Theo and Tresk sat in the Marsh Wolf Tavern the next morning, nursing their tea and groaning. The sudden drop in stats left most citizens of Broken Tusk feeling spent. While the task that lay before them was daunting, the alchemist was eager to inspect the monsters that had fallen. Pieces of the elemental still sat outside of the eastern gate, slowly melting into puddles of valuable reagents. There were also fields of Fald and Goblins, waiting to have their parts harvested. Tresk had already collected a fair amount of [Troll Blood], but the [Searing Regeneration] property didn’t seem appealing.

Breakfast was served at the tavern, the same noodle dish they’d had before, but Theo was more interested in filling his belly. While he took no part in the direct fighting, the increase in his stats and constant running took a lot out of him. It wasn’t as bad as chugging [Lesser Stamina Potions], but his muscles still ached. The alchemist’s mind went back to the advice of Essential Alchemy, and the claim that low-level potions held no negative effects. He realized now that it meant they wouldn’t kill a person, not that there were no side effects. Both the stamina and mana potions had short-term effects, just nothing that would harm him long-term.

Alise joined them for breakfast after a while. She popped her shoe off to reveal almost-grown toes. The [Alchemic Regenerative Salve] was doing good work and taking shorter than advertised. After revealing her toes, she was down to business. She wanted to oversee the harvesting of the monsters to better direct the usage of resources. Without a catalog of what items were gathered, there was no way to know what they could expect to drop with each wave. Theo thought it wasn’t necessary, but she was insistent.

After breakfast, Alise made her way to join with Aarok and his adventurers while Tresk accompanied Theo to the eastern wall. She didn’t want him going out to harvest the elemental’s bounty without her there for protection. They stopped in to check on Miana before departing. The Half-Ogre woman had the herd grazing in the paddock, which the alchemist didn’t know they could do. She insisted it was best to mix in a wild diet to their Zee-mixture, claiming it made their coats more plush.

“The plan is to focus on Karatan wool and milk,” Miana said, leading the pair into the barn.

Theo passed by the male Karatan, running his fingers through the thing’s wool as he went. He hadn’t considered sheering them down to harvest the material, but it made sense. Their coats were dense and visibly growing since yesterday. When the group entered the stables, Miana slapped her hand against the storage tank.

“Almost 200 units of milk,” Miana said. “Throk’s artifices are getting better by the day. This tank prevents the milk from spoiling, so we can keep it here forever.”

Theo inspected the container. There were several artifices attached to the side, each with their own port for motes. Miana was smart to invest in this equipment. It would make her day-to-day life easier and speed the collecting of milk. She was still waiting on the artifice that would help her make butter, but the milk was already flowing. The alchemist thought about Veostian Karatan in the southlands. Importing butter from the north was always a pain. As with all his export ideas, this one relied on ease of transport. A trader could run the goods to Rivers and Daub within a day, reducing cost significantly. If a trader had to hold onto a product for too long, they’d start losing money. That was only logical.

“Beyond impressive, Miana,” Theo said. “How is the town’s enhanced growth working on the animals?”

“That requires more observation,” Miana said.

“Their coats have grown,” Tresk said.

“They have,” Miana said. “We’ll see where that gets us.”

“No plans for butchering them?” Theo asked.

“None,” Miana said, looking slightly offended. “Karatan can live for years, often producing milk into their old age. There’s no reason to kill them if they’re still making milk. Besides, we need to get some babies.”

Theo would rather have a nice wolf steak slathered in Karatan butter than a plain Karatan steak, so he was on board with the plan. With the amount of milk they produced overnight, he could imagine the butter flowing out of Broken Tusk. Depending on the ratio of milk to butter and the cost per unit, this might become the most productive part of the town.

The pair departed, finding their way to the sloped field outside of the eastern wall. Large chunks of the frozen water elemental rested everywhere. While the smaller sections the adventurers chipped off had melted, soaking into the ground, there were boulder-sized chunks that were still frozen. Theo dismissed the dangers of raw reagents mixing into the soil and approached an iceberg taller than him. He inspected it.

