Limits.

I went inside the cave and set up all my equipment for making medicine . I needed fresh water which was not available in the cave . I called out to Sh.e.l.ly "Sh.e.l.ly! . Come here, I need you to do something" . Sh.e.l.ly immediately came running over and waited for instructions . I said "Take this bottle and bring me fresh water . I will set up all the herbs . By the way, you will need to do couple of trips, so be ready when I tell you" . Sh.e.l.ly nodded it"s head and took the bottle while running off to fill it with water .

I measured ingredients as best as I could to make one batch and left them on the side . I also prepared the putty to close the vial after the poison was inside . I carried a bit of it with me just in case but it wouldn"t be a problem to get some more . Coal could sometimes be found as rocks on the ground while clay could be found near wet areas, such as ponds or rivers .

After about 10 minutes, I was ready to start but because I had no fresh water, I needed to wait for Sh.e.l.ly to return . After another couple of minutes, Sh.e.l.ly finally returned with the water . I took out a measuring container and measured 200 milliliters of water . After pouring the needed amount of water into the pot, the bottle was still a bit more than half full, this meant it would be enough for the 2nd batch of poison .

I started the process of producing the Cloud Haze Poison next . First I poured water into the pot and started the fire . I then added Poison Gra.s.s into the water and waited for it to start boiling . When the water-herb mixture was staring to boil, I threw in the Cloud Mushroom . I would need to wait couple of minutes, I decided to prepare the herbs for the next batch . I measure the weight of Poison Gra.s.s, Cloud Mushroom and Haze Flower before the 5 minutes mark was up .

Leaving aside the herbs for the next batch, I opened the lid of the pot and threw in the last ingredient, The Haze Flower . I then Sealed the pot with the lid and waited for it to cook and turn into the poison . I now had a bit of time to spare so I called again for Sh.e.l.ly .

Sh.e.l.ly came running again and stood there waiting for my orders . I said "When I start the next batch, you can go and fill the bottle again, so that I will not have to wait for water" . Sh.e.l.ly nodded it"s head and waited for me to start the next batch . In overall, I was able to create one batch of the Cloud Haze Poison every 30 minutes, so creating a dozen of such batches would take about 6 hours .

Although it was possible to do it this fast, the longer I would do it the more mistakes I would make in further batches, I decided to create 4 batches then rest and continue later, when I"m rested and fresh . The poison now cooked for long enough, I extinguished the flames and waited about 10 minutes for the poison to liquify . After the wait, I placed the vial with a cork that had appropriate hole in it under extraction valve and poured the poison inside . When the vial was almost full, I closed the valve and prepared to seal the vial . With one quick move, I pulled on the vial and sealed it with the putty .

I needed to burn all the remnants left in the pot first before I could clean it . After burning the dregs and cleaning the pot, I again poured the water inside and threw in the Poison Gra.s.s to start the process anew . After the 4 batches were done, I took a break and went out with Sh.e.l.ly to hunt some food . I wasn"t heartless to hunt the furry deer creatures, instead we opted for stuff like wolves or bears .

I needed to burn all the remnants left in the pot first before I could clean it . After burning the dregs and cleaning the pot, I again poured the water inside and threw in the Poison Gra.s.s to start the process anew . After the 4 batches were done, I took a break and went out with Sh.e.l.ly to hunt some food . I wasn"t heartless to hunt the furry deer creatures, instead we opted for stuff like wolves or bears .

It wasn"t hard to find aggressive animals in the forest, the problem was numbers . The further north we went the lesser villages were present on the map . If we were to travel north for about another two weeks, there wouldn"t be any more villages there according to the map . I always imagined how the map of the whole empire would look like . I imagined it as being somewhat round, where the village I came from was located at the south of the empire which was not very far away from the sea, yet I got the feeling that north was not the location of the Imperial City .

I thought "Wouldn"t there be more villages and cities further north if it was closer towards the Imperial City? And also the number of creatures increases the further north we go . This is weird" . Because I had this concept of a round empire, I always thought that I lived at the bottom which was south and imperial city would be in the centre . "It seems that it might not be the case or maybe there is another reason to that" I thought to myself .

Whatever the reason was, I didn"t concern me at them moment . The smallest group of bears we found on our way was 12 of them . While 2 in the group were black bears . I decided to chose this group as hoping to find a small group of 3 or 4 bears was hard in these parts of the forest .

I threw about a dozen of daggers and killed as many normal bear as I could . I usually aimed for heads or heart and because I trained in the Art of Hidden Weapons everyday, I was able to throw 3 daggers at once with one hand . Also because of the training I did in the Art of Stealth as well as Hidden Weapons, it didn"t matter which hand I was using, both hands were equally trained .

I threw about a dozen of daggers and killed as many normal bear as I could . I usually aimed for heads or heart and because I trained in the Art of Hidden Weapons everyday, I was able to throw 3 daggers at once with one hand . Also because of the training I did in the Art of Stealth as well as Hidden Weapons, it didn"t matter which hand I was using, both hands were equally trained .

