Chapter 33: Marble

Chapter 33: Marble

Theo woke well before Tresk the next morning. His sleep became restless in the early hours, visions of things left undone playing through his mind. The alchemist couldnt tell what time it was outside, only able to conclude that the inky blackness of twilight still hung over Broken Tusk. The visions that brought him awake were those regarding his new tome. Basic Drogramathi Alchemy sat in his inventory, unread. More than anything, he wanted to explore its secrets, but something told him they werent so easily discovered. He snuck out of the bedroom and settled in at the shop, lighting a candle and moving Azrugs chair.

The first quarter of the book described the illustrious history of Drogramath. Theo ignored most of this, finding it to be impossible to understand. The phrases the book used were nonsense, using as many metaphors to describe real things as not. He let out a heavy sigh as he turned to the chapter regarding distillation. It was as bad, if not worse, than the introduction section. Where he expected to find details on his craft, he found more nonsense. His ability to read the book brought him no closer to understanding it. Despite this, he went through the entire section on distillation, committing it to memory.

Buried deep in a description of Drogramaths mastery over a realm Theo wouldnt attempt to pronounce, there were a few gems. While most of it eluded him, a small section concerning the demon lords persistent fire, whatever that meant, related to temperature control. It said that Drogramath tempered his enemies with a flame, like a blacksmith heats a blade, and that constant heat wasnt always the solution. Theo took this confusing message to mean that distillation wasnt only about keeping the fire at a constant temperature. Some essences might extract better if he changed the intensity of fire.

The alchemist withdrew some parchment from his inventory and started scrawling. He labeled it as Drogramath Decrypted at the top, referring to the page numbers and his interpretation. At the end of a few hours' work, he was left with more contradicting information than information that agreed. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. When he first cracked the book open, he expected all of Drogramaths secrets to reveal themselves to him. Theo wanted one, brilliant flash of inspiration to fill the gaps in his knowledge. But the only thing he got was confusion and disappointment.

Theo shrugged, standing and stretching on the spot. Fenian thought the book was a gift, holding that coveted secret knowledge, so it would be worth investigating. For now, he put it on the back burner and planned to do something different for the day. The alchemist wanted to take the day off from distillation to spend his time working on the town. He planned to use his 4 level 30 monster cores when Tresk woke up, eager to see if there were any new picks. Then, there was the matter of the stonecutters endeavor. If he knew Ziz as well as he thought, the Half-Ogre would go nuts and cut as much stone as possible.

Theo felt something tap his shoulder. He spun around, heart hammering hard in his chest, and spotted the grinning face of Tresk standing there. Didnt even hear me, did you?

The alchemist clutched his chest, letting out a sigh of relief. No, I didnt, he said, letting out a few calming breaths. You scared the crap out of me.

Tresk chuckled, picking up the book and looking it over. You can read this?

Yeah, but its not helpful, Theo said, waving her off. Whatever cultist wrote it had more to say about Drogramath than his alchemy.

Thats demons for ya, Tresk said. Cults, in general, like to guard their knowledge.

Well, on to exciting things, Theo said, groaning as he rose to his feet. Lets use our monster cores.

Tresk bounced with excitement. Theo withdrew a [Monster Core] from his inventory and held it high, willing it to go into the shop. It disappeared and two messages crowded his vision.

[Alchemy Lab] has advanced to level 8!

Select a direction you wish to expand the lab into (north/south/east/west).

[Alchemy Lab] has advanced to level 9!

Select a direction you wish to expand the lab into (north/south/east/west).

Theo frowned, expecting a lot more levels from the level 30 cores. He selected east for both, preferring that the building expand toward the river, where he owned property. The shop rumbled under their feet; the floorboards creaking as the shop visibly expanded back. It was a good five paces of new space.

Didnt get level 10? Shame, Tresk said, tutting.

Theo held another core in the air, watching it disappear and receiving another barrage of messages.

[Alchemy Lab] has advanced to level 10!

Select a direction you wish to expand the lab into (north/south/east/west).

[Alchemy Lab] has advanced to level 11!

Select a direction you wish to expand the lab into (north/south/east/west).

[Select Upgrade Option]

[Root Cellar]

A cellar for preserving reagents is housed under the lab. Reagents placed inside of the cellar decay at a slower rate.

[Experimentation Room]

A reinforced room is placed behind the lab, creating a safe place to conduct explosive experimentations.

[Drogramath Distillation Specialty]

Specialize your lab in Drogramath Distillation. This option is only available to owners with the [Dronon] race and [Drogramath] heritage.

Effect:

Reduces the likelihood that essences will explode when interacting.

Increases the rate of distillation in all stills.

Increases [Wisdom] bonus for all [Alchemists] within the [Alchemy Lab].

Provides the [Alchemy Lab] with a [Drogramath Still].

Well, thats not fair, Theo said, laughing. Theres an obvious winner.

Theo expanded the shop east again, the building rumbling under his feet as he read over [Drogramath Distillation Specialty]. It was an option that only showed up because of his Dronon Drogramath heritage. Any of the effects alone would be worth it, but to get that many at once was absurd.

Thats an obvious pick, Tresk said, laughing.

