Whatever had transpired in the dream realm, it had seen Booker through the worst stage of his withdrawal. He was still itching, aching, and sweaty, but the worst of the violent shaking had passed and he could grip his alchemist’s knife again. That was enough.
Opening the book in his mind once more, Booker examined his quests.
Quest: Repairing Your Life
Goal: Create a Seven-Times Purified Charcoal Pill and use it to repair your poisoned body.
Reward: Materials Box
Secret Quest: Tools of the Master (Complete)
Goal: Uncover a hidden use of Dialyze or Furnace.
Reward: Page of the Master’s Book.
Quest: Craftsman’s Aptitude
Goal: Create 10 (7/10) useful medicines.
Reward: Materials Box.
Quest: Taste of Heaven (Complete)
Goal: Create 5 (5/5) different useful pills.
Reward: Materials Box.
Quest: Martial Basis
Goal: Practice your martial arts for 10 (2/10) hours.
Reward: 1 Hour Practice Token.
Quest: Petty Ambitions (Complete)
Goal: Complete a Clan Assignment.
Reward: Dull Materials Box.
Seven-Times Purified Charcoal Pill…
The book seemed sure that his best path forward began with overcoming Rain's poisoned body and becoming a cultivator.
Booker hesitated. His master had told him bluntly what to expect from that life. Running in place, always striving for strength, competing endlessly. It wasn't what Booker aspired to in his new existence, but…
Being a cripple was a limit Booker wasn't ready to accept. The way people looked at him, his powerlessness, the ease with which a cultivator could ignore or humiliate him…
To protect yourself from cultivators, become a cultivator. What a world.
But…
Yes. Yes, I can't remain as I am now. Maybe if I left the Sect entirely I could put cultivation aside and live a peaceful life. But that would mean running out on Rain's friends and family.
If I want to stand strong, I should at least fix my body. In fact, nevermind cultivating, I'll probably die young if I don't get this poison out of me.
Mentally flipping open the book, he sought out the Seven-Times Purified Charcoal Pill and winced.
Oh damn…
It was an eight-ingredient mixture. Seven rare purifying herbs bound together with charcoal from a spirit tree. The only consolation was, those seven ingredients were fairly elastic. As long as they all had the Meridian Cleansing property, the pill would function.
So I'm looking for anything with the Meridian Cleansing trait…
A brief flip through the book told him this was easier said than done. The flowers and herbs that could cleanse someone of tainted qi were rare and expensive.
But on the plus side…
He was absolutely spoiled for rewards.
The first thing he was naturally curious about was the secret quest. As he focused on it, the book’s pages began to flip, until it landed on something Booker had never seen before: a totally blank page.
Slowly, ink began to appear. It materialized in brushstrokes, slashing across the page with determination, and quickly drew a runic circle in the center of the page. Beneath this circle emerged text:
This is a Master Page.
Touch any article of craft, material, or tool, and this page shall teach you how to most gainfully make use of it. If you focus on a particular art or skill you wish to use, the book’s instruction will make use of that art.
But only once, I’m guessing…
Still that’s fantastically useful.
He had also earned three materials boxes, and only one of them was marked as dull, meaning the other two could potentially include far more valuable ingredients.
Focusing on the last quest, Booker held out his hand. A glow rose from his palm, motes of golden light drifting off his skin and forming into a solid outline. When the light faded, an ornate wooden box carved with dancing gods and demons was left behind. A rich medicinal scent broke free as Booker set it down and pried the lid open with his fingernails.
Inside were a collection of powder vials, fresh sprigs of herbs, muddy roots, and liquids in sealed ampoules.
One by one he took them out…
Black Eye Powder
Powder // Dull Quality
Extracted by burning prairie woods. Mixed with water and used by indigenous tribes to form an alchemical paste, with which they decorate their faces into war masks.
Effects:
Stimulant 10% (-)
Earth-Sea Spirit Blossom
Powder // Dull Quality
Grown only on delta islands formed by a river joining the sea, these rare flowers carry the blessing of both the ocean and the land.
Effects:
Qi Recovery 15% (-)
Red Mountain Moth Dust
Powder // Dull Quality
In the ancient times of poet-warriors, duels would be arranged on the Red Mountain, as they believed that a truly excellent fight would draw out the rare and spiritual moths that dwelt there, sparing the life of the loser.