[Living River Water]

[Alchemy Ingredient]

Epic

Water taken from the embodiment of a river.

Properties:

[Water Walking] ???? ????

“Water walking,” Theo said. “I don’t know if that’s useful.”

“Might be. Why don’t you take a bite?” Tresk asked.

Theo checked his inventory for poison and disease removal potions before even considering the idea. The danger of eating a reagent was usually in its first property. [Water Walking] didn’t seem dangerous, so he chipped off a small shard with his knife and popped it in his mouth. Tresk watched with wide eyes, but it was nothing special. It tasted like pure water. The only notable thing about it was the temperature. It was still very cold.

[Properties Discovery!]

You’ve discovered an additional effect from the [Living River Water] by eating it.

[Dissolve] discovered.

“That’s a weird property,” Theo said. “Dissolve.”

Tresk shrugged.

“You’re still eating the reagents?” Zarali’s voice shouted from afar. “That’s disgusting.”

Theo turned to spot the Dronon woman approaching from the eastern gate. She tried to hide it, but there was a limp in her step that betrayed her. The alchemist recognized the signs of exhaustion, concluding that whatever ritual she did yesterday drained her beyond reason.

“Zarali,” Theo said, moving to support the woman. She looked up at him in thanks, but wouldn’t say a word. “That buff was amazing. Thank you.”

“Oh, come now,” Zarali said, chuckling. “What good is a priestess if she can’t buff those under her wing.”

Theo led her to the chunk of [Living River Water]. There was an absurd amount there, likely more than he’d ever use. Once the woman was on stable footing he let her go, watching as Tresk gave an approving nod.

“How useful is the [Dissolve] property?” Theo asked.

“It’s a crafting support property,” Zarali said. “I’ve seen the effects of such potions here already, but this would be useful for the miners.”

“How so?”

“It won’t be worth using it to mine the ore, but they can use it to create new tunnels,” Zarali said. “The resulting potion is quite dangerous, but you’re going to want to dig deeper in that mine. You know what they say about copper and iron.”

“I don’t know,” Theo said with a shrug. “I’m not from this planet.”

“Copper and iron lead to seams of silver and mythril,” Zarali said.

“I’ve heard that,” Tresk said, bouncing on the spot.

“Come, let me help you harvest this,” Zarali said, withdrawing a golden hammer from her inventory.

It felt like a strange family outing, chipping away at the ice. Zarali regained some of her strength after a while, but swung the hammer with weak arms and produced few shards. She explained the other method of discovering reagents, which involved more service to Drogramath. Theo’s shrine would level the more reagents he fed it, but he was limited to one offering a day. Once he crossed a threshold, Drogramath would whisper the third property into his mind. The thing that surprised him most was what the priestess said next.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“And eventually he’ll help you find the next property,” Zarali said.

“The next one?” Theo asked.

The interface that displayed the properties on a reagent only had 3 spots. Even his experimentation with essences revealed they had exactly 3 properties and no more. When the pressure vessel operated, it spat out 2 bricks of spent material, preserving the last for the refined essence.

“Belgar discovered the existence of a fourth property after years of experimentation,” Zarali said. “Then another after that.”

This would have rocked Theo’s understanding of alchemy, but it was all magic. If the system wanted there to be infinite properties on reagents, it could make that happen. But the look on Zarali’s face told him the information was lost with the death of her brother. That didn’t make it impossible to discover, just something for another time. If the alchemist had to guess, it involved raising his affinity with Drogramath. That much was plain.

Theo thought for a moment as he chipped away at the endless field of ice. The way his mind worked had changed. The closer his [Intelligence] got to 20, the more he felt rational in his process. It was even getting easier to dismiss the whispers that came from his chest, although that might result from his rising [Tara’hek Core]. Then there was his unaligned [Governance Core] to consider. It was leveling faster than any core he had, thanks to the constant flow of information from the town.

“I’m impressed you figured out how to infuse the water, brother,” Zarali said, hoisting a large shard of ice for him to take into his inventory.

