It only took her a few minutes to find Claire's alchemy shop. On the other side of the courtyard from the Guild, she found a small shop, wedged in between two larger buildings, with a sign that had a woman wearing a stereotypical witch's hat, stirring a cauldron. Man, you can certainly tell that Otherworlders have influenced some of the iconography here. I wonder if this one was Thadius’ doing.
Entering the shop, she was met with a small ding from the bell above the doorway. She almost instinctively opened her interface to check the notification, but she stopped herself once she realized that the bell was real.
The shop was a quaint little establishment filled to the brim with different flowers, herbs, mushrooms, berries, plants, and spices. There were tables packed so tightly together, stacked high with various alchemical supplies and tools that it was nearly impossible to move around without bumping into things. The smell, however, was incredible. Every direction she moved inside the shop brought with it a new scent of some fresh herb or flower that filled her nostrils with sweet earthy tones. Oh god I could live in this place. No wonder Claire seems so happy being an Alchemist. Thinking of Claire, Kelsey called out “Hey Claire, are you here? It’s Kelsey!” She was able to see Claire working in the back room with her domain but figured it would be rude to simply walk back without an invitation.
There was some shuffling that Kelsey could hear coming from the back of the shop. “Hey! Yeah, come to the back! Kide will open the latch for you!” Kelsey carefully walked towards the back of the shop, careful not to knock anything over, and found a young man in his mid-teens who was sitting behind the counter reading a book on Alchemy. “You must be Kide. Nice to meet ya.” Kelsey said as she approached.
“Yep! Nice to meet you too. Come on in” Kide said as he moved to open the latch.
Walking into the back-room Kelsey was thrown by how different it was when compared to the front of the store. The room itself was spacious, with plenty of open space to move around freely. It was well lit and there was almost no clutter. Claire was sitting on a stool slowly measuring some ingredients with a scale. The thing that stood out the most however was the smell. In direct opposition to the wonderful smells out front, it was putrid and acidic, nearly making her eyes water. “Oh god, that smells horrible!” she said while pinching her nose.
Claire nodded her head in agreement “Yeah this is one of the worst. Almost never have to make this particular potion. It’s an anti-venom for some local scorpions that manifest in an old mine shaft north of here.”
Feeling slightly shocked Kelsey asked a question she had never considered before. “Manifest? You mean that the monsters don’t breed or anything, they just appear?
Claire blinked a few times before answering, “Sorry, I forgot you wouldn’t know that. Yes. It's all about mana. When mana in an area condenses, a creature will manifest from a mixture of mana and the nearby environment. Sometimes things like plants and trees manifest as well. You arrived in the Mageblood Forest right? The Mageblood trees themselves manifested from incredibly strong sources of mana. Same with the berries that are native there. The Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald berries all have a chance to manifest in forests with high mana concentrations.”
“Wow, that's news to me. I had assumed that the monsters were natural. I guess it's good to know that I can’t accidentally hunt a certain species to extinction.” Kelsey said ponderously.
“Some researchers did some experiments about half a millennium ago in that forest, actually. They removed a few hundred Mageblood trees in a wide area and checked to see if it would change what manifested. Turns out it did. Creatures up to level 270 started manifesting. So, thank goodness those trees are there to soak up all that mana huh?” she chuckled. “Otherwise, you and Thadius would have had no chance.”
Claire stood up and walked to the counter to pick up a new ingredient. “To make a long story short. Different places have different mana concentrations. No one really knows why, but because of this there are functionally zones where monsters of certain level ranges tend to manifest.”
“There are outliers in every area of course, but it's a good general rule to be aware of. Another thing to be aware of is, the lower into the ground you go, the higher the mana concentration, thus the higher-level monsters you'll find.” she explained almost as if giving a lecture on the topic to a room of students.
Kelsey was floored. If monsters manifest with higher levels the lower underground you are... "Are there any dungeons that can take people from silver rank all the way to Immortality?" Kelsey asked excitedly.
“There is a dungeon about 1500 kilometers south of here called The Trial. Mostly because people are pretty sure it was created to serve as a sort of testing grounds for an ancient race of sentient people that have been long forgotten by history. The Trial spans multiple kilometers below ground, but no one in recorded history has ever reached the bottom. Each of the dungeon’s floors are multiple square kilometers big and each one is a unique biome with their own challenges. There are a few Immortal Guilds that try to push a little further every year, but it's costly in both money and lives.” She added the next ingredient and began mixing the concoction together as she finished her explanation. “About 50 years ago one of the Otherworlders became an Immortal and used their knowledge of technology to create a monster core machine that scouted 13 kilometers down before being destroyed. Our best guess is that monsters down at that level would be around level 1,500; unless the mana density stops increasing at some point.”
Kelsey laughed as she heard Claire say the theoretical level. “Well, I guess I have a new life goal. If what I’ve heard from my friend Lisa is anything to go by, getting to level 1,500 is nigh on impossible. It must be if the highest known Classer is in the 300’s.”
Claire smiled softly at Kelsey. “Yes. The people who built it must have known something about classes and magic that we don’t. Until the level 500 section of the dungeon, there is a very nice staircase that takes you to each level. After that, it turns into large, winding, underground caverns that slope downwards. The rest of the dungeon, as far as people know, is completely untamed and natural.”
