Tristan was not sure where the alchemist lived, but he knew that the entire Caldera could be crossed in a little over a week. At least that is what Shadow Fist said, and with a tier two kern, he could move around one hundred and sixty miles in that time. The Forest Caldera was slightly off center, so everything was a reasonable distance from the city. It was yet another reason why the Forest Caldera was the wealthiest in the six calderas.
After about six hours of walking, they saw a lake in the distance with a city sitting on its shore. An odd thought struck Tristan. How would a lake be possible in a caldera. Water traveled down hill, while a caldera was a basin positioned at the top of a hill. No river fed the lake, but one exited it. Maybe it was rain water, however the flooding caused by rain would drain relatively fast.
“Luke, how come there is water here,shouldn’t it all drain away?” Tristan asked.
“So, do you know what a spring is?” Luke asked.
“It is a metal coil used to soften shock on heavy objects,” Tristan answered. He had been looking at the suspension system that some merchants who dealt in delicate wares used on their wagons.
“No, uh well ,Yes,” Luke gave him a strange look, “How do you know what a spring is but not a water spring?”
“I’m a metal guy not a water guy,” Tristan shrugged.
“Well, think of it like a well, but the water squirts out and fills up the surroundings,” Luke explained. He had no idea how it worked either and that was the best explanation he had.
“They should call it a squirt then,” Tristan complained.
Luke could only shrug. It did not matter to him what it was called. They got to the lake after another two hours, and Tristan could see how large it was. The city of ten thousand people was barely visible across the water. However the Lake Caldera was not their target. A small ferry was available to take people across. Three boats were docked there and the captains sat beside them looking board.
Luke walked up to the one with the smallest boat, “We would like passage.”
The captain eyed Luke, and said, “Four copper parses.”
He was not a very well kept man, and his price was expensive. Most likely he was trying to drive off a few teens who wanted to waste his time. He was about to go back to his book when Luke pulled out four coins.
“You won’t go back on your word right?” Luke asked in the most insolent tone he could manage.
“Of course, I’ll take you anywhere you want on this lake for that,” The man said with a scowl.
Tristan wondered why Luke was antagonizing their ride, that was until he said, “to Alchehall then.”
The man’s face scrunched up, “you guys criminals?”
Luke shrugged, “What’s it to you.”
The captain gave his first smile, “True, well get on board, its a six hour trip over the water since the wind is in our favor.”
Tristan got on the boat, which was well maintained, unlike the captain, he could not help but ask, “Did the alchemist really name his city Alcohol?”
The captain shook his head, “No, he is a weird man who mashed his profession and hall together, he thinks that the ‘e’ sound replacing an ‘o’ actually makes a difference.”
Tristan turned to Luke, “Is the alchemist sane?”
No one would name their city Alchehall. Well, not anyone who was mentally stable. Tristan actually doubted the prudence of commissioning weapons from a man like that.
Due to the tail wind a second, smaller town came into view six hours later. Alchehall only had a handful of houses and a tiny castle of all things. A dock jutting out into the lake would ferry people across the lake and receive supplies for the alchemist’s research. Some boats were out fishing, but the majority of the citizens were actually moving about the town loading and unloading wagons.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Several acres of land were cleared and growing wheat, a mill sat off to the side. He wondered why the town needed so much flour. There was no shortage of it as grain was one of the Grass Caldera’s main exports. However he knew that the mine’s four was made at this mill.
“Does the alchemist live in the tiny castle,” Tristan asked.
“So, its a lot bigger than it looks. The basement extends under most of the town, but yes, that is where we are going,” Luke said.
The Captain docked his boat and asked if they needed him to wait. Luke rejected him, unwilling to pay the four parse retainment fee. After that, they entered the town, people gave them odd looks, but no one stopped them. All of them looked like rough people, many of them reminded Tristan of Olfred. However they all behaved, doing their jobs and not bothering anyone.
When they reached the castle, Tristan found out why. A group of what Tristan would normally call goats was sleeping around the base of the building. They were not goats though, green scales covered them and they had paws instead of hooves. The curled horns were still there, but the teeth were razor sharp and a tail like a lizards wrapped around their sleeping forms.
