5.46 - Fairy Potions

5.46 - Fairy Potions

After finishing up with both Alise and Azrug, Theo went to his lab to check on Salire. He was joined, as always, by Sarisa and Rowan. Before he even entered the building, he could smell the scent of simmering mashes on the third floor. From that scent alone, he detected his assistant was working on some standard Hallow Ground Essence. He ascended the stairs, finding the half-ogre moving between the stills to adjust the heat. She looked up with a sheepish smile, nodding to the alchemist.

Theo inspected each of the stills. Salire was working on essences that were first tier, which was well within her skill level. Everything seemed fine to him, but she had been diligent in keeping track of the heating times for different reagents at various tiers.

Looks good to me, Theo said, summoning the buildings internal essence storage to check their stock. They always kept at least a few units of healing, mana, and stamina essence on hand. Just in case. As the town and alliance expanded, that number would need to grow.

Thank you, Salire said, dabbing sweat from her forehead.

She inquired about the sprayer project Theo had kicked off. It was hard for him to say how it was going. Once the essence consumption reports rolled in, he would have a good idea of how much they needed to produce. His first impression was one of excess. They had stockpiled too much of the Hallow the Soil essence, and wouldnt need as much as they had made. The alchemist preferred to have more than he needed, though.

Alchemy had become something other than simply helping people. Folks around town relied on the alchemist for many things. Cleansing Scrub kept people and places clean. Restoration potions made sure the adventurers could keep fighting and curtailed any accidents that would render workers bedridden. Curative potions were consumed daily, banishing a long list of diseases created by the swampy environment. Theo imagined the role of the Newt and Demon changing in the coming days. As it had with the problem of undeath, the lab would create potions that solved specific problems. But it was important not to forget the little things.

Where do you think our lab is going? Theo asked, falling into a chair and kicking his legs up on a table.

Our lab? Salire asked, fidgeting with her hands.

Theo shrugged, smiling up at his apprentice. Thats my question. This is becoming more of a shared space for both of us. Theres no way I can do the workload required by the town. So, where do you see us going?

Salire had to think about the question for quite some time. She paced between the stills, placing her hand on top of the boiling hot surfaces a few times. She removed her hand, cursing, but did it again a few times.

I like the idea of sharing the lab, Salire said finally. She shrugged as though she didnt believe her own words. Not that she couldnt imagine herself being that integral to the lab, but that she didnt deserve it. Our cures, enhancement, and restoration potions are vital to the alliance. With so few healers, people rely on us.

Youre saying were good with what were doing? Theo asked.

Of course.

What about research? Theo asked. Advanced potions like the soul potions. Reagents that are hard to find. Or too difficult to cultivate without a skilled hand.

Salire laughed as though she couldnt believe Theo. But she was smiling. Thats the way things are now. I handle the low-level potions while you work on the research.

Theo nodded in agreement. That was true, wasnt it? Salire wasnt useless. Far from it. She had taken to the art of alchemy better than he had. And she doesnt have any of the cheats that he does. With her help, they discovered several important things. Including the Hallow the Soil potion. At the very least, she was a knowledgeable sounding board. At best, she was an ever-expanding well of knowledge and skill. He pushed himself out of his chair, clapping a hand on the half-ogres shoulder.

I think what I learned is that Im not doing enough. Doesnt seem like a lot of time in this lab. But were the two most advanced alchemists in the world. By default.

That doesnt sit well with me, Salire said, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.

Think about it. Drogramath dedicated himself to alchemy entirely. When he hands out a core, it comes with a Level 50 skill from the standard form of alchemy. People spend decades working on that and we get it day one.

Salire fell into silence, casting her eyes to the ground. Theo watched as she chewed her cheek, trying to wrap her mind around how important they were. He didnt want to impart a sense of arrogance into her, but there was a deeper meaning to their purpose here. They held the legacy of Drogramath in their hands. From what the god himself said, there were few or no remaining Drogramath Dronon on the mortal plane. While that was created by the way the race reproduced, it was still a fact.

We can only do our best. Right? Salire asked.

Right! Theo said, clapping his hand on her shoulder again. Lets make an offering to the shrine, then Ill go down to the second floor to do some research. You stay up here and keep working the stills.

Salire nodded, joining Theo to the shrine in the rooms corner. Each offering they made to the shrine added to an invisible experience bar. The building maintained the bond with Drogramath, not the alchemist operating the equipment. He placed a Widow Lily on the shrine, watching as it went up in purple flames. For just a moment, he could feel his god draw slightly closer.

After making the offering, Theo left Salire to work on her own things. He went down to the stuffy second floor, clearing away a few tables and lighting candles. Rowan and Sarisa complained about the heat in the room, so they kicked on the air conditioner. It was brutally hot outside today, without a single cloud to help. The alchemist could produce several tiers of potions at the moment. First tier potions were simply distilled, then brewed. Nothing fancy went into those. Next were second tier potions, which required the essence to be put under pressure. The method they used for that stripped the last step, pressurizing the essence while it was still in vapor form. Third tier potions were made by infusing pure alcohol with an essence, then combining that with a second tier essence during the distillation process. The resulting essences were the most pure they could produce, embodying a chaotic level of power.

