《Brewing Bad (Fantasy Isekai Light LitRPG)》


 Ch. 1 - It Wasn’t Me!

    Lucas paid the teamster two bits for the ride. He also tipped the man another copper coin. That last one was to make sure that he was as inclined as possible to forget he¡¯d ever seen Lucas with a wink and a nod. In his line of work it was never a bad idea to have friends in low places. After that, he wrestled the small barrel that he¡¯d brought with him off of the cart, careful not to drop it.


    There wasn¡¯t anything unusual about that. Men delivered barrels to bars. It was completely normal. Usually they did it with a whole wagon load of giant casks instead of a single pony keg, of course. Tonight, though, he wasn¡¯t bringing beer or ale like all the other delivery men. He had something a lot more potent.


    Brog¡¯s bar went through at least ten barrels of booze a night. This one little barrel was going to make them both more money than all those others combined, just like the last one had. It was full of something better than booze. It contained a powerful narcotic elixir that he¡¯d spent the day brewing up with his alchemy skill. It was taking the city by storm.


    He was sure that the city guards, the merchants and all the other powers that be would love to know his secret. They''d love to know who it was that produced all the blue in the city. That was too bad. As far as Lucas was concerned, that was a tidbit best kept between him and his wholesaler. He produced the brass key Brog had given him for these deliveries.


    Lucas took one last look around. Then, he unlocked the alley entrance of The Chimera¡¯s Chalice and shoved his very heavy and expensive piece of luggage inside. Once that was done, he locked the thick oaken door behind him.


    With that done, he looked around the room to make sure he was alone and then sat down on his small cask like a stool for a quick breather. ¡°Making this shit is easy, but lugging it around is awful,¡± he grumbled.


    He¡¯d been telling himself the same thing for weeks. As soon as he worked his way up the food chain he¡¯d hire some muscle to handle some of this for him. There was certainly no shortage of that in the bustling city of Lordanin. That said, cheap and trustworthy were almost mutually exclusive. Since he didn¡¯t want to have to deal with the inevitable consequences of cheap, he was going to have to hold off for trustworthy until he had a few more deliveries under his belt and another handful of golden dragons tucked away.


    As he sat there, looking around the dim storeroom, he realized that this would be the perfect spot for Brog to ambush him, but Lucas wasn¡¯t too worried. The man seemed too smart to kill the golden goose, and it wasn¡¯t like there was someone else who could brew blue if the dwarf killed him.


    It was a proprietary mixture that he¡¯d invented. Its ingredients were shockingly close to various low level mana potion recipes. However, he doubted that someone else would stumble across the secret to his little moneymaker without a lot of hard work.


    Lucas had been doing shady shit for a long time. That forced him to become a good judge of character. The way he saw it, as long as the dwarf was making good money, Lucas doubted he¡¯d try anything.


    Still, best not to tempt the man, he decided as he stood up and moved the keg underneath a table and behind a few crates.


    There were the best part of a hundred dragons¡¯ worth of blue ready to be distributed, a few drops at a time. It wasn¡¯t quite as compact as plastic baggies full of crystal he used to sell. Even so, that wasn¡¯t the sort of temptation he wanted to leave in plain sight.


    Once that was done, he walked over and inspected the dwarf¡¯s still, noting with a shake of his head that it still wasn¡¯t doing what it should. He¡¯d tried to get the dwarf to pay him to fix the damn condenser, but the cheap bastard insisted the old ways were best.


    Rough Dwarven Spirits (weak): Purifying agent. Remove 50% of the negative effects of a single reagent.


    ¡°At least it''s good enough for potions,¡± he whispered to himself with a quiet chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s why you only get braggarts and bums in here, man. You want the big spenders, you gotta¡¯ make the good shit.¡±


    That was what he was going to do once he¡¯d sold enough blue to poison a whole herd of elephants, he decided as he walked through the backroom and into the common room like he owned the place. He was going to retire young, get himself a nice tavern, and invent the one thing that this fantasy world really lacked: tequila.


    Hell, once he had that worked out he might really try to shoot for the moon and invent tacos too, so that might take longer. He had no idea where he¡¯d get agave in this world, but he was going to make it happen and open a place like this.


    Well, not this exact place, of course. Brog would live at least another hundred years, and there was no way the dwarf would ever sell.


    Still, he could see himself putting the golden dragons he was slowly stacking up and squirreling away into a little construction project. Lucas¡¯s tavern would be nicer, though, and he¡¯d build it at the other end of the waterfront to attract a slightly classier clientele.


    Despite the tense circumstances, he couldn¡¯t help but smile as he walked through the room crowded with both strangers and familiar faces. There were risks to doing such deals so publicly, of course, but getting beaten and left for dead in an alley wasn¡¯t one of them, and Lucas had no desire to suffer that fate again.


    Not that he was the handsome sort, exactly. Another broken nose wouldn¡¯t do him any harm. Hell, it might even help to distract from his pox-scarred face. That definitely would have stood out in any police lineup back home, but here, it wasn¡¯t as uncommon as he would have thought.


    That, of course, led to the annoying habit where half the guys in dives like this were sitting at tables with god-damned hoods and cowls over their faces like they had a secret identity worth protecting. Lucas couldn¡¯t think of anything sillier.


    Instead, he walked through the room, saying hi to everyone he knew. A few of the regulars even gave him fist bumps after he¡¯d explained to them after one too many drinks that it was a traditional and honorable greeting from his homeland.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin'' about!¡± Lucas said as he exchanged greetings with the men and then called to Bernadenna, the waitress that was strolling by. ¡°Miss, another tankard of your cheapest ale for my finest friends here. One for me, too, when you get the chance, babe.¡±


    He smiled at her, but she only returned a fanged scowl, which was pretty much par for the course. Instead, she looked at him like he was garbage, and was probably about to tell him as much when one of the drunks behind her reached for her ample orcish ass.