Effects:
Wound Sealing (-)
The powders were all extremely valuable. Without a single negative trait, they could be used to trigger properties without any risk. But the Red Mountain Moth Dust was definitely the prize of the lot. Its trait was marked negative, meaning a single instance would activate it: he could more or less add the Wound Sealing property to any pill for an instant burst of recovery.
Next, the herbs.
Wind-Song Palace Razorgrass
Intact // Dull Quality
Growing in delicate, glass-like stalks, this tough grass is sharp enough to cut through skin with ease. When the wind rises, it cuts against the grass and produces beautiful, mournful music.
Effects:
Cultivation Boost 10% (Metal)
Cultivation Boost 10% (Sky)
Sharpened Perception 25% (+)
Toxicity 15% (-)
This was a new one to Booker, but his tome of medicine easily identified it. 'Metal' instead of a plus or a minus simply meant that metal had to be the dominant element, with more Metal properties than any other element.
Of course, this meant the razorgrass was naturally inert, balanced by its natural elements.
Spring Youth Blossom
Intact // Dull Quality
This prized herbal flower can be ground into a paste and applied to the skin. It both rejuvenates and cleanses the skin, and replaces the need for sleep, giving it the name spring youth.
Effects:
Beautification 1% (+)
Sleep Replacement 50% (-)
Mildly Addictive 10% (-)
Toxicity 20% (-)
It might have seemed like a loser since it was just beautification, but with Sleep Replacement, Booker felt he’d hit a winner. Sleeping less meant more time to his own devices, and more time to practice for his Martial Basis quest.
Damn.
And this is only the dull materials. I should be careful opening the other materials box: it could actually be too valuable and draw attention.
After all. If he was discovered with these materials on hand, who could ever explain it? The Sect would assume he was stealing and that would be the end of him.
What a wonderful problem to have: inexplicable wealth.
Now he took out the root from the bottom of the box. It was weirdly slimy, dripping a thick and sticky mucus that made Booker wince.
Ew.
Virile Root
Intact // Dull Quality
A root prized by wild bulls for its… stimulating effects. Hunters use trained steers to root out clusters, selling them to cultivators.
Fertility 25% (-)
Beast Taming (+)
Beast Cultivation (+)
Toxicity 20% (-)
Beast Taming, eh? That might be the best prize then, although I don't see many people around here with companion animals. And I don't have anywhere to keep a large animal…
The liquids were the last component.
Seven-Year Flower Syrup
Extract // Dull Quality
A common folk medicine produced by soaking flowers in sugar syrup for seven years.
Effects:
Alluring Fragrance (-)
Additional Effect: Reduce Toxicity by 5%.
Concentrate of Stone Lion Liver
Extract // Dull Quality
Produced from the organs of a mountain-dwelling stone lion, a powerful predator that consumes the power of earth.
Effects:
Body Strengthening 10% (-)
Additional Effect: Earth-Type Cultivation Boosts contained within this medicine also provide Body Strengthening equal to their full value.
Truly some fantastic things. If I could sell them, all kinds of problems could be solved. Booker thought to himself, swirling one of the small glass vials and watching sparks of light emerge from the blue substance within. Or better yet, if I could bring this medicine back to Earth. A cancer cure, nothing, we’d cure every disease.
But as for the present moment, he had to decide what to make.
Scratching his chin, he considered the possible combinations.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The Spring Youth Grass was doomed to produce a heavily toxic pill, because Booker was absolutely going to cut away the Mildly Addictive property instead. Rain's story was lesson enough.
Maybe then he should combine it with the Seven-Year Flower Syrup.
No… The alluring fragrance is actually dangerous. If people start smelling strong medicine in my room, it will attract thieves and investigations.
Instead, he chose the Black Eye Powder as a match. Stimulant and sleep replacement sounded pleasantly like coffee to him, although he was expecting more of a kick. Collecting the two ingredients together, he mixed them and held his palm out.
Furnace.
