Every alchemical production went through the five fundamental processes.

First, “Identification” described the step in which the brewer-to-be scanned through the materials available. Based on their intuition, they assigned meanings to their ingredients as they did. A jalapeño in the hands of one alchemist could symbolize ‘heat’ and in another’s it could be ‘pain’. The alchemist had to read their own mind correctly for these assignments which was no easy matter. The desperate craftsman could be tempted to try and swindle themselves. Some succeeded at this, others merely spoiled their brew by trying to act in ways that were convenient, but not true to themselves.

Apexus identified a number of materials. Locks of hair from each of his women made for easy association. Beyond that, he required an ingredient of quick adaptation. For this, he used clay powder, with its capacity to be formed into many shapes. Target and purposes set, he then added blades of freshly cut grass to the line of ingredients. The last in the line was a vial of pheromone-rich fluid, specifically created by concentrating glands in an area of his skin and then separating it from the rest of him.

Second, “Elevation” described the step in which the brewer took the individual ingredients and drew from them the desired attribute(s). To do so, many processes were viable. What mattered was that the ingredient was in a state that most elevated that attribute in the eye of the alchemist.

Apexus deemed that the hair needed no touch, for the white, red and blonde were unique by themselves. The clay he mixed with water, just enough for it to turn into a mass that could be easily separated into small spheres – for the sphere was the most adjustable of all shapes. From the grass he required only the mass and fertility of nature, as such its freshness was all he required. The pheromones, he gave a quick sniff to ensure that the fragrance was intense.

Third, “Extraction” described the step in which the brewer reduced the ingredient to the elevated attribute. Energy was necessary for this, as all elements were changed by the application and withdrawal of energy.

Apexus placed the clay balls in a flask, mixing them with water. A small flame brought the mixture to a boil over the course of many minutes. At first, such a reaction was purely physical, but the esoteric nature of the process soon transformed the mixture into a brownish black soup that bubbled and frothed. The steam that rose, Apexus caught in a glass tube that let the cooling liquid run off to the side. It gathered an earthy brown liquid in a glass next to a second one where Apexus caught the essence drawn from the grass, itself a vibrant green.

Fourth, “Unification” described the step in which the brewer blended the various ingredients together in whatever way they found appropriate. As brews became more complicated, so did the scale and intricacy of how the various components came together to make a whole.

Apexus poured the two essences together into a bottle with his pheromones and the strands of hair. He put his fingers on the lid, then he shook it thoroughly, until every last strand of hair had fully dissolved in the esoteric mixture of meaning and mana. He repeated this for each of them.

Fifth, “Stabilization” described the step in which the brewer brought the unified materials into a sustainable form. Most alchemical concoctions were not meant to be, created by extracting metaphysical attributes from materials and then putting them together with little regard for universal logic. The brew, as such, pushed outside against the world and yearned to change like water yearned to move according to pressure differences. The material needed to be calmed.

Apexus poured the finished mixture into a small mould. He repeated this for each of the brews, making sure to use a different cast for each of them. Then, he crossed his arms and stared sternly at them. The liquids vibrated, the small casts gradually hobbling to the edge of the table. Before they could fall, Apexus pushed them back. They repeated this seven times. Apexus kept on looking in disapproval until the brews got the message and obediently settled down.

The liquids shrunk down, expelling excess water and turning into six pills each. They had the colours of the hairs that had gone into making them. Apexus carefully removed them from the moulds, put them next to the other instruments for later cleaning, and then brought the pills to where the party was waiting.

Finding Reysha sucking on Korith’s tits was not the least bit surprising. The redhead pulled her head back, teeth holding onto the nipples. Pliable flesh stretched. The masochistic blonde writhed. Apexus walked past the scene without a care.

“Where is Aclysia?” he asked, placing the pills on the couch table.

“Bathing.” With the answer, Reysha released the huge breasts of the shortstack. They jiggled back into their natural position. Numerous little marks on them proved that there had been extensive worship and consensual abuse going on. “She’s addicted to the tub, I swear.”

“Cleanliness is holiness,” Aclysia said, entering the room at that moment. The metal fairy had heard the door of her darling’s laboratory, previously the storage room, open and close and had taken that as her signal to leave the tub. She had dried herself off as best as possible, but her hair and the fluff of her moth-like wings were still damp. She sat down on the couch, then began to help the drying along with gentle sunlight spells.

“It ain’t that I disagree, bubble butt, but Korith, the big guy and I spend like ten to fifteen minutes in there. I swear you’re in there for at least thirty and you go in twice a day when ya get the chance.”

“This… is accurate,” Aclysia stated. “The water is free, I cause no waste.”

“Eh, it’s your time ya wastin’,” Reysha rolled off of Korith, who came back to reality a few seconds later. The various kiss marks on her would fade over the course of the day. Either one of Aclysia’s healing spells would get them by accident or her own magically increased, natural healing would take care of it.

The party gathered around the table and looked at the pills. “You don’t need any?” Korith asked, just to be certain.

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“Not for this purpose,” Apexus answered. “I have made some for other purposes.”

“And where are those?” Reysha asked, out of curiosity.

Apexus tilted his head back. His jaw dislocated, allowing it to open wide enough that the three women could get a proper view of his upper molars. The one furthest at the back loosened from its socket, then, pulled by slime, ‘opened’ like a hinged lid. The human skull and the human-esque teeth he had gained from a serpentine boss monster were only fused because he had willed it so. It was easy enough to create a pocket in-between in which the pill, no larger than the nail of a little finger, could slot without issue.