    Lucas winced in pain even as she whirled around and clocked him hard enough to send him straight to the sawdust strewn floor. Bernadenna might be a fine woman, but she was for looking not for touching.


    Still, as he walked by the now unconscious man, Lucas decided that the sailor had gotten off lucky. He looked like he was going to be okay when he came to. The last guy, though. He was still eating through a straw. In a world where plastic and blenders were still hundreds or thousands of years in their future, that was even more miserable than it sounded.


    Instead, he kept going until he reached the red-bearded bartender and said, ¡°Let me have a taste of one of your special dwarven brews there, Brog, whaddya say?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t much but it was the secret password that Lucas was supposed to say which meant, ¡®hey, I delivered your shit.¡¯ Even though they¡¯d done this exact song and dance twice before, the man still looked at him with some suspicion in his eyes. That would have wounded Lucas very deeply if he gave a crap.


    He didn¡¯t, though. Instead, he just widened his smile a little and waited.


    ¡°Of course, laddie,¡± the bartender said finally, ¡°but we keep the good stuff in the back room. Oogen will have to go and get it for me.¡±


    Lucas nodded. That wasn¡¯t a surprise either. Unlike Lucas, Brogan could afford all the loyalty he wanted, and in this case, that meant a soul-branded Minotaur to go check on the stash and make sure that the human had delivered what he said he would.


    So he picked out a table with a few empty seats and sat across from a slant-eared motherfucker that he didn¡¯t recognize, and while he waited, Bernadenna brought him his first drink of the night.


    He tipped her a silver for her trouble. That was real money among the riffraff of the chalice. A skilled tradesman might expect a silver a day for his hard work, while a soldier or a laborer might get half that. Neither of those groups had anything on the gold he planned on leaving with, but it was enough to soften the way she glared at him at least.


    While Lucas waited, he pretended he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, but deep inside his own skull, he was already pacing back and forth. Be cool, man, he told himself as he sipped at the warm, dark beer that had nothing on a Corona with lime as far as he was concerned.


    There wasn¡¯t a problem here. There was never a problem at the Chalice. He¡¯d been working with this dwarf for a few weeks now, and things were going smoother than they¡¯d ever gone with the first gang that Lucas had tried to build a relationship with.


    Just like usual, the only problem here was his paranoia. Lucas just couldn¡¯t stop sizing people up and looking for exits if shit went down, and if he wasn¡¯t careful, that was going to be enough to make him seem suspicious.


    Still, not even the lizardman playing dice in the corner or the off-duty guards that were here in the city¡¯s livery almost every night were enough to trip his narc detector any more than usual. It really was just another quiet night down by the waterfront, and he was going to do his best to enjoy it for the hour or so he planned on staying before he went back home to squirrel away the gold coins he was about to be paid out in.


    Things are good, he reassured himself. You just gotta be chill and grind it out. Pick herbs, buy berries, make blue, and repeat. It¡¯s so simple, even you can¡¯t fuck it up. You just gotta grind out a few more deliveries, and you can write your own ticket. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    It was easy to get jumpy with the amount of extra guards he was seeing on the streets these days. Lucas had never flinched at the sight of a gun and a badge, but these assholes wore chainmail, and half of them had halberds. He¡¯d much rather get tazed and cuffed than sliced and diced like a Christmas ham.


    ¡°Hey man, having a nice night?¡± he asked the elf that was sitting across from him, but the elf just ignored Lucas.


    He repeated himself. That was enough to earn another glare and a few words in their musical language that almost certainly meant no Hablo Engles.


    ¡°Yeah, same to you, buddy,¡± Lucas said dismissively.


    Most of the elves he¡¯d run into were like that, and he could see why most people he knew just called them slants. He wouldn¡¯t have minded the clannishness so much, but the fact that as soon as one of them wanted a hook-up, they suddenly figured out how to speak English¡­ well, common, was just the cherry on top of that bullshit sundae.


    Eventually, as his first tankard was getting down to the dregs, Lucas finally started to feel impatient when the owner himself came around to the table with another smaller pewter mug. ¡°Here ye are, Oogen found just what ye¡¯ were lookin for. Enjoy!¡±


    The subtle clink of gold coins in the small but heavy mug was enough to brighten Lucas¡¯s mood immensely. However, as he looked the dwarf in the face to thank him for the very expensive drink, he saw a nervousness there that he didn¡¯t like.


    Brog had been pretty straight with him up until now, and loyalty usually lasted as long as the profits did, but as the dwarf walked away, Lucas couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was about to be screwed. He stood up immediately, prepared to leave, but that was the moment that the front door got kicked in.


    Half a dozen guards in the city¡¯s blue and gold coat of arms burst in through the front door, and at the same moment, a few of them burst through the back door, too. Even as both of those groups appeared, several of the guards standing around the room stood up as well. It was impossible to see this as anything but a setup.


    Suddenly, Brog had gone full Judas, and Lucas was standing there holding his thirty pieces of silver like an asshole. Only he got paid a lot better. He was holding what should have been twenty golden dragons, which were more like 400 silver kings, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    What he did know was that this was a setup, and he was holding the mark. So, without even thinking, he slid the drink across the table so that by the time anyone was looking for it, he was clean, and as his now least favorite bartender was speaking to the guard captain, everyone else was very carefully staring at the table and minding their own business.


    He didn¡¯t blame them. He would have done exactly the same thing if these toughs were in here looking for someone else. They weren¡¯t, though. They were looking for him, which meant he had to switch it up. Lucas was standing there trying hard to pretend to be clueless as he held his nearly empty wooden tankard.


