ã€ŠAlchemists in Peril: A Tale from Hollowcrestã€‹


 Chapter 1 Into The City

    Standing in Divine Square, Jake Delta had to admit that The Spire was more impressive when you were close up. The white marble casing on the building seemed to reflect the bright noon sun and make the whole square seem brighter than anywhere in the city. The sunlight caught the veins of gold that decorated the giant tower, connecting the tapestries that represented the gods.

    It wasn¡¯t like Jake hadn¡¯t seen The Spire before. It was impossible not to see it no matter what part of Hollowcrest you visited. Sometimes you could even see it on a clear day from the hill near the village where he had grown up. And every time he visited the city, you couldn¡¯t avoid seeing it.

    Never this close, though.

    But his dad had made him promise that before he went anywhere, he should visit Divine Square and see it for himself, close up. He could see why. The place that represented the gods that were such an important part of all of their lives was truly an impressive sight.

    ¡°Jake!¡± a voice called out, causing Jake to turn in that direction. Of course, he knew who was calling his name. They had grown up together in a way, their fathers being partners. And the owner of the voice was the reason he was relocating permanently to the city.

    Drak Douglas was about a head taller than Jake. When it came to Dragonkin, clothes went one of two ways - very little or lots. For Drak, he favoured the second option and was currently wearing a variation of his favourite outfit - a white shirt, brown waistcoat, brown trousers and work boots.

    Of course, topping it off with a flat cap that he adapted to fit around his bright red frill was a step that made him look even more distinctive.

    He moved through the crowds towards Jake, a beaming smile across his face. He waved an arm as if Jake could somehow miss his presence, almost knocking one of the people walking past him in the face. He muttered a quick apology, the grin returned and he reached where Jake was standing.

    ¡°It¡¯s great to see you again, my friend,¡± Drak announced, his deep voice carrying just a touch of sibilance. ¡°How was the trip?¡±

    ¡°Pretty uneventful,¡± Jack confirmed. ¡°How have you been keeping?¡±

    Drak¡¯s smile faltered for a moment. It has only been two months since his dad had died and the death was still something that the Dragonkin was coming to terms with. ¡°It is what it is,¡± he replied. ¡°Dad had a good life doing what he enjoyed. I just wish he¡¯d had a little more time. But what the gods will¡­¡±

    Jake nodded. While he hadn¡¯t been raised to follow any particular god or goddess, his parents had always taught him to respect all of the pantheon.

    ¡°So shall we head back to the store, and get you settled in?¡± Drak asked, his upbeat smile returning.

    ¡°Sure, sounds like a plan,¡± Jake replied, reaching down to grab his two bags from the floor where he had set them to enjoy the view of The Spire.

    The two turned to leave the square when a new voice called for Drak. They both turned and for a moment, they were unsure who called. Then the crowds in front of them abruptly parted to reveal a pale-skinned gnome.

    Gnomes were one of the shorter races to occupy Hollowcrest and were sometimes viewed as a soft target for thieves and muggers. But this one certainly dispelled that stereotype pretty sharply. Not only did he dress entirely in black but he carried enough weapons that he had probably doubled his own body weight.

    ¡°Borass, how are you doing?¡± Drak asked upon seeing the gnome. ¡°Hey guys,¡± he added to the two characters behind the gnome. One was an Orc and the other looked to be a Firbolg, although Jake hadn¡¯t spent much time around the race.

    Both of them nodded to Drak, standing behind Borass with their arms crossed, bodyguard style. Not that the gnome really looked like he needed a bodyguard with the number of daggers and weapons strapped across his chest.

    ¡°Need to talk business,¡± the gnome said. ¡°Not here, of course.¡±

    Drak nodded. ¡°No problem, how about later tonight at the usual place? About 9pm? Jake just arrived in the city and I want to get him back to the store first.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Borass replied. ¡°Don¡¯t be late, I¡¯ve got other business to get to.¡±

    ¡°No problem, my friend,¡± Drak replied and Jake realised that his smile and cheerful tone were just a little forced. His friend wasn¡¯t really keen on this gnome but tried to hide it as best he could.

    The two bodyguards parted and the gnome walked through the gap they created. They turned and followed him, the trio quickly vanishing into the crowd.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Jake asked once they were out of sight.

    ¡°He¡¯s called Borass, he¡¯s an occasional customer, usually for simple potions. But he¡¯s the kind of guy that Dad always said to try to accommodate where possible. He knows how to use all of those weapons. And then there¡¯s Jeff and Geoff,¡± he added, a slight smile twitching his lips.

    ¡°Seriously? They are called Jeff and Geoff?¡± Jake replied, laughing.

    ¡°Yeah I bet there¡¯s a story there but Borass isn¡¯t the kind of guy you ask. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him smile once, let alone laugh or crack a joke. Deadly serious isn¡¯t just a turn of phrase for that guy,¡± Drak added.

    ¡°Do you want me to come to the meeting with you tonight?¡± Jake asked, secretly hoping his friend would say no. The tiredness from the trip was starting to catch up with him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Drak replied confidently. ¡°It sounds like his usual type of order. Simple stuff we can create in an afternoon and keep him happy.¡±

    <hr>

    The two made their way to the edge of the square and the nearest station of The Loop. This was Jake¡¯s first time using the unique underground transport system that connected the different parts of the city. Usually, when he visited the store with his dad, they arrived on Vine Road and simply made their way quickly to the store.

    They walked down the stairs to the humid platform where crowds were gathered, waiting for the next arrival. The Loop was still new technology, having been running for around 10 years, but the locals had quickly adapted to it.

    There was no sound as the train arrived but Jake felt a momentary movement in the air as it was pushed ahead of the high-speed carriage. The sleek cylinder of the Loop train arrived silently at the platform and the doors slid open, allowing a rush of people to leave. Once they had cleared, Jake and Drak walked on and took a pair of seats.

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    Moments later, the doors shut and the train started to move. Not that you could feel anything, the magic that propelled it made it almost impossible to tell you were moving at high speed. The darkness of the tunnel was largely unbroken apart from a few momentary glimpses of surroundings as the train exited tunnels in short bursts. But the whole trip took place underground.

    The trip from Divine Square to the station nearest Drak¡¯s store was a short one. The train stopped at the platform, again without any real feeling of movement and the pair left the train. Drak gave a nod to one of the undead workers who kept the Loop running smoothly and they headed up the steps to the outside world.

    Stepping out of the station into Vine Road, you could easily be fooled into thinking you had travelled a much greater distance and were far outside the city. There was nothing urban about this part of the city - it looked and smelled like a jungle.

    The station stood alongside The Vein, the main road that ran through the whole area. It was viewed as the safest part of Vine Roads but even that had to be taken in context - this wasn¡¯t somewhere you casually wandered around on your own. While The Husk was the most unpredictable part of Hollowcrest, Vine Roads could be said to be the most dangerous.

    You were equally likely to run into a corpse collector or a wild leaf jaguar, be mauled by some hungry mammal or be attacked by one of the giant birds of prey that called the trees their homes. Vine Road was as far from an urban area as possible yet was still within a half-day¡¯s walk from Divine Square.

    While Jake wasn¡¯t a native to the area, he¡¯d visited enough times over the year to be passingly familiar with the ¡®rules¡¯ of the place. Drak was a native of the sector and had the confidence of someone who had dealt with the peculiarities of Vine Road all of his life. That wasn¡¯t to say he was unaware of the many dangers, it was just a part of how things were.

    The store stood on The Vein, a short walk from the station. It didn¡¯t look like the most impressive establishment, it had a stone and wood front with the sign looking a little faded and unkempt. But Jinx and Tonic was the business that their fathers had built together and it was also going to be Jake¡¯s new home.

    The name came from the nickname that Drak¡¯s dad had picked up at some point before his son was born. It was one of those things, he was known for having abnormal luck, even surviving alchemical accidents that would have killed other people. So, of course, everyone knew him as Jinx. When he and Jake¡¯s dad opened the store, using the nickname was inevitable.

    After Drak¡¯s dad had died, his mother decided to move in with her sister who was also a widow, leaving the two-bedroom apartment above the store half unoccupied. The two young men had decided that it made sense to work together on developing their alchemy skills by living and working together, so Jake had packed his most important belongings and made the trip to the city.

    The store had a simple layout. There was the main entrance that led to the store area. There was a short hallway separating the store area and the workshop above, with a set of stairs leading off it and up to the living area. There was a side exit that led to an alley between the store and the neighbouring property, which was currently undergoing some renovation. It was in better condition than the neighbour on the other side - that property had suffered some kind of attack and only half the storefront and the side walls remained.

    To Jake, walking into the store meant he was greeted by scents that reminded him of home. Potions, ingredients and even some of the equipment used to make the potions were all things he would find in the workshop at his parent¡¯s house. He did notice that the store was a bit low on inventory with gaps on the potion shelves and spaces in the ingredients racks.

    It could also do with a bit of housekeeping - they were significantly outnumbered by the spiders hanging in the dark corners. He just hoped none of them was the poisonous types that sometimes ventured out of the jungle that surrounded them.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit behind on re-stocking and the housekeeping,¡± Drak commented with a slightly sheepish grin. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on keeping the customer base in place. After all, they¡¯ve worked with Dad for years. I just wanted to ensure they knew we were up for the job now he¡¯s gone.¡±

    Jake nodded, mentally listing a few important potions he could make in the next few days with what was already in store. Truth of it was, Drak was a good alchemist but a better salesman, the talented one had been his father. Jake also knew that he was a better alchemist than his friend and not far behind both of their fathers, despite being only 26 years old.

    The two headed into the living area of the store and Drak showed Jake to his room. It was the smaller of the two as Drak had taken his parents¡¯ room but Jake was still perfectly content. There was enough room for the basics and he kept things simple. Aside from his alchemy, he didn¡¯t have a lot of hobbies or much free time to work on them. So it didn¡¯t take him long to get settled in.

    <hr>

    After eating their evening meal, Jake found himself starting to stocktake and make his jobs list for the coming week. In no time, Drak appeared in a fresh black waistcoat, black trousers and a startling red shirt.

    ¡°I¡¯m off to meet with Borass, see what he¡¯s looking for. Sure you don¡¯t want to come?¡± the Dragonkin asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Jake replied. ¡°Have fun and I¡¯ll catch you later or in the morning.¡±

    Drak left with a wave and Jake returned to his notes. There was definitely a bit to do but he liked to keep busy.

    It didn¡¯t seem like more than half an hour when the front door of the store opened and Drak came in, a slight wobble to his step and a big grin on his face.

    ¡°We have our first big commission!¡± he announced excitedly.

    Jake put his notebook to one side. ¡°What did Borass want?¡±

    ¡°The Chameleon Light potion!¡± Drak said. ¡°I know you said you were on the cusp of Tier 4 with your alchemy so this shouldn¡¯t be too far out of your reach.¡±

    Jake felt the blood drain out of his face. ¡°Where did you get the idea I was nearly Tier 4? I¡¯m on the edge of Tier 3 but I¡¯m years away from Tier 4!¡±

    The Dragonkin¡¯s grin faltered. ¡°But you said in your letters!¡± He rushed across the store and reached under the till, pulling out a pile of handwritten letters from Jake he¡¯d kept there. He sorted through them to find their last conversation, finalising the details of their partnership.

    It wasn¡¯t so much that the Dragonkin paled as his skin tone didn¡¯t alter. But he seemed to drain of something vital as he re-read the letter. And re-read it again. Then he placed it carefully on the counter, staring at it as if the paper had somehow betrayed him.

    ¡°Well, shit,¡± he said. He then sat down heavily in one of the chairs behind the counter, almost overbalancing.

    Jake could see the letter from where he stood and it said what he knew it did - that he was at the cusp of Tier 3 and with a short, intense period of work, should pass this threshold quite soon.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just tell him you made a mistake and we can¡¯t make the potion?¡± Jake said.

    Drak shook his head violently to signal a negative. ¡°This isn¡¯t the kind of guy you let down. I told you, deadly serious isn¡¯t just a phrase with him. He will skewer us both and burn the store to the ground. Probably with our dying bodies still in it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a little melodramatic,¡± Jake said with a little laugh. But he caught himself seeing a look of genuine fear on his friend¡¯s face.

    ¡°It really isn¡¯t!¡± Drak replied. ¡°What can we do?¡±

    Jake picked up his notebook and turned to a fresh page. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s what I know about Chameleon Light. It makes the drinker invisible including their clothes, which is something that not all potions do. It also ensures the drinker can see properly and masks any distortions that their presence creates.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Drak said. ¡°But you can¡¯t make it?¡±

    ¡°Not at my current level, it is too far ahead of my abilities. But what if we could make another potion that worked in a similar way?¡±

    Drak brightened a little. ¡°There¡¯s a lower level potion that does the same thing?¡±

    Jake shook his head. ¡°Not the same but the Shifters Orm Skin potion does make the skin of the person mimic the environment around them. It also works on their clothing. Plus it has the effect of making people want to look away from the individual so they are less likely to realise someone is there.¡±

    ¡°That sounds pretty similar,¡± Drak said enthusiastically. ¡°What do you need to make it?¡±

    Jake grabbed a book from the shelf and leafed through it. Put it aside and picked up another one. On the third attempt, he found what he was looking for and wrote down three ingredients. It needed giant octopus skin to create the visual effect, Shifter skin to stabilise and Orm skin for the mesmerising effect to make people look away.

    The first two were common but the third was the one that was going to cause the problems. He read the list to Drak, who seemed to deflate again.

    ¡°Orm skin is very, very hard to find,¡± the Dragonkin said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever actually seen it.¡±

    ¡°But not impossible,¡± Jake pointed out. ¡°Which makes it more possible than my casting of a Tier 4 potion.¡±

    Drak nodded. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s see if we can find ourselves some Orm skin!¡±

 Chapter 2 On The Lookout

    Jake was already up the next morning when Drak came down. His friend looked a little worse for wear, a combination of the local moonshine and the realisation of the mistake he¡¯d made. Or at least Jake thought that was what was wrong. Sometimes with the confident Dragonkin, it was hard to tell.

    ¡°Okay, I think we need to start with my usual ingredients guy, Sern. He gets the best stuff from the monster hunters that work around the area. I bet he¡¯ll have this Orm skin we need,¡± Drak announced.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a common item you find in most stores,¡± Jake warned.

    Drak waved off his fears. ¡°Trust me, this guy is good. If he doesn¡¯t have it, I bet he can tell us who will have it.¡±

    The walk to Sern¡¯s store was a short one. Vine Road was already heating up, the thick jungle smells filling the air. Occasionally, strange animal sounds could be heard but Drak made nothing of them, even though Jake couldn¡¯t help but wonder how dangerous the creature making the sounds really was.

    Sern¡¯s store was larger than theirs and in better condition. The pair entered and saw a wood elf standing behind the counter, talking to a tall human who was holding a large sack. They waited a polite distance until the pair shook hands and the human left the store.

    ¡°Sern!¡± Drak boomed, approaching the counter with his usual beaming smile on his face.

    The wood elf nodded to the Dragonkin. ¡°Good to see you Drak, how¡¯s business?¡±

    ¡°Fantastic as ever,¡± Drak said confidently. ¡°This is my partner, Jake. He just arrived in the city and we already have a special commission. So I¡¯m here looking for a particular ingredient.¡±

    ¡°Sure, what do you need?¡± Sern asked.

    Drak glanced to Jake. ¡°Orm skin,¡± Jake told him, anticipating the response.

    The wood elf looked like he¡¯d swallowed something that tasted bad. His easy early morning sale had just vanished, his expression saying that he obviously didn¡¯t have the ingredient they were seeking.

    ¡°Not a chance, sadly Drak,¡± he replied. ¡°That stuff is ridiculously hard to get and I haven¡¯t seen any in months.¡±

    ¡°But you can get anything!¡± Drak said, clearly repeating something the elf had said to him in the past.

    Sern squirmed just a little bit at having his own confidence thrown back at him. ¡°I can, pretty much. But seriously, there are some things that are beyond me. Orm skin is one of them apart from the rarest occasions.¡±

    ¡°How often do you normally stock it?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°Once,¡± Sern replied awkwardly.

    ¡°Once in how long?¡± Drak queried.

    ¡°Since I opened the store. fifty-two years,¡± he admitted. ¡°Look, I can get you some similar ingredients you could substitute for it, no problem.¡±

    Sensing Drak was being drawn in, Jake shook his head firmly. ¡°Thanks but no, the potion is very specific and there¡¯s no way we can settle on anything less,¡± he added, giving his partner a quick glare.

    Drak sighed. ¡°Jake¡¯s right, sadly. It has to be Orm skin. Is there anywhere we could try that might have it?¡±

    Sern literally scratched his head for a moment, thinking about the question. ¡°I can¡¯t think of many of the other stores that might stock it. How about you try Jodie¡¯s Fine Goods, they aren¡¯t better than I am but they do sometimes have more unusual things that my customers don¡¯t need.¡±

    Thanking Sern for the idea, the pair left the store. Back in the sun, the temperature seemed to have increased even in the short time they¡¯d been inside. Jake realised that the hot and humid conditions that seemed to make up the weather of Vine Road was something he needed to adapt to because it never seemed to change much.

    For a second, he felt a flash of homesickness. The area outside the city where he¡¯d grown up had a much more temperate climate, with a good amount of rain and sunshine. He wondered if he¡¯d done the right thing, moving to the city.

    But he gave himself a mental shake. He¡¯d made a sensible decision because the only way he would progress through Tier 3 and actually reach Tier 4 was to work on different projects. At home, there was only a limited number of commissions available and they tended to be the same things over and over. Here in the city, he could find the challenges he needed.

    Of course, making a potion with a really hard-to-find ingredient to satisfy a homicidal gnome on his second day in the city was a little more challenging than he¡¯d been expecting.

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    Jodie¡¯s Fine Goods definitely looked like the next step up in terms of the size and appearance of the shop. The pair stepped inside to see an impressive array of potions, ingredients and supplies spread around the store.

    Guessing that if the store had the Orm skin, it wouldn¡¯t be on the shelf, Jake approached the counter. There was a human woman there, scribbling notes in a ledger. She looked up as he approached and smiled.

    ¡°Hi there, how can I help?¡± she asked. ¡°welcome¡±

    ¡°Hi, we were told you might be able to help us find a special ingredient,¡± Jake replied. ¡®Orm skin?¡±

    Jodie winced. ¡°Wow, Orm skin. I haven¡¯t had anyone asking for that in a long time.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you stock it?¡± Drak queried.

    She gave a little half-laugh. ¡°Of course not! That stuff is stupidly expensive, rarely needed and has a limited shelf life. I¡¯ve seen it a few times but I¡¯ve never bothered to try and stock it. Just not enough demand.¡±

    Sensing a theme, Jake asked the question. ¡°Any idea where we might be able to find it?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, the only people that might have a clue where to find it is the monster hunter guild. After all, those are the guys that go out there and capture the creature to skin it,¡± she replied.

    Another walk in the sunshine led them to the monster hunter guild. Or rather a series of buildings that made the guild¡¯s local headquarters. Because many of the monsters that gave the guild their business were found in Vine Road, there was a large complex that included workshops, accommodation for hunters and a meeting place. This was where people could commission hunters to find specific monsters or store owners could buy what the hunters had caught.

    Jake and Drak entered the meeting hall, which was filled with a mixture of hunters and customers. Most were sitting at individual tables, deep in conversation, sometimes with different items on the table. They approached the person who seemed to be organising everything, a green Dragonkin.

    The three exchanged pleasantries and Jake told him what they were looking for, already half expecting the reaction. He wasn¡¯t disappointed.

    The organiser, Borass, gave a chuckle and shook his head. ¡°Do you have any idea what a pain in the arse Orm are to hunt?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Jake admitted. He had a passing idea of what an Orm was but that was it.

    ¡°Have you ever seen an Orm before?¡± Borass queried.

    Both Jake and Drak shook their heads.

    ¡°There¡¯s good reason for that,¡± the older Dragonkin replied. ¡°The things are masters at making themselves hard to see. That¡¯s what makes their skin useful in potions and such. But it also makes it hard work to hunt them.

    ¡°Really hard work,¡± added another hunter who was passing where they stood. ¡°Had my hands on one once, glanced away and the damn thing¡¯s magic meant I forgot it was there. Opening my hand and it was gone like a shot. Never did find the critter again.¡±

    ¡°Are they very dangerous?¡± Drak asked a strange look on his face that gave Jake a vague sense of unease.

    ¡°They have good claws, especially on those front legs. The back legs tend to fold up and give them more of a burst of speed but they still have claws on them. They have a nasty bite but there¡¯s no poison. Their diet is mostly small mammals so they bite to incapacitate then just swallow them whole,¡± Borass explained.

    ¡°That skin is pretty tough, you need a sharp blade to cut through it,¡± the other hunter added leaning against the desk where Borass was sitting.

    ¡°The problem is just that ability to make your eye turn away from them, that¡¯s what makes them so hard to catch,¡± Borass added. ¡°They are that green-brown shade that almost everything out there in the jungle seems to be, which only makes them even harder to find.¡±

    ¡°But if you can find one, then capturing it isn¡¯t too bad if you have the right gear?¡± Drak continued.

    ¡°Assuming you get one, you just need to avoid being eaten by all the other massive critters that live in the area,¡± Borass replied. ¡°Sure, the Orm aren¡¯t the most dangerous thing out there but they are neighbours with everything that is. And if any of those big predators hear anything that attracts their attention, be ready to run for your life. Fast.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them a few times about an hour southeast from here,¡± another voice added. All of them turned to see a grizzle half-Orc sitting in a window seat, smoking a pipe.

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± the first unnamed hunter replied. ¡°You¡¯ve never hunted an Orm before.¡±

    ¡°Never said I was hunting it,¡± the half-Orc answered. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen them a couple of times while I was hunting other monsters there. Or see enough to know that was what I was seeing.¡±

    Drak had turned his attention to the older hunter. ¡°South-east, you say? About an hour¡¯s walk?¡±

    Jake¡¯s sense of unease continued to grow. He had a terrible feeling about what was going to come next.

    ¡°How much would it cost to hire someone to help us find one?¡± Drak asked casually.

    Both Borass and the first hunter stated a figure, both near each other and way more money than either Jake or Drak had ever seen.

    ¡°But you said they weren¡¯t that dangerous?¡± Drak queried when he recovered from the shock of the number.

    ¡°Not about the danger level,¡± Borass replied. ¡®I¡¯ve told you, they are a pain in the arse. You need specinlised spells to help you see them in the first place and make sure you don¡¯t forget you have them to get them back here. It takes three to four times longer to hunt them than any other creature the size of a medium dog. And you always end up running like your arse is on fire to escape the other critters living nearby.¡±

    ¡°Yep, not a commission most of us would want,¡± the unnamed hunter added, shaking his head.

    Drak glanced towards the half-Orc. He gave a sound that might have been a laugh and simply shook his head.

    Jake decided it was time to call it quits and go back to the drawing board. Drak also seemed to have decided that there was nothing else they would gain in the guild but didn¡¯t seem as despondent as Jake felt.

    The pair stepped outside and Drak gestured to his friend. They stopped under the shade of an unoccupied store across from the guild building and Drak let loose his great plan, just as Jake had been feeling was going to happen.

    ¡°I know what to do - we hunt the Orm ourselves!¡± Drak announced.

 Chapter 3 The Goldleaf Bar

    ¡°Hunt the Orm ourselves - brilliant idea Drak!¡± Jake yelled, running as quickly as he could in the opposite direction of the large, noisy and probably carnivorous creature that was chasing them.

    ¡°It sounded like a great idea!¡± Drak yelled back, trying to glance back over his shoulder and almost stumbling over a root. Jake reached out, grabbed his arm for a second and pulled him upright so he didn¡¯t fall.

    ¡°We have different concepts of a great idea!¡± Jake replied. He reached into his vest and grabbed a small vial containing a red liquid. He pulled the stopper out with his teeth, calling upon his water essence then making a grabbing motion over the liquid lifted from the vial towards his hand. He gestured towards the creature and the red liquid flew through the air towards it.

    It let out a shriek, meaning the liquid had come into contact with it. But it didn¡¯t stop and actually sounded madder than before.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t help!¡± Drak observed.

    ¡°You try something then!¡± Jake yelled back, slightly breathless, his mouth dry from the use of his water essence.

    Drak turned towards the pursuing creature and made a sharp gesture, clicking both fingers at the same moment towards it. Jake half turned to see a huge flash of light and heard a massive burst of noise, both of which caused the monster to stop, disorientated.

    But neither of the alchemists were hanging around to see how it reacted. They both continued to run as fast as they could, back towards safety. Or at least safety, compared with the deep jungle.

    Just as they reached The Vein, a giant bolt of lightning lit up the air and the creature chasing them gave a scream of pain.

    ¡°Guess someone else is determined to stop that thing coming any closer,¡± Jake observed breathlessly as they both stopped running for a moment.

    ¡°Sorry?¡± Drak yelled, tapping his ears as if they weren¡¯t working properly.

    Jake repeated what he had said, only louder.

    ¡°Would have been great if they turned up just a little earlier,¡± Drak complained. ¡°But better late than never, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Bit of hearing loss with the sound essence use?¡± Jake guessed, keeping his voice slightly raised.

    The Dragonkin nodded. ¡°It should ease off in a bit. I hope.¡±

    Jake sat on a tree stump. ¡°Well, that went as badly as possible. Four hours running around in the jungle, avoiding monsters and seeing no sign at all of an Orm.¡±

    Drak leaned against the wall opposite the tree stump. ¡°That monster hunter seemed so confident that we would be able to find one there.¡±

    ¡°Guess the old guy was a bit senile or something then because there was no sign of anything even similar to an Orm. Or even that kind of size because all of those monsters were huge,¡± Jake added, shaking his head.

    ¡°Okay, so that didn¡¯t work,¡± Drak admitted. ¡°Now we need to go back to the store and start planning again. We still have most of the week before Borass will need the potion.¡±

    Jake¡¯s head snapped up. ¡°What?¡±

    Drak looked confused. ¡°Well, we need a new plan.¡±

    ¡°No, what was that about a week?¡±

    Drak frowned. ¡°The potion is needed in a week¡¯s time, that was the deal I made with Borass.¡±

    ¡°You never mentioned that last night!¡± Jake exclaimed, feeling a little sick. ¡°Even if we had this Orm skin, it would take me a few days to make it and we are nowhere near having the ingredients yet!¡±

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Drak said, holding up his hands to placate his partner. ¡°We will figure this out. I have faith in us.¡±

    Jake stared at the Dragonkin, a whole litany of sarcastic answers running through his mind. In the end, he decided to say nothing because he was too worn out. ¡°I need a drink,¡± he settled on replying.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the store then,¡± Drak repeated.

    <hr>

    The pair arrived back at Jinxs and Tonics as the sun had set, both feeling tired and a bit despondent. They ate a meal together, had a couple of drinks and turned in for the night with Drak saying they would definitely find a solution to the problem in the morning.

    Jake woke to see the sun had risen, making it a good lie-in by his standards. He sat up and looked out of the bedroom window.

    To see one of the Jeffs that he¡¯d first met accompanying Borass standing across the road, watching the store.

    He ducked down and crossed the room in a crouch then stood and banged on Drak¡¯s bedroom door.

    ¡°Drak!¡± he called in his loudest whisper. He knew the guy couldn¡¯t hear him from the street but he was feeling a touch paranoid. ¡°There¡¯s a guy outside the store and I¡¯m sure he was with Borass.¡±

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    There was a murmur from inside so Jake called his friend again, a little louder.

    After a mumbled reply and a moment, he heard Drak move around. ¡°I see him. Damn, Borass must have sent him to see how we are progressing with the potion.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a question we really don¡¯t want to answer,¡± Jake pointed out as a crouched Drak opened his bedroom door. ¡°What are we going to do?¡±

    Drak shut his door and stood upright. ¡°We get the hell out of here for a bit, avoiding the front door obviously.¡±

    Jake frowned. ¡°We can¡¯t avoid him forever.¡±

    Drak shrugged. ¡°We can try. At least until we have the Orm skin and can tell him the potion is progressing. You never know if these guys have some essences that lets them see lies or something crazy like that. There¡¯s got to be a reason that a killer like Borass needs bodyguards.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they are there to stop him killing people rather than stop people killing him,¡± Jake said, shaking his head.

    ¡°Okay, grab any essentials you need, keep your head down and we¡¯ll head out the side door, dodge around him completely,¡± Drak said.

    The two went downstairs and grabbed a few essentials while keeping behind the counter and out of sight. They then headed out of the side door but Drak stopped abruptly. ¡°Alley¡¯s blocked,¡± he said softly. ¡°Damn renovation project.¡±

    Jake pointed to a section of the missing wall towards the bottom of the alley. The two moved towards it, glanced around and couldn¡¯t see anyone.

    They hopped over the pile of bricks and inside the building. They were just about to head towards the rear exit of the building when they heard someone shout out. Jake spun to see a dwarf holding a brick threateningly, an angry look on his face.

    ¡°What are you doing in here?¡± he yelled at them.

    ¡°The Jeff will hear,¡± Drak hissed at Jake. ¡°We need to get out of here.¡±

    They turned to run when the brick whizzed past Drak¡¯s left ear, making him jump. Another clipped the back of Jake¡¯s heel, almost causing him to trip.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Drak yelled back at the brick-flinging dwarf. ¡°We just took a wrong turn!¡±

    ¡°Get out of here, you¡¯ll interfere with my stone binding!¡± the dwarf shouted, gesturing around the building.

    Jake looked around and realised they were surrounded by floating bricks that the dwarf was moving into place. Seemed that his stone-binding ability was better than his aim with his arm, which was a good thing for both of them.

    ¡°We¡¯re going, so sorry!¡± Jake said, holding up his hands and then giving Drak a quick push towards the rear door as he could see the Dragonkin was getting ready to use one of his essences on the dwarf. The extra noise would surely catch the Jeff¡¯s attention and they¡¯d have no chance of getting away.

    The dwarf glared at them but didn¡¯t throw the brick he was holding. The two didn¡¯t waste any time and ran out of the back entrance into the alley that ran along the rear of the properties.

    ¡°Head left,¡± Drak said. ¡°There will be more people around up there and we can find somewhere to hide for a bit.¡±

    The two left the rear alley into a crowd of people and kept walking at a rapid pace, dodging the slower-moving shoppers with the aim of putting as many people between them and the Jeff as possible.

    Ten minutes later, slightly breathless, the two stopped. They were in one of the areas where The Vein was wider and there were fewer buildings around. There was a single, impressive-looking structure in the middle, a circular building made from black stone with goldleaf vines growing up it.

    Before Jake could ask what the place was, there was a crash from the street behind them. While there was no reason to think it was connected to them, the pair instantly looked to see where they could go.

    The black stone building had a single door with a sign above it which was in shadow at the moment and hard to read. But most importantly, the door was open and that was all they really needed.

    They glanced at each other and both headed towards the open door.

    Walking inside, the first thing Jake noticed was the bar in the centre of the room. It was hexagonal in shape and in the centre of it was a tree. The tree had shelves all around it and each of them contained a variety of bottles of coloured liquid. He instantly knew by the types of bottles that this was a bar and not another alchemist store.

    There was more goldleaf vine growing up the tree and it had spread across the roof with many tiny flowers hanging from it and illuminating the room. There was a set of stairs to their right leading to an upper floor and probably the private residence of the owner. Across the room on the left was a dance floor with a small musicians area while most of the room featured tables and chairs, with booths around the outer wall.

    After the impressive appearance of the place, the next thing that Jake noticed was that the place was empty. Or almost empty - there were just three people present.

    The first was behind the bar and was a wood elf. He was slender with light brown hair pulled into a high ponytail and was wearing a stylish brown vest with gold stitching, and reading glasses folded into the top pocket.

    The other two were classic thugs. One was a tall, stocky Firbolg and the other was a High Elf. Both were dressed in black, the elf was leaning on the bar while the other was reaching across to grab the barkeeper.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jake asked.

    The thug elf turned around, sized them up quickly and waved a hand. ¡°Nothing to do with you, head off and mind your own business,¡± he said dismissively.

    ¡°Actually guys, I could use a little bit of help,¡± the wood elf called from behind the bar.

    Drak gave a little growl, instantly disliking the thugs and started to walk towards them, making himself look as imposing as possible.

    As he reached the Firbolg, the thug made a gesture with one hand and Drak was pushed back several steps with the force of his magic. Drak hesitated for a moment, deciding what was the best approach.

    This is going to escalate quickly, Jake thought to himself.

    He glanced quickly around the bar and realised there was a puddle of spilt alcohol on the floor. He gestured to it and grabbing the liquid with his water essence, he threw it into the face of the Firbolg. Being it was strong alcohol, it stung on contact with his eyes and he gave a yell. ¡°In L¡¯emond¡¯s soulless arse!¡±

    Drak saw the opportunity and grabbed one of the heavy bar stools that circled the bar. He swung it like a club and crashed it into the Firbolg¡¯s head, a satisfying thud knocking the thug off his feet and to his knees, grabbing his head.

    Jake took the opportunity of the Firbolg and Drak fighting to do something about the elf thug. He reached up with his water essence and grabbed the liquid inside one of the heaviest bottles on the shelves. He pulled the liquid towards him, ensuring the bottle came with it. It crashed off the shelf and smashed straight into the thug elf¡¯s head, soaking him in alcohol and knocking him out completely.

    Drak studied the half-stunned Firbolg for a moment then raised a fist, and infused some of his light essence to increase the speed, hitting the guy with a flash of light. The Firbolg collapsed onto the floor, out cold.

    The two looked up at the wood elf standing behind the bar. He lifted his hands off the bar to clap them together, a broad grin on his face. ¡°Well, that was interesting!¡± he declared enthusiastically.

 Chapter 4 Another Job!?

    Jake sat on a bar stool, looking around and reflecting on how quickly his life had changed. Here he was, sitting in a bar first thing in the morning. The city watch were dragging away the two unconscious thugs that he and Drak has incapacitated. And a completely unknown elf was pouring them each a shot of something brightly coloured and probably strong alcohol.

    He hadn¡¯t even had any breakfast yet.

    ¡°Can I have a glass of water too?¡± Jake asked, as the elf slid a drink in his direction. ¡°Water essence user.¡±

    The elf nodded, reached under the bar and lifted out a bottle of water, pouring some into a larger glass and pushing it over to Jake. He drank it straight back.

    ¡°So I¡¯m having a bad morning, but you guys somehow look like you are having a worse one,¡± the elf commented with a smirk, sipping his drink.

    Drak downed his shot in one and placed the glass back on the bar. He looked at Jake, uncertain of what to say and how much to give away to this stranger.

    Jake sipped the brightly coloured drink, surprised that it was slightly sweet and minty in flavour. It wasn¡¯t bad at all. ¡°It has been a strange couple of days,¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°Forgive my manners, my name is Asher Golfleaf,¡± the elf said, tipping an invisible hat to the pair. ¡°I¡¯m the owner of his humble bar, Goldfleaf Bar. Thank you for your assistance here this morning, is there something I can do to help you with your problems to say thank you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Jake and this is my business partner, Drak. Actually, we are hunting for a specific ingredient for a potion. Maybe you might have an idea where we could get it? Jake asked.

    ¡°Ah, alchemists,¡± Asher said with a nod. ¡°I¡¯ve dabbled a little myself across the years, especially to create the perfect additives to my liqueurs. What is the ingredient you are looking for?¡±

    ¡°Orm skin,¡± Drak replied.

    Asher looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°I do know someone who can get some of that for you but it is expensive and rare stuff. I can definitely help you with it but I¡¯d need an extra favour to make everything work. I¡¯m a businessman after all.¡±

    Jake finished his drink. ¡°What kind of favour?¡±

    ¡°Nothing that would be too difficult for smart and resourceful young men like yourselves, especially with your water essence ability,¡± Asher replied. ¡°And then I could acquire the Orm skin for you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, tell me more?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°A little while ago, I had some shipments coming into The Husk and there was some incident. The barge was waylaid and one of my crates sunk. The favour would be a simple retrieval job. Grab my crate and bring it back to me intact.¡±

    Jake opened his mouth to question the elf a little more about what he needed. But he didn¡¯t get a chance.

