Chapter 2.43: Alignment Effects

Chapter 2.43: Alignment Effects

Infusing both the water and the catalysts was a game changer for Theos alchemy. There was a barrier that existed after the first tier of potions, presenting an impenetrable block that made everything difficult. Compared to crafting a [Lesser Healing Potion], the [Healing Potion] required precision and care. The infused catalyst changed that, rendering the process as simple as the original one, and saving the alchemist time.

Theo spent the rest of his day performing the advanced reactions on all of his restoration reagents and preparing the [Fald Eyeballs]. Azrug stuck around for quite some time, taking an interest in the advanced process. The alchemist discovered there was an upper limit to chugging [Lesser Mana Potions]. It wasnt the draining effect of his [Lesser Stamina Potions], but it was noticeable. When the day was finally drawing to a close, he inspected the essence created by the disgusting eyeballs.

[Wake Essence]

[Essence]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Alignment Effects:L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

1:1 refinement in pressure vessels

Increased purity from refinement

500 units (liquid)

Concentrated essence of wake.

The description was vague and required brewing to see the full effects.

Thanks to the reagent he offered to the shrine, the effect on the essence was middling. Infusing essences with Drogramaths power begged him to run it through the refinement process, and he was eager to do so. Theo looked at his stamina bar, blinking away hours of work to see it was only half depleted. He hadnt noticed the subtle thrum of the altar in the corner, but it removed the need for stamina while doing alchemy. He didnt know if the effect carried outside of the shrine, but this alone was amazing.

Theo went downstairs to find Azrug cleaning up. The shopkeeper had left him on his own for quite some time, allowing him to clear out his stock of reagents.

Im going to brew the first batch of second tier stat potions tomorrow, Theo said with a wide grin. The entire thing was too exciting.

Good. Maybe you can reserve some of those for me, Azrug said, gesturing at the mostly empty shelves.

The stock that remained was left over from the last siege. The town had enough to weather another attack, including the arsenal of bombs that Aarok commanded, but Theo would need to create more for the two purposes. He looked on the bright side of things. His new infusion technique cut down on the work needed to create the new potions considerably, marking it as a trivial task. Time was the only thing he was short on.

Whats your take on Zarali? Theo asked.

Seems fine, Azrug said, stuffing gear into a [Dimensional Storage Crate]. How about you? What do you think about her?

I dont know, Theo said. I still dont know. Shes hard to read, but thats her [Wisdom] score showing. Im guessing the [Drogramath Priestess Core] is powerful. She claims she found me because of a potion I crafted, but Im not certain.

What does it matter? Azrug asked. Arent we supposed to be taking every advantage we can?

Azrug was right. It didnt matter how Xolsa or Zarali came to the town, just like it didnt matter how the other settlers got here. The alchemist had been putting off talking to the wizard about the monster waves, preferring to focus on his alchemy, but he didnt want to let it linger much longer.

Youre right, Theo said.

Of course Im right, Azrug said.

Azrug finished up his work in the shop and headed out for the day. Tresk arrived shortly after, and the pair went off to Xams to enjoy her good cooking. It was the first time since Theo arrived in the town that he wanted to go there voluntarily. Her cooking cores were well worth the slot it occupied, elevating that simple stew dish to something spectacular. It was a calm night with no sign of either Zarali or Xolsa in the tavern. Before heading to bed, Theo and Tresk pressed their foreheads together and received a moderate amount of experience. It was no more difficult to find sleep with a half-full stamina bar than an empty one, something that seemed strange.

Theo woke the next morning, embracing how busy it would be. Tresk had a few questions about the demonic shrine, but seemed alright with it. The alchemist made his daily offering and enjoyed the sensation of comfort that rolled off the effigy. The Marshling had pocketed a few bowls of stew into her inventory from last night, providing that as their breakfast to go with hot cups of moss tea.

I have to go to the tower today, Theo said, sipping his soup. Xolsa hasnt given me an update.

You know, Tresk said, downing her entire cup of tea in one go. I saw them holding hands.

Theo winced. You did not.

I did, Tresk said. I was ranging over the swamp yesterday after clearing the [River Dungeon]. Do you think theyre gonna kiss?

I dont want to think about it, Theo said, focusing his gaze on the soup. Thats a tangled web I cant afford to get ensnared in.

Hah! Just because youve taken an oath against romance doesnt mean you cant watch from afar, Tresk said.

Youre just a slimy little pervert, Theo said.

Am not, Tresk said, crossing her arms. Anyway, the [River Dungeon] got stronger.

Theo left, feeling good about his current course of action. Grinding the second tier potions was giving him a lot more experience than normal, which presented another problem. He needed to spend more time in his garden, cultivating those plants to allow his [Drogramath Herbalism Core] to catch up. He knelt in his garden, marveling at the wonders a day did for the plants growing there. Propagating the plants was easy enough, but the problem was doing it at scale. Claiming a field in the farmers fields was easy enough, but he still felt a twinge of guilt for pushing Banu around. They found a balance between the traditions of Broken Tusk and Theos mind for advancement, but that didnt mean hed push him around more.