    ¡°You there!¡± the guard captain¡¯s scrawny, entitled lieutenant finally yelled at Lucas. ¡°In the name of the King, I order you to come over here at once.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lucas said, feigning a sudden inebriation. ¡°Whatt are you talkin'' about, occifer? I¡¯m just enjoying my booze and enjoyin¡¯ the scenery. I ain¡¯t done nothing wrong.¡±


    As Lucas spoke, he nodded meaningfully at Bernadenna, who wasn¡¯t so far away. He acted like he was trying and failing to be subtle, and that only increased the scorn in her eyes as she glared at him without any real idea of what he was playing at.


    ¡°We have received a complaint that you are a peddler of poison!¡± the man declared even more loudly. ¡°You and your ill-gotten gains are¡­¡±


    As the cocky man continued to speak, Lucas made it a point to look confused before he made an even bigger show of upending his tankard to reveal only the dregs of his beer. ¡°What¡¯s are you talkin¡¯ about?¡± he asked as guards advanced toward him. ¡°I ain¡¯t got no gains, ill or otherwise. I spent my last coppers on this swill.¡±


    ¡°Those simple lies will do you no good, fiend!¡± the man said, trying to keep control of a crowd that was looking more and more like it was ready to lose the plot. ¡°An unnamed informant for the crown has very clearly identified you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You mean that dwarf? That dwarf narc you got standing behind you,¡± Lucas shot back before the near guard cuffed him across the mouth with his gauntlet. ¡°He was working with the goddamn slant ear, not me!¡±


    Even as the guards grabbed his right arm, Lucas reached out with his left and knocked the drink in front of the other man on the floor. ¡°They were scheming for an hour before you two showed up. I saw the whole thing!¡± Lucas shouted, even as the guards started to drag him toward the assembly.


    No one listened to him, of course; he didn¡¯t expect them to. When that pewter tankard sailed through the air and hit the ground, the gold coins it contained went everywhere, and when that gold jingled and scattered, everyone listened to that.


    For a moment, it was so silent in the common room that you could hear the cracking of the fire. This time, the man who broke it was not the annoying lieutenant but the guard captain himself. ¡°Everyone stay where you are. We are here on crown business and investigating the blue scourge that has begun to ravage our fair city. We¡ª¡±


    Those words weren¡¯t enough to put the fear into the crowd, though, and partway through his speech, everyone was up and scrambling for those coins. Lucas felt for the guy on some level. Gold was a big deal everywhere, even on Earth.


    As much as it was going to hurt his own pocket, he¡¯d basically just made it rain Benjamins, and that wasn¡¯t something a working-class stiff could afford to miss out on. A well-paid craftsman might get paid a silver a day, which would make each of those coins nearly a month''s wages. A common laborer might not even get half that, and even for a sailor, a dragon could buy drinks for months.


    After that, the room descended into chaos, but that didn¡¯t free him from the grip of the guard that was holding onto him tightly. He needed some way to accomplish that, and he doubted that his knife would get through the man¡¯s chain mail.


    Instead, he looked around for a distraction, and the only one he found was the pretty orc-blooded waitress. So, cringing at what he was about to do, he yelled, ¡°Hey, Bernadenna I¡¯ll be out quick, so you make sure your bed is nice and warm for me, huh?¡± before blowing her a kiss.


    A comment like Lucas¡¯s was all it took for the waitress to see red. Bernadenna blushed prettily in embarrassment through her green-tinged skin as she glared at him with rage in her eyes. That was the only warning he got before she swung out in a full-fledged haymaker aimed at his face.


    Lucas was ready for it, though. He ducked, letting her clock the guard that was holding on to him with so much force that his metal helmet rang like a bell as the man fell to his knees.


    If that gold hadn¡¯t been enough to start a proper bar fight. Then that first punch certainly did. As Lucas ducked back and weaved toward the windows, blows were being thrown on all sides, and more than a few people were being stabbed.


    This was all his fault, legally speaking, but he didn¡¯t care. He wasn¡¯t the asshole that had dropped the dime.


    As he jumped up on a table, he yelled, ¡°This isn¡¯t the last time you¡¯ll see me, Brog! We got business later!¡±


    The dwarf glared at him, but rather than shouting anything back that might further incriminate himself, he turned to his Minotaur and whispered a few words and the eight-foot-tall giant came to life. On any other night, that would have been a death sentence right there, but tonight, even Lucas thought it was a stupid decision.


    The monster leaped over the bar and charged toward him. It was true, but it was also charging toward the guard captain, and those twitchy bastards had no way of knowing whose side it was on. So Lucas wasn¡¯t even a little surprised when the mage that had been lingering in his dark robes at the back of their group whispered a few words of power and turned the thing into hamburger, both literally and metaphorically.


    One second, the loincloth-clad enforcer was a six-hundred-pound linebacker bent on turning Lucas into nothing but a greasy stain on the floor. The next, he froze mid-step and begin to unravel, and some invisible impact deflated him like a balloon. While all of that was happening, his limbs bent and broke at angles which should have been impossible. The minotaur was unraveling, even as he began to disintegrate.


    It was messy, but Lucas didn¡¯t stick around to watch. After all, he could be next. Instead, he threw himself out the nearest window, covering his face to avoid getting cut too badly.


    Outside, he found more guards covering the front door, but before they could even figure out what was happening, he was up and running for the nearest alley. Finally, Lucas had one advantage over those over armored assholes. He was a hell of a lot faster than them.


    He darted down an alley one street down to dodge the men on horseback that were starting to give chase. Then he did the same thing on the next street until he found a way up onto some rooftops. That was when he finally hunkered down and pulled out the healing potion he always carried and tried to catch his breath.