    ¡°Sure, we can do that!¡± Drak announced enthusiastically. ¡°Just tell us where to find it and we can go this afternoon!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great news!¡± Asher said with a broad smile, waving his invisible hat with gusto. ¡°It is always great when we can help each other out.¡±

    Jake glanced at his partner and back to the elf. Why did he think there was something more to this ¡®simple¡¯ retrieval job than Asher was letting on? But they were committed to it now.

    ¡°Tell us more about the location and what size of the crate we are looking for,¡± Jake said, resigned to his fate.

    Asher placed his invisible hat back on his head. ¡°Well¡­¡±

    -

    Armed with a hand-drawn map of where they needed to go, Jake and Drak left the Goldleaf Bar to head to The Loop station. Their destination was in the heart of The Husk, an area of Hollowcrest that Jake had rarely visited.

    Even Drak admitted that he didn¡¯t go there often. But it was a simple job to follow the map from The Loop station to the spot where the shipment had vanished. Then it was simply a case of finding and retrieving it.

    That was the plan, anyway.

    The trip from Vine Road to The Husk meant retracing their steps from Jake¡¯s first day to pass the station near Divine Square. The train then continued through to The Husk and they disembarked at the station Asher had marked on their map.

    If Vine Roads was far from an urban area and looked like a jungle, The Husk was much more of a classic urban slum area. There were few trees or plants in sight, animals consisted mostly of feral dogs and cats as well as impressively large rats. It was the area of the city that people went to when they had no other real choice - it was overcrowded, rife with crime and generally not a fun place to spend too much time.

    But if it got them the Orm skin they needed, Jake was willing to go wherever was needed.

    They left the train carriage, up a flight of stairs and the crush of people immediately hit Jake. It was noisy with a wash of sounds, shouts and other noises hitting him as soon as they left the station. There were dirty children running through the crowds, doubtless picking pockets as they went. Two men were yelling at each, noses touching, just across from the station, with fists being thrown as the most likely outcome.

    Drak nudged Jake and gestured to his left. Jake glimpsed at the map Asher had provided them and nodded in agreement. They carefully dodged around the arguing pair and started to follow their directions.

    Asher¡¯s map was easy to follow as he marked key buildings along the way rather than street names as there was little to suggest anything as official as a street name sign anywhere. Instead, they travelled by checking off stores, bars and other notable businesses that the elf had marked on the map.

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    After half an hour of walking through the busy streets of The Husk, the pair found the canal marked on the map. They followed it until they reached the area marked on the map.

    Drak turned to Jake. ¡°Okay, my friend, time for you to go to work and find this missing crate.¡±

    Jake turned to the canal and reached out, using his water essence with a Tier 2 spell to sense what was water and negative space in the water. He found an assortment of smaller items such as a suitcase, a bicycle and what seemed to be the skeleton of a large dog.

    ¡°Nothing yet,¡± he confirmed, seeing Drak pacing impatiently to one side. He found what might have been a humanoid skeleton but decided that wasn¡¯t their problem today.

    Drak glanced around. ¡°Might be an idea to hurry it up,¡± he suggested.

    Jake frowned. ¡°Why? We are just looking for lost property in a public canal?¡± As he spoke, he located a square box that was just the right size for the crate they were seeking. He used another Tier 2 spell to make the water around it raise it from the canal floor and a Tier 1 spell that placed it on the path in front of them.

    ¡°About that,¡± Drak began but was interrupted by the sudden arrival of four burly men that instantly reminded Jake of the thugs they had dealt with at Asher¡¯s place. There were two humans, a dwarf and a half-Orc.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± the dwarf asked. He seemed to be the one in charge of the group as the other three stood just behind him.

    ¡°We are just on a retrieval task,¡± Drak said with a big smile. ¡°Our client lost something in the canal and we are just grabbing it for him.¡±

    Jake sat on the edge of the crate for a moment and pulled a flask from his jacket, taking a long drink. Three spells in quick succession had left him feeling very dry and dehydrated.

    ¡°Ah,¡± the dwarf thug said thoughtfully. ¡°But there¡¯s a bit of a problem with that.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Drak asked, feigning innocence.

    ¡°Yes, see the thing is, this is our territory. We run it, all the businesses in it contribute to our community protection fund and everything in the area belongs to us. That includes things in the canal,¡± he replied.

    Here we go, Jake thought to himself, finishing the flask of water. There just had to be something that made the task complicated.

    ¡°I get what you mean but this crate belongs to our client, it was lost by accident while transporting through the area. He¡¯s just getting back what belongs to him,¡± Drak replied.

    The thug shook his head slowly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± he said with false sadness in his voice. ¡°See once it fell off the transport and into the canal, it became our property. That means if you take it away, you are stealing from us. And that¡¯s not a good idea.¡±

    Jake put the flask back into his jacket and reached towards one of the potions he had prepared. It might just give them the pause they need to grab the crate and get away.

    But as he did this, the dwarf raised his hand and a small ball of flame appeared in his palm, turning slowly. Another of the group, one of the humans, clicked his fingers and a thin stream of water rose from the canal and began to circle his hand.

    Drak glanced at Jake and his look gave a clear message - that they couldn¡¯t win a fight against these professional thugs. ¡°Okay, I get what you mean. We had no idea. So is there something we can do to get the crate back from you and take it to our client?¡±

    The dwarf glanced at the half-Orc for effect, as if he didn¡¯t know what to say. The half-Orc gave a lazy shrug.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t so much as the cost of it but the value of it,¡± the dwarf replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± Drak said, frowning.

    ¡°Well, the crate must be valuable enough for your client to get someone to come and get it for them. And there¡¯s the fact that you were going to steal it from our territory. We can¡¯t be allowing people to just help themselves to whatever they want, even if they didn¡¯t know they were trespassing,¡± said the dwarf with his falsely sad tone.

    Here it comes, Jake thought. He¡¯d let go of the potion vial in his pocket and just sat on the crate. He noticed that two more thugs had joined the group, one standing behind Drak and the other standing over the other side of the crate from where Jake sat.

    ¡°So what are we talking about here then?¡± Drak asked, a touch of impatience seeping into his tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s not up to me,¡± the dwarf admitted. ¡°We need to take you back to our boss and have a chat with him, see what price he wants to set for the crate and associated damages.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not necessary, can¡¯t we just come to an agreement here?¡± Jake asked.

    The dwarf shook his head once again. ¡°Sorry but this is above my pay-grade now. It has got to go to the boss and he needs to make a decision.¡±

    Jake stood up, resigned once more to what was going on. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s go and meet your boss.¡±

    -

    Jake and Drak followed the dwarf with the rest of the group following them. The half-Orc was carrying Asher¡¯s crate. He led them through the alleys of The Husk and within a few minutes, Jake felt a bit disorientated with no idea of where they were in relation to the map he had from Asher.

    He glanced at Drak and his friend gave a little shrug, clearly lost as well.

    After walking for around 10 minutes, the group stopped outside a warehouse. It looked just like many others that surrounded the sides of the canal. The dwarf knocked on the smaller door and it opened with another dwarf peering out. The second dwarf nodded and opened the door for the group to enter.

    Jake followed the dwarf as they moved through shelves stacked high with crates and other types of storage boxes that lined the walkways of the warehouse. Towards the centre of the warehouse, the crate stacks stopped and there was an open area that looked more like an office with a large wooden desk. Sitting behind it was a human with cropped black hair, grey eyes and a square jaw. He was physically imposing even though he wasn¡¯t too tall. He sized up Jake then Drak for a moment.

    ¡°This is Gage, the boss,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°Boss, these guys were taking a crate from the canal.¡±

    ¡°So stealing from us?¡± Gage said, playing into what the dwarf was saying. Jake had the feeling this wasn¡¯t the first time these guys had done a pantomime like this.

    ¡°Yeah, although they aren¡¯t locals and didn¡¯t know it was our canal and therefore our crate,¡± added the dwarf.

    ¡°Ah, so an accidental theft,¡± the boss added, nodding. ¡°Okay, so not the worst crime to have committed. What are we going to do then?¡±

    The dwarf mimicked a thoughtful look. ¡°I said we could maybe come to an agreement, that there was something they could do for us to make up for their mistake. And something that would let us release the crate to them as well.¡±

    Gage nodded, looking down at his desk as if he was considering what he could task them with. Somehow Jake thought that he had really known exactly what he wanted from the moment they walked into the room.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± Gage said. ¡°I have this problem and I¡¯m looking for a creative solution for it.¡±

    ¡°We are good at solving problems,¡± Drak said, a little of his confidence returning. Jake was unsure if this was a good thing or not.

    ¡°Good to hear,¡± the gang boss replied. ¡°There¡¯s this group of upstarts who are trying to take over some of my territory to the east of the canal. They aren¡¯t important enough for me to send my guys, that would just give them too much credibility. They aren¡¯t worth the attention of the Rat King. But I need to warn them off and give them a sense of the seriousness of trying to take me on.¡±

    ¡°You want us to negotiate with them to stop them from trying to take over your territory?¡± Jake asked. He noticed Drak¡¯s eyes widening at the mention of the Rat King.

    ¡°Negotiate, threaten, whatever. I don¡¯t really care. Blow them all up if you like that kind of thing. I just want them to stop being my problem and let me focus on the important stuff,¡± Gage replied, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°You do this for me, I¡¯ll give you the crate and we can call everything even.¡±

    Jake glanced at Drak who gave a slight nod. ¡°Okay, tell us where to find these guys,¡± Jake said.

 Chapter 5 Silt

    Jake and Drak were pushed unceremoniously out of the warehouse with the dwarf guarding the entrance glaring at them and slamming the door shut. Jake stumbled a couple of steps and then stopped, glancing back at the closed door.

    ¡°Well that could have gone worse,¡± Drak said.

    Jake stared at him, starting to wonder if his business partner was completely insane. ¡°We now have to do a job for a gang leader that has nothing to do with our skills and abilities to get a crate for an elf to then get an ingredient to make a potion for a murderous gnome, who is probably an assassin or something. What part of this could have gone worse in your mind,¡±

    Drak considered it for a moment. ¡°We could be dead.¡±

    Jake sighed. Technically, the Dragonkin was right but if he just hadn¡¯t agreed to that first job. Shaking his head, Jake mentally cut himself off. It was what it was, there was no point in getting stuck in his head. They needed to figure out what to do to complete their tasks.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Drak announced. ¡°I saw some food carts just a couple of streets back. Let¡¯s get some lunch and make a plan.¡±

    Jake agreed and the pair walked a couple of blocks in the direction Drak remembered as they were led to the warehouse. Turned out it was a little further than he remembered but they did find the food carts and bought themselves some lunch.

    They sat on a broken wall by a derelict building and ate in silence for a moment.

    ¡°So, what do we know about the group we are looking for?¡± Drak said.

    Jake had been taking some notes while Gage was telling them about the group they were targeting and he scanned them now. ¡°Seems like the head guy is called Roy, he¡¯s the one we need to get to and try to talk some sense into them.¡±

    Drak frowned. ¡°Not sure these gang types have a lot of sense.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Jake admitted. ¡°But there¡¯s just two of us, I don¡¯t think we can intimidate them. So I¡¯m thinking that we look to see what might get them to back off and leave Gage¡¯s territory to him. Self-preservation is always a good aspect - work with us or the big guys will come along and forcibly move you on?¡±

    Drak thought about it. ¡°Guess that could work. I suppose it depends on how keen they are to take on Gage and his men.¡±

    Jake paused, looking at what he was eating. ¡°What is this by the way? It has a weird taste.¡±

    Drak shrugged. ¡°Could be chicken, maybe rat, possibly badger. Probably a mix of all three.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, badger? We¡¯re in the city,¡± Jake queried.

    ¡°Why chicken?¡± Drak countered. ¡°Do you see many farms around here?¡±

    Jake considered it for a moment then shrugged. ¡°Okay back to business. I think we should start by checking out the area where these guys are based because Gage was a bit vague. We can maybe even get straight to this Roy guy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Drak agreed. ¡°From what he said, we head back to the canal where we found the crate, then head about three blocks north from there.¡±

    They finished their food and followed the directions Gage had provided to get back to where they had first met his men. Then they crossed the canal and headed north for three blocks.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t really look like a gang headquarters,¡± Drak said frowning at a series of nearly derelict buildings in front of them.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to scout along this side,¡± Jake said, pointing to the right. ¡°Why don¡¯t you check out those buildings to the left? Try to keep out of sight,¡± he added, although he realised that his friend with his red frill and brown flat cap wasn¡¯t going to be someone that people ignored.

    The pair separated and Jake walked down the right side of the largest of the buildings. While the front of the building looked in bad condition, some of the side walls were more solid and there was an area that had an intact roof.

    The building across the alley had a solid area of the wall and a metal ladder on it. Jake climbed the ladder to the second storey so he could get a better view of the large building and the surrounding area.

    Inside the derelict building, there were a series of tents and a few wooden huts. He could see a number of people moving around the area but none of them seemed to instantly stand out as the boss they were looking for.

    He watched for a moment to see a group of people enter from the rear of the building, carrying crates. Another team of people then set about opening them and sorting the contents. It all looked more like a small village than the headquarters of a vicious gang.

    Jake climbed back down before anyone spotted him and headed back to the front of the building. He sheltered in another smaller building across the street and waited for Drak¡¯s return.

    A short time later, Jake gave a start as his friend appeared at his side, having spotted him and sneaked around without making a sound.

    ¡°What did you see?¡± Drak asked and Jake told him what he¡¯d seen.

    ¡°There''s another building on the other side of this one that seems to have a similar set up. I could see some wooden sheds and there was a guy standing outside. I just asked him for some fake directions because he spotted me. I think it is probably their storage area or something similar,¡± Drak replied.

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    ¡°So I don¡¯t think this is going to be a case of just walking in and asking to chat with Roy,¡± Jake said thoughtfully. ¡°I think we need to head home, and decide on a plan of action. And honestly, I could do with a drink.¡±

    ¡°That sounds good to me,¡± Drak agreed. ¡°Asher¡¯s place?¡±

    Jake nodded. ¡°Guess we¡¯d better mention that we might need just a little longer to get his crate while we are there.¡±

    <hr>

    The pair walked back to The Loop station and retraced their earlier route back to Vine Road. They disembarked at the station before the one they had used the first evening as it was nearer the Goldleaf Bar.

    The bar was much busier than their first visit with people dancing on the dance floor to a jaunty song played by a three-person band. Most of the bar stools were occupied and there were a variety of group sizes occupying tables around the room.

    The two made their way to one of the booths in the corner furthest from the dance floor so they could chat. Drak stopped at the bar, which was being tended by another elf, and grabbed them both a drink.

    They sat down at the table, Jake sipping the pale blue liquid. It was refreshing and had a faint herbal flavour that Jake felt like he almost recognised but couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on.

    Drak downed half of his in one go and burped loudly, grinning. ¡°So how do we find this Roy guy then?¡±

    ¡°We could almost do with finding someone that knew a gang member and could make an introduction for us,¡± Jake admitted. ¡°You know lots of people, got any connections in The Husk that could help us?¡±

    Drak considered it for a few minutes, mentally ticking off names. Then he shook his head. ¡°Dad had a few people he used to deal with out there but I don¡¯t think any of them were connected to this gang. I¡¯ve never heard of this Roy character before so they are maybe really new to the area.¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of Gage before?¡± Jake asked curiously.

    Drak winced a little. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard his name before. He¡¯s been running that gang for a long time and some people say he¡¯s even a top lieutenant in the Black Rats. He¡¯s a serious guy, we really don¡¯t want to mess with him,¡± he added, sounding a bit unconvincing.

    ¡°Maybe we should have known that before we went to get the crate,¡± Jake observed pointedly but Drak just nodded, ignoring the jibe.

    ¡°I have an in with this gang you are seeking!¡± a voice announced brightly, making them both jump. They spun around to see Asher standing behind them, a grin on his face. He tipped his invisible hat to them in greeting.

    ¡°You do?¡± Drak asked.

    Asher nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a young lady called Symphony who worked with those guys. She¡¯s currently working here with me as a bartender. If I ask her, she¡¯ll help you get in touch with Roy.¡±

    Jake spoke before Drak could. ¡°And what¡¯s that going to cost us?¡±

    Asher¡¯s expression turned to false shock. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t charge my friends for an introduction! Besides, I want you guys to get my crate and I''m guessing this is the best way to get that done?¡±

    Jake nodded. ¡°Yes, it is,¡± he replied, without going any further.

    ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll reach out to Silt and get her to meet you guys here in the morning. She can take you out to The Husk and get you a meeting with Roy,¡± Asher said.

    ¡°Silt? I thought you said her name was Symphony?¡± Drak queried.

    ¡°Everyone calls her Silt,¡± Asher replied. ¡°No-one calls her Symphony unless they really don¡¯t want to be on her good side.¡±

    <hr>

    Jake woke up on his second morning in Hollowcrest and peeped out of the window cautiously to see if they had any company. Luckily, there was no sign of one of the Jeffs outside.

    He dressed and headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast. They were due to meet Asher¡¯s contact, Silt, a little later this morning at the bar.

    He entered the kitchen and stopped. There was a female half-elf sitting at their kitchen table, drinking something. She had silver hair, cut in a short bob and dark grey eyes. She was wearing a dark blue vest with a long sleeve shirt under it and loose fitting trousers. While most of her clothes were a little scruffy, her black boots were high quality and well maintained.

    ¡°Hi,¡± she said. She was flicking through one of Jake¡¯s potion notebooks that had been in store below the last time he¡¯d seen it.

    ¡°Hi,¡± Jake said, a little speechless. ¡°Who are you and what are you doing in here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Silt,¡± she replied. ¡°Asher told me you guys need me to take you to meet Roy.¡±

    Jake decided to play it cool. He walked across to the stove and turned on the ring to heat water for a cup of coffee. ¡°Ah, we thought we were meeting you at Asher¡¯s bar a little later.¡±

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d check you out. You guys need to have a bit of work done on your security. Honestly, it was stupidly easy to get in here. I could have helped myself to all kinds of stuff downstairs and just walked out. Honestly, a blind child could break into this place¡± she informed him.

    ¡°I guess security hasn¡¯t been a major issue before now,¡± Jake admitted, pouring the hot water over his coffee. ¡°But thanks for letting us know. I¡¯m Jake, by the way.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she replied. ¡°Asher said one human called Jake, one Dragonkin called Drak. So it''s pretty easy to guess which one you are.¡±

    Jake crossed to their cupboard to see what was around for breakfast.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Drak said from the doorway, hands raised ready for a fight. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°This is Asher¡¯s contact, Silt,¡± Jake replied, sitting opposite the half-elf at the table. ¡°She let herself in and apparently we need to work on our security.¡±

    ¡°Definitely, I¡¯ll walk you through some tips later,¡± she answered, ignoring his sarcasm.

    Drak continued to look a bit baffled by the situation. Jake gestured to the kettle. ¡°Water¡¯s still hot if you want a drink.¡±

    The Dragonkin crossed the room and made himself a mug of tea, adding a couple of drops of a green liquid by the kettle for his hangover. Still looking baffled, he joined them at the table. ¡°So can you help us to get to meet this Roy guy? Drak asked.

    Silt gave an odd smirk but nodded. ¡°Sure, I used to work with them and I know most of the crew. But what do you need to talk to Roy about?¡±

    Drak glanced at Jake who gave a slight shake of the head. It was best to keep things simple in his opinion. ¡°We are getting a crate back for Asher and we have a business proposal for Roy that will help us do that,¡± Jake replied, keeping it purposefully vague.

    ¡°And my fee for this? How much are you paying me¡± she asked.

    Another look passed between the two alchemists. This was the first they had heard about it costing anything.

    ¡°Three silver,¡± Drak said before Jake could say anything.

    Silt gave him a sour look. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m cheap? Five silvers.¡±

    ¡°Three silvers, six coppers,¡± Drak replied. ¡°And remember, you are helping Asher.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t work for favours or goodwill, it doesn¡¯t help me feed myself,¡± she replied. ¡°Four silver and nine coppers.¡±

    ¡°Four silvers and three coppers,¡± Jake stepped in. ¡°A fair price for simply making an introduction.¡±

    She studied him for a moment. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s head to The Husk and see if we can find Roy.¡±

 Chapter 6 More Work!

    Excerpt from Aragit Greyon¡¯s Beginner¡¯s Guide to Essences

    All creatures can use Grey Essence, it is what makes up every living (and undead) being. Through the use of it, we can cast spells. In order to cast spells more effectively, you will need to be attuned to an aspected Essence such as the prime elements: fire, water, earth, air, light, dark, life and death, to name just a few.

    Grey Essence is the way that most beginners wishing to become attuned can build their abilities by casting a spell of that element repeatedly, converting their Grey Essence into the desired type. Unlike attuned Essences, there is no downside to casting spells with  Grey Essence. This contrasts with something like Fire Essence users who use their own body heat or Water Essence users who become dehydrated. However, there is always a cost such as depleting your Grey Essence if you use too much, though it is less noticeable than with attuned Essences.

    Most spells rely on Grey Essence to some degree as it fills in for the essence you may not have. For example, the standard Fireball spell will use Fire Essence but also uses Transference Essence. But most people will still be able to cast a Fireball due to the use of Grey Essence. It serves as a multi-tool for most spells.

    <hr>

    For the third day running, Jake found himself on The Loop and for the second day running, their destination was The Husk. Although this time, they had a half-elf with them and a slightly better chance of accomplishing their aims.

    Drak was people-watching across the carriage, deep in his thoughts. Silt sat opposite them, reading the morning newspaper.

    ¡°So did you grow up in The Husk?¡± Jake asked her.

    ¡°No,¡± she replied, the newspaper unmoving.

    ¡°A native of Vine Road then?¡± he guessed.

    The paper still didn¡¯t move. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not much of a conversationalist, I¡¯m thinking,¡± Drak said quietly.

    ¡°I guessed that,¡± Jake replied. ¡°Thanks for stating the obvious.¡±

    They passed the rest of the trip in silence and disembarked at the same station that the two had used the previous morning. Silt led them up to street level and headed in the opposite direction to their trip yesterday.

    After a short walk on a different route, they arrived on the same street in front of the large derelict building. At least we had the right place, Jake thought, looking around. There were no signs of people anywhere.

    Silt headed in the direction Drak had scouted the previous day where a stocky human was standing, clearly on guard duty.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said to him. ¡°Here to see Roy.¡±

    The guy studied her for a moment. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you in a while, Silt.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with other stuff.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know if Roy is free today,¡± he replied gruffly.

    She stared at him for a long moment. ¡°Just tell Roy I¡¯m here.¡±

    He tried to return her flat stare but gave up and went through the door he was standing by. Five minutes later, he returned, gesturing to them to come through the door. Silt started to walk then glanced back at Jake and Drak and signalled for them to follow her.

    The scene that greeted them was definitely a bit different to the warehouse they had visited during their encounter with Gage. This place seemed more like a camp than a place of work. People were moving around with great purpose, there were some people cooking food and others looked to be organising the content of some crates.

    Jake glanced at Drak and noticed he was looking around, a slight frown on his face. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like a gang,¡± Jake said softly to his partner.

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Drak replied.

    The two followed the man and Silt through a path between a series of tents and other temporary buildings. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a larger tent with doors tied back to allow easy access to the interior. The door guard waved them inside and headed back to his original post.

    ¡°Hey Roy,¡± Silt said as she walked inside.

    Jake found himself in front of a female Goliath. She was a little under the typical height for the species of around 7 feet. She still had the stocky build that was common among Goliath along with grey skin and no visible body hair.

    ¡°Hello Silt, how¡¯s it going?¡± Roy asked, her voice deep but still musical. She peered past the half-elf and looked at Jake and Drak. ¡°Got some friends with you?¡±

    ¡°Roy, this is Jake and Drak,¡± she replied, gesturing to each in turn. ¡°Asher asked me to introduce them to you.¡±

    ¡°You work for Asher then?¡± Roy asked them.

    ¡°It is more like we are partners, working towards mutual aims,¡± Drak said grandly.

    Roy gave him a slightly sour look. ¡°Partners?¡±

    ¡°We are helping Asher get back something he lost in return for his help finding something we need,¡± Jake said, deciding that flourishes weren¡¯t going to be a good move with the Goliath. Being as direct as possible without giving everything away seemed to be the best option.

    ¡°That sounds more like it,¡± Roy replied, nodding. ¡°He¡¯s a cunning one, is Asher. So how does that bring you to my tent?¡±

    ¡°As part of our work with Asher, we¡¯ve been asked to mediate between your group and Gage¡¯s group to try to ease the current territorial conflict,¡± Drak said.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Jake glanced at his partner, mentally shaking his head.

    Roy laughed. ¡°Let me get this right: Gage asked you to ask us to stop taking his territory? And you did this just because you were in the area and wanted to help ease conflict?¡±

    Drak glanced at Jake, now slightly panicked at what else to say.

    Jake actually shook his head this time. ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the situation. Gage has a crate that belongs to Asher. We need to get it for him. But the only way we can get it is if we get you and your associates to back off from Gage¡¯s territory. So we are here to see if we can negotiate something with you and also to stop Gage from escalating things.¡±

    Roy¡¯s expression was unreadable. ¡°Gage wants us to go away or he brings out more thugs?¡±

    Jake nodded. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing he has plenty of those. I¡¯m not sure if you are ready for a full-scale gang war.¡±

    Roy considered this for a moment. ¡°You guys have no idea what you are involved with,¡± she said with a sigh.

    ¡°Then explain it to us?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°For starters, we are an association, not a gang,¡± Roy said. ¡°We work together towards a shared goal. We aren¡¯t here to make money, threaten people or engage in some gang war.¡±

    ¡°Business people?¡± Drak suggested.

    Silt gave a little cough. ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Roy replied, glaring at the half-elf. ¡°Just know we aren¡¯t a gang in the sense that Gage and his idiots are.¡±

    ¡°So why the land grab?¡± Jake asked. ¡°You must have known that it would lead to conflict with Gage?¡±

    ¡°Why should I trust you?¡± the Goliath asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know you.¡±

    ¡°We are just alchemists who are trying to get themselves out of a hole,¡± Jake said, deciding that honesty might be the best option here. Roy really didn¡¯t seem anything like the stereotypical gangster that Gage was. It felt like something else was going on here.

    ¡°So you are motivated outsiders?¡± Roy said.

    Jake gave a little smile. ¡°If you like. We just ended up with a situation that needs solving before we can get on with our business. And get us out of the situation someone got us into,¡± he added, giving Drak a pointed stare.

    Roy gestured to the seats opposite the table she was sitting behind. ¡°We were hoping to use the territory we have taken as a bargaining tool.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°Not what, who,¡± Roy replied.

    Jake glanced at Drak who looked a bit perplexed. ¡°Who?¡±

    Roy sighed. ¡°The reason we started taking over Gage¡¯s territory is that he is holding someone important to our association. Our idea was to take some of his territories and use this as a bargaining chip to get him back. Because we don¡¯t have the money he¡¯s wanting for the ransom.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about this kind of thing before,¡± Drak said. ¡°Gangs grab people and hold them for ransom. If you can¡¯t pay, it can go badly.¡±

    Jake shook his head. ¡°So if you got this person back, you and your association would leave the area?¡±

    Roy nodded. ¡°We aren¡¯t interested in being gang bosses, running territory or any of this crap. We just need leverage to get our friend back from Gage and this was the least-worst option we could find.¡±

    ¡°Can we help?¡± Drak suggested. ¡°We have skills!¡±

    For once, Jake only felt mildly irritated by his partner. While he wasn¡¯t keen on rescuing hostages, it did seem a little more like something they could handle. He could immediately think of a couple of potions that would help them sneak into somewhere and get the person out of where he was being held.

    ¡°Do you know where this person is?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a smithy on Hex Road, just a short distance from here that is one of Gage¡¯s ¡®legitimate¡¯ businesses. Our information tells us that he¡¯s in the basement underneath it. They often hold their hostages there because the smithy noise masks any fuss that their hostages might make,¡± Roy replied.

    ¡°I know the place,¡± Silt said. ¡°I can take them there.¡±

    Jake offered her a slightly surprised look. ¡°That would be helpful.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°I like Gneico, he¡¯s a good guy for a gnome. I don¡¯t mind helping out if we are going to rescue him.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the help going to cost us?¡± Drak asked, frowning.

    Silt smiled at him. ¡°Free of charge. I really don¡¯t like this hostage and ransom crap either. And Gage is an arsehole so any time I can help knock him down a step, then I¡¯m up for it.¡±

    ¡°So the deal is you break out Gneico and we pack up and leave The Husk,¡± Roy stated. ¡°That gets you the aim you have with Gage, just as long as he doesn¡¯t realise that you are the ones that broke out their hostage.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to take the chance,¡± Jake decided and glanced at Drak who also nodded. ¡°We need to scout the place a bit, form a plan and grab a few supplies I think we¡¯ll need. Can we meet back here tonight?¡±

    Roy nodded. ¡°Sure I can send a few guys along to help cover your retreat once you get out of the smithy,¡± she added. ¡°Most of the territory between here and the place is in our hands. We aimed to get near enough to take over the place entirely but if you guys can save us the fight, I¡¯m happy not to risk my people.¡±

    ¡°That sounds perfect,¡± Drak agreed with more enthusiasm than was really needed.

    <hr>

    Silt and Jackson, the guy they met first watching the door, accompanied Jake and Drak to Hex Road to check out where the smithy was located. Jake wasn¡¯t surprised that Silt seemed to know all the spots to check out the building without being seen.

    The smithy was one of the larger ones that Jake had seen, definitely bigger than the smithies he had seen at home. But then this was the city, so it wasn¡¯t surprising. It was clearly a working smithy with a number of smiths hard at work on different projects. Fires burning in the building made the whole area feel hot and the smells from the building met them several blocks back.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the basement entrance?¡± Jake asked, sketching a few notes on his notepad.

    ¡°Through the warehouse next door,¡± Silt replied, pointing to the building to the right. ¡°That¡¯s used to store materials for the smithy but also as the way to access the basement without anyone being seen.¡±

    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a four-man security team,¡± Jackson remarked, pointing to two men standing at the door and another two inside the building whose shadows could just be seen.

    ¡°So we need something to knock them out,¡± Jake said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Quickly and quietly,¡± Silt added. ¡°There will be more than just those four around and you don¡¯t want to give anyone a heads-up that we are coming.¡±

    ¡°We can make a potion for that,¡± Drak said confidently, then glanced at Jake for confirmation.

    Jake nodded. ¡°We have the ingredients we need in the store for that. We can make those potions this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°The other thing is a distraction when you come out of the basement,¡± Jackson said. ¡°Unless you can make yourselves invisible, then you need to attract everyone¡¯s attention somewhere else so you can get Gneico out of there.¡±

    Jake almost laughed but stopped himself. If he could just knock up an invisibility potion, they wouldn¡¯t be in this mess in the first place! But then again, there were lesser potions that could help them be less visible that could be made from what was in the store. Not to the quality of the one they needed for Borass, of course. But that could still help people not see them easily.

    ¡°After dark is always a good time to do anything like this,¡± Silt added. ¡°The darkness will help obscure what we are doing as well.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Jackson said. ¡°When you are on guard duty, between 2-3am is the hardest part of the night, when you feel least awake. That¡¯s when we should strike.¡±

    Drak glanced at him. ¡°You are coming with us?¡±

    Jackson shrugged. ¡°Gneico¡¯s my friend too. I¡¯ll be your distraction.¡±

    ¡°So we meet up at Roy¡¯s camp at midnight to finalise everything before we make a move after 2am,¡± Jake said, glancing at each person who nodded their agreement.

 Chapter 7 - I Ask For One Thing!

    From the Memoirs of General Haarland:

    As a young recruit, essence practice was a big part of daily routines as learning to fight or become as fit as possible. I always remember our old drill sergeant, Kane, once went off on a lecture while forcing us to run around the parade ground in the rain after one of my fellow cadets unwisely asked why we spent so much time ¡®messing around¡¯ with our essences.

    Kane ran and yelled at the same time which was impressive. But what he said has stuck with me all these years, which is almost as impressive.

    ¡°You need to work on building your essence more than any other skill! It doesn¡¯t matter if you can use any weapon or kill with your bare hands, if you run into a more experienced essence user, you are at a disadvantage and will probably end up dead! So all of my cadets will work on their essence use every single day until they are as proficient with their essences as any other skill!¡±

    He continued to jog on the spot in the pouring rain as we all fell in heaps on the muddy ground. ¡°When you use your essence, you build it up just like using a muscle to build up strength in it! For example, I am an Air essence user and I¡¯m shit at a lot of spell casting but because I use my essence all of the time, I rarely need to breathe! Try your hardest to drown me - you¡¯ll fail! Every essence can enhance your body, such as metal making you more resilient while electricity makes your reactions better.¡±

    ¡°Plus, there¡¯s no shortcut and there¡¯s no way you are going to graduate if you are crap at using your essence!¡±

    Needless to say, I graduated and my essence skills were within the top 5 in my class. To this day, I still work with my essence a little each day. Or I hear Sergeant Kane yelling in my sleep¡­

    <hr>

    Jake stood in the centre of the store, his handwritten notes in one hand, scratching his head. He had a list of potions that he thought could potentially help them that night but now he needed to make them and he wasn¡¯t really sure where to start. He hadn¡¯t really gotten too far with his inventory on his first night and now he really didn¡¯t know where everything was.

    Drak was in the workshop, setting up some of the equipment they would need. So rather than disturb him, Jake started to go through the different cupboards and shelves in the store to see what they had and what he could make with it.

    Fifteen minutes later, one thing was clear. There was a ton of dust but not a lot of actual ingredients in the store. And what he had found was virtually useless because it had been sitting around too long.

    Drak had mentioned that restocking the store was something that had been neglected a bit since his father had died. But what Jake was seeing were signs that the store hadn¡¯t been fully stocked in a lot longer than that, probably a while before Drak¡¯s dad had died.

    Admitting defeat, Jake headed back to the workshop to see if there was somewhere else that he could look for what he needed. Maybe there was another area where most of the stock was kept?

    He walked into the workshop to see his partner trying diligently to fit together a measuring device - the wrong way around. ¡°That¡¯s upside down,¡± Jake stated, frowning at the Dragonkin.

    Drak gave a laugh. ¡°I know, I was just messing around!¡±

    Jake glanced around the workshop and saw none of the equipment he had requested was assembled and ready to use. Instead, Drak seemed to have become stuck on putting together something that a first-year alchemy student would be able to do with their eyes closed.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± he asked, feeling baffled. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have no clue what you are doing!¡±

    Drak gave him a guilty look. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing Jake: I don¡¯t. It¡¯s been about two years since I last made a potion. Well, there was that time about eighteen months when I tried¡­but never mind, that¡¯s not relevant right now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake exclaimed, shocked. ¡°You run an alchemist store!¡±

    Drak shrugged. ¡°Technically, my Dad ran it, I just assisted him.¡±

    ¡°Assisted him with what?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°Customer service?¡± Drak replied. ¡°You know, dealing with the customers, getting the orders in, making sure people were happy with what they bought. Dad did the actual alchemy.¡±

    ¡°But I thought you trained?¡± Jake continued.

