Chapter 125 Preparation

  With Maveith trailing me, I ehe library. Schor Favian was s books on a table. “Eryk, I am not ready yet. Trying to decide which books will be most helpful on the expedition.”

  “You are ing to the Haunted Ruins?” I asked, surprised at the old schor’s statement.

  “Of course! Are you not here to pack my things? Mage Castile said, half of your dimensional space is at my disposal, and you and Maveith would carry my pad food. But I think I carry my own food,” he added with a wink.

  I stacked a few books on top of each that he was not using, “This is about half the size of the space, Schor.” I realized the other half of my space robably going to be the potions from Decimus. It would mean I would not be able to pull extra items out of my dimensional space during the expedition, and I was going to have to suffer and carry my gear like everyone else.

  Favian started using the pile to sort a his chosen books. He hemmed and hawed as he made life-or-death decisions in his mind. I waited patiently while he finished, stag eight tomes o my pile. “There. All the books with maps of or pictures of the a Elven city. I wish I had time to copy them as I only need a few pages of each.” I moved the selected books to ste. Favian frowned, “I was still going to cross-reference a few things…never mind. I should focus on pag my ear.”

  I took the opportunity to ask a question, “Favian, I retly fought the elven summoners and took this as a prize. you tell me anything about it?” I pced the runic dagger oable.

  Maveith’s eyes went wide, “That is an exquisite dagger. You already had a runic on? Now you have three?” Maveith said in awe.

  I shrugged, “This is actually a secret. I would prefer if no one knew I had it.” Even if people found out, I was uned. I thought I could sell the dagger eventually, and the more I knew about it, the better I could iate the price. I was also testing the waters oher I would ask Favian to read the script ohree elven potions.

  Schor Favian hahe bde delicately as he studied, “Maveith is right. This is a piece of artwork.” He studied the runic script and other markings on the bde. “I ot read runes. You will o have the Adventurers Guild use a revetion scroll on it or find an enter to decipher them. Most bdes have durability, sharpness, or ever runes on them. But I tell you what these markings are,” he indicated the fine script along the bde.

  Maveith leaned in to look over my shoulder as I studied where he pointed, “And?” It was simir to the elven script I had seen in the books.

  Schor Favian smiled, “It is a legacy bde! See this fiiny script here. These are the names of everyone who has been gifted the bde and when they received it. I am unfamiliar with the dar system, so I ot age the on.”

  “ you read the names?” Maveith asked curiously.

  “Hmm, there are five here: Aelua Jorieth, Fildarae Gvien, Shaerra Gvien, Eliyen Gvien, and Raelia Gvien. All feminine names, if I am not mistaken. Probably a gift given from mother to daughter when they e of age. But that is just my guess.” He pointed, “This here is the fer’s mark. It is not a name, and I have not studied the famous elven smiths, so I ot tell you if it is signifit.”

  The st name Favian read was Raelia Gvein. Was that the name of the nearly dead elf griffin rider in my ste? Most likely, she was going to be made into an essence when I had the opportunity. Knowing her name made me feel a little guilty about it, but it was uo ge my mind.

  I had the two elven backpacks, but both were rger than my dimensional ste, so I would have to search those in private to avoid questions. I was assuming they had food and camping gear. If I even had some private time as we moved out in the m to explore the ruins of Caelora. I took the dagger a it to my dimensional space. Maveith stood up from his croubsp;

  “I found oher iing thing on the summoner,” I randomly produced one of the potions and ha to him. The off-green liquid appeared viscous iest tube-sized vial.

  “I will not questiohod of obtaining these. I heard you were left behind to fight a dragon by yourself,” Schor Favian said, taking the potion ied. “I told you I was a messenger rider in the army. Sometimes, we do things out of y in battle.”

  He studied the script, “This is the alchemist’s mark here. The date is here with expected efficabsp; The potion is named dominate creature. There is a book in the Duchess’ library that talks about potions. Give me a moment.”

  Faviaedly went to the magic se, took just a few seds to pull the book he wanted, aurned. Eagerly paging through it, he found the entry, “A dominant creature potion allows the imbiber to beguile a beast. They will think you are friendly and, if you are able to unicate with them, will perform tasks for you. The greater the intelled resilience of the creature, the more likely they are to resist the effect.” He handed me the book, and I returhe potion to my dimensional spabsp;

  “I am just going to page through this book. I have been w with Decimus, and I am ied in the different types of potions an alchemist brew,” I said, sitting in the chair.

  “There are probably very few alchemists in the Empire that breotion. The upper right has difficulty brewing it, tier four,” Favian said. I saw four stars after the name and nodded my thanks. I paged through the book while Maveith waited for me and then repced it on the shelf.