    He wasn¡¯t hurt bad or anything, but he had half a dozen small cuts on his hand and at least one good one on his scalp. If he wanted to stop sticking out like a sore thumb, he was going to need to fix that so that he could blend right in again.


    First, though, he had to breathe until his legs stopped shaking, which was harder than it should have been. For some reason, despite the fact that he¡¯d lost his whole batch and been betrayed by the man that was supposed to be his distributor, he couldn¡¯t stop smiling like a jackass.


    ¡°Because they got nothing on me,¡± he crowed to no one in particular before he toasted to the starry sky and drank down half of his potion.


    Tincture of Healing (2 doses): Light healing, euphoria 1, poison 1, endurance +1.


    Technically, it was only a tincture because of how much he¡¯d watered it down. Since he wasn¡¯t trying to sell it, he hadn¡¯t made much of an effort to purify it as much as possible. 1 poison wasn¡¯t enough to even hurt him.


    Lucas lay there in the shade of some poor bastard¡¯s chimney for a few minutes. From there he listened to the sound of guards rushing to and fro on the streets below. There were whistles blowing and boots stomping and a general racket as they searched for him. They¡¯d never find him up here, though.


    He supposed that they could use that mage to track him down if they wanted him badly enough. He doubted he¡¯d left enough behind to make that possible. He¡¯d heard that to track someone you needed a piece of them, or at least something important to them.


    Could they use the keg? he thought to himself. Nah, I only owned that for like a day. It¡¯s all a dead end. This whole thing will bounce back on Brog, and if the guards don¡¯t make that happen, I sure as shit will.


    After all, it was the dwarf that had the shit now, so if they wanted someone to blame, they had him. It wasn¡¯t like they knew where his laboratory was or anything.


    ¡°All that bastard knows is when to expect his shipments,¡± Lucas grumbled to himself as he tried to figure out where he might be vulnerable, but he didn¡¯t think that anyone knew anything else. So, while he¡¯d been burned, it hadn¡¯t been too bad.


    Still, he waited a moment for his most obvious wounds to knit closed, and then he cleaned himself up with a rag and some stagnant rainwater that had collected in a clogged gutter as best he could. It was only after he was well-rested and blood-free that he started looking around to make sure the coast was clear.


    Lucas thought for a moment about ditching his pouch to dump any remaining evidence, but given that the streets were quiet now, he doubted that would be necessary. He just had to act like any other drunk out on the street a little before the first bell, and he¡¯d make it back to his little slice of paradise hidden away in the ghetto just fine.


    Only, that¡¯s not what happened. He made sure the coast was clear. With great care, he climbed down the building¡¯s trellis to the stack of crates he¡¯d used earlier as a ladder. The alley was clear. However, as soon as he turned the corner, he ran right into a pair of guards strolling in the opposite direction.


    For a moment, the two of them stood there looking at him, and he looked at them like a deer caught in the headlights. He was torn about whether he should act natural or run, but as soon as they grabbed for him, he tried and failed to bolt.


    Lucas tried and failed to slip free from their grasp. ¡°You think this is the guy?¡± the shorter guard asked as they wrestled Lucas into submission.


    ¡°Does it matter? He¡¯s a skinny, ugly bastard that¡¯s acting squirrelly. As far as I¡¯m concerned, that¡¯s enough to keep the Captain off our asses for a week,¡± the tall one responded. ¡°So we can either take him in or find someone else; what do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°How much would it take to make you forget you ever saw me?¡± Lucas asked, trying to see if he might find some last-ditch way out of this.


    ¡°How much you got?¡± the tall guard asked, easing up the pressure for a moment.


    Lucas opened up his mouth and volunteered, ¡°I got a few silver but I could¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, that same guard slugged him hard enough with his mailed fist to stun him. Then, they pinned him down and tied his hands behind his back.


    ¡°The correct answer was nothin¡¯, shit breath. You ain¡¯t got nothin¡¯, because we¡¯re going to take it all anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the shorter guard said, ¡°How you gonna bribe us with our own damn money, huh? Explain that!¡±

 Ch. 2 - Making Friends

    Lucas was frog marched back to the scene of the crime where he found the medieval version of a paddy wagon parked in front of the tavern. The Captain looked at him briefly, but didn¡¯t even bother talking to him.


    He just nodded to the wagon, where Lucas¡¯s pockets were emptied, and his belt was taken. Sadly, that included his pouches and his knife.


    He didn¡¯t complain, though. The last thing he wanted them to do was go through all that right here and confirm that he was the guy he was looking for. Instead, he looked around his cage, and he saw that he was in there with three other guys that all kinda looked like him. It wasn¡¯t a flattering picture.


    They all had his general height and build. Even in the dark he could see that the guards had gotten pretty close to the mark despite the fact that guy was a little too tall, and this one was a little too fat to be him. The fact that all of them were wearing manacles only made that resemblance stronger.


    The four of them sat there quietly, and didn¡¯t do much more than exchange looks until the wagon started to trundle down the street. Anyone could guess that they were heading toward the castle, and looking at the wooden-barred wagon, he could see there were only a couple guards accompanying.


    For a moment, he reached for the wire in the sole of his boot that he was pretty sure he could use to pick the manacles, but because there was no way he could do the door too without a dagger or something equally as sturdy, he forced himself to stop. Be cool, man, he cautioned himself.


    That was the fear of what was happening, trying to get him to do something stupid. He couldn¡¯t believe that tonight had played out like this when he was all but in the clear, but now that it had, he had to bide his time and wait for the proper moment. Like everything in life, good things came to those who kept their shit together.


