Chapter 237 – Delivery Job Time
Chapter 237 – Delivery Job Time
[It hasn’t been long since we have been to Cancole…] (Eva)
[Technically true.] (Luna)
The invitation was quick, but Anlesa accepted the offer for escort duty. The guild couldn’t get a hold of enough people in time and latched onto Syrus the moment they saw her in the building. The job wasn’t going to be a long trip. The contents were very simple: ensure that the supply makes it to the destination, and ensure that, when offloading, nothing happens to the cargo.
Once that was done, stay for half a day to ensure the situation was under control, then you will be free to return and pick up the reward.
[Well, it's not like we are going to be touring the place. In and out. Simple.] (Syrus)
[As long as they don’t try to stretch the definition of ‘supplying the potions’.] (Luna)
Luna had read tales of these types of contracts trying to stretch the terms, and was ready to enter an argument with anyone who tried to force them to stay or keep them from their money. Though either situation was extremely unlikely for this mission.
They sat in the back of the carriage. Near the supply of potions. Technically on potion watch duty. The items were tied down and in proper crates, but with such an important job, it was standard to have someone on watch duty. It wasn’t a hard part of the job, but it was also one a lot of people were scared to have. The horror stories of people ‘messing up’ while on this duty came circling around whenever such a job came up.
‘Messing up’ in the stories always involved some unavoidable accident, but no matter what, the watcher was always punished.
Where did the line of fiction and reality rest? No one exactly knew, but did people want to risk it? Absolutely not.
So it was going to be up to a game of chance, but Anlesa decided to take the opportunity. The fact that she was the one who made some of the potions brought a different amount of confidence. Mostly one of if something did go wrong, she might be able to fix it. The logic wasn’t exactly sound, but it was the thought that counts, kind of.
[Why did the mine collapse anyway?] Eva wondered; they tried to figure that out before they left, but that had still been a mystery.
[Do we make bets?] (Syrus)
[What would we even bet with?] (Luna)
[Time in the body?] (Syrus)
[Off the table. That is only going to cause issues.] (Luna)
[I figured it would be a good way to bet something really valuable for us.] (Syrus)
[I thought you weren’t that big on gambling actual valuable stuff. What changed?] (Luna)
[Nothing. Just figured I could use some extra time.] (Syrus)
[Sure you did.] Luna just figured Syrus was stirring the pot.
[...Besides the actual betting part. What are people's thoughts on the mine collapse?] (Eva)
There was a moment of silence as people thought about their answers.
[An earth shake? That is a common reason for a mine to collapse. They are hard to predict, and even weak ones can cause serious damage to an underground structure.] (Luna)
[I’m guessing a mistake with explosives.] (Syrus)
[That is the second most common reason.] (Luna)
[Are explosives used often in mining trips?] (Eva)
[Depends. The material to make explosives is hard to come by, so most explosions are done through attributes. But either way, the idea remains the same, boom, and the cave becomes bigger. For people who want to speed up operations, it was always a delightful option. Minus the possible issues that are conveniently ignored.] Luna remembered reading the historic records on mining accidents. The use of Attributes to speed up the process that ended up backfiring was staggering.
Eva went silent as she thought about Luna’s words. She understood the purposes and merit of such exploration and use of explosives, no matter the form. But there was the tone she recognised in Luna’s voice that made it clear that accidents because of it were common. Her mind went to complain about why such methods weren’t properly tested. If the effects were studied, then they should’ve been able to implement proper safety procedures.
[With all the potions they have ordered. We can assume this isn’t a small accident.] (Eva)
[No doubt about that.] Syrus glanced at the stack of potions by their side. It was plenty. So the fact they required multiple loads was ridiculous and equally concerning.
The carriage suddenly wobbled, and Anlesa moved to stabilise the payload. There shouldn’t be any issue. It was tied down, and they performed the tying, but they weren’t going to risk the job on just praying everything would go well.
The initial pop bounce was followed by a short, smooth path, and Anlesa slowly left her hand off the potion stack. Only for the carriage to start bouncing violently.
They expected the shaking to last for at most a few seconds, but after fifteen, they got annoyed.
“Did the driver go down the paddock?” Syrus swore under her breath.
They couldn't see what was going on. The carriage had been completely covered for security purposes. If bandits could see potions being transported, then their desire to risk it for profit was known to increase.
Potions were a valuable commodity for bandits. They were an excellent item to trade and sell for normal people, and for bandits, that fact didn’t change. In some markets, potions were hard to come by, so additional supply always made splashes. They were also just very good for bandits to keep. As criminals, they didn’t have many places they could get patched up by professional hands. Potions were at least an alternative that offered flexibility.
After another thirty seconds, Syrus decided to yell out. “Is everything alright or did you replace the donkey with a carnivorous pig?!”
“JUST SOME ROUGH TERRAIN!”
“WHAT?! DID YOU TRY TAKING A SHORTCUT? THE ROAD TO CANCOLE MAY NOT BE SILKY SMOOTH, BUT THEY ARE BETTER THAN THIS SHIT!” Syrus scoffed and was ready to beat the driver's arse if he actually went off route to make up time for leaving late. Which was the woman's own damn fault for being late.
Eventually the shaking did stop. After way too long.
Anlesa did think about exiting to complain but chose to stay in the carriage until the trip was over. The last thing she wanted was for them to blame her for something going wrong the moment they stood up.
The carriage finally came to a stop, and they heard the driver speak up to the other people on horses. “We will be resting for five hours. Then we will be waking up and reaching our destination in the morning.” The moon was rising, and they would have to make camp eventually.
Time for the humans and animals to rest, and if everything went well, they would be at the mines in the morning.
Syrus walked to the front of the carriage, where she received a sneer from the driver.
[Does she want me to punch her in the face?] (Syrus)
[I understand the sentiment.] (Luna)
[So I have permission?] (Syrus)
[I understand the sentiment.] (Luna)
[Sheesh. Fine. I won’t punch her.] (Syrus)
“I hope you didn’t break any of the potions.” The driver said with a level
“If you learn how to properly drive a carriage or learn how to not be late, then such possibilities of a smashed bottle would be greatly lessened.” Luna stared the driver directly in the eyes without blinking. “But it is hard to improve idiocy.”
“Do you know you are talking to the chef?” The woman stated as if it was the most important fact in the world.
“I am not planning on being afflicted with food poisoning." Luna smiled and walked back to the carriage to pick up her bag, which had supplies for the trip. “Please. Look after your own health and safety.”
A few of the hunters started laughing, completely ignoring the glares the driver sent their way.