The Alchemist's Apprentice: and the Ogre's Curse



  The Alchemist’s Apprentice

  And The Ogre’s Curse

  BY SIMON CRAVEN

  Copyright 2015 by Simon Craven

  Publisher’s notes: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions or locales is completely coincidental.

  Table of contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Chapter 1: A New Beginning

  Chapter2: Meeting the Grimly

  Chapter 3: Trip to Bleakwood

  Chapter 4: Encounter in the Ruins

  Chapter 5: The Serpent Tunnels

  Chapter 6: The Warlords Castle

  Chapter 7: Into the Barrels

  Chapter 8: The Dark Damp Dungeon

  Chapter 9: Battle on the Platform

  Chapter 10: Creating the Cure

  Chapter 11: Beyond the Locked Door

  Chapter 12: The Alchemist’s Return

  Chapter 13: Unwelcome Guest

  Chapter 14: A visit to my Mothers

  A special note to readers

  Chapter 1

  A New Beginning

  Ogres are very much misunderstood creatures, I found that out on my sixteenth birthday when I finally met one by the river near my village trying to catch a fish using a stick with a piece of string tied to the end. Now, according to the stories I had been told when I was a bit younger, I should have ran back to my village screaming and get the elders to send out a hunting party to kill it before it wiped out the whole community. But I didn't, what followed on from that day ended up changing my life and the lives of everyone around me.

  The sun shone through my window and onto my face with its warm rays as the combination of that and the smell of freshly baked bread stirred me from my sleep; I groggily sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Today was my birthday! I had finally hit sixteen, it seemed like it had taken forever to finally be classed as an adult in my village, that was a good thing but it also came with its bad points. You see, your sixteenth birthday is a big milestone where I live, when a boy hits that age everything changes, the simple pleasures of messing around outside and having no worries at all vanish and responsibility replaces them.

  I headed to the bathroom and stared into the mirror at my reflection staring back at me. My brown straggly hair was a mess and my eyes were all puffy so I splashed some cold water on my face to try to wake myself up.

  "Are you awake yet Lem?" My mother called up from down stairs in the kitchen. Well if I wasn't I would be now I thought. I got dressed and went down to see what delights she had for me. On the breakfast table sat a freshly baked loaf, slices of meat and an array of fruit, she always made sure I ate well. My mother turned around from the stove as I entered. "Happy birthday Lem," she said with a big smile on her face. "I hope you're looking forward to starting your first job."

  That was one of the bad points of turning sixteen and I wasn't looking forward to it at all. When you turned sixteen you went out to work, you didn't have a choice in the matter. You also didn't have a choice of where you worked either, that was arranged by your parents. If you were rich and your parents had good contacts you got a decent job, unfortunately my mother wasn't rich and she didn't know a lot of people. You see, after my father died of a sickness disease when I was five, me and my mother struggled along on what we had, it was hard but we were happy. I always thought I would end up working in the wood mills in the city of Woodridge or down in Getty working with the horses. That is what our people do. We are Wood Riders, a race of folk that live in the forests supplying timber all over the world, our people were the best at what they did and there was always a demand for our wood. The reason we are known as Wood Riders is because the only form of transport we use other than our own two legs were the horses we breed. We never use any other form of vehicle. When you are living and working in the forests it made sense, the noisy pollutant transports other races used would be no good here, roads would have had to be made by destroying our precious trees and that would never do.

  My mother couldn't get me a job working with the wood or the horses, the only work she could get me was with the village alchemist, joy oh joy, and from what I heard he didn't really want an apprentice anyway but my mother could be pretty persuasive when she needed to be.

  "You are going to have to eat up quickly if you're going to get to Godwin's house on time," she said as she saw the disappointment on my face. Godwin was the alchemist. "Lem, it will be alright there, you will be the alchemist's apprentice making medicines for the villages, it's a good and respectable job to have and you can’t go wrong helping people."

  "I know mother, it's just not the sort of thing I thought I would be doing, that’s all." She slid a plate along the table towards me heaped with food.

  "It's a job Lem and we need the money."

  "I understand that and I will work my hardest, believe me. I suppose I will get used to it eventually."

  The smile appeared back on her face as she reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small pen knife. "This used to be your fathers; he would have wanted you to have it when you came of age." She said passing it over to me. I turned the knife over in my hands, it had been well used, the metal handle had lost its shine and the inscription on it could hardly be read anymore. I pulled the blade out and was surprised at how shiny it was considering the wear and tear on the outside.

  "That pen knife has been handed down from generation to generation and has been well looked after and it is still incredibly sharp so be careful with it. I don't know if it will be useful in your job at all, maybe you could use it for cutting plants and herbs, anyway it's yours now."

  I placed it in my pocket. "Thanks mother, I will treasure it."

  She beamed another smile at me. "Hurry up now, you need to go and be careful, there have been more Ogre raids recently in the surrounding villages so make sure you keep to the paths." The Wood Rider territories bordered the Kalth Mountains to the east which is where the Ogres lived, our people didn't have any problems with the Ogres in recent times and they mostly kept themselves to themselves, but now the Ogres were crossing the border and raiding villages for reasons unexplained.

