Great Harvest 2021, Alchemy?: Chapter 1

What are we looking for again? Specter asked her elven rider.

A few more rare alchemy ingredients.

You didn’t already have them?

No, and there not for me, Maja asked for some help getting them.

Why are we helping? The undead stryx asked crossly. We seem to have been doing a lot for ‘charity’ recently.

First of all, just because we’re mercenaries doesn’t mean we can’t just help. Secondly, the pumpkin harvesting was directly your fault for demolishing the farmer’s field. We were paying back those damages. Besides, I intend to collect extra of each for my own alchemy anyhow.

An annoyed snort was all the elf got from her annoyed Lycan companion. She sighed; she was pretty sure the stryx just didn’t like Maja.

We are about to the forest, where would be best for finding the first item? Specters voice broke into her thoughts.

Probably the river, there’s some bioluminescent moss that grows on the shore deep into the forest.

You remember the Anaruq pack is still loose in there right?

Of course! But this particular variety only grows there.

Fantastic. The faintly glowing stryx stated as she angled her wings to dive toward the part of the river that was in the deepest and darkest part of the Haunted Woods.

Suddenly a red glowing blur came streaking towards them, Sorva ducked as it whizzed past her head. Specter just mentally laughed.

You’ve got to get him to stop doing that! The elf scolded.

I mean, I can try. The stryx said, amusement clear in the mental voice.

Specter had managed to befriend a whisp at last, unfortunately it was a corrupted one. Though the corrupted lycan seemed to be able to get it to cooperate and listen to her commands, so Sorva couldn’t really complain. Regular whisps still tended to avoid the undead lycan, and she loved them so. Specter had named her new companion Draugur. Presently the red mass of teeth came silently floating over to where Sorva sat on Specter’s shoulders and bobbed up and down, brightness also dimming and brightening in what seemed like patterns.

What’s he saying? Sorva asked.

Sorry basically.

Does he mean it?

No idea, I haven’t figured out how to tell. Are you sure you can’t mindspeak with him? Specter asked curious.

I haven’t gotten an answer any time I’ve tried.

Interesting.

By this time the group had made it to their first destination beside the river. Specter and Sorva both went to high alert mode, and as far as either could tell Draugur did too. But the woods where silent beside the common night sounds and the slowly flowing river beside them. Sorva dismounted and set about looking for the moss. Luckily it wasn’t to hard to find, it did glow after all. She grabbed two jars from her saddle bags and started scraping it into them with her karambit. She made sure to be very careful as she did so, the moss was very toxic and would cause some nasty burns to skin. She managed to avoid such a fate this time, and Specter didn’t see anything amiss the whole time to everyone’s relief.

Alright that should do it. Sorva declared.

Specter in response merely angled her shoulders to make it easier for the elf to hop onto her back. After she had safely wrapped and stowed the moss the three took off once more. Once they where safely above the tree line Specter asked, Where to now?

We need some scales from those giant sturgeon fish in the lake to the far north end of the woods.

Is everything from these woods?

This time, yes.

Fantastic.

I know.

With that they set off towards the lake. Draugur flitting around them all the way. Once they got there Sorva fastened the straps on the saddle to her legs, as they where about to do some very intricate flying. The saddle was designed for the pair to fight in, so she had to be able to hold on without her arms sometimes should Specter og upside down or other sudden maneuvers. Or, as in this case, the pair went diving into a lake after massive angry fish. She also activated a spell to seal her saddlebags from getting water in them.

Alright, ready? She asked her spectral companion.

Let’s fish. Specter answered with much more enthusiasm than she had shown in the trip so far.

They dived low and skimmed just over the water of the lake. Really specter did most of the work on a hunt like this, her eyes could see deeper into the dark waters then even the elf’s. Draugur stayed a fair bit above them clearly not interested in getting wet.

There! Was all the warning the Lycan gave before diving straight down, Sorva barely had time to get a good breath before they where deep into the murky waters. She could only just see the massive shape of the fish the stryx had targeted. Before the fight was on. Specters skeletal claws where locked into the fish’s back and she had started working on getting back to the surface and into the air again. Sorva, to help, aimed a bolt of concentrated magic for the fish’s head. It was much easier to get flying if the thing that that was a good quarter of your size was not fighting against you the whole way. She hit and the fish stopped fighting.

Nice shot. Specter said, they reached the surface much quicker then expected because of it. Then flew straight to a large clear area on the shore to clean the fish. Once again Specter and Draugur set about keeping a guard up while Sorva worked. She separated the pile of scales into two piles and into two separate jars again. Then put the meat into some cloth bags that attached to the saddle a bit further back, to better distribute the weight.

All done, we need to get going before other predators notice.

Agreed. The stryx said and they all once again set off to the sky.

Is that all?

For now, yes.

Excellent, the witch better be happy.

With a sigh Sorva agreed, and added, If nothing else, I am.

Hmmmf Specter snorted.

Yet she definitely doesn’t like her Sorva thought amused.