“Something must happen with paths at 500 that explains that change. Is there any known person that has reached level 500?” Kelsey asked as she looked around the room.
“No one knows. Skills that let you see people’s levels are very rare, and people are secretive about that kind of stuff, but it's possible of course.” Claire responded. "Immortality is a very long time for someone to slowly gain levels.
“Well, if not, I’ll be the first.” Kelsey said as she picked up a Ruby Berry she saw laying on the counter. “What are these anyways? I never wanted to eat one in case they were deadly.”
Letting out a soft chuckle and giving Kelsey a big smile she said, “Oh my, eat one, they’re delicious!”
Popping the berry in her mouth Kelsey received a notification.
*ding* You have been healed. +1 Health per second for 300 seconds.
Reduces pain.
Well, that would have been useful...
“These would have made my life so much easier in the beginning if I had just known what they were. What do the other two do?” Kelsey asked while summoning the other two kinds of berries from her storage space.
Claire just gave her a simple smile, “Stamina and Mana. They’re primarily used in potions though. Mix one of those berries with some Mageblood sap and voila you will have a potion that will increase your regeneration by a factor of two, or more if you have an experienced alchemist make one. I can make potions that will make you regenerate seven times faster for about one minute.”
“Wow, incredible Claire. I had no idea potions could be so strong. That’s impressive.” Kelsey said, genuinely very impressed.
“Thanks, making them takes quite a bit of time, but it’s worth it.” she said with a small smile. "You can only really use one or two per day though. Using any more will put you out of commission for weeks from the strain on your body or mind." she finished a bit dejectedly.
"Oh? Why's that?" Kelsey asked curiously.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Claire paused, clearly trying to figure out how to explain what she meant. "I'll start with health regeneration since it's the easiest to explain. When you regenerate health naturally, there are functionally zero side effects other than a bit of tiredness. But, when you regenerate health via magic, your body isn't being provided nutrients or water via the mana. That means that if you use a health potion to fix a few large wounds, you could end up finishing the fight and dying to dehydration or starvation." she explained grimly.
Well, shit. I already knew that, but it's interesting to know it applies to potions as well.
Kelsey nodded, indicating she understood.
"Mana and stamina are a bit trickier. Their symptoms are more related to overuse. If you use too much stamina in one day, you'll find that you get extremely sore, and it will be difficult to move the next day. For mana overuse, people will usually get headaches. As a mage, you may have already experienced that." Claire said simply.
Kelsey nodded, remembering back to the day she made her telekinetic saber and clothing, she had gone to sleep that night with a massive headache. I don't want to know how bad the headache would be if I added a mana potion into the mix...
“I’m about to finish up this anti-venom and then I’m going to call it quits for the day. Why don’t you look around the shop and I’ll be out in 10 minutes. We can go grab a bite to eat before heading home. What do you say?”
“That would be awesome. I had an exhausting morning actually.” Kelsey said as she began walking to the front of the store.
“Yeah, you’ll have to tell me how the exam went over lunch.” Claire responded before diving back into her work with full focus.
The next two hours were spent hanging out with Claire and getting to know her even better. She learned that Thadius and Claire had only been officially together for the last seven years, but they had known each other much longer. They were close to dating before Thadius left on his journey to see the rest of Cardona and the Kytan Empire so when Thadius came back, they didn’t waste any time. They got together and had their first child a year later.
She told Claire the sanitized version of her exam, leaving out most of her abilities and the discussions she had with Lisa and Owen. By this point however, Claire did at least know that Kelsey was a spatial mage. Kelsey explained that she would be getting her official badge and card within the next few days and would then be leaving to become a mentee.
“That's great Kel. What are you going to do first once you finish the mentorship?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know how strong I’ll be by the time it’s over, but I’d really like to figure out what has happened with the Plains Centaurs. I saw them when I was out in the plains; they were like mindless animals. When I heard Thadius’ story, it sounded like they were once friendly and peaceful people. I’d like to help them.” Kelsey responded between bites of food. “I may also just start doing contracts or go to The Trial.”
“That's a tough one. There's currently a Gold ranked team that has the contract for the Centaurs. Doesn’t mean you couldn’t go and solve it yourself, but you wouldn’t be paid by the Guild for the work unless the other team fails to accomplish the goal within the given time limit.” she said, leaning in conspiratorially. “I think you should skip Silver rank contracts if I’m being honest. You will make a lot more money when you reach at least Gold rank and doing contracts before then is just likely to slow you down.”
“What do you mean skip over Silver rank contracts?” Kelsey asked, confused.
“Thadius tells me you’re quite competitive. It may be worth it to skip contracts all together until you become an Immortal and have unlimited time. You will make plenty of money for supplies and equipment from monster cores. Some of the rarer ones can sell for hundreds of gold coins before you’re even level 200. I assume you have some Thorn Wolf cores? As an example, each of those is worth 70 silver pieces. One day's worth of supplies for survival will cost about 30 silver coins. 1 gold is 100 silvers, 1 silver is 100 coppers. You can see how quickly the cores will add up over time.”