The last form of potion-making Theo had discovered was through the Suffuse Potion. By breaking down essences into their primal, powdered form, he could combine them together. The resulting potions were often random, but essences with similar properties combined well. The alchemist thought of these potions as default third tier. Although the fourth tier was out of his reach, he considered suffuse potions made from third tier essences to be fourth. Those were the greater potions of the world that represented a level of power that was hard to consider. Modifiers worked similarly, producing potions that had parts of both the modifier and the base potion.

Theo withdrew an Ice Quartz from his inventory. It was a pea-sized gem, so delicate it seemed to melt in his hand. The item kept its form, but only just. Catalysts were less important in potion making. The alchemist had decided that fact was because of the labs stabilizing features, but it could have been his status as champion. Iron Shavings worked fine, even at the second tier, but Drogramathi Iron worked better. Even if the metal wasnt alchemically reactive, it still worked as a catalyst.

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The alchemist withdrew a flask of Refined Fairys Blessing Essence from his inventory, placing it on the table for inspection. Within the flask, the faintly pink essence swirled on its own. Theo could feel the power of the essence pouring from the top of the flask, washing over him with a heady mixture of power and intent. It was derived from the Fairy Plum, which was the spirit fruit that represented the Wisdom attribute. That troublesome attribute. He had used that essence to create the Potion of Return. It made him think about Fenian.

Leaning back in his chair, Theo blew out a steady breath. How vague could he be with the potion? And how did it work? The alchemist needed to know how the potion worked right then and there. It was hard to hold back his excitement as he scooped the potion up, preparing to down it.

Hey, hey, hey, Sarisa said, rushing over. Just quaffing a random potion?

Theo looked at her and shrugged. Why not? Looks safe.

Looks like a swirling, bubbling vial of pink and gold, Sarisa said, placing her hands on her hips. As in dangerous.

Hark, Theo said, pointing at the far side of the room. Rowan is stealing your wineskin.

Sarisa whipped around, glaring at her brother. Theo downed the potion. The rush was instant and intense. The room around him went black as he felt the potions intent. He felt the half-ogres hand on his shoulder, but ignored it. The potion was waiting for him to instruct it, which he did. First he gave the impression as though he wanted to see the floating city of Qavell. But that request was rejected. Instead, he imagined the coastline of the continent in his mind. Based on how fast a lumbering city might go, he selected one section of the coast. A shock of electricity ran through his body. Wind rushed by, deafening him as the other senses of his body dulled. He no longer felt Sarisas hand on his shoulder.

Theo tried to shout, but nothing happened. He was floating miles above the coast on the eastern side of the continent. He saw why Qavell had never built a port here. The water met against solid rock that rose high into the sky. Waves lapped against the stone below as the ocean spread far to the east, north, and south. The alchemist figured out how to move his vision around, although it took great effort. Far in the distance, south of his floating position, there was a floating speck. A spike drove itself into his head when he looked at it and he was suddenly thrown out of the vision.

...idiot! Sarisa shouted.

Theo fell back out of his chair, hitting his head on the ground. He groaned, clutching the back of his skull as Sarisa berated him.

Was it worth it? she asked, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him.

It really was, Theo croaked. Ive spotted Qavell.

Sarisa released him in an instant, blinking in confusion. Really?

Yes. About half-way between where they started and here. Along the coast.

You saw it? Rowan asked, slapping the side of Theos face as though to revive him.

Stop hitting me, Theo said, batting the siblings hands away. I saw it for about a second before I was thrown from the vision. Maybe because there was a woman slapping me in the face.

I didnt hit you that hard.

Theo rubbed his face, feeling the heat on his cheek. Sure.

I need to report this, Rowan said, rummaging through the satchel he carried with him. He produced a map of the continent. Show me on the map where the floating city hurt you.

Theo pressed his finger into the map and nodded. A few miles south of there.

Earth measurements, Rowan growled. Dont worry. I wrote the conversion down.

And then Rowan was gone, off to report Theos findings to Aarok. The alchemist rose, approaching his desk shakily. He sat there for a moment, inspecting his mind for damage. But there was nothing. Someone had created a field of magic around Qavell that interfered with the potion. He didnt think it was likely that anyone detected him, but did it matter? The city was coming to destroy the alliance. It wasnt exactly a stealth mission.

Sarisa, Theo groaned, holding his head. He let out a ragged sigh. Could you get a Stamina Potion from Salire?

Sure, Sarisa said, patting him on the shoulder.

Check to see if we have a Greater Stamina Potion in stock.

Of course, Sarisa said, running off.

Theo looked up from his feigned discomfort, adding more Holy modifier to another vial of Fairys Cunning Potion. He swirled it, speeding the reaction up. He could hear Sarisa stomping up the stairs as he downed another potion, then watched as the room went black. Once the potion was ready for his intent, he imagined Vesta on the western coast of the continent. The alchemist was once again thrown through reality until he was floating above a sandy coastline.

This time he wasnt miles in the air, only a few hundred feet. He looked over the destruction there, finding nothing but undead and ruined buildings. While he wasnt immediately rejected from the vision, he felt something within the endless ranks of the undead. They were standing around, shivering on the spot or otherwise contorting in strange ways. That same sensation prickled in his mind again. A figure strode out onto the beach, its body covered in dark cloth with a hood concealing its face.

What a surprise, it said, looking up to the exact spot where Theo floated. What can I do for you, Champion of Drogramath?