MA: 98. Potion Taster

Rounding the bandits up was the easy part.

Keeping them alive was an entirely different story. If someone told Red that humans were prone to throwing their lives away, then she’d laugh and say: “Humans aren’t that dumb!”

But looking at how these Syndicate bandits, which were completely outmatched by Red’s group, tried to bark and bite back made her feel like either humans weren’t hyped up to be, or…

“Mental illness.” She concluded and wore a look of pity. “Luckily none of us suffer with that!”

“I like to think we don’t.” Snow sighed.

A band of roughly twenty Trakk Syndicate members were wrapped in bindings. Another ten met their demise either in the hands of Red, or the fangs of Three Paw.

Red didn’t see them as human in the first place. Scum that preyed on other humans? What made them any different to monsters?

It was black and white for Red, with barely any in between.

If she had to put it in a formula, it would be: Hurt human + on purpose = bad + non-human.

A simplified way to put it. That way, she couldn’t overload her poor few braincells.

There wasn’t much information to wring out of them, other than that the Syndicate was based close to the town of Aire. They had been tracking down fleeing villagers for months on end. The purpose was, of course, for monetary reasons.

Trafficking slaves was a large enterprise in Emvita. It did not help that these people were the lackies of higher ups, so many of them were simply “doing as they were ordered,” like hired mercenaries.

But that didn’t explain their ties to Scarlet Logic.

“Do Scarlet Logic kill off their partners in crime just like that? The person from before sounded like they were the boss here.” Red pointed out.

“Probably still a lackey with a bit more power.” Snow said. “Trakk Syndicate again. Not sure what we want to do with them. You knocked them out good. Barely a sliver of HP though. You should be careful sometimes. It’d be nice if you could gain a non-lethal Skill.”

“What’s the point of that?” Red genuinely asked.

“For instance, one of us go a bit crazy. Becomes unstable, if you will. Knocking us out means A: we survive.”

“And B: We get a round two!”

“That too.” Snow smiled, fixing her hood. “I doubt there’d be half a round in me to fight. If I even could.”

Few strands of red peered from Snow’s hood. These strands of hair belonged to Red of course. This way it would be difficult for people to discover her identity as a Healer since it was impossible to have naturally occurring white hair.

There were a thousand ways to dispel hair dye or concealment magic. Furthermore, it was a strictly enforced taboo by at least two Ateliers of the Nexus. Those who dared to break it would inevitably meet their end by a crystal bullet or be publicly displayed as a reminder of the laws in place.

One of Snow and Red’s disguises coming into the town of Aire were a pair of travelling sisters. Snow of course being the older sister, much to Red’s dismay. It wasn’t because of their size differences.

Rather, Red vehemently believed that she was multiple times older than Snow given her origin as a Corrupted.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking… what do we do with twenty rats? Are we slave traders now?”

“We’re close to Aire. We can talk to someone to throw them into a prison, or a holding cell. Aire doesn’t have a Guild per say. Not a proper one you’ll find in the big cities anyway. But it does have a Green Ranger’s Branch.

The Green Rangers were the Branch of the Arachnidia Association; one of 13 Associations that worked closely with the Guild. If there was anyone to trust right now, then it would be them.

Furthermore, they were the same Branch who Theron the Huntsman worked for.

“Then do we just throw them into a brook and call it a day?” Red rummaged through their belongings, taking all manners of coins, jewelry, weapons… the list went on.

None of them were particularly eye catching.

But having more weapons to throw at enemies seemed like a good idea. She plastered them across her body, fitting several daggers along her waist, and two swords along over her shoulder.

“Don’t got enough space in my Dimensional Storage because we’re carrying so much food and water. Luckily, I can easily carry ten times what my Dimensional Storage can on my body!”

Indeed. The amount of weight she carried did not mitigate her speed in the slightest. Were one of the bandits awake then their eyes would be bulging out of their sockets.

Eventually, Red came across flasks of red, blue and green fluid.

Low Grade Healing Potion (Red)

< Restore 25 HP per 25ml. A standard potion contains 100ml of Health Restoration liquid. Efficacy lowers with consecutive use >

Low Grade Mana Potion (Blue)

< Restore 25 MP per 25ml. A standard potion contains 100ml of Mana Restoration liquid. Efficacy lowers with consecutive use >

Low Grade Painkiller (Green)

< Inhibit pain up to a certain threshold. Last for 10 minutes per 25ml. A standard potion contains 100ml of Painkilling liquid. Do not take more than 4 times within a 24-hour period >

The lightweight fluid sloshed around the ball-shaped flasks as Red, after gaining a nod from Snow, took a sip of each potion. After all, how could she not at least taste something that looked so delicious?

Then, she poured a small amount on the open wounds of the bandits and found that it could heal in two ways. The first was through ingestion, and the second was through direct contact with the affected site.

“Are Healers even needed? A low-grade potion means there’s higher versions.”

“Take a look at their wounds. It can close small wounds and stop bleeding at best. Its primary effect is to replenish vitality. Healers restore the body. Also, don’t drink the whole bottle. They’re bad for your liver. Stronger ones can produce a dependency effect.”

“Okie~” Red hummed enthusiastically.

She was fascinated by how powerful these liquids were.

That being said, she rounded up the bandits by their collars.

The town of Aire was around a few hours walk. Red pondered on a plan as she munched on an apple.

“Rockie. Can we balance them on your back?”

“Brrrr.” The Forge Bug shook their head and formed an ‘x’ with their front legs.

Dragging them along was another idea. Perhaps creating a sled out of chopped logs would ensure they wouldn’t arrive at Aire looking like victims of a monster attack?

Would it matter anyway? They were bad people.

But according to Snow, killing anyone anywhere, without the credentials to back it up, was a one-way ticket to becoming a villain. There were laws and incentives to keep people safe, although it was area dependent.

Luckily, they didn’t have to look far to find help.

Figures wearing green leather hides and wielding heavy crossbows dashed through the forest. Their apparels were identical to Mr. Huntsman’s, and they carried a similar air of duty as they stumbled into the open, their crossbows half-raised.

“Halt! Stand where you are!” The first one to arrive exclaimed, raising a hand to prove their neutrality.

Then, he quickly announced his namesake and title with urgency.

“Be at ease, Adventurers! I am Armon! A Huntsman of the Green Rangers Branch; Emvita Central Region!”

His attitude was professional, and he neither the pack of thirteen Huntsmen raised their crossbows at them in a threatening manner.

Instead, they flanked the duo, their bolts pointed at the mound of unscrupulous actors behind them.

Huntsman
Armon

< Fledgling Arachnida >

Soul Rank: Blue | Branch: Green Rangers

LEVEL : 45     ORIGIN : Human     HP : 450

ATT : 100     MAG ATT : 20     AGI : 8

Their stats were nothing special. A single smack would send any of them clutching at a hole in their chests. The hairs on Red’s body rose as she clasped her blade in preparation to strike. At the same time, Rockie placed itself in front of Snow, ready to block incoming steel bolts.

However, Snow tapped them both.

“It’s ok. They’re from Theron’s Branch. You can…”

She opened her diary, and with a thumb, wrote:

< See their stats. The blue box doesn’t lie >