The Witcher: Elder Blood

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***

By the last ten pots of herbs carried to the ground floor, I was cursing to myself. We had to do it all together when we got them upstairs, and the process hadn't happened since my morning workout, when I hadn't even had breakfast yet. I had to take them downstairs myself, because Galantea was watering, and Jennyfera, as often happens, made a resentful look in my direction. And seeing my initiative, the sorceress asked me to take the plants down from our bedroom at the same time. The only thing that could smooth things over at that moment was that Jennyfer had finally finished with her morning chores and decided to make breakfast for everyone before our lesson.

- So, let's start with the basics. Tissaya had made it very clear to me at the academy that you in Ban Arda were less rigorous in your training and more about self-development,' Jennyfer and I were sitting at a small table on the ground floor. After a light breakfast and arranging the plants, it was time to study.

The table was in a corner separated for alchemy. Not an alchemy table where most of the work was done, but simply a place to stack a book of notes and other useful items. In this case, it was Jennyfer's personal alchemy book, in which she wrote down all the properties of the various herbs she knew, the recipes she had learnt and her own observations, the latter not to say much.

Opposite the separated corner was a wall with a door separating a part of the ground floor, inside which was now a room designed as a healing place.

The third and at the same time last part of the ground floor was the merchandise shop itself, which one encountered upon entering through the main door.

- The basics? Come on, Ian, I know the basics of alchemy: theory and practice,' I thought it was a waste of time to double-check my skills and knowledge in the field from scratch. Unfortunately, it only seemed that way to me.

- I will teach you the way I was taught and in exactly the same sequence.

- Okay, so where do we start? I'll tell you right away, I've done enough hangover booze and painkiller ointment, you can definitely skip them.... - I'm getting a judgemental look in my eye. - Don't look at me like that, I used to sell them to the people of Ban Ard.

- Never mind, we'll skip them. But we won't skip the most common healing potion, I need to get them ready for work anyway,' she went to one of the shelves of herbs I'd brought down earlier.

- What kind, natural regeneration or immunity enhancing?

Most potions and ointments didn't have any original name, and were simply named for their effect. This was the case with medicinal potions, there were many varieties of them, and the names could only confuse people and newly minted spellcasters. Simple healing potions were those that helped heal wounds, remove toxins, and speed up bone splicing.

Analgesic ointment was part of the healing classification, but it was an ointment, and it was applied to the wound. It stopped bleeding slightly, and could help with a minor cut to keep the blood flowing. The number of ointments sagged greatly under the variety of potions, but they were easier to prepare. Less magical manipulation was required in preparation.

Alchemy didn't end with potions and ointments - they were just the tip. Advanced alchemists could make elixirs. Their effect is many times greater than any similar potion, however, they can only be taken by wizards who can weaken the side effects of such liquids, as well as witches whose bodies are able to cope with the damage inflicted on the body.

But elixirs are too expensive and are rarely created by wizards. Witches use potions instead. Potions are potions that use toxic parts of monsters. Such potions should not be drunk by anyone but the witches themselves. Because of their less rigorous and simpler preparation, with less use of side effect mitigation, potions are more toxic than elixirs, and not as useful as elixirs.

- No, Eren, today we're going to prepare the ingredients. Tomorrow morning we'll go over the retelling of all the theory on basic herbs and recipes. And, only if I'm satisfied with the results, we'll move on to making each standard potion and ointment one at a time the next day, starting with the healing ones.

- You're not serious now? - she definitely meant it.

- Here, - in front of me was placed a cup scale with labelled balls marked by weight, with which to count out the right amount of ingredients. - And also this, - now she unrolled a thick leather, folded into the shape of a case. Inside were the tools. - Lay them out and start preparing the sheets of Skorocel. I'll go get the small cauldron now, I must have forgotten it in my room.

The leaves of Skorozel, an inconspicuous light green plant, were often found in recipes: dried in medicines; soaked in alcohol and used in regeneration potions. These are just the ones I've learnt. I've also seen in one book that Scorocele leaves are finely chopped and steamed in water and salt, imbuing the liquid with Chaos energy while cooking - in this form they are used in special oils against vampires. Although, it's rare to use oils against monsters, not counting witches. Oh yeah, Skorozel is also used in green colours. Is it worth mentioning how much of this herb Yennifer brought with her emphasis on the healer's path?

Preparing the ingredients took me the rest of the morning. Yennifer was working with me to prepare the healing stuff for spell healing. I say witchcraft because it rarely uses conventional methods. Jennyfer doesn't treat serious illnesses and wounds, and she doesn't know how to do it. All I've learnt from her is that she plans to learn the skills of the local doctors. Together with her spellcrafting skills, such a 'doctor' will be of high value without any embellishments. For now, she will only help with common illnesses, sell healing potions and ointments, and help with childbirth, or on the contrary with the termination of unwanted pregnancies. And one more service, she said, but only in the near future, when she gets better acquainted with the path of a wizard-physician - infertility treatment.

- Hmm, well, that's it for today,' she examined the leaves I'd divided into two parts.

One part was magic-dried leaves, and the other part was simply soaked in Red-Human alcohol. I had to cut out the stems beforehand, the leaves themselves had to be soaked in the pigment of the plant with artificially created quanta of light, and then the sides had to be dried in such a way that a thin layer of fresh leaf remained between the dry walls - in the case of the first variant. With soaking, it's much simpler.

In my way of preparing the ingredients - that is, the enchantment method - lies the main difference between alchemist-enchanters and ordinary people who wish to embark on this path. Without magic, it is difficult to get the best results from the prepared ingredients, and without such conditioning, the final creation will not have the best effect. It is possible to make a healing potion without the complex application of magic, but the difference will be stark.

- That's a great lesson, Ian,' I said sarcastically to the girl, who was now starting to make her own potions. - Are you trying to make me your own apprentice, or are you trying to teach me better alchemy?

- Both. I need to know your level either way. And we-- - he intones the last word as he continues fiddling with a litre cauldron over a makeshift stone warmer. - ...need to prepare more ingredients and potions for the opening. Stop frowning,' I receive a light kiss on the lips as she finally finishes preparing the potions. - It won't take long to go through the basics a second time, three or four days will be enough for you to consolidate what you learnt at the academy, and then we'll move on to what I learnt.

- Yeah, you're right, I won't grumble anymore. How could you even spend so much time on alchemy at the academy when you and I studied for about the same amount of time?

The theory we learnt didn't differ much, we knew the same, except for alchemical recipes and properties of rare herbs and not especially harmful parts of monsters, in which she was ahead of me. But the practice of alchemy itself is much higher.

- Unlike you, I didn't go whoring in Ban Arda and get drunk in my spare time,' she stopped paying attention to me again, turning her attention back to the potion. - Tissaya let me mess around with potions in her private alchemy room between classes and rest.

- Is this related to your illness? - I realised at that moment that I had said too much.

In fact, Yennifer herself didn't talk about her past before the academy and the birth defect she'd gotten rid of only at the academy. I only learnt about it from her parents when we were in the process of moving the girl. In one of the brief conversations I'd had with her parents, of which there weren't many, her mother had mentioned in passing her daughter's cured problems and how glad she was that Yennifer's life was finally getting better.

- Ahem, sorry to bring that up, let's not talk about it,' I decided to bury the subject, noticing her slumped shoulders and trembling palms.

- It's okay, the past is in the past... I'm fine now,' Yennifer continued, regaining complete control over her shaky emotions.

- I'll walk around town, ask around for anyone capable of helping with the morning workouts,' I kissed the girl one last time on the cheek and headed for the exit of the house.