Theo selected [Drogramath Distillation Speciality] and the building rumbled again. Dark, purple energy swirled around the building, consuming them for a moment before subsiding. The pair shared a look before sprinting upstairs to inspect the lab. The first thing they noticed was how much larger it was. Two Theos could lie down, feet to head, in the newly created space. The next thing that dominated the room was a wicked-looking still, looming near the copper stills created by Throk. It looked like a pot still decorated on every available surface with nasty spikes and blades. The condenser apparatus was incredibly complex, containing more loops and turns than should be possible. It was made of a purple-black metal that Theo had seen before, on his new knife.

That looks like a torture device, Tresk scoffed.

Theo did not know what the [Hone Edge] property could be, but his intuition told him it was something similar to a poison. Not that it would apply any negative effects to a weapon, but that it would change them somehow. He wondered how he would get the hard thing down into a mash for the distillation process. The alchemist shrugged, placing the item in his inventory before moving on.

Tresk arrived at the dungeon, informing Theo how much she loved the new core. He didnt understand how combat cores worked, or how they enhanced someones abilities, but she explained it. The increase in core quality more than doubled her damage. It also made her impossible for equal-level monsters to detect when she used her [Sneak] skill. She raved about being able to leap from the shadows, destroying anything with ease, and they were making their way to the 10th floor boss room. The alchemist told her to be careful and keep him updated.

I stole a few more [Lesser Healing Potions]. Dont worry about me, Tresk said, cackling.

It was midday by the time Theo found his way to the quarry. His journey was a winding thing, the knife sending him in a zig-zag pattern across the countryside. He found more reagents thanks to the knife than ever before, the glowing indicator revealing things he would have never seen with the naked eye. The quarry came into view, joined by the sounds of hammers and chisels on stone. Ziz spotted him, waving excitedly.

Come look, boss, Ziz said, gesturing behind the workshop.

Theo joined him, his eyes going wide at the massive pile of shaped stone. There must have been 50 blocks the size of the alchemists head piled up. They were all hewn expertly and when he ran his fingers across the surface, he could find no imperfections. He inspected the block, confirming his suspicions.

[Marble Block]

[Building Material]

Quality: Perfect

A block of white marble.

Ziz must have lied about his [Stonecutters Core]. The blocks had lost none of their quality, meaning that he was a craftsman worth note. Theo knew, from his time brewing potions, that messing up any step of the way would degrade the quality. The Half-Ogre knew his stuff, and his speed at processing the blocks was absurd. The laborers worked near the quarry, grunting and working a winch to crane the blocks out of the hills.

Youre a lot better at this than you let on, Theo said, running his fingers over the blocks again.

Ziz had a permanent grin on his face at this point. He slapped one of the blocks and shrugged. What can I say?

Lets see what Fenian thinks, Theo said. He withdrew Fenians crystal from his inventory and held it tight. His head rushed for a moment, as though the line was trilling on the other end, then it passed.

Theo, how are you? Fenian asked.

Well, thank you. I have a question about stoneagain.

Lets hear it.

My laborers are better than expected. I can expect 50 blocks a day. Marble, at perfect quality, Theo said.

Marble? Did you say marble? Sorry, Im in a high-magic area right now. You couldnt have said marble, Fenian said.

Yeah, theyre marble. I inspected the finished product. About the size of my head, Theo said.

Im sending my friend to Broken Tusk, Fenian said. They will want a deal for wholesale, but youre sitting on a goldmine. You can expect him to offer 25 copper a block.

Theo tried to do the mental math. His mind always worked in strange ways when doing mental arithmetic, and his low [Intelligence] stat wasnt helping. After some effort, he determined that the blocks Ziz had crafted so far would fetch somewhere around 12 silver coins.

My guys are going to lose it, Theo said. Fenian, thanks for the information.

No problem. Im going to contact you with an order in a few days, Fenian said. Bye.

The connection terminated, and Theo returned the crystal to his inventory. Ziz was looking at him expectantly and the alchemist smiled. Five percent off the top, Theo said.

What? Ziz asked.

When you pay me back for the startup, 3 gold coins, all I want is five percent of sales, Theo said.

Ziz narrowed his eyes. Theo knew immediately that he should have said a higher number to start. How much can I get for a block? 2 copper? Maybe 3? Come on, dont leave me hanging.

Theo laughed. The Half-Ogre laborers of Broken Tusk were underpaid. They sat on a goldmine of resources theyd never exploited. Fenian knows a stone trader. What youre cutting here is marble at perfect quality. The Elf is going to send the stone merchant to confirm, but we can expect 25 copper coins per block.

Per block! Ziz shouted, grabbing his head with both hands. Per block?

Yes, as in each block, Theo said, grinning. 12 silver a day. Youd pay your debt in a month.

Ziz swayed on the spot, leaning against the pile of stone and breathing hard.

Do I need to give you a [Lesser Health Potion]? Theo asked.

Maybe, Ziz said, taking a few steadying breaths. By the Gods. Five percent? Youd really do that for me? Youd give me and these mud-slinging laborers a chance like that?

I would, Theo said. Theres no sense in me trying to run a quarry. I dont have the time, or the skill core to do it. If I get my money back on my investment, I'll be happy.

How am I supposed to say no? Ziz said, reaching his hand out for Theo to shake.

The alchemist took his hand and shook. Its a deal.

Im guessing we have to reserve some stone, split them into cobbles to pave the town, Ziz said.

No, well sell everything here, Theo said. Im off to upgrade the town to level 10. If the upgrade options suck, Im going to pick [Stone Roads].

I better get back to work, Ziz said, his eyes going wide. He turned to the other four laborers and shouted, work faster! Were gonna be rich!