Gasses bubbled up from the turgid swamp. A mixture of decaying vegetation and stagnant water that release more foul smells than Theo could identify. The trilling calls of distant insects punctuated every squelching boot within the mire. Tresk led the way, keeping out of the shadows but staying low. Alex, Theo, and Sarisa stalked behind her with a level of stealth that was completely unnecessary.
The [Swamp Dungeon] had pushed beyond level 30, but the creatures within the area weren’t always so lucky. [Ogre Snappers], and [Marsh Wolves] were a common sight out here. The adventuring body of Broken Tusk had long since out-leveled the area, but it represented a chance to train. And the Marshling only knew one way to do things. Through stealth. The alchemist’s place in any organized defense of the town would be as a back-liner, that much was true. But this is the way she wanted to train.
Tresk issued a series of sharp hand-signals. They were leftover pieces of the Qavellian army on the small swamp town. Things picked up by both Aarok and Luras, then disseminated through the adventuring folks in town. Theo didn’t need to understand the signals. He felt the marshling’s intent through the motion, signaling that there was a snapper up ahead. While everyone but Theo and Alex had some stealthing ability, everyone remained visible. If only for the alchemist’s sake.
Another quick signal. Sarisa fanned out to the right, while Tresk went to the left. A snapper was buried in the mud with the top of its shell exposed. When in position, Sarisa, with her [Baelthar Guardian’s Core], slammed the blunt end of her poleaxe into the creature’s shell. A geyser of mud shot high into the air, painting the area in a layer of brown-green muck. The Marshling flinched, but didn’t move. Her instinct to strike before a fight got out of hand was strong, but Theo felt her desire to see him work in a real-world scenario burning like a bonfire.
For all their preparation, the resulting fight was brief. Theo launched a single bone dagger with his most powerful poison at the turtle. It stuck into the monster’s side like a hungry leech, sucking away its life in moments. The turtle fell in a heap, letting out a low sigh before dying.
That was anticlimactic, Alex said, honking.
“How accurate are you with those things?” Sarisa asked, wiping mud from her face.
Theo had placed his free point into Dexterity. But the gear was what made him precise with his throws. There was a strange interaction between his attributes and his ability to throw, though. Dexterity and Strength were the logical picks for someone going for a throwing build. But Wisdom had a measurable influence on the action. The alchemist withdrew an untreated knife from his inventory, judged its weight, then let his Wisdom guide him. He snapped his wrist and the dagger went flying toward a tree.
“Fairly accurate.” Theo gestured toward the tree. Pinned under the knife was a tiny Fire Salamander half-way up the massive Ogre Cypress.
“Did we finally find something Theo is good at? In combat, I mean,” Tresk said, not bothering to clear the muck from her face. “He’s great at potions, don’t get me wrong. But for a future super soldier, he’s always been so wimpy.”
“I resemble that remark.”
Sarisa and Tresk descended into a conversation about Theo’s abilities. Military minded as they were, they discussed the best position for him in battle and how he could best use his tossing abilities. It wasn’t even a question before. He was always providing support during monster waves, but now he could make a difference. But the alchemist’s mind lingered on other things. The group moved through the swamp as they chatted, putting him to the test each time they encountered a monster.
The thing that occupied Theo’s thoughts was his Toru’aun core. Every 10 levels was a segmentation of power and understanding. He reviewed the book he was working on for Salire. The secrets of Drogramathi alchemy put a firm barrier between first and second tier potions. Another layer in the process that produced more powerful potions by adding another step. For alchemy, it was a refinement technique based on applying pressure to essences. What would it be for his wards?
They spent half the day in the swamp, but it turned out to be a lure. Tresk had intended to take Theo down into the [Swamp Dungeon] that day, but he refused. The alchemist had enough materials to fight through the swamp, but when faced with enemies at a higher level than himself, he refused with no uncertain words. The Marshling was grumpy about it for a while, but opened herself to his feelings. She felt the trepidation and backed off immediately.
