After a bit of looking, I was able to find an herbalist that was a little more reputable than the last one I’d visited. It had taken a few attempts, since everyone wanted to sell me one kind of hyper addictive substance or another. One of them was literally labeled with a warning when I scanned it.

  Redeye Mistblossom

  A bright red flower with petals that open into a spiral pattern to spread a mistlike pollen throughout the area in an effort to attract pollinators to take it’s seed far. !WARNING! Highly toxic and addictive.

  It had been snuck into a packet one person had given to me, and the next herbalist I’d checked with had said to find a disposal slime instead of burning it to destroy it. Apparently, it was also a stimulant, which was the opposite of what I’d asked for. When I mentioned the store, the man had even called the guards to go investigate.

  After all of that, I’d asked a few others about the man and he had a reputation for herbal remedies that weren’t too expensive, but were effective. He also had a reputation for refusing orders that he deemed ‘immoral’, which the definition changed based on who you asked. One person had complained that the guy had refused to give him an ointment to cure a disease he’d gotten from a brothel, but refused to say which brothel. I’d raised my eyebrow at Deacon after we’d left and the bard had mentioned some brothels used slaves. Then he’d had to stop me from turning around and having a ‘conversation’ with the guy.

  The whole process had taken a few days, which had given me enough exp over time to level Sneak twice, which was nice. I hadn’t felt the additional stats taking effect, which lead me to thinking that there wouldn’t be any more changes physically. I wasn’t going to complain about that, since they’d always been my least favorite part of leveling.

  Deacon joined me when I finally went back to the shop that I hoped would be my new go to for herbal remedies. There was a little bell that chimed when we entered and I took a deep breath as we went inside. The riot of smells was almost overwhelming, but I was surprised when I could pick specific ones out and follow them to the dried herbs or powders they came from. There were teas and pills displayed on shelves with little tags that listed their name and a brief word about their function.

  “Oh! It’s you again. Welcome back. You haven’t been given something dangerous again, have you?” While it had been empty when we’d come in, the counter now had a man behind it. He was tall, even when compared to someone of a normal height, and had long horns coming from his forehead and curling back over his head. He had an elongated snout that made his words have a strange accent to them, and was covered in a tawny brown fur. As we walked up to the counter, he examined us with reddish brown eyes that had a strange, rectangular black pupil in the middle. Despite his unusual appearance, he was dressed in pretty normal clothes, with an apron over them with faint green and brown stains.

  I smiled, “No, thanks for your help, though. Did you hear if the guy got arrested?”

  The herbalist nodded, “Yep. I helped dispose of his supply myself, since I’ve a friend with a number of disposal slimes he uses for alchemy. You should meet her, I think you’d get along.”

  Deacon held his hand out and the herbalist shook it, “I’m sure we’ll get around to it. How’s business Kolton?”

  The herbalist shrugged, “Good enough. The swarm is a pain for business, but I’ve a personal garden that will get me through with the most common remedies I make. Shelly is having a great time, though. Apparently, the cicada chitin has a lot of medicinal properties.”

  “Really?” I asked, curious. “I’ve been just leaving them, but should I consider collecting them to sell?”

  Kolton tilted his head from side to side, “Any other time, I’d say go for it, but right now supply is way higher than demand and everyone is practically swimming in bug parts.” I got to watch as a shiver seemed to run through him, making his fur visibly ripple. “Not a fun mental image, that.”

  “Agreed.” I said while pulling the cigarette case from my Spatial Closet. “Anyway, the reason I was even going around was to have these examined by someone. I wanted them examined by someone trustworthy, which was why I’d been shopping around.”

  “And getting people to check each other’s work. Smart, though if we’d all been working together it could have been a problem.” He took the case and opened it, taking a deep breath. I didn’t really get his expression, but his voice sounded intrigued. “Fascinating. It’s simple, but a decent blend of healing herbs and sedatives.”

  “How can you tell?” He hadn’t even taken one apart.

  “Because I make something similar, though admittedly lower quality. Dreamroot extract, dizzy leaf, some kind of wood pulp or extract I can’t figure out.” He took another sniff, “Some kind of mint, but it feels a little colder than the varieties around here.” Kolton nodded in appreciation, “An expensive gift.”

  “Tell me about it.” Deacon grumbled, “I got her to let me try one, and it put me out almost before I’d finished one.”

  Kolton nodded again, “Makes sense. The dreamroot extract promotes restful, dreamless sleep and the dizzy leaf can put you into a relaxed state. The mint is probably used to cover the sour taste from the dreamroot.”

  “So, safe to use?” I asked, which was kind of a pointless question. I’d already been using them, for one very specific reason. I hadn’t had a nightmare since I’d started using them.

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  “I don’t see why it wouldn’t.” Kolton replied, holding up the one he’d taken. “Mind if I have this? I want to see how close of a match they are to my own variation.”

  I nodded, “Sure, but if they are, or you can figure something else out can you make a batch for me? These won’t last forever, after all.”

  “Of course!” Kolton said, happily. “It’ll give me something to work on. I’m curious if adding in some dream pit extract would promote positive dreams. If you don’t mind testing it out, I’ll even give you a discount.”

  I paused to consider that as I took another cigarette from the case and set it on the counter for him before putting the case back into my Spatial Closet. “Maybe, though I’d like something closer to it first. Here’s a second so you have a backup for study.”

  Kolton took the second and he made little hopping motions as he took it. It caused his horns to brush the roof and I winced a little as I wondered if that hurt or not. “Thank you…” He paused, “I’m sorry, I think I only got the name of your friend.”

