94 Help (1/2)

Li did not have to do much, not needing to brew up any last minute elixirs or use healing spells, so he let everyone else handle the situation.

In the end, matters got settled fairly quickly.

Jeanne healed Azhar and took him from Launcelot, carrying him over her shoulder. She managed to do it easily because of both her height and inhuman strength, and she insisted on doing it because she wanted it to be Triple Threat that brought him back home, not anyone else.

While she carried Azhar home, Sylvie and Launcelot talked, hashing out the details for having his party temporarily join Triple Threat in the Chattering Forest and, potentially, if Azhar did not recover quickly, down to Duvin to face off against the Gigantopede.

Before Sylvie left, though, she promised to return with ingredients for Li and asked him to take care of Azhar if he ever showed up around the farm. Li had agreed, but he did not really expect to do anything. He doubted that Azhar would show himself to Li or the farm – the site of his shameful defeat – anytime soon.

So, as Li closed the door to the cottage behind as after everyone had left, the wyrm immediately plopping herself down by the fire to sleep, he figured that he was in for a couple of slow days brewing elixirs with Iona for the adventurers that would pick up the slack now for Riviera now that both its top ranked parties were gone.

Though, Li figured, the days would only be slow until harvest came, when he would arrange his meeting with Alexei. Until then, he would juggle his free time in between training his forest spirit powers, exercising the wyrm, and taking a look at the old farmhouses to see how he could buy them up.

The next day, in contrast to the tumultuous night before, was a mellow and summery calm. Sun neither too bright nor too overcast. Neither too hot nor too cold. Breeze neither too strong nor calm. A day of moderation.

Li sat in the counter of his stall, his chin resting against his palm as he looked out to the world with a bored expression that must have mirrored Iona's as she worked at the table, mixing up their daily batch of minor healing potions for general use for Riviera's populace.

He scanned his eye to Old Thane sitting in the fields with Zagan at his side, taking a break after weeding the rapidly growing wheat stalks. He had Iona check them just one more time to see if they were at all dangerous after hearing Launcelot's story about cloning, but she confirmed they were harmless.

”It's a slow day,” said Li to Iona behind him. ”Though I guess this is probably why.”

Li reached out to pet the wyrm curled up in a sleeping ball on top of the counter. He worried that the fumes from elixir brewing could potentially harm her, so he had her lie on the counter. He initially tried to tie her to a wooden post right outside the stall, but she snapped the post in two to follow Li, which put a definitive end to the question as to whether she did well when separated from him.

”Mortals are always far too fearful for their own good. They cower even at an infant,” said Iona as she fiddled with a few beakers.

”I mean, I can understand where they're coming from. She can probably gobble up a fully grown man right now,” said Li as he gave the wyrm another pat on her head. Her scales had extended a little, especially on her head, making its previously smooth texture a little rougher.

”Perhaps we can add her to our marketing,” said Iona. She mused to herself for a bit before saying, ”A boost to our anti-venoms, maybe? If we stress that we distill our brews from a wyrm from whom a single drop of saliva will cause eternal numbness that readies its victims to be picked apart from bone to bone, then certainly the mortals will have more faith in them.”

”You've got the basic idea of marketing down, but the way you're saying it, most people will be way too scared to buy anything we make,” said Li. ”Here, I'll give you a better example to the next person that comes to the stall.”

After a few minutes, the next person that showed up at the stall made it clear that it was not time for Li to start marketing.

”Azhar? Do you need anything?” said Li.

Azhar stood in front of the stall with a smile, as if nothing had happened the night before. It honestly did seem that way, considering all his wounds had been healed too. He reached into his leather trousers and picked out a slip of paper that he handed to Li.

Li unfurled it.

It was a note that detailed a large batch of orders for restorative elixirs as well as strength boosters for Azhar. At the bottom of the note, there was a large, flowing signature that marked it as Launcelot's.