  "I will be careful mother, don't worry about me, I'm sixteen now you know?" I said and she laughed. I finished up my breakfast and waved my mother goodbye then made my way through the village.

  The alchemist’s house was on the outskirts and a bit isolated situated on the other side of the river that flowed around the village to the north. The sun was out and the temperature was quite pleasant. There wasn't many people about at this time of the morning as I headed down the main street in the village, the people I did see said hello and wished me a good birthday but I could see in their eyes they felt sorry for me having to become the alchemist's apprentice, everyone seemed to know everyone else's business here I thought.

  The alchemist’s name was Godwin and he had a reputation of being a bit of a loner, when he was made to come into the village to administer an ointment or medicine he was always grumpy and rude, not many people had any time for him and only called him out as a last resort. I have never had any reason to need his skills, though my mother had a while ago before I was born. She fell over while carrying a knife and it sliced her arm quite badly; my father had to go fetch him. Apparently from what my mother said the alchemist saved her life; if it hadn't been for him I wouldn't have been born. She told me he was an interesting man but I wasn't sure if
she was being polite or not.

  I crossed the river by the rickety old bridge that spanned its width and walked for a good twenty minutes before I finally reached the alchemist's home deep in the forest. This was the last chance I had to turn around and head back to my house and tell my mother I couldn't do it, but I imagined the disappointment on her face and that's what made me pluck up the courage and knock on the door.

  "What is it?" I heard a shout in reply.

  "Err; it’s Lem your new apprentice." I called back.

  "Who did you say?"

  "Lem, I’m your new apprentice." I repeated.

  "I know nothing about an apprentice, so go away I'm busy."

  I didn't know what to say so I turned to leave then paused. My mother wouldn't have got it wrong I thought, so I knocked on the door again but this time harder.

  "What is it you want? If you are ill or sick slide a note under the door and I will eventually get round to it!" He sounded very grumpy indeed, I had never met the man but with everything I have heard about him I had formed a picture of what he looked like in my mind. He was small and hunched over with a long grey beard reaching down to his waist, he also had unruly eyebrows that covered his eyes and he wore a shabby brown robe. I shook the image out of my head.

  "I have been told to come here today, on my birthday, to become your apprentice, so if you would be so kind and let me in!" I was starting to get a bit annoyed now. There was no reply from the old man. I was just about to bang on the door again when I heard the clicking of locks undoing and catches sliding, the door finally swung open and standing in the doorway was a short graying man, well, he was short for a Wood Rider, he stood about five and a half feet tall, that is classed as small amongst our people, I wasn't that much bigger at six feet but I was still growing. He was smartly dressed with a black tunic that seemed to have too many pockets; he was nothing like the picture I had imagined.

  "Apprentice you say?" The alchemist asked.

  "Yes, my mother had spoken to you a while ago and you agreed to take me on."

  Godwin scratched his short beard in thought. "I don't remember asking for an apprentice, why would I want an apprentice? What does your mother look like?" He asked and seemed to want to get back in to what he was doing.

  "Well, she is about my height, slim and always wearing an apron." I said.

  The alchemist pondered on this for a moment then a realization appeared on his face. "Oh yes, now I remember, she came to see me about a month ago, I told her I only worked alone and didn't need an apprentice but she just wouldn't leave, very forceful is your mother I must say. In the end I agreed just so she would go away," he was looking me up and down. "I didn't think anything would come of it to tell the truth. Do you know anything about this art? I don't turn metals into gold you know? If that's what you think I do." He said.

  I shook my head. "No sir, I don't, and no sir I didn't." I replied.

  Godwin let out a sigh. "Well, if I have agreed to an apprentice then I can't go back on my word. Wait here a moment." He said before slamming the door and disappearing back into his house. I must have waited on his doorstep for at least ten minutes before he finally returned. When he did he was carrying a rolled up piece of parchment under his arm and what looked like an oversized pen in his hand. "Right, give me your hand boy." He ordered.

  Slightly confused I stuck out my arm. The alchemist grabbed it tightly around my wrist and turned my hand palm up and then he stabbed down with his pen like device.

  I screamed out loud yanking my hand back. "What are you doing? That really hurt!" Blood was welling up in the palm of my hand.

  "I don't believe in all the fancy technology these days, I prefer the old fashioned ways. Now stick your hand on here." He unrolled the parchment and indicated the bottom of it.

  "What does it all say?" I asked feeling my hand start to throb.

  "Oh just minor details, now come on and put your mark on it if you wish to be my apprentice."

  I was slightly weary of doing it after what he did and also without knowing exactly what was written on the parchment but I planted my bloody hand at the bottom anyway.

  "There we go!" Godwin said cheerily, "you are now officially an alchemist's apprentice. Be back here tomorrow morning bright and early and we shall begin your training." Before I could reply he had slammed the door again and headed back in to continue his work.

  I stood there staring at the bright green front door slightly stunned at the strange introduction to my new employer. It took me a moment before I started to head back home to tell my mother.