    ¡°I did,¡± Drak replied. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t any good at it.¡±

    Jake sat down heavily on one of the chairs in the workshop, and realisation dawned on him. ¡°And that¡¯s why you needed me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been the skilled one,¡± Drak said with a shrug. ¡°I know my own strengths but also know what I¡¯m not so good at.¡±

    ¡°That might be one of your best understatements,¡± Jake snapped. ¡°You¡¯re an alchemist who can¡¯t make potions. With a store selling stuff, you can¡¯t make it. How have you kept the business since your Dad died?¡±

    ¡°Dad was very frugal,¡± Drak replied. ¡°And so am  I  if I need to. I just stretched the gold out that he left me so I could manage until you were here and we could get things moving again.¡±

    Jake ran his hand through his hair. ¡°You should have told me before I came here.¡±

    ¡°Would you have still come?¡± Drak asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t take that chance.¡±

    ¡°No more bullshit,¡± Jake said firmly. ¡°From now on, you level with me about everything. No more edited stories, missing parts of the tale or almost lies. Agreed?¡±

    Drak nodded solemnly. ¡°I promise. Complete honesty. So what do you need to make these potions, because I know a few people?¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    <hr>

    An hour later, Jake popped his head up from under the counter where he was sorting their few ingredients.

    Drak and Silt came into the store with a crate that Drak placed on the counter in front of Jake with a triumphant smile.

    ¡°Here we go,¡± he said, gesturing to it.

    ¡°You got what I asked for?¡± Jake requested, moving to open it.

    ¡°Sort of,¡± Drak replied.

    Jake hesitated and stared at the Dragonkin. ¡°Sort of?¡±

    ¡°Well, you asked for Spurn root, Gooth lily, Allenbreath and Milhorn. That was for a regeneration potion, one for body enhancement, a sleeping draught and a low light vision potion,¡± Drak said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you got all of those things?¡±

    Silt gave a little cough from the front of the store.

    ¡°Well, no,¡± Drak replied. ¡°But we got some other stuff that should do the same job.¡±

    Jake glanced from Drak to Silt feeling like maybe this wasn¡¯t a good idea to open the crate if he wanted to avoid murdering someone. But Drak¡¯s cheerful expression drove him to open the box.

    He studied the contents for a moment. ¡°You know all of this stuff is more expensive and harder to get than the things I asked for?¡± he asked, just managing to keep his tone level.

    ¡°Well, I thought that if the stuff you asked for was cheap, the better quality ingredients would make even better potions!¡± Drak announced proudly.

    Another cough/laugh from Silt who was now diligently studying an empty ingredients cabinet at the front of the store.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Jake said with a sigh. ¡°Spending more money doesn¡¯t mean the stuff is better. It might not even do exactly what I need. Let me take a look at my potion notes.¡±

    ¡°You can still make something with them though, can¡¯t you?¡± Drak said, looking a little worried.

    ¡°He can,¡± Silt said, joining them at the counter. ¡°He just needs to rethink what he can do based on what he has. He¡¯s smart, he¡¯ll figure it out.¡±

    Jake gave her a glare but headed back to the workshop and the potion books for some research.

    Half an hour later, Jake had four ingredients in front of him on the worktop and a few ideas on what to do. He had backsap, a solar eye, wyvern blood and Blake moth wings. He also had a few items from the inventory.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Drak asked.

    Jake sighed. ¡°Well it is a bit different to what I had in mind but here¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. Backsap is used to create a binding potion that was normally used in construction projects. But we could use it to slow people down. They might be in a bit of a mess when they finally get free but let¡¯s not worry about that for now.

    ¡°Okay, sounds workable,¡± Silt said, nodding.

    ¡°The solar eye, well, that one isn¡¯t going into a potion as such. But it is used as a heat vision for cooking. It tells you how warm something is and chefs use it to see if their food is cooked,¡± Jake continued. ¡°Wyvern blood is a natural beast repellent, not the strongest, but we can maybe scare some guard dogs away with it. Lastly, Blake moth wings are used to reduce the weight of an object.¡±

    ¡°So you can use all of the ingredients?¡± Drak said with a bit of relief.

    ¡°I would rather have had what I asked for,¡± Jake grumbled. ¡°But I can do a few things to help us.¡±

    <hr>

    As Jake put in the last bit of prep work before making the potion, he got Drak to do the only useful thing he could do when it came to making any potion. That was using his light essence to purify the ingredients.

    After he finished with that Jake started working on the first potion. First, he extracted the backsap from the vial that it was in. Then with the use of a second-tier spell, he separated the backsap into two parts. The first was the adhesive property and the second was the expansive property of the sap.

    Now came the hardest bit of the process of this potion. This was also what pushed this potion so close to being a third tier. Jake had to add two stabilisers at the same time before adding them into the mix.

    Jake focused the control of his essence, seeing the flow of the liquids and drawing the boiling water in with the stabilisers. It slowly mixed together in the air. During the process, Jake could feel the water essence leaving him as his mouth went dry and sweat on his skin being drawn back into his body to pay the cost of using his water essence.

    But after a short period of time, Jake finished the first of the potions and was also able to make five more portions of the potions with the backsap.

    Jake ran a giant glass of water and took a deep drink before looking up to see Drak taking a nap while Silt appeared to be drawing something on his face. She looked up with a grin. ¡°Did it work?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes, and why are you drawing on his face?¡± Jake asked, frowning.

    ¡°I was bored because watching you doing this was putting me to sleep,¡± she replied with a shrug.

    ¡°Alchemy is not boring!¡± Jake replied, shaking his head. ¡°It is a fascinating art.¡±

    ¡°Your sleeve is on fire,¡± Silt observed with an equally bored tone of voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject,¡± Jake said, shaking a finger at her.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not joking. Your sleeve is on fire,¡± she said with a smirk.

    Jake looked down to see she was right and panicked for a moment, waving his hand. Drak woke up with a start and immediately began to laugh at Jake. Dehydrated or not, Jake had enough water essence to cast a simple water mist spell and put out the flames.

    By this point, the both of them were laughing at Jake but with a sigh, he started to work on the next potion.

    <hr>

    Jake finished the last potion and realised that the other two had left the room at some point. Looking at the 15 potions he was able to make he felt quite satisfied. But he was dying for another drink of water as using that much water essence put him at the very edge of his safe essence use.

    Drinking another large glass of water, he studied the potions and felt a little better. Sure, it wasn¡¯t quite what he wanted. In fact, it was nowhere near what he¡¯d planned. But they had some potions and other useful ingredients that could help them.

    ¡°Ready to head back to Roy¡¯s?¡± Silt asked, walking into the worktop.

    Jake started collecting the potions and putting some into his belt loops while others went into the backpack he was going to take with him. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± he replied.

    Silt gave a little nod. ¡°Let¡¯s get Drak moving and we can finalise the plans with Roy and Jackson so we can get this all done tonight.¡±

    A few minutes later, Drak joined them dressed in dark clothes in an attempt to hide his presence. Of course, his bright red frill was still easy enough to spot but Jake almost didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him.

    Silt, on the other hand, had little worries about this. ¡°You need to camouflage your frill,¡± she said, gesturing to it.

    Drak frowned. ¡°It isn¡¯t that obvious.¡±

    She gave him a sour look. ¡°It¡¯s bright red, Drak. You can¡¯t really miss it.¡±

    Drak muttered something and went upstairs. He came back down a few minutes later and his bright red frill was now a muted dark brownish-red and much less obvious.

    ¡°Better,¡± Silt said with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡±

    The three retraced their earlier route through The Loop and out to Roy¡¯s compound. It was much quieter when they arrived earlier in the day with very few people around and much less activity. But Jackson was still at the door, watching for their arrival.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± he said when he saw them. ¡°Ready for action?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Drak replied enthusiastically.

    Silt shrugged and Jake gestured to the closed door. ¡°We will soon find out,¡± he admitted.

    The three followed Jackson through the almost-dark compound back to the tent they had met Roy in earlier. The Goliath was sitting behind her desk, looking up as they entered.

    ¡°You have the potions you need for tonight?¡± Roy asked.

    ¡°We are good to go,¡± Silt said before Jake could answer, guessing that he would be less than enthusiastic.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s finalise this plan,¡± Roy said, gesturing to the seats opposite her.

 Chapter 8 - Into The tunnels

    Excerpt from ¡®My Travels Across Hollow Queendom¡¯ by James Baldcred.

    Hollowcrest is the capital of the Hollow Queendom and one of the largest cities in the known world. One of the most impressive features of it is that there are two cities, one on top of another. The upper and lower cities are separated by a mile of the earth.

    The upper level includes the commercial heart of the city, Skystone, as well as Divine Square, Vine Road, Waterrun and The Highway which is sometimes known as The Husk. This area runs to the lower level of the city.

    The lower city features some of the most spectacular sights and impressive architecture that Hollowcrest has to offer. The Dawn District is home to the Dawn Forge which lights the entirety of the lower city. Then there is the Turned Sector, home to the sapient undead residents of the city. Divine Square stretches between the two levels so can be visited from both.

    <hr>

    ¡°There¡¯s good news and bad news,¡± Roy said as they all settled into the seats around her desk.

    Jake hesitated, half seated. ¡°What¡¯s the bad news?¡± he asked instantly.

    Roy gestured for him to sit down. ¡°One of the Rat King¡¯s mid-level guys has come to look at Gage¡¯s operation at the worst possible moment for us. He¡¯s set up in the very warehouse we were going to use to get access to the basement.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s good news?¡± Drak asked hopefully.

    Roy glanced at Silt. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve found a route through the underground sewers and the maintenance tunnels.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Silt said flatly. ¡°That¡¯s suicide. There¡¯s a reason that people don¡¯t use those things.¡±

    ¡°Old wives'' tales,¡± Jackson scoffed, shaking his head. ¡°Sure there will be monsters down there but nothing we can¡¯t handle.¡±

    ¡°Can someone fill me in please?¡± Jake asked, glancing from one local to another. ¡°Just moved to the city, remember?¡±

    ¡°The sewers under the city are still the way that most of the waste gets to where it is going. The maintenance tunnels are needed to keep them functioning. Plus there¡¯s a whole lot of important infrastructure stuff between the upper and lower city that uses them,¡± Roy explained. ¡°But after a series of deaths among the workers here in The Husk, it was decided that maintenance wasn¡¯t a big issue. So no one¡¯s been down there for quite a few years now.¡±

    ¡°People have been down there,¡± Silt argued. ¡°Only a couple of them have made it back up though.¡±

    ¡°Silt, there¡¯s no other option,¡± Roy said flatly. ¡°We can¡¯t take on the extra guys that are in Gage¡¯s warehouse now, even if we used all the personnel we have. And you know that would be a declaration of war. If we didn¡¯t succeed completely, Gneico would be dead in no time.¡±

    Silt leaned back, a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°Okay, give me an hour, I know a guy near here who might have some blueprints for the tunnels. The last thing we need to do is get lost down there, that¡¯s a surefire death sentence.¡±

    Roy nodded and Silt left them. ¡°What kind of monsters are meant to be down there?¡± Drak asked nervously.

    ¡°Old wives'' tales,¡± Jackson repeated, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m not from the area so I¡¯m not really sure,¡± the Goliath admitted. ¡°You hear all kinds of crazy stories when you ask any of the locals. That¡¯s why I¡¯m coming with you and so are another couple of my guys.¡±

    Jackson looked surprised at this, obviously being news to him. ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t risk it!¡±

    She glared at him. ¡°I can and I will. You know I have a great defensive range of essences which means I¡¯m one of our strongest fighters. Combine that with the skills of our alchemist friends here and Silt, we have a strong team to get this done.¡±

    ¡°I want to bring another four guys with us,¡± Jackson said.

    Roy shook her head. ¡°Too big of a party and we risk being detected.¡±

    ¡°Two extra guys?¡± Jackson countered.

    Roy sighed. ¡°Okay, two then. Make sure they have useful essences and know what they are getting into. Volunteers only, Jackson.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I know two perfect guys, I¡¯ll go and find them.¡±

    Jake watched him leave and turned back to Roy. ¡°What¡¯s the worst you¡¯d expect to find down there?¡±

    ¡°Myphlers,¡± she admitted.

    ¡°I hate those things, I¡¯ve seen them a few times near the big rock outcrop at the south end of Vine Road,¡± Drak said with a shiver.

    ¡°Never heard of them,¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°They are usually found in the city. They aren¡¯t so much dangerous on their own as a real problem when there¡¯s a lot of the little buggers. They feed on the magic stone which is used to keep the maintenance tunnels in working order and because no-one has been going down there much, there¡¯s nothing to stop them from increasing their numbers,¡± Roy said.

    ¡°Why do you need maintenance workers if there are magic stones that maintain themselves?¡± Jake asked, frowning.

    Roy paused. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve never thought about it. But that¡¯s not really what we need to focus on right now.¡±

    Jake nodded, although there was something in the back of his head that said this was something he might need to study further at some time when their necks weren¡¯t on the line. If there ever was a time when that wasn¡¯t the case¡­

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    A short while later, Silt returned with some papers rolled under her arm. She laid them out on Roy¡¯s desk. Roy grabbed a pencil and marked their current location and the nearest access point to the maintenance tunnels. She then marked where the smithy was.

    ¡°I think we need to leave ourselves at least an hour to get through these tunnels,¡± Silt said, gesturing along the route they would take on the map. ¡°The only issue is finding how to get from the tunnels into the basement.¡±

    ¡°I can handle that,¡± Roy said. ¡°I can make a way in for us.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t a long walk,¡± Drak pointed out.

    She gave him a flat stare. ¡°If you were just walking above ground, like a stroll in the park, sure. But this isn¡¯t going to be like that.¡±

    Jackson returned with two other burly guys, one blonde and one bald. ¡°Two volunteers, boss.¡±

    Roy studied them for a moment then nodded. ¡°Let me grab a couple of things and we can get on the way.¡±

    <hr>

    The grate to enter the tunnels was exactly as marked on the blueprints that Silt had provided. Jackson and his two guys lifted the iron grate easily and placed it quietly to one side. There was a series of iron rungs set into the wall of the tunnel entrance allowing each of them to climb down.

    Jake went down after Jackson, his two guys and Silt. Drak followed him and Roy brought up the rear. The tunnel was larger than Jake had expected, even Roy could almost stand and she was the tallest member of the group.

    Of course, it was dark and smelled strange. It wasn¡¯t the smell he had expected, not a sewer-type smell. But it did smell stagnant and there was a strong scent of ammonia that often came from lots of animal droppings in one area.

    Drak used his light essence to create a ball of light and one of Jackson¡¯s men did the same. Instantly, Jake could get a better look around the tunnel, although there wasn¡¯t much to see.

    The walls were mostly dark, either because the stone used was dark or because there were years worth of mess on them. There was stagnant water in the bottom of the tunnel in some places but not as much as he¡¯d feared when the words ¡®sewers¡¯ were mentioned.

    ¡°We head this way,¡± Silt said, gesturing in one direction. She took the lead with Jackson immediately behind her. Jake and Drak were in the middle of the group with Jackson¡¯s other two men falling into step behind Roy.

    The group walked in silence for ten minutes. There were plenty of strange noises but nothing seemed too close to them. Silt made a series of turns with confidence, giving Jake the feeling that maybe she had been down here before at some point.

    They reached the point where the sewers met the maintenance tunnels and were confronted by a large iron door with a massive wheel to open it. Jackson and his two men needed to put a little effort into it but the wheel turned and the door swung open.

    The maintenance tunnels were cleaner and brighter than the sewers and there was none of the water standing at the bottom. The tunnels were also wider and the base flatter so walking was a little easier.

    They continued to walk for another fifteen minutes when suddenly there was movement in the tunnel ahead of them. Lots of movement, low to the ground and furtive.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Silt said with real feeling. ¡°Myphlers.¡±

    At first glance, Jake thought they didn¡¯t look too worried. They were somewhere between the size of a large rat and a small rabbit with dirty grey fur and small dull red eyes. They had short snouts and the first one hissed at them, revealing surprisingly strong and sharp-looking teeth.

    Within a few moments, the tunnel ahead was teeming with them. None of them came any closer to the group but there was plenty of hissing and baring of teeth. More kept pouring into the tunnel behind them until the creatures were on top of one another, the weight of more arriving preventing them from departing but the group¡¯s presence stopped them from moving forward.

    ¡°Will they attack?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°Not as such but we are blocking their way so they don¡¯t have anywhere to go,¡± Silt replied, still watching the creatures.

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Drak queried.

    ¡°Let me try something,¡± Silt said. She stepped forward, holding her hands in front of her with palms facing each other. Electricity began to flow between one hand and the other, sparks flashing and lighting up the tunnel.

    The Myphlers hissed and squeaked with the front ranks trying to back away from Silt but the pure numbers of the creatures present made it almost impossible for them to go anywhere.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t working, Silt,¡± Jackson pointed out.

    ¡°I noticed that,¡± Silt snapped back. ¡°I can start flash frying them but it could turn the rest into a frenzy and that¡¯s when they are actually dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Try this,¡± Jake suggested, reaching for one of the vials on his belt. ¡°Wyvern blood isn¡¯t a strong best repellent but these are small creatures so it might just work enough to get them to turn back.¡±

    ¡°Just throw it?¡± Silt asked, accepting the vial.

    ¡°Try scattering a few drops to start with and see how they react,¡± Jake suggested.

    Silt did as he said and the front creatures began to back up more vigorously than before. The big difference is that the other Myphler behind them also started to back away as Silt continued to sprinkle the wyvern blood.

    ¡°It¡¯s working,¡± Drak said excitedly. ¡°Keep going!¡±

    Silt took a step forward and then another as more of the creatures remembered they could go backwards as well as forwards. Behind her, Drak increased the power of his light ball and used this to further drive the creatures backwards.

    Abruptly, the creatures must have backed up enough to reach a fork in the tunnel and their numbers suddenly started to decrease as many of them ran down the other tunnel, away from the group.

    ¡°Move!¡± Roy prompted and Silt moved to the far side of the tunnel, edging around the mass of creatures. Everyone followed and they passed the tunnel entrance that the Myphler had taken when Drak gave a shout.

    ¡°What¡¯s on my back?¡± he cried, trying to reach behind his shoulder blades.

    Jake turned and looked at his friend at the same time Jackson did. Both jumped back a half-step when they saw one of the Myphler clinging to Drak¡¯s backpack.

    ¡°Must have been on a ledge as we went past,¡± Silt observed. ¡°Are you sure you haven¡¯t been around any unusual stone in the last few days? It would like that kind of thing.¡±

    ¡°Like, as in wants to eat?¡± Drak said, horrified.

    Silt laughed. ¡°They are stone eaters, not meat eaters. They will attack if they have to but not to eat, to defend. It is more like they are a little confused and decide to follow the largest creature they run into. Or, in this case, the one with the worst dress sense.¡±

    Drak looked offended. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m the epitome of style!¡±

    Silt pulled a face. ¡°Depends on your definition of style.¡±

    ¡°Enough, children,¡± Roy growled from the rear of the group. ¡°Throw the damn thing on the ground and let¡¯s get moving.¡±

    ¡°I would leave it alone,¡± Silt advised. ¡°It is going to make a lot of noise if we try to move it and that could call the rest of them back.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t leave it there!¡± Drak exclaimed.

    ¡°It won¡¯t hurt you,¡± Silt said. As she spoke, the creature moved across the backpack and stood on Drak¡¯s shoulder, looking at the Dragonkin with interest.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s great, you have a new pet,¡± Jake said, shaking his head. ¡°Just make sure it doesn¡¯t eat all the stone ingredients in the store. Or the building¡¯s foundation.¡±

    ¡°We need to get moving,¡± Roy stated. ¡°And try to keep the noise down, we can¡¯t be too far from Gage¡¯s territory and there are iron grates along the way. Sounds carry in these places.¡±

    They resumed walking and could hear more noises in the distance that sounded like the Myphler but none were as close as the ones they had already encountered. After another few turns, Silt held up her hand to stop the group.

    ¡°We are nearly there,¡± she said softly. ¡°The next but one grate should lead out into the basement of the smithy.¡±

    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Roy asked, glancing at each in turn and receiving a nod of the head. ¡°Then let¡¯s get this done.¡±

 Chapter 9 - We Are Not Alone

    Excerpt from a talk by an experienced monster hunter to a group of new recruits (name unknown)

    ¡°Most people will tell you that Vine Road is the most dangerous part of Hollowcrest but my experience argues with that. For me, the most dangerous part of the city is the maintenance tunnels that run under our feet. Some of the deadliest monsters that I have encountered have come out of the maintenance tunnels. You hear stories of a monster causing havoc in Sky Stone? It will have come out of one of those tunnels.

    ¡°If you really want to learn to handle the deadliest things out there, go down to the tunnels. But be warned, there¡¯s a damn good chance you won¡¯t come back!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Roy said as the group looked at the area where the grate was meant to lead into the basement of the building. ¡°It¡¯s only rock and there¡¯s more than one reason that I¡¯m here.¡±

    Jake looked at her. ¡°You can deal with this?¡±

    She nodded and proceeded to cast an impressive Tier 3 stone-shaping spell that smoothly made a round portal sufficiently large for each of them to fit through. They helped each other through the gap in the stone.

    The group found themselves standing in a basement but not quite where they were expecting. The room looked like an unused storage room but the good news is that there was no one else in sight.

    ¡°Now what?¡± Jackson asked as one of his men went to the door and eased it open a little to see if there was anyone in whatever was beyond the room.

    ¡°We need to find where they are keeping Gneico so splitting up might be the best bet,¡± Silt said. ¡°The blueprint I saw of the building just showed a large basement but somewhere along the lines, they broke the room up into storage areas.¡±

    Roy split the group sending Jackson and one of his men with Drak while Jake, Silt and the other guy whose name Jake still didn¡¯t know would head in the other direction. Both of Jackson¡¯s guys had a combination of perception and wind essences that meant they could send a simple broadcast so that when one of the groups found what they were looking for, they could let the other group know where to go.

    Jake nodded to Drak. ¡°Be careful,¡± he said. ¡°And keep out of trouble?¡±

    Drak grinned, although a little less exuberantly than usual. ¡°Same to you.¡±

    <hr>

    Drak, Jackson and the unnamed guy headed to the left when they came out of the storage room. Jackson took the lead, proceeding cautiously along the mostly darkened corridors. They came across a series of storage rooms with nothing in them until they found another one that had a series of crates in it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check it in case there¡¯s anything we can use,¡± Drak suggested.

    Jackson nodded and gestured for his man to stay at the door while he followed the dragonkin into the room.

    They checked a series of boxes and mostly found foodstuff and fabric that looked like it was destined to be made into clothes. Drak did find a small chest and when he opened it, the shimmer was unmistakable - it was filled with gold coins. His dragon side came to the fore and he hid it in his pocket, not wanting to share it with anyone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± Jackson said and Drak nodded.

    <hr>

    Jake also found himself in the middle of the group with Silt in the lead and Roy bringing up the rear. They went to the right outside the storage room and like the other group, found a series of empty storage rooms.

    ¡°There¡¯s not much going on down here,¡± Silt observed in a hushed voice.

    ¡°Not right now but there must be some reason they created all this storage,¡± Roy said frowning. ¡°Guess that¡¯s not our problem right now though.¡±

    They continued to walk until Silt held up her hand, stopping the group. She pushed herself against the wall and the others did the same as a mixed group of figures passed them. Gang members, Jake guessed, judging by their clothes and the snippets of banter he heard from them.

    Once they were clear, Silt gestured in the direction they had gone. ¡°Good chance they will lead us there,¡± she whispered.

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    Roy nodded so the group started to move in the direction that the men had gone.

    <hr>

    Drak followed Jackson, somewhat disorientated in the dark and featureless corridors between the storage rooms. They had checked a few more and found almost nothing so had stopped checking.

    They took a right turn and a short while later, took another left turn. Drak now felt they were walking parallel to the original corridor they had walked into, just a distance away.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± a voice bellowed abruptly from behind them.

    Drak spun to see a tall lizardfolk standing in the corridor, beside an open storage room door that they hadn¡¯t checked. He looked confused more than anything but that probably wouldn¡¯t last for long.

    Jackson approached the guy and was about to do something when Drak remembered his creepy hitchhiker. He reached up, grabbed the Myphler that was still on his shoulder and threw it at the lizardman.

    The creature let out a shriek and sunk its claws into the first thing it encountered as it flew through the air, which just happened to be the lizardman¡¯s face. He gave a shout of surprise but before he could reach any further, Jackson closed the gap between the two. As the lizardman threw the furry creature to the ground, Jackson landed a solid punch and knocked him out cold.

    He glanced back at Drak. ¡°Good distraction,¡± he said.

    Drak nodded. He crossed to the prone figure and did a quick check of his pockets, swiping a couple of gold coins he had. As he turned, the Myphler looked at him so he scooped it up and put it back on his shoulder. The little guy had been helpful once, who knew when he could help again?

    Jackson backtracked a little and checked the rooms they hadn¡¯t looked in, just in case. But there were no other signs of anyone in them so the group continued on their way.

    <hr>

    Silt¡¯s tracking abilities meant that Jake¡¯s group could follow the men without being too close but they stopped abruptly when the noise levels ahead of them suddenly increased dramatically.

    Silt held up her hand for them to stop and went on ahead herself, keeping low to the ground to reduce the chance of being seen. She went around a corner after a careful check and came back a minute or so later. She gestured for them to head back the way they had come until they went around another corner.

    ¡°This is the place, just ahead,¡± she said quietly. ¡°There¡¯s about fifteen guys in there with Gneico and another two people that look like prisoners.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell the others,¡± Jackson¡¯s guy said, retreating a few steps from the group to communicate.

    A short time later, Drak¡¯s group joined them. Roy quickly laid out the plan which was simple enough - hit them hard and fast and take out as many of them on the first sweep through the room. Drak¡¯s lock-picking talents meant he had the job of freeing Gneico and they decided to free the other two prisoners at the same time. Jake was stationed at the door with the job of making sure that no one left the room to go for reinforcements.

    Roy went in first with Silt behind her, Jackson then his two men. Drak peeled straight off and headed towards the prisoners while Jake took up his position at the door. The fight was a brutal one, a mixture of physical brawling and the use of spells and essences, with Silt in particular being very dangerous with her use of fire and ice.

    To help them out, Jake threw a couple of potions into the groups of men, one of which made one of them float into the air, where he flailed uselessly until Jackson grabbed his leg, pulled him down and punched him in the face. The other was one of the backsap adhesive potions which promptly stuck one of the man¡¯s foot to the ground and allowed one of Jackson¡¯s guys to stop him even further.

    As Jake watched, Drak freed Gneico and turned to the woman beside him. At the same time, over half of the group of gang members were down in the first few minutes of their attack but the remaining ones were rallying somewhat.

    Silt flashed out her electricity essence and shocked two of the men standing close to each other. The pair jittered madly for a moment then fell to the floor, their clothes smoking slightly.

    Roy, meanwhile, used a combination of physical force and her earth abilities to grab stones and rocks from around the room and toss them at the men attacking her. Other times, her fists seem to become like rocks and struck with enough force to break bones.

    The fight didn¡¯t last long and by the time Drak had freed the three prisoners, the rest of the group had finished off the gang members with only a few minor injuries. Jake hadn¡¯t needed to stop anyone.

    ¡°We are getting you all out of here,¡± Jake heard Drak telling the other two people before heading to where his partner was standing.

    Gneico, meanwhile, had made his way across to Roy. She laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled. They spoke for a moment.

    ¡°Wonder if there¡¯s more than just a working relationship there,¡± Drak wondered, watching them.

    Jake glanced at him and then at the two. The height difference alone¡­

    ¡°No scratch that, they are talking about something to do with a rebellion,¡± Drak said frowning.

    ¡°None of our business,¡± Jake said. ¡°We¡¯ve got our own problems to handle.¡±

    Drak nodded, still frowning slightly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Roy said a little louder so everyone could hear.

    Jackson took the lead followed by Silt, Roy and Gneico, the two freed prisoners then Jake and Drak with Jackson¡¯s two guys bringing up the rear. They retraced their steps to the opening in the stone that Roy created for them to enter.

    Jackson went through the opening to make sure there was nothing nasty waiting in the tunnels for them. Silt stood to one side and gestured for the two freed prisoners to go down, which they did. Gneico was about to follow them when the pressure in the room suddenly changed.

    There was the sound of air being displaced and one of Jackson¡¯s guys gave a muted yell, falling to the floor. Jake looked to the other and saw he was holding a javelin that had impaled him through the stomach, blood gushing from the wound.

    They were not alone.

 Chapter 10 - Split Up

    ¡°Move!¡± Roy yelled, almost pushing Gneico through the hole in the stone. Behind them, another javelin flew through the air, narrowly missing Drak who ducked and almost fell through the hole.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything!¡± Jackson shouted, backing away from his two men who were both clearly either dead or very close to them.

    Drak threw a ball of light in the direction of the javelins but whatever they were facing had some ability to absorb light as the ball simply vanished and they were no wiser to what they were facing. A faint pop could be heard meaning Drak had added some of his sound essence to it.

    ¡°Damn, that didn¡¯t work as I wanted it to,¡± he said, sounding disappointed.

    ¡°Back up to the exit,¡± Roy told him. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything for them,¡± she added.

    Silt vanished down to the tunnel and Drak followed. Jake gave one last glance back at whatever was after them and was firmly pushed down the hole by Jackson as a javelin flew through the air where he had been standing.

    Seconds later, Roy then Jackson joined them. Jake had already pulled the remaining portions from his belt which would help. Or at least slow down whatever was following them. He threw the vials of backsap at the entrance, using his water essence to push it in the direction of the gap and force it into place.

    The backsap did what he was hoping and instantly filled the gap with a tough layer that hardened as they watched for a moment.

    ¡°That should buy us some time,¡± Jake told the rest of the group.

    ¡°That¡¯s good but not our only problem,¡± Silt said from her position at the front of the group. ¡°The Myphlers are back and they sound even angrier than before.¡±

    In the tunnel ahead, the noise of the small creatures began to be loud enough that the entire group could hear it. Clearly, they had been drawn by all the noise the group had made and sounded even more aggressive than before.

    ¡°I still have some wyvern blood,¡± Jack said.

    ¡°But we are in a straight tunnel so we would need a lot of it to move them back enough to get through,¡± Silt replied. Her expression was uncharacteristically concerned.

    Jake glanced at Roy but before she could react, a crunching sound could be heard and a javelin half appeared through the backsap barrier. Whatever was on the other side was making its way through.

    ¡°Go for it,¡± Roy agreed. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here and wait for them to calm down.¡±

    The male prisoner suddenly seemed to panic and ran to the front of their group. He started to stride towards the Myphlers, his hands held out in front of him. Just before he reached them, he made a sharp gesture as if pushing away from himself and a blast of wind struck the first row of the creatures. They were pushed to the sides of the tunnel, a few of them clearly injured.

    He kept going, pushing ahead and making a path through the massing critters. Behind him, Silt followed with Drak then the rest of the group with Jackson bringing up the rear.

    Abruptly, the light in the tunnel changed subtly. It wasn¡¯t so much a glow as simply something strongly green-coloured having been introduced into the area. A series of small but sharp stone-like blocks with a strange green colour to them flew through the tunnel and struck the man, knocking him to his knees.

    ¡°Shit, I heard stories about this but I¡¯ve never seen it myself,¡± Jackson said.

    ¡°Myphlers have some kind of collective ability to make force constructs with density essence that lets them defend themselves as a group. Does anyone have any density abilities?¡± Silt asked.

    Roy stepped to the front. ¡°Density is one of my abilities along with Earth.¡± She raised her hands and repelled a cluster of the constructs. Jake noticed they seemed to be getting bigger as the Myphlers got more agitated.

    Drak slid an arm under the fallen man and pulled him to his feet. The freed prisoner was groggy and bleeding from two nasty gashes on his head but otherwise not too bad.

    Ahead of them, the Myphlers were massing once more and now their retreat was cut off as the ones that had parted to let them through had moved back into the middle of the tunnel.

    Roy deflected another barrage of larger stone-like density constructs but the final largest one got through and struck her a solid blow on the arm, breaking her concentration for a moment.

    Silt stepped into her place and threw up an ice barrier on either side of the group. The distinctive sound of stone hitting ice filled the tunnel and the pure number of constructs started to make indentations.

    ¡°Silt, be careful,¡± Jake called. The half-elf was putting enough into her ice essence that she suddenly looked like she had a fever. Clearly she wasn¡¯t going to be able to hold it up for long.

    Before she could answer, a cylinder of green-tinted stone flew through the air and smashed straight through the barrier. Jake ducked and it impacted the tunnel wall just behind his head. ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± he yelled.

    ¡°Down it is,¡± Roy said breathlessly. She raised her hands and cast the same Tier 3 spell that she had used to open the entrance into the smithy basement by vibrating the stones apart. But this time, she directed it downwards to create an opening in the floor.

    Only this time, it didn¡¯t go as smoothly as she had hoped and her tiredness meant the spell didn¡¯t work as she¡¯d desired. Rather than a single access point, a whole area of the floor simply collapsed and the group found themselves falling downwards.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    <hr>

    Jake coughed the stone dust from his lungs and waved his hand in front of his face intending to see where they had landed. He immediately realised that while they were in a tunnel under the original one, the whole group wasn¡¯t together.

    A quick check showed him Drak who was helping the male prisoner to his feet again and Silt, who still looked fevered and was leaning against the tunnel wall. Of the others, there was no sign.

    ¡°Jake? Silt?¡± Jackson¡¯s voice called out. ¡°Are you guys okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, where are you?¡± Jake called back.

    ¡°The tunnel split into two,¡± Jackson replied. ¡°We fell to one side and you guys are on the other. I can¡¯t see far to see if the tunnels come back together.¡±

    ¡°Blueprints,¡± Silt said softly. ¡°Roy has them.¡±

    ¡°Roy has the blueprints,¡± Jake called to Jackson.

    There was a little mutter and some quiet conversation. While Jake waited for them to look at the blueprints, he glanced up at the tunnel above. To be greeted by the unsettling sight of hundreds of small glowing red eyes looking down at him. The Myphlers didn¡¯t seem inclined to follow them down into the new tunnel but they weren¡¯t going to let them back up into the original one.

    ¡°These two tunnels stay separate for miles,¡± Jackson called out. ¡°Yours is a dead end heading north, ours goes mostly south and branches off to the east.¡±

    ¡°Follow the original route,¡± Silt said, sliding down a little to rest on the floor for a moment.

    Jake repeated her instructions. ¡°I see it,¡± Jackson replied. ¡°Our tunnel follows under the original one and there looks like an access point near where we came down.¡±

    ¡°What about us?¡± Drak asked.

    ¡°I know where to go roughly,¡± Silt said. ¡°I just need to rest for a moment.¡±

    ¡°Silt thinks she knows where to go,¡± Jake called. ¡°We will meet back up at your camp.¡±

    ¡°Okay, stay safe,¡± Jackson replied.

    ¡°You too,¡± Jake answered. He could hear some movement and guessed that the others were moving out.

    ¡°Can¡¯t she just use some fire essence to burn off all that heat?¡± Drak asked, frowning at Silt.

    Jake shook his head. ¡°You really didn¡¯t listen in essence class, did you?¡± he said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. If she uses her fire essence, she will just feel hot and cold, not cool her down. So she¡¯d just feel even worse.¡±

    Jake moved over and held out an arm to help the half-elf to her feet, grimacing at the heat in her slender hands. He went to help her further but she waved him away. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay, just need to not use any essences for a bit.¡±

    ¡°So this way then?¡± the male prisoner said, gesturing to the north. ¡°I¡¯m Ell by the way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only option,¡± Drak said, gesturing to the solid wall just a short distance away.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get moving,¡± Jake said, sounding calmer and more confident than he felt.

    <hr>

    The group of four made reasonable pace with Silt gradually returning to a normal temperature and able to keep up unaided. They had walked for a time with no noises to make them think there was anything ahead of them.

    The first sign that the walk might not be as easy as they hoped was a section of unlit tunnel. Ahead of them were sporadic working lights and a couple that flickered.

    Jake walked ahead of the others to the next area of light and looked around. He instantly noted there were some substantial gouges in the stone of the tunnel as if something strong had carved out a few chunks.