“All in time, right?” Tresk asked, patting Theo on his lower back. She simply couldn’t reach any higher. “You’re free for a few hours. Then I’ve got more training planned.”
Free from his combat obligations, Theo made his rounds through the town. His first stop was the Newt and Demon to check on Salire. He found her praying before the idol of Drogramath, no doubt asking for him to bestow a core onto her. He doubted it worked that way, but tried not to be judgemental.
“Oh!” Salire said, rising and dusting her pretty sundress off. “Sorry, I was just…”
Theo waved her off. “I get it. You have your heart set on a demon core.”
Salire’s cheeks flushed a dark shade of maroon. She suddenly busied herself with a ream of parchment, detailing the orders for the day. There was good news on the new potions. Citizens were willing to pay a premium for the third tier attribute potions, which was no surprise. The soon-to-be-alchemist had already worked her ass off that day, creating enough liquor to get the entire town drunk ten times over. While it was dangerous, she was able to create the unrefined version of the dilution without blowing up the lab.
“What we’re lacking,” Theo said, snapping the lid of the last still closed. “Is more space. More of Throk’s advanced stills.”
Salire rubbed her hands together, a gleam of recognition in her eyes. “Are we upgrading the lab?”
Theo nodded. He had enough leftover cores to get the building to 30 if he wanted. A Wisdom of the Soul notification popped up, claiming it was confident that 30 was their current cap. It left out what mechanism kept them at that level, but he’d take it.
“We’ll get two upgrades, but the space is the most important part. I’ll send it north and south so I don’t crush my greenhouses.”
Theo chatted with his apprentice as he shoved cores into the building. While he maintained a conversation with her, his mind drifted elsewhere. Perhaps it was a combination of his Wisdom and Intelligence, but he found the act to be effortless. The thing his thoughts centered on was how to upgrade his wards. More Wisdom notifications popped up, pointing him in the right direction with every errant thought. Just before the building hit level 25, he came to a simple conclusion.
“It makes sense,” Theo said, cutting Salire off as she spoke. She cleared her throat, looking at him with concern. The Half-Ogre had just been talking about a suitor she had spurned. The alchemist pushed on. “You can think of pressure treatment for essences as a way of reinforcing them, right?”
“Uh, sure?” Salire asked, cheeks flushing again. “I’ve always thought of it as a refinement process. Getting rid of impurities.”
Theo tapped his chin, then ran his hand over his horns. “I wonder if Drogramath Dronon horns are a reagent.”
“You alright? What were you just saying?”
Theo shook his head, centering his thoughts. He thought he had figured out how to get his wards to the next level, but it may have been a combination of things. “Second tier is pressure refinement, and third tier is mana infusion. I think second tier wards need a circle of reinforcing Toru’aun script—something to bolster the nature of the ward. But now I see it’s more like… footnotes? Something that helps the spell stabilize itself. Like removing the impurities from essence.”
“That implies that Toru’aun’s magic is similar to Drogramath’s alchemy.” Salire and Theo sat with that thought for a long time. The alchemist let it wash over himself—a sense of recognition that he already knew.
“How close are the other demon skills?” Theo asked. “And what does that mean? Why are they so similar?”
A Wisdom of the Soul notification popped up, trying and failing to draw lines between the demon gods. He didn’t have enough information to figure out their secret. But there were secrets there. And they wouldn’t go uncovered forever. Salire just shrugged, gesturing to the [Monster Core] in the alchemist’s hand. He shoved it into the building, expanding it out yet again. The system notification popped up, presenting him with several choices for upgrades.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
[Root Cellar]
A cellar for preserving reagents is housed under the lab. Reagents placed inside of the cellar decay at a slower rate.
[Experimentation Room]
A reinforced room is placed behind the lab, creating a safe place to conduct explosive experimentations.
These two upgrades had been there since the start of Theo’s alchemical journey. [Root Cellar] was absolutely useless with the arrival of [Dimensional Storage Crates]. While he was tempted to take [Experimentation Room] several times, it just didn’t seem worth it. Not unless the room had a way to vent gasses, which wasn’t described in the upgrade screen. Instead, he checked the third upgrade option.