  When I reached the river bank near the bridge I sat on a large rock and soaked up the peace and quiet for a few minutes, I didn't feel as down as I did going to the alchemist's house, it might not be as boring as I first thought it might, Godwin might have a bad reputation but I thought he might be just a bit on the eccentric side. As I laid back and closed my eyes I heard a quiet splashing noise further up the bank and then I heard it again. They say this river has all manner of strange and wonderful fish living in it, I would have a look at what was splashing about and come back later to see if I could catch me and my mother some dinner. I slowly moved closer to the sound using the trees as cover so as not to disturb it. I stopped dead and my blood went cold at what I saw. On the other side of the river to my surprise stood an Ogre holding a stick with a piece of string dangling from its end. This was not what I expected to see. I had never seen an Ogre in the flesh before, I have only heard stories. He was a massive looking brute standing at seven feet tall with huge muscles bulging out of a ragged tunic, he cast the makeshift rod out to plop down in the water and he didn't look happy, his gnarly creased face had a miserable look to it, but that could be his happy face for all I knew. I thought I better get back to the village and let them know, as my mother had said to me there had been a few raids in other villages by the Ogres recently, this one might be scouting out our village to attack it later. I slowly moved backwards making sure the Ogre didn't see me. Then out of the trees on my right a lance of energy burst through the foliage to strike the ground next to the Ogre's feet frightening the life out of me. The Ogre recoiled from the blast, turned and roared in the direction of its attacker before running off into the trees. I was frozen to the spot, what just happened? Then to my right I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, the bushes were rustling and a hooded man dressed in dark green appeared out of them, he slowly walked over to where the Ogre was fishing and crouched down to touch the ground. I was a bit exposed where I was but didn't want to move in case it caught his attention. The cloaked man's head came up and looked around, his gaze passed right by me then back to where the Ogre disappeared. He seemed to sniff the air as he straightened up, then within a blink of an eye he was gone. I only just realized I was holding my breath, then I tried to force my limbs to move but they seemed to be rooted to the spot with fear. My mind was racing, that man wasn't from our village but he did look like a Wood Rider. I racked my brain, the man's outfit was familiar to me I had seen it before but I couldn't recall where I had seen it. Was the man hunting Ogres? Well, that could only be a good thing surly, but then why did I feel more afraid of him than the monstrous Ogre? Finally my legs started to work again, I ran home as fast as I could without stopping and only slowed as I reached my home, I didn't want to worry my mother so I took a few breaths outside to slow my heart rate and calm myself down before going in.

  "That was quick," my mother said as I shut the door behind me. "He didn't turn you away did he?" Her face looked sad and then she saw blood on my hand. "What happened to you?" She said coming over and looking at the stab wound on my palm.

  "I'm fine mother, that's just where I had to mark a parchment for the alchemist."

  "Why couldn't he get you to sign a data slate like normal people?" She paused. "Does that mean he has taken you on?" She looked at me excitedly.

  I nodded. "Yes he has." My mother clapped her hands together and disappeared into the kitchen.

>   "I have made you something," she said as she returned holding a plate with a large round cake sitting on it. Written in icing on top were the words - Happy Birthday to my lovely Lem, congratulations on your new job - her face was beaming.

  "Thanks mother." I said taking it off of her and placing it on the table; I turned back to her and gave her a big hug. She whispered in my ear. "You're now starting out in the world now. Please be careful and look after yourself." She released herself from our hug and I could see tears running down her face.

  "I will only be on the other side of the village and will be returning home every night. Why are you crying?" I asked.

  "I'm just a bit emotional," she said wiping the tears away with her sleeve. "Working with the alchemist will take you away from the village most of the time and I will miss you."

  "I won't be gone that much will I?" I asked a bit aghast by this news.

  "You will be surprised Lem," she took in a deep breath. "That is why I am going to stay with your auntie in Renworth; it's only a short distance from here. I can't stay here on my own and she is by herself also, we can keep each other company." This news shocked me; I couldn't believe she would not be here.

  "But...how will I see you there? Where will I live?" I was getting upset now.

  "You get days off, come and see me then, we are struggling here Lem, you know that. If I can sell this house the money would help set us up for the future, this will be best for both of us. It is only until you have finished your apprenticeship then we can start again. As for where you will be staying, that would be with the alchemist, he will look after you and I know he can seem a bit strange but he is a good man. Didn't you read the parchment you marked?"

  "I didn't get a chance he was busy, how long is my apprenticeship?"

  "It's five years." She said.

  I sat down at the table before I fell over. "It's five years? I didn't think it would be that long."

  "It's the start of something good, with that job things can only get better. Now eat some cake and cheer up." She said.

  I hadn't much of an appetite after hearing that news and also seeing the Ogre by the river but I still got through two large pieces of cake.

  The rest of the day we spent together, we went into the village to get new clothes for me so I could start my job dressed smartly, although I didn't think the alchemist cared what I looked like. My mother got some things for herself and sorted out her traveling arrangements to go to her sisters, she would leave in two days.

  The evening we both spent quietly in our own thoughts, it was quite scary to think about all the changes that were about to happen. I was worrying about the Ogre and the strange man; maybe I will mention it to the alchemist tomorrow. That night neither of us slept very well.