“That’s not surprising,” Tresk said, her daggers flashing against the ice. She carved out a smiley face. “Theo can be stupid, but he’s determined. You tell him something is possible, and he’ll do it.”

“I’m not that stupid,” Theo said. “I’m getting smarter.”

“There is a difference between raising your [Intelligence] and getting smart,” Zarali said. “Since you’re improving on both fronts, you’re becoming more of a complete person. Combine that with your high [Wisdom], and you’ll be a force before level 20.”

It took several hours to harvest all the ice. Since it was a resource that wouldn’t grow back on its own, Theo wanted to get as much as he could. If the [Dissolve] property was useful for mining deep into the earth, he wanted to have as much as possible. The massive body of the elemental provided several thousand units of reagent, resulting in the alchemist’s stamina bar draining to half before midday.

Tresk broke off from the group, intent on heading to the [River Dungeon], as Zarali and Theo made their way to the lab. The priestess wanted to spend time with him today, and he wouldn’t say no. With the monster wave over, she was done working with Xol’sa for a while. She still had intentions of staying at his tower permanently, and hinted at romantic involvement, but he didn’t want to hear any of it. The alchemist wanted to get her opinion on his poison brewing process.

Theo made an offering at his shrine, receiving the powerful buff from his patron. Zarali let out a satisfied sigh as the power of Drogramath washed through the lab. She had several pointers on the brewing of poisons, something their patron was famous for. They worked the stills and pressure vessel, sharing stories about their lives as they went. Zarali and Belgar were inseparable in life. They were born from a brood of Drogramath Dronon somewhere Veosta and were tracked down by [Witch Hunters], something that had fallen out of favor in the past century. While the remaining brood of Drogramathi were killed, they managed to escape.

Zarali’s tale was sad, but she didn’t tell it as such. She detailed how determined they were and held little resentment for those hunters. Belgar got revenge for them, creating improvised bombs that they used to rain death on those [Witch Hunters]. That’s when they went into seclusion before becoming embroiled in a Demon war. Belgar met his end and she was forced to wander Iaredin with little hope for moving on. Only her faith in Drogramath kept her going. His whispers promised something great in her future.

To Theo’s surprise, she wasn’t impressed with his past. She thought he was delinquent in his duties to his family, hating the way he gave up everything to serve a corrupt government. He didn’t blame her. He hated that part about himself, but had long since divorced that old life. In his mind, everything started at the beginning of the Season of Blooms, the year 873 of Balkor’s Betrayal. The priestess saw that response as poetic, and she accepted it.

They completed the run of [Refined Poison Essence], and the alchemist inspected his work.

[Refined Poison Essence]

[Essence]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Alignment Effects:

Resulting potions will be more effective.

5 units (liquid)

Concentrated essence of poison.

“Now, it’s interesting you haven’t worked more with poisons,” Zarali said.

“Why?” Theo asked.

“Your partner is an [Assassin],” Zarali said. “You should pump these out for her daily.”

Theo knew he had neglected that part of his relationship again. The only thing that pushed those thoughts away was how busy the town had been. He was working to fill orders with Fenian with no time to stray from those restoration potions. Still, Zarali complimented his form when he brewed the first potion. She commended his use of the infused shavings, informing him it was a big step to productivity. They inspected the resulting poison together.

[Poison]

[Poison]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.

Effect:

Cripples an enemy, reducing their Dexterity by 5.

Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 10 stacks.

“Much better,” Zarali said with an approving nod. “Now, we have some work to do before we move on to fermentation with aligned essences.”

“I haven’t even worked with the second tier of fermented essences,” Theo said. “It was too costly.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Zarali said, kneeling to inspect the barrels. “These barrels really won’t do. I’ll need to take them over to your blacksmith for modifications.”

“Fine with me,” Theo said.

Azrug entered the lab. Theo didn’t hear the gentle sound of the bell downstairs, but he was trailed by Alise. Zarali excused herself, taking the barrels into her inventory and leaving the lab. The shopkeeper cracked a smile, pointing at Theo’s silly hat.