Flame surrounded the chopped stalks of grass and the fragrant powders, consuming them both. A small, black pill was born as the flames died out…
Spring Youth Blossom (Cut)
x
Black Eye Powder
=
Bloodshot Energy Pill (Dull)
6% Potency // 23% Toxicity
Effect:
Grants a burst of energy and alleviates the need for sleep. Repeat consumption can damage the veins in the eyes.
Next, he chose to perform a small experiment. Going out to the garden he collected Bloodred Drunkard’s Vine, a useful herb with only a single negative, active property. He cut two lengths of the vine, and prepared them in two different ways.
Both, he cut to remove the Intoxication property. This meant carving away the outer layer of the vine, with its thick flesh and prickling needle-like hairs. For one length of the vine, Booker hacked and crudely chopped, ripping away huge portions of the inner flesh and leaving traces of the skin behind. For the other length he followed the book’s instructions precisely, preparing it carefully and completely.
Both lengths he then combined with the Red Mountain Moth Dust, since he had enough for two doses.
Bloodred Drunkard’s Vine (Cut)
x
Red Mountain Moth Dust
=
Mountain Recovery Pill (Dull)
6% Potency // 9% Toxicity
Effect:
A quality healing pill that suppresses wounds instantly and regenerates them over a brief period.
Bloodred Drunkard’s Vine (Cut)
x
Red Mountain Moth Dust
=
Mountain Recovery Pill (Dull)
9% Potency // 4% Toxicity
Effect:
A quality healing pill that suppresses wounds instantly and regenerates them over a brief period.
When it was done, he grinned triumphantly. It was exactly like he'd thought – preparing the ingredients with attention and care had an effect on both potency and toxicity. It was small, but it was a reward for taking the time and following the process, instead of lumping everything together and using Furnace to roughly combine them.
Now for my final trick…
Cutting away the Skin Toughening trait from a nettle in the garden, he mixed it with Crow's Eye Berry. The result was absolute poison. The Crow's Eye provided a blinding effect, while the Nettle added toxicity, potency, and an allergic swelling. This wasn't a cure, but a weapon meant to disorient a foe.
As he combined the ingredients under his Furnace flame, Booker noted carefully the feeling of…
Not quite exhaustion, but a certain emptiness. As if he was being drained of something to produce the flame. The last time he'd tried this, five pills had been his limit. Now, after straining himself against the ghost, Booker felt he might be able to do more, but four was plenty.
Four is more than enough. I've got things to do today, no sense wearing myself down the bone.
And speaking of things to do…
His page of quests was updating.
Quest: Craftsman’s Aptitude (Complete)
Goal: Create 10 (11/10) useful medicines.
Reward: Materials Box.
Quest: Wondrous Healing
Goal: Create a pill with a potency above 25%, a toxicity below 5%, and the Moderate or Great Healing property.
Reward: Materials Box.
Quest: Taste of Heaven (Complete)
Goal: Create 5 (8/5) different useful pills.
Reward: Materials Box.
Quest: Miracle Worker
Goal: Heal (0/5) other people of their sicknesses or wounds.
Reward: Karmic Pill.
Quest: Petty Ambitions (Complete)
Goal: Complete a Clan Assignment.
Reward: Dull Materials Box.
Quest: Sponsorship
Goal: Impress and befriend a ranking member of the Mantis Sect
Reward: 1 Hour Practice Token.
— — —
As he entered the cafeteria and waited in line for his burnt congee scrapings, Booker noticed the girl he'd spoken to before waving to him. Once his bowl was filled, he sat down alongside her, joining the cripples at their table.
"Brother Rain, you really like to fight, huh? Brother Heng says you came back all busted up." She said, tapping him on the shoulder with a mock punch. "Your master fixed you up right? But I bet he talked your ear off first."
"Ah, I didn’t realize Master Ping was famous around here." Admittedly, Rain's memories contained almost nothing on the cripples. Like most people he'd looked right past them.
“Brother Rain, your master is an important man among us cripples. When we’re hurt or sick, Elder Brother Ping is the one we all rely on, even if his lectures sting.”
“I'm lucky to have him." Booker agreed. “And if anyone is hurt or sick, they can come to me now.”
I guess my social status isn’t too bad, for a cripple. An alchemist but a disabled one – the highest of the low.
“Ohhh, they’ve really picked well this time. You’ve got your master’s honor.” She laughed. “The last apprentice they gave to Ping, he wasn’t a good match. He set half the alchemy labs ablaze!”
