Chương 186: Chapter 181 - Human Costs

Alric came down the stairs the next morning to find his personal guard occupying two of the tables closest to the courtyard doors. This was the usual morning sight since he had his own personal guard: swords, belts, armor, and straps strewn across the tables, mingling with toast crumbs and the occasional sausage. One guard was holding his sword up to the light, one eye closed and tongue out, presumably to add an air of expertise.

Another was locked in mortal combat with a buckle, while a third offered the sort of advice that only makes things more complicated than they needed to be. Brannick had claimed the seat nearest the courtyard, his gear already cleaned and arrayed before him in a display of efficiency. The potion pouch lay open, two potions already crammed inside, while he wrapped a third in cloth with the care of someone packing eggs for a downhill race.

"Brannick, good to see you," Alric said as he approached. He would have preferred to say 'morning,' but saying 'good morning' was often seen as snobbish.

"Mister Alric, be seeing you," Brannick said with a grin. Alric pulled out the chair opposite. He had meant to get breakfast, but seeing the potions reminded him of last night.

"How long do those last, by the way?" Alric asked, gesturing with his chin to the potions.

"The potions?" Brannick asked. He paused, lifting one; Alric nodded. Brannick inhaled as if preparing for a lecture.

"Two seasons, that's what we're told," he said, shrugging. He picked up a silver lump of wax, which Alric presumed was the antidote.

"Some last longer, but the Guild says six months. Fresher is better, thought. The joke we make about these things is, even rich adventurers schedule their near-death experiences for spring." Brannick grinned and went back to his wrapping. Alric chuckled, but it was polite, "What do we do after six months? Buy another set?" Alric asked, pointing at the pouch.

"Nah, you can take the old ones in, the alchemists will give you a new set at half price," Brannick explained. He closed the leather flap and shook it, then nodded at it.

"Still expensive," Alric said with a nod; Brannick just shrugged. Six months and better when fresh, when there is more mana. Alric frowned at Brannick's sword.

"Ever used a potion, Brannick?" Alric asked, turning his attention back to Brannick. Brannick shook his head. He put his elbows on the table and glanced upward.

"Never drank one myself. There have been times I would have. Goblin got an arrow in my calf once, had to drag myself to the road, rest of my party managed to help me to a temple. They carried me a distance." Brannick said with a shrug and a grin; he reached down and slapped his leg. Alric nodded slowly. The temple was always an option; back on Earth, an injury like that would have meant surgery, a hospital stay, and probably a limp for life.

"Do you have a scar?" Alric asked.

"Got to the temple fast enough, didn't get one. Would have looked impressive." Brannick said, sitting back and smiling, "Still though, not a day goes by that I'm not grateful that arrow wasn't poisoned. It took us two bells to reach the temple." Alric tilted his head and leaned back, mentally considering four hours of pain and bleeding while grateful to be far away from it.

"You were lucky not to bleed out, I suppose. Is poison really that common, or is that just something they say to sell more potions?" Alric asked, turning his attention back to Brannick.

"Eh… My party did wrap it up, but I was probably pretty pale, as for poisons…" Brannick said. He sat back and glanced at the potion set.

"Not every goblin is going to poison their weapon, but enough do it. Spiders though? Many beasts and plants." Brannick explained, counting horrific things.

"And an antidote works for all of them?" Alric asked, tilting his head at the pouch.

"Oh yes, some death viper? Bad spider? All work the same, you may need to drink a few, though. A healing potion won't help if your blood is killing you." Brannick explained, waving a hand away. So, does it make you temporarily immune to poisons, or does it counteract them?

"Would it work for food poisoning?" Alric asked. Brannick nodded.

"The issue there is knowing if you are poisoned or have an upset stomach. It's why important people have testers." Brannick explained with a frown, "Are you worried about this, Mister Alric? Something we should know?"

"No, no, nothing like that, just want to understand that," Alric said with a fake grin, pointing at the potions. Brannick seemed to understand that and nodded. Brannick lifted his sword and began running a cloth over it. Alric sat back thinking of what he had learned. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. He had eventually put the mana potion into his item box; the moment it went in, he was overwhelmed by a slick, slimy feeling that washed over him.

If he had been forced to describe it, it would have been like being licked by a giant slug. He'd pulled it out immediately, and it was totally inert. The same thing had happened with the sword; anything with mana was effectively 'given' to him when he took it into the item box. Someone else charged that mana potion. It had done what it was meant to as far as Alric could tell; he hadn't felt sick or weak, and the sensation had left pretty quickly. It had just been disgusting.

After he had thought about it, someone else's mana; it would be akin to someone offering their saliva even though it wasn't poisonous. The final result was that the potion was inert.

"Do you guys need anything, Brannick?" Alric asked as he stood up.

"We're all good here, Mister Alric. Not sure how much sparring we can do in winter, though," Brannick said with a frown, raising both hands in a shrug.

"Hmm… We don't have ranged guards, do we?" Alric asked, glancing at the men; nearly all of them used swords and shields, although two had halberds.