The tooth slotted back into place, fused back to the skull, and was then hidden when Apexus hooked his jaw back into place.

“…Okay… ya know… I can stomach a lot… but THAT was sick.” Reysha ran her tongue over her own teeth just to make sure they were all nice and firm in their position. “Actually sickening.”

“I agree… please do not do that again,” Korith requested.

“Okay,” Apexus said. He did not question what they did or did not find grotesque about his body. In this regard, they were simply too different for him to track their sensibilities. He distracted them by pointing at the pills. “Not entirely sure what kind of scent they will make you produce. The effect will only last a limited amount at a time, a couple of minutes or so. They will also lose effectiveness in only a few days.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem, not like dirt and grass are hard to find,” Reysha said.

“The right dirt and the right grass are,” Apexus told her.

“Is there a certain definition of the ‘right dirt’ and ‘right grass’, darling?” Aclysia asked.

“No.”

The firm and quick answer caused mild amusement. Had Apexus not been an oddball from the start, his women may have questioned his behaviour. Most alchemists got questioned because of things like this by those that had no understanding of the craft whatsoever or who, worse, judged one alchemist by the measure of another they knew.

In their relationship, Apexus being oddly certain about esoteric topics and oddly uncertain when it came to commonly accepted matters was just expected.

Breakfast and morning baths had already been taken care of. The party only had to get dressed to leave the Mobile Estate. They stepped out into the crisp air of late Autumn’s morning. The breaths of Aclysia, Reysha and Korith turned into clouds. Apexus’ own looked off by comparison. There was not enough moisture in his breath.

The oddity went ignored or unseen by the others. Apexus’ nature was no longer a secret. It did not matter if he was off compared to other species. Plus, the guards around would not have messed with a level 25 party without a very good reason. Healers were always hired at a premium. Level 20 healers, the power appropriate for this Influence Zone, were extremely expensive. As such, not every settlement had one. If a guard got injured, that was a long-term issue and no one was willing to risk being useless in such a hostile environment.

They had a short look around in the daylight, to do basic diligence by Lady Frashina’s request. They could not comment on the health of the settlements if they only passed through hastily. Finding nothing worth committing to memory, they then continued on their path.

The next seven days went by eventlessly. In that time, they cleared two dozen Incursions and visited three more settlements, each time trading in whatever Mana Gems they got in exchange for alchemical materials or other small benefits. Korith grumbled each time. The gems were worth much more in gold than the materials they got for them. This, however, was only true back in civilization and the scarcity of the frontier had its own economy.

On the sixth day of the journey, it began to rain. On the seventh day of the journey, it poured. All four of them were drenched. The ground was turned into soggy mud. The flatness of the plains meant that once the groundwater had reached a certain level, there was no escaping the unsteady footing. Fortunately, the land saw no feet beyond their own, keeping the carpet of grass firm enough that their trek was, while unpleasant, still manageable.

The curtain of rain was so thick, not even Apexus could see more than a few metres. His pheromones had no ability to spread. A potentially alarming point, but the terrible visibility had also prompted the monsters to stay in their holes. They were alone in a world of cold rain.

Aclysia whispered a song under her breath. The magic from the scripture kept the four of them warm enough to continue. Korith checked the compass in her hand often. There were no features in the landscape to orient themselves by, only an endless depth of grey to all sides.

This changed suddenly. One step to the next, the shape of a gargantuan spire entered their field of vision. A karst, a sheer and tall mountain, towered up before them. Little insects skittered in the rain shadow cast by craggy protrusions, streaming in and out of holes that let them access the hive. The karst before them was every bit as natural as it was unnatural, a divine structure housing and maintained by the dungeon within.

Finding the entrance was easy, despite the rain, for there were many entrances. Like the landscape, the stone was riddled with holes, resembling a sturdy sponge more than a regular mountain. They simply needed to find one of the holes large enough for them to enter.

The issue came the moment after.

A gargantuan bug guarded the entrance. Its flat head was shaped like a coin and it served to keep the entrance sealed when there was no traffic in and out by patrolling drones. It was a purely defensive creature, sitting there like a living fortress gate. Generally it was recommended to find a smaller entrance, guarded by a smaller bug. They had stumbled across one that was three metres across. The chitin covering the flat top of the hat was tens of centimetres thick.

They did have a solution for this though.

“Reysha, take the mutagen,” Apexus requested.

“Roger that,” the redhead said and pulled one of the pills out of her Adventurer’s Bag. She popped it in her mouth, then lifted her shirt. A gesture that, this time, made sense. The scent needed to escape, after all.

They had tested the effects of the pills on Incursions over the last few days. Each of the three pills Apexus had made had their own specific effect, the flavour of pheromone adjusted by the esoteric nature of their classes.

Korith’s pheromone was one usually produced only when there was prey to hunt. It had the effect of concentrating aggression on her, which interrupted the basic strategies of the Lanaan insects and directed them at the one member of the party meant to take attacks.

Aclysia’s pheromone was the simplest one of the three, being a basic ‘friend’ signal that kept her out of harm’s way unless she overwrote basic senses with direct aggression. This was also what Apexus used most of the time, although he had begun to identify a few other codes.

Reysha’s scent was the most specific one. The pheromone smelled sweet to everyone else, but to the Lanaan insects it was the same as someone screaming GET OUT OF THE WAY! It was a scent reserved to large insects or queens that needed to get through a crowded tunnel quickly. It was the opposite of a stealthy approach, but it worked. It worked so well that the insect moved out of the way for them and let them enter.

“Finally, out of the rain!” Korith cheered, as they entered the first Dungeon of this trip.