Okay so that's the conversion rate. I know a loaf of bread costs one to two silver pieces so I guess I can just look at a copper coin like a penny, a silver coin like a dollar, and a gold coin is like a 100-dollar bill.
“That makes a lot of sense. I’ll have to think about it. I do want to level up as quickly as possible. I’d like to become an Immortal sometime in the next couple years. Thadius says that it should be possible if I focus on it.” she said as she contemplated Claire’s words.
With my skills I can probably do it even faster. I’m 28 years old now. I’d really like to become an Immortal while I’m 30. But that just leaves me a little over two years.
After that the conversation moved on to less serious topics and the two had a lovely time together talking about everything from the best place for haircuts, to local politics. Eventually the pair made their way back to Thadius’ house where Kelsey and Thadius’ family enjoyed a wonderful night of rest and relaxation. When they got back to Thadius' house, she even began to use her skills to play with the kids. They really loved when ‘Aunt Kelsey’ made them fly.
Getting called Aunt Kelsey really warms my heart. Damn these kids are adorable.
The next three days passed quickly as Kelsey and Thadius spent some real quality time together. They both knew that Kelsey would be leaving for a while, potentially several years, and wanted to ensure they spent at least some time together before that happened. During this time, she also found time to ask about the sponsorship.
The pair were relaxing on the couch, talking about their memories from Earth when there was a lull in the conversation.
"Hey Thad, before I forget. I need a sponsorship for the mentorship. Are you interested in being my sponsor?" Kelsey asked, a bit nervously. Throughout their life on Earth, Kelsey had always been the one who made more money, and Thadius had always been the one that needed a loan for whatever project he was working on. He had always paid her back of course, but it felt extremely awkward for Kelsey being on the other side of this conversation.
Thadius stared at Kelsey for several seconds before bursting out laughing. He regained his composure a little while later, wiping some tears from his eyes. "Yes, of course. God, the look on your face... priceless. I don't mind sponsoring you. I have more money than I know what to do with these days." he paused as he considered something else. "Don't your mentors want to sponsor you? They stand to make a shit load of gold when you reach platinum rank."
Kelsey nodded her head. "Yeah, Lisa mentioned that but said she didn't want to step on your toes."
Thadius shot Kelsey a genuine smile. "That's kind of her... How about this; I'll sponsor you, and any additional money I make from the deal, I'll split between your two mentors. You think they'd be alright with that arrangement?" he asked seriously.
"Yeah, I think that's perfect." Kelsey said genuinely. "How much money will me getting to platinum award anyways?"
Thadius scratched his chin for a few seconds while he considered the question. "Somewhere in neighborhood of ten thousand gold."
Kelsey did some quick mental math. That's like a million dollars! No wonder they all wanted to do it.
She had no idea what to say. That was a crazy amount of money.
Thadius noticed her hesitation and explained easily. "A platinum ranked adventurer is worth a theoretically infinite amount of money over their lifetimes. Paying someone a few thousand gold for sponsoring a recruit that goes on to become an Immortal is a no-brainer for the guild. It incentivizes every single guild member to be on the lookout for up-and-coming talents and to recruit them."
Kelsey nodded that she understood before she changed the subject by asking about the massive wall project, he had been a part of a couple decades ago.
They spent the rest of that night, and the following two days eating good food and relaxing. In the early afternoon on the third day after the exam, a messenger arrived at her door with a Silver Guild card and a letter.
She quickly opened the letter and read it.
Dear Kelsey,
Please meet us at the Northern Gate as soon as possible. We will be leaving within the hour.
Owen Swanson
Reading the message, Kelsey quickly rushed to get ready. “Thadius! I got the letter! I’ve gotta run out, they want to leave in the next hour!” she yelled through the house as she began running to her room to pack up her clothes and leave. The day before, Claire had taken Kelsey out shopping to buy her a whole new wardrobe with Thadius’ money along with some basic furniture like a new bed. That’s when she found out the extent of her brother's wealth. He was loaded. Like, enough money to buy the entirety of Whitebranch loaded. Apparently, the nation of Kytan had paid him well during their rebuilding efforts. Kelsey bought mostly traveling clothes, but she did end up buying a few nicer outfits that could be worn out to dinner or a play if she found herself in a city with those kinds of fancy amenities. There was even a theater hall in Whitebranch, but she never found time to go.
After she was packed, which meant that she had an entire room’s worth of stuff stashed away inside her vault, she walked towards the front door to find Thadius and Claire standing there waiting for her. The kids were apparently out for private tutoring at the moment.
Damn, wish I could say goodbye to the little ones.
“You have everything you need, hun?” Claire asked as she walked towards Kelsey and wrapped her in a hug.
Kelsey nodded as she hugged back. “Yeah, thanks. I appreciate everything you two have done for me. I’ll make sure to pay you back as soon as I can.” she said earnestly.
“Don’t worry about it Kel, we aren’t worried about the money.” Thadius said with a warm smile on his face. “Now go. Don’t want to keep your mentors waiting.”
Kelsey pulled away from Claire’s hug, nodded to both of them, and began quickly making her way to the north gate.