“Ah, Brother Rain?” A small, hunched man had made his way down the table to where they were talking. Like everyone here, he wore the brand of a cripple. “Ah, this might be an impertinent request…” He worried nervously.
Booker just waved his hand. “Then say it quickly– we’re all together here.”
“I need something to defend myself with. Some street thugs have been jumping me while I take the Sect’s laundry to be cleaned.” He was wearing deep bruises, purple and black, and he drew back the collar of his robe to show that they went all the way down his chest.
The girl winced. Booker winced too– those kind of bruises came from being on the ground taking hit after hit and hoping it would stop before you died.
Doubtful that they’d kill a member of the Sect. Even as cripples, we have authority. But nobody will care if a cripple is beaten only half to death.
“Here.” Reaching into his bag he drew out a grenade shell he’d packed with blinding powders. “Light the fuse and throw it at them. I made the fuse myself – it will burn very quickly so throw it fast. Shield your eyes and run the other direction. They’ll never bother you again.”
He couldn’t help but notice the entire table looking at him now.
“Er, Brother Rain…” Someone began.
“Ha, stop. I get where this is going.” He held up a hand to everyone. “I’ll be taking the Sparrow’s Examination soon. When I do, as a graduation present, I’ll make sure everyone here can defend themselves.”
A large, burly man – the kind whose sheer bearish stature defied the word ‘cripple’ – laughed loudly. “Oh, could it be that our Brother Rain has revolutionary ideas? Handing out gunpowder to the oppressed! Cripples will rule the world!”
The entire table burst into laughter.
“Watch out, he’s just trying to butter you up.” The girl said peevishly, nudging Booker with her elbow. “He’s the captain of one of our cuju teams.”
“Oh? And you’re on the other team, then?” Bookers asked.
“Of course! Where else do you think I’ve been trying to lure you all this time? We need a man like Brother Rain on our side.” She said shamelessly, batting her eyes at him.
“What’s your name, anyway?” Booker asked.
“Sister Mei, naturally.”
“Sister Mei, you seem to know what’s going on around here. Where does someone go to make money?” His mind was on the amulet. So far, the book had been his greatest ally. Getting ahold of some fraction of another book sounded like an incredible boon.
"I have just the thing. Brother Rain, have a look at this." She reached into her neckline and drew out a slender chain ending in a small glass coffin sized to be worn as an amulet.
Inside was a small, squirming blob of flesh. It had five thick tendrils covered in gulping sucker-rings like the arms of an octopus, and they grasped at the inside of the glass.
"Disgusting, I can't help but love it." At the center of the five tendrils was a grotesquely toothy little mouth. "But what is it?"
"Brother Rain is a man of taste." She said proudly. "It's a bottled spirit beast. You mix beast blood with your own, a little medicine, and leave it under the moonlight. Whatever grows, you pit against other beasts."
"For money?"
She nodded heavily. "For us cripples, it's not a bad past-time, and we can win a little coin off the proper disciples."
Booker lifted a clump of congee to his mouth, swallowed, and said, "How hard would it be to win one hundred liang?"
She blinked, once, then a slow grin crept across her face. "You really don't dream small. One hundred liang? If you absolutely swept the meeting, you might make one hundred."
"I'll keep that in mind."
— — —
That morning, the task for Rain as a deputy alchemist was the cleaning of large white gourds, Thunderbelly Calabash, that contained countless pale seeds suspended in a yellowish pulp. He cut open and scraped out one after another with a heavy knife, emptying the seeds into a slop bucket.
“Master,” He asked, “when does the Sparrow’s Examination begin?”
“Applications will be held at the end of the month.” His master had a sharpened spade and was digging into the gourds, spilling their guts into a bucket. “I suggest you study at the library. Ruminations of the Grass was a particularly useful book to my last apprentice.”
I wonder what happened to this last apprentice… Booker thought, but what he said was, “I’ll be taking the exam as soon as possible.”
The master looked at him for a moment, and then nodded, “Your skill is considerable. I give you my blessing.”
Booker smiled.
For some reason, that meant something to him.
