We begin inside a home near the village of Clearbrook. On his bed, an old man was coughing up a storm with his granddaughter watching in worry.
"Can you really heal him with that medicine of yours?" she asked a man in green mixing different ingredients.
"You betcha. Just sit tight." he said. After completion, he approach the man. "There. That should do her. Drink it down slowly now."
"Whoa...I feel amazing." he said.
"No problem. But your lungs aren't what they used to. Try and give the pipe a rest sir, hear?" he asked.
"Thank you so much, Alfyn. Here, this isn't much, but…" the granddaughter said handing Alyfin a pocket of money.
"No need, this is on the house. Hold onto that so you can buy something tasty for you and your grandpa. I'll be back to check in on him." Alfyn said exiting the house.
In this age of time, the art of medicine is still in its infancy. Apothecaries like Alfyn are relied on to aid those who are suffering from diseases and plagues.
After a bit of a walk, Alfyn came to a graveyard where he approached one stone at the end of a cliff.
"Didja see me Ma? I whipped up one heck of an antitussive Elixir back there." Alfyn siad. "Can't believe it's been a year already. Maybe i'm one step closer to being the man he was…"
Soon standing behind him was another young man in green. "Done for the day, Zeph?" Alfyn asked.
"Only two patients today. Having you around sure helps. If only I could convince you to stop handing out discounts." Zeph said.
"C'mon, the poor girl already has her hands full lookin after old Alek. It wouldn't have been right taking what little money she had." Alfyn said.
"If the villagers are healthy and happy, that's good enough for me." Zeph said. "We may be new to this, but nothings gonna come over Clearbrook while were here."
"You bet. Plauges? Epidemics? Bring em on." Alfyn said.
"Hey, Alf. Might there be something youre keepin from me?" Zeph asked.
"Huh? What made you think tha…" Alfyn started.
"Master Zeph!" a villager ran up in panic. "Master Zeph, come quickly! It's your sister!"
Alfyn and Zeph ran back to Zephs house as they saw Zephs little sister, Nina, laying down on her bed.
"Nina…" Zeph said as they looked her over.
"She's definitely been poisoned...bite marks...this is definitely a snake bite but I can't make an antivenom without knowing the kind of snake." Alfyn said. "I'd better get some information around town."
Alfyn knew just who to talk to in Clearbrook, a friend of Nina's since childhood named Lily. Thanks to his handy skills with conversation and inquiry, he was able to talk to Lily about what Nina was doing regarding the snake bite.
"Nina wanted to pick waterblooms for Zeph. i went with her to the cave, but… then this giant snake came out of the woods and bit her." Lily said.
"Don't tell me… was it Amber with blotches of black on it?" Alfyn asked concerned.
"Y-Yes… how did you know?" Lily asked.
"A blotted Viper. If that's true…the only way to make the antivenom is to get some of the venom from the snake itself." Alfyn said. "Guess there's no other way… I gotta go to the Cave of Rhiyo and have a tussle with that serpent. Stay by your sisters Side, Zeph… I'll be back in a bit."
Alfyn left Clearbrook with no time to waste and went inside the Cave Of Rhiyo where the waterblooms sprouted.
"This looks like the place." Alfyn said before hearing a hissing as a large snake slithered into view. "Well, ain't you the fella I was looking for."
The snake then pounced on Alfyn.
"Don't think so!" he said swinging his axe backhanded and knocking the snake back.
The Blotted Viper hissed and pounced on Alfyn's position, the young apothecary barely dodging the strike form its poison fangs.
"You're gonna give me what i need, fella. Albeit not that way." Alfyn said as he continued battling with the Viper.
It was eventually that the Blotted Viper then cornered Alfyn against the wall.
"Oh boy...maybe I shoulda thought this through…" Alfyn said.
The massive Viper coiled its body, ready to strike, and lashed out at Alfyn.
