A pair of Corrupted eyes stared at Lloyd from across an open field. The turtle behind the eyes snapped its head forward, its neck stretching impossibly long to close the gap. Lloyd tried to dodge but found his feet and legs wrapped in vines, his boots firmly sunk into the ground. The mouth of the turtle sharpened into a beak just before it reached him. Lloyd fumbled for his swords but found only a bare belt. Looking up, he saw his brother standing in front of him. The turtle’s head shoved straight through Regal's chest. Lloyd furiously tried to move, but the vines held firm; Lloyd yelled out as the scene blurred.
Lloyd sat up in bed, a thin layer of sweat parked on his brow. Up until the nightmare he just had, the last dozen or so hours were spent with rest and relaxation. After the hot spring, they had a good meal of cooked meat and baked potatoes, a glass of mead, and Lloyd chugged down the disease cure potion that was left in his room. It felt good to sleep on a comfortable bed again, Lloyd already missing his bed back home. He stretched his body as he tried to shake the dream away. No need to analyze what it meant. I just need to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Lloyd placed his bare feet on the cold stone floor, quickly walking over to find his gear. Someone must have washed his clothes because when he returned to his room, he found them stacked in a nice pile. They still held the slightest stench of swamp, but it was a clear improvement from the day before. He gathered up his stuff and left his room.
He headed toward the voices that he heard on the first floor.
Stepping into the tavern’s main room, he saw that he was the last person to arrive. Regal and Cassius were already halfway through their breakfast, which looked a lot like yesterday’s dinner—a bunch of cooked meat and some potatoes. Taryn and the woman who took the bag of flowers were sitting at the table opposite Lloyd’s group as they listened to Regal’s story.
“And then this freaking turtle. He started doing this death spin on top of me with his shell that was now full of spikes. I was pretty sure that it would take a lot for something to get through my skin. But damn, that thing tore through me in a matter of a few seconds. I won't lie; it wasn't a fun feeling. Cassius and Lloyd here,” Regal said as he thumbed toward Lloyd, “did a nice one-two punch. Lloyd jammed his swords into the underbelly of the turtle, and Cassius electrified the blades, cooking the Corrupted from within. It was pretty sweet.” Regal said before taking a bite of the meat on his plate.
“Morning all,” Lloyd said as he sat next to Cassius, a plate of food being plopped down in front of him as he did. Lloyd turned to see Ramsey, each briefly smiling at each other.
Lloyd noticed Ramsey’s eyes were more alert, and the darkness had receded from under his eyes.
“Morning,” responded the group.
“What did I miss?” Lloyd asked before digging into his meal.
“Regal was just regaling us with your fight yesterday,” the woman said with a giggle. “My name is Julie. It’s nice to meet you,” Julie said as she extended her hand.
Lloyd put down his utensils and reached across the table to shake her hand. Lloyd quickly choked down his food to respond.
“Nice to put a name to the face,” Lloyd said.
“How are you feeling today?” Julie asked Lloyd.
“Right as rain. I never felt any symptoms, but I was glad to have the extra precaution with the cure,” Lloyd said as he recalled drinking the potion the night before. The taste was sweet, but it prickled his throat on the way down. “How is everyone else doing?” Lloyd asked.
“Looks like everyone will have a full recovery. Words cannot express our gratitude enough, nor will these gifts,” Taryn said as he motioned toward Julie. Julie pulled a brown bag from the ground and delicately set it on the table. “We wish we could give you more, but we don’t have much here in Sylvia,” Taryn said.
Julie opened her bag and pulled out three smaller brown leather bags. These bags clinked with the sound of glass vials knocking into each other. Julie pushed one of the bags toward Cassius as she began to speak, following up with the other two men.
“This one is for you, Cassius. This one is for you, Regal, and this last one is for you, Lloyd. Each bag contains three potions. Cassius, these three potions should work to give your shock a little more oomph,” Julie said as she threw up jazz hands.
“Should work?” Cassius asked.
“Well, the Alchemy is solid. The ingredients were stable, and they mixed well. We don't have anybody with lightning abilities here, so it's hard to say with absolute certainty is all,” Julie said.
“As long as the potion doesn't kill me or something,” Cassius said as he opened the bag and picked up a vial. Putting it close to his face, He gently swirled it before putting it back into the bag.
“Oh no, of course not. It definitely won't harm you at all, it's just I can't be 100 percent certain about the potency. You will definitely feel an increase in power. If my Alchemy is accurate, you should feel a surge of energy," Julie said as she threw her hands in the air and briefly shook her body.
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“Which it always is,” Taryn said.
Julie nodded to Taryn and then shifted her focus to Regal.
“I’ll admit, I was a little stumped when trying to make something for you. I could have gone with a couple of my recipes that work to strengthen and harden the durability of someone's skin. We have used those quite liberally on our non-Altered members who leave the confines of the walls. It seems to help them take a hit,” Julie said.
Lloyd’s heartbeat quickened as he thought about the implications of what she said.
“It works on those without abilities?” Lloyd asked as he interrupted Julie.
“It does, to limited effect, of course. Potions have increased potency and duration with those that are Altered but have muted effects with those in the normal population. Regal was explaining your fight yesterday, and he mentioned you all took potions afterward. Clearly, the healing potion worked for you, but I'm certain they worked better for Cassius and Regal. I assumed you all had an Alchemist in your town. Was I wrong?”
