I spend the next week at Marcie’s club, working with Lamar and his freaking dietician to pack on the weight the right way, and enjoying my meandering between tinkering and Alchemy. Sure, I don’t have a tinkering skill, but I’m hoping level 4 and a module will fix that.
Luckily, Marcella came through and got me a few quests for Warram Holdings.
->Crafting Mission<-
Learn two new Alchemical recipes. (1/2)
Produce 3 dozen healing or restoration related items. (40/36)
Create items that are used or sold for a cumulative credit worth for Warram Holdings (30/100)
I’ve been trying to work on technique on a few older recipes, but they just aren’t cutting it in the usage department. I learned how to make Deific Flash Powder, hopefully a precursor to magical gunpowder, but I haven’t been able to bridge the gap to creating flash-bang grenades from scrap as my tinkering skill will just not manifest.
Moving on to the next recipe . . . Poisons?! Who the fuck?
/Marcie, why is a poisoners book on my planning table?/
\Because I could personally use a natural adjunct that uses aether and leaves fewer traces.\
/You need a pure recipe, or can I use my affinity?/
\Try both. I know you need practice creating un-aspected aether.\
I scoff and curse a little at my mentor telling me I need practice. Granted, it is her job to push me, but she can’t use magic; nanny nanny boo boo. In either case, if it’s for her work, I am more than happy to help. I don’t love the idea of making magical poisons for the masses though, I might have to talk to her about it.
The ingredients are common enough, stone fruit pits, essence extraction, etcetera. The difference this time, and something that interests me greatly for future use is that I’ll be using aether for the extraction this time. I have been wanting to move into charms and infusions so I’m getting excited about the technical aspects of this recipe.
Half a day later and I’m still working on creating the catalyst for this stupid recipe. Why you may ask? Because it requires me to enchant the carbonate minerals before I grind them and they keep blowing up in my face.
Perhaps you should take a scrap break? Unless you want some non-recipe ideas.
If you have an idea that will get me through this block, I want to try it before I let it cloud my day.
What about an evaporative whetting agent? The infused carbonate should be dampened while whetted, even if the agent is non-reactive.
Wait, Tova, do you think that’s the point of the infused extraction solution? The infused ethanol with the cyanide shouldn’t react with the carbonate until heated above . . . 80C? That’s too high for the extraction to survive.
That conversion is for a common baking carbonate. A purer Sodium Bicarbonate has a much lower active temperature.
Tova, you magnificent beastie. Let’s give it a go.
In her magnificence, Tova keeps me apprised of the material properties as I push aether in points that the recipe says, however, one mixture is volatile and more acidic that predicted and we have issues not adding copper to the mix as the carbonic acid starts making new and fun combinations.
Try number 8, I ask Tova if gold would work as less reactive aether conduit and she says yes. Luckily I’ve spent some time extracting gold, copper, and tungsten from my scrap pile—apparently Tungsten Aureate is the new electrum.
The new imbuement utensil does the trick and the thrice imbued mixture combines as it cooks at 55C.
/Aether Cyanide is an advanced poison.
/Flash dose is a byproduct of Divine Aspect Aether.
/As the first Human to discover this recipe, additional experience is awarded.
/using techniques above your skill level rewards additional experience.
Tova . . . what did we just do?
We truly discovered something. We should also be wary of telling people about the results of our experiments.
Damn it. What’s worse, is that I’d wager a brief codex in chemistry could morph our understanding to truly horrific levels.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
I package up the powder I’ve created into capsules and feel like a criminal for the first time in my life.
/I finished the product. I don’t know if I’ll ever make this again./ I send her the data to the item I discovered.
\This is practically perfect for me, Kimber. I’m willing to pay a premium.\
Empress damned, piece of shit . . . FACK! /Fine. Anyone but you pays ten times the price, even through you as a supplier./
I can tell she agrees before I get a text as a fucking contract appears in my lab. Hey! Andromeda, thanks for the proof I’m a terrible person. Super keen on the reminder, thanks queen.
It’s a magical, nearly untraceable poison. We really should feel bad about this.
->Crafting Mission
Learn two new Alchemical recipes. (3/2)
Produce 3 dozen healing or restoration related items. (60/36)
Create items that are used or sold for a cumulative credit worth for Warram Holdings (1000/100)
MISSION COMPLETE!
/You receive Alchemy Experience
/You receive general Experience
/Your overachievement results in extra experience
/You receive excess currency.
End Mission <-
You have Module options to review, Kimber.
/Marcie, I got modules. Now or later?/
\Tomorrow? I have to complete this mission before I come back. If that’s too long, I trust you, but wait to talk to me before you chose anything at lvl 8.\
Hit me, Tova. I want to see something good come from how awful I feel right now.
