“Potionmasters Pt. 10”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Additional Note: While this story can be read by itself, it is a continuation of a previous Take Ten to Write story. Therefore, it would be beneficial to read the previous parts of the Potionmasters story which can be found here.

It’s still dark out when I leave the house. Hidir isn’t expecting me for another few hours, but I want to get this load of potions to the shop before he wakes up to surprise him.

Still, Corell’s words linger in my mind. Does everything I touch just explode?

The box of potions rattles as I struggle to fit through the door. Even though I made sure to cork them and package them all tightly, they’ve somehow already gotten loose. And this is just the first box out of fifteen that I’ve got to carry over to the shop.

“You don’t think you could suddenly grow hands and help me with these, could you?” I whisper to Berirn, setting down the box.

She ignores me and climbs up on top of the box, curling her tail around her paws.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” I mutter, bending down to stroke her head.

The next fourteen boxes are equally shaky, but I’m able to get them outside without incident. But that was the easy part; now I’ve got to load them up onto my carriage to transport them to the shop.

“We’ve got this,” I tell Berirn.

She licks her paw and drags it over her ear.

I chuckle. “Yeah, we’ve got this.”

I won’t say that I’m weak, but I’m also not one of the strongmen who comes around with the travelling circus. I’m just… average.

Average people apparently tire easily, because I’m only partway through lifting the boxes up onto the carriage before my arms start protesting.

I sit down heavily next to Berirn, who’s still perched on top of her crate.

“You sure you can’t grow those arms?” I pant.

She mewls and paws at one of the bottles.

Kingsbane. When used in the correct dosage, gives the user increased strength and speed. When used in the incorrect dosage, causes hallucinations, brain damage, and death.

Honestly, lifting any more of these boxes might cause me death anyway. Plus, I’ve been around kingsbane long enough to know what the correct dosage is.

“Alright,” I tell Berirn, taking a bottle. Popping open the cork, I say, “Wish me luck.”

I tip the bottle back against my lips and take a gulp. Just one extended gulp should be enough.

I cork the bottle and place it back into the box. The effects of the kingsbane are already beginning.

I grab the first box and easily lift it onto the carriage. Then the next box, then the next. In no time at all, all the boxes are safely stored in the carriage.

“Okay, Berirn,” I say, jumping on the balls of my feet with all my newfound energy, “let’s go.”

Final Comments: This one took a bit longer than 10 minutes to finish. I’m trying to write in more characterization and personality without explicitly telling it… Not sure if it’s working or not.

Overall Rating: 🤔