"Uh… No, we don't. Archers are tough to find, Mister Alric. I know of a few arbilists, but they are mostly women." Brannick said, glancing at Alric with a frown.

"Arbilists? You mean crossbows? That can work. It's a good thing for you guys to practice, I think. I also don't mind guards who are women, Brannick." Alric said with a frown. He tilted his head as he considered it.

"There will come a time when someone like Seren might need guards. Grab them." Alric said with a shrug. Brannick nodded with his eyebrows raised. Alric headed back to his room, breakfast forgotten. Climbing the stairs, a sentence Stromni had said stuck out to him. Everyone had wished for a potion at least once. He'd been trying to understand the alchemists through herbs, recipes, and now their wax, but everyone had a story. For Stromni, that was his sister, for Brannick, it was lucky not to be poisoned.

He had just approached his rooms when he noticed Lessa was making his bed.

"Lessa, how are you?" Alric asked, deliberately not looking at her. She put a hand over her chest.

"Mister Alric, sorry you startled me." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"My apologies, just wanted to…" Alric began before it occurred to him, "Lessa, mind if I ask you something a bit personal?"

"I… Haven't decided on being a mage yet, Mister Alric." She said, blinking and straightening up.

"Oh no, nothing to do with that," Alric said, shaking his head and raising an arm.

"Decide that in your own time, Lessa, I'm not pushing that."

"Then, what did you want to ask?" Lessa asked, tilting her head to the side. She glanced around the room and frowned. Alric pulled out a chair and sat down.

"It's a bit personal, and you don't need to answer if you don't want to. I'd also like to keep this between us if you don't mind." Lessa's frown deepened, her eyes flicked to the door. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead regarded Alric skeptically.

"Oh, No no no. Nothing like that." Alric said, his eyes widening; he realized he was alone in his rooms and put his hands out. His hands went to his forehead as his eyes widened further at the floor. Lessa began giggling at his reaction; her hand went up to her mouth.

"Ask away, Mister Alric, I won't tell anyone." She said, still giggling. Alric let out a deep breath.

"I'm asking about potions." Alric closed his eyes briefly, he tried not to regard Lessa too deeply, especially if she was smiling.

"Has your life been affected by potions before? Either having or not having one." Lessa's eyebrows rose; she blinked for a moment; she made a hmm sound before sitting down on the bed.

"There are a few ways, Mister Alric." She said once she had settled. Alric nodded, motioned for her to go on. He kept his eyes on the floor, ears burning. Lessa took a deep breath.

"My grandmother used to tell me about my grandfather, he ran because of the alchemists. I don't know much, just he came here with my grandmother and mother and then fled." Lessa said, looking at the shutters.

"Do you know why?" Alric asked, still staring at the floor.

"No, I never met him, I just know they never heard from him again," Lessa said with a shrug. Alric rubbed his knee and leaned, frowning.

"Oh, but Rosa knew about him," Lessa added, turning back to Alric.

"Huh? Rosa the herbalist?" Alric asked, glancing up, then glancing at the wall.

"The same. She spoke to me, and later my grandmother- my gran's memory is going, though. I don't think she found much. My ma also couldn't remember much." Lessa said with a one-sided shrug.

"Still, that's weird," Alric said with a frown that was far more interested than anyone would normally have. Lessa's mouth pulled to one side, and she held up a hand.

"My ma also told me once that when I was a baby, they had to give me a potion." She said, tapping her knuckles.

"Huh? Do you know what potion it was?" Alric asked. He glanced at her and tried not to stare.

"I don't, Mister Alric," Lessa said with a laugh, which caused Alric to turn away again.

"I was a baby after all." Alric scoffed, "Fair enough. Any idea where your mother got it?" He asked, glancing around the room.

"No, my mother just called it a potion. She said it was from my grandfather, but that's all I knew." She said with a shrug and a smile.

"I see, thank you, Lessa. That was all I wanted to know." Alric said, nodding to her. Lessa smiled and nodded.

"I won't tell anyone you asked. By your leave, Mister Alric?" Lessa asked, standing up. Alric nodded with a small smile. So, her grandfather fled them and disappeared. I'm not sure I can learn more there; I'll speak to Rosa anyway. Then a potion may be the only reason Lessa is here to complain about becoming a mage. Alric frowned at the door as Lessa closed it.

"To hell with it." He said, standing. He pulled the mana potion out of his item box and popped the stopper. He lifted the bottle and took a small sip. He frowned as he rolled the liquid around his mouth before swallowing it. It tasted just like the smell of burnt grass he had smelled in it earlier. It just tasted like smoky bitterness.

"So some other herb then." He said, looking at it with another frown. What that other herb is doing, though, is anyone's guess. Not sure it would leak that badly with another alkaline. Alric stoppered the bottle and put it back in his item box. He was just about to put it all away when he noticed something new: the wax could enter his item box despite rejecting mana. He filed that away for later thought. Stromni's sister, Brannick's arrow, Lessa's grandfather, Lessa herself. Human cost adds up fast.

Stromni was right. Everyone's got an alchemist story.