I could achieve throwing many daggers due to speed and and flexibility of my fingers . I was also better able to retrieve daggers from hidden places on my body, due to the training I did . With that attack 5 bears died and there were 5 normal bears and 2 black bears left . Sh.e.l.ly didn"t wait for the bears to charge towards us and took the initiative to attack .

When Sh.e.l.ly rammed one of the normal bears, I could see it fly into the air and landing on the ground couple of metres away . Fresh blood started to ooze out, I guessed that the bear died from that impact and this astonished me . In the past, Sh.e.l.ly couldn"t kill a bear but incapacitate it . Now though, Sh.e.l.ly actually killed one .

I still attacked other bears while attentively watching Sh.e.l.ly"s next attack . I wanted to know if it was a fluke or was Sh.e.l.ly stronger . After throwing couple of more daggers and killing another 2 bears, I was faced with 2 black bears which I decided to fight in close combat . I also wanted to practise that and black bears were very good partners for that training .

Meanwhile Sh.e.l.ly attacked another bear . The attack again made the bear fly and blood started to ooze out . It seemed that Sh.e.l.ly was stronger now but because it attacked recklessly, another bear got a chance to attack and striked Sh.e.l.ly with it"s paw .

What happened next stunned me . I thought Sh.e.l.ly is going to suffer some damage but to my surprise, it was the bear who suffered damage . With such a heavy strike, the bear actually broke its paw while Sh.e.l.ly seemed to be unscathed from this attack .
Meanwhile Sh.e.l.ly attacked another bear . The attack again made the bear fly and blood started to ooze out . It seemed that Sh.e.l.ly was stronger now but because it attacked recklessly, another bear got a chance to attack and striked Sh.e.l.ly with it"s paw .

What happened next stunned me . I thought Sh.e.l.ly is going to suffer some damage but to my surprise, it was the bear who suffered damage . With such a heavy strike, the bear actually broke its paw while Sh.e.l.ly seemed to be unscathed from this attack .

I no longer had any time to look at what Sh.e.l.ly was doing and simply fought the two black bears . The black bears were faster and stronger than normal bears . Because of that, my skills were tested even further . I had to calculate the behaviour of both bears at the same time and avoid their combined attacks while attacking myself . After struggling for about 10 minutes, I finally killed both bears and saw that Sh.e.l.ly was done as well .

I said to Sh.e.l.ly "You are stronger . What did you do?" to which Sh.e.l.ly draw something on the ground . When I looked at the drawing, it was a vial and it hit me "That"s right! I gave Sh.e.l.ly some Vital Liquid after we ran away from the caterpillar looking creatures . I gave Sh.e.l.ly one to drink and I smeared one on it"s sh.e.l.l . This explains why Sh.e.l.ly is stronger" .

I said "Good but don"t think that I will give you a lot of that Vital Liquid, It will not help you when you really need it" . Sh.e.l.ly nodded it"s head in understanding although I could see some unwillingness in it"s eyes .