— — —
Booker had the afternoon free, and he was heading towards the main gate of the Sect to collect another request. The main gate was a broad and sunny courtyard where disciples sparred, bantered, and gambled. In the center stood a large banyan tree, covered in rope talismans to protect and anchor the luck of the Sect.
But as he was approaching the sunny, well-lit space by a shadowy corridor, a full disciple stepped into his path.
Instantly Booker's suspicions were alerted. The disciple was staring straight at him, instead of giving him the usual dismissive half-look the able spared the crippled.
In return, Booker dipped his hand into his bag casually, slipping his blinding powder into his palm. Only then did he lift his head and look back. Meeting eyes was a risky move, but he wanted to make it clear he would put up a fight if they caused trouble.
A shame I can't use grenades against fellow Sect disciples. Not without escalation...
But I still have the fighting pill I made.
"Huh." The disciple was tall and skinny-featured, with a stubble-strewn head and sharp eyes. He tilted his head up and sneered, jaw extended crookedly. "Some kind of beggar they make around here."
"Spare a pill for a poor cripple's cultivation, then, elder brother. Or are your pockets too shallow to be generous?" Booker fired back.
The man snorted. "Your uncle wants to see you."
"Is that all?" Booker could already guess why. Rain's uncle was a boastful and greedy man who had always resented his elder brother receiving the family amulet – now that Rain was marked as a cripple, he'd surely want to push him into handing over his inheritance.
Truly, Rain was so far down even inconsequential idiots feel they have the right to kick him. Shame...
"No. You met my eyes, you dog. You should be punished for that." His feet slid back into a martial stance, and the disciple lifted his fists.
And if I hadn't met your eyes, you'd beat me for ignoring you...
A pair of female disciples entered the hall at that moment, stepping out of a well-lit room. They glanced over at the pair of them and then burst out laughing.
The elder covered her mouth. "Really? With a cripple?"
The younger lifted a finger and chimed in. "Cut a switch and beat him if you must, but if you're going to pretend it's a fight, that's only embarrassing for you. What is he supposed to do?"
There was a world...
Booker imagined attacking right then and there. In his mind's eye he could see it. The moment the bald-headed disciple turned away to address the girls, Booker could throw the blinding powder and hammer him hard with a knee in the nuts.
It wouldn't be a smart move, but he could see in his head the image of the girl's surprise and the boy's humiliation.
Glorious, he thought with a smile.
"Elder sister, you give this little rat too much to smile about." The disciple spat bitterly, but abandoned his martial posture, waving a hand at Rain. "Run away, pest."
Booker dipped his head to the female disciples, who ignored him and looked at their nails as he retreated, as if they were embarrassed by the small charity they'd shown him.
Someday...
Rain would be full of somedays. Someday I'm going to flay him alive and bed both of those jade beauties. Someday I'll unleash my secret killing pressure.
But damn it's hard not to want to change those faces.
Seven-Times Purified Charcoal Pill...
You're really calling my name today.
— — —
Booker made his way out of the Sect, down into the city. The whole city was built in the shadow of the Sect’s walls, following them as they curved around one half of the mountain. At the edges, the Sect was still being constructed, and the city with it. Day by day the forest was pushed back, the trees razed and ripped up from the earth to make way for the advancing walls.
It was a prosperous city but a new one. For every metropolitan dressed in elegant robes on the streets, there were three people from the outlying villages and communities, dressed in sheepskin clothing or rough furs, with beads and tassels hanging from their hair.
The market was absolutely bustling. People argued over everything, exchanging coin only grudgingly once they’d split every possible hair on the price. A nearby stall was piled high with baskets full of powdered, colorful spices, every rise of the wind stealing away the top of the pile and scattering it into a lovely haze of rich aroma on the air. Nearby, a knife-grinder worked at his whetting stone, and a candle-maker hawked wax statues of ancient and holy cultivators.
“Young sir! Young sir!” Someone shouted, trying to grab the attention of the holy man from the Sect. But as soon as Booker turned and they saw the brand on the hidden half of his face, they winced and apologized, waving him away.
He walked on, shaking his head. Soon he was at the pawn shop where Rain had traded away his last hope.
Stepping inside, he was greeted by the sight of shelves piled high with dusty treasure. Copper pots and pans were stacked alongside clay idols of foreign gods. Scowling masks hung on the wall.