But then suddenly, it was then struck in the face by a swift and powerful kick as the viper gnashed on the attacker, who was surprisingly holding its mouth up.
"Nnnngh…. What are you standing there for?! Get moving, this thing's breath stinks!" A girl's voice said.
"Uh, right!" Alyfn said moving out of the way as more strangers arrived and made sure he was okay.
"Need a hand? I don't think you wanna die before you saved someone precious to your friend." The boy with blue hair said.
"Heh...what a kind stranger you are." Alfyn said with a chuckle as he got back up.
"How are you holding up there, Berge?!" Gemini said.
"Oh sure, ask me that now when I'm wedged in the mouth of a giant poisonous snake!" Flamberge said as the viper shaked its head around to try and pry her loose. "Hey, get the venom already so we can knock this thing out!"
"Actually...knock it out first." Alfyn said.
"Fine." Flamberge said as she grabbed her sword and whacked the snake in the head knocking it out.
"Just need to borrow a little something from ya." Alfyn said draining some venom from its fangs.
"Whew…. Now that was intense." Flamberge said.
"You're not poisoned, are ya?" Alfyn said.
"Nope, I held it up by its maw. It's fangs didn't get anywhere near me." Flamberge grinned.
"Well aren't you the daredevil." Alfyn said turning to Hope. "Thanks for the help."
"No need for thanks, we were just passing by. We didn't want to leave you in any trouble. My name's Jonah Ginova, but my friends call me Hope. What's your name?" Hope asked.
"Folks call me Alfyn, I'm an apothecary around these parts. If you hadn't helped me with that blotted Viper, I wouldn't have gotten what i needed." Alfyn said.
"You definitely took a big risk going up against a critter like that." Gemini said.
"Gemini, don't be so critical. I'm sure he had his reasons for other than saving someone with the antidote." Mahiru said.
"It's for my friends little sister. And with this...I should be able to save her." Alfyn said.
"Then go for it. We'll catch up later." Hope said.
Alfyn nodded and ran back to Clearbrook to concoct the antivenom Nina needed. After he was finished, it took only a few hours for Nina to get better. Zeph couldn't be more relieved. After which, Alfyn met back with the strangers at his Mother's Gravesite.
"You people sure gave me the chance to rescue Nina. Can't thank you enough." Alfyn said.
"Well, isn't that what people like us do? Save people?" Kendo asked.
"You're right on the mark there. Truth be told, i was saved once. Thats why im doin this job, ysee." Alfyn said.
Alfyn knew how to save people with his skills, for he was also saved himself. When Alfyn was young, he came down with a disease that was ravaging the Riverlands. Then a man came with an elixir the likes no one had seen and healed him no charge. He was just a man helping those who needed it as Alfyn thought. Then after seeing him leave, Alfyn thought about...being just like him.
(Cue: Dreams of an Absolution- Sonic 06)
"You know… there are plenty of people out there who might need your help, and not just in the Riverlands." Hope said. "Whaddya say? You up for a little healing tour of Orsterra?"
"You got a strange way of talking. But I do get the idea of yer gibberish. So...think I'll do that. I'm gonna heal folks the world over." Alfyn said.
"Think we can tag along? We're in the business of saving people too." Gemini said.
"Well, sure. You folks did me a hell of a favor helpin' me save Nina. It's gonna be a real treat travelin' together. I think together we're gonna save people the world over. Just like the man who saved me." Alfyn said.
"Now that, is something we can both understand. Partner." Hope said as he and Alfyn bumped arms.
"So, where do we go first?" Charmy asked.
"I'm thinking Goldshore in the Coastlands." Alfyn said. "Might be a nice place to start."
"Going where you decide is the best way to do things. I know, because friends of mine do the same." Hope said as they set out for Goldshore.
And so Alfyn set forth on his journey to travel far and wide and ease the pain of the sick and suffering, just as one man once did for him.
Little did he know what awaited him in his travels….