    The most worrying thing was that this wasn¡¯t ankle height, the size of the Myphlers they had encountered. This was above his waist height, which meant whatever caused the marks were a lot bigger.

    ¡°Silt, any ideas what made these?¡± Jake asked as the other three caught up with him.

    She studied the marks. ¡°No idea but that¡¯s a lot bigger than a Myphler.¡±

    ¡°And strong,¡± Drak added, also looking at the marks. ¡°Let¡¯s avoid whatever made them if we can.¡±

    Jake glanced at his friend, hoping he hadn¡¯t just jinxed things again.

    The group continued to walk from one section of lighting to another, the marks growing more frequent and some of them looking strong enough to have brought down small sections of the wall.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Drak asked, pointing to something lying in the tunnel ahead of them as they reached a crossroad.

    They approached the object and it was quickly obvious that it was a corpse of a particularly large beetle-like creature. The bug would have been easily waist-high when alive with four legs featuring powerful claws and a dark shell with multi-coloured spikes on it.

    It was also stone-cold dead and by the slightly sunken look of the flesh parts of the carcass, had been for a while.

    ¡°Again, what¡¯s that?¡± Drak asked again, looking slightly revolted.

    ¡°No idea,¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°Prismatic Beetle,¡± Silt said, bending over the carcass. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it caused those marks in the walls. The legs don¡¯t have the flexibility to reach up that high and I don¡¯t think it could stand on the hind legs.¡±

    ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve heard of them but I haven¡¯t seen one before! They are very useful for alchemy, there¡¯s so many things I can use those spikes for¡­¡± Jake began, feeling excited.

    ¡°But that also means there¡¯s something out there big enough to kill it,¡± Ell interrupted paling. ¡°That¡¯s not a comforting thought.¡±

    ¡°It might have died of natural causes,¡± Drak suggested optimistically.

    ¡°Those spikes have different attunement primers and can really help boost your development, especially in the early years,¡± Jake continued, studying one of the spikes intently.

    ¡°Is it worth a lot of gold?¡± Drak asked, suddenly much more interested in the creature.

    ¡°They are certainly hard to hunt down,¡± Silt told them, crouching by the carcass. ¡°They are one of the nastier predators you¡¯ll run into down here just because they have a vicious temperament.¡±

    She pushed the shell of the beetle to one side, causing the whole carcass to rotate onto its back. This shows some massive gashes in the creature¡¯s underside which had clearly caused its death.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look very much like a natural death to me,¡± Silt replied.

    Before anyone could say anything else, a lump of rock smashed into the wall of the tunnel, sending spikes of shrapnel in all directions. They all ducked and Silt grabbed the beetle carcass, ducking below it to use the shell as a shield. Jake threw himself to the floor beside her while Drak and Ell pushed backward to the other fork of the tunnel.

    A strange noise could be heard in the tunnel, something that sounded like the cracking and popping of bones. But the noises were random and didn¡¯t sound like the noise of something walking or moving in any normal way.

    Another series of smaller rocks impacted the tunnel wall and the beetle shell, rocking it but it held. Jack risked a glance along the side of the shell to see what they were facing. The flickering light meant he couldn¡¯t make out the details and the tunnel was half obscured with dust from the stone impacts.

    But what he could see was about the height of a man. And it was standing in the tunnel, blocking their way.

 Chapter 11 - Gain Mushrooms

    Excerpt from Spell Proficiency Across Hollowcrest, scholarly study

    The majority of people across Hollowcrest never reach above Tier 2 spells. While the different education systems in the city have the ability to teach students to move above Tier 2, only a few of the students ever manage this. And only a small portion of people are eligible for education.

    However it is worth remembering that someone able to cast above a Tier 2 spell is not always more powerful than someone with high reserves of an essence. This is why people often focus on improving their essence capacity and not always just on essence control.

    Monsters are also capable of casting spells and these are generally between Tier 1-3. Their general capacity is higher than the civililsed races and this means that they are potentially very powerful and dangerous. Combined with physical attributes, this is why some types of monsters are considered only to be hunted by the very elite of the Monster Hunters guild.

    <hr>

    ¡°We need to move!¡± Silt cried, staring at the figure. She threw a lightning javelin at the creature, not hanging around to see what happened.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Drak asked, peering around the corner.

    A hail of small, sharp projectiles came flying towards Drak, making him rapidly push himself back around the corner. They impacted the wall, gouging out small sections with the speed them were moving at.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I don¡¯t think we should hang around to find out,¡± Silt replied. She stood and moved quickly to where Drak and Ell were sheltering.

    Jake glanced at the figure then at the Prismatic Beetle. He reached around the shell and snapped off one of the spikes, shoving it into one of his pockets. Then he headed around the corner to where the other three were already moving down the tunnel.

    Behind them, the strange cracking noises started up again, indicating the creature was following them.

    Silt glanced around and headed to their left. She wasn¡¯t running but there was definitely more speed in her step.

    Jake glanced back and was shocked to see that the creature seemed to be closer than he had expected. Whatever it is, it had a good turn of speed and seemed to be intent on catching up with them.

    ¡°Get a move on,¡± Jake said urgently. ¡°This thing is catching up with us.¡±

    Silt took another turn when the tunnel reached a fork. Jake took out the final vial of wyvern blood and threw the content into the tunnel behind them, not stopping to see if slowed the creature down.

    The creature didn¡¯t seem to stop. But at the same moment, another roar came from the opposite fork of the tunnel. ¡°Not that way,¡± Silt said, making an abrupt turn to the other fork.

    ¡°My turn,¡± Drak said, raising his hand and grasped the light from the portion of the tunnel they were in. A ball of light appeared in his hand, creating a wall of darkness.

    ¡°Will that stop them?¡± Ell asked.

    ¡°I hope so,¡± Drak replied.

    It didn¡¯t stop the creature but it did seem to get pause and by the sounds, one creature had encountered the other one. They didn¡¯t waste time hanging around to find out.

    Ahead of them, Silt made a turn then another. ¡°There¡¯s an access ladder here,¡± she said. ¡°But it goes down.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s another level down below us?¡± Ell asked.

    Silt shrugged. ¡°No time to overthink it.¡±

    ¡°Go down,¡± Jake decided. ¡°This thing is still coming.¡±

    They headed down the ladder, Silt taking the lead then Drak, Ell and Jake at the rear. At the bottom of the ladder, they were in another tunnel similar to the one they¡¯d just left.

    They continued to walk for a short distance when they realised that, ahead of them, the light levels seemed brighter but with an eerie blue glow.

    The four continued along the tunnel until they reached the area. Jake was shocked to see the tunnel opened to a much larger cavern that was filled with strange mushroom-like plants. They had a dull blue glow that lit the cavern to a surprising level. In the centre of the room was a pillar that was covered with a light yellow-brown ivy plant which had grown to massive size and reached all the way to the ceiling. The room felt like an essence-rich area.

    ¡°A node room,¡± Silt said, glancing around. ¡°Heard about these but I haven¡¯t seen one before. Don¡¯t touch anything!¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    They continued to walk on the path that could just be made out among the rocks and uneven ground of the node room. They found they were getting closer to the central pillar and the mushrooms were getting larger.

    Jake moved closer to one of the mushrooms which was about knee high. Some were almost as tall as Drak while others were tiny. A few closest to the pillar were easily four times the size of a man. He crouched down to inspect one of the smaller ones.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Silt warned.

    ¡°I think I know what they are,¡± Jake replied.

    ¡°Dangerous like everything else down here,¡± Silt replied. ¡°Just assume everything will kill you in the tunnels.¡±

    ¡°These are hookah mushrooms,¡± Jake replied. ¡°They are used for lots of different potions. I could really do with taking a supply while we are here.¡±

    ¡°I need a break,¡± Ell said sitting down on a smooth rock.

    Silt stopped for a moment, looking tired herself. ¡°Okay we¡¯ll take a moment. It¡¯s light here that nothing¡¯s going to creep up on us. Well, it shouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Jake reached out to pull out one of the mushroom.

    ¡°Jake!¡± Silt snapped. ¡°Leave it alone.¡±

    He stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s just a mushroom.¡±

    ¡°Not down here it isn¡¯t,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±

    ¡°I really need these for my potions,¡± Jake replied. He was still sore after losing the Prismastic Beetle and now there was a chance he wouldn¡¯t get any of the mushrooms either.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s going to something else around here that is dangerous. Trust me,¡± she said. She sat down on the stone beside Ell, rubbing her eyes. The heavy essence use from earlier was still sapping her clearly.

    Drak made his way through the mushrooms and looked at the ivy. He reached out one finger to touch one of the leaves and there was a sudden movement. He found himself gazing at a bright orange glowing eye that was looking straight at him at his eye level.

    ¡°Jake?¡± Drak called. ¡°Want to come here a minute?¡±

    Jake was still trying to see the best way to harvest the mushroom while keeping it intact. He glanced at Drak, frowning. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Come here,¡± Drak replied, a little more forcefully.

    Jake looked up to see what was wrong with Drak when a series of eyes began to open all the way up the plant, all looking at Jake apart from the first eye which remained on Drak.

    ¡°Spying ivy,¡± Jake said quietly, looking up the length of the plant. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise they grew this big.¡±

    ¡°Are they dangerous?¡± Drak asked, gently moving his hand away from the plant leaf and the glowing eye.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t everything?¡± Silt said from the path behind them. She was still watching the path towards the tunnel they had entered through in case the creature followed them.

    ¡°They can be and at the size of this one, I think it is better to be pretty cautious and move away from it slowly,¡± Jake said. ¡°They are usually used for pest control. But the size of this thing, we could be the pests.¡± He slowly stood up, moving his hand away from the mushroom.

    Drak backed off from the ivy, the various eyes following his progress. Drak¡¯s heel caught one of the mushrooms and it made a slight craking sound. Abruptly another load of eyes opened and all of them focused on Drak.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Ell said. ¡°I really don¡¯t think it likes the idea of anything interfering with those mushrooms.¡±

    ¡°I guessed that,¡± Drak replied.

    Jake also stood up, facing the reality that he might not get some of the mushrooms after all. The two of them made it back to the path that ran through the middle of the node room with Drak giving a sigh of relief. The eyes on the spying ivy continued to watch them for a moment then all closed at the same moment.

    ¡°There¡¯s movement in the tunnel,¡± Silt said, joining them and giving Ell a gentle push towards the other side of the cavern. ¡°We need to keep moving.¡±

    Jake gave the mushrooms a longing look. ¡°I¡¯d love to harvest some of these,¡± he said.

    ¡°And that¡¯s why I told you to leave them!¡± Silt said, jumping up. ¡°There¡¯s nothing down here that¡¯s simple and easy. The mushrooms might not harm you but that ivy sure will.¡±

    Jake held up his hands. ¡°Okay, I get it. No mushrooms.¡±

    The four of them continued to walk along the path, only as quick as the uneven ground would let them. After another five minutes, they reached the far side of the cavern. From behind them, the crackling noise of the first creature could be heard.

    Jake backtracked a few steps and couldn¡¯t make out anything clearly but there seemed to be a new red glow from the creature. So it had red eyes, he thought to himself. Doesn¡¯t really help us know what it is.

    ¡°Back into the tunnels,¡± Silt said, gesturing in the direction of the cavern entrance. Ell and Drak moved towards it and Jake joined Silt.

    ¡°I have an idea to slow this thing down a bit,¡± he said and quickly reached out to grab a couple of small ones. ¡°Let¡¯s see if what I know about spying ivy is right.¡±

    Silt glared at him. ¡°And what do you think you know?¡±

    Jake slid the mushrooms into his pouch. ¡°Let¡¯s just get moving first.¡±

    Abruptly, there was movement nearer to the spying ivy. With a burst of dust and debris, tendrils sprouted from the ground just in front of the ivy and started to unfurl in the direction the two were standings.

    ¡°Was this your plan? Get the ivy to kill us instead of the creature?¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± he replied.

    Jake turned to run out of the cavern with Silt close by. They made it outside and he hestitated, glancing back. Dozens of tendrils were speeding towards them but as they reached the entrance to the tunnels, they stopped.

    ¡°They can¡¯t leave,¡± Drak said with some relief.

    ¡°That¡¯s something, at least,¡± Silt said. ¡°But that other creature is still coming.¡±

    ¡°And now it has to get past those tendrils. From what I remember about the ivy, once it is in attack mode, it will attack anything moving in it¡¯s territory,¡± Jake replied.

    Silt sighed. ¡°I still that was a massive risk. And you should leave those mushrooms behind, who knows what might track them?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the ivy can¡¯t leave the cavern,¡± Drak said gesturing to the waving tendrils behind them.

    Silt sighed. ¡°Okay but if it bites us in the arse, don¡¯t blame me.¡±

 Chapter 12 - To Many Heads

    The group immediately started to move along the maintenance tunnel, not wanting to see how long the spying ivy could hold up whatever the creature that was following them. The tunnel ahead was much like the tunnels they had been in before, well-lit and with little water.

    They walked at the best pace that Silt could manage. She was still weakened from earlier, but she was also stubborn enough not to want to slow them down. After about ten minutes walk, Jake sense something.

    At the same time, Drak spoke up. ¡°I can hear water,¡± he commented.

    ¡°I can feel it,¡± Jake agreed. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of water up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no branching in the tunnel, so that¡¯s where we are going,¡± Silt observed, gesturing ahead.

    A few minutes later, the sound of running water started to get louder and they found themselves in a strange room. It was clearly purposefully made to drain water from the areas of the city above. But it was also very magic dense and that was causing some weirdness.

    The main waterfall reached from the ceiling and fell into a dark hole. There were no helpful lights down there and it was impossible to see how deep it was. The water was strong and steady.

    There were also a number of other, smaller streams of water. Some of these were doing the usual thing of falling from the ceiling downwards. Others seemed to have managed to re-route themselves somehow and were running in a range of directions, including horizontally and diagonally.

    ¡°What is this place?¡± Ell asked, turning to view the whole room.

    ¡°Just another weird spot in this very strange place,¡± Silt said, seeming less impressed. ¡°I told you these tunnels were unlike anywhere else you¡¯ve been. No one knows who made them, so there¡¯s no way to understand why they made them as they did.¡±

    ¡°There have to be some records somewhere,¡± Drak said, frowning.

    ¡°Not that anyone I¡¯ve heard about has ever found,¡± Silt replied. ¡°And I¡¯ve done quite a lot of research on this place. That¡¯s why I decided the risk-to-reward ratio wasn¡¯t worth coming back down here. Until you idiots dragged me down here.¡±

    Jake didn¡¯t reply to that, well aware that Silt had decided to come along by her own choice. He glanced at Drak, who just gave a little shrug.

    ¡°Next question: how do we get out of here?¡± Ell asked, still slowly turning to study the whole room.

    The other three turned their attention to studying the room to see where there was an exit. After a few minutes, Drak called out and headed to the wall where the largest waterfalls were located.

    ¡°There¡¯s a ladder here,¡± he said, gesturing to it. It looked to be made from iron and sturdy, despite the constant fall of water it received.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see any other exits,¡± Jake confirmed from the other side of the chamber.

    ¡°Nothing here either,¡± Drak confirmed as he examined the area around the strange smaller waterfalls.

    ¡°Then the ladder it is,¡± Silt confirmed. She was standing watch near the entrance of the chamber, still aware that whatever was following them was likely still on their trail.

    Drak crossed to where Ell stood, pulling himself up onto the first rung. There was a slight creak of metal that hadn¡¯t held weight for a while but seemed solid. He climbed up another rung, then another and the ladder held.

    ¡°Looks good,¡± he confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ll go up first.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go up first, then Jake,¡± Silt said. ¡°Ell next and Drak bring up the rear. Watch your footholds and handholds. It will probably be a bit treacherous.¡±

    Jake heard Drak mutter something ahead and smiled to himself, knowing the dragonkin was probably slightly irritated by the bossy half-elf but was actually being restrained for once and not saying anything.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Silt started her climb, with Jake following him. Each of them continued to climb at a steady pace. They realised there were actually multiple starting ladders and stopping at random intervals on the wall. The ladder''s rungs were a little slippery but not as bad as Silt had feared.

    Abruptly, Drak gave a shout and dodged to his right, almost swinging off the ladder. He managed to grab another ladder that started just below where he was climbing.

    Something was pushing through the steady stream of water, something that was dark in colour with a profile like a giant snake.

    ¡°Hydra!¡± Ell shouted. ¡°Be careful; they have a nasty bite!¡±

    Jake stopped, realising his friend had also stopped climbing.

    ¡°I know,¡± Drak said through gritted teeth. ¡°Damn thing bit me before I even saw it.¡± As Drak looked down at his side and I could see the large chunk missing from his side.

    The hydra¡¯s head snaked into the tunnel, blood dripping from the corner of its mouth where it had bitten Drak. The creature had quite a square head and plenty of sharp teeth. It hesitated momentarily, staring at Drak as he tried to get a better hold of the ladder.

    Then another head extended from the side of the first, fixing its glare on Silt at the top of the ladder. Another, then another and within a few moments, seven heads were studying the group, almost motionless.

    ¡°Run!¡± Slit shouted and with a flash of light, she shot to a different ladder, just dodging one of the hydra¡¯s heads.

    Another one opened its mouth and shot a geyser of black and green acid at Ell, who, with panic, launched himself up with some type of wind spell before another head slammed into him, sending him into the upper cave entrance with the cracking of bone.

    Jake hopped to another ladder, moving the water off the ladders to keep better hold as he couldn¡¯t really do anything to stop it. One of the heads turned to him, mouth agape and dripping acid from it. He reached out to the acid and could feel this would cost him a lot. But he did this by taking control of the acid with a tier 2 spell and shooting it into the creature''s eye, which only pissed it off as the acid dripped from it with little effect.

    But that little distraction allowed Silt to dodge another attack and fire some type of tier 4 cast! The spell had flaming chains rap around the hydra¡¯s head and moved to the same cave that Ell got hit into.

    The roar of the hydra was deafening as, all of a sudden, a blast of water shot down at Silt before she could get into the cave. This sent her flying down, but with what must have been a massive force of will, Drak grabbed her from the air.

    But whatever he did to save Silt, it must have cost him greatly as it seemed like some light within him had been nearly extinguished and he could barely hold on to the ladder with Silt.

    ¡°Damn the matted hair of Serliny,¡± Jake swore at the hydra, Drak, Silt, and everything else that got him to this point. He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a brown glowing crystal that was brimming with power. ¡°And damn me for waiting to use this.¡±

    As he pushed his essence into the prismatic crystal, it shattered and for a moment that felt like an eternity, nothing happened. Then he saw something. Golden eyes that looked all around with an inner brown that had the soul of the true essence of the earth in them.

    ¡°The First Law Of The Earth Is.¡± The voice in the vision said that turned into his voice.

    ¡°IS THAT OF THE BEGINNING!¡± he shouted as he felt the essence of earth fill his body. He commanded all of the stones in the tunnel to attack the hydra.

    With the strength of the earth essence filling him, he moved to pick up Silt and Drak. But even with all of the stone attacking the hydra it wasn¡¯t laying down to die but fighting back. That¡¯s when he knew that the hydra was going easy against them.

    Rivers of acid were shooting out of the hydra faster than anything he had seen in his life even as its body moved with strength and power that was breaking the stone blocks, spikes, and spears that were launched at it.

    The noise of the battle of the hydra and the earth was becoming deafening as he pulled Drak and Silt into the topmost cave. But all of the power from the prismatic crystal that made him feel like a god was barely doing anything to the hydra. He rushed over to the now unconscious Ell and could feel the earth essence leaving his body, realising he had probably about a minute left of this enhanced state.

    Jake knew he needed to get them all to safety and feeling confident, he went to lift Ell but hesitated. He decided to use the last of the power to grab a stone slab to lift them all further into the cave and away from the hydra. He managed to get the slab to lift up into the cavern and was about to move the others onto it when he felt the last of the power dissipate.

    With what little essence he had, he used the weight reducing potion on all four of them, moving them onto the slab and back into the cavern. Hopefully, far enough back to be out of the reach of the hydra.

    Then he collapsed, breathless and utterly exhausted. He was severely dehydrated from the essence use and could barely lift a finger.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Silt asked, pushing herself up a little with one arm.

    ¡°I used the prismatic crystal from the beetle,¡± Jake said, his voice hardly above a whisper.

    ¡°Did you kill it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No but I think it decided we weren¡¯t worth the trouble. I threw an entire cave at it and it  didn¡¯t really blink,¡± he replied. ¡°Or at last, I hope it decided we weren¡¯t worth the trouble. I have nothing left,¡± he admitted and promptly passed out.

 Chapter 13 - Saved By A Small Friend

    Official Pest Control Manuel, Chapter 13: Myphlers - Monster Hunter Guild Pest Control department

    Myphlers infestations need to be handled with great efficiency and speed. Like rats, these stone-eating creatures can breed with extreme speed. They can replenish numbers in a frustratingly short period of time. They are often found in large colonies to start with, making them more complicated to deal with than many of the pests found across the city. They work as a group in very effective ways. Their ability to eat stone means they can create exit points through most structures, so rooting them out entirely is very difficult.

    Suppose you encounter a colony of these creatures anywhere outside the maintenance tunnels. In that case, you should immediately contact the following so that urgent action can be taken to prevent the spread¡­

    <hr>

    The world took a hazy, grey quality for Jake a few moments before consciousness returned. Physically, he felt weak, as if his muscles didn¡¯t have the strength to lift him from the cavern floor.

    He turned his head, noting a powerful headache as he did, and could see that Silt and Ell were still unconscious. Drak was sitting up slightly, leaning against the cavern wall and gingerly examining the hydra bite.

    Jake took a deep breath and tried to push himself into a sitting position, a wave of nausea flashing over him. None of them was in good condition and he had no clue if they were any nearer getting out of the tunnels or simply heading deeper into them.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Drak said, his voice soft and lacking the usual vigour. His colour looked paler than usual.

    ¡°How¡¯s the wound?¡± Jake asked. He decided pausing before standing up was the best route to avoid passing out again.

    ¡°Bit of a mess,¡± Drak admitted.

    Jake reached into one of his pouched and found a long bandage which he tossed carefully to his friend. The dragonkin grabbed it, winced and then set about binding the wound with it.

    ¡°What happened?¡± another voice asked and Ell tried to push himself up onto one elbow. He failed and lay back on the cavern floor.

    ¡°We were nearly killed by a hydra,¡± Drak replied.

    ¡°That explains all the aches and pains,¡± Ell said, shaking his head. ¡°How did we escape?¡±

    Jake recounted briefly what had happened in the cavern.

    ¡°I see why those beetles are so valuable now,¡± Drak added, unable to keep a little sadness out of his voice.

    ¡°Just glad you had it,¡± Ell replied. ¡°I know you wanted to use it for other things but it definitely saved our lives.¡±

    Jake nodded. ¡°I know. There¡¯s no way we would have escaped that hydra without the boost it gave me.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s all the noise?¡± Silt asked groggily. Curled on one side, she opened just one eye to glare at them.

    ¡°We were just celebrating being alive,¡± Ell said.

    Drak grunted. ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°Any idea where we are?¡± Jake asked the half-elf.

    She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°We made it back up a few levels and we need to keep heading roughly east. I think there¡¯s a main access tunnel along there that all levels will lead out to. We can use it to get back to the surface.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good news,¡± Ell said, obviously trying to be optimistic and a little cheerful after their brush with death.

    Jake finally summoned the courage to stand up and leaned against the cavern wall for a moment as his head spun. He then looked around and saw an exit from the cavern with the signature bright light of the maintenance tunnels visible.

    ¡°Think that might be east?¡± he asked Silt.

    She raised her head a little, glanced in the direction of the exit and nodded. ¡°Give me a few more minutes rest, then we will get started.¡±

    After a short while longer, Silt stirred herself. She was unsteady and looked like she had both a cold and a fever at the same time. Her movements were a little jittery from the electricity, but she stood up and gestured to the cavern exit.

    ¡°Time to go, I¡¯m guessing,¡± Ell remarked breathlessly, pushing himself up using the cavern wall and following her, stumbling the first few steps.

    Drak shrugged and did the same, leaving Jake to bring up the rear.

    <hr>

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    The four walked or staggered for a while with no conversation, each of them too exhausted from the fight and their injuries to do more than put one foot in front of another.

    ¡°Are we heading slightly upwards?¡± Ell asked, sounding a little more breathless than before.

    ¡°I think so,¡± Silt replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, right?¡± he asked his optimism from earlier seeming to have been lost somewhat. A probable concussion and maybe a cracked rib or two would do that to you, Jake reflected as he walked.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Silt replied.

    The tunnel ahead of them split into two and Silt took a left. This tunnel was wider than the previous one.

    After another short distance, they reached an access door. Silt stopped and studied the strange markings over the door for a moment.

    ¡°This is good,¡± she said, taking a moment to lean against the tunnel wall.

    ¡°Where does it lead?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°No idea,¡± she replied. ¡°But it could be access to the street and finally a way out of here.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Drak said. He, too, had been leaning against the tunnel wall and pushed himself upright, wincing as he did.

    Silt turned the door locking wheel on the access door for two rotations. There was a click and the door swung open a little, causing her to stumble back a half-step. She muttered something but checked around the door to see what was there.

    ¡°All clear,¡± she said, taking a step back and swinging the door open fully.

    On the other side of the door was another cavern, but this one was bland and empty, apart from a single iron ladder set into the far wall and vanishing through a hole in the cavern roof.

    ¡°There had to be ladders, didn¡¯t there?¡± Drak muttered, holding his wounded side.

    ¡°Of course, there is,¡± Ell replied. ¡°This might take a while.¡±

    Jake paused. He heard a noise. An unmistakable noise.

    ¡°You hear that?¡± he hissed to the others.

    ¡°Hear what?¡± Drak shouted, sounding a little baffled.

    ¡°I heard it,¡± Silt replied, her voice equally subdued. ¡°The clicking sound. The first creature from the tunnels.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still following us?¡± Ell said with fear in his voice. ¡°Why?¡±

    Silt pushed herself to move as quickly as her battered body would allow her to cross the cavern and reach the ladder. ¡°Why does anything down here do what it does? We just need to get out of here.¡±

    Drak paused by the door and reached out to pull it shut after them, hoping to slow the creature down. Just as the door nearly closed, something blocked it. A clawed paw inserted itself into the space before the door could close. The density essence the creature had used earlier allowed it to stop the door without damage.

    Then it let out a howl and ripped the door from the hinges, throwing it back down the tunnel behind them. For the first time, they got a clear look at what had been pursuing them.

    It was a little shorter than Jake but with a hunched posture that hinted at a greater height. It has black eyes with tiny pinpricks of red that they had first seen in the tunnel where the beetle had been killed.

    It had pale white leathery skin that looked nearer the colour of bone with some slightly furry patches that looked almost a little mangy. It has more fur on its head, but the muzzle was bare and nearly skeletal looking. Its muzzle looked like a cross with a bird¡¯s bead and sharp white teeth could be seen.

    For some reason, it reminded Jake of pictures he had been of plague priest masks from the last major plague outbreak a city had experienced.

    The creature reached out to one of the tunnel walls where there was bare stone and pulled some of the stone away. It drew it from the wall and formed it into spikes that hovered above its paws, each spike glowing faintly green. Unlike the usual consistency of stone, this looked almost like wet clay. It started to shrink as the creature condensed it and made it more solid.

    ¡°We need to go!¡± Silt shouted, turning to the ladder and starting to climb.

    The others moved close to the ladder, and Ell started to climb. Silt paused momentarily, raising her hand as if to try to use her essence, but nothing happened. She was simply too exhausted to do anything without killing herself.

    Abruptly, there was movement from behind Drak. The tiny Myphler that had attached itself to the dragonkin way back appeared from the folds of his coat and perched for a moment on his shoulder.

    To their shock, the tiny creature hopped down into the middle of the cavern, between them and the large red-eyed creature. The Myphler raised a paw and a small green geode appeared. It had a very faint green glow and seemed to undulate as if the stone was moving.

    The other creature looked at the geode and abruptly, it increased in size and the glow brightened. The movement within the crystal grew, small pieces of crystal moving up and down in a way that more resembled a piece of machinery than a natural crystal.

    Jake was mesmerised by what they were seeing. The two creatures studied the geode without looking at each other or anything else in the room.

    ¡°Are they talking to each other?¡± Drak wondered in a stage whisper that wasn¡¯t really that quiet. ¡°Chatting about the quality of the stone around here or something?¡±

    The geode seemed to flash for a moment as if reacting to Drak¡¯s voice. Jake reached out and grabbed Drak¡¯s arm, gesturing for him to be quiet. His friend gave a slightly sheepish smile and mimicked zipping his lips.

    The geode continued to move with the occasional slight change in colour and brightness. Then abruptly, it formed into a perfect square and flashed once.

    The creature picked the stone spear from the air, turned it around, and ate the thinner end. It gave the four of them a slow once-over with its glowing red eyes and turned to leave the room. It offered the Myphler one last look that somehow reminded Jake of the looks his mother would give him when his experiments went wrong as a kid.

    Then it simply walked out of the room. The eerie clicking noise that had followed them through the tunnels was utterly absent.

    ¡°The bastard,¡± Silt said, watching the creature walk back along the tunnel. ¡°It didn¡¯t need to make that noise at all!¡±

    ¡°What just happened?¡± Ell asked, looking utterly baffled.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure my little friend here just saved our necks,¡± Drak said. He bent down a little and held out a hand. The Myphler raced over to him, hopped up into his hand and returned to his shoulder.

    Jake studied the little creature, strange ideas forming in his mind. But that was for another day. Now they just needed to get out of these tunnels.

    Silt started to climb and when she reached the grate in the cavern ceiling, she gave a little shout of triumph. ¡°It¡¯s an exit!¡±

    Minutes later, the four of them were standing on a street somewhere, enjoying the feeling of fresh air or at least fresher than was found in the tunnels. They were out, finally.

 Chapter 14 - The Healer?

    Excerpt from lecture notes on how healing works from The Academy of Ten Stars

    The most basic type of healing spell is to flood the body with life essence to stimulate the healing process. However, this can be detrimental to the patient. A bone may not set correctly, or the flood of life essence could also boost the growth of a tumour that they were unaware of. In cases of attacks involving a large amount of essence, the healing process can also be hampered, leading to a failed or partial healing.

    This means a healer needs to know how a patient has been affected by such ailments and also how external factors may influence how the healing may work. Most healers require life essence for this process, but there are other essences that can supplement this. Flesh and blood essences are the two most common examples of this.

    Another approach is to remove the damage from the essence first before attempting general healing. For example, damage done by a fire essence would be best cured by an ice essence user first before the healing is attempted. Otherwise, there is a risk that the healing will fail because the life essence alone cannot remove the damage from the fire.

    For more, read Sapient Anatomy Book 1

    <hr>

    Jake looked around the group and realised that none of them was in good condition. Silt seemed to be fluctuating from fever to chills at random intervals. Drak was still hard of hearing and seemed somewhat dimmer as if some of his spark had been drained by overuse of light essence. Ell was leaning against a wall, breathing heavily with the strained red face of someone who couldn¡¯t quite get enough air into their lungs. Jake himself was feeling very tender and sore, as if he would bruise with the slightest knock.

    ¡°Any idea where we are?¡± he asked them as they leaned, sat or sprawled against the walls of the alley they were in.

    Each of them looked around a bit. ¡°I think I do,¡± Ell said, squinting at one end of the alley. ¡°That looks a bit familiar.¡±

    ¡°We need a healer,¡± Silt said, shivering. ¡°Do you know any nearby then?¡±

    Ell pushed himself to his feet and carefully walked to the end of the alley, looking up and down the street. ¡°Yes, I know a guy not far from here. He¡¯s a little bit unusual, but he¡¯s a solid healer.¡±

    ¡°Unusual?¡± Jake queried, frowning.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Silt interrupted. ¡°If he can do the job, that¡¯s all I care about at the minute. I can¡¯t stand these chills and fever spells much longer without passing out.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s jump on a cart. It is about 10 minutes this way,¡± Ell suggested, pointing to his left. He hesitated for a moment, trying to catch his breath. ¡°I don¡¯t think we are really up for walking right now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Drak asked loudly.

    ¡°This way, healer,¡± Jake shouted, pointing to where Ell was standing.

    Drak gingerly pushed himself up, holding his side. ¡°Good idea.¡±

    The group made their way to the alley entrance. Ell saw one of the many carts that made trips across the city and flagged down the driver, asking if he was heading to a certain area. He confirmed he was passing it and they could catch a life.

    They all piled into the rear of the cart, ignoring the odd smells coming from some of the cargo. None of them had any energy to speak so Jake simply looked at their surroundings and tried to ignore the bruises building up on his backside from the bumpy cart ride.

    A short while later, the cart stopped and Ell pushed himself down, gesturing to the others to follow. They called thanks to the driver who left.

    They were still in The Husk; if anything, this area seemed seedier than the ones they had already visited. There were more people, either moving purposefully about some business or standing in darker corners talking with one or more other people.

    ¡°This way,¡± Ell said, pointing to one particularly dingy alley.

    Jake started to follow, momentarily wondering if this was a good idea. After all, they didn¡¯t actually know Ell. But he realised they were simply in too bad a condition to be picky about who they got help from. He glanced at Drak, who gave a little tired shrug and followed as well.

    Halfway up the alley, Ell stopped at one building. It has definitely seen better days with a rundown exterior and a door that had been replaced by a piece of wood that didn¡¯t really fit. There were no signs or indicators that this was a healer¡¯s place of work which didn¡¯t fill Jake with any more confidence.

    ¡°This place?¡± Silt asked her tone heavy with scepticism.

    ¡°I told you, he¡¯s a bit unusual,¡± Ell replied. He rapped on the door and stepped back.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    A moment later, the wooden door rolled to one side and a hunched human appeared. He had wispy grey hair trying and failing to cover his mostly bald head. He was wearing overalls that might have once been white but were now a combination of red, yellow and a sickly grey colour that defined definition.

    ¡°Ell?¡± he said, his voice raspy. ¡°Been a while.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, rough few weeks,¡± Ell replied. ¡°We need your skills Doc.¡±

    The man looked at each of them in turn. ¡°Yeah, you lot look like shit. Come in.¡±

    He turned and walked into the house, so Ell followed then Silt, Drak and finally Jake. He paused to slide the door back into place before following his friends further into the house.

    The inside was no more confidence-inspiring than the outside. They were led into a room that held much of the normal equipment you would see in a healer¡¯s space, but everything looked grimy and run down. There were some questionable stains on the floor and the place was only dimly lit by a single crystal hanging from the ceiling. But then, Jake realised, if it was any better lit, the sight would probably put him off from getting healed entirely.

    ¡°Who¡¯s first?¡± Doc asked.

    Jake gestured to Silt. ¡°She¡¯s in the worst condition.¡±

    Doc shrugged and gestured to an examination chair in the centre of the room. Silt glanced at Jake before crossing the room and sitting down.

    He raised his right hand and moved it up and down. He then held his hand up over her head, but nothing happened. Then there was a bright flash of white light that lasted for a few seconds.

    ¡°Nope, I can¡¯t do anything more for you. Not my type of thing. One silver,¡± he said flatly.

    ¡°You¡¯re charging me for doing nothing?¡± Silt snapped.

    ¡°I¡¯m charging you for my expert opinion, use of my facilities and basic healing. There¡¯s never a guarantee that a healer can help you. You know that,¡± he added sarcastically.

    Silt muttered something but handed over a silver coin from her purse. She moved out of the chair and Drak sat down next.

    Doc repeated the process, but this time when he held his hand up to the dragonkin¡¯s head, there was a glow of light mixing red and green with the whole of his hand outlined in white. He then moved his hand down to the wounded side and the glow intensified.

    Drak yelled out, swearing. ¡°That hurt!¡±

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Doc said, heading across the room to the connected room. Drak followed and Jake heard his friend give another yell followed by a string of curses. A few minutes later, he came back out, holding his side.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Jake asked.