  “Thank you, Favian,” I said, shaking wrists with the aging saveith waited for me, and we headed to the tower. I found Mateo and Felix in our room pying checkers.

  “I got game,” Maveith said excitedly, going to the table.

  Mateo looked at Felix. “I told you he would eventually e back here.” He focused on me, “Delmar said to find you and have you see the alchemist and schor about filling your space.”

  Felix interrupted, “I was told to find you. Mateo just followed me like a puppy. He has not shut up about your dreamscape amulet and its possibilities.”

  “Eryk is going to let me try it out. Right, Eryk?” Mateo said pleadingly.

  “I told you you o be able to el your aether, Mateo,” I said as Mateo defted. “Are Konstantin and Fvius back yet?” I moved to start preparing my gear on my bed.

  Mateo was sulking by filling a goblet from the ale cask. Felix answered while starting a game with Maveith. “No, they have not returned. Brutus is looking for you, too. Said you have his sword,” he chuckled.

  Mateo was on his sed cup, “How did you get so good with the bde, Eryk? I remember when you joined us a few months ago, you couldn’t beat a single one of us in the pany.”

  “Konstantin,” I offered as an answer. Mateo that, knowing how hard Konstantin had worked with me when he had trained me. When I finished pag, I went to the alchemist floor above.

  Decimus was w furiously between multiple processes, “Eryk, give me twenty minutes. No, wait—watch that table and release the pressure if it gets too high!” I ended up helping Decimus for over two hours. A few ho, I was a celebrated pany champion, and now I was the alchemist’s ckey.

  Decimus’s skin had returo normal but was drenched i as he worked. “Eryk, thank you. I wao try a run at the lesser healing potions since Castile is leaving tomorrow. Put these six in your ste immediately. The harmonization was not powerful, but I think they will work. Also, there are twenty vials of healing salve over there. My processing is gettier, and they should st a good amount of time.” He sat down exhausted in his chair.

  “You mean you are not ing with us?” I asked, with a smile he didn’t catch.

  Decimus jumped up suddenly, nervous, “What? Did Castile say I was going with the pany?” His face was showing panid fear.

  “No, I just thought you might want to go. Schor Favian is going,” I said, trying not to ugh at his ical fear. Then again, I had bee numb to danger and had not even thought about going to an undead city. I was not sure if I was not afraid or just certain I would somehow find a way out of the situation.

  Decimus rexed, seeing he was not recruited. “I am happy in my tower. However, Sobral is not what I expected. The people have no spare for my remedies. Now, with winter almost here, I will ck fresh ingredients, and harmonizing potions is going to bee challenging.”

  I took the vials he indicated and was disappointed he had no more mouthwash for me. I wished Decimus well a downstairs. Mateo was gone, and Felix and Maveith were still pying checkers. We headed down for the evening meal in the barracks. We sat with Firth. Firth gave me an unhappy stare, probably for besting him and winning the bde.

  Firth still dispehe gossip, “The tess is moving her men into the barracks after we leave tomorroarently, they are staying through winter as the war with the Bartiradians is intensifying.”

  Felix inquired while eating half a roasted chi with his hands, “Where are we going to stay wheurn?”

  “First, we o return,” Firth said hotly. “Focus on that.” The meal proceeded in sileer Firth’s ent. I ended up watg a dice game after eating. Benito was running it, and he seemed to win more often than not. They were only pying for coppers, but I still turned down an invitation.

  “Konstantin and Fvius are back,” Bze said from the door. Both scouts ehe dining hall after him to cheers as Konstantin held up the prize, the essence collector. Fvius sed the room, found me, and locked eyes with me for a moment before turning away.

  Delmar appeared, and the two scouts followed him to meet with Castile and Adrian. I was a little worried that they had not asked me to join them. I was the one who had killed the wyvern and wondered what they had figured out. I watched the dice game, and the longer Konstantin and Fvius took, the more paranoid I became. Delmar was with them when they returned, and Delmar approached me with purpose.

  “Eryk, did you get the potions from the alchemist?” He asked quickly.

  “Yes, twenty salves and six lesser healing, but he thinks the efficacy period is short on the lesser healing, so I o keep them stored,” I reported.

  “Good, Castile wants to see you. She is i room down that hallway,” Delmar pointed. He then raised his voice for the dozeill in the dining room, “Get to your bunks. Breakfast at first light, and then we march!” Groaed, but everyone began ing up.

  I stood and walked down the hallway Delmar had indicated. These were the officer rooms for the barracks, and there were four of them. The st door on the right en. Castile was in the room looking at some items oable. A single bed was against the wall under a small window. She looked at me quizzically, “Eryk, e in and shut the door behind you.”

  A closed the door and took the only other seat at the table across from Castile.

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