You have gained 2 module points.
Please Chose from the following:
Alchemic Primer
2
The Art of Converting Crap to Creation!
1
Introductory Imbuement
1
Enchanting Basics
1
Tova! This could be good. I can’t imagine TACCC wouldn’t get me Tinkering, and would imbuement help with alchemy and tinkering? It seems too good a combo to pass up?
Despite how powerful Enchanting is, the Primer would likely give us a tier one recipe list to work from with enhanced completion percentages or results.
But, but, this is what I’ve been aiming for!
Yes. Ugh, I figured someone should try to reason with you, despite having your same goals and motivations. I’m just as excited about the duo as you are. You’ll absorb Tinkering overnight, and imbuement as soon as that won’t harm you to add.
Make it so Number One! I say and the System floods me with subconscious knowledge so hard and fast that my motor cortex is compromised. Hells. I stagger to the elevator and then onward to my room. The time I arrive is immaterial as I know that as soon as my head hits the bed I’ll be out.
***
/Your experience with imbuement conveys increased starting rank.
Tova feeds me those messages before I can think otherwise. I shake my head, start a pot of coffee and send a message to Lamar about training. I hit the cafeteria and got some protein in me and stopped by the gym store to get a drink additive. A mark for an eight pack is not a bad deal.
Today’s two-hour session was grueling and awful. I still thanked the muscular bastard.
“So how long until I start filling out these clothes?”
“Nah, Chica, that is not on my goal sheet. I’m to make you gain weight and gains. Your figure is none of my business.” I chuckle at him and his seemingly nervous deflection.
“Don’t worry, muchacho, you’re safe. We still trading balm?”
He nods, “Brutus wants some of those speed chews for your diet sheet, but that’s not my game, ya feel?”
“I understand. I want an off-day light cardio plan for the fast-acting stuff though.” He nods and immediately shoots me the deets. Bastard was waiting for me to ask. I respect the con though, so I shake my head and walk off to the spa area.
Now I would normally scoff at spending my Marks, but since Parker’s disgrace I haven’t been pinching my credits quite as firmly. I hit the sauna, the shower and the baths for two Credits for the whole day, assistant included. I indulge in a mobility massage while in the baths and tip her extra for torturing me for half an hour.
With full attention paid to my body this morning, I spend lunch stuffing my face and contemplating my mental and craft development for the afternoon. Downloading the Tinkering module has given me some solid ideas, and with that module including some basic Magitech techniques, I have my sights set on an imbuement dipper with a crystal battery and a copper-based dipping apparatus. Granted, once I can draw enough tungsten and gold from scrap, I will be aiming at a W-Au dipper, but copper will likely work for most of the t-1 recipes I could hope to learn. I blame Tova for helping me tweak an off-tier recipe.
I order the recommended mechanic’s and jeweler’s tools before I get started; feeling the pain of 100 credits worth of tools, but also knowing that this workshop will suit me for years. You have money to help you advance, Kimber, it’s okay to use it.
Bah! That is a hard ideal to internalize for sure.
Hours later, I’m working on brazing the outgoing aether conduits to the dispersal crown when I hear a familiar voice.
“KIMBER! You beautiful bitch! Do you know how much you helped me last night?!” Marcella pulls me into a hug and I grasp her back.
“No, but if my quest says anything, it tells me you appreciated my discovery.”
“It’s a league beyond the current human market! Not traceable with t-1 medical, I checked. I’m working on a long play for us, but I can’t tell you what that drug means to me.”
“Well, I can tell you how gross it makes me feel to make it.”
“Bah, I’ll pay your prices you gremlin. Of course, your high price will make me sell it for twice again more, but that’s a later discussion. How are the bombs coming?”
“I’m working on alchemy simplification right now? I took Tinkering and Imbuement, if you were interested.”
She scoffs at me. “I knew you would take tinkering, but I had no idea you had single point options.”
“Yes! I wanted to solidify my magic options! Imbuement seems to be where I’m going. I was offered enchanting, but I decided for a more immediate gain. I think maybe imbuement and enchanting could combine later? I don’t know.”
“Are you high? There is entirely too much giggling.”
“High? Should I work on making synthetic drugs?”
“NO!”
NO!
“Okay, fuck. I’m sorry?”
“You would never be free if you figured that out. Don’t even suggest it. In case you were wondering, I just pictured murdering everyone I know to keep you safe. Don’t make me live that Kimber.” She rubs her face to wipe away the image. “Please?”
Oh wow. That’s quite a few emotions to cycle through. “No worries, now that I can make contraptions, gun powder and accelerants all the way.”
She breathes a sigh of relief and then I wonder whose life is so strange that their sister would be relieved that I only want to make explosives.