“No, you are correct. His name is Haven, and he was the one who supplied us with our healing and poison cure potions,” Regal said.
“Why do you think he didn’t give us any of these kinds of potions?” Lloyd asked.
Regal and Cassius both shook their heads.
“If I may wager a guess... We likely have access to different materials here. I’ve been interested in flora since I was a kid, even before the Cataclysm. The environment gives way to certain herbs, flowers, and trees. You can only work with what you have. You might not have had the correct materials near your town. We gather a lot of strange herbs from the swamp that are necessary for these types of potions. Other areas around Sylvia house likely unique materials.”
“No swamp by us,” Cassius said.
“That could be a part of it,” Julie said as a bashful smile grew on her face. "Also, I can only make potions that buff people. Your Alchemist likely can only make potions that heal the body. Everyone thinks that all Alchemists can do all things, when in fact, we are as limited in scope as any other Altered person. Your Alchemist, what was their name?" Julie asked.
"Haven," Regal replied.
"Haven and I can work with any Alchemy materials, but we can only pull out the effects that are tied to our specific Alterations. Each flower can give life to multiple types of potions, we Alchemists simply guide them with our Mana. It probably doesn't help that we can create so many different types of potions, even within our given specialty. For instance, Haven created healing and poison cure potions for you all. A Healer can, without a mutation, only fix one of those things. Alchemists can affect a wider range, but that is because we tap into the natural Mana of the materials. It is much harder for us because we need to use our powers with things we find in nature, Healers can simply just heal. So... yeah. Long story short, that is why he never made you these types of potions, because he couldn't," Julie said.
"Oh. Makes sense," Lloyd said.
“Anyway, I finally settled on a good old haste potion. Downing the contents of the vial will give you quick reflexes and speed. You'll be able to react quicker, run faster, and swing your sword with an accelerated tempo. It isn’t anything flashy, but it should help tilt the battle in your favor,” Julie said as she patted the leather bag in front of Regal.
“I'll take it. That will do just fine,” Regal said as he greedily grabbed the bag of potions. Lloyd knew that his brother was over the moon. He had always wanted his abilities to be more offensive, and this would give him a taste of that.
“Finally, those three potions are for you, Lloyd. Now, I want to say upfront that they will be extremely short-lived buffs for you. I don’t want to get your hopes up. If used and timed correctly, they can be incredibly powerful, but for a limited time,” Julie said.
“Oh my God, stop teasing the boy! I’m even on edge over here,” Cassius said with a smirk.
Lloyd kicked Cassius under the table before Julie started again. Lloyd, one hundred percent, agreed with his friend. He could feel his heartbeat quicken as each sentence left her mouth.
“These potions will amplify your body to a degree that's almost what it would be like to be Ascended,” Julie said as Lloyd’s eyes widened as he looked over at Regal. Regal smiled as he lightly punched Lloyd's shoulder a few times. “It will increase your healing and resistance to damage. You will find your speed and strength increased, although you won't nearly be as fast as the speed increase from those haste potions. Finally, you should have a bit more clarity. You will be able to experience the battlefield with heightened senses. Again, let me be clear: the effects won't last long, and you must take the entire vial for any substantial impact. Also, this will put you at the baseline for what a normal Ascended person will be like, not Omegas like your friends. It won’t work like healing potions. Those have a singular goal and will more rapidly heal you than these potions here. I would say it's about a minute timer, maybe a bit longer,” Julie said, sitting back after speaking.
Both Cassius and Regal chortled upon seeing Lloyd's face. Lloyd was sporting an ear-to-ear grin like a giddy child waiting to open his presents on his birthday. Lloyd's mind began to overflow and cascade with all of the possibilities and ideas of him having powers. This potion wouldn't give him magic, but it would make him feel almost like his brother. It would make him feel like an Ascended. Best day ever.
Julie clapped her hands and stood up from the table. “Well, gentleman, it has been a pleasure meeting you all, but I have to be off to check in on all the patients. I also have a few ideas for some new potions that I want to work on before they leave my brain,” Julie said.
Everyone got up from the table, and the three men hugged Julie. She quickly departed the tavern, leaving Lloyd’s group and Taryn standing there.
“We should probably head out as well,” Regal said.
“You sure that you all don’t want to spend another night here? The rooms are yours for as long as you want to stay. It is the least that we can do,” Taryn asked the group.
Cassius cocked his head to the side, pursed his lips, and raised his eyebrows. “I mean…”
“Thank you for your offer, but the Corrupted wait for no one. I’m glad that we could help when we did, though,” Regal said, cutting off Cassius from recommending that they stay.
“Of course, I will walk you out then,” Taryn said with a bow.
“No need, we know the way,” Cassius said with slumped shoulders. Lloyd snorted at seeing the dejected posture of his friend. He felt Cassius’ pain. Another night of warm baths and comfy beds sounded pretty lovely to Lloyd.
“Actually…I need to walk there with you to open the gates. Unless you prefer to jump from the top?” Taryn said with a brief smile reaching his eyes. Lloyd was glad to see the man show some happiness after seeing him so statuesque the day before.
Cassius pointed his index fingers at Taryn, “Good point.”
A few handshakes later, Lloyd’s group found themselves on the road again. Lloyd turned around, looking at the stone wall one last time. He took a deep breath as he turned back to focus on the road ahead.