I then said "Alright, let"s cook some meat and then return to the cave" . Sh.e.l.ly"s mood skyrocketed when I said that and we prepared to roast our dinner .I went inside the cave and set up all my equipment for making medicine . I needed fresh water which was not available in the cave . I called out to Sh.e.l.ly Sh.e.l.ly! . Come here, I need you to do something . Sh.e.l.ly immediately came running over and waited for instructions . I said Take this bottle and bring me fresh water . I will set up all the herbs . By the way, you will need to do couple of trips, so be ready when I tell you . Sh.e.l.ly nodded its head and took the bottle while running off to fill it with water . I measured ingredients as best as I could to make one batch and left them on the side . I also prepared the putty to close the vial after the poison was inside . I carried a bit of it with me just in case but it wouldnt be a problem to get some more . Coal could sometimes be found as rocks on the ground while clay could be found near wet areas, such as ponds or rivers . After about 10 minutes, I was ready to start but because I had no fresh water, I needed to wait for Sh.e.l.ly to return . After another couple of minutes, Sh.e.l.ly finally returned with the water . I took out a measuring container and measured 200 milliliters of water . After pouring the needed amount of water into the pot, the bottle was still a bit more than half full, this meant it would be enough for the 2nd batch of poison . I started the process of producing the Cloud Haze Poison next . First I poured water into the pot and started the fire . I then added Poison Gra.s.s into the water and waited for it to start boiling . When the water-herb mixture was staring to boil, I threw in the Cloud Mushroom . I would need to wait couple of minutes, I decided to prepare the herbs for the next batch . I measure the weight of Poison Gra.s.s, Cloud Mushroom and Haze Flower before the 5 minutes mark was up . Leaving aside the herbs for the next batch, I opened the lid of the pot and threw in the last ingredient, The Haze Flower . I then Sealed the pot with the lid and waited for it to cook and turn into the poison . I now had a bit of time to spare so I called again for Sh.e.l.ly . Sh.e.l.ly came running again and stood there waiting for my orders . I said When I start the next batch, you can go and fill the bottle again, so that I will not have to wait for water . Sh.e.l.ly nodded its head and waited for me to start the next batch . In overall, I was able to create one batch of the Cloud Haze Poison every 30 minutes, so creating a dozen of such batches would take about 6 hours . Although it was possible to do it this fast, the longer I would do it the more mistakes I would make in further batches, I decided to create 4 batches then rest and continue later, when Im rested and fresh . The poison now cooked for long enough, I extinguished the flames and waited about 10 minutes for the poison to liquify . After the wait, I placed the vial with a cork that had appropriate hole in it under extraction valve and poured the poison inside . When the vial was almost full, I closed the valve and prepared to seal the vial . With one quick move, I pulled on the vial and sealed it with the putty . I needed to burn all the remnants left in the pot first before I could clean it . After burning the dregs and cleaning the pot, I again poured the water inside and threw in the Poison Gra.s.s to start the process anew . After the 4 batches were done, I took a break and went out with Sh.e.l.ly to hunt some food . I wasnt heartless to hunt the furry deer creatures, instead we opted for stuff like wolves or bears . It wasnt hard to find aggressive animals in the forest, the problem was numbers . The further north we went the lesser villages were present on the map . If we were to travel north for about another two weeks, there wouldnt be any more villages there according to the map . I always imagined how the map of the whole empire would look like . I imagined it as being somewhat round, where the village I came from was located at the south of the empire which was not very far away from the sea, yet I got the feeling that north was not the location of the Imperial City . I thought Wouldnt there be more villages and cities further north if it was closer towards the Imperial City? And also the number of creatures increases the further north we go . This is weird . Because I had this concept of a round empire, I always thought that I lived at the bottom which was south and imperial city would be in the centre . It seems that it might not be the case or maybe there is another reason to that I thought to myself . Whatever the reason was, I didnt concern me at them moment . The smallest group of bears we found on our way was 12 of them . While 2 in the group were black bears . I decided to chose this group as hoping to find a small group of 3 or 4 bears was hard in these parts of the forest . I threw about a dozen of daggers and killed as many normal bear as I could . I usually aimed for heads or heart and because I trained in the Art of Hidden Weapons everyday, I was able to throw 3 daggers at once with one hand . Also because of the training I did in the Art of Stealth as well as Hidden Weapons, it didnt matter which hand I was using, both hands were equally trained . I could achieve throwing many daggers due to speed and and flexibility of my fingers . I was also better able to retrieve daggers from hidden places on my body, due to the training I did . With that attack 5 bears died and there were 5 normal bears and 2 black bears left . Sh.e.l.ly didnt wait for the bears to charge towards us and took the initiative to attack . When Sh.e.l.ly rammed one of the normal bears, I could see it fly into the air and landing on the ground couple of metres away . Fresh blood started to ooze out, I guessed that the bear died from that impact and this astonished me . In the past, Sh.e.l.ly couldnt kill a bear but incapacitate it . Now though, Sh.e.l.ly actually killed one . I still attacked other bears while attentively watching Sh.e.l.lys next attack . I wanted to know if it was a fluke or was Sh.e.l.ly stronger . After throwing couple of more daggers and killing another 2 bears, I was faced with 2 black bears which I decided to fight in close combat . I also wanted to practise that and black bears were very good partners for that training . Meanwhile Sh.e.l.ly attacked another bear . The attack again made the bear fly and blood started to ooze out . It seemed that Sh.e.l.ly was stronger now but because it attacked recklessly, another bear got a chance to attack and striked Sh.e.l.ly with its paw . What happened next stunned me . I thought Sh.e.l.ly is going to suffer some damage but to my surprise, it was the bear who suffered damage . With such a heavy strike, the bear actually broke its paw while Sh.e.l.ly seemed to be unscathed from this attack . I no longer had any time to look at what Sh.e.l.ly was doing and simply fought the two black bears . The black bears were faster and stronger than normal bears . Because of that, my skills were tested even further . I had to calculate the behaviour of both bears at the same time and avoid their combined attacks while attacking myself . After struggling for about 10 minutes, I finally killed both bears and saw that Sh.e.l.ly was done as well . I said to Sh.e.l.ly You are stronger . What did you do? to which Sh.e.l.ly draw something on the ground . When I looked at the drawing, it was a vial and it hit me Thats right! I gave Sh.e.l.ly some Vital Liquid after we ran away from the caterpillar looking creatures . I gave Sh.e.l.ly one to drink and I smeared one on its sh.e.l.l . This explains why Sh.e.l.ly is stronger . I said Good but dont think that I will give you a lot of that Vital Liquid, It will not help you when you really need it . Sh.e.l.ly nodded its head in understanding although I could see some unwillingness in its eyes . I then said Alright, lets cook some meat and then return to the cave . Sh.e.l.lys mood skyrocketed when I said that and we prepared to roast our dinner .