There wasn't much to do around camp. Everyone had already been healed the previous day and nobody had come forward with complications. The various species of beast that pulled the carts were still immobile but would make a complete recovery in time for our departure.
Since Vel and I had dipped into our supply of potions, I took the opportunity to brew replacements. She was off with a group of scouts to gather more ingredients while I processed the weak potions that had been sitting in my storage necklace since we had left Nis. The main difference between a weaker and stronger potion, at least when it came to healing, mana, or stamina, was the concentration. The standard recipe that was taught in Niu for grade one healing potions could get an elf with their vitality attribute in the two-hundred range back on their feet with a single dose.
The issue was, if a child with a vitality in the fifties took the same potion, they would suffer from horrible side effects due to the potency of the magic inside. To prevent this, potions were either brewed or diluted with the right ratio to keep the drinker safe. The general rule was that someone could safely drink a potion with a ten percent variance in vitality. The same rule applied for spirit with mana potions and endurance with stamina potions.
The spares I had were quarter strength grade one potions, the kid-safe ones, since they had been the only ones Vel and I could safely drink at the time. I had the right ingredients to concentrate all of them down to full strength. There were two processes, the easy one that didn't require extra ingredients took two potions with roughly the same concentration and made one that was twice as concentrated, the harder one needed some special ingredients but had a four to three ratio instead, a fifty percent improvement.
The process also took more time but I had plenty of that at the moment. A few people stopped by my improvised alchemy lab to talk throughout the day. Some just wanted to chat, Tinkwire and other merchants were happy to talk shop, a few adventurers wanted to buy potions from my stock, I politely declined but offered to brew what they needed for a small fee if they provided the ingredients, Gaelin and Sebastian joined me half-way through the day and prepared their own potions and other medicinal consumables.
Vel brought back an entire greenhouse worth of ingredients at the end of the day and the five scouts that had gone with her, including Sarah, also had their storage items filled to the brim. I took possession of Vel's supply and, with a sigh, struck a deal with the others, I would brew the potions with the ingredients they provided and we'd split the gold fifty-fifty when they sold them to the rest of the caravan. There was some grumbling and attempts at haggling but I reminded them it would take me most of the day to brew everything.
----------------------------------------
When the crystals started to dim, I placed a safety ward around the improvised alchemy lab and went to help Vel with the evening meal. Sebastian and Gaelin had offered to help with the potion preparation in exchange for a cut. Part of their compensation was the Niu formulae for the three potions. Gaelin knew a variant he had learned on the surface but it was tailored for the plant species that grew there which were less mana-rich than the ones that grew in the jungle and lower.
I wasn't the best cook, Vel had me beaten by miles there, but I was adept at ingredient preparation. One merchant pulled out a large metal surface to grill the meat the hunters had brought back while another had a special pot with several grills inside to cook the rice and steam the vegetables. It took a while to clean and disassemble the three large Jagras but everyone present was highly motivated and the first pieces of meat made their way on the grill plate soon enough.
An entire day without attacks had lifted everyone's spirits. I spotted a few of the more wealthy merchants pulling out bottles of wine and other spirits from their storage items. One of the bards, accompanied by a group of four with small music instruments, formed an improvised jam session around the fire.
Vel leaned against me after she handed me one of the two large bowls filled to the brim with food she carried. I pulled her close with one set of arms and kissed the top of her head.
"Some days, I wonder if we have some kind of curse or if we're just that unlucky," she mumbled between bites, "when I talked with Sarah, she said that attacks on caravans with a Guild escort were very rare."
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
"Probably just a coincidence," I replied. "It's possible that some of the merchants are transporting something a bit more expensive than what's in the manifest. Or maybe it's in the manifest and one of their rivals hired the mercenaries to disrupt the sale. Who knows."
"That sounds … excessive," Vel sighed. "All of that for what? Some baubles?"
"Commerce can be very cutthroat at times," I said as I ran my hand along her hair.
