The Potion of Life

Valaar

The tension is palpable. Everyone is anxiously watching the battle in the arena. The bodies of the two combatants look heavily battered. Covered in sweat and blood, only one will emerge alive from this fight. They both knew this before the battle began. Valaar observes from his box that several people are attentively studying the two slaves: their attacks, defenses, jumps, runs, etc. One spectator will buy the winning slave. Valaar offers excellent slaves, but the supply is limited. The bidder with the best price will receive the winning slave.

Who wins the fight doesn't matter to Valaar, as long as he makes money. He's probably the only person in these stands not paying close attention. He cares nothing for his slaves; they are merely commodities to him, a means to earn money. Cornelius, sitting next to him, is busy writing. Without him, his organization would have been dissolved long ago. Cornelius handles various clients and deals with the financial side. However, being a hobbit, people don't feel intimidated when talking to him. Valaar ensures none of his clients entertain the idea of harming Cornelius. They feel a certain fear when he's around. The name Valaar is becoming more and more talked about in the duchy of Winsard.

Suddenly, the people in the stands start applauding. Valaar looks back at the site of the fight and sees that it's over. Ernu Windil has won the fight. However, he can't enjoy his victory. As soon as the battle ends, several guards enter the arena and escort Ernu to his room. 

"Dowe wants to speak with you, Valaar. He approached me a few minutes before the fight started. He told me it didn't matter who won. He would buy the winner anyway. He's waiting in your office."

"Why are you telling me this now, Cornelius? I've been waiting in this box for an hour. And now you tell me it was already decided who the buyer would be." 

"I didn't say that, Valaar. It's a good tactic to make Dowe wait; he shouldn't expect us to do everything he says. You can decide to whom you sell Ernu, as long as the buyer pays enough, I don't care who gets him. But I'm telling you this now because it seemed important." 

"It's alright, Cornelius. I'll talk to Dowe. Then we'll quickly know what this is about." As he walks into his office, he smells a captivating fragrance. He sees Dowe sitting there, smoking a cigar. Valaar feels the urge to take a cigar himself, but he restrains himself. 

"You didn't think it necessary to at least watch the fight?" 

"Don't worry, Valaar. I'm sure it was a good fight. My contact will compensate you handsomely; what does it matter if I watch or not?" 

"Can I know the name of this contact person, Dowe?" 

"I don't even know his name, Valaar. You know well enough that if I'm sitting in your office waiting, it's serious. He's someone who makes both of us earn well. He just doesn't want us asking questions. I have no problem with that. Do you?"

It was a fact that Valaar had earned a lot of money thanks to this person. But he didn't like not knowing who he was. Everyone in the duchy of Winsard feared the name Valaar. However, this contact person knew everything about him while Valaar knew nothing in return. This made Valaar feel small, a feeling he hadn't had in years. 

"My contact has a proposal for you, Valaar. That's the real reason I'm here. He heard that Duke Jordaan Frasiër's gemstone has been stolen. This gave him an idea in which you will play a role At this moment, you have a nice organization. The villages of Rovalius, Alostum, and even the great trading city of Orolalum no longer feel safe. All thanks to you; everyone fears your name. You've even managed to get them voluntarily giving you money, all out of fear. No one wants to end up in this arena. They all know well enough that there's a good chance they'll die. Brandur Hemelsdag is even too lazy to take action against you. He stays in Horatus to spoil his daughter while you exploit his people without worry. Thanks to the recent orc attacks, the other duchies are too distracted. They haven't even realized that you effectively rule over Winsard. So, the question is, what's stopping you from becoming Duke yourself?"

Becoming Duke himself, Valaar hadn't thought about that. He had never considered it a possibility. "Can you imagine it, Valaar? You as Duke; this would allow you to work on a larger scale. You could even legalize your entire organization. Can you see the profit, Valaar?" 

He'll discuss this first with Cornelius. Cornelius will know exactly whether becoming Duke of Winsard is profitable. Dowe is a good salesman, but Valaar doesn't get caught easily. "So how do you see it, Dowe? How can I become Duke? Do I attack the city of Horatus? Do I kill Brandur and Isabella Hemelsdag? That doesn't seem legal."

"Of course not, Valaar. Haven't you heard of the Hemelsdag family's Grail?" Then it suddenly clicked for Valaar. Right, the gemstone had disappeared into the realm of Batavia. Rumor had it that someone had stolen it. According to local lore, this person would then have the right to become Duke of Batavia. These rules also apply to the Hemelsdag family's Grail. If Valaar were to get his hands on it, he would be the rightful Duke of Winsard. With his organization, it would certainly be possible to steal the Grail. "What does your contact person gain from this? Why does he care if I become Duke? After all, it's all his idea."

"Think of it as a win-win situation, Valaar. By becoming Duke, you'll have more slaves. My contact will want to buy these slaves. This means both you and I make money. He will compensate you for the slaves and me for transporting these slaves with my ship, the Da Capo. What does it matter further?" Whatever the reason for this contact person, it would definitely elevate his organization. Still, he will first have to talk to Cornelius about this. He understands these matters better. "I'll remember the proposal, Dowe. When does your contact person expect an answer?"

"I'm not leaving until I get an answer, Valaar. Do you have a room available in this arena? Oh, and before I forget, my contact person wants me to give you this gift."From his pocket, Konkel takes out a wooden box. He places this box on Valaar's desk and opens it. In the box is a collection of all sorts of intoxicating herbs. Valaar can no longer restrain himself when he sees them on his desk. He takes his pipe and eagerly selects one of the herbs. He can talk to Cornelius later; he'll probably be busy with other matters. First, he'll enjoy these herbs. Duke Valaar, it sounds better and better to him.