As they sat around the table at the Steel Palette, everyone stared at the three items in the center.
The first was the skillbook, Erratic Charge.
The second was the Ring of Mana Storing.
The third was the Fire Ward Charm.
The quest had paid seven hundred gold, with one hundred deducted from the original reward for the coke the salamanders had burned. Honestly, it was a fair cut, and they had still made a good amount from the arrangement.
The gold had been easy enough to divide.
Aiden received two hundred to buy more herbs.
Everyone else received one hundred each.
What remained were the items.
They had paid fifteen gold per item to have everything appraised, learning exactly what each piece did.
Skillbook: Erratic Charge (E)
20 Energy
You rush forward in a wild, unpredictable way. Enemies attacking you suffer reduced accuracy while you gain increased accuracy against an enemy you strike during the charge.
Ring of Mana Storing (E)
0 / 100 Mana Stored
A ring capable of storing mana within itself. The user may transfer mana from the ring back into themselves with a bit of focus.
Fire Ward Charm (E)
3 Uses Remaining
A charm said to protect against heat and flames. It can negate up to 20 fire damage and grant resistance to any fire damage that surpasses this amount.
The dilemma was obvious.
Everyone wanted items.
Part of the reason people became adventurers was to acquire things that did cool things.
Selene and Jax were both eyeing the skillbook.
Liora and Thalia were practically drooling over the ring.
Kaelen and Aiden were looking at the Fire Ward Charm.
For that reason, the table had reached a stalemate. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Even breakfast sat half-eaten around them like an abandoned battlefield.
Aiden glanced toward Selene and Kaelen, who sat beside him.
His fingers were laced in front of his face as he narrowed his eyes at Jax across the table.
"Ooooouuuu, bwah bwah bwah," Will said anxiously in his head as if trying to mimic the sound of a western stand off.
Aiden felt annoyance start to build.
As the tense silence continued, he dipped one finger into his drink and swirled it. Using Liquid Crystal Consolidation, he filled the cup slightly, then took a sip.
The familiar feeling of Aether coalescing and being processed ran through him.
He let out a deep sigh.
Part of him wanted the Fire Ward Charm for himself. After the salamanders, having something that could stop fire sounded less like a luxury and more like basic survival.
Even so, Aiden placed his hand on the charm and slid it toward Kaelen.
"As much as I want it," Aiden said, "from a numbers standpoint, you are more likely to fall unconscious."
Kaelen gave an approving nod.
Aiden downed the rest of his drink and braced himself for the System notification.
You have used skill Liquid Crystal Consolidation (E).
You have used item Liquid Crystal Vial (E).
You have ingested liquid Aether.
Your body is attempting to purify it.
Your body has succeeded.
The Aether is purified.
From your effort, a skill has been formed:
Aetheric Constitution (E).
Excitement rushed through Aiden.
Conversation at the table finally started again, but he was too busy opening his System to notice.
Aiden Hallowcreek
Age: 23
Class: Alchemist - LV. 8
XP: 12,061 / 15,000
HP: 24 / 24
MP: 69 / 69
Stats:
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 13
Intelligence: 30
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 0
Soul Skill:
Alchemy Attunement (D)
Passive
Increases your success rate with alchemical mixtures and allows you to feel minor fluctuations in potion consistency, improving the stability of mixtures.
Skills:
Quick Brew (E)
Passive
You quickly toss together ingredients to make potions with lesser effects on the fly.
Potioner's Harvesting Guide (E)
Passive
You have a chance to obtain more potion-related materials than others when searching.
Liquid Crystal Consolidation (E)
10 MP
You channel your mana to gather Liquid Crystal from the Aether in the air, condensing it into liquid form and pouring it into a vial.
Herbal Extracts (E)
Passive
Gain the ability to create concentrated extracts from herbs, making potions more potent. Potions using these extracts have increased effects, providing stronger support for healing, endurance, or resistance.
Fragmented Will (E)
Passive
Your mind begins to split under pressure to protect itself. While under intense emotional or mental strain, you may subconsciously form a mental fragment, a sliver of your will that acts independently.
The fragment may whisper suggestions, make minor decisions in your place, or retain key memories if you are compromised.
Silver Tongue (E)
Passive
Your voice is one that can soothe or lie with ease. You are better at persuading people and can lie more convincingly.
Aetheric Constitution (E)
Passive
Your body has adapted to handle Aether better than most. Your mana can circulate faster due to your reinforced mana veins. Previously granted Aetheric Changes have been purified
Aiden read over the new skill, excitement building in his chest.
Then another System screen appeared.
Skill Fragmented Will (E) has activated and taken control of your neck.
Aiden's head whipped around.
He was suddenly looking at Selene, who stared back at him with a silent question on her face.
Aiden froze.
He could feel Will facepalm inside his head.
"She wants to know if it would make more sense to sell Erratic Charge."