    Drak winced. ¡°I can¡¯t feel much at the minute apart from there¡¯s something cold and wet on my side.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine in a couple of days,¡± Doc replied. ¡°That¡¯s four silvers.¡±

    ¡°Four?¡± Drak choked.

    ¡°One for assessment, one for healing and the other two for the resources used,¡± the healer replied. ¡°That was relatively fresh meat I used to bind the wound.¡±

    ¡°Meat? Drak repeated.

    ¡°Just pay the guy,¡± Ell said.

    Drak shook his head but handed over the money.

    Ell sat down next. Doc carried out his assessment and then held both hands over the centre of Ell¡¯s chest. Brown and green light glowed from the hand and spread across the chest area. For a moment, Ell¡¯s injured ribs were highlighted by the glow and then there was a sickening crunch. The man gave a yell and promptly passed out.

    ¡°What did you do? Drak demanded.

    ¡°Healed him,¡± Doc replied. ¡°He¡¯ll be able to breathe better. It¡¯ll hurt like a bastard for a few weeks if he isn¡¯t careful, but that¡¯s not my problem.¡±

    He waved a cloth under Ell¡¯s nose and the man jolted back awake, wincing at the pain in his side. ¡°What was that?¡± he demanded.

    The healer shrugged. ¡°What you asked for. Two silvers and three coppers.¡±

    Ell didn¡¯t even bother to argue this time and simply handed over the coins, then moved from the seat, swaying for a moment with pain as he stood up.

    Jake sat down, feeling a little nervous. Doc moved his hand to carry out the assessment, but there was a bright flash of white light from his hand. He frowned and then held his hand above Jake¡¯s head. There was another green flash.

    ¡°Two silvers,¡± the healer said.

    ¡°What healing did you do?¡± Jake asked, not able to feel any immediate benefit.

    ¡°Healed your bruising,¡± Doc replied. ¡°Especially those bruises on your arse.¡±

    Jake sat forward a little and had to admit that he didn¡¯t feel quite as sore as before. He stood up and went to hand over the coins when another man entered the room.

    ¡°Doc, you got that parcel?¡± the man asked, eyeing them with suspicion.

    The healer studied him for a moment. ¡°Ah, you mean the heart. Hang on a sec.¡±

    ¡°Heart?¡± Jake asked, frowning.

    The healer returned with a small box which he handed to the man. ¡°That should fix the problem but make sure you use it within a day, or it will start to deviate. And I¡¯ll charge you twice as much for the next one. You can¡¯t just find the right bodies lying around every day, you know.¡±

    The man nodded, took the box and left the room.

    Doc looked back to Jake and took his coins. ¡°Got a problem?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No problem,¡± Ell said quickly before Jake could speak. ¡°Thanks for your help Doc.¡±

    The healer nodded and turned away, leaving for another room of the house. The four of them retraced their steps to the alley, sliding the wooden door back into place as they left.

    ¡°Wow, some healer,¡± Silt said sarcastically.

    ¡°I do feel a bit better,¡± Jake admitted. ¡°But I think the guy is some kind of organ dealer.¡±

    ¡°I told you he was unusual,¡± Ell said for the third time.

    ¡°What now?¡± Drak asked.

    ¡°We need to go and check in with Roy, make sure they got back okay and they are living up to their end of the bargain,¡± Jake said.

    ¡°I¡¯m done in,¡± Silt admitted. ¡°You guys go and talk to Roy, I¡¯ll meet you back at your shop.¡±

    ¡°Can you handle Roy?¡± Drak asked, his hand still holding his side. ¡°Got to admit I¡¯m not at my best either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Ell said. ¡°I¡¯d like to make sure everyone got out okay too.¡±

    Jake nodded. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll meet back at the shop.¡±

 Chapter 15 - Tying Up Loose Ends

    Excerpt from Beginner¡¯s Guide to Making Essence Primers by Dawn Markov

    The most common way for any person to obtain attunement to another element is through a primer. Most primers are made via potions, but there are other methods that can be used to achieve this - we will discuss this in later chapters.

    This section will discuss what a primer does to achieve its effect. The most common way to do this is to flood the recipient with the pure essence of the element they are seeking to attune with.

    From this process, many potential outcomes are possible. One of the most common outcomes is that the consumer of the primer will suffer a moderate amount of pain, followed by an awareness of the essence. This is the weakest and often least effective of the outcomes. It shows that the person had little to no talent with this essence, to begin with.

    The much less likely outcome is that the consumer of the primer will be granted a vision of some type. These vary by person but generally have one thing in common - they tell the consumer an aspect of the essence. Generally, this means they have a significant affinity with the element.

    The rarest outcome is the most desired but not often seen is that the participant will see a vision but also experience a physical change. This might be a change to their eye colour, hair colour or other physical changes, shifting them closer to the desired element.

    Finally, there is the most unlikely outcome, where the body completely rejects the primer. This can lead to significant essence scaring or crippling but only usually happens when a consumer takes a primer that is anathema to an already highly developed essence within their body.

    <hr>

    Jake and Ell decided that taking the Loop was the best option. Ell knew where the nearest station was to their current spot and Jake knew which stop was closest to Roy¡¯s compound. Plus, they were both still pretty exhausted and the path of least walking seemed the most attractive.

    Drak walked to the Loop station with them while Silt gave a wave and headed off in the other direction. A few stops later, Jake and Ell left Drak to continue back to the store, although Jake was a little worried his friend may fall asleep and still be circling on the train when they came back from seeing Roy.

    Jake remembered the route to the compound easily enough, but as they approached it, he realised something was a little off. No one was at the main entrance, unlike the previous times they¡¯d visited.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Jake remarked as they arrived at the door. ¡°There¡¯s usually one of the guys here.¡±

    Ell shrugged. ¡°Maybe they are feeling a bit more relaxed now they have their friend back?¡±

    Jake gave a nod, but Roy and her group didn¡¯t strike him as the types to really relax. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

    To find almost nothing.

    All signs of habitation had gone: there were no tents, no storage boxes, no cooking fires. No people or animals. Nothing apart from a single empty crate.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Jake said, spinning around to view all corners of the compound.

    ¡°Was this the right place?¡± Ell asked.

    Jake spun back, glaring at him. ¡°Yes, it was! I¡¯ve been here twice in a few days. And I¡¯m damn good at directions. This was a busy compound with people living here. Where the hell did they go?¡±

    Jake sat down hard on the crate, which gave a slightly alarmed creak but didn¡¯t break. He felt he might laugh like a lunatic or cry at any moment.

    ¡°Jake?¡± Ell said, concerned and clearly sensing the other man¡¯s frustration.

    ¡°You know, I came here for a few simple reasons,¡± Jake said, rubbing his eyes with one hand. ¡°Nothing too ambitious. I just wanted to improve my alchemy skills. Learn more about my essence and maybe get to the stage of improving what I could make. The kind of thing that anyone wants to do with their life.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good plan,¡± Ell agreed, a little hesitantly.

    ¡°It was!¡± Jake shouted. ¡°But then I forgot that my business partner is a bloody idiot and didn¡¯t realise he knows almost nothing about alchemy. So that led him to take a commission for something I couldn¡¯t make at my current level. And the worst part? The client is some lunatic professional killer who won¡¯t take no for an answer!¡±

    Ell didn¡¯t seem to have anything he could think to add to that.

    ¡°So we end up in this stupid series of tasks so we can make something that will almost do what this lunatic killer wants. But everything keeps going wrong! I¡¯ve only been in the city almost a week, I¡¯ve been chased by all kinds of people and creatures, nearly killed multiple times and now I am no nearer getting all of this shit together because Roy and her crew have vanished!¡±

    Ell sat down on the other side of the create, which gave another alarming creak but held up well. ¡°You¡¯ve had a rough time,¡± he sympathised.

    ¡°And I¡¯m probably going to be dead by the end of the week,¡± Jake added, his anger subsiding into a dull acceptance a little. ¡°There¡¯s just nothing I can do about it.¡±

    ¡°What was the next part that you needed to complete?¡± Ell asked.

    ¡°We needed to get a crate from a local gangster but to do that, we needed to make sure Roy and her crew were no longer taking territory from him,¡± Jake replied, staring despondently at the floor.

    ¡°You mean, like if they left?¡± Ell asked carefully.

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Jake agreed, deep in self-pity.

    ¡°Like leaving the compound and taking everything with them?¡± Ell continued.

    ¡°That might work,¡± Jake agreed.

    Ell coughed. ¡°Jake, they left and took everything with them,¡± he repeated, gesturing to the empty space around them.

    Jake looked up and stared around the compound for a moment. Then he jumped up and turned to Ell, who also stood for fear the crate would decide the rapid movement was too much for it.

    ¡°You¡¯re right! They left and we can tell Gage they are no longer in his territory!¡± he said and grabbed Ell, giving him a big hug. ¡°We can get the crate back and finally get those ingredients!¡±

    Ell laughed. ¡°See, it wasn¡¯t as bad as you thought.¡±

    Jake grinned. ¡°I guess Roy decided it was best to get a move on in case anyone came looking for them. Which also means they made it out okay. And they fulfilled their side of the bargain.¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s next?¡± Ell asked.

    A little of Jake¡¯s enthusiasm waned. ¡°We need to go and see the Gage and tell him that we cleared out the people that were bugging him without letting on that we freed prisoners from his basement.¡±

    ¡°One problem there,¡± Ell said awkwardly.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    I¡¯m one of the prisoners you freed,¡± he replied. ¡°I can¡¯t walk in there with you.¡±

    Jake stopped for a moment. ¡°Shit, that¡¯s right..¡±

    ¡°Probably no one would know me because I was taken by mistake. But it¡¯s best not to take a chance,¡± Ell admitted.

    ¡°By mistake?¡± Jake questioned.

    Ell sighed. ¡°Yeah, apparently, I look just like the son of one of the local aristocrats. Gage¡¯s guys took me, sent a ransom to the family and got told to get lost because, obviously, I wasn¡¯t their son. So I was just stuck there.¡±

    ¡°That sucks,¡± Jake said.

    ¡°For sure,¡± Ell replied.

    ¡°So this is where we part ways?¡± Jake asked. He was surprised to feel a little sad as he had strangely gotten used to having the other man around for all they had only known him a short time.

    ¡°Or I could head out to your store and check on Drak? Make sure he got home okay?¡± Ell suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else I need to do.¡±

    ¡°No one is missing you?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any family. That¡¯s why there was no one to put up a ransom for me,¡± he admitted with a shrug. ¡°So I¡¯m happy to help out you guys. I owe you my freedom.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jake said, nodding. ¡°That would be great. I¡¯ll go and see Gage and you can head back to the store. I¡¯ll give you directions.¡±

    ¡°You sure you are okay doing this by yourself?¡± Ell asked.

    Jake sighed. ¡°I could really use some backup, but I don¡¯t really have a lot of choices.¡±

    He walked across to the crate and noticed it wasn¡¯t as empty as he had thought. He reached in and pulled out a small box of ingredients.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ell asked, peering over to take a look.

    ¡°Looks like a box of alchemy ingredients. Nothing too specialist or unusual but some good general stuff. They are almost past their best or even out of date, but they are still usable. Maybe Roy left it for us?¡±  he replied, lifting up one of the vials to study the contents. ¡°And you know what? There¡¯s the stuff here to make a simple face-obscuring potion.¡±

    Ell frowned. ¡°How does it work?¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be too complex. It''s only a tier 1 option, but it would make a few subtle changes to someone¡¯s appearance so that people who only know them causally wouldn¡¯t recognise them probably,¡± Jake told him, checking a small brown packet.

    ¡°So I could come with you to see Gage and no one would recognise me?¡± Ell asked brightly.

    ¡°I think so,¡± Jake replied. ¡°If you are up for it?¡±

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Ell replied firmly. ¡°You need backup and if you can make that potion, it can be me.¡±

    Jake turned the crate over to create a small workspace and laid out the needed ingredients. He pulled a few essentials from his pouch and began making the potion.

    Just a short while later, he held up a vial of thick liquid to Ell. ¡°Done.¡±

    ¡°How does it work?¡± Ell asked.

    ¡°Rub it sparingly onto your face and it will cause temporary changes in your appearance. It should last about 3-4 hours if you don¡¯t get water on your face,¡± Jake replied.

    Ell took the potion from him, studied it for a moment, and then took off the cork. He tipped a small amount into the palm of one hand and used the other to rub it into his face. For a moment, nothing happened.

    Then his face seemed to become hazy for a moment and when it cleared, the features were subtly different. His nose seemed a little thinner, his cheeks were more delicate and his skin was generally paler. The changes were slight, but he didn¡¯t look like the same person, maybe a distant relative of himself.

    ¡°How do I look?¡± Ell asked.

    ¡°Different enough that no one should recognise you,¡± Jake said confidently.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go and get this crate from Gage,¡± Ell replied.

    <hr>

    Gage¡¯s warehouse was quieter than the last time Jake had visited, but a stockily built guard was still on the door. He gave a typical glare as they approached.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to see Gage,¡± Jake said flatly.

    The man studied them one at a time for a moment, then nodded and turned to open the door. He walked inside, so Jake and Ell followed him.

    Inside the warehouse was also quieter than their last visit. The man led them along the same route through the racks of crates until they reached the office area. But the man behind the desk wasn¡¯t Gage.

    Jake gave a quick glance around and was shocked to see Gage - in a heap on the floor, having received a thorough beating. He was still alive and opened his one good eye as they arrived but otherwise didn¡¯t react.

    Behind the desk was what Jake took to be a man, but there was no way to really tell. He wore a wide-brimmed black hat and a bandana obscured his face. He was also dressed in black clothes and his hands were covered with black leather gloves.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked in a cultured tone.

    ¡°We had a deal with Gage and we¡¯ve come to complete it and get the item he agreed to give to us,¡± Jake said with confidence he didn¡¯t really feel.

    The man¡¯s head raised slightly from the desk, but his eyes were still in shadow. Abruptly above his head, a pair of metal javelins appeared and Jake realised that this was the man who had almost caught them after breaking into the basement to save Gneico. A bolt of fear passed through him as he wondered if the man had seen him down there. However, this was quickly followed by the realisation that if he had recognised Jake, he would probably have been dead the moment he walked into the room.

    The man clasped his hands in front of his face. ¡°Did you now?¡±

    ¡°We agreed to help him with some territorial issues and we would get a crate that belongs to our employer,¡± Jake replied.

    ¡°Is this true?¡± the javelin man asked Gage.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the injured man grunted, making a wet sound.

    ¡°And have these territorial issues been solved?¡± the man queried Gage.

    The ganger coughed, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. ¡°Yes, the troublemakers have moved on. Two of my men confirmed it this morning.¡±

    The man nodded. ¡°So you have completed your deal with Gage, but what makes you think I should honour it?¡± he asked. ¡°Gage is not in my good graces for a series of shockingly bad mistakes. He had sorely disappointed me and I¡¯m not inclined to give a damn about anything he has to say.¡±

    Jake studied the faceless man for a moment. ¡°Look, we did as we were asked and we just want to get the crate back to The Goldleaf Inn for our employer.¡±

    Javelin man brushed a fleck of dust from the sleeve of his immaculate black jacket. ¡°The Goldleaf, you say? Interesting.¡±

    Jake decided to say nothing else for a moment and simply waited to see what the man said.

    ¡°Do I know you?¡± the man asked Jake, leaning forward a little as if to better see him.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met before,¡± Jake replied as a bit of sweat ran down his back.

    There was a pause where the only real noise was the laboured breathing from Gage on the floor at the side of the room. Then the javelin man seemed to make a decision and his javelins vanished from above his head.

    ¡°Very well, you can have the crate,¡± he said, gesturing to one of the other men in the room to fetch it. ¡°But you may find yourself owing me a favour at some point.¡±

    Jake glanced at Ell but decided there was nothing else to do. He simply nodded.

    The man handed the crate to Ell, who glared at the other man in a rough imitation of the look the door guard had given them.

    ¡°You are somewhat familiar, too,¡± the javelin man remarked.

    ¡°He¡¯s just my assistant. Neither of us has been in the city very long,¡± Jake said quickly, drawing attention back to himself.

    The man gave him another long look. ¡°Well, best you don¡¯t come to my attention again unless it is when I call in my favour,¡± he said, gesturing towards the door. ¡°Now get out of here. I have pressing business to sort out to deal with the mess this idiot made.¡± He flicked his hand in the direction of Gage and a small metal ball flew across the room, hitting the gangster and making him grunt with pain.

    Jake didn¡¯t wait to hear any more but turned and headed back between the storage racks, Ell falling into step behind him carrying the crate. He wondered briefly if Gage would make it out of the warehouse alive but also decided that it wasn¡¯t his problem.

    He had the crate, they were all alive and they were nearly finished with this insane quest. He counted that as a win.

    As they left the warehouse, another guy was at the door. He half-barred their way for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t I know you?¡± he said to Ell. ¡°You look like that guy, Ell something.¡±

    ¡°I get that a lot,¡± Ell said quickly. ¡°That¡¯s my cousin. We don¡¯t have much to do with that side of the family. I¡¯m Al.¡±

    The guard gave him another of those long stares, then nodded and stood to one side.

    Jake and Ell didn¡¯t run away from the warehouse, but they definitely walked as quickly as possible.

 Chapter 16 - Now We Can Get Started!

    The walk back to the nearest Loop station was a quiet one as Ell sensed that Jake was utterly worn out. His own feelings were mixed - he knew he had had a near miss because he¡¯d been lucky enough to be taken with someone that had people who valued him enough to rescue him. But he was a little worried about his new friends, who were still deep into a complex situation and he had no real idea how to help out.

    They arrived at the station just as the sun was setting. Jake went to use the facilities before they jumped on a train while Ell sat on one of the slightly dilapidated benches that were found just outside the Loop entrance.

    After a moment, he became aware of a guy standing off to one side. Ell didn¡¯t like to stereotype people, but the guy looked like a criminal of some sort. He¡¯d known enough of the type over the years to recognise them. Question was, what was the guy up to?

    He got his answer quickly enough. The man gave several attempted sly glances in Ell¡¯s direction, which really weren¡¯t all that subtle. Then he pulled a knife from a pocket.

    ¡°Well shit,¡± Ell muttered, watching the man approach. He gave a quick glance around but knew what he would see. There was no help anywhere in sight.

    ¡°Give me that crate!¡± the man demanded, waving the knife in an unsteady way at Ell. The knife cracked with strange green sparks.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want his crate, my friend,¡± Ell said calmly, holding up his hands but keeping the crate wedged between his feet.

    ¡°Yes, I do! Got to be worth something,¡± he replied with a clear note of desperation in his voice.

    ¡°It belongs to an important man, the kind of person you don¡¯t want as an enemy,¡± Ell warned. ¡°You¡¯d be better off looking for another way to raise some gold.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care who owns the crate,¡± the man snarled. ¡°They¡¯ll never find me. So hand it over!¡± he added a gesture with the knife to the second sentence that came a little too close to Ell for his liking. The knife emitted a strange ozone-like smell as he waved it backwards and forward.

    Abruptly there was a loud crack and the would-be thief fell to the ground in a heap. Ell studied the fallen figure, wide-eyed and shocked, unsure what had gone wrong with him until he looked up.

    Jake stood behind the man, holding a half-brick. His expression was flat and almost bored. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this shitty day,¡± he announced. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m getting robbed on top of everything.¡±

    He promptly dropped the brick on the man, where it hit him in the stomach and made him grunt with the impact.

    ¡°Shall we go and find the Loop train?¡± Jake asked Ell, stepping over the prone figure and heading towards the station entrance.

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Ell replied, glancing once more at the unconscious thief before grabbing the crate and following Jake down the steps to the station.

    <hr>

    Ell had never spent much time in Vine Road before and was a little surprised at just how wild the place seemed for a part of the city. He followed Jake from the Loop station for a short distance until they reached an impressive-looking bar that sat in the centre of the road.

    As they reached the entrance, a loud shrieking scream of some large animal filled the air. Ell tensed, expecting problems but Jake seemed oblivious. He gave a jaw-cracking jaw and pushed open the door to the bar.

    ¡°Come on,¡± he said to Ell. ¡°Let¡¯s find Asher.¡±

    The inside of the bar was impressive, with the goldleaf plant for which it was named, making a centrepiece of the large room. It was definitely one of the nicest bars that Ell had ever visited.

    Behind the bar was a wood elf, talking to a couple sitting on bar stools. He wore expensive clothes, including a stylish waistcoat with gold thread. Ell liked nice clothes and knew that he would probably never be able to afford something like it. But then elves did live a long time and tended to build up plenty of gold in those years.

    ¡°Jake!¡± the elf said with a grin, tipping an invisible hat in their direction. ¡°Great to see you again! And you have a new friend?¡±

    ¡°Asher, this is Ell,¡± Jake said, gesturing from one to the other.

    ¡°Lovely to meet you,¡± Asher said.

    ¡°You too,¡± Ell replied. He crossed the room and placed the crate carefully on the bar.

    ¡°As agreed,¡± Jake said.

    Asher made a sharp gesture and a plank of wood from the bar lifted up, taking the crate with it and sliding it perfectly into an unoccupied slot above the alcohol shelves.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to check everything is there?¡± Jake asked, frowning.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I trust you, my friend,¡± Asher replied. ¡°Now, would you both like a drink?¡±

    Jake sighed, stifling another yawn. ¡°Sure, why not? It¡¯s not like it has been a difficult day or anything.¡±

    The two sat at the bar and Asher pushed a couple of colourful drinks toward them. Ell sipped his carefully and was surprised to note it was sweet and delicious. It also had a slight burn as he swallowed, making him sure there was probably some potent alcohol in there somewhere.

    ¡°So I have the ingredients you need, as agreed,¡± Asher said. He reached under the counter and lifted out a smaller crate, similar to the one they had retrieved for him. He placed it on the bar and slid it across to Jake.

    Jake took a swig from his drink, winced at the alcohol burn, then reached out to bring the crate to his side of the bar. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s just one thing I wanted to chat with you about before you head home and get that much-needed rest,¡± Asher said.

    Jake rubbed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything else today.¡±

    ¡°No, no, nothing like that,¡± Asher replied with elaborate horror. ¡°I would never add to your burden before you had properly recovered and rested. And this is more of an additional reward for a job well done.¡±

    Jake practically dripped suspicion. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Asher produced two small cards with an elaborate flourish. ¡°These are two invites for you and Drak. I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have one for you, my new friend Ell, I didn¡¯t realise you would be accompanying my favourite alchemists.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Ell replied. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°I would like to offer you a free meal and drink here at the bar any time you like though, for helping my friends,¡± Asher added, producing another smaller card with his other hand that he held out to Ell. ¡°Take this just in case I¡¯m not around when you do come to visit, although I hope I am available to welcome you.

    Ell took it, nothing the stylish handwriting in almost gold-coloured ink. He almost slid it into his inner pocket when he realised that it had his full name on it. Since he met them, he hadn¡¯t even used his full name to either Jake or Drak. How had the eld known? ¡°That¡¯s very kind, thank you,¡± he said, aware this was probably the most expensive meal he¡¯d eaten in years. And it would taste twice as good when it was free.

    ¡°Invite for what?¡± Jake asked, pulling the elf¡¯s attention back to the two cards in his first hand.

    ¡°A very special social event, the kind of place that all the important people in the city would love to be seen at. You and Drak can come along, make some new acquittances and start building a network of contacts to improve your business. It is a must-attend event if you are serious about becoming a premier alchemist in the city,¡± he added.

    ¡°Sounds boring,¡± Jake admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not good at social situations.¡±

    ¡°Of course it will be boring,¡± Asher replied with a wave of his hand. ¡°But the most important events always are. Say you will both come along?¡±

    Jake sighed. Even Ell knew what Drak¡¯s answer would be. Jake¡¯s business partner would practically salivate at the idea of mixing with the big shots of the city. It was definitely more his style of thing but Jake clearly realised he needed to come along too. Unless he wanted to risk a repeat of their current situation where Drak¡¯s lack of knowledge had landed them in so much trouble.

    ¡°Sure, we¡¯d love to attend,¡± Jake said finally with a pained smile. He reached out and took the invites, slipping them into his jacket pocket.

    ¡°Excellent. You¡¯ll have a few days after dealing with this potion business to have some rest and get those black bags out from under your eyes. Then get your best clothes on and meet some important people!¡± Asher added, grinning.

    ¡°Can¡¯t wait,¡± Jake replied with no sincerity at all.

    Ell finished his drink and Jake did the same. Both stood and Jake picked up the crate.

    ¡°Thank you for doing business with me!¡± Asher announced, with a slight bow and mock salute with his invisible hat. Ell couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there really was an invisible hat on his head and what the point of that could be. Or if the elf was simply that eccentric and he pretended to gesture with a non-existent hat. Either one made his head hurt a little, or that could be the sweet drink he¡¯d just finished.

    ¡°Thanks, Asher,¡± Jake said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, I think.¡±

    ¡°That you will!¡± the elf confirmed with another beaming smile. ¡°And lovely to meet you too, Ell.¡±

    Ell nodded and followed Jake out of the bar.

    <hr>

    Ell was honestly a little underwhelmed when he saw the store that Jake and Drak operated, but he did remember them saying that they had only recently taken over full ownership. With a coat of paint, a bit of cleaning and a good restock, he had no doubt that the shop would be an impressive one and he already knew that at least Jake was talented enough to make a go of it.

    If Drak didn¡¯t somehow get him killed first.

    Jake entered the store and went to head to the workshop behind the shop area but almost tripped over something on the floor. He grunted and looked down to see his partner slumped on the floor.

    ¡°Is he okay?¡± Ell asked, concerned.

    Jake gave him a nudge with his foot and Drak gave a little mutter. ¡°Sound asleep,¡± he muttered, shaking his head. Jake reached out and grabbed a pair of metal mixing dishes from the counter and bashed them together like a pair of cymbals.

    The noise was loud enough to wake the dragonkin up even with his hearing problems. He yelled loudly, jumped to his feet and abruptly grabbed the counter to steady himself as he swayed.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± he demanded.

    Jake gave a tired shrug. ¡°We made it, we got the stuff from Asher and we¡¯re still alive.¡±

    Drak relaxed a bit. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. I never doubted it.¡±

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ell asked Drak.

    ¡°Sore and weak, my hearing is getting better, though. Or it was,¡± he added, throwing a glare at Jake.

    Jake ignored him and put the ingredient crate behind the counter. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out the cards that Asher had given him, handing them to Drak. ¡°You¡¯ll like this.¡±

    Drak read them for a moment and broke into a huge grin. ¡°That¡¯s an amazing opportunity! Everyone who is anyone will be there!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought you would say. But there¡¯s a rule,¡± Jake said sternly.

    Ell knew what was coming here.

    ¡°Okay?¡± Drak said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t agree to any commissions, projects, partnerships or anything else unless I¡¯m with you,¡± Jake said sternly.

    Drak gave a sheepish smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that¡­¡± he started to say but saw the sour look on Jake¡¯s face and stopped. ¡°Sure, no problem.¡±

    Jake nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go. But right now, I have a potion to make.¡± He grabbed the box of ingredients and headed into the workroom.

 Chapter 17 - Draks View Point

    Excerpt from Potion Brewing Time by Mord Bart (Alchemist)

    Potion time of brewing increases with each tier involved, up to Tier 7. For example, a Tier 1 potion will take approximately 1 minute to brew, depending on the specific ingredients. A Tier 2 potion will usually take 2 minutes on top of any existing brewing time. And Tier 3 potions will need at least 6 minutes to brew. As you can see, the pattern increases in length for each tier. These times are in addition to any cooking time needed for individual ingredients within the potion.

    These are estimates, with each potion having minor variations depending on the ingredients involved. But the basic guidelines help you plan your potion making.

    It may be possible to decrease these times with essence control or by having a compatible essence type with the potion you are making. A water essence user with good control will make it quicker and easier to make a water potion than a fire essence user with poor control.

    <hr>

    Drak peered at the two vials that Jake had told him to combine and felt a quiet sort of panic. He¡¯d mentioned to his partner already that his practical alchemy skills may be a little less than Jake¡¯s, but he realised that maybe he¡¯d overstated it even then.

    He had no idea what to do.

    He glanced over to where Jake was peering into a mixing glass, stirring it periodically with a glass stirrer. Did he admit that he had no idea how to correctly combine these two things? Or just try it and hope for the best.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Ell asked. He was sitting on a bench at the far side of the workshop, reading a newspaper.

    Drak gave him a smile that was all bluster and bullshit. ¡°Great, just making sure I get this perfect.¡±

    ¡°Was that what Jake wanted you to do?¡± Ell queried, lowering his voice a little.

    ¡°Sure it is,¡± Drak said with false confidence. ¡°I just haven¡¯t done this for a bit, I¡¯m a bit rusty.¡±

    ¡°You own an alchemy store,¡± Ell pointed out.

    ¡°And my dad was the alchemist. Jake¡¯s the alchemist. I¡¯m the businessman that supports them, finds their clients for them and handles the accounts side of things. I don¡¯t make the actual potions¡­ That much,¡± Drak admitted.

    Ell stood up and crossed to where the dragonkin was standing. ¡°Want me to help?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s taking so long?¡± Jake called out from across the warehouse. ¡°That¡¯s a simple combination process.¡±

    ¡°Sure it is,¡± Drak said with another false smile. ¡°Just showing Ell how it works.¡±

    Jake frowned but returned his attention to what he was working on.

    ¡°Are you sure you can do this stuff? You really need to tell him what you can do and what you can¡¯t,¡± Ell said, taking the two vials from Drak. ¡°He¡¯s going to figure it out eventually.¡±

    Drak gave a slightly sickly smile. ¡°Maybe you are right. I should just let him know what I can handle and what¡¯d going to be for him to do. Guess there¡¯s no time like the present.¡±

    Ell nodded his encouragement.

    Drak crossed to where his business partner had now stopped stirring the mixture and was studying it.

    ¡°So, you know we talked before about my level of alchemy skills, ¡° Drak said casually, leaning over to look at what Jake was working on.

    ¡°That you are a bit behind where I am, yes,¡± Jake replied without looking up.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it,¡± Drak said. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing¡­¡±

    Jake continued to work, running one hand through his blonde hair and pushing his round glasses up his nose. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Drak glanced at Ell and decided that this wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to show Ell a few basics, he seems really keen, and it never hurts to have another pair of hands around.¡±

    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t want to be paid for it,¡± Jake replied, still without looking up.

    ¡°No, strictly volunteer work only,¡± Drak assured his partner. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get on.¡±

    ¡°Is that mixture ready yet?¡± Jake asked, finally looking up.

    ¡°Be just a moment,¡± Drak assured him. He crossed back to where Ell was standing, looking at a book he¡¯d found on the shelf under the worktop. Drak recognised it as one of his father¡¯s notebooks on the basics of alchemy.

    ¡°I found this, thought I¡¯d double check what to do,¡± Ell said with a smile. ¡°Did you have a chat with Jake?¡±

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Sure, we had a chat about it all. But he¡¯s happy for us to work together on this side of things while he¡¯s busy over there,¡± Drak replied.

    Ell shrugged. ¡°Okay, he¡¯s your business partner. We add the green one to the white one, one-third at a time and make sure it is mixed properly before we add more.¡±

    Drak nodded, clueless. ¡°Go on then.¡±

    He watched as the man gently poured one liquid into the other, stirred it and repeated the process until the content of the vial had turned into a light, misty green shade. Drak took it off him with a big grin of encouragement and took it across the room to Jake.

    ¡°Here we go,¡± Drak said, handing the vial over.

    Jake took it, and studied it for a second. ¡°Nice work.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Drak replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get some refreshments for everyone now, I think.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jake replied, turning back to the worktop with the vial in one hand.

    <hr>

    Drak took drinks to Jake and Ell, who were both now clustered around the one worktop, with Jake explaining what he was doing to the other man. Drak headed back out to the store and was preparing himself a drink when the door opened and Silt came in.

    ¡°Hey Silt, how are you feeling?¡± Drak asked with a big grin. He handed the drink across to her and went back to making himself another one. After all, it was best to be on hand for potential customers while Jake and Ell handled the alchemy stuff back there.

    ¡°Better now, how are you doing?¡± she asked, sipping the drink.

    ¡°Good, much better, thanks,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Asher said you guys had what you need to make some potion or something, I thought you¡¯d be helping with that,¡± she commented.

    Drak shrugged. ¡°Ell wants to learn some basic alchemy, so I left him with Jake to see how the process works. Nothing new there for me, but he¡¯s just a beginner,¡± he lied calmly.

    ¡°Ell¡¯s still here?¡± Silt said, frowning.

    ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t really have anything to go home for and wanted to stick around for a while. We didn¡¯t have the heart to turn him away, he¡¯s an okay guy,¡± Drak replied.

    Silt shrugged. ¡°Whatever, I suppose. Well, I¡¯m here about business as well.¡±

    Drak brightened, hoping that she had a commission or a project that would bring in some coin. When she started to talk, his hope dramatically faded.

    ¡°You guys owe me some coin,¡± she said flatly. ¡°And that job was far more than a simple introduction, so my fee has increased.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Drak said, aghast. ¡°We agreed on four silvers and three coppers.¡±

    ¡°Then you and your partner got us involved with kidnapping, nearly killed in that basement, nearly killed multiple times in the tunnels and then nearly killed by a supposed healer,¡± she replied. ¡°I think that¡¯s worth a lot more.¡±

    ¡°The healer was Ell¡¯s idea!¡± Drak replied. ¡°We had no idea what he was like. And you volunteered to come down to the basement. We didn¡¯t add to our contract with you for that. You wanted to help Roy.¡±

    ¡°And I nearly died on a number of occasions for it!¡± she replied.

    ¡°So did we,¡± Drak replied. ¡°But none of us knew we were going to end up in that situation. But we did save your life several times!¡±

    Silt sighed, sipping her drink. ¡°I guess you did.¡±

    ¡°We should be rewarded for protecting you from certain death,¡± Drak added, pushing his luck a little.

    She glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t push it, dragonkin.¡±

    He gave her another of his best smiles. ¡°Let¡¯s just go with the original price and call it square?¡±

    She finished her drink. ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± Drak replied. ¡°There¡¯s just one problem.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any money. We used everything we had to get what we needed for this potion,¡± Drak said.

    Silt pinched the bridge of her nose as if she suddenly had a bad headache. ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡±

    ¡°But we can pay you back. It might take a few days to raise the funds,¡± Drak assured her.

    ¡°Not like I can exactly take your stock to raise the coins you owe me, is it?¡± she said, shaking her head and gesturing to the empty shelves.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a rough week,¡± Drak said, a touch defensively.

    ¡°Yeah, you can see that,¡± Silt replied. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you a one week extension to raise some coins, but I¡¯m not letting you guys off with it.¡±

    ¡°Does Asher know you are extorting money from his business partners?¡± Drak asked, trying his final bluff.

    Her expression soured again. ¡°I don¡¯t think Asher would describe you as business partners,¡± she replied. ¡°More like employees. Or a pain in the arse.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Drak said. ¡°We fulfilled our bargain with Asher and he was perfectly happy with our services. I¡¯m sure we will work together in the future.¡±

    Silt pushed the glass back towards Drak. ¡°I don¡¯t care. You have one week to find the coins, or you¡¯ll have me to deal with. And Asher isn¡¯t going to stick his neck out for you over me. So don¡¯t let me down.¡±

    With that, she turned and left the store. Drak watched her go, then realised he had no more distraction for avoiding the alchemy work taking place out back and had best go and see what was happening.

    <hr>

    Having killed another twenty-five minutes with important tasks that couldn¡¯t wait, Drak found himself without any other activities he could do, so he headed into the workshop. Ell was sitting back over the other side of the room, reading his newspaper once more. Jake was holding up a large vial of grey-green liquid, studying it in the light.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Drak asked.

    ¡°Great, thanks for your help,¡± Jake replied sarcastically.