    In the end, he decided that the four of them were all different versions of him. There was real Lucas, homeless Lucas, shifty Lucas, and hardcore Lucas. The first three were self-explanatory, but the last one had been named because, unlike the three of them, he looked like he knew how to kick some ass. Whoever had locked them up had taken away his shield and his sword, but between his breastplate and his dented helmet, he looked like he¡¯d seen some shit.


    The only one to do much talking was Shifty. He tried to ask his fellow prisoners if they knew what the hell was going on, but Lucas just ignored them. Any answer he gave might tip them off that this was all his fault, and he wasn¡¯t in the mood for another beat down.


    Sadly, that was just what was waiting for them at the castle. The guard captain arrived only after his men had been given a few minutes to question them about the events at the Chimera¡¯s Chalice, but Lucas insisted he¡¯d been dragged out of the Drunken Donkey and had never set foot in a place half so fancy as the Chalice. Still, through it all, he rolled with the punches, and after it was done, and he was lying exhausted on the ground.


    ¡°One of you is involved with some very serious business,¡± the captain said with such haughtiness that Lucas had trouble keeping a straight face. ¡°According to our sources, the culprit has invented a whole new sort of dread alchemy. Worse, not only are you poisoning our fair city with it but you have not paid your rightful taxes on this awful product! Speak up, admit your guilt, and we might be able to skip the confessor and dispense with justice directly.¡±


    Hardcore Lucas had been knocked out cold during the tenderizing phase of the interrogation, so all he did was lay there, but the other three Lucases declared their innocence and begged for leniency. Lucas thought he did a pretty good job with that part; he¡¯d lied to the cops plenty before, but when the guards brought out his satchel, his heart sank. Suddenly he was sure he was screwed.


    At least, he was sure that he was until they pointed to the wrong guy. ¡°He had this on him, sir,¡± the tall one said, looking to curry favor. ¡°Or¡­ well, it might have been that one.¡±


    For a moment, Lucas dared not breathe as the guard pointed out the man on either side of him. The captain looked at the man with annoyance.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have told me this earlier?¡± he asked as he looked through the pouch and came up with the tiny flask of blue that Lucas carried in case he needed to demonstrate his product to a new connect. ¡°Very well. Take these two to our resident confessor and see who admits what first. Put these other two in the dungeon until we see if we get what we need from their friends.¡±


    As they dragged Shifty and Homeless through the courtyard, they left Lucas and Hardcore there waiting for their turn. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bad. They didn¡¯t do anything wrong.


    Well - if they looked like that they¡¯d done plenty wrong in this life, he corrected himself, but they hadn¡¯t been brewing any potions. That was for sure. Still, he wasn¡¯t about to stick his neck out for them.


    ¡°Tonight¡¯s your lucky night, gutter scum,¡± the Guard Captain said. ¡°When one of those mutts confesses, you might get off with a few weeks of hard labor instead of spending a date with the confessor or the headman. Is that not merciful?¡±


    The sheer entitlement and arrogance radiating off this man turned Lucas¡¯s stomach, but he swallowed it down and forced himself to smile a bloody smile as he said, ¡°Yes, my lord, thank you for the mercy you show to a poor peasant like me.¡±


    That was enough to make the foul, well-coiffed man smile. It was also enough for Lucas to put his name on a list right there below Brog. He didn¡¯t know how yet, but he was going to make both men pay.


    After all, if their pet torturer had to work through two people, he probably had the rest of the night to come up with a plan. That was more than enough time when he was properly motivated, and right now, he was motivated as fuck.


    The guard captain wandered off once his men returned, and Lucas was content to let them carry as much as drag him through the courtyard and toward the castle¡¯s dungeon while his ribs ached and poorly bandaged right hand dripped blood. He could use the break.


    Since his only choices of entertainment while he was dragged across the courtyard were the back of his eyelids, or whatever was on the ground beneath him, he chose to look at the well-trodden dirt and overgrown stone walls they passed by. Even here, he was surprised to see ingredients he could use if only he could make his way back to his hideout.


    Thornroot (raw): Intelligence +3, dexterity -2


    Red Creaper (raw): Poison 2, weak catalyst (alters the alignment of the lowest attribute in the current mixture.)


    When they opened the door and revealed a set of stone steps that led deeper into the earth, the volume of Shifty¡¯s screams increased, and Lucas found out real quick that the castle¡¯s dungeon and its chamber of horrors were connected by one hall and that they were practically neighbors. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    That door swinging wide was his cue. When it was fully open, he started struggling in their mailed grip once more. He wasn¡¯t trying to escape, though. Even on his best day, he knew that wasn¡¯t happening.


    It was to look good for the other inmates. He knew how this worked better than most, and whoever it was he found down there, the last thing he wanted was to be locked in a room with someone that thought he was a little bitch.


    ¡°You know if you let me take you on one at a time, you wouldn¡¯t have a chance, right?¡± he asked, flailing and squirming as he suddenly showed a little spine for the first time since the Chalice. ¡°You don¡¯t have to treat every occasion as an excuse for a gang¡ª¡±


    The only answer that the lead guard had for that was to bounce Lucas¡¯s head off the wall hard enough to make him see stars before tossing him down and sending him tumbling down the narrow, winding staircase into the tiny cellblock below.


    His manacles jangled and clattered with every bounce, making the whole thing sound worse than it really was. He might not be the best at throwing a punch, but he took one just fine and tucked and rolled with it the whole way down.


    The torch-lit room consisted of only three cells, which wouldn¡¯t have even qualified as a county lockup where he came from. Even so, by the time he was unsteadily rising to his feet, the two guards were already picking him back up.


