Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

Brewing the basic stamina potions is easy, even without the ingredients I only just placed quests for. It would be easier with some birch sap, but I can manage anyway. At least for a few potion bottles to make sure the shelves in the store don't empty completely. Or it would be easy, if I hadn't decided to give in to the temptation to experiment.

Right now I'm grinding freshly roasted coffee once again, while the water is on to boil. Once I'm done with the coffee, I put it in big cup and pour the water to let it brew. I should get about five small potion bottles worth like this.

Then I return my attention to the mortars I prepared and grind some cinnamon as well. Last but not least I crush some sugar as well. I don't know if it is made from sugar cane or from sugar beet, but that doesn't matter anyway. Both have the same properties as far as alchemy is concerned. It isn't birch sugar or sugar made from any other tree sap though, of that I'm certain. Those would make a difference!

I hum to myself as I crush the last of the sugar. I'm in a good mood and the smell of the brewing coffee only lightens it further. Experimenting like this always was one of my favorite lessons and pastimes at the academy. Being almost certain that the result will turn out good only makes it even better.

Finally the coffee has steeped long enough. I don't pour it into the potion bottles yet though. With just one ingredient it wouldn't be an alchemical potion after all. No, first I add the powdered cinnamon and the crushed sugar, stirring the still quite hot mixture properly, to make sure it mixes well.

Only once that is done do I pour the resulting, black as midnight mixture into the potion bottles. The smell is incredibly tempting and I decide to give the residue, if there is any, a little try afterwards.

I don't even try to keep the ground coffee out of the potion bottles this time. Quite the opposite is true. I make sure every bottle has some. Once the bottles are filled I quickly stopper and seal them.

This uses up the last of my wax. This makes getting some my new top priority. Without I can neither properly stopper potions nor make new enchanter's chalks after all.

I eye the residue in the big cup for a moment, activating the appraisal skill in the process.

[Stamina Potion, Quality: Common, A spiced coffee based potion that will grant the person drinking it a second wind, as if their accumulated exhaustion were blown away by an energizing breeze. Still good to use for another 28 days.]

Not a lesser stamina potion, but the real deal. Nice! I decide to give it a try right away. It is just the right mix of bitter and sweet with the cinnamon kicking in as I swallow.

It works as advertised. My heartbeat quickens a little and my thoughts sharpen. I haven't been terribly exhausted, but I feel refreshed anyway. Very good! Except maybe for the slightly too bitter aftertaste of the ground coffee beans. But that is something people can get used to.

I nod to myself. This will do for now. I can see about brewing some with a more traditional recipe later. For now I carefully note down the recipe and the process in my notebook, before putting price tags on the potion bottles and putting onto a shelf in the shop.

As I'm in the shop I take a moment to look outside, down the road, to make sure no one is coming right now. Then I close the shop down for the moment, placing a note scribbled on my design board out front to let anyone, who should happen to drop by, know that I'm out but should be back soon.

I straighten out my clothes a little as well and freshen up at the creek a little as well. Then, after getting some more coin to cover for any purchases I might make, I'm off.

I follow the dirt road in the other direction, uphill, with a little extra spring to my step. It doesn't take me too long to reach the farm Krystina mentioned. The last time I passed it was at night, when everything had been quiet. Now though, the place was quite lively. The difference couldn't have been greater to be honest.

An older man was sitting on a bench out front, doing some wood working. He was the sole island of peace and quiet. Well, him and the two young children watching him with admiration as he turned small pieces of wood into little figures with nothing but a carving knife.

Another child, a slightly older boy, was chopping wood while two more, slightly younger again, were herding a small flock of geese, while at the same time making up silly rhymes. From somewhere inside the farmhouse I could hear the crying of an infant, even if only for a moment, as well.

This place certainly was lively enough. The children all shared some likeness, but no two were quite like the other as far as I could tell. One of the two sitting at the old man's feet for example had much darker skin than the rest, while the other had pointy ears not entirely unlike me.

The old man looks up as I approach. He has to be Krystof. Probably.

“Welcome, young lady, what brings you here?”

I bow, at least a little, and smile in response.

“I'm Valeria, Iwona's granddaughter. I recently took over her shop down the road. I was wondering if I could make some purchases with you since Krystina recommended your farm?”

The smile on his face is a little crooked, almost as if there was a joke I was not privy to. Then he puts down the last figure he carved, a midst a small host of others, pigs, cows, sheep and shepherds and the likes. He pats the two young children on the head as well, as he gets up.

“Play nice, you two.”

Then he motions for me to follow him.

“Lets see what we can do for you. Come on in.”

The insides of the house aren't entirely dissimilar to my own home. Except there are of course differences. The back room here probably serves as a stable, while the front room is the family's home.

A young, rather well endowed woman in a simple dress, Urszula as far as I can tell, is currently nursing an infant. Despite looking rather tired, she flashes me a smile. She doesn't wave or rise though, as she has her hands full right now.

The old man introduces us.

“Urszula, this is Valeria, Iwona's granddaughter. Valeria, this is my daughter Urszula.”

Then without pause he moves on to talking business.

“Well, Valeria, you mentioned purchases. Let's hear it. What do you need? I hope its not anything exotic. We don't have anything of that sort since this is a simple farm.”

I nod in response.

“It is simple things I'm looking for. For one I'm looking for some milk. Preferably cow milk, but I'd take sheep milk in a pinch. I need some honey as well and bees wax if you can spare some.”

Urszula nods, careful not to disturb the infant greedily suckling at her breast, with each item I name.

“I think we have a little of everything in stock right now. If you want the milk fresh you need to drop by in the morning though.”

I smile a little smile myself, as I watch her shift the infant from one breast to the other under whimpered protests. Are the children all hers? Judging by her looks she can't be that much older than me. A few years at most!

“I think it still is plenty fresh enough for me. Most certainly fresher than any milk I have ever had in the city.”

She smiles and gets up, still nursing the baby.

“Father, why don't you get the things she wants? I'll get Ryszard to help her carry them home.”

I wait while she heads outside and he disappears through the door leading to the back.

The old man is the first to return. He brings a jar of honey and a cloth wrapped block of wax on his first trip before making a second to bring a jug of milk as well.

A moment later Urszula returns as well, with the boy who was chopping wood earlier in tow. She eyes the things on the counter and adds up the prices judging by the faraway look in her eyes.

“This should be eleven bronze Crowns. One for the milk, and five each for the honey and the wax.”

I nod and count the coins out of my purse. Then we shake hands to finalize the deal.

The boy in the meantime grabs the jug of milk, the biggest and heaviest of the three items.

I flash him a beaming smile.

“Thank you! I think I can take care of the other things.”

I bow once more to Urszula and Krystof and am off again, with the youngster in tow.