[Internal Liquids Storage]
Adds a [Liquid Storage] attachment behind your lab. This storage method can be interfaced with your existing systems. All liquids added to the storage system will be stored separately, causing no unexpected alchemical interactions. Base capacity is 10,000 units.
“Well, that’s just miles better than the other ones,” Theo said, selecting the [Internal Liquids Storage] option.
The lab buckled under their feet, sending things clattering to the ground. The stills sloshed ominously. Both Theo and Salire rushed to the window, spotting a massive copper tank outside. The alchemist focused on the attachment, causing a notification to pop up.
[Liquid Storage]
[The Newt and Demon]
Building Attachment
Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk
Faction: [The Southlands Alliance]
Level: 1 (0%)
Expansions:
None
“See, those are the best kinds of upgrades,” Theo said, nodding at the large tank. “We can upgrade that, then get more use out of it. Since its part of a seed core, we don’t have to worry about things going wrong.”
“That’s awesome.”
Pulling his head into the lab, Theo spotted new pipes running all over the place. Now he had to figure out if he wanted to finish upgrading the building, or upgrade the [Liquid Storage] first. He tapped his foot, thinking about which upgrade would bring him the most joy right then. After a quick nod, he decided to finish with the lab first. The alchemist shoved more cores into his building, resuming his chat with Salire.
“I have enough low-level cores to get the [Liquid Storage] attachment to at least level 10. So, we’re good. Anyway, what were you telling me about that over-eager Marshling?”
Salire resumed her story where she left off. There was a Marshling in town that had taken a fancy to her. He delivered [Flame Roses] almost every day until he nearly burned himself. After that he swapped to [Widow Lilies], which struck a nerve with the budding alchemist. Even outside the alchemical arts, they were considered portents of death. That didn’t stop his over-eager nature, and he continued his courtship.
“I can’t see myself with him. But he just won’t stop.”
Theo tapped his foot. “I could have him executed, if you like.”
“Stop!” Salire said, punching him in the arm. But a smile hung on her face.
“You’re being too nice to him. He sees you as a local Half-Ogre. They’re very pushy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still loved you after you hit him in the face.”
“What am I going to do?”
“Talk to Xam. She’s good at dealing with suitors. I’m pretty sure the moon-wizard Uharis was coming on to her.”
Theo continued to shove cores into the building, talking with Salire about other things. But he took her concerns seriously. Some guy not getting the hint was one thing, but when was that harassing behavior? Or maybe he was thinking too much about it, and it was actually a cultural problem. His mind flung back to Earth, and the troubles he had with relationships. People preferred short-term arrangements back there, seeing as the world was being swallowed by a sun. He was one of the people who valued a good partner. Someone who was more than just a fun night in some dingy Moscovian hovel.
Only now, long after taking the Tara’hek with Tresk, did he think he could finally move on. The alchemist wanted to snatch at the silver locket on his chest. The metal, faded from too many comforting clutches, had a personality all its own. But that chunk of memories was likely melted on the surface of a dead planet, fused with his old body. A corpse in a field of corpses. Dead memories and dead lovers.
“Theo?” Salire asked.
Theo blinked away his stupor. His technique for splitting his thoughts had failed, consumed as he was by the past. The alchemist cleared his throat, inserting the last core into the building. The system notification popped up, but he took a moment to appreciate the amount of space they had gained. Now the vents overhead could hold more stills, giving them more production capacity. He pushed those old memories to the back of his mind, locking them away yet again.
“Upgrade time,” he said, consulting the newest upgrade for his building. Salire looked on with concern.
[Lab Extension]
This upgrade adds a third floor to your building. The entire top floor will contain more floor space for your alchemy equipment, as well as a vent system doubled in size. The second floor will be split between sleeping accommodations and a wide-open area for experimentation. Your first floor will remain as a shop.
“Now that is an upgrade,” Theo said, chuckling.
“That’s a good one…” Salire trailed off, eyes searching the alchemist’s own.