    Drak simply grinned at him but didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s done. I¡¯m done. You can get in touch with Borass and tell him to collect it in the morning. And I¡¯m going to bed for about a day or so,¡± Jake replied. He handed the vial to Drak and headed out of the workshop in the direction of the flat above.

    Ell stood up and walked over, bending to study the potion for a moment. ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°Now I put this in the safe and go and find Borass to tell him to come and collect it,¡± Drak said, ignoring the passing feeling of dread that this activity gave him.

    ¡°Want some company?¡± Ell asked but sounded less enthusiastic than usual this time.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Drak replied, crossing to the safe and putting the vial in a stand in it. He locked it and grabbed his waistcoat from the hanger by the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in just a while.¡±

    He walked out of the store and down the short distance to the bar where he had first met Borass. He guessed that he was in place as one of the Jeffs was standing outside the bar entrance, looking every bit the bouncer.

    The man glared at Drak but didn¡¯t say anything. Drak took a deep breath and walked in.

 Chapter 18 - You always need good clothing

    Excerpt from History of Fashion in Hollowcrest by unknown author

    Fashion in Hollowcrest has always been a somewhat vexing and complicated subject for the city¡¯s tailors. Due to the erratic nature of two of the sector lords, Isha the Graceful and Aizamee the Glamorous, trends tend to change very quickly and are not entirely in tune with the seasons. And, of course, these can change at any moment.

    Many followers of fashion will tend to follow one of the two. Another approach is to follow trends within a race. So elf fashion may be popular with elves but also with other species that admire their style.

    As a tailor, there¡¯s the constant need to make a piece of clothing for a client and then a short time later, either remake it or create something entirely different in a short time as these trends change. With the long-lived nature of these sector lords, this doesn¡¯t seem to be something that will change any time soon.

    <hr>

    Jake rolled onto his side and was suddenly aware that someone was in his room. It was that horrible feeling that something was in your sleeping space that you weren¡¯t expecting, easily one of the most unsettling feelings you can get. Especially when you had been in a seriously deep sleep only moments before.

    He didn¡¯t move or open his eyes but instead listened very carefully. He could hear breathing in the room and while he was no expert, it seemed to be faster than he would normally expect from most people. Someone who had been running, maybe. Or someone who was frightened.

    For a moment, he really didn¡¯t know what to do. He was no fighter to jump out of bed and tackle whoever was in his room. All of his alchemy supplies were downstairs and his essence was still recovering from the yesterday.

    ¡°Jake?¡± a croaking voice said uncertainly.

    That made up his mind. He opened his eyes and found himself facing Drak, who was leaning against the wall beside the bedroom door. He was holding his side where he had been injured by the hydra. There was blood on his face and hands, one eye looked swollen and his shirt was ripped.

    ¡°Drak, what happened?¡± Jake said, pushing himself up. ¡°You look like hell!¡±

    ¡°I went to the drop-off with Borass,¡± his partner wheezed.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Well, there were a few issues,¡± Drak said, wincing as he tried to stand up but failed, leaning back against the wall.

    ¡°What kind of issues?¡± Jake asked, a feeling of dread filling the pit of his stomach. Had Borass realised that the potion wasn¡¯t the exact one he had ordered?

    Abruptly, Drak broke out into a massive grin and stood up effortlessly. The blood on his skin and swollen eye vanished and he removed his hand from the wound. ¡°I¡¯m kidding with you. It all went perfectly.¡±

    Jake took a moment to think about what Drak was saying. Then he picked up the book from the bedside table and threw it at his friend. It hit him in the stomach, a satisfying grunt coming from him as it knocked the air out of him for a second.

    ¡°I should do a lot worse to you!¡± Jake shouted, shaking his head.

    Drak was still grinning. ¡°Come on, that was priceless. Your face, you were terrified!¡±

    ¡°Sure I was. We don¡¯t need that homicidal lunatic to come after us for anything. We¡¯ve just nearly killed ourselves this week to make sure he didn¡¯t. So the idea it all went wrong was pretty damn scary!¡± Jake replied crossly. But he helplessly found himself smiling by the end of his rant.

    Drak started laughing and despite himself, Jake joined in.

    ¡°We are clear of Borass,¡± Drak replied when their laughter subsided. ¡°He was happy with the potion and even paid us. So at least we can pay Silt and not have another homicidal lunatic after us for something.¡±

    Jake nodded. ¡°That¡¯s perfect. Now we can get on with life and not have to deal with all of this stuff any longer.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Drak agreed. ¡°Just normal alchemist stuff for us from now on.¡±

    <hr>

    The final job on their list to complete the whole Borass business was to take the money to Silt, so the pair decided to visit Asher¡¯s bar in the hope that she would be there.

    And their guess paid off because when they entered the bar, she was sitting on the customer side while Asher was behind the bar. Both stopped and turned when they entered, Asher giving a wave for them to approach.

    ¡°Drak! Jake! Lovely to see you both again so soon!¡± Asher said, tipping his invisible hat in their direction. ¡°How can I help you both?¡±

    Jake placed a coin pouch on the bar beside Silt. ¡°Actually, we came to settle up with Silt. As promised.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    She appeared slightly surprised and took the pouch, sliding it into an inner pocket without looking inside. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. I really thought I¡¯d have to rob you guys to get the money from you.¡±

    ¡°We pay our debts,¡± Drak said firmly.

    ¡°And thanks again for everything you did to help us,¡± Jake added.

    She nodded and stood. ¡°I¡¯m going home for a while, I¡¯ll see you later, Asher. Guys, catch you around,¡± she added and left.

    Jake prepared to leave as well, but Asher had other ideas. ¡°Want a drink on the house, gentlemen?¡± he asked.

    Jake glanced at Drak, who shrugged. He took the stool that Silt had just emptied and Drak took the one next to him. Asher poured some golden liquid into three glasses and slid two across to the pair. He saluted them, which they returned and all three drank the drinks straight back. The liquid had a pleasant heat to it and a slightly spicy aftertaste that was quite delicious.

    ¡°So there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you,¡± Asher said, placing his glass on the bar. ¡°The gala that I gave you both invites for is coming around quickly. Do you both have suitable attire for the event?¡±

    Jake glanced at Drak again, knowing that he didn''t really have anything that he thought would be suitable for an event of the type he thought it was. ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Drak replied. ¡°I mean, I have great clothes but nothing quite formal enough for an event like this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, you are both young gentlemen starting out in this world. Buying quality clothing is important, but it is understandable you might not have come to the point of purchasing them yet. I¡¯d love to introduce you to my tailor to help,¡± he added.

    ¡°That sounds great!¡± Drak agreed enthusiastically. He did love Asher¡¯s sense of style.

    ¡°Well, I suppose we could take a look,¡± Jake said a little more cautiously, feeling that Asher¡¯s taste in clothing could be a little more expensive than what he was used to paying. Or what they could possibly afford.

    ¡°Come on then, no time like the present!¡± Asher announced.

    Asher led them out into the bustling street. Jake hoped they weren¡¯t going too far as it was going to take a long time with so many people on the street. The elf set off in the opposite direction to their own store and seemed to have a handy knack for finding the gaps in the crowds, which almost moved away as he passed through.

    Jake was also fascinated to watch Asher as they walked. At one point, he took an apple from a seller¡¯s hand and replaced it with a coin, but the man seemed totally oblivious to the swap. He seemed to weave through the crowd, making little purchases, handing things to people and almost entirely without their knowledge.

    After a short walk, they arrived at the store. It read Goldleaf Tailor above the door, making Jake think that the owner was a relative of Asher¡¯s. But the reality was a little different.

    Once inside the store, Asher went behind the counter, took off his waistcoat and put on a blue one. He took off his invisible hat and put another in its place. Finally, he picked up a tape measure and notepad.

    ¡°Okay then, my friends, take a look around and tell me what catches your eye then I¡¯ll give you my professional opinion on whether it suits you and the occasion,¡± Asher said.

    ¡°You¡¯re a tailor?¡± Drak said, surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯m many things,¡± Asher replied. ¡°Bar owner and tailor are just the ones you¡¯ve encountered so far.¡±

    Jake oddly wasn¡¯t as surprised as he could have been and simply started looking around the store. There were lots of very stylish clothes, but he felt they were all outside of their price range.

    Drak selected a few items and had a chat with Asher about them. Discussions faded out when it came to the cost of the outfits, with one amounting to hundreds of gold.

    ¡°I sense a problem, but I think I have a solution,¡± Asher said after a while.

    ¡°We just can¡¯t afford most of this stuff,¡± Jake admitted.

    Asher held up one finger and vanished into the back office. He emerged a short time later with a somewhat dusty clothing case. He put it on the counter and opened it. Inside it was a range of different clothing items.

    ¡°These are old stock,¡± Asher said as if he was somehow swearing at them. ¡°One doesn¡¯t normally recommend wearing out-of-season clothes, but when times are tough, it is an acceptable step to take. Of course, getting in-season clothes as soon as possible should be a priority going forward.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Drak agreed, lifting up a shirt and examining it.

    Jake picked up a pair of trousers and a matching jacket that looked like something he would wear and not feel like a complete fraud while doing it. ¡°I like this.¡±

    ¡°Good choice for out-of-season items,¡± Asher replied. ¡°Very classic and timeless.¡±

    Drak picked a couple of items that Asher pulled faces at before setting on a green three-piece suit and slightly elaborate white shirt.

    ¡°And how much does all of this cost?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°Oh, it doesn¡¯t cost anything. It is out of season stock. I can¡¯t sell it to proper customers. It would simply end up in the rag pile. So you might as well make use of it. If anyone asks, just say you bought it from the Golfleaf last year, but ill health meant you never used it until now,¡± he added.

    Jake gave a little laugh at the elf¡¯s fashion snobbery. ¡°That sounds fair enough.¡±

    Asher took the items they had chosen and carefully folded them, wrapping them in tissue paper and putting them into brown paper bags. He then instructed them on what to do with the clothes when they got home to keep them in top condition and how to prepare them on the day of the gala so they looked at smart as possible.

    The pair thanked him, receiving a tip of his different invisible hat in response and left the store.

    As they rejoined the crowds, Jake noticed how much harder it was to walk back through the bustling streets than it had been when they were with Asher. Finally, they got through the busiest part of the street and to the quieter area nearer their store.

    ¡°Do you think Asher is up to something?¡± Jake asked Drak, voicing his thoughts as they walked.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, inviting us to this gala, giving us free clothes, it just feels like he has a plan and we are somehow involved in it,¡± Jake said.

    Drak frowned. ¡°Nah, he¡¯s just a guy with a coup of businesses who likes to be involved with other business owners. He might send us an odd customer or something, but I doubt there¡¯s anything else going on. After all, we are just average alchemists at the moment and there are loads of them in the city.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Jake agreed, feeling a little silly. ¡°I guess the last few days have made me a little paranoid. Like you say, Asher is just a guy with a couple of business ventures and an eye for making connections.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Drak said confidently.

 Chapter 19 - The Gala

    Excerpt from A Guide to Hollowcrest

    If you want to spot the aristocrats, many of the richest people and maybe even the Queen, then the place to go is Crest Hill. This area of the city sits on an impressive hill almost in the centre of the city. Technically it is between Skystone and Waterrun, but residents will simply talk about it as if it is a city of its own right.

    Of course, unless you have an invite, this isn¡¯t somewhere that you can go and look around. Tourists are not welcome here unless they have a formal invitation from one of the residents.

    Crest Hill is home to most of the largest and most impressive properties in the city. They are almost never available to buy and simply pass between one member of a family and another. Many have been in the same family for generations, passing to the designated heir or the most powerful member of the family, depending on the traditions of the residents. Occasionally, newcomers do manage to acquire property in the area but this is very rare.

    <hr>

    ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± Jake said, staring up at their destination.

    ¡°That¡¯s expensive,¡± Drak replied, adjusting his necktie for the tenth time since they had left the house.

    The pair were standing at the foot of the wide path leading to the gala¡¯s venue, the home of another eld called Lirien Highsong. And it was easily the most impressive house that Jake had seen since he arrived in Hollowcrest.

    The house was mostly six stories high with four towers that reached another storey higher.  The towers were placed two at each end of the building and two at equal distances between them. Rather than the usual squared walls, the building had a more organic look to it as the towers were all rounded in shape. There were also two smaller, thinner towers that were set towards the back of the house.

    A line of people slowly made their way up the path to the main entrance, which Jake and Drak joined the end. Jake kept their invites in hand because they had already been asked to show them three times as they walked from the Loop station. People here in Crest Hill were keen to make sure everyone there was meant to be.

    As they made their way up the path, Jake glanced around. This was a very different part of the city from the areas he¡¯d visited before. The houses were all sizeable and very impressive, he guessed that most with some kind of formal gardens laid out around them. But then, you couldn¡¯t really tell as all of the properties had large hedges or fences that hid them mostly from view.

    They reached the main entrance, a double doorway around twice the height of the usual doors, where a pair of elves were checking invites. Jake held out theirs, which received a long, pointed look before being returned. They were waved inside.

    The first thing Jake noticed inside the house was the massive crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling in the entrance hall. It was definitely the biggest chandelier he¡¯d ever seen and each crystal seemed to sparkle with an almost impossible range of colours.

    ¡°Let¡¯s explore a bit,¡± Drak suggested, gesturing to his left. Jake nodded and they turned in that direction.

    The room to the left of the main entrance hall looked to be some kind of parlour with a range of seats of different sizes spread around the room. A luxurious rug filled the middle of the room, with another smaller chandelier hanging over it.

    The room was filled with a wide variety of different people from all different races. They were all well dressed, with a rainbow of colours on show for all genders. These were people who knew what the fashions of the year were and made sure their clothes matched it perfectly.

    There was a low rumble of conversation in the room with the occasional louder voice or exclamation as conversations became more excited. Most all of the guests had some kind of drink in hand and some were eating small appetizers that must be available somewhere else.

    ¡°Do you know anyone?¡± Jake asked Drak quietly, stepping to one side of the door but staying just inside the room. He was feeling a little overwhelmed among the elite and rich of the city.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Drak replied confidently. He looked around and headed across to where a female Dragonkin was involved in a conversation with a grey haired human.

    Jake watched him go, wishing he had a little of his partner¡¯s confidence in social situations.

    ¡°Ah, a fellow alchemist!¡± a voice said enthusiastically from the doorway. Jake turned to see a stocky gnome dressed in a suit much like his own but a different shade of brown. He was standing on a vine-like construct that raised him up to almost Jake¡¯s eye level.

    Jake smiled. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± he asked, wondering if he had potion spilled on his jacket on something.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The gnome gestured to the jacket. ¡°We alchemists always choose the jackets with the most pockets!¡± he said with a big grin.

    Jake grinned himself, realising that he had chosen the jacket from Asher¡¯s selection for its many pockets without even knowing why he had done it. ¡°I¡¯m Jake.¡±

    ¡°Harvey,¡± he replied, holding out a hand which Jake shook. ¡°First time at one of these events?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still pretty new in the city,¡± Jake said. ¡°I¡¯m here with my friend and business partner,¡± he added, gesturing to Drak.

    As they both looked, the Dragonkin was talking to the female he¡¯d spied across the room, who stood around one head taller than him. But things didn¡¯t appear to be going well. Especially not when she slapped him on the snout and stormed away.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think his approach was viewed favourably,¡± Harvey said with some amusement.

    Drak saw their attention, grinned and shrugged, then moved to the next room.

    ¡°He¡¯s pretty tough-skinned, even for a Dragonkin,¡± Jake said with a smile.

    ¡°Ah, here¡¯s our host,¡± Harvey said, nodding carefully to the elf who had just walked into the room from the door across from where they were standing. ¡°Lirien Highsong is the lord of this manor. I don¡¯t see his wife or their two children, they must be coming along soon.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an elf?¡± Jake observed, not knowing anything about their host apart from his name.

    ¡°Yes, from one of the old families. He was magically powerful enough for a marriage to Lady Highsong. She¡¯s one of the most powerful elven casters in the city and this place is hers. So he¡¯s really only a lord due to marriage,¡± Harvey explained.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Jake agreed, watching the elf move from one person to another, offering a word or shaking a hand. The way that the crowds seemed to part for him to move smoothly reminded him of their walk through Vine Road with Asher to visit the tailor store.

    Harvey continued to point out relevant people in the room as they passed through. He pointed out everyone from wealthy merchants to aristocrats and even people who, like Jake, didn¡¯t seem to quite fit into the gathering. Jake struggled to keep it all right in his head, but it was better than trying to walk around the room and start conversations with random strangers.

    ¡°That¡¯s Flair, she¡¯s a rising star in MENU,¡± Harvey said, pointing to a fire gnassi wearing an elaborate suit and talking to a small group of people. She was wearing an eye-catching fitted long dress with a split down one side in shades of red and orange.

    ¡°MENU?¡± Jake asked, frowning.

    ¡°They are the ones that handle all that weird stuff. You know, the stuff that the Monster Hunter Guild can¡¯t touch due to the laws, but the Bounty Hunters can¡¯t handle?¡±

    ¡°Must admit, I haven¡¯t heard of them, but I¡¯ve only been here a few weeks,¡± Jake admitted. He wasn¡¯t even sure he¡¯d seen a fire gnassi before.

    ¡°That human over there, the thin fellow with the big hat?¡± Harvey continued, pointing to a man in a classic formal suit. ¡°That¡¯s Marcus Philip of the Philip Trading Company. They are one of the biggest merchant companies in Skystone. There¡¯s not much they don¡¯t trade in.¡±

    A slender half-elf dressed in a formal military-style uniform walked past the pair from the main entrance. ¡°That¡¯s Arctorian, one of the commanders of Hollowcrest Army,¡± Harvey said softly. The elf glanced in their direction and the gnome gave him a nod of the head, which the elf returned.

    ¡°Here comes our host,¡± Harvey said softly, nodding slightly to one side.

    Lirien Highsong said something with a bold laugh to the group next to them and moved over to where Jake and Harvey were standing. Lirien had sharp features with deep brown eyes. He had golden hair, worn longer and tied back. He was wearing an elaborate old gold-coloured tuxedo jacket with long tails with a silvery white bell-sleeve lace shirt under it. His trousers were equally flowing with wide legs and silver accent stitching and as he walked, you could see he wore slightly heeled boots that added a little more to his height.

    ¡°Good evening, gentlemen, good to see you here. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met,¡± Lirien said, shaking hands with Harvey and then turning to Jake. He words were slower, almost lethargic, but there was still a strong hint of arrogance in there.

    ¡°Jake Delta,¡± he said, shaking the offered hand.

    ¡°Ah, one of Asher¡¯s strays,¡± Lirien said with a touch of distaste in his tone. ¡°Are you one of his errand boys? But no, you are too skinny for that. I assume you work in his bar, then?¡±

    Jake swallowed his instant reply, deciding that insulting the lord of the manor to his face probably wasn¡¯t the best move at this point. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m an associate of Asher¡¯s. My partner and I run an alchemy business.¡±

    Lirien gave him a long stare. ¡°I¡¯d imagine this is your first time at a gala of this calibre then,¡± he commented snidely.

    Jake resisted another sarcastic urge. ¡°Your wife has a very beautiful home,¡± he commented instead. He wasn¡¯t really sure that was a polite insult for an elf but he had to say something.

    A tiny flicker in his eyes said that the slight jibe had not been wasted on the elf. But his false smile returned almost instantly. ¡°Yes, it is a beautiful house. Have a good evening, gentlemen, I¡¯m sure this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, Mr Delta.¡±

    The elf left them and Harvey let out a sigh. ¡°I hate dealing with these powerful elves, they always come with a powerful attitude,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Want to get a drink?¡±

    ¡°I definitely do,¡± Jake replied.

    They crossed the room and Harvey headed across another room to where the drinks were assembled on an elaborate bar at the far side of the room. He selected a glass of something pale gold coloured and handed one to Jake.

    Jake sipped it and appreciated the flavour, which reminded him a little of caramel. He was about to ask Harvey a little more about himself when he heard some shouting.

    ¡°Something¡¯s going on,¡± Harvey said, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s rare for there to be any trouble at this kind of event.¡±

    The shouting grew louder and seemed to be coming from the other side of the house, across the main hallway from where Jake and Drak had first entered.

    ¡°Should we check it out?¡± Jake said, placing his half-finished drink on the bar.

    Harvey considered. ¡°I guess we should. There could be some good gossip to be uncovered,¡± he agreed, finishing his drink in a single swig.

    They headed in the direction of the shouting.

 Chapter 20 - Into Darkness

    Finding the source of the noise didn¡¯t take much work, as almost everyone seemed to have headed in that direction. Jake and Harvey arrived to see two human men squaring up to each other. Both were shouting and gesturing, although what it was about, it was almost impossible to tell.

    As Jake pushed a little way through the crowd to see what was going on, one of the men drew a sword and the other followed.

    ¡°This is getting out of hand quickly,¡± Harvey commented, following after Jake. ¡°I¡¯m surprised someone hasn¡¯t stepped in.¡±

    Before Jake could reply, the room was suddenly blanketed in darkness. After a few seconds, flickers of light could be seen around the room as people used spells or potions to create some light.

    Jake heard a grunt that seemed to come in the opposite direction to the fight and something collided with him, knocking him off his feet. He shouted out and heard other shouts around the room.

    Then there was a massive burst of light from one side of the room and the darkness was pushed back to find chaos.

    The first thing that Jake saw was Harvey. He was lying on the ground, hands clasped on his chest. For a second, Jake couldn¡¯t make out what he was seeing then it dawned on him what he was seeing. Harvey was dead.

    Jake pushed himself up and across to where the gnome was lying. He tried his pulse on the neck and couldn¡¯t find one.

    The chaos around the room continued to grow. Jake stood up, looking to see if he could see who had killed the gnome or someone in authority to get some help. He immediately noticed that there were another two clusters of people crouched over in different parts of the room. One was where one of the two men involved in the fight was standing. The other was almost on the opposite side of the room from where Jake was standing.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Drak asked, appearing at Jake¡¯s side. ¡°Who¡¯s this guy?¡±

    ¡°Harvey. Did you see what happened?¡± Jake said, realising he sounded a bit shocked.

    ¡°No idea. Looks like he¡¯s not the only dead guy,¡± Drak said, looking around the room. ¡°What the hell?¡±

    At that moment, Lirien Highsong appeared in the sphere of light. ¡°Everyone, calm down!¡± he said, his voice enhanced in some way and instantly cutting through all the noise in the room.

    Almost all eyes turned to him, the noise level in the room dropping considerably.

    Lirien looked around the room, his stare stopping on the MENU operative Flair and then again on the military commander, Arctorian. He called them both to him by name and both moved through the crowds to where he stood. A slight shimmer surrounded them for a moment as someone used an illusion to prevent anyone from hearing their words while a blur covered their lips.

    The trio spoke for a few minutes. ¡°Any light or shadow essence users in the room?¡± Lirien called, his voice returning a little more to normal but still strong enough that everyone could hear him.

    Jake glanced at Drak, who shrugged and raised his hand along with three other people around the room.

    ¡°Come over here,¡± Lirien added, gesturing to his side. ¡°Also, do we have any alchemists in the room?¡±

    Jake raised his hand, as did two other people. Again Lirien gestured for them to approach where he was standing. As he reached the area of effect of the sound dampening field, he felt a slight tingle across his skin.

    ¡°Okay, everyone, this is the situation,¡± Flair, the MENU agent, said as everyone gathered inside the sound dampening field. Her tone was matter-of-fact, as this was clearly the kind of thing she was used to handling. ¡°The wards of the property are raised so nothing can get in or out. We are facing a possible terrorist attack using some form of creature. We have not identified it. We know the darkness is magical in nature and so far, the only two things that push it back are light essence or someone shaping it with shadow essence.¡±

    ¡°We have a few clear objectives,¡± Arctorian said. ¡°One group will go to check out the wards to get a message to the outside world. We need another group to go throughout the house and find the people spread around, bringing them back here to protect them. My men will go with these groups to offer protection.¡±

    Lirien then cast another smaller sound dampening field that encompassed himself and Flair with the three alchemists.

    ¡°Which of you can create Tier 3 potions?¡± Flair said to the alchemists who had stepped forward.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    One held up her hand. ¡°I¡¯m only at Tier 1,¡± she admitted, looking concerned.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, please step outside the field with the rest of the guests,¡± Flair said with a nod. ¡°You will provide accurate information on your abilities. This is a serious situation and there are legal repercussions for not providing accurate details.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to disclose what my abilities are,¡± the second alchemist said with some indignation.

    Lirien turned to the man. ¡°You will tell us what we want to know,¡± he said speaking slowly and menacingly. ¡°This is not a request but a demand. If you don¡¯t want to spend your days rotting in Raven-Grave prison, so answer the question accurately.¡±

    The man opened his mouth as if to argue more, then decided maybe this wasn¡¯t the best option. ¡°Tier 2,¡± he replied petulantly.

    ¡°Then leave,¡± Lirien replied, waving his hand dismissively.

    Attention turned to Jake. ¡°Yes, I can make Tier 3 potions, but I don¡¯t have any gear on me to make it.¡±

    ¡°I have an alchemy laboratory and the ingredients you need,¡± Lirien said.

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have an alchemist?¡± Jake queried hesitantly.

    ¡°I did have an alchemist.¡± He gestured to where Arctorian¡¯s men were moving the three dead bodies to one edge of the sphere. ¡°That would be him. And it seems that the other competent alchemists are also over there. I need to go to look at the wards,¡± Lirien added, looking at Flair. ¡°I need someone to take them to the lab.¡± He began looking around the room for someone.

    A flash caught Jake¡¯s attention for a moment and he looked to see a familiar face entering the light dome. Silt looked pissed, with one arm sheathed in ice while the other crackled with fire, causing the slight flashes that had caught Jake¡¯s attention.

    She was wearing an evening dress with a strap on one side and a short sleeve on the other. It had a full-length skirt with a split mid-way up her thigh to allow for easy movement. Her hair was pulled into a bun at the back of her head. She wore ballerina shoes.

    She also looked a little disheveled, as if she had been fighting.

    She stormed across to where Lirien stood and raised her hand, about to say something. Lirien made a gesture and while Silt¡¯s lips were moving, not a sound came out.

    ¡°She can take you to the lab,¡± Lirien said.

    Silt had stopped ranting, clearly realising no one could hear her. Then she saw Jake and Drak and her frown deepened even more.

    Lirien made another gesture. ¡°Take these two to the alchemy lab,¡± he said to her.

    She glanced at Lirien, then returned her attention to Jake and Drak. ¡°What the hell are you two doing here?¡±

    ¡°Asher¡­¡± Jake started to say.

    ¡°Forget it, I can imagine,¡± she said crossly, shaking her head.

    ¡°The potion is called Shade Lily Lake potion,¡± Flair said. ¡°I will accompany you to protect you while you are making the potion.¡±

    Flair and Lirien moved over to speak to Acrtorian for a moment, then returned to them. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Drak raised a small ball of light that pushed the wall of darkness back to illuminate the area just around where the four of them were walking. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Drak asked Silt as they walked. ¡°And why are you in such a mess?¡±

    She glared at him. ¡°I was attacked, that¡¯s why. Something came at me in the darkness and I only had enough time to defend myself before it was gone again.¡±

    ¡°Did you get a clear look at it?¡± Flair asked.

    ¡°Not clearly,¡± Silt replied. ¡°They were more like an area of the darkness that moved and came at me. They weren¡¯t hard to beat with fire, but there were lots of them.¡±

    ¡°And what are you doing here?¡± Drak asked again, going back to his original question.

    ¡°I live here,¡± Silt replied. ¡°Where else would I be?¡±

    ¡°You live here?¡± Drak repeated in shock.

    She gave him another glare. ¡°Yes, I live here.¡±

    Jake made some quick mental connections. ¡°Lirien is your father.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°And you live here?¡± Drak said again, a little louder.

    ¡°Can you be quiet?¡± Flair snapped, stopping and glaring at Drak. ¡°Where were you when you were attacked?¡± she asked Silt.

    Drak gave her his best smile, which clearly had no effect at all and was about to say something probably that made things worse.

    Flair held her hand up. ¡°Silence,¡± she hissed.

    Ahead of them, there was a patch of darkness that seemed to be darker than the rest of the corridor. Then another, moving closer to them. They didn¡¯t look like anything in particular but more like a bad drawing of each thing.

    ¡°And behind,¡± Silt said quietly, looking into the corridor behind them.

    Flair raised her hands and streams of fast moving flames began firing toward the shadow creatures ahead of them. Each bolt of flame seemed to wrap around the creature for a moment before it vanished. But there were more appearing behind it. And there was no sound, everything happening in eerie silence.

    Silt took aim with her fire essence at the ones behind them. Jake used his water essence to fire pebbles of water at where he thought the head would be and each impact caused the shadow to disperse. But there seemed to be more of them behind them than at the front as if the shadows wanted them to move forward.

    ¡°There¡¯s a turning just ahead on the left,¡± Silt said.

    ¡°They seem to want us to go there,¡± Jake said, turning his attention to the shadow creatures at the front to help clear the way they wanted to go.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be a good thing,¡± Drak said from the middle of the group.

    Flair increased the ferocity of her attacks, but the shadows seemed to increase their numbers to match.

    Then suddenly, they were all gone.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Drak said, turning from one side to the other.

 Chapter 21 - What Could It Be?

    The four looked around, startled by the sudden absence of the shadow creatures. But while their attackers had abruptly vanished, the darkness that surrounded them didn¡¯t seem to have altered at all.

    ¡°Where did they go?¡± Drak said, turning from one side to the other. ¡°And has it gone even quieter?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what happened to me,¡± Silt said. ¡°One minute they were there, next they vanished.¡±

    Flair made a sharp clicking noise with her fingers that sounded dampened to what you would expect and nodded. ¡°And yes, the darkness seems to be deadening the sounds from the rest of the house,¡± Flair said. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving and get to the lab.¡±

    Drak tilted his head to one side and then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s definitely sound dampening.¡±

    She took the lead with Jake behind her, Drak following with Silt at the back of the group.

    ¡°Flair, what do you think is going on here?¡± Jake asked as they walked.

    ¡°I think there are three possible options. Option one is that there¡¯s an adult Skinlurker in the house. Option two is Phantasmal Fear Hunter. Option three is Shade Catcher,¡± Flair replied.

    ¡°A Skinlurker?¡± Jake asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard of them before.¡±

    ¡°They are nasty creatures that can puppet the living. They look like a black ball of wire but can move around freely and use those thin wires to infect the bodies of their targets and puppet them. There¡¯s a connection with darkness essence as well as death and perception essences being common in them. They basically use up the creatures they puppet until they are just desiccated husks and fall apart. They use perception to perceive through the bodies and see through them. They can reach massive sizes and puppet many bodies all at once,¡± Flair said.

    ¡°But would one of them just appear here naturally?¡± Jake queried.

    Flair shook her head. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t their natural environment, they tend to be found in tropical flooded swamps, the closest one to here being the Gloomwoods. Their cores are used as communication components and people capture them for that purpose. The body is used to transmit information. The Shade Lily Lake is one of the ways to kill them but they are pretty tough to deal with, so that¡¯s why having the potion is important. Unless one of you has a death lightning essence in your repertoire?¡±

    Jake shook his head. ¡°No, the potion sounds like the best idea.¡±

    ¡°What about the Phantasmal Fear Hunter? I remember my dad mentioning them once but I can¡¯t recall much about them,¡± Drak said.

    ¡°They are illusion-based magic specialists that use fear, mind and perception to hunt their prey. Males are usually light essence users, while females are dark essence users. So that could explain this unnatural darkness,¡± Flair explained. ¡°They don¡¯t have a set form but can use the worst thing in your mind and project that onto their own appearance. They are always grotesque and frightening. In theory, they could appear here as their phantasmal form means they can travel anywhere.¡±

    ¡°And the potion affects them?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°In a sense,¡± Flair replied. ¡°It has more of a narcotic effect on them, slowing their energies. It can drug them and reduce their essence abilities so that you can disperse them.¡±

    ¡°Could someone have captured it and released it here?¡± Silt asked.

    You could, I suppose. But you would need some specialist things and people, they are constructs, so they are very hard to hold. Plus, it is very hard to disguise that you are summoning one. Dispersing them is the easier option while they are under the effect of the potion. That would be the most likely option for what we are facing, from my experience. One could have formed naturally and snuck in but this seems stronger than I¡¯d expected. But there are easier things to go with than a Phantasmal Fear Hunter.¡±

    ¡°And the Shade Catcher is your least likely option?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°In my opinion, yes. They are alive but not fully physical and that makes them hard to kill. They take the shades from their victims and feed on them. They live in remote corners and don¡¯t tend to migrate around unless forced. If you do force them to migrate, they can be very destructive to the location where they settle. With each death they cause, they chain the shades of their victims,¡± she added. She glanced at Drak and Jake in turn. ¡°Do you know what shades are?¡±

    Drak shook his head.

    ¡°Some kind of monster?¡± Silt suggested.

    ¡°I have a vague idea, isn¡¯t it something to do with fundamental forces?¡± Jake queried.

    ¡°Yes, sir alchemist, you are not wrong, but to keep things simple, a shade is a fundamental part of what makes us alive, in the very simplest form. Shades, for our purposes, can hold a reflection of what you are meant to be, including a small portion of your essence. Shade Catchers don¡¯t just feed off the shade but use them in everything from attacks to defence as well as for food. Not only that, but they gain a small portion of the essence of each shade they consume. Shades are hard to injure for anyone, even a weak essence user. This allows them to create an almost unkillable defence alongside a force that keeps growing. They can put necromancers to shame with what they can do.¡±

    ¡°So one could just be moved in here?¡± Drak queried. ¡°Or someone forced it to move here?¡±

    ¡°Highly unlikely that it would just move here due to the wards around the city, those would pick up if there was one within the city. Someone would have to use a massive amount of resources to conceal it from the wards. Plus, the nature of these creatures means that they would cause destruction on a massive scale. So using one would horrifically backfire on the person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them before but I thought they were just stories to frighten children,¡± Silt commented.

    ¡°And would the potion have any effect on it?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°Not really, but then there isn¡¯t much that does. It acts a little like a large dose of alcohol would to a human. But because they are so devastating, I¡¯m fairly confident that it won¡¯t be a Shade Catcher we are dealing with. But if it is one, send prayers to whatever god you follow because no one will make it out of here and the place will be treated as a plague,¡± Flair told them flatly.

    Silt called out to take the second door on their left.  Flair tried the door but it was locked.

    Impatiently, Silt moved past them and kicked the door, flinging it open with a resounding crunch.

    ¡°Was that a good idea?¡± Jake asked, staring at the slightly battered-looking door.

    She shrugged. ¡°Do you want to stay out here and hang around to get eaten by whatever weird monsters are roaming around the place?¡±

    Jake gave a shrug and followed her into the lab. Inside the room, Drak¡¯s light seemed to have more of an effect, making the room easier to view. Yet Jake glanced back to the doorway, and the darkness was almost a physical barrier. It almost looked like it was seeping into the room, so he gestured to Drak to take a step back towards the hallway. When he did, the darkness retreated a little.

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    ¡°Might be best for you to stay here,¡± Jake suggested.

    Silt moved to a seat just inside the door. ¡°Yep, you keep the darkness out. I¡¯m just going to keep an eye on things from here.¡±

    ¡°The books are over here,¡± Flair said. ¡°Let¡¯s find the information we need.¡±

    Jake joined her and started searching through the books to find the Shade Lily Lake potion.

    ¡°There¡¯s no real organisation in all of this,¡± Jake observed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± Flair replied without looking up from the book.

    Jake returned two books to the shelf and lifted down another large book. ¡°Wow, this is a very expensive book.¡±

    ¡°Does it have what we need?¡± Flair asked.

    Skimming the index, Jake shook his head.

    ¡°Then forget it and keep looking,¡± she replied flatly.