Aiden nodded, trying his best to act like he had not just been saved from ignoring his party by a living train of thought inside his skull.
"I think it is up to you all," Aiden said. "If you think the skill is vital, then keep it. Otherwise, we can always look for other skillbooks later."
Selene and Jax both nodded.
With the standoff at the table finally over, everyone could eat.
They spent the next few minutes finishing breakfast and agreeing on the plan for the day.
Selene, Jax, and Aiden would head out to gather more supplies.
Liora, Thalia, and Kaelen would grab their things from the inn and look into what quest they could sign up for next.
Their first stop was the Apothecary's Apiary.
The shop looked like a simple greenhouse from the outside. Once Aiden stepped in, however, the interior was far more impressive.
Several honeycombs covered patches of the walls. Some belonged to actual bees, which flew around the shop pollinating the herbs and flowers growing in various pots.
Behind the counter sat a halfblood beastkin woman with bee-like wings sticking from her back. A second set of arms rested below her normal ones, and a hexagonal yellow sheen covered her eyes.
"Welcome to the Alchemist's Apiary," she said. "My name is Cynthia. How can I help you?"
"I'm here to restock on herbs."
Aiden looked around the shelves.
There were several herbs he needed. Borage, Cofrail, Amrans, Alkanet, Milort, and more.
Part of him wanted to buy everything they had.
Unfortunately, he had already taken a massive chunk out of his savings for the cloak and the Revolution Core recipe. He could not spend gold without thinking.
So he settled on Amrans, Borage, Milort, and Alkanet.
Thirty stalks of each.
"Wow," Cynthia said, looking over the order. "That's a lot. That will be two hundred and forty gold."
The number hurt.
Physically.
Aiden was almost sure his coin pouch made a dying noise.
Still, it was worth it to be prepared.
Jax and Selene were still shopping, so Aiden stepped outside, pulled his bag from his cloak, and started organizing the herbs.
As he worked, Will helped by counting how many of each herb they had left.
Ironsplit - 34
Enhances night vision, useful in potions for stealth or visibility.
Fiveleaves - 29
Known for its stimulative properties, often used to boost movement and agility.
Swingvine - 29
A lightweight herb that can reduce weight, suitable for feather-light potions.
Vilerge - 15
A calming herb that can aid with stress, fear, anxiety, and certain poisons.
Cofrail - 17
Healing properties for minor cuts and wounds. Essential for basic healing poultices.
Entrist - 8
Causes irritation on contact, useful for defensive powders or mild poisons.
Marmallow - 5
Known to assist with sleep. Ideal for sleep-inducing potions.
Belramba - 30
Can soothe fear. Used in anti-fear tonics or calming poisons.
Fetrefe - 26
Induces nausea in larger doses but can help with food poisoning or act as a purgative in smaller doses.
Shurper - 19
Enhances perception, especially hearing. Useful in sensory-enhancing potions.
Xosorrel - 19
Strengthens resistance to physical effects. Valuable in protective or toughening potions.
Golcorone - 27
Known to steady the nerves. Useful for accuracy potions or calming effects.
Fose - 31
Enhances insight. Helpful in concoctions requiring mental clarity.
Alleha - 25
Can reduce exhaustion, though if exhaustion still remains eight hours after consumption, the user experiences an energy crash.
Amrans - 32
Minor healing properties. Can be combined with other herbs to enhance recovery.
Hebbenus Bark - 7
Fire-resistant bark. Excellent for protection or fire-resistance potions.
Lessentor - 12
Known for enhancing agility. Useful in speed or fleetness potions.
Study Leaves - 15
Known to improve focus. Ideal for potions of alertness or clarity.
Lunort - 3
Increases cognitive function. Often used in elixirs for intelligence or insight.
Borage - 35
When consumed before traveling on foot, allows the consumer to travel up to twelve hours without noticeable fatigue.
Palmath - 1
If given to someone bleeding out, this can cause rapid clotting and help keep them alive.
Milort - 30
Used to heal poison-based injuries.
Alkanet - 30
Helps fight through poisons.
As Aiden finished putting everything away, he sat down and looked up at the cloudy sky overhead.
It had been almost a week since he left Hopestone.
Almost a week.
And yet he had already done so much.
He had fought monsters.
Explored a dungeon.
Saved lives.
Almost died more times than he liked thinking about.
It really was an adventure.
Then someone called his name.
Aiden turned and saw Kaelen, Liora, and Thalia running toward him.
He looked them over, immediately worried. Their faces showed excitement more than fear, but in Kaelen's hand was an envelope sealed with wax.
Only the rich, powerful, or very official tended to use wax seals.
As they got closer, Aiden saw the mark.
An official guild seal.
Which meant the guild wanted to see them.
"How are we already in trouble?" Will asked, annoyed. "It has barely been, like, four days."
Aiden agreed with him.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what the letter meant.