    ¡°If I want to hear your opinion on anything, I¡¯ll just drag you down to the confessor to see what you have to say between screams,¡± the taller guard threatened, ¡°Until then, keep your mouth shut if you want to keep your teeth until we decide to take your head.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the other guard chimed in. ¡°Hard to eat a last meal with nothing but broken teeth!¡±


    Rather than focus on those grisly threats, he focused on what it was he could do here as he took the room in at a glance. Of the three cells, the one directly in front of him was empty, the one on his left held a single noble, and the one on his right was crammed half-full with several toughs.


    No, he realized as his eyes adjusted to the dark. There weren¡¯t several. There were only two. It was just that one of them was almost as big as Oogen. The crowded cell contained a dwarf happily smoking away on a pipe in the corner, and a giant of a man who had to have at least a little orc blood in him, based on the green tint to his skin.


    The only way they got that dude down here was with magic, Lucas thought to himself. It would have taken ten guards to wrestle him down otherwise, and in this confined space, that was pretty much impossible.


    There was no shame in it, of course. He¡¯d been hit by a sleep spell before. It was harder to resist than any taser he¡¯d ever been zapped with in his former life.


    He didn¡¯t say any of that, though. Instead, he just looked at the guard who was inches from beating him to death, smiled a bloody smile, and said, ¡°Thank you very much, officer. I¡¯m so pleased you got me my own room. That¡¯s extremely thoughtful of you. Please deliver my thanks to his majesty for¡ª¡±


    This earned him another punch to the face that he expertly flinched from. It didn¡¯t have much force behind it, though, because the guard was laughing. ¡°You don¡¯t have the coin for such comfort, knave. But look on the bright side; this is your chance to meet new people. Maybe you¡¯ll finally make some friends as low as you!¡±


    As he spoke, the second guard fetched the big bronze key from its peg at the bottom of the stairs and unlocked the already crowded cell; seconds later, Hardcore was forced inside, and then Lucas was shoved in on top of him.


    That was fine. He might have begged for the pristine briar patch over yonder, but this was exactly where he wanted to end up.


    Alone, he was trapped with only a single option tucked into his left boot, and the only place that would lead to was a relatively painless death.


    While that was better than a date with the torturer, or inquisitor, or whatever it was they¡¯d called the dude causing all the screaming, Lucas had a couple douche bags to kill, a fortune to make, and a pretty orc-blooded barmaid to apologize to. The only way he was going to make that happen was with a minor miracle.


    Since he¡¯d already used up all his bad luck today, he might as well cash those chips in because together with other people, well, they might be able to figure something out. In his book, a long shot was better than no shot at all.


    As the four of them struggled to separate and make room in the corners of the cramped cell, the guards walked back up out of the cells and headed back up the stairs to the courtyard, laughing the whole way. ¡°We drag any more scum out of the city''s gutters today, and we¡¯re going to need to hire more executioners for the weekend,¡± the short guard complained.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± the tall guard answered. ¡°The people love it when we put on a good show. Reminds them who¡¯s in charge.¡±


    Once they were gone and the door slammed shut, silence dominated for those first few uneasy seconds as the strangers regarded each other in the dim light of a single torch. Lucas was obviously at the bottom of the pecking order to start, but he was fine with that. He had his ways.


    He had to work hard to intentionally suppress his smile when the dwarf took a long puff on his pipe and asked, ¡°So, what are ye in for?¡±


    Pipeweed (mid-grade): Euphoria 4, poison 3, strength 1, intelligence -1. Less effective when smoked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a long ass story,¡± Lucas said, leaning back against the wall to try to get comfortable as best he could as he studied his new roommates and the construction of his cell. ¡°Let¡¯s just say business was too good, and eventually, I was making so much money that the crown wanted its cut.¡±


    The dwarf laughed at that. ¡°Aye, I know just how that goes. Truly.¡±


    As they spoke, Lucas studied their cage. The cell was a crude thing with rusting bands of iron riveted together rather than the clean steel bars he was used to.


    There was no way the bit of wire that he¡¯d stabbed into his boot would work on the thick door lock, but he worked it free just the same to get started on his manacles. Just because the door didn¡¯t look especially escapable didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t be breakable if he could get Bruce Banner over there to play ball.


    There were more than a few reagents, too, Lucas noted, though most of them were somewhere between useless and dangerous. Mold flourished in the corners, and beneath the sodden hay, they lined their cell floor, and roots peeked through the cracks in the ceiling.


    Black Mold (raw): Poison 3, pain resistance 2, dexterity -1


    Green Slime (raw): Poison 2, strength -1, dexterity -1


    Widower¡¯s Root (raw): Strength 2, endurance 1, poison 1


    Everyone nodded along as he protested the unjustness of his arrest, and he quickly found out the gist of everyone¡¯s stories. They were all small-time criminals who hadn¡¯t really done anything worthy of a public execution, either. However, because of the rising crime here in Lordanin, the Prince had apparently decided to look like a big man, and he was going to make an example out of them.


    That was almost certainly Lucas¡¯s fault, ultimately, but he wasn¡¯t about to point that out. Not when it was just the right time to play a trump card that should be able to get their attention.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not from around here,¡± Lucas said eventually, trying to up the stakes. ¡°In fact, not long ago, I was a dead man, if you can believe it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a dead man now, lad,¡± the dwarf said. Everyone laughed at that, even Lucas.


    ¡°Yeah, for sure, but like, actually dead. Like I died and went to the afterlife dead. Like this isn¡¯t even my real body dead,¡± he said, enjoying the shock.

 Ch. 3 - Use What You Got

    The questions came all at once after that. How did he die? How did he come back to life? What was the afterlife like?


