Giant Health Potion [Alchemy]

Giant Health Potion

  Dhaoragan looked at the strange bright red Puller in front of him with puzzlement. She had appeared to Dhao’s secluded cave out of nowhere, burning yellow eyes locked with him as she was waiting for the crafter’s response. Despite Dhao being rather large for his body type, he still felt intimidated by the other giant’s stance and the uneasy vibes she was giving off.

“Giant Health Potion?”

“Precisely.”

“Uhh… I can try but I can’t guarantee success on the first go. May I also ask your name? I’m Dhaoragan.”

   The green guy tried to ease the awkward atmosphere between them, but his unexpected guest maintained her rigid posture and emotionless expression.

“Draharu. Payment won’t be a problem.”

   Seeing how he wouldn’t be able to get the odd lady to warm up even a bit, Dhao sighed and turned around to enter his cozy and spacious cave, gesturing to her to follow.

“Yes, let’s give it a shot then.”

   He guided Draharu to sit by the fire in the middle of the main area, where he had built a pleasantly heated stage around the fireplace, after which he headed to one of the crowded shelves and started looking for something. He rummaged around between books, scrolls, just loose papers with various schemes or notes scribbled on them, all the while Draharu placed down her travelling gear and then simply observed him with her firm gaze. Dhao hummed as he had a bit of trouble finding what he was looking for, but eventually dug out a black withered tome from the back of the shelf, face lighting up with a slight smile as he had finally found the book of healing and energizing potions. He returned by the fire with it, on the opposite side of Draharu and explained the situation to her.

“Alright, I need a little bit of time to find the right page, but would you like to have some tea or coffee or snacks while you wait?”

“No thank you.”

   There was a moment of silence between them, only the joyful crackle of the fire filled the room. Dhao smacked his lips while Draharu still kept staring at him.

“Ooookayyyy… well, just let me know if you need something, alright? I need to focus now.”

   Only getting a slight nod in response, Dhao turned his focus on the tome. He opened the index page first and using his claw to track the tiny rows, he looked up the section he needed, then tracked the page number before rustling with the pages to get there. Draharu decided to lie down instead of sitting, as she definitely enjoyed the extra warmth - she was used to the scorching Sun of Thedale, but business had brought her to Warrenfall, where she didn’t get to feel such intense heat. Letting the heated platform warm her undersides, she kept observing how Dhao was muttering to himself while going through the various inscriptions in the book, at times thoughtfully scratching his chin when he had trouble deciphering some of the written symbols or mysterious notes left by the previous owner. Page by page, he studied the information stored in it, and having unlocked the secrets it held he inhaled with relief, snapping out of the intense focus only to find Draharu still glaring at him with her oddly emotionless stare.

“Good news, the recipe for the potion is here and I should have all the ingredients, let me check if they’re fresh enough, otherwise I might have to send you on a small quest first.”

   Draharu still didn’t respond at all to Dhao’s slight joke, so the green Puller scurried away to check his stash. He found a vial big enough and he had more than enough of the required herbs, but he also needed a small health potion as the base to build it up into a large one. He trotted back to his guest, a slight concern on his face as he had to make a request to her.

“Could you please help me get some Stainberries? Or do you even know what they look like?”

“I can and I do.”

Draharu heaved herself up, grabbed a small worn satchel to store the berries and left the cave without saying another word. Dhao shrugged and went back to making the preparations. While Drauharu was away, he boiled the herbs to extract the essential oils and other useful properties from them, then he distilled the extract to make it more potent. While he was collecting the last drops from the elaborate distilling device, Draharu returned with the requested Stainberries. Her arrival startled Dhao as she was capable of moving surprisingly quietly, only her looming shadow betraying her presence, which made the craftsman turn around with wide eyes.

“I hope that’s enough.”

   She handed the bag to Dhao, who checked for the amount in it. That was definitely more than he needed, so he gave her a thankful smile.

“That’s perfect, you did excellent.”

  Dhaoragan worked the whole afternoon on Draharu’s Giant Health Potion, while the commissioner herself was merely observing the process by the fireplace. Dhao referenced the book he had with utter pedantry, as he truly wished for his craft to succeed. He even didn’t take a break before the shimmering liquid had been carefully poured into the vial, where he stirred it around a bit to cool it down, before turning to Draharu to show it to her.

“Well, this should be done. Want me to try it?”

   Without getting a response, Dhao assumed the awkward staring meant ‘yes’, so he grabbed another small clean vial to pour himself a shot of it. He then sniffed the elixir, examined its color and texture and after being certain it matched exactly the description given in his book of potions, he lifted the vial on his lips and poured the contents on his tongue. The minty taste felt pleasant, and he could already feel a surge of energy bolting in his body, wiping away the fatigue he managed to accumulate from working on it non-stop. He smacked his lips a few times before turning to Draharu with a pleased smile.

“Yep, it’s working.”

   He then opened a small box, looked for the right-sized cap and sealed the vial with the fresh potion for her.