The very next day, Ivita set out with the nine professionals she had previously recruited, Tartax, Vampire Wilson, Vampire Davina, and the Hearthstone Witch, as well as a carpenter, a chef, and a doctor she had previously enlisted.
The reason for taking two vampires out was twofold. Firstly, the skill of mental coercion was indeed useful. Secondly, she didn't feel comfortable leaving these two creatures of the night within her domain.
This group of seventeen got on the road with loaves of bread for sustenance and barrels of beer for hydration.
This was the preference of long-haul travellers: dried bread is not prone to mould, and beer could be preserved for over a month. All much better than water, which would begin to stink within days, and thus, easier to store.
That's why many who regularly traversed the seas developed quite the taste for alcohol.
Actually, it didn't have to be this troublesome.