    A few minutes later, Jake paused to read. Flair looked up to see what he had found. ¡°Is that it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No, but this is a really good potion for¡­¡± Jake began to answer.

    ¡°Forget it!¡± Flair snapped. ¡°Monsters, remember?¡±

    Jake gave a slightly sheepish smile and continued to scan through the pages. ¡°Is it me, or are some of these potions a little evil?¡±

    Flair shrugged. ¡°This is a lab belonging to the nobility. Plus, if you weren¡¯t working with me, making this potion might get you arrested. But don¡¯t worry about it. Just keep looking.¡±

    As he reached another section, Jake came across a page that contained what they needed. ¡°This is it,¡± he said, pointing to the information.

    ¡°Okay, here¡¯s what we need,¡± Jake said, turning to Drak.

    Then he noticed that the entire wall with the hallway door in it was coated in ice. ¡°What the hell?¡± he asked.

    Drak shrugged. ¡°Well, I was getting a bit tired, so Silt and I came up with this idea. The logic is that the darkness couldn¡¯t come through the door because it can¡¯t pass through solid objects¡­¡±

    ¡°So I put a chunk of ice in front of the door,¡± Silt interrupted.

    ¡°You froze the whole wall,¡± Jake said.

    Silt shrugged. ¡°It stops the darkness from getting in.¡±

    ¡°That might cause a problem but let me check first,¡± Jake said, looking around the room. ¡°Drak, can you see if there is any Silver Lake water or dark willow sap while I look for the night sky lily. But I don¡¯t have much hope.¡±

    Drak moved away to start searching.

    ¡°Silt, does the house have a storage area for alchemical ingredients?¡± Jaked asked.

    Silt frowned. ¡°Maybe, why?¡±

    ¡°Because the night sky lily definitely isn¡¯t in here.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t even looked yet,¡± Silt observed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to. Unless your father hired a very incompetent alchemist, it would never be stored in here,¡± Jake replied.

    ¡°And why is that?¡± Flair asked, walking over to where Jake was standing.

    ¡°Because it is a pain to store. It has a load of negative reactions with other ingredients and needs to have the right conditions. I¡¯m sure your father has the right place to store it but I¡¯m also sure it isn¡¯t in here,¡± Jake replied.

    Drak held up a vial. ¡°Is this the Silver Lake water?¡±

    Jake gave a quick glance in his direction. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Drak asked, frowning.

    ¡°I¡¯m a water caster, I know that¡¯s not the right water. Try the one to the left,¡± he replied.

    Drak put the vial back and lifted out the one Jake mentioned. He then moved over to a set of drawers and opened one, holding up a vial. It was sap but a different one. He moved further back in the drawer and found one marked dark willow sap. ¡°Got it,¡± he confirmed.

    ¡°I think I know where it will be,¡± Silt said. ¡°But you guys might not like the answer.¡±

    ¡°Go on,¡± Jake prompted.

    ¡°That would be towards the basement. My father has a few storage areas down there that could work for this. Or we could go back to the main lobby and ask him. But I doubt he¡¯ll have a clue,¡± she said.

    ¡°Guess we have to go back out then,¡± Jake said.

    ¡°Hang on, let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves, we don¡¯t need to do this right now, do we?¡± Drak said, holding up his hands. ¡°I¡¯m low on energy here.¡±

    Jake studied his friend for a moment and realised his friend was more nervous than tired. ¡°Do you think your father would mind if we used some of the ingredients here to make the potion a different way?¡± Jake asked Silt.

    ¡°You mean all this expensive stuff? Sure, go ahead and use whatever you need. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t mind,¡± she said with a malicious smile.

    Jake headed back to the bookshelves. ¡°Give me a minute to do a little extra research.¡±

    A short while later, several areas of ingredients were assembled around the room. ¡°You are sure this is okay?¡± Jake asked, gesturing to it all.

    The malicious grin reappeared on Silt¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he would want to spare no expense to make sure this undertaking is successful.¡±

    Jake made up one after another of the potions.

    ¡°Jake, you know you mentioned some of these recipes seem to be a little questionable?¡± Silt called, watching him. ¡°You know that one is technically illegal and that one is just flat-out illegal?¡±

    Jake shrugged. ¡°If I mass produced the Sundrop potion, then sure, it would be illegal. But the size and dose I¡¯m making here aren¡¯t technically illegal. Just a little bit of a grey area. And sure, in most circumstances, the Radiant Ray potion is illegal but there are scenarios where it can be made legally.¡±

    ¡°And those are?¡± Silt asked.

    ¡°Well, two main ones come to mind. Both of them are happening to us right now. One is that a lord and an official of significant rank tell you to make it. The other is to destroy a creature that uses a darker aligned essence such as darkness or death. And that¡¯s definitely happening here,¡± he replied.

    ¡°How do you know this?¡± Drak asked Jake frowning.

    ¡°Because I read the laws that apply to alchemy. You know, the list that we are shown about what potions are illegal?¡±

    Drak nodded.

    ¡°So I read on a bit further, I was curious. You¡¯d be surprised how many exceptions there are to those laws. And every alchemist fantasies about making something interesting¡­¡± Jake said with a shrug.

    ¡°So you fantasize about making illegal potions?¡± Flair asked. ¡°And remembered enough so that if you had the chance to make them, you¡¯d know how you could legally?¡±

    Jake looked a little embarrassed and turned his attention to the potions. ¡°I think we should start making a move, is everyone ready?¡± He looked at Drak.

    Drak pulled a bit of a face. ¡°I¡¯m still a bit tired.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s why I made some light potions to help,¡± Jake assured him.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go then,¡± Drak replied, although his grimace told a different story.

    <hr>

    Tales of the Myphler

    The Myphler had been enjoying a tasty meal after the Dragonkin had brought it into the house. It was enjoying some delicious stone in an easy-to-eat shape. In the corner of its vision, it noticed movement but there didn¡¯t seem to be any reason to be concerned.

    It used the density talking crystal it had left in the Dragonkin¡¯s jacket pocket and located him a short distance away. So it continued to snack.

    Then abruptly, it sensed a new threat in the vicinity. It abandoned the stone and headed towards the Dragonkin. Before it reached him, everything turned dark.

    It stopped and sniffed the air, trying to understand what was happening. The Myphler wanted to get to the Dragonkin and the Earth-shifter as it could get out of this place. It sensed they were in two different places, a distance apart.

    The darkness reduced its vision but the Myphler was pleased that whatever had created it hadn¡¯t the sense to stop the talking crystal. It was glad whatever had done it was stupid! So it continued towards the Dragonkin.

    As the Myphler moved towards the crystal, it noticed that sound, as well as sight, was being reduced. There was something familiar about all of this. It felt like the time that the colony had been attacked, the enemy that had caused so many deaths.

    This time, the Myphler was going to get as far away from this enemy as possible.

    Abruptly, one of the enemy¡¯s shadow creatures appeared in front of it. Ready for battle, the Myphler launched itself at it but it didn¡¯t make any contact. It turned for another attack but before it could attempt it, the shadow attacked. The Myphler raised a small density shield that rebuffed the attack.

    Realising that this worked, it created a density crystal block and propelled it at the shadow. It impacted and the shadow vanished!

    Happy with its success, the Myphler set about continuing its journey, only to realise that the Dragonkin and the Earth-shifter were straight in front of it. It quickly ran up the leg of the Dragonkin to return to its rightful spot and allow them to take it to safety. It had survived an encounter with the enemy for the second time!

 Chapter 23 - Metal and Sound

    Excerpt from Introduction to Metal Essence in Combat.

    A great example of a master of metal essence user is Lord Lirien Highsong who is a sound and stone user alongside metal. Essences in general are most effective when used in a combination spell. Lirien is adept at the use of metal, sound and stone, an unusual combination. Normally people will have metal and sound but having all three and being able to use them effectively is unusual.

    Unlike a classic metal user, where metal would be enhanced with stone essence or used as a primary attack method, Lirien uses metal as an enhancement to his sound attacks. This has proven to greatly amplify his normal form and has revolutionised the use of metal in combatants. Prior to his innovation a hundred years ago, most people didn¡¯t believe that metal could be used as an enhancement but simply as the base of an attack.

    Since this discovery, many more essence users have been able to develop new combat spells inspired by his innovation. The method of combining these essences is now known as the Steel Song.

    <hr>

    As the group was ready to leave the lab, Jake used a little of his essence to ignite the potion he had made and the room instantly became brighter. He held it out in front of him and Flair opened the lab door.

    The light pushed back the darkness in the hallway and she moved outside. After a moment, she gestured for them to follow him.

    They retraced their steps from the earlier trip and it was noticeable that the light from the potion wasn¡¯t as strong as the light that Drak had created. It flickered a bit and seemed to dim a little. But it worked and meant that they could give Drak a break.

    As they walked, Jake could see some of the shadow creatures pressing against the bubble of light he had created with the potion. But unlike their earlier experience, the creatures seemed to have lost some of their vigor. Whatever these creatures were, they didn¡¯t seem as brave or as strong as they did earlier.

    Silt waved one hand, pushing back the shadow creatures even further with a sharp burst of fire. She studied where they had vanished for a moment then shrugged, also clearly surprised at how easily they had been repelled.

    ¡°Is it me, or are these creatures acting as if they were running out of essence or something?¡± Drak asked.

    ¡°Yes, they don¡¯t seem to be as fierce as earlier,¡± Flair confirmed. "But I don¡¯t suppose it is an essence issue. Maybe they are just focused elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Or it could be a ruse,¡± Silt added, her hand still held ready to send more fire if the creatures returned.

    Drak gave a startled shout and Jake spun to see what was wrong with his friend, fearing Silt¡¯s words could have already come true. But instead, he was shocked to see a Myphler sitting on Drak¡¯s shoulder. The same Myphler that had helped them in the maintenance tunnels.

    Both Flair and Silt spun around, ready for action.

    ¡°I see you still have your pet,¡± Silt said, shaking her head.

    ¡°Why is there a Myphler on your shoulder?¡± Flair asked frowning.

    Drak shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, but he¡¯s really cute. Why would you hurt something that looks like this?¡± he added, gesturing to the creature.

    The creature realised it was the centre of attention and tried to hide around the back of his neck. Then it gave a little wave.

    Flair lowered her hand, shaking her head. Silt gave a shrug and flicked her hand towards the wall to disperse the flames she had prepared when she thought Drak was being attacked.

    They continued along the hallway and reached the stairs leading back down to the ground floor. As they got closer, the sounds of fighting could be heard. It sounded far away but with the darkness and acoustic deadening, Jake realised it could be much closer.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Drak said.

    Everyone stopped, trying to better hear what was going on.

    ¡°This might be why those creatures weren¡¯t interested in us,¡± Flair said. ¡°We need to move with extreme caution.¡± She moved to the front of the group and headed down the stairs.

    Jake followed after Silt with Drak at the rear.

    At the bottom of the stairs, the dome of light could be seen and the shifting shadows inside it were visible but what was causing them wasn¡¯t clear.

    ¡°Guys, I think we are being surrounded,¡± Drak commented quietly.

    The shadow creatures were back and were pressing in on them. Silt started using her fire to push them back while Drak forgot about being tired and used his light essence. Jake uncorked another light potion that created a mist he threw towards the nearest creature. The effect was similar to throwing acid, causing the creature to disperse.

    Silt switched to her electricity and ice while Flair covered the other side. ¡°Drak, use your light to push forward, we need to be careful not to harm anyone on the other side of that light dome. Alchemist, watch behind us!¡±

    Jake turned his back on them and used another potion. He also used his water essence and controlled the liquid to use it almost like a whip to flicker from one side of the hall to the other, keeping the shadow creatures at bay. It has a similar effect to the light potion, causing them to disperse. But with each pass of the whip, the effect seemed to be reduced as if the creatures were adapting to the water in a way they didn¡¯t manage with the light.

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    Abruptly he felt a tingling sensation and was back inside the light dome. He turned around to see what was happening.

    In the centre of the room, a group of people was clustered. Around them was a range of people using essences to keep the shadow creatures back from the edges of the dome. Some looked like military types, but others looked like people who simply had the right type of essence for the situation.

    In the chaos, Jake suddenly realised that a fireball from one of the essence users was heading straight toward Drak. He cried out for his friend to duck but Silt saw what was happening. She gestured to some discarded ice on the floor from her attacks on the shadow creatures and quickly turned it back into water before returning it to an ice form as a shield. The fireball hit it with a loud fizzling sound and the ice vanished but so did the fireball.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Drak said, lowering his hands that he¡¯d raised in front of his face instinctively.

    They closed in on the centre of the room where the defenders were throwing everything at the shadow creatures.

    A loud thunderclap shook the room and they turned to see Silt¡¯s father. He was high in the room and was floating down towards the floor. While still above the heads of the defenders, a spray of metal rods flew out from his hands toward the creatures. Drak flinched, feeling the sound-based attack as it spread across the room.

    But the effect was instantaneous and all of the shadow creatures vanished.

    Lirien landed on the floor in the centre of the room with a sharp metallic sound. He looked around, searching for Arctorian, who had been left in charge of protecting the guests.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lirien asked sternly. ¡°Where¡¯s Arctorian?¡±

    There was an uncomfortable silence across the room. A few people moved slightly and a prone figure could be seen. He was breathing but unconscious.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lirien asked again, anger in his voice.

    ¡°There was a little incident, someone hit him by accident,¡± someone said.

    He sighed. ¡°Can anyone wake him up?¡±

    Jake raised his hand. ¡°I have something that will work.¡±

    Lirien looked at Jake for a moment before looking around to room as if to see if there were any other offers of help. When no-one else said anything, he turned back to the Jake and waved him forward. ¡°Very well, wake him up.¡±

    Jake crossed to where the man was lying. He pulled out a healing potion and controlled the liquid with his water essence. Hating what he had to do but having no option, he pushed the potion liquid up the unconscious man¡¯s nostrils.

    Arctorian¡¯s reaction was instantaneous. His eyes snapped open wide and he grabbed his face. He gave a wail and shook his head. Then after a couple of seconds, he looked at Jake and clearly knew what had happened.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, with a nod towards Jake.

    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Lirien demanded as the military man stood up, still a little unsteady.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Arctorian replied, rubbing the back of his head.

    ¡°You were attacked, apparently,¡± Lirien said. ¡°By one of these people.¡±

    Arctorian looked at the group of people around him, his expression dark. ¡°What in the nine hells?¡±

    No-one spoke up to offer more explanation.

    The pressure in the room seemed to increase and Jake noticed a tang of metal entering his mouth. His ears had a strange faint ringing noise, as if metal was being struck by metal. He realised that this was Lirien.

    ¡°It was my fault!¡± a man shouted, holding his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, it was an accident.¡±

    Lirien clicked his fingers and the man passed out, falling to the floor in a pile. ¡°Useless people are not going to help us here,¡± Lirien said, shaking his head.

    He turned to Flair next. ¡°Do you have the potions?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°We need one final ingredient to finish it that wasn¡¯t present in the alchemist lab,¡± she replied. ¡°The alchemist said that the ingredient would be kept somewhere secure due to its nature and Miss Highsong said this would likely be the basement or somewhere only you have access to.¡±

    ¡°What is it that you need?¡± Lirien asked.

    ¡°Night sky lily,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Ah, I think where that may be. But we need to discuss something first,¡± he replied. ¡°Arctorian, Flair, step over here, please.¡±

    Jake watched the three as a sound bubble was erected around them.

    ¡°Can you hear what they are saying?¡± Silt asked.

    Drak shook his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a sound mage,¡± she said, frowning.

    ¡°Yep, but he¡¯s better,¡± Drak replied, gesturing towards her father.

    While no-one could tell what was being said, gestures and body language that could be seen from inside the sound bubble meant it was clear there were arguments. After about ten minutes, the bubble dispersed and the three returned to the main group.

    ¡°You two,¡± Lirien said, gesturing towards Jake and Drak. ¡°Over here.¡±

    Jake glanced at Silt, seeing her expression darken but headed towards where Lirien had gestured. Drak followed but so did Silt.

    Lirien gave Silt a look that was hard to judge, then turned his attention to Jake. ¡°Alchemist, how confident are you at identifying this plant?¡±

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m looking for and what I need to do with it,¡± Jake replied.

    ¡°I hope you do,¡± Lirien said. ¡°Your limited abilities may be needed further after this. And you, Dragonkin, you seem to be the only spare light mage so you can be useful.¡±

    Silt gave a pointed cough and stared at her father.

    ¡°Symphony,¡± he said, using her full name for the first time that Jake had heard. ¡°I don¡¯t require your skills.¡± His tone indicated that he didn¡¯t think much of her skills.

    She glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care, I live here just the same as you and you can¡¯t tell me what to do,¡± she replied. ¡°And I¡¯ve fought these creatures three times now.¡±

    ¡°This is an emergency and I very much have the right to tell you to stay here,¡± Lirien said sharply.

    ¡°Technically, I¡¯m the second-highest noble here,¡± she replied flatly.

    He glared at her for a few moments. ¡°Technically.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she replied, meeting his glare.

    He sighed. ¡°Very well, you may come along but don¡¯t get in my way. Arctorian will also be accompanying us.¡±

    He strode towards the edge of the light dome then gestured for Drak to light up the way. Drak created a light ball and stepped back into the darkness with Lirien behind him.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Lirien said and started walking in the opposite direction to the stairs they had used earlier.

    They walked for a couple of minutes and reached a metal platform. He gestured for them to stand on it and raised one hand. The metallic tang in the air returned and Jake felt himself moving upwards. Lirien used his metal essence to lift the platform up and move them toward the upper levels of the house.

    The platform stopped and Drak¡¯s light showed they were now in a large study. The room was dominated by a large, elaborate desk in front of an equally elaborate fireplace, both made from some type of dark wood.

    Lirien stepped off the platform. ¡°Be ready for combat,¡± he said softly.

 Chapter 24 - One Body at a Time

    Excerpt from Lessons in Combat Alchemy

    Overcharging potions is rarely done due to the significant complexities and requirements. While most people are not aware of the fact that you can overcharge a potion, it is possible but not usually advisable unless you are facing a potentially fatal situation or there is the need for something utterly unpredictable to survive.

    Overcharging potions generally requires two things: one, that you know the essence and ingredients that went into the potion. And two, that your essences match those within the potion. Otherwise, you would need an absurd amount of luck for the process to work.

    You effectively add your own essences into the existing potion, which is why the process is potentially so dangerous. There is a high probability of causing death to yourself rather than to any potential enemy. However, the essence does work to enhance the potion if you have the exact essence types needed to enhance the potion and achieve overcharging.

    If you make an error in essence type or quantities, the potion may have unintended and usually explosive side effects. Therefore it is advisable not to use this method during combat unless you have no other options available to you.

    <hr>

    A flare of electricity from Jake¡¯s left told him that Silt had reacted to her father¡¯s words. But he didn¡¯t immediately notice anything that would be a threat in the room.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s been here,¡± Lirien said softly, stepping down from the platform and into the room. He walked across the room to an area of the wall that seemed otherwise nondescript. He uttered a short spell and a slender door opened slightly with a click that seemed to reverberate around the room for a second.

    Drak used his light to illuminate the space as Lirien opened the door. But what they saw clearly wasn¡¯t what Lirien expected. A dead body was slumped just inside the door.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that one of the merchants?¡± Drak asked Jake quietly.

    ¡°His name is Marcus Philip,¡± Arctorian said. ¡°His company is one of the largest trading companies in the city. Why is one of the city¡¯s top merchants dead in your study, sir?¡± he added, turning to Lirien, his hand raise slightly as if ready to use his essence.

    ¡°Point that spell somewhere else,¡± Lirien snapped. ¡°If I was hiding a body, I would hardly lead you straight to it. I¡¯m not an idiot.¡±

    As they spoke, Drak approached the body. ¡°Hey guys, this guy has a massive cut on his back, not sure what caused that.¡±

    Silt pushed past her father and the military commander, who were still giving each other heavy stares. She bent down beside the body. ¡°Let me see.¡± She studied the corpse for a moment. ¡°If you two care to stop bickering, I think I know what happened here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± Lirien asked, some degree of scorn in his voice.

    ¡°Someone used a skinwalker spell of some sort. That cut is basically the entrance and exit strategy,¡± Silt said.

    ¡°Are you confident in this assessment?¡± Arctorian asked.

    ¡°Yes, I am confident,¡± Silt replied, meeting his stare.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be vague,¡± he warned.

    She shrugged. ¡°But it is the time to quick and unnecessary questions waste time.¡±

    He seemed ready to continue demanding answers but Lirien spoke first. ¡°The better question is, what is he doing in here? How did he know this door was even here?¡±

    Drak half raised his hand. ¡°I might be able to help here,¡± he said.

    ¡°How so?¡± Lirien demanded.

    ¡°I know a tracking spell that could help,¡± he said.

    ¡°When did you learn that?¡± Jake asked, unable to hide that he was surprised by this.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t really a difficult spell and after the issues in the tunnels, I thought I¡¯d learn a spell that could help if we found ourselves in a similar situation,¡± Drak said with a shrug.

    ¡°How useful will it be in this situation?¡± Lirien asked.

    ¡°It should show us what Mr Philip was doing in here, lingering traces of his presence and anything else he came into contact with. It isn¡¯t anything too complicated but it could help,¡± Drak replied.

    ¡°Very well, what are you waiting for? Put it into action,¡± Lirien replied, waving his hand around the room.

    Drak gave one of his beaming smiles that was utterly wasted on the elf. He conjured a small ball of light that had a soft gold and grey glow to it. Around it, there was a slight distortion around it. He raised it higher above his palm, and the area around the merchant¡¯s body became illuminated. Dull footprints appeared beside the body and as the glow expanded around the room, the footprints appeared around the room.

    From the trail that appeared, it seemed that the merchant had been unsteady on his feet before falling into his final resting place. The gait was uneven and footsteps were at random intervals. As well as the footprints, marks appeared on furniture where things had been moved. The impression was a surprising one - things were moved into their current position as if the merchant had gone through a room in disarray and put things back into order.

    Following the trail around the room, Lirien crossed to one bookshelf where there was a cluster of marks from fingerprints. He lifted out a book, flicked through it and discarded it.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°What was wrong with that?¡± Silt asked, frowning at her father.

    ¡°It¡¯s fake,¡± Lirien replied.

    ¡°And what was the original?¡± she continued.

    ¡°Just a journal, not relevant right now,¡± he said, waving one hand dismissively.

    Silt frowned further but left the topic for the moment. ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel that anything has changed, we simply have some more information. We still need to find the ingredient for the potion and see what is causing this. Then the part this plays in things should start to become clearer,¡± Arctorian said.

    Lirien returned to the body and flicked his wrist. In a somewhat macabre move, the metal jewellery on the body allowed him to lift the corpse without touching it. He moved the body to the other side of the room. ¡°Alchemist, can you do something about the blood?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to conserve our essence? The killer might be in there,¡± Jake queried.

    Lirien gave a sneer for a moment but nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    He gestured to Arctorian, who took the lead with Drak behind him with his light. Lirien followed, then Jake and Silt brought up the rear. There was a set of steps just inside the entrance and they followed them down.

    The room they found themselves in was similar to the kind of vault typically seen in a bank. There was a large metal vault door with a circular handle to turn to open it. Lirien flicked his wrist and the wheel spun before the door itself opened smoothly.

    While it looked like a bank vault, it was clearly not designed to hold gold. This was more for items, materials and other items that generally wouldn¡¯t be seen in a bank. But the hole in the ground in the centre of the room was clearly not what Lirien expected to see. It was also obvious that the strange shadow tendril that came through the hole and stretched across the room wasn¡¯t something that was meant to be present either.

    Jake only saw the tendrils for a second before Arctorian gestured. The air distorted in front of his hand in the direction of the tendrils as he used wind essence. Quickly following this, a pulse of ash appeared and formed into ash spikes that launched toward one of the tendrils that had started to move in their direction.

    The tendril was knocked back somewhat but a fainter shadow version still struck ou towards them. Jake felt Silt doing something and abruptly fell to the ground as she created ice on the floor and caused them to lose their footing. Which allowed the tendril to pass over their heads without touching any of them.

    Lirien responded as well, metal rings appearing from beneath his robes and hovering in front of him for a second. Huge shock waves started to form and he pushed both the waves and the rings at the tendrils. But the tendrils seemed to be relatively unaffected by the attacks.

    Silt also threw fire at the tendrils but likewise, it pushed the tendrils back but didn¡¯t destroy them.

    Jake pushed to his feet as Arctorian sent another blast of air toward the tendrils. He backed up a little, and turned to see Drak retreating a little towards the stairs.

    ¡°Drak!¡± he hissed.

    ¡°What?¡± the Dragonkin said with a slightly guilty look.

    ¡°Can you overcharge this?¡± Jake said, holding up the last remaining light potion.

    ¡°What?¡± Drak said again.

    ¡°Shove your light essence into it!¡± Jake snapped. He held it up and Drak focused his attention on it.

    The light levels abruptly increased by a substantial amount. But the trouble was, the tendrils then decided this made Drak the main threat in the door and all started to try to move towards him.

    Jake formed a spell to grab the liquid inside the potion and pushed it with all of his force toward the thickest part of the tendril. The effect with instantaneous, with both the shadow version and the more substantial tendrils smoking and reacting as if they had been doused with acid.

    It recoiled towards the hole in the floor. Silt slammed both her palms into the ground and a thick wall of ice covered the hole as the tendrils vanished beneath them.

    For a second, there was a shocked silence. Jake turned to Silt and realised she was starting to overheat again due to her essence use. He rushed over to her and drew water from the air to douse her. The air in the room instantly became drier, but he kept doing it until she started to show signs of cooling a little.

    A huge impact could be felt and the ice shuddered as the tendrils impacted it from underneath, trying to return to the room.

    ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± Lirien stated, staring at the ice-covered hole.

    Jake helped Silt to her feet and followed Lirien and Drak up the stairs with Arctorian at the rear.  They reached the study and Lirien pushed the door shut.

    ¡°What now?¡± Drak asked, his eyes a little wide. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think there¡¯s going to be an easy potion we can just throw at that thing. You guys tried everything you had and it just kept coming at us¡­¡±

    Lirien sighed and clicked his fingers. Abruptly, Drak¡¯s mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. His eyes got wider and he seemed to be shouting but no one could hear anything.

    ¡°We can continue that conversation later,¡± Lirien said dismissively.

    ¡°Do you have another source of the ingredient?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Lirien said. ¡°But it was stored in something strong enough that could survive a drop down into the lower floor. The problem would be that it would involve going close to those tendrils to get down to the lower level. And so far, none of our attacks seem to have had much impact on them.¡±

    ¡°I think we should return to the main room and plan how to handle this. I imagine that the MENU operative would have some suggestions on how to best handle the situation,¡± Arctorian said.

    Lirien looked somewhat irritated by this, but it was clearly the best option. ¡°Then we should retrace our steps immediately.¡±

    Lirien gestured to the platform they had used to reach the room and everyone stepped onto it. He made another gesture and it returned them to the lower floor. As they walked back to the main room, Jake noted that the darkness didn¡¯t seem as thick as earlier and there were few signs of the shadow creatures. On the other hand, Silt was still too hot and leaned on him as they reached the stairs.

    The main room was quieter and calmer than before. The light essence user who had been maintaining the light dome was resting and another had taken up the job, but it seemed easier to push the darkness back here as well.

    ¡°Has anything happened during our absence?¡± Arctorian asked.

    ¡°No, nothing has happened since you left, although we are missing another one of the guests,¡± Flair replied. ¡°Did you find the ingredient we need?¡±

    Lirien gestured and a sound bubble appeared, enveloping Flair with the returning group. ¡°We ran into a minor issue,¡± he said. He then explained the encounter with the tendrils and what they had tried in order to remove them. He also mentioned the deceased merchant and what they had observed of his strange actions in the study before his death.

    ¡°I thought you said these creatures we were potentially dealing with were small,¡± Drak said to her, having regained his voice. ¡°Those tendrils were wider than a man and nothing seemed to have any power to hurt them.¡±

    ¡°I never said anything about size,¡± Flair replied flatly. ¡°But that does sound like a Shade Catcher.¡±

    ¡°That was the least likely option if I remember correctly?¡± Jake said, frowning.

    ¡°That may be the case, but from what you have described, I¡¯m almost certain it is a Shade Catcher and that means we have very serious problems,¡± she answered.

    ¡°So we know what it is and we don¡¯t need the ingredient after all,¡± Drak said with false enthusiasm.

    ¡°Yes, but the problem is we have no idea how to deal with it now that we know what it is,¡± Flair replied grimly. ¡°I have no idea what to do next.¡±

 Chapter 25 - Extermination Strikes

    Exerpt from City Guidelines on the Use of Extermination Strikes

    An extermination strike is the absolute destruction of a space through all mediums that may be authorised. This includes but is not limited to: space, time, spirit, shade, material, ethereal and extra-dimensional. The use of these measures is considered only in the most extreme cases where there is an imminent threat to the continued existence of the Hallowed Queendom.

    Anyone from Monster Enforcement Null Unit (MENU) can authorise an extermination strike. Alternatively, the Royal Investigators also have the authority to use this option. When this happens, the agent in question must stipulate the reason why the strike must be deployed. Once verified by a secondary force, the strike can then commence.

    Note: In extreme cases, high enough ranking agents can authorise a strike immediately. But this is inadvisable and can lead to severe punishment if it is found to be unnecessary or premature.

    Agents must stipulate the type of strike required, the location where the strike should take place and appropriate casters are then deployed. A minimum of 10 casters are required for the strike. While less can make the strike work, there is a serious risk of death to those involved.

    After a strike is commenced, the target area must be checked to find any survivors who will be detained and studied. If detained individuals are released, they are required to have a thorough mind wipe as a condition of their release.

    For further information, go to the designated archives with the appropriate rank and codes to access examples of previous strikes.

    <hr>

    Flair looked around the room, pausing for a minute. ¡°At this moment, we need to wait and decide on a path to take,¡± she said.

    Arctorian gave her a long stare. ¡°We can simply wait it out. There¡¯s no doubt that very soon, someone on the outside will realise that we are missing and something is wrong here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, some of us are important enough to be missed,¡± Lirien said. ¡°People will be coming here to find out what is going on.¡±

    ¡°We should keep everyone in this room so that there¡¯s less chance that the Shade Catcher can take more victims if we are inside this bubble,¡± Flair added. ¡°The more victims they take, the stronger they get.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try again to send out my emergency signal,¡± Arctorian added, lifting a device from his pocket. ¡°It hasn¡¯t worked so far, but it is worth continuing to try.¡±

    ¡°Alchemist, is there anything else you have in your arsenal that might help deal with the creature?¡± Flair asked.

    Jake had already been considering this but was drawing a blank. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else that I can''t think of that might help. Especially not when we are trapped in here.¡±

    ¡°And the wards are showing no sign of failing,¡± Arctorian added.

    ¡°That at least means the creature is contained,¡± Flair said, giving the military man a stare.

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer not to be trapped inside with it,¡± Lirien said acidly. ¡°Getting out of here needs to be our first concern. Then the authorities can remove this thing from my home.¡±

    ¡°Can I speak with you both for a moment?¡± Flair asked, looking at Arctorian.

    Arctorian nodded and turned to Jake, Drak and Silt. ¡°Step outside the bubble. We will call for you if we require your expertise,¡± he added.

    The two moved away a short distance and Drak raised a sound bubble around them.

    ¡°What do you make of that?¡± Jake asked Silt, hoping she would have some insight into her father.

    She shrugged. ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    ¡°There has to be something else that can be done?¡± Jake said, shocked.

    ¡°What about the light potions? Do you have any more of them?¡± Silt asked.

    ¡°I have a handful left,¡± Jake said. ¡°Flair never mentioned what else might be effective against the creature. So I didn¡¯t have any idea of what else to prepare. I could probably make some potions that might help if I was still in the lab? But I don¡¯t think they are going to let us go back to the lab.¡±

    Standing to their side, Drak slightly cupped one ear with his hand and tilted his head very slightly. He fell silent with Jake and Silt watching him, waiting to see what he was up to.

    ¡°What about here in the house?¡± Jake asked Silt. ¡°There seem to be all sorts of interesting stuff that your father has here?¡±

    ¡°There might be, but I don¡¯t have access to it or even know what it is,¡± Silt admitted.

    Abruptly, he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it; they are talking about an extermination strike!¡±

    ¡°An extermination strike?¡± Jake asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just stay that if we stick around, we will be dead,¡± Silt said, deadpan. ¡°I¡¯m not joking; it isn¡¯t something you walk away from.¡±

    ¡°It kills everyone and everything,¡± Drak said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to be here if they bring an extermination strike on the place.¡±

    Jake felt a chill looking at his friend¡¯s faces.

    ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± Silt said firmly and started to walk towards the main entrance.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t be heading out with all the evil shadow creatures?¡± Drak asked, nervously eyeing the darkness beyond the room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± Silt replied. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, we just need to get out here.¡±

    Jake and Drak started to follow her, unsure where they were going, but happy to follow Silt.

    One of Arctorian¡¯s men stepped in front of Silt and stopped her progress. ¡°Where do you think you are going? Everyone has to stay in this room.¡±

    Across the room, Lirien, Flair and Arctorian emerged from their bubble. The MENU operative and military officer approached the trio.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Arctorian also demanded.

    Silt glared at him. ¡°I know what you are planning¡­¡±

    Arctorian makes a quick gesture towards her and abruptly, her words were stolen and she couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Her eyes widened and she choked as if she couldn¡¯t draw any air into her lungs.

    But that didn¡¯t stop her from throwing a pulse of fire that pushed Arctorian backwards several steps and loosened his grip on her throat.

    At the same moment, the Shade Catcher decided to make another attack on the room. Shadow creatures swarmed around the outside of the light bubble in thicker density than any they had seen so far. Essence attacks bombarded the room and the light users holding up the light bubble cried out in panic.

    In the middle of the room, a rumbling sound filled the air and a section of floor crumbled away. Jake was horrified to see one of the thicker tendrils start to push its way through the space on the floor.

    Panic took the room, people running away from the tendrils but stopping themselves as they reached the barrier with the thick shadow creature swarms on the other side.

    Silt grabbed Jake and Drak and started to pull towards the light bubble. ¡°Drak, start throwing some light up ahead of us! And Jake, get those light potions into action!¡±

    The combination of Drak¡¯s light and Jake¡¯s potions pushed the creatures back somewhat as they passed outside the light bubble. Silt led them along the corridor in the opposite direction to where they had gone earlier. She took a left turn, then another.

    The shadow creatures pushed against the light that Drak and Jake were creating. Essence attacks were now involved in the attacks from the creatures and Jake was forced to use his water essence to repel some of them. Silt used a combination of her fire and ice to do the same.

    After a hectic minute of flight and a few minor injuries, they reached a courtyard. Drak had a gash on one arm, while Jake had a cut above one eye that was dripping blood and obscuring his vision a little. Silt wasn¡¯t physically injured but looked exhausted and her beautiful outfit was in ruins.

    As abruptly as it started, the shadow creature''s attacks stopped. Silt glanced around quickly. ¡°This way,¡± she said, gesturing ahead.

    They crossed the courtyard and reached a gate. Silt raised one hand to the gate but she met resistance and a flash of multi-coloured light expanded from the point. She pushed harder and the light grew stronger but her hand didn¡¯t move any further. She pulled back her hand and punched the ward, but there was no change in reaction.

    ¡°So we are still trapped?¡± Drak stated.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s pretty obvious,¡± Silt replied, shaking her head.

    ¡°Okay, now what then?¡± Drak continued.

    Silt rubbed her temples, her eyes momentarily closed. ¡°I have no idea what else to try and we are probably going to die here.¡±

    ¡°Silt, didn¡¯t you say that your father had some items hidden away here?¡± Jake asked.

    ¡°I did and he does,¡± Silt replied. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±

    ¡°Could any of them kill this Shade Catcher? Or protect everyone inside so we can all survive this extermination strike?¡± he asked.