He stepped up to the counter, where a young woman stood.
In the moment she looked up and saw Rain, something dark flashed in her eyes. Booker noted it, and he could guess what was up.
Rain hadn’t bothered to haggle or negotiate at all. It was likely the store would want many times the selling price to buy it back…
But that was simply a price Booker was prepared to pay; if not today, then once he’d set himself up in the markets to sell his medicines.
“I want to reclaim my property.” He said simply.
Her smile was totally insincere. “I’m sorry sir, I can’t remember any such thing. In fact, I don’t recall seeing you before.”
Now this is unexpected. Goddamnit, they’ve already sold it.
His palm slapped down on the counter hard enough to make her jump, surprise flickering across her face. She clearly hadn’t been expecting such aggression from someone marked with the cripple’s brand.
“Listen carefully: you might think you’ve done something clever, but there are two roads before you. On one of those roads, I do everything I can to make trouble for you, and you end up paying the cost for what you’ve done. On the other road – you tell me exactly who you sold my property to, and I’m too busy reclaiming it to make a scene.”
“T-the Gold Moon Auction House.” She said, and without another word Booker turned and left.
An auction house? Dammit, that’s the worst possible place it could have gone. Today is… He took a deep breathe and let out a long sigh. Today is what I make of it, but damn, it’s making a mess of itself.
I just need to make money – money is the only kind of power a cripple is allowed.
And with my book, with Dialyze and Furnace, I can more or less print out medicines, making money hand over foot. I just need starting capital…
As he made his way towards the edges of the markets, the stalls gave way to tents of colored fabric, and then to hanging canopies of fur and hide. This was the foreign end of the market, where the sellers sat cross-legged on blankets and traded for herbs, pelts, and bone brought in from the forests.
“Young master…” A voice like a croak caught his attention. As he turned, he saw a very small, very old woman kneeling on a blanket, clothed in robes made of elk fur and hide. Numerous necklaces laden with red and yellow beads hung from her neck. Standing nearby were men Booker assumed to be her sons. “Stop a moment, and I’ll show you a treasure.”
With her gnarled hands she lifted up a long cloak made from strips of pure white fur. They were layered together like the feathers of a bird, and secured to the underlying shape of the cape by red glass beads.
“This is the Fleetfeather Cloak, a magic my grandmother taught to me when I was younger than you are now. I make only one every winter. The materials are nothing but common hides, but the magic underneath is strong.” The woman said in her scratchy, creaking voice. “While you wear it, the wind will make your movements faster, and even bear you aloft for a few instants.”
Booker… found himself interested, despite his own caution in spending money. The look of the thing was truly spectacular, enough that it might cause trouble for him if he wore it within the halls of the Sect. Can’t have our cripples looking better than our cultivators.
Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a small bamboo vial. Inside were the two Saffron-Sunflower Cultivation Pills he’d earned by driving out the ghost.
I should really sell these. They’d get me halfway to a market license, but…
Let’s do something a little risky.
“These are worth fifty liang. I see your sons are hunters: can you get me the blood of a beast? If you can, I’ll pay for both.”
One of the sons stepped forward, a man with a thick beard. “What kind of beast?”
“Something strong.” Booker answered. “As strong as possible.”
— — —
Booker returned to his room with the cape bundled under his arm. It had been an impulsive decision, but he was happy to own such a beautiful piece of magic. Real magic… He sighed. It’s hard to get used to. This world… It’s like my own in so many ways. But then sometimes you look up into the sky and remember there are people who can fly…
Swinging the door shut, he put down the cape and took out the other thing he had bought.
It was a length of pale bone, massive, that the hunters had promised came from an utterly enormous wolf the Sect had hunted down ten summers ago, ending its reign of terror over their village. Within the bone there was still likely some blood, and blood from the marrow was said to be especially potent.
Taking out his knife and a small bottle, Booker laid the instruments on the floor of his room.
Placing his hand atop the length of bone, Booker concentrated on the blank page, and thought, Teach me how to raise the strongest spirit beast I can, without needing cultivation.
The instructions written there disappeared, as if sinking under the rough-cut vellum of the page.
New words began to slash themselves across the paper.
Instructions on how to complete his wish.