Theo selected it, bracing himself as the floor rumbled beneath him. The stills vanished from the spot. The ceiling above shifted, no longer holding the massive black iron flue that sucked away all the vapors. The staircase was now a switchback staircase, leading up to the newly-created third floor. He darted up those stairs, whistling as his new work area. There was far more room on the third floor, as it didn’t have to support the bedroom. Instead of a cramped interior, there were now large windows he could open, giving him an amazing view of the town. The building had magically transported the stills to their new spots, resting on plates of iron.
“This is cool,” Salire said, inspecting the new room.
Theo blew out a sigh. She was perceptive, which was a great quality to have for an alchemist. A natural affinity for noticing small details would get her far in the business. That was one of his weaknesses. Missing those little things. “Alright. Say what you’re going to say.”
But Salire didn’t say anything. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a comforting hug. Some people were annoying when it came to these things. Tresk would have just huffed and left the room—something the alchemist would have appreciated. This approach was acceptable, though. He lingered there, hugging the Half-Ogre back with a smile.
“A nice hug can make things better, right?” Salire asked, her voice hopeful.
Theo pulled away, holding her by her shoulders. “Hugs make everything better. But you know I’m an outworlder, right? Want to hear a story?”
Salire nodded, now eager that the alchemist would open up. He began at the start, because it only seemed appropriate. Detailing his years in the youth program, then all the spying and the killing. Everything was painted in blood until he met her. Then things changed. The pair proceeded downstairs to upgrade the storage tanks as he rambled on. Words spilled out of him without his command. A catharsis brought by dumping every errant feeling he’d felt over the past 40 years.
Salire was a good listener.
Theo fed cores into the [Internal Liquid Storage]. It was a good place to stop his story. This was all he was willing to share with anyone. That part of the tale never sat right with him. An unfair hand dealt by fate. A life ended too soon. In a world with an expanding sun, bathing the landscape in deadly radiation and sunlight, nothing had ever seemed darker to him. No one deserved a second chance less than him.
“First round of upgrades,” Theo said, cutting his story off and reading the upgrade options.
[Expanded Capacity]
The size of your tanks doesn’t grow, but the capacity does. Adds another 500 units of capacity for every level.
[Even Flow]
Liquids flow through the system at twice the normal rate.
[Suction System]
Every pipe generated by this attachment has a mote-powered vacuum.
“Obvious upgrade,” Salire said, laughing.
“Capacity, right? Since it scales.”
“Yep.”
Theo selected the [Expanded Capacity] option before shoving more cores into the tank. A smile hung on Salire’s face. A warmth spread between them, as though the feelings he shared left behind a little fire. Something to keep away the darkness. “Next upgrade. Ah, kinda sucks.”
[Preservation]
Liquids stored in these tanks will not rot.
“Can essences go bad?” Salire asked.
Theo wasn’t sure. Given time, they might become unstable, but rotting? He doubted that would ever happen. Instead, he selected the [Suction System] upgrade. The Half-Ogre agreed that was the best pick between the three options. The alchemist inspected the attachment before moving on. Level 10 was plenty for now.
[Liquid Storage]
[The Newt and Demon]
Building Attachment
Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk
Faction: [The Southlands Alliance]
Level: 10 (5%)
Capcity: 15,000 units
Expansions:
[Expanded Capacity]
[Suction System]
“Good bit of upgrading today,” Salire said with a nod. Theo inspected the Newt and Demon.
[Alchemy Lab] [Alchemy Shop]
[The Newt and Demon]
Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk
Shopkeeper: Salire Hogrush
Faction: [Broken Tusk]
Level: 30 (2%)
Rent Due: 2 Days
Expansions:
[Alchemy Shop]
[Drogramath Distillation Specialty]
[Shrine to Drogramath]
[Alchemical Garden]
[Internal Liquid Storage]
[Lab Extension]
“Yeah. We did good. Also, thanks for the talk. Feels like my mind is finally centering itself.”
“Time and good friends have a way of doing that.”
“Yeah. They do.”