After a few hours, the improvised party wound down and everyone went back to their wagons or tents to get a good night's rest. I was part of the first watch shift while Vel had the second. Some quick spellwork sobered up those who had indulged a bit too much during the evening. Sebastian was the other healer on shift. Jack, the Gentleman Thief, was there as well. His small team were the ones who had managed to gank the mercenary tamer and his escorts.
"So you're actually competent," I patted his back with a big smile..
"When I'm not against some elite battle healer," he grumbled.
"I'm not an elite anything. I wasn't even considered an adult two months ago."
"Apologies if this is inappropriate but, how old are you?" Sebastian asked.
"Fourteen seasons," I said, "that's about twenty-eight human years from what I know."
"Fuck," Jack almost spat his drink, "are you really older than me?"
"I don’t know," I shrugged, "how old are you?"
"Twenty six," the rogue replied, "my parents had a small clothes shop in Pineford, a town on the second level, been an adventurer since I was fifteen since I don’t care much about being a shopkeep. Hard to believe you just started."
"From what I've heard," Sebastian chimed in, "young elves are trained from an early age, even on the surface. I wouldn't be surprised if Liscura has been hunting in the forest for years before she left her village for a life of adventure."
"Vel and I also snuck into a fort full of Drakonians to steal an idol from their priestess," I said with a cheeky grin, "it was part of trial into adulthood."
"Met the fuckers once," Jack grimaced, "attacked our camp in the middle of the night, stole our healer, and tried to sacrifice her to some dragon god. Made it to their camp just in time to stab their crazy priestess in the neck."
"I am glad I never had to meet these distant cousins of mine," Sebastian chuckled.
----------------------------------------
The night was quiet, Vel grumbled when I woke her up for her shift but she was more than happy to jump back into the web with me afterwards. We allowed ourselves a second late morning. There hadn't been many opportunities for us to spend time together during the caravan escort so we savored them.
Once everybody was up, Vel prepared some Jagras egg omelets mixed with some mushrooms for breakfast. I lifted the wards over the alchemy station and checked everything over. The protections had kept people away but they weren't built to protect against dust, leaves, and insects. I chased away a few small bugs that had made their nest under the stone table and cleaned the work surface of any debris the wind had brought.
I pulled the cauldrons from my storage necklace and set them into their respective indentations. Gaelin and Sebastian joined me a few minutes later. The amount of ingredients that Vel and the scouts had brought back was too much even for three alchemists to process in one and a half day. Thankfully, Vel was also trained in alchemy, and she offered to help.
Most of the day went by without issue, people passed by and stopped for a chat. All four of us took a break every once in a while to stretch our legs and clear our mind from the repetitive brewing process. It was during one of those breaks that I was approached by a certain someone.
"Hey," Dimsai said.
"Hello Dimsai," I replied with a raised eyebrow, "how can I help you?"
"I wouldn't say no to some of those healing potions," she glanced towards the alchemy setup.
"They'll be available for sale soon," I said.
"Heard you Dark Elves weren't much for business, must've been some bullshit."
"We adapt," I gave her a shrewd smile, "nothing's free around here after all."
"Heh, that's true." She hesitated for an instant. "I wanted to … well, not really thank you because that was fucking terrifying what you did to my mind but I'm glad you didn't let that crazy rogue torture me."
"I'm not certain she is crazy," I pointed out, "just pragmatic. I'm sure she would have used gentler methods if time hadn't been of the essence."
"Maybe you're right," Dimsai shrugged. "Either way, see you around."
She gave me a lazy wave and walked back towards the big crowd at the center of the caravan circle. I shook my head and returned to brewing. The encounter had been strange but my danger sense perk hadn't sensed anything amiss. It was entirely possible she had chosen to turn her coat around but I would leave the wards around my web on their strongest setting, just in case I was wrong.
The rest of the day was thankfully free of any interruptions. Our team of alchemists managed to brew almost all of the ingredients into grade one potions, both full and half strength doses, and the scouts we had partnered with had managed to sell the stock as fast as we could bottle them. Vel and I made some good money, even after everything was split up.
The evening was a more subdued affair compared to the previous day and the night afterwards was quiet as well. In the morning, with everyone well rested, the caravan left for the second half of its journey. One that would hopefully be more peaceful than the first.