“You look stupid,” he said.

“I feel stupid,” Theo said.

“I think it looks nice,” Alise said, pulling a ream of parchment out and studying it. “So, I’ve been working with young Azrug here and he’s made contact with the mayor of Rivers and Daub.”

“Really?” Theo asked. “That was fast.”

“I have connections,” Azrug said, grinning. “What can I say?”

“So, what’s the news?” Theo asked.

“I’m talking through an agent,” Azrug said. “But there’s a lot going on.”

“Rivers is under siege, just like us,” Alise said. “Unlike us, they’re less prepared.”

“How is that even possible?” Theo asked. Broken Tusk was younger in terms of development. A place like Rivers and Daub, which was actually two towns joined, should have more than adequate defenses.

“Let’s just say you’re a rare mayor,” Azrug said. “They’re not handing over public funds to maintain defenses, but they wouldn’t go into details with me. So, that all boils down to the fact that they need supplies. Stone, wood, metal, cores, motes, everything. My liaison was trying not to act desperate, but I could tell he was.”

“This bodes well for Broken Tusk,” Alise said, nodding.

“And you’re helping with the trade?” Theo asked.

“I am,” Alise said. “As well as cataloging the takings from the monster wave.”

“She’s fantastic,” Azrug said, jabbing a thumb at the woman. “We’re realistically looking at getting over market value for the bulk goods. Already talked to Ziz, he’s producing enough stone to split between suppliers. Sledge wasn’t even aware we were trying to do deals. Gridgen doesn’t care.”

“Right,” Theo said, summoning his inventory to look at the [Sawmill Seed Core]. “Lumber production will at least double. Are you sorting out delivery arrangements?”

“Yeah. They’re going to establish caravans to Broken Tusk, as part of our agreement,” Azrug said. “That was the first hint they were desperate.”

“You see, there’s a narrow mountain pass heading to Qavell,” Alise said, placing her hand on her hip. “That’s the trader’s road, and the monster waves have made it worse. A week-long journey has turned into a month-long battle for your life. When I migrated south, it was treacherous. We pooled our money for a mercenary company and they paid in blood.”

Theo didn’t want to respond immediately. He cupped his chin in his hand and thought about it. Rivers and Daub had wealth that he didn’t understand, otherwise they would have been overtaken. It could have been an additional tax, a production chain he didn’t understand, or exploitable dungeons nearby. His money was on the dungeons, which he had seen bring great wealth into his town. But the takeaway was that each town needed the other.

“So, what’s the strategy?” Theo asked. “Aggressive?”

“Not really,” Azrug said. “Cordial. We’ll make concessions to help them out, which gives us footing in the long-term.”

“‘Concessions’ is the wrong word,” Alise said. “We’re simply not gouging them, only charging at or slightly above market despite the current climate.”

“In return, we get a trading partner for the long-term,” Theo said with a nod. “In case the well dries up.”

“Exactly,” Azrug said. “We snuggled up to Rivers, then we pitch joint ventures, and perhaps one day take them over.”

“I like the way you think,” Theo said. “We can also charge them for the inevitable sea-route we’ll establish. If Broken Tusk owns a port, we’ll be unstoppable.”

“Agreed. You can’t expect Fenian to jump every time you need something sold,” Azrug said. “The magic he’s using is dangerous. He might die on one of his trips.”

“How much of that have you figured out?” Theo asked.

Azrug shrugged. “None of it. I just know you can’t make it from Qavell to Broken Tusk in a few hours without teleportation. And he’s not a wizard.”

It was better if he didn’t know.

“Fine, keep me apprised of the situation. I have faith that Alise will make sure we can export the promised amount,” Theo said.

“I will,” Alise said.

“Great. This is an excellent first step, Azrug,” Theo said, standing to shake the shopkeeper’s hand before moving to shake Alise’s. “And you’re making me feel like a relic.”

“Just doing my job,” Alise said, blushing.

“Now, I should go plant this [Sawmill Seed Core] before Sledge caves my head in,” Theo said.