There was enough land behind the Newt and Demon to make a decent sized plot, but the problem of magically regrowing reagents came to mind. Those fast-growing plants respected the border of the building, but only just. He had ten paces to work with in his garden before it was claimed by the power of the swamp. Any section east of that mark wouldnt be suitable for his garden. He could hold out for an upgrade to the building that allowed him to have a plot of land in the back, which seemed likely given the current direction things were going, but level 20 was a far way away.

The [Monster Cores] Theo used to take the building from level 10 to level 20 were many. Tresk wasnt hunting the high-level dungeons anymore, preferring to explore the developing [River Dungeon], so he ruled her out. He could buy them from the other adventurers, but his funds were dwindling. With no other option, he turned his attention away from the garden for the day. The pressure vessel had completed its run on the [Wake Essence], leaving it ready for brewing.

Theo withdrew the [Wake Essence] from the vessel, clearing the port and inspecting the result.

[Refined Wake Essence]

[Essence] [Refined Essence]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Alignment Effects:

Resulting potions will be more effective.

Chance to consume half of required essence during brewing.

Purity: 80%

1 units (liquid)

Concentrated, refined essence of wake.

The essence had 2 alignment effects. While Theo had already seen the first effect, the second one was interesting. It only appeared after he got his alignment up to middling from his daily offering. This was another amazing benefit to his process, even if the effect only happened once every 100 reactions, it was worth it. He made his way to the lab and set the essence aside, tending to the stills before continuing.

The adventurers who fulfilled his quest brought 500 [Stone Flowers], 500 [Water Lilies], and 500 [Flame Roses]. Theo was eager to see how powerful the stat enhancement potions were, so he prepared his 3 stills. Of all the reagents he worked with, [Stone Flowers] were the easiest to grind for the still. They turned to dust in his hand if he squeezed hard enough. Even the other 2 flowers were simple, but the [Alchemical Grinder] did the work for them. The alchemist took some time to enchant [Purified Water], making a quick trip to the river to refill his barrels. Throk would have a fun time with his pump idea, but he pushed the thought out of his head.

With all 3 of his stills running, Theo turned his attention to the [Refined Wake Essence]. He enchanted a large pile of [Iron Shavings] with Drogramaths energy and set up a 2 unit, flat-bottomed vial for his test reaction. The effect from the shrine made the reaction easy, and he trusted in that fact. He added the [Refined Wake Essence], [Purified Water], and an [Iron Shaving] to the vial. The reaction was immediate and tepid, bubbling in the vial for a moment before releasing a strange scent. The smell was a mixture of churning water and decaying vegetation. It put off a slight blue glow.

Theo inspected the potion.

[Potion of Wake]

[Potion]

Rare

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Allows the imbiber to hold their breath for twice their normal time. The imbiber suffers reduced current and drag while in water.

Effect:

User can hold their breath twice as long.

User experiences lessened effects of water resistance, including current.

Effect lasts for 1 hour.

This might have been the greatest utility potion Theo had ever made, based on the number of effects and the length of those effects. It was also very clear on the duration of the effect, something that wasnt always guaranteed. The [Lesser Potion of Growth] didnt denote a time, specifically saying the time was unspecified. The alchemist marked this potion in his mind as something to be sold to Broken Tuskers at a massive discount, perhaps even for free. It would be invaluable to get the different races, which couldnt brave the water so easily, to delve into both the [River Dungeon] and the [Ocean Dungeon].

While the 3 stills did their work, Theo spent his time brewing the [Potions of Wake]. He was even confident enough to perform a large-scale reaction, kicking off 50 units of the essence at the same time. The result was confusing until he remembered the alignment effect on the essence. When he poured 50 units into the flask and performed the reaction, only 48 units were missing. Somewhere between pouring the liquid, and introducing the catalyst, more essence appeared in his flask. He shrugged it off as magic and finished the batch.

When Theo was done with the [Potions of Wake], he ended up with 508 potions instead of the expected 500. He could only imagine what the higher alignment bonuses were.

Theo turned his attention to the stills, which were sputtering by the time he completed the reactions. They all bore the alignment bonuses up to middling, a fact that put a smile on the alchemists face. He cleared the stills out, adding the 3 flasks to his inventory before heading out to the pressure vessel. The alchemist added the [Vigor Essence] to the vessel first before turning his attention back to the garden.

The [Mages Bane] wasnt growing as well as hed like, but the [Roc Berries], and [Spiny Swamp Thistle] were coming along nicely. He selected the best of each, taking enough clippings to increase his propagation on each plant to 15 plants per type. The [Spiny Swamp Thistle Roots] needed to rest in the lab before they were ready to go, the only disadvantage of the tuberous growths.

Theo returned those roots to his lab, finding the corner with the sign near it and let out a heavy sigh. Whereas he might feel some mental exhaustion from the tasks of the day, his body didnt show any signs of slowing down. The alchemist nodded to himself and turned his attention to the town.