I can finally rest. I portalled to the Geller estate in Vitesse with no more complications. The gold rank Geller called Danielle, Little Dani, but I am sure nobody else would. I have settled temporarily in the Vitesse Temple of Death.
I will only be here a few days to catch up with people, and then I plan to portal to Stillwater. Olivia and Nkwe should be somewhere in that area, and I want to consult on Kekie's politics and culture. It might take a bit to track them down as they will be avoiding the towns.
“Theo! You have missed most of the Semester!” Val said when I went to clean out my room. I spent some time catching up but only gave the briefest account of his incarceration. I didn’t want rumours to spread. I attributed my rescue to the Gellers. They had a good adventuring reputation, and it suited me for them to take the credit.
“Hello Professor,” I said.
“Ah, young Theo. I had hoped for your help this Semester,” Professor Venter said.
“Sorry, professor, an urgent event called me away. I probably won’t be back here for a while, if ever.” I was a bit sad about that, as I had really enjoyed my time here. I had learned a massive amount. This was a really good academy.
“However,” I continued, “In my travels, I saw some people performing a ritual on the gate to an astral space. I wasn’t able to stop them, but I copied down the ritual and would like your opinion.” I pulled out the shield I had drawn on and set it out for her, explaining how it was set up in relation to the gate and the effect when I went through the gate.
The professor listened to me, her eyes never leaving the ritual drawn on the shield.
“Are you sure this is right?” she asked, “This part doesn’t look right,”
“I am pretty sure. I drew it to the best of my bronze rank memory and as soon as I could.”
Then came a slew of questions, most of which I couldn’t answer. Eventually, I was released, and the professor was wondering about finding a gate to test the ritual on to see if I had it right.
I spent a lot of time in my Garden and in the Temple Garden. It is peaceful. Restful.
I visited Davu and the Temple of the Lost. I also started work on my bronze rank armour. That is going to take some time. I will make a basic set and then work on different alchemical mixtures that could enhance it. The advantage of making my own armour is I can swap out pieces of armour as I upgrade them, and my manipulation of the Resin makes things really easy.
I want to stay longer, but I also want to see Nia. I made sure Professor Venter knew where to contact me and booked a portal to Stillwater.
I spent more time in Vitesse than in Stillwater, but Stillwater still felt like I was coming home. I arrived at the Adventure Society and made my way to the temple. I wandered slowly through the town, and they seemed to be prospering. I was wearing a new outfit I got in Vitesse, and I planned to get Nia to help me get some local clothing so I wouldn’t stand out as a city slicker. The provincial cities have their own vibe and look, even though Leonid belts and shorts are universal, in my opinion.
“Theo! Welcome home!” Nia greeted me warmly. We spent a lot of time catching up. Ok, we spent a lot of time catching up. Eventually, Nia asks, “What is your next step?”
“I need to wait for Professor Venter to analyse the ritual, but it is reasonably certain that the prophecy about the coming destruction is somehow related to the disruption of the astral gates. If that is true, then this is happening on a much wider scale than anyone has first thought. We have some time, but probably not as much as people are assuming. While Professor Venter does her thing, there are two things I want to do. The first is I want to catch up with Olivia and get an inside perspective on the Kekie Kingdom.”
“I don’t know where she has gone,” Nia said, “But I can put the word out through the temple’s connections.”
“Thanks. The second thing is that I want access to an alchemy lab, both with industrial, medicinal, and poison capabilities. I may need more than one lab. The key thing for now is one with a reinforced space to handle up to silver-level chemicals. I can probably handle the medicinal with my portable gear, but I need somewhere to contain poisonous liquids and gasses.”
“That is a tall order,” Nia said. “Vitesse might have been better for this. There are two main industrial alchemist clans in Stillwater, one of which we buy our embalming liquid from. There are several smaller alchemists, mostly with niche areas they work in. That excludes the alcohol alchemists, although most alchemists do some of that on the side. I will give you an introduction to our one, but I suggest you check with the Alchemist Association.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“I should probably look at becoming a member of the Alchemist Association,” I said. “Mostly, I want to use this time to rest and get over the last few months, so some alchemy and a few adventure society contracts sound like the ticket for a while.”
“Why alchemy, if I can ask?” Nis asked anyway.
“It is obvious that even though I am bronze, I need to fight at the silver rank level. The only way I see to do that is through alchemy and to be able to bring surprise alchemical attacks. That means a lot of prep work in a lot of different alchemy areas.”
