Isekai For Hire Chapter 46: Poison Crafting

Read chapter 46 of Isekai For Hire by wk_rust on NovelPedia.

Poison Crafting Lorena made quick work of the locked gate in the tunnel and emerged in the cavernous room, the same bonfire roaring in the center. She was starting to notice the effects of sleep deprivation, despite the full night of sleep she had gotten since the last time she was here. That potion Harkyn gave you takes more than a single nights sleep to recover from. Lorena could feel a slight sluggishness in her movements as she dodged the flickering light playing with the shadows she hid in, then Lingering Shadows activated. She ignored the three second timer, letting her Stealth fall. I need to wake up if I’m going to make it through this. I would think a hardened assassin like yourself would have a few tricks for waking up past exhaustion. I do, but you won’t like them. I also dislike dying, which I have a feeling is very much on the table for us now that we’re back here. Lorena looked at the spot on the ground where she had puked just a day before, the spot now erased. She approached the bonfire, hand outstretched until the flames licked at her skin. She and Ren flinched in unison, but Lorena kept her hand steady, adrenaline surging. She held her hand in the flame for three heartbeats, then pulled it back. She stared at her hand, a slight blister forming on her palm. She poked at it with her middle finger, her chipped nail digging into the sensitive skin and sending a sharp pain up her arm. “Having fun?” Lord Shade said from somewhere in the shadows. She turned toward his voice, but he appeared from a different direction. “Is the air poisoned?” Lord Shade tsked. “Poison a girl once and she gets paranoid. No, the air is perfectly safe to breathe. We’ll get to the poisoning soon enough.” How fun. Lord Shade rolled a table out of the darkness and gestured to it, “lay your herbs on the table and we’ll get started.” Lorena placed them on the table, taking care to balance the vial of blood thorn essence in between two bunches of herbs so it didn’t roll off the edge. Lord Shade raised an eyebrow. “You’ve already extracted the blood thorn essence? How did you know to do that?” Lorena took a second to process what he asked. She really needed sleep. “I had an herbalist friend help, she taught me how to collect it.” “Very interesting. What is this friends name?” “Are we here to gossip or are you going to teach me how to make poisons?” The words left her mouth before she had a second to think, and Ren recoiled at the harshness. He could kill you before you ever felt his blade, please be mindful of that. Her mind flashed to the fear Weaver demonstrated of this man, Ren was right. “Sorry, Lord Shade,” she said quickly, head down but eyes aware. She poked at the blister with her finger, the pain sharpening away the dullness of sleep from her mind. “No worries, I appreciate your excitement. The first thing we’ll learn is how to process herbs. You have already done the most challenging one, so I imagine the rest will be easy.” “Shimmerweed is a versatile herb and can be used in many different forms and purposes. When burnt it gives off a sweet smell that can relax and loosen someones inhibitions. When crushed however, the membranes break down and mix with the weed’s skin.” He gestured for her to start crushing some of the shimmerweed and she broke off a few leaves before tossing them into mortar. Ren, I need you to do something for me. Lorena said as she began processing the shimmerweed. What’s that? When the poisoning starts, I need you to leave. Go deep, as deep as you can. Hide from the pain. Ren brushed up against her, concern wafting across their shared mental state. Why would I do that? You need me. I need to know that you’re okay, and if I can feel your pain, it’ll distract me. But what if you can’t fight the poison? Lorena focused on crushing the shimmerweed for a moment while she grappled with the reality of what was about to come. I don’t know. But last time it didn’t work, so I want to try something new, that’s all I’m asking