    It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d told people this story, and he wouldn¡¯t have bothered except for how well it seemed to work at getting people interested in him. It was easier to pretend to be a miracle worker after you¡¯d already talked about a few miracles.


    ¡°How did I die?¡± he asked rhetorically. ¡°Let¡¯s call it an alchemical accident. I was mixing up a big batch of potions, and a sort of fireball spell went off when the city guards tried to arrest me.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t about to explain to them what a meth lab was or why that dumb fucking cop thought it was a good idea to use a taser in a room full of volatile chemicals and flammable gases. The fact that he¡¯d died in a ball of fire had been true enough, though.


    One second, he¡¯d been whipping a big batch of the best crystal in Idaho, and the next, his door was being knocked down. It had been terrible timing because he¡¯d been right in the middle of a cook, and before he could make a run for it, the whole world had caught on fire.


    Lucas had thought it would hurt worse than it did, honestly. He¡¯d been as surprised as anyone to wake up in a place that seemed more like the DMV than any heaven or hell he¡¯d ever read about.


    ¡°Death is interesting,¡± he continued. ¡°But the afterlife? Let¡¯s just say that it¡¯s a very boring place. They try to fix you, I guess you could say so that you will do better in your next life, but fuck that, right?¡±


    ¡°All that matters is that I¡¯ve escaped worse jams than this and built myself up from nothing more than once already,¡± he said, flashing the men who were listening to his story a predatory smile. ¡°So we¡¯re getting out of this fucking pit, no problem. I mean, I am anyway because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going back to heaven to take whatever punishment they want to dream up for what I did last time. The rest of you can come along if you want, though.¡±


    He smiled wider, hoping he hadn¡¯t laid on too thick. ¡°A man can never have enough friends, right?¡±


    He still didn¡¯t understand this damn world. Whoever had created it seemed to make it up as they went along. He had what the locals called a minor gift when it came to alchemy, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. There were all sorts of minor gifts like his.


    Maybe one percent of the people of Annorah had real-life, honest-to-god magic. They could heal kids instead of letting them die. They could use magic to make him confess or pull secrets from his brain.


    That isn¡¯t usually what happened. Instead of doing good deeds, the mages were usually off doing their own thing. That left the guards to use hot irons and rip out toenails and whatever else it was these guys did to get answers out of random guys they picked up from the street.


    Honestly, he¡¯d only interacted with wizards like the one in the Chalice a couple of times, and they gave him the creeps. They had crazy ass powers but they didn¡¯t seem very concerned in using them for the good of everyone, and to this day he still wasn¡¯t sure why.


    He¡¯d rather be in this hole amongst this motley little crew. Sure, they were pieces of shit just like he was, but at least they were honest about it.


    The cell¡¯s giant was named Hura¡¯gh, and he¡¯d been a tax collector¡¯s hired muscle. Other than the glares and the bad breath he didn¡¯t seem to be too bad a guy. It turned out that he¡¯d accidentally beaten a man to death while trying to collect some coin earlier in the week.


    Normally, that wouldn¡¯t have been a capital crime since he was working for the kingdom. Right now wasn¡¯t exactly normal, and the powers that be were looking to make an example out of people like them.


    The dwarf was named Kar¡¯gandin. He was a merchant who¡¯d worked hard his whole life to pay as few of the taxes and tariffs that he owed the crown as possible. When it was his turn to explain why he was awaiting the headsman¡¯s axe he was pretty straight forward. He made no bones about the fact that he¡¯d confessed to everything rather than let the royal confessor pry loose his secrets one tooth at a time.


    He boasted ¡°every deal I made was fair enough, but over the years, I managed to get away with keeping the crown¡¯s cut almost every time. I¡¯ll bet I earned my own weight in gold like that before it finally caught up with me.¡±


    That just left Hardcore, and unfortunately, he was still out with a concussion on the floor. Lucas knew nothing about the man to share with his new cellmates. He seemed like a scrapper to Lucas, and he felt a little bad he didn¡¯t have a single healing potion on his person to help the guy out. After all, a three-man crew was well enough, but a four-man crew would have been even better once they¡¯d figured out how to escape and the guards sounded the alarm.


    For a time, Lucas thought that the dwarf should have been in the other cell with the nobleman. However, the longer he talked, the clearer it was that he¡¯d done more than embezzle and fail to pay his taxes. The man definitely had blood on his hands.


    In the end, the only person that didn¡¯t fit the pattern was the Viscount across the way. Lord Parin was rather tight-lipped about why it was that he was down here, so the three of them made a game for the next half hour, trying to guess what it was. It was valuable time, and Lucas didn¡¯t exactly want to waste it. Not with the occasional scream coming from down the hall, but nothing brought a group together like finding someone who thought they were better than them to mock, so in the end he didn¡¯t rush things.


    In the process, they came up with ever more shameful reasons for why one of the cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me of the kingdom was about to meet the headsman¡¯s axe along with a mob of his inferiors. Theft, affairs, buggery, drug addiction, cowardice, and even unsavory acts with barnyard animals all made their appearance to the man¡¯s obvious distaste. When he stopped reacting to their odious stories, though, the game quickly lost its appeal.


    Finally, the little Lord said, ¡°You can hear what it is I¡¯m guilty of when they read the charges to the baying crowd but know that those are just the excuses, not the reason.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Lucas nodded, ¡°Well, I¡¯m your one chance to avoid getting your head chopped off tomorrow or the day after or whenever they decide to do it, and if you want to get out of here with us, I¡¯m going to need two things from you.¡±


    ¡°As if a battered runt like you could get us out of this hole,¡± the Viscount laughed. ¡°If I still had my fortune, I¡¯d bet¡­¡±


    His words died away as Lucas lifted his arms to reveal that his manacles had been removed. ¡°Sounds like you lose a lot of bets, man,¡± Lucas snarked as he turned to the half-orc. He started trying to unlock the hulk¡¯s manacles with the same bent piece of wire he¡¯d turned into a makeshift lockpick in order to keep working on building up some goodwill before he told them his plan.