Nia nodded, “Interesting. I can see how that might give you an edge. Do you want to stay here at the temple?”
“I do, but this will be the first place people will look for me, so I will look for a room to rent in the city.”
Nia nodded, “What about an adventuring team? We are bronze-level density, so it is vary dangerous for a solo adventurer. You can probably deal with most bronze monsters one one-on-one, but they often come in packs, and silver-rank monsters are not uncommon.”
“It is probably better I have a regular team, which will mean less loose information getting out. Do you have any suggestions?”
“The temple has two teams we sponsor. Sponsoring is a strong word, but we assist them and use them to train our members. One is silver rank, and one is bronze.”
“But they are both linked to the temple,” I said. Nia nodded. I will see what I can find and maybe run some names past you.” Nia nodded again, and we arranged a time and place for a regular meeting away from the temple. I knew where to find her, and I could always send a Kai. Her familiar Azrael can also move without being seen, being an incorporeal Spectre of Death as well as gold rank.
Nia had one key piece of advice for me. “Don’t isolate yourself. This is from the Goddess and your High Priestess. You need a team or some helpers for your alchemy. You need somebody to work beside you.”
OK, that is not something I can ignore. I did have the intention to be alone until I could catch up with Olivia, but I guess I need to commit to working with others.
I could possibly be tracked through the Adventure Society, but if I am a member of a registered team, it is less easy, and they keep their records in gold-rank protected seals. I went there first as they had a board of teams advertising for members.
Some of the Adverts put me off from the start: “Join the best of the best! Tryouts held on …” No thanks. I was not going to join the Pink Pussys; they preferred female Leonids. Good luck to them. I noted down a couple of likely teams to look into and moved on to the accommodation adverts.
Adventurer accommodation was varied. I was looking for a place where I had a spare room for my alchemy as well as training spaces. I could book training here at the society. Alchemy spaces might be difficult. Alchemy tends to smell, even if I am only making Jory’s Hair Cream. I also noted some spaces to look at. I ruled out the obvious ones with problems, like the apartment above Toni’s Blacksmiths. I would never get any rest, although it was cheap. Maybe I should keep my accommodation and Alchemy in separate buildings. That is getting expensive.
I had coins now, and plenty of items to sell, but my income would drop here, and my expenses rise as I was not planning to sell my alchemy. I wanted it for my own use. Maybe I should look at renting an industrial space and living in my Garden? I prefer a bed, even with the mosses I was growing. Can I afford to rent one of those family trader buildings with a shop/workshop downstairs and accommodation upstairs? There is just me, and I feel I would be rattling around in it… I don’t know. It is not something I have had to deal with before.
Anyone can pay the fee and become an associate member of the Alchemy Association. If you want to become an accredited Alchemist, it is a bit different. The recognised ranks are Apprentice, Adept and Artisan. Artisans are the master alchemists of the city, and there are few of them as you need to demonstrate to other Artisan Alchemists that you have produced something new in Alchemy and expanded Alchemy in a new way.
Apprentices are usually sponsored by their Artisan Alchemist in their particular area of specialisation or demonstrate basic competence to a panel of Adept Alchemists. Becoming an apprentice alchemist is relatively easy and is the bare first stage of the journey. My studies at the Remore Academy qualified me as an apprentice alchemist in basic industrial and poisons. I never finished Semester 5 so I had to prove I could make health potions to standard before they would also add Medicinal to that.
Nobody really trusts Apprentice Alchemists. To sell your work, you need to become an Adept Alchemist in your area of expertise. This involves passing a rigorous examination and practical demonstrations. If you studied under an Artisan, this is easier, but it is not required. However, my Apprentice membership in three areas opened a lot of doors for me. I even had a couple of job offers, which I am considering. The teaching at the Remore Academy is held in high regard.
“We plan to push hard through bronze and get to silver as soon as possible. The monster surge is due in a year or two, and we are planning to use that to push through to silver, which means we have to go hard now to be ready,” said Bruno of the Bucking Heidels. Their schedule, allowing only one day off a week, was too intense for me. I needed at least three days a week for my alchemy.
They were the third group I interviewed with. I can understand their desire to improve. A lot of people use the monster surges to break through to the next rank. I need to get stronger, but I also need to get my alchemy up to where I can use it. I remember the silver rank tranquiliser I stole and used on the attacker at the Remore Academy. It made the difference, and I need better armour and uses for my resin, webs and shields.