  “Dani will be fine.” I said with a smile. “I’ve still got a couple weeks worth left, would next week be enough time for you to come up with something?”

  “Absolutely. Did you need anything else?” He asked, setting both cigarettes on the counter as he looked me up and down. “I’ve a few herbal mixes that could go into a bath to aid in relaxation, if that’s something you’re interested in.”

  I considered it. “Do you have anything to aid with training mana abilities?”

  The herbalist tapped the fingers of his hand, which I noticed had hardened black tips to them that made a distinctive clicking sound as he tapped. “How fast does it need to work?”

  I looked at Deacon. He took the hint and after only a moment of thought responded, “Slow is fine. Something that can promote regeneration and focus.”

  “Regeneration and focus…” Kolton said, his fingers starting to drum on the counter. “I’ve a few mixtures, but you’re probably better off talking with an alchemist. Herbal concoctions last longer, but are more expensive and less effective. They also don’t work immediately.”

  I nodded, “Sounds fine. I wouldn’t mind taking what you’d recommend from here and then checking out an alchemist and seeing which works better for me.”

  Kolton nodded, “Fair. Give me a minute, I keep the more expensive things in the back.” He grabbed the cigarettes and headed for the back.

  With a sigh of relief, I turned and leaned back against the counter while looking at Deacon. “Is he right?”

  “About the alchemist thing? Probably.” Deacon leaned forward against the counter, propping himself up on his arm with the missing hand. He was just missing the hand now, though part of it had grown out. It was a little weird looking, so he kept it covered. “I personally prefer herbalism buffs because of how long they last. You might get twenty to thirty minutes from a potion. You’ll get six to eight hours off smoking something or drinking an herbal tea.”

  I blinked in surprise, “Wait, really? Are the enhancements from herbalism that much worse?”

  He shook his head, “They’re lower, but look at it this way. A fifty percent boost to your mana regeneration for thirty minutes is good. A twenty percent boost for eight hours is potentially life saving in a longer fight. Plus, why choose.” He shrugged, “Most of them can be taken simultaneously.”

  I looked around at the shelves of herbal remedies and plants and wondered just how strong you could make an herbal remedy. “Think Zaion could come up with something with his mushrooms?”

  Deacon looked at me with a smirk, “What, planning on asking him to be your personal herbalist?”

  “Nah, I want him to do what he dreams of and make some liquor. Just thought he could have a side project too.” I responded, smiling at the thought of good booze.

  “I swear, you act more like an old man at times than even some dwarves I’ve known.” Deacon said as he reached out and ruffled my hair. I slapped his hand aside and he chuckled.

  His comment brought up some mental images I wasn’t happy about, killing my good mood. “Yea… I guess I do.” I said as I thought on the dreams of Alexei’s life. The good times, and the bad.

  Deacon remained silent, having sensed the shift in mood, and we stood there as we waited on Kolton.

  He came back with a small jar that contained a bright blue powder. Setting it down in front of me, he motioned to it with a flourish. “Here you go, mana powder. It’s made from a type of mushroom with mana enhancing properties, and I added some additives to improve taste. I modified it while I was back there with the pollen from a flower that promotes focus. Unfortunately, that’ll make the whole thing rather bitter, so I recommend a lot of sugar.”

  I raised my eyebrows as I looked at it. “I actually like bitter flavors… how bad is it?”

  Kolton seemed taken aback, “Really? Weird.” Then he realized he was talking to a customer and ducked his head in embarrassment, “Sorry. It’s a bit stronger than coffee, but with a savory aftertaste.”

  “That… sounds weird.” I said, picking up the bottle of powder. “Any side effects?”

  “Potential headaches from overuse. Hyperfixation, though that’s technically also the point. There will be an initial nauseous effect, but it passes after a few minutes.” Kolton said, counting things off on his hand. “The regeneration effect will also cause an overflow so you’ll start leaking mana if you don’t use it. It shouldn’t create any problems, though.”

  “Leaking mana?” I asked, and looked at Deacon.

  He nodded, “It’s uncomfortable but not fatal. The mana starts to seep out of the skin and dissipate into the air.”

  “And it’s going to last at least five hours.” Kolton chipped in. “Maybe less due to the ratio of new ingredients.”

  “How much?” I asked.

  “It’ll be 300 PEC. It’d be less, but the mushroom are hard to get a hold of these days.” Kolton replied.

  I blinked and looked between Kolton and Deacon. Turning to Kolton, “Do you have the spores from one of them just on its own? I’ve a friend who has an interest in growing mushrooms and he might be able to do something.”

  “Another 20 PEC and I’ll part with a small packet with the spores. If you can get some growing and supply me with them, you’d turn into my favorite customer.” He said with a laugh.

  I pulled out a few crystals and set them on the counter. “Here, and I’ll see what Zaion can do. I won’t promise anything.”

  After money was exchanged, he got me the packet and we headed out of the store. Deacon looked at me, “What was that about?”

  “What?” I asked, looking at the brown paper packet in my hand. It had a hastily scribbled name on it, ‘Sorcerous Spellcaps’.

  “I just wasn’t expecting you to buy someone a present.” Deacon said as he leaned in to read the package.

  “It’s not a present. Its an investment.” I responded before putting them into my Spatial Closet. “I figured if Zaion can figure out how to grow them, maybe he can add the effects to any alcohol he makes from his mushrooms.”

  Deacon let out a long laugh and we headed back home.