    ¡°How did you¡­¡± the noble gasped.


    ¡°It¡¯s called sleight of hand, and someday when you guys invent that shit, it¡¯s going to be fire, trust me,¡± Lucas chuckled coldly, ¡°So you can either tell us your story and join the crew or you can do the honorable thing and wait patiently for your final appointment. The choice is yours.¡±


    ¡°Getting free of manacles isn¡¯t going to get you out of that cage,¡± Lord Parin shot back coldly. ¡°There¡¯s still two locked doors and a castle full of guards between you and freedom.¡±


    ¡°Easy,¡± Lucas answered, not bothering to elaborate as he moved on to the dwarf.


    ¡°What¡¯s the second thing you need, anyway?¡± the noble asked.


    ¡°Besides your story?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just going to need your flask.¡±


    ¡°My what?¡± the man asked, playing dumb. He was a terrible liar.


    ¡°You know. The thing with your¡­ I¡¯m going to say brandy, but we can call it a medicinal herbal tonic if you prefer. Whatever gets you through the night.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± the man started to say, but Lucas interrupted.


    ¡°I can smell it on you, even over the scent of Mister Smokey here,¡± Lucas smiled as he turned to the dwarf, ¡°no offense.¡±


    The dwarf shrugged indifferently as he took another puff, but Hura¡¯gh snarled. ¡°You holding out on us, rich man?!¡± he bellowed loud enough that the guards had certainly heard it, not that it mattered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, man. Be cool¡­¡± Lucas told his angry friend. ¡°He¡¯ll contribute to the cause. Lord fancy pants over there might be too good to tell stories with the rest of us, but he wants to live, too. You can see it in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I had a flask, and I was willing to contribute it to your little cause,¡± the Viscount said. ¡°What then? How does that open these doors to freedom? Past the guards, there¡¯s a city full of men that would tell the guards exactly where any of us are for a few pence.¡±


    ¡°You want the whole plan?¡± Lucus smirked. ¡°Okay. Here it is. I¡­ let¡¯s say I have a friend, who¡¯s a gifted alchemist, and he¡¯s taught me a few things. I¡¯m going to take your flask to distill and isolate a few ingredients and make our friend here a strength potion. Then he¡¯s going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Even with a strength potion, a half-orc isn¡¯t strong enough to rip that door off its hinges,¡± the noble laughed.


    ¡°No shit, Sherlock,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°You think this is my first jailbreak? He¡¯s plenty strong to bend the bars down here at the bottom where they¡¯re rusted. Then our friend Mister Kar¡¯gandin will crawl out, fetch the key, and unlock the doors. After that, we go upstairs to the cabinet where we¡¯re keeping our shit; I get my hands on a dagger, pry up the bar holding that door closed, and then we fight our way free and lose ourselves in town. Between me and our merchant friend, I¡¯m sure we got enough contacts to smuggle us out of the city, and then we can hide out in the greenwood until¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why in the hell would you want to be in the greenwood?¡± the dwarf asked. ¡°The place is fraught with dangers. Goblins, spiders, and of course¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s where the shit grows to make more blue,¡± Lucas barked. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been listening to anything I¡¯ve been saying? You, me¡­ hell - everyone in this cell. We go in business together. We get out of here, you keep the critters from killing me in the big dark forest, and when we get what we need to come back and sell it to blokes with the cash and quietly buy our names off the shitlist! It¡¯s a plan so easy anyone could do it.¡±


    Of course, that was the last thing that Lucas planned on doing. He¡¯d learned the hard way more than once in his life that you didn¡¯t shit where you eat.


    So, now that he¡¯d taken a big dump on Lordanin, he was going to have to skip town. These assholes didn¡¯t need to know that, though.


    They were only important for as long as it took him to get free. After that, well - they were on their own, just like he was.


    ¡°It takes a lot more than brandy to make a strength potion, what do you propose to brew here exactly?¡±


    To answer the question, Lucas produced two redcaps with a flourish. They were poisonous as hell, but they had enough strength on them that he could make it work. That was especially true with the widower¡¯s root and the pipeweed they had on hand.


    Red Caps (raw): Poison 10, strength 4, intelligence -2, dexterity -1. Those who devour or imbibe redcaps have a 30% chance to go berserk for up to one hour.


    ¡°How in the blazes did you manage to smuggle mushrooms in here?¡± the half-orc laughed. ¡°If you tell me you stuck it up your butt, then I ain¡¯t drinkin'' anything made from those!¡±


    ¡°Well, they took my weapons, my coins, and all my emergency potions when they arrested me. I had these in my boot as a just-in-case sorta thing,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°I keep a lot of those, normally. I even had an invisibility potion in my pouch, too. Woulda¡¯ been perfect for getting me out of here next mealtime. I do think we have everything we need to make this if we all pitch in, though.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how you think all of this is even remotely feasible,¡± the nobleman declared. ¡°Alchemy is a complex and delicate magic! It requires refined reagents, precise ratios, and very expensive equipment. I don¡¯t see a flask or a retort in sight. I highly doubt that you can do anything of the sort.¡±


    ¡°See - that¡¯s just your limited worldview and imaginations sticking out and embarrassing you further, your nosiness. Me, I don¡¯t got those problems,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°You just toss your brandy over here, and I¡¯ll show you exactly what I can do.¡±


    The incredulous man looked at him, frozen and scandalized, and when he finