Stamina
Noah spent the next morning roaming the village. Before he made any decisions, he wanted to know what this town had to offer and what endeavors it could support. According to his maps, Clive was far from the nation's capital, out in the boondocks. Nevertheless, it had a strong economy, with many professions one might not expect in such a rough area, like gold and silversmiths. In fact, it seemed to thrive on tourism, but no one would ever come out here on vacation. Instead, they came for the natural resources.
Clive had a river for water, some farmland for food, and a vast forest for lumber, but its top commodity was monsters. As Noah explored the town, he saw numerous adventurers buying food and supplies before going off to hunt and gather. In the early 17th century, the fur trade exploded in Europe, sending countless men out into the wilderness of Siberia and the Americas to find their fortune. Here, the principal was the same. Furs were in demand in the big cities, so adventurers spread out to the countryside to hunt and sell their catch, and where there was an exploitable resource, capitalists were looking for people with money burning a hole in their pockets.
His search brought him to the local apothecary, where numerous pots and jars adorned the walls, and different plants hung overhead to dry. He recognized several plants, but many were new to him. An old woman ran the shop, watching Noah like a hawk through the smoke from her pipe. It filled the air, along with several different kinds of incense. No sunlight was allowed in to preserve the plants and potions on display.
"Anything I can help you find?"
"Do you have potions to help restore mana?"
"Yes. I sell them in three qualities at a price of five, ten, and twenty bronze coins, but you have to buy the bottle as well if you don't have any of your own. Look to the shelf behind you, the blue potions."
He examined the vials, three cork bottles with blue liquids, each one a different shade. There was no telling how useful they were. He didn't know how much mana they could replenish compared to the amount of mana he had within him. And the color shade, was that because of the presence of a specific ingredient that increased its potency? Or were they just watered down?
"What about health?"
"The red ones, above them, and we also sell bandages. However, those are only for showing my wares. Simply tell me what you want and my granddaughter will retrieve it from the back room."
How did these potions work? They're a plant-based concoction, but could magic be involved? The idea of learning how to create potions appealed to Noah, but that plan wouldn't go anywhere if it required a special kind of magic. "I'll take one of each type, both mana and health. I'll buy the bottles."
The woman relayed the order to someone in the back room without ever taking her eyes off Noah. A young girl appeared behind the counter, carrying a tray of six blue and red potions. Noah paid and stowed them away in his bag.
"You know, if you have trouble collecting the ingredients, I could help in exchange for a discount."
The woman cracked a smile, seeing right through him. "How nice of you to offer! But my son does excellent work."
She didn't even want him to know the ingredients. It mattered not, as he had ways of finding out. He left the apothecary and breathed the fresh morning air. The sun had broken free of the horizon, and while it was still early, the town of Clive was now fully bustling. He returned to the inn, where Tin was waiting in their room.
"I got the potions."
"Master, you shouldn't bother yourself with such tasks. It is my duty to run your errands."
She was getting clingier; he had been noticing it steadily progressing. When they first met, she hardly said a word, usually only speaking when necessary, such as to acknowledge orders or warn him that something was attacking. As time passed, she got more inquisitive, now doing whatever she could to help him.
She would try to do tasks before he could, no matter how minor, like opening doors for him and retrieving anything he reached for. It was starting to get annoying, such as during breakfast, when she tried to feed him like he was paralyzed from the neck down. But it made her happy, so he went along with most of it and appreciated her affection.
"I'd prefer to get a read on people before sending you to run errands like this. I'm better at detecting scams then you are. Since I now know the price of the potions, I can make sure that woman at the shop doesn't try to overcharge you."
"So what are you going to do with those potions?"
"Now that we're finally in a safe place, I'm going to begin experimenting with my magic, and I need your help for that. Because there was always the threat of monsters, I never allowed my mana to fully deplete. Here, I can start pushing my limits a little." He pulled out the three mana potions and put them on the table. "I'm going to cast my illusion and not stop until my mana is completely used up and the spell comes undone. I need you to monitor my health during the process."
"Master, forgive me, but I'm not a healer. I don't know how to do things like that."
"It's easy. While I'm invisible, I want you to hold my wrist and observe my pulse while counting to a hundred over and over again until the spell breaks. If I should lose consciousness, pour one of these potions down my throat and place my hand over my eye to make sure the spell is cancelled. Should my pulse or breathing stop, there is a procedure I'll have you perform called Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR for short. Lie back on the bed and I'll show you how it's done."
She took the position, and he leaned over her, making her blush. He placed his hand on the center of her chest and felt her become tense. "I can feel your heart beating. Should mine stop, you'll need to press down on the center of my chest in rapid thrusts." He stacked his hands and gave a few downward shoves. The rhythm of his pushing, the way it forced her deeper into the mattress, reminded her of something, and seeing the look in her eye, he knew what it was.
