Cramton asked Mefter to tell him the herbs that could help his physical aspect for he was dire need of physical strength. He went to his makeshift house (cave) and took two similar tools with the shape of a tomahawk and ran full speed towards the direction of the center of the forest.
He made several stops on the way to check his direction and ensure he was on the right track. All he had to do to ensure that was climb a tree and check the direction of the tallest tree in the forest. He did this a few times; five times to be exact. He finally arrived at the center of the huge forest. He stood next to the tall towering and looked up at it.
"Just as you stand at the top and look down at all the trees and monsters in this forest, one day I, Cramton Kriste, will look down on all of humanity and the creatures of this world, no, this universe. That I swear on you, big fella. And when that happens, I will come back to this same spot and remind," Cramton said with fervor. His hand was stretched into the air with his fists closed. He made a vow after seeing the tree.
"You finally accepted the name 'Kriste' huh?"Mefter said while laughing.
"Anyways, what a grand ambition you have there, young man," Mefter commented on the previous scenario. 'And I'll help you achieve it,' he added but at the back of his mind where Cramton could not hear.
When Cramton heard Mefter's comment, he started scratched the back of his head with his left hand while laughing nervously.
'I can't believe I said that. What came over me?' Cramton thought secretly so that Mefter could not hear it.
"So.... Mefy, just which herbs should I take? There are so many and different from each other," Cramton shamelessly changed the subject with an inquiry.
He looked around and realized he was standing at the center of the herbarium. Mefter observed his surrounding and told him to take a kind of flower at the base of the gigantic tree.
The flower had sparkly blue petals and a deep purple stem. It's petals were facing down while it's anthers were facing upwards without faltering.
Cramton moved closer to the flower slowly by slowly due to the aura of the flower. The flower was emitting strong vibrant aura that repelled him. He wondered just how potent the flower is if the aura alone could repel him. Had it been someone else, they would have suffocated when faced with the heavy pressure but Cramton was different, his physique coupled with the training he did made him sturdier than most and resistant to such auras.
The repulsion from the flower did not deject him, instead, it increased the greed he already had for the flower. He became motivated. If before he was just curious, now, he definitely wanted it.
He took one step at a time, fighting against the aura with his physical body until he was finally standing face to face with the flower.
"Pluck only one petal from it. That will be enough for you to be able to strengthen your your bones, meridians and muscle structure without dying," Mefter stated, "It's famous for it's miraculous effects in body strengthening."
"Really?!"Inquired Cramton. He was both shocked and happy about it.
He could not believe there existed such a flowers. He hurriedly and ingested it. The petal immediately turned into semi-liquid and entered his body through the pores in his mouth. He could feel the energy coursing through his skin.
It was soothing at first then he felt pain; excruciating pain. He fell down to the ground, writhing and wriggling as black gooey substances were being excreted from his pore. He could feel his bones breaking and repairing, his tendons tearing and repairing, his muscles and tissues stretching, tearing, repairing and contracting, his hair fell off and grew immediately and his skin withered and grew in a continuous manner. He felt as though he was in hell. Even hell might be better than what he was experiencing. As time went on, he could fell his his energy drain.
'Am I really gonna die like this? Fuck!' he thought.
After ten minutes; his most gruesome ten minutes, it finally ended. He had no energy left in him. He lay flat on his back with arms and legs spread apart, breathing heavily. His eyelids became heavy and he fell unconscious.
Some meters away, Meron was standing beside a tree observing the situation. He had been standing there after he sensed someone coming at high speed. Consequently, he saw everything that had occurred. He could not believe there was a human in all Venar that could withstand the turbulent energy of the Blue Spider Lily flower. Herbs like that were not to be eaten directly for their turbulent energy rips the bones and flesh of humans from within to shreds.
He observed for a while trying to gauge if the man lying there was still awake resting or had just passed out. After waiting for a while, he saw that he was still not moving. Meron moved closer to him cautiously and poked him a little. When he saw that he was not respondent, he bent down and checked for any signs of injuries but surprisingly, there was none. He climbed the shortest tree around and plucked some broad leaves and spread them on the ground and lay him there. He collected twigs and lit up a fire nearby to warm the man's body which was ice cold.
He checked frequently but his temperature didn't seem to change. He would have thought him dead had it not been his heart beating from time to time.
When he became hungry, he took some dried meat from his travelling bag and ate it. The sun set but the man had not yet woken up. He decided to sleep and check up on him the next day.
Meanwhile Cramton's body was undergoing a physical, mental and spiritual evolution. His genes were changing and evolving. His body grew some centimeters taller, his bones became sturdier but also hollow, his twelve meridians opened and his body became denser, sturdier more lean and lighter. Moreover, his mental strength and spiritual capacity increased. All his stats were enhanced.
The next day, Meron woke up and ate some dried food then decided to check on the man beside him but when he checked, he could not see him where he last left him. Before he could react to this situation, he felt his hairs standing up. He decided to turn his head and felt the cold edge of metal on his neck. He moved his eyes and saw a tomahawk held against his neck.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my territory?" Cramton asked.
He himself could not understand why he felt that way but he felt threatened when he saw a stranger in the forest.
"I-I come in peace," Meron answered while stuttering.
"I didn't ask that. Answer the damn question," Cramton said in a authoritative tone that left no space for negotiation.
"I'm Meron Amond and I've been sent by King Nisha to get some herbs for her majesty queen."