When Calen came back to his room he immediately gathered his companions, to discuss what they have learned today.
Elira said that the Archdruid knew about the drastic countermeasures hidden in the hollow, and was aware of the changes that Trent made to the enchament, but was seemingly completely clueless as to their nature.
She tried to subtly warn Vinifer about what was going to happen, but was unsure whether the Archdruid understood their message.
Isara confirmed how they got the knowledge to alter the enchament, but Alara couldn't help much on account of not being a real circle member.
Baor told Cassian pretty much the same thing Calen heard from Lydia - they could gather all the druids, but they needed a proper reason to do so.
"Since we have no idea what the druids would consider important enough to call the grand council, I think we have to leave that part to the Elders." Calen stated.
He walked over to the bag he got from Lydia, and took out a heavy, leather bound tome, the only thing on its cover was a faded golden leaf.
"I received a bunch of strengthening herbs from Lydia, and I think there's enough to share with you, but I have to check how to prepare them."
"I can do that for you." Elira offered.
"Thanks, but why?"
She quirked an eyebrow.
"Cal, did you forget what my job is? I'm a potioneer and an alchemist, I specialise in dealing with magical ingredients, herbs included." She pointed at the sack. "Now give me that, I want to see what we have."
He passed the bag as instructed, and Elira looked inside.
She took out a single leaf - it looked like mint, but was milky white, and its surface was strangely glossy.
"White jade is used to make tea, and since it takes just two leaves to brew an entire pot, the amount you have here will last us a whole year, even if we all drink it daily."
Next she took out a rose, it was very small, had no thorns, and the petals went from white to silver at the edges.
"A single flower can make two pills, so you can share it with someone. Thankfully I have everything I need to make them."
"About that one, Lydia was unsure about the effects but was certain it was beneficial, do you know what it does?" Calen interrupted.
Elira nodded.
"According to the legends, a moon rose boosts one's body, mind, and soul - in practice, it means your muscles and bones will become stronger, your willpower will grow, and your spells will become stronger. The only downside is that we have to wait for the full moon if we want to get the best results"
Calen looked at the silver circle in the sky - the moon was waxing, but they were still about a week away from the full moon.
Elira fished out the last herb, a palm-sized sliver flower with countless small petals.
"Well, you'll have to apply this one yourself."
"Why?"
"Because you'll have to submerge in water mixed with the powdered flower for an entire hour. I heard it's quite a painful experience, so I would advise doing it only after we've dealt with the current crisis."
Elira got up, and announced:
"I'm going to boil water for the mint."
She got up to leave the room, but stopped mid-step.
"Actually, come with me Cal, I have an idea."
***
Turns out that there was a hidden kitchen at the end of the corridor, one that Elira turned into her personal lab the day they arrived here.
Various cooking utensils were repurposed as potion making equipment, giving the space a very makeshift look.
"So, why did you need me?." Calen asked, curiously looking around the room.
"I want to test something - the divine flame has purifying qualities, and I think we can use them in the potion making process to improve the quality of the brews." Elira answered, and started rummaging around the kitchen.
"So you want me to help you brew tea with a holy artefact?"
"For now, yes. Even if it explodes in our face, it won't matter since we have so much of it, and if the results are satisfactory we'll use the flame in other things."
Elira put a kettle on the stove, and Calen muttered a quick spell to fill it with water, next, he summoned a tiny flame, and ignited the wood below.
Two minutes later the water started boiling, and Elira threw two leaves into the water, but something strange happened.
The moment the plant touched the liquid, it desolved completely, and the water turned milky white.
"Was that supposed to happen?"
The alchemist was keenly observing the brew
"No, but keep the flame going, it needs to boil for two more minutes."
A short moment later the 'tea' was ready.
"Are you sure it's safe to drink?"
"I'm about to check."
Elira scooped a tiny sample with a ladle, and poured it on a small paper laying on a different counter.
A few seconds passed... and nothing happened.
"It's fit for human consumption, I can't promise it'll taste good, but it won't harm us." She declared. "Now grab the kettle, and I'll take the cups."
***
Calen and Elira went back and presented the tea to their companions, soon enough each of them had a steaming cup standing in front of them.
Calen took the drink and swirled it around - it looked like milk, but a bit brighter, almost as if it was glowing.
When he sniffed it, it smelled like... Well, mint - to be honest he should have probably expected that part.
"Are you going to drink it, or just look at it?" Cassian asked.
Calen looked up from the cup, and noticed his friends were staring at him.
"What?"
"Those are your herbs, you should try them first."
"...You just want to see if something bad happens to me."
Cassian didn't confirm, but he didn't deny either.
Calen sighed, and took a swig of the tea.
The brew tasted similar to regular mint, but slightly milder, and with a sweet undertone - a rather pleasant flavour.
"It's fine to-"
Suddenly, a great weave of nausea overcame him, all he could do was to run to the bathroom, and shut the door behind him.
He found an empty water basin - and vomited inside.
Instead of the expected bile and remains of his earlier meal, a disgusting black slime poured out of his mouth. There was a lot of it, to the point he couldn't quite believe it was inside him just a moment ago.
When he was finished, he took a look at the substance - it was onyx in color, and its consistency was somewhere between rubber and oil.
"Are you alright Cal?" Isara's slightly worried voice came from behind the door.
"Yeah, I'm okay now."
He was more than okay in fact - he felt fantastic. It was a feeling comparable to finally breathing through your nose after a long cold, but for his every sense.
Before going out of the bathroom, he quickly incinerated the weird substance using the divine flame.
Calen opened the door, and asked Elira:
"I assume that wasn't the expected reaction?"
The alchemist shook her head.
"No, what happened to you usually occurs only when using much more powerful cleansing herbs. It seems the flame enchanced the effects significantly."
"Figures." Calen looked at his companions. "You should still drink it, just one by one so that everyone can use the bathroom."
Cassian and Isara had similar reactions to him, but the tea didn't seem to have any effect on Elira.
"If you ate as many weird herbs as I did, you wouldn't have any impurities either." She shrugged.
Thankfully, after the first violent reaction the tea didn't seem to take any effect, and they managed to finish the entire pot.
"Right, since we're done with the tea, I would like to ask you something." Calen started. "Recently I realised that if I have to recharge the entire tree by myself, we'll spend at least another month here. Any ideas on how to speed up the process?"
"Get better at it." Cassian quipped.
"Hilarious."
His friend shrugged.
"The tree feeds off the vitality of the surrounding forest, right? So we could try to revive the vegetation around Greenheart." Isara suggested.
"But how would you achieve something like..." Mid-sentence he understood what she meant. "...The altar from the temple."
"Precisely. The book Ellie took from the temple has an illustration of the altar - if we can find the right materials, we'll be able to recreate it, and hook it up to the main barrier."
"Wait, doesn't this allow us to completely skip confrontation with Trent and recharge the tree in secret?" Cassian asked.
Calen shook his head.
"Unfortunately not, the stronger the tree, the bigger devastation his magic circle will cause. We have to stop him beforehand either way."
Elira looked at Isara and said:
"It's a good idea on paper, but where would you find consecrated stone to carve the altar?"
Calen smiled.
"I think I have an Idea."