visited yesterday. Most of the building were white with red clay roofs. The roads were cobblestone and were very narrow. A single wagon would take up most of the road. When I reached the market area, I saw many different signs outside each building. The main road through the marketplace was wide enough that stalls were set up in the middle. It seemed that the stall mostly sold fresh produce, fish and meat. Kind of like a farmers’ market. As I walked through the market, sellers called out to me trying to get my attention, hoping I would buy something.

  I came across a store that supposedly sold magic items and went inside. A bell sounded as I opened the door, and a figure appeared to be startled. He was behind a counter. “Welcome to Eldro’s Magic shop. I am Eldro, owner and proprietor. How can I help you today sire?” Eldro was very small, more gnome sized than human. He had a white mustache and beard, along with Albert Einstein hair.

  “What sort of item do you sell here?”, I asked. I looked around and there were rows of bottles with different colored liquids, an assortment of weird animal bones, trinkets, and books. All behind locked glass doors. There were some large items, that could not be easily pilfered in the main area. It was obvious the proprietor was worried about theft.

  “We have potions, augmenters, books, and alchemical ingredients. Mostly common magical items. If you are interested in specific magic item, let me know and I can check with other dealers to see if someone had it.”

  “Well, I am interested in healing potions, curative scrolls, and basic books on magical theory. I would also like something on the basics of alchemy and enchanting. Any books on healing magic would be exceptional. Do you have something like that?” I asked, expecting a negative response.

  “I have 5 different levels of healing potion. They are expensive, but if you are an adventurer they are priceless. I have not heard of curative scrolls. Healing magic itself is extremely rare, almost unheard of.” He moved toward the bookcase, unlocked it and pulled out four books. “I have never heard of books on healing magic. I have a basic magic theory book.” He floated one of the books from the bookcase to the counter. “These books cover the basics of elemental magic. They are Fire, Earth, and Water. I don’t have an Air book.” He made a motion and the remaining three books floated to the counter. He then moved to the potion case. He pulled out 5 potions, and they also floated to the counter. Telekinesis?

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  The books and potions let me know that he really did know some magic. That alleviated some of my concerns about these items actually being magic. I approached the counter and looked over the items. The potions were in small glass bottles that looked like test tubes. Each was a different shade of red. From very light red to an almost black red. Each gave off a different level of magic. I lined them up according to their magical strength. Eldro was apparently impressed, he nodded and said “At least you can determine magic strength levels. Most people who wander in here can’t even tell if something is magical. What is your specialization? “

  “I haven’t given it much thought, but for now it is healing, which is why I asked about the curative scrolls.”

  Eldro seemed offended when I said Heaven’s Healing. He drew back and huffed. “Please leave my shop. I don’t sell to charlatans.”, and began to remove the potions and books, teleporting them back to the glass cases.

  “What?”, now I was offended. “You can ask Ruberm or the Earl himself. I can heal wounds and cure diseases.” I stared straight at him, giving him a stern look.

  “Prove it or leave.” Eldro said in a harsh voice, edged with hope. He took a knife and made a cut on his forearm. The blood flowed out and started to drip on the counter. I was tempted to not heal him, but figured that if I wanted to buy anything, I needed to prove I wasn’t a charlatan. I grabbed his hand and cast Heaven’s Heal. We both watched as the cut closed and new unblemished skin appeared. Like the Earl, the new skin was very pale compared to the surrounding tissue. I also cued up Diagnose, which showed that Eldro suffered from arthritis. Diagnose lets me see what the target suffers from. Diseases, poisons or curses. I learned it when I cured the Earl. “Would you like me to cure your arthritis?” I asked.

  He looked at me, then his arm, then back to me. “I would be very grateful if you can do that.” His voice was sadly hopeful.

  I cast Cure All. Arthritis is a degenerative disease, so it should work, but as I have very little experience, I took the opportunity to test it. I was pretty sure it could cure the arthritis.

  Eldro’s eyes opened wide as he felt the arthritis fade away. He appeared to be in shock. I checked his condition again; the arthritis condition was gone. I was right, Cure All worked.

  “Your arthritis is cured.”, I said as I released his hand.

  Eldro sat silent and still for about 15 seconds before he shook himself. “Please forgive me Young Master. I have never met a true Healer, only charlatans trying to con the desperate. I humbly ask your forgiveness.”, and he bowed low, his head almost resting on the counter.

  “You’re forgiven. Let’s continue on with the potions and the books.”

  Eldro waved and the books came back to the counter. He waved again and the potions appeared next. This time no floating. Teleportation? We continued talking for another 20 minutes about magic and potions. I asked about how I could learn his telekinesis and teleportation spells. Unfortunately, it turned out there weren’t spells or skills. He had a Gift that provided his telekinesis and teleport powers. It was limited to small objects. He couldn’t even teleport himself. After that disappointment, I decided it was time for me to leave. I decided to buy all the books and potions. The books were very expensive (5 gold), while the potions depended on their strength. I got all 5 for 3 gold. He also gave me a book on enchanting as an apology for doubting my healing. Before I stepped out, I put everything into my storage ring.

  I continued wandering through the market looking at different shops and stalls. I stopped at one stall that was serving food. I got a burrito looking thing. It tasted good and was very filling. There were several shops I marked for future exploration as it was getting to be midafternoon, and I wanted to meet Gabriel back at the house.

  I looked at my mini-map and found a shortcut to get home.