“What are these?” Tristan whispered.
Luke did not bother to keen his voice down, “Oh, these are the police. They eat anyone that the alchemist does not want around. The police are also how he has managed to stay free from any caldera’s control, the Elders hate it.”
His voice woke some of the lizard goats up. Tristan would not call them police, even in his head. They were alert like watch dogs, but upon seeing Luke, they laid back down. Evidently, Luke was here often enough for the lizards to recognize him.
He walked up the three steps to the castles single door. It was underwhelming as far as castles went. The building was little more than a large cube made up of other stones. Though on second thought, that is what most castles were. Tristan had expected it to at least have double doors, but it looked like the alchemist had simply stolen it from one of the surrounding houses.
Luke knocked on the door and when there was no answer, he drew his dagger and smashed its hilt on the door. The bang echoed through the small town and woke all the lizard goats up. It also left a divot in the wood of the door. Fortunately this got an answer, a young woman answered the door.
“What are you doing, are you…” her voice trailed off when she saw Luke.
The woman’s face drained of color. She was shorter than Luke and just as skinny, but if you did not know Luke he was not that that scary. She slammed the door in Luke’s face.
Through the door Tristan could hear the woman yell, “Master, Rail’s bastard is here!”
Tristan looked back at his friend, “What is going on here?”
Luke shrugged, “Last time, I might have killed most of the police to get in.”
Tristan frowned, there were at least thirty of the lizard goats on the lawn. Luke had been with Tristan for most of the last three years, so he had done that when he was eleven or twelve. He could not imagine a parent trying to raise a child like Luke. Maybe he had gone here to get his gloves?
Another thought connected, “Who’s Rail?”
“My old man,” Luke said, “He’s gone now, and believe me that’s a good thing.”
Tristan was surprised that any one would think their parents were better off dead. He did not like his father, but he did not want him to die. Shadow Fist was a selfish man, not an evil one.
“Why is that,” Tristan asked.
“When a hero gets disillusioned with the world, he becomes a villain,” Luke shrugged, “All you can do with threats like that is put them down.”
Tristan wondered what kind of hero Luke meant. Someone who saved people or someone who reached tier six and was comparable to the grand elder. Luke’s next statement put a stop to Tristan’s thought process.
“You’re about to meet the man who killed him,” Luke said.
The door opened revealing a short, slightly overweight man a with a white coat. He had black hair, greying at the temples, and most surprising, Tristan felt that the man was full of metal essence.
“You have a metal kern!” Tristan said.
He raised an eyebrow, “Yes, so do you. The most pitiful one I have ever sensed.”
“Sorry, I have never met any one like me before,” Tristan said, slightly embarrassed, “my name’s Tristan.”
“You still haven’t, saying we are alike is like a chicken claiming to be an eagle,” The man said, “I am Mist now get off my porch.”
Tristan knew the name was fake, and unimaginative. He had just taken the last part of alchemist and said that was his name. For a moment Tristan considered throwing the short man into the lake, but that was Luke’s influence talking. He took a deep breath, he needed this man’s help after all.
Mist looked at Luke, “Rail junior, what do you want?”
“It’s Luke, also let me in or I’ll kill your police.”
“Junior. At least until you stop calling my pet golize, police,” Mist huffed.
Luke gave him an evil grin, “Junior it is then.”
Mist narrowed his eyes, “Tell me your business, or get lost.”
“We will be getting my friend some tier one or two blade artifacts,” Luke said.
Mist, looked at Tristan calculating, “I guess have not been able to experiment on a metal kern in a long time. They are in short supply constantly being exterminated and all.”
The alchemist gestured for them to enter, to the surprise of his helper. Tristan was not sure if she was a maid, apprentice, or daughter, but she did not seem to have any real authority. Regardless Tristan was not going inside without Luke letting him know it was safe. The man was clearly not concerned about Tristan’s safety.
Luke followed Mist in, “Don’t worry about Haddie, he’s cranky but nice.”
“It’s Hadrid you little troll!” came a yell from inside.