    She paused, considering what he had said. ¡°There possibly could be, but I don¡¯t have the right access to get at it.¡±

    ¡°It might be possible to get access to places that you couldn¡¯t get into before because of the damage that the Shade Catcher is making. And didn¡¯t Sir Highsong mention the wards were damaged? Could this mean that the wards around the vault could also be damaged?¡± Jake queried.

    Silt looked thoughtful for a minute. ¡°You know, that might work. But that could be a death trap to try it?¡±

    ¡°If the place is going to be destroyed anyway, seems a shame not to try and salvage some of those alchemical ingredients?¡± Jake suggested.

    Silt gave him a hard stare. ¡°Are you trying to rob my house while someone else destroys it?¡±

    Jake gave an awkward laugh. ¡°No! I just thought we could make use of them and save them from being destroyed. Plus, some of the potions I¡¯ve created have warded off the creature and that might give us the opportunity we need to get to something that can actually harm it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go to the lab first and see what we can find there,¡± Silt said. ¡°How are you both doing on your essence levels?¡±

    ¡°Not great,¡± Drak admitted.

    ¡°Me neither,¡± Jake said.

    ¡°Well, shit, that¡¯s not good because neither am I,¡± Silt admitted.

    ¡°If we had an essence potion, that would help, but we don¡¯t have the ingredients. And I don¡¯t have the specialism to make them for all of us,¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°And we can¡¯t really rest here,¡± Drak said, eyeing the shadow creatures that were hovering above them.

    ¡°So we are going to have to sneak back,¡± Silt said. ¡°Do either of you know how to sneak?¡±

    Drak raised his hand and both looked at him, a little surprised.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°Okay, we will just have to do what we can then,¡± Silt said. ¡°We need to get moving now. Let¡¯s go back this way, it¡¯s shorter.¡±

    As they reached the courtyard entrance, Jake lifted out a light potion and shook it. The unnatural darkness pushed back somewhat.

    They moved through a door into what looked like a small staff kitchen. ¡°How do we get back to the alchemy lab from here?¡± Jake asked Silt.

    ¡°Stop worrying, I live here, I know where I¡¯m going,¡± Silt replied sharply.

    As they moved into the room, there was a strange skittering noise ahead of them. She held up one hand to stop them moving and a denser shadow could be seen at the edge of the light bubble. It was slender, almost malformed and seemed to be poking around the room just ahead of them.

    While there were no real details visible, Jake felt that the creature was staring at them. It slowly started to move closer to them then Silt blasted it with a sharp, targeted burst of fire. It scattered away but didn¡¯t seem to be harmed by the fire.

    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Drak observed, staring at the spot the creature had vacated. ¡°Are they getting stronger?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it seems that way,¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°We need to move quickly,¡± Silt said.

    They moved through the kitchen to another, smaller set of stairs. Before, the darkness allowed them to see vague shapes, but it was definitely getting denser and harder to see anything at all.

    Silt led them up the stairs and suddenly, more of the larger, slender creatures started to appear on the floor ahead of them. Silt blasted flames at them again, but the creatures simply dodged to one side. Drak hit it with a blast of light and the creature reacted more but it didn¡¯t disperse or run away.

    ¡°We need to run!¡± Silt said. She took off with Jake and Drak running after her. One creature slashed from the right and Jake felt a icy cold, unsettling sensation as it made contact with his arm. The skin went icy and he felt as if it had torn into him, but he didn¡¯t dare to stop.

    They reached the alchemy lab from the other direction from their earlier visit. All three piled into the room and Drak cast a wall of light in front of the door. Then he staggered and leaned against one of the walls, looking exhausted.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can find,¡± Jake said breathlessly, looking around the room.

 Chapter 26 - It Could Work

    Excerpt from The Alchemist¡¯s Guide to Unusual Potions

    The Half Forest Drake Transformation potion is a Tier 5 potion that uses the following ingredients:

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">? a cup of Shape Changer blood</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">? cup of Forest Drake blood</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">5 scales from each of the main body parts of the drake, ideally the same one as the blood (if not, the effect will be lessened)</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">1 teaspoon blur willow sap</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">? teaspoon Highland Mind Stinger wasp venom</li>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">1 Flesh Weeper flower (stem removed)</li>

    </ul>

    The potion is used for a temporary transformation into a Forest Drake. While the name claims to be ¡®half¡¯ it is not wholly accurate. You turn into a full drake but do not retain most of your faculties, becoming along the same baseline as a standard drake. However, the effect is not permanent after the potion expires. It will give the standard Drake abilities and temporarily increase essences relating to that type of drake.

    By using parts from the same drake, the potion will be stronger and last for longer.

    Be warned: imbibing this potion should only be done if you have a solid grasp of Forest Drake behaviour. It is not uncommon for potion users to attack close allies under the effects of the potion, so precautions should be taken.

    If you are confident in using the potion, the method to create the potion is as follows¡­

    <hr>

    The shades immediately started to bang at the door, so Jake shook off the exhaustion he was feeling and started to check areas of the lab that he hadn¡¯t checked on his first visit.

    Within a few minutes, he had an assortment of alchemical goods on the table, but the news wasn¡¯t great. Many of them were out of date or were in damaged containers that meant they were of no use.

    ¡°Who was this damn alchemist?¡± Jake asked Silt. ¡°This place is a mess.¡±

    Silt paused in the cabinet she was inspecting. ¡°I didn¡¯t know him particularly well but he came well recommended and competent.¡± She crossed over to where Jake had the pile of useless ingredients. ¡°That just doesn¡¯t seem right. Makes me think that someone has tampered with them.¡±

    ¡°Well, none of this is going to help us so far,¡± Jake said, pushing everything to the back of the table to clear space.

    They both went back to the cabinets in the hope that there was something else that could be useful.

    ¡°Drak, want to help?¡± Silt called.

    Drak was standing by the door, back to the room. ¡°I¡¯m watching to make sure nothing gets in,¡± he replied sternly. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you guys while you search.¡±

    Jake resisted the urge to comment that Drak probably didn¡¯t have a clue what half of the stuff was anyway and just continued to search.

    Finally, he found something useful. One bottle contained purified blue mountain water, crystal clear water that had just a touch of blue to it. It looked a lot like normal water but was excellent to add to other water essence materials as it was particularly pure. Beside it was an envelope that contained earthen plain rock dust, another useful base for binding ingredients into pills. It had a subtle greyish-green glow it but it was hard to see it in the low light of the lab. He quickly placed both on the table.

    In the next cupboard, Jake found a cluster of light blossom petals in a small container that was ideal for use in light potions. These petals were bright yellow in colour and had a curved shape that tapered to a white tip. Night hold shavings were in a vial beside it that was often used for dark essence afflictions. These were simple-looking dark grey shavings.

    Across the room, Silt had collected a number of jars, vials and containers and placed them on the table. Jake paused to see what she had found and saw some burn weed, a brown plant that had an almost ember-like glow to it that pulsed to its own rhythm. Jake knew it was great for use in enhancing fire-based potions or anything using heat.

    Beside it was Mage¡¯s Confusion, ideal for flipping essences to their opposite for a short time. It was a singular berry, around the size of a blueberry, turquoise in colour with a rainbow iridescence over it that almost seemed to swirl in the container. That ingredient was impressive as it was hard to source and expensive, but then Jake corrected himself - it was hard to get for normal alchemists, not working for someone like Lirien.

    There were also some five-leaf clovers, something that alchemists used as a stabilising agent. They were the classic green clover seen in gardens around the world but simply more powerful due to their five leaves.

    Jake picked up the Mage¡¯s Confusion berry, studying it intently.

    ¡°Why are you¡­¡± Silt began to ask.

    ¡°Do you know how rare and expensive these are?¡± Jake interrupted. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see one!¡±

    ¡°But is it actually going to help us right now?¡± she asked flatly.

    Jake opened his mouth to answer her, closed it again then tried again. ¡°Well, it might be. And this place is on the verge of being destroyed, so it would be a terrible waste to leave it here and see it obliterated.¡±

    Before Silt could reply, there was a thud from across the room. Both turned to see Drak standing facing into the room, almost as if he was trying to stop them from seeing what he was behind him.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Drak? What¡¯s going on?¡± Jake asked.

    Drak waved a hand with a big smile. ¡°Nothing at all!¡±

    Silt leaned forward and frowned. ¡°Is that the damn Myphler again?¡± she said.

    Sure enough, Drak¡¯s pet was on the bench with the rock dust in its paws. It was mid-way through reaching the packet up to tip the content into its wide open mouth while Drak had both hands on its paws to stop it.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have that,¡± Silt said crossly, moving over to the Myphler and taking the packet from its paws.

    The creature held on for a moment and there was a brief tug of water between the two. Then it seemed to decide that this wasn¡¯t a fight it wanted right now and it let the packet go, giving Silt a long, sad look as she placed it back on the table.

    Silt turned back to Jake. ¡°If it can¡¯t help us now, I will pay you to leave it behind.¡±

    Jake winced. ¡°Silt, I don¡¯t think you have enough money. And they are really hard to find!¡± he replied.

    She placed her hands on his shoulders with a sweet smile that was definitely more terrifying than her usual looks. ¡°Jake, you are going to use everything possible to stop us from dying. Sound like a good idea?¡± she said, menacing.

    Jake nodded quickly. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    ¡°So what can you do with it?¡± Drak asked, still fighting to hold the Myphler in place and stop it from rummaging into any of the other ingredients.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± Jake admitted crossing the room to the large bookshelf that dominated one wall. ¡°Let me do a quick bit of research.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long,¡± Drak suggested, glancing back to the door where the noise from the creatures outside continued to increase.

    Jake flicked through books. ¡°You guys could help. There¡¯s got to be something useful here,¡± he called out.

    Silt and Drak joined him at the bookshelf, the Myphler vanishing into Drak¡¯s backpack once more.

    Behind them, an eerie silence fell on the corridor.

    After what seemed like ages but was really just a few minutes, Drak perked up. ¡°Jake, come and look at this,¡± he said, spinning a book so Jake could see it.

    Jake crossed to the desk and looked at the page, then looked at Drak in confusion. ¡°Drak, do you need eyeglasses?¡± he asked. The description on the page referred to a Half Forest Drake Transformation potion. ¡°We don¡¯t even have half of these things and it is way above what I could create?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a shame. I thought we had the forest Drake scales,¡± he replied.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no forest drake scales in that pile,¡± Jake replied, frowning. ¡°What made you think we had that?¡±

    ¡°Guess I misheard?¡± Drak said with a shrug.

    Jake returned to the book he was studying.

    Silt turned to Drak. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? There¡¯s almost nothing in this potion that was part of the list of things Jake found?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I just wasn¡¯t paying attention. You know, all that essence use. I¡¯m a bit tired,¡± he replied with a wave of the hand.

    ¡°You know I can easily tell bullshit when I hear it, right?¡± Silt replied. ¡°And that¡¯s bullshit if I ever heard it.¡±

    He waved his hand again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! You are looking into it too much.¡±

    Silt gave him a long stare for a few seconds but then decided searching the books was more important and returned to the task.

    Silence fell on the lab as they continued to search through the books. It was broken after another few minutes by Jake.

    ¡°This might just work!¡± he declared, putting one of the books on the desk. The page was open for something called a Solar Bomb Drop.

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Silt asked, studying the page.

    ¡°Okay, so we know this Shade Catcher seems to be light-adverse and affected by similar essence?¡± Jake said. ¡°While I can¡¯t say this will be exactly to recipe, we can use Mage¡¯s Confusion to get a similar reaction to the original recipe.¡±

    Silt was frowning. ¡°I¡¯m no alchemist, but that sounds a bit suicidal, just hoping that it will work?¡±

    ¡°It might work, but let¡¯s face it, we don¡¯t have much of a choice. Anything else I could make with this stuff would be somewhere between pointless and useless. If I could avoid using the Mage¡¯s Confusion, I would but there¡¯s nothing else to work with,¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°How long will it take?¡± Drak asked. ¡°I find this silence creepier than all the noise. I¡¯d rather not hang around too long,¡± he added, a little stress edging into his voice.

    Jake studied the book again for a moment. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take too long, maybe 10 minutes, because we have the five-leaf clovers.¡±

    ¡°Okay, and how long normally, just out of interest?¡± Silt asked.

    ¡°Around three hours?¡± Jake said. ¡°But five-leaf clover is a great stabiliser. Plus, there¡¯s the fact that what I¡¯m making might not even work at all. Assuming what I think will work actually works.¡±

    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Silt replied.

    ¡°Put it this way: give me ten minutes. Either we¡¯ll have something to help solve the problem or we won¡¯t need to worry about the Shade Catcher any longer?¡± he summarised.

    Silt watched as Jake gathered up equipment and supplies. There was a flurry of activity with vials and containers, a small burner for heat and a variety of stirring utensils brought into play. After five minutes, there seemed to be about ten different things happening. But after ten minutes, Jake carefully placed a container of greyish-brown dense powder on the counter. It looked very different to the sparkling gold powder with flecks of white that was shown as an example in the book.

    ¡°Jake, how confident are you in this potion?¡± she asked, bending slightly to better examine what looked like powdered mud.

    ¡°I¡¯m confident enough. Yes, it doesn¡¯t look like the book and you¡¯d be right in thinking it was something different. But I have one more ingredient to add,¡± he replied. He reached out and picked up the Mage¡¯s Confusion.

    He poured the berry into his palm and held his other hand over it. He used a short water cast to remove the liquid from the berry. He let the liquid drop to the floor and placed the dried berry into a mortar and pestle. He ground it for a moment, then poured it carefully into the container. He closed the lid and gave it a little shake. Abruptly, the brown mud was transformed into the golden powder with white speckles that were shown in the book.

    ¡°It worked!¡± Jake announced with a broad grin.

    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Silt said. ¡°Now, what exactly does this thing do?¡±

    ¡°You know what an explosion is? Well, it is like that, only instead of force and heat, it is light essence. Although this isn¡¯t exactly the same and I¡¯m surprised it got this close. But the idea is that it will blast out light and radiance essence. Or at least a blast of light essence,¡± he added, sounding less confident as he spoke. ¡°Actually, those white flecks look more blue than anything. But it will definitely give us a blast of light. And it is best we have.¡±

    ¡°Will it kill the Shade Catcher?¡± Drak asked.

    Jake frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it will kill it, Flair seemed to think there wasn¡¯t much that could. But it will definitely scare it away and possibly injure it enough so that we can get to that stash of hidden items that will let everyone survive the strike. Or maybe even do some real damage to the creature.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s our best plan?¡± Drak asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jake replied firmly.

    Silt sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve recovered some of my essence, so I guess it is time to go then.¡±

 Chapter 27 - To Many Stairs

    ¡°So Silt, how do we get to this treasury?¡± Drak asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m really ready to get out of here.¡±

    ¡°The only way that I know of is where the Shade Catcher has broken into,¡± she admitted.

    ¡°So we have to go through that thing?¡± Drak cried, a look of shock on his face.

    ¡°If we want to get out of here in one piece, there¡¯s not a lot of other options,¡± Silt replied flatly.

    ¡°We have everything that¡¯s useful here,¡± Jake said, giving the lab a final glance around. ¡°I have a few more light potions but there¡¯s not much else here we can put into something useful.¡±

    Silt raised one hand to bring down the ice wall. ¡°Better get ready then.¡±

    The ice wall vanishes and the entrance of the lab was suddenly filled with shadows. The shadows swarmed towards the three of them, so Jake pulled out a light potion and quickly made it into a light whip. Drak followed up with a short blast of ball-shaped light with water and this forced the shadows back even further.

    ¡°Go!¡± Silt called. Jake headed out into the hallway, followed by Drak. ¡°Head back the way we came earlier.¡±

    Jake turned and started to retrace their steps but stopped when a denser shadow blocked the hall. Jake pushed another whip of light at the shadow but this one wasn¡¯t as easily dispersed and almost seemed to push the light whip back at him.

    ¡°Not good!¡± Jake shouted, realising that one of their biggest advantages had just been lost. This shade was much stronger than the ones they had fought on their way to the lab. ¡°Drak, try something?¡±

    Drak stepped forward to try something but the lesser shadows swarmed forward and forced him back.

    ¡°We need to go a different way,¡± Silt said, raising her hand and blocking the hallway with another sheet of ice.

    ¡°If they can handle water, is ice really going to do stop them? Drak asked.

    ¡°It will slow them down,¡± she replied sharply. ¡°If you were an ice or water user, you would understand.¡±

    Drak opened his mouth to ask more questions but Silt raised one hand sharply. ¡°Come on, this way.¡±

    Jake followed Drak behind Silt and glanced around but realised much of the hallway looked the same as the ones they had already been in. The shadows were a little more sluggish under the impact of his light potion as if they were less concerned with their presence than before. ¡°Where are we going now?¡¯ he asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s another route, through the servant''s stairs that can get us to where we want to go,¡± Silt replied. ¡°Takes longer, but there¡¯s no real choice.¡±

    As they walked, whispering and the occasional shout could be heard but it was hard to decide where the noises were coming from. Abruptly, another shade appeared in front of them amid the shadows and pushed the shadows at them. The shade seemed to make a gesture like stamping a foot and Jake¡¯s newly found earth essence awareness made him realise that the shade was trying to bring the walls down him.

    ¡°Look out!¡± he shouted as he rolled to one side to avoid chunks of masonry that were ripped from the walls and thrown at them.

    He tried to shoot another blast of light liquid at the shade, aware that he had momentarily lost track of Silt and Drak. But the shade vanished from the position ahead of him. Just as abruptly, it appeared to his left.

    Drak appeared and hit the shade with a light-boosted punch. The shade staggered back then quickly dispersed into the shadows. The other shadows became sluggish as if they had lost their impetus to attack.

    Silt sent out a burst of electricity into the shadows, which pushed them back even further.

    ¡°We need to keep going,¡± she said, turning off the hallway to the servant staircase.

    ¡°How many flights of stairs?¡± Drak asked, pausing for a moment.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, we need to go this way,¡± she retorted.

    The staircase was less shadow-filled than the hallway and Drak¡¯s glowing fist dispersed the weaker ones while Silt was able to use her electricity to push away the stronger ones that appeared.

    They climbed three flights of stairs before Silt stopped. ¡°We need to leave this stairway now.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Drak asked, slightly breathlessly.

    ¡°Because my father is a prick and the other part of the staircase is masked with an illusion. Come on, this way,¡± Silt replied.

    They continued up two more flights of stairs, with the shadows steadily growing in number. The earth shade appeared as they reached the top of the fifth flight. Or at least Jake assumed it was the same one due to the stamping foot gesture it made and the hail of masonry that showered them.

    Another shade was also in the hallway. Jake tried the light liquid whip at it, but it was clearly the one with water abilities and learned quickly as it held up his whip easier this time.

    Drak stepped up to attack the shade again, but the shadows were too thick.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you use the light potions?¡± Silt shouted at Jake.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a combat caster, they aren¡¯t working the way they did and I don¡¯t know what else to try!¡± Jake shouted back.

    ¡°Jake, toss me one of those light potions,¡± Silt said, a strange look on her face.

    He threw her one of the potions. As she grabbed it, she also appeared to turn into a bolt of lightning and then slammed it into the nearest shade. The shade seemed to almost soundlessly scream and vanished even quicker than when Drak had punched it earlier. The shadows around it stuttered for a moment and Jake hammered them with a blast of light liquid at the remaining shade. It wavered for a second then also dispersed.

    Drak was holding his light shields to keep the rest of the shadows at bay and let out a huge sigh when the two shades vanished.

    Silt returned to human form. She was sluggish, holding one hand that was pierced in several places by shards of glass from the potion vial. She wavered a little, almost looking drunk, and Jake reached out to steady her. She had clearly used way too much essence too quickly.

    ¡°Got to keep going forward. Second turn up there,¡± she said, her words slurred.

    ¡°You sound drunk!¡± Drak said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kick your arse when we get out of here,¡± Silt snarled at him.

    Drak nodded to Jake. ¡°She¡¯s not too bad then.¡±

    She reached out and leaned against the wall for a moment, then started to walk forward. Her ability to walk was clearly okay, but her reaction speed would likely be a bigger problem.

    They reached the second turn that Silt had mentioned. Jake abruptly became aware that the water shade was back and it appeared to be preparing to create a spike of water to attack them with. Before he could reach it, a green gem appeared an elongated diamond shade. A squeak made him look down to see the Myphler had reappeared and seemed to be controlling the gem.

    The gem moved at speed at the shade as the Myphler gave another squeal. The shade didn¡¯t so much disperse this time as exploded, but Jake didn¡¯t think that it was gone forever. They needed something that could kill these things permanently, but he had no idea what that might be.

    Silt turned around, still somewhat unsteady and reaching out one hand to steady herself a little.

    ¡°Look, the little guy has better reactions than you do!¡± Drak called, with a big grin.

    ¡°If we survive this, I will scorch you black,¡± Silt hissed at him.

    ¡°See, even your jokes are weaker,¡± Drak replied.

    Jake sighed. ¡°Drak, give it a break.¡±

    ¡°But she can hardly walk..¡± he began. Until Silt spun and hit him with a solid right hook. He took a few steps back, holding his jaw. ¡°That hurt!¡±

    She gave him a flat stare. ¡°Can the jokes then, or I¡¯ll hurt you even worse.¡±

    They continued to walk and Silt pointed to a final set of stairs. ¡°Up here one flight then through the secret entrance to my father¡¯s study. Then we can head to the treasury and get out of here.¡±

    The final flight leading to the study was eerily quiet, leading Jake to wonder what they would face. They reached the door to the final flight of stairs and found themselves facing a line of shades. The door was blasted by a host of elemental spells but Jake managed to drag Drak back a few steps while Silt threw up another ice wall to block the attacks.

    But the ice wall only lasted a few seconds before being obliterated.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Silt cried. ¡°This thing thinks we are that much of a threat?¡±

    ¡°We do have a potion that could hurt it,¡± Jake said, helping Drak up.

    ¡°We might even be the last people left alive in here,¡± Drak added grimly.

    ¡°I doubt it, I would know if my father was dead,¡± Silt replied. ¡°Just because I know he would be running out of here if he really thought he was going to die.¡±

    ¡°So why hadn¡¯t he left?¡± Drak asked, frowning.

    ¡°Bad publicity,¡± Silt replied.

    ¡°Okay, this is fascinating, but guys, why are we still alive?¡± Jake asked, looking at the entrance where the ice wall had vanished.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Drak asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a whole bunch of shades up there, why aren¡¯t they charging through this open door and attacking us?¡± he replied.

    Jake leaned forward and for a second, the hallway was empty and no shades were in sight. But as soon as he looked around the corner, a number of shades reappeared and a host of attacks were thrown at him. He threw himself backwards to avoid them as the wall behind them exploded.

    The shards of wall bounced back into the room, so the momentary hope that they could escape through the hole vanished.

    Jake turned to Silt. ¡°Are Lirien¡¯s office windows warded?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe so,¡± Silt replied. ¡°He¡¯s sufficiently arrogant to assume the garden wall and his own defences would protect him. Why?¡±

    ¡°So I have a plan, but it might be really stupid,¡± Jake admitted.

    <hr>

    Flair pushed another burst of flames in the direction of one of the shades that were attacking them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t these things have a limit, they just keep coming!¡± Lirien shouted angrily, using a spinning disc of metal to decapitate one of the shades. It vanished for a moment but quickly reappeared just a few inches away.

    ¡°I told you that you need light, radiance, spirit or shade to really do much to these things, so your skills are not very effective against them,¡± Flair replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that,¡± he snapped. ¡°Has that light user awoken yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet, sir,¡± Arctorian replied. He was using his air essence to push back the shadows in tendril format, ripping through the shades and shadows, but they reformed just as quickly as he could force them away.

    Flair could see that many of the remaining nobles and soldiers in the room, even including the three of them, were overusing their essences and getting tired. For a moment, a bunch of the attacking shades abruptly vanished.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Arctorian cried, turning around a little to check the rest of the room.

    Just as suddenly, the shades were back and one launched a bolt of condensed earth at her, which she managed to dodge. Lirien sent out three metal bolts that caused the shades to waver but not to vanish completely. Instead, there was a slight whistling noise, and the shades vanished again.

    Flair used the momentary pause to form a large ball of flame and when the shades reappeared, the others could quickly throw everything at them. This time the shades vanished and didn¡¯t immediately reappear.

    ¡°Do you know the meaning of this?¡± Lirien asked her.

    ¡°Possibly. But it makes no real sense,¡± she admitted.

    ¡°In what way?¡± Arctorian asked.

    ¡°The only reason the shades would vanish was because the Shade Catcher pulled them away to deal with something else,¡± she replied.

    ¡°But aren¡¯t we the only ones left alive?¡± one of the nobles asked.

    ¡°Well, clearly not,¡± Arctorian replied sternly. ¡°And this creature clearly seems to think they are more of a risk than we are.¡±

    ¡°Not enough to keep these shades away completely,¡± Lirien replied.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope they haven¡¯t broken the wards yet,¡± Flair said.

    ¡°But we can still get to the treasury?¡± Arctorian asked.

    ¡°Yes, just along here, there¡¯s a place we can break through the wall and be in the right place,¡± Lirien replied.

    Flair studied where he had pointed to and couldn¡¯t avoid a strange sense of foreboding.

 Chapter 28 - To Banish A Shadow

    Excerpt from "Artifacts of the Northern Kingdoms" by Magistress Elara Windsong

    The Null Heart is among the most enigmatic artifacts documented in recent centuries. First discovered in the ruins of the Azurite Temple over 400 years ago, it appears as an unassuming crystalline sphere when active. Its true power lies in its ability to neutralize or suppress magical phenomena within a limited area, regardless of essence type or potency.

    What makes the Null Heart particularly valuable is its selective nature. Unlike crude anti-magic fields, the Heart can be attuned to specific essence signatures, allowing it to target harmful magical effects while leaving beneficial ones intact. This attunement process requires someone with exceptional essence sensitivity or, more rarely, an alchemist with particular insight into essence interactions.

    Most documented Null Hearts have been expended after a single use, crumbling to dust once their energy is depleted. However, persistent rumors suggest the existence of more powerful variants that can be recharged through specialized rituals. The Archivists'' Guild officially denies such claims, maintaining that all Null Hearts are inherently unstable and consumable by design.

    The few remaining Null Hearts are closely guarded by noble families or high-ranking magical institutions, considered too valuable to use except in the most dire circumstances.

    <hr>

    "So what''s this stupid plan?" Silt asked, still somewhat unsteady on her feet.

    Jake hesitated for a moment. "We''re going to have to use the Solar Bomb Drop to blast our way through to your father''s study."

    "Through the wall?" Drak asked, his eyes widening. "Won''t that just bring the entire house down on us?"

    "Not if we do it right," Jake replied. "I need you to create the biggest light construct you can to distract those shades while I set this up. Can you do that?"

    Drak nodded, though he didn''t look entirely convinced. "I''ll try. But I don''t have much left."

    "And what do you need me to do?" Silt asked.

    "Be ready with fire and ice. Once we blast through, we''ll need to move fast," Jake said. He pulled out the container with the golden powder. "This might not work exactly as I planned, but it''s our best shot."

    "That''s not reassuring," Silt muttered.

    Jake ignored the comment and focused on the potion. "When I say go, Drak, I need you to create your light construct. Push everything you have into it."

    The Myphler chittered from Drak''s shoulder, seemingly understanding the gravity of the situation. It hopped down to the floor and produced another green gem, similar to the one it had used against the water shade earlier.

    "Looks like your little friend wants to help," Jake observed.

    Drak looked down at the Myphler with a surprised smile. "You want to join the fight, buddy?"

    The Myphler squeaked in what they assumed was affirmation.

    Jake took a deep breath. "Okay, on three. One... two... three!"

    Drak raised his hands, summoning what remained of his light essence. A brilliant sphere formed between his palms, growing larger and more intense with each passing second. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pushed the last of his energy into the construct.

    The Myphler''s gem began to glow with an eerie green light, adding its own power to their efforts.

    Jake carefully opened the container and poured a small amount of the golden powder into his palm. Using his water essence, he created a thin bubble around it, suspending it in the air. "Ready?"

    Silt nodded, hands already glowing with fire and ice.

    "Go!" Jake shouted.

    Drak thrust his hands forward, sending the light construct hurtling toward the doorway. The moment it made contact with the waiting shades, Jake propelled the powder-filled bubble forward, aiming for the wall just to the right of the doorway.

    The ensuing explosion was unlike anything Jake had ever witnessed.

    Instead of a simple burst of light, the powder erupted into a cascade of radiant energy, shimmering with gold and azure blue. The wall didn''t just break¡ªit disintegrated, particles scattering in all directions. The shades caught in the blast didn''t merely dissipate; they seemed to shriek in agony, their forms writhing before vanishing completely.

    "Move!" Jake yelled through the dust and debris.

    They charged through the newly created opening, finding themselves in Lirien''s study. The room was partially in shambles, bookshelves toppled and papers scattered across the floor. The merchant''s body was gone, but a trail of dark residue marked where it had been dragged away.

    "The treasury entrance is behind that painting," Silt said, pointing to a large portrait of a stern-faced elf on the far wall.

    Before they could move toward it, the floor beneath them trembled. Dark tendrils began to seep through the floorboards, thicker and more numerous than any they had encountered before.

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    "The Shade Catcher knows we''re here," Jake said. "It''s coming for us."

    "We need to hurry," Drak urged, already heading for the painting.

    Silt reached it first, pulling it aside to reveal a small alcove with an ornate metal wheel. She grabbed it with both hands and turned it counterclockwise. There was a grinding sound, and the wall beside the alcove began to slide open.

    "Get in!" she shouted.

    They rushed into the revealed passageway just as the tendrils broke through the floor completely, filling the study with writhing darkness. Jake slammed the door mechanism shut behind them, hoping it would hold.

    The passageway was narrow and dimly lit by faint blue crystals embedded in the walls. It sloped downward at a steep angle, leading deeper into the house.

    "How much farther?" Jake asked as they hurried along.

    "Not far," Silt replied. "The treasury is directly beneath my father''s study."

    The path leveled out after about fifty paces, ending at another metal door. This one had no obvious mechanism¡ªjust a smooth surface with a small indentation in the center.

    Silt placed her palm against the indentation. "This should work. I''m his daughter, after all."

    For a moment, nothing happened. Then the door glowed with a soft gold light that traced the outline of her hand. With a click, it swung open.

    The treasury beyond was not what Jake had expected. Rather than gold or jewels, the large circular room was filled with pedestals holding various artifacts. Strange devices, ancient books, and crystalline structures lined the walls. In the center stood a raised dais with a single item: a small obsidian box.

    "What is all this?" Drak asked, his voice hushed with awe.

    "My father''s collection," Silt explained. "He''s been gathering these things for centuries. Some of them are family heirlooms, others are... acquisitions."

    "Which one can help us?" Jake asked, scanning the room.

    Silt moved toward the central dais. "This one, I think. My father always kept it hidden, but I''ve heard him mention it¡ªthe Null Heart. It''s supposed to be able to suppress essence-based phenomena within a limited area."

    She reached for the obsidian box, but hesitated just before touching it. "The problem is, I don''t know how to activate it. Or if I even can."

    Jake joined her at the dais. "May I?"

    Silt stepped aside, allowing him to examine the box. It was small enough to fit in one hand, made of polished obsidian with strange symbols etched into its surface. There was no obvious opening¡ªno lid, no clasp, nothing to indicate how it might be used.

    "I might be able to sense something with my water essence," Jake said, carefully placing his palm on the box.

    The moment he touched it, the symbols began to glow with a pale blue light. Jake felt a strange sensation, as if something were reaching into him, examining his essence.

    "It''s scanning me," he murmured.

    "Is that good or bad?" Drak asked nervously.

    Before Jake could answer, the box clicked and split open, revealing a small crystalline sphere inside. It pulsed with a rhythmic light, like a heartbeat.

    "I think it''s working," Jake said, lifting the sphere from its container.

    As soon as he held it in his hand, the sphere began to pulse more rapidly, its light growing brighter.

    Suddenly, the entire treasury shuddered. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and several of the artifacts toppled from their pedestals.

    "The Shade Catcher," Silt said, her face pale. "It''s found us."

    The door they had entered through began to buckle, dark tendrils seeping through the seams. The metal groaned under the pressure, warping and twisting.

    "What do we do with this thing?" Jake asked, holding up the pulsing sphere.

    "I don''t know!" Silt replied, her voice rising with panic. "Maybe break it? Or¡ª"

    She was cut off as the door finally gave way, exploding inward in a shower of metal shards. Beyond it stood not the passageway they had traveled through, but a void of absolute darkness, punctuated only by hundreds of glowing red eyes.

    The Myphler shrieked, diving into Drak''s pocket.

    "Jake, now would be a good time for another brilliant plan!" Drak shouted.

    Jake stared at the sphere in his hand, then at the darkness spreading into the room. An idea struck him¡ªdesperate, probably stupid, but their only chance.

    "The Solar Bomb Drop," he said. "I still have most of it left."

    "You want to set off another explosion? In here?" Silt asked incredulously.

    "Not exactly." Jake pulled out the container with the remaining golden powder. "I''m going to combine it with this sphere. If it''s a null essence device, it might amplify the effect, maybe even permanently banish the Shade Catcher."

    "Or kill us all," Drak pointed out.

    "You got a better idea?" Jake snapped.

    The darkness surged forward, tendrils snaking across the floor toward them. They backed away, retreating to the center of the room.

    "Do it," Silt said firmly.

    Jake nodded, opening the container. He carefully poured the golden powder over the crystal sphere, watching as the two seemed to react to each other. The powder didn''t fall away but clung to the surface of the sphere, forming a swirling, glittering shell.

    "Get down!" he yelled, raising the combined artifacts.

    Drak and Silt dropped to the floor. Jake took one last look at the approaching darkness, then squeezed the sphere with all his might.

    For a moment, nothing happened.

    Then the world turned white.

    A wave of pure light erupted from the sphere, expanding outward in all directions. It wasn''t just light¡ªit was essence in its purest form, a concentrated burst of energy that pushed back against the darkness. The tendrils withered and burned under its touch, retreating with a sound like distant screaming.

    The wave passed through Jake, Drak, and Silt without harming them, but it continued to expand, filling the treasury and beyond, spreading throughout the entire house.

    As suddenly as it had begun, it was over. The sphere in Jake''s hand crumbled to dust, the last of its energy spent. The darkness was gone, replaced by the normal lighting of the treasury.

    "Did it work?" Drak asked, slowly rising to his feet.

    Silt moved to the doorway, peering into the passageway beyond. "I think so. The shadows are gone."

    Jake let out a long breath, his legs suddenly weak. He sank to the floor, feeling utterly drained. "We should check on the others. Make sure they''re okay."

    "Let''s hope my father appreciated our saving his life," Silt muttered. "And his precious collection."

    Drak helped Jake to his feet. "At least we know one thing for sure now."

    "What''s that?" Jake asked.

    Drak grinned, the Myphler poking its head out of his pocket to look around cautiously. "We definitely proved we''re capable alchemists."

    Jake couldn''t help but laugh, despite his exhaustion. "I think we proved we''re very lucky."

    "Sometimes that''s the same thing," Silt said with a small smile of her own.

    They made their way back through the passageway, emerging into Lirien''s ruined study. The house was quiet now, no sign of the darkness that had consumed it. Whether the Shade Catcher was truly gone or merely driven back, they couldn''t tell, but for now, they were safe.

    And, Jake thought as they headed toward the main hallway, after all this, Borass''s commission seemed like the least of their problems.

    The Myphler chittered happily on Drak''s shoulder, seemingly quite pleased with itself. One small paw reached into Drak''s pocket, pulling out a tiny shard of glowing crystal that it had somehow acquired during the chaos. It examined the shard for a moment, then tucked it away, as if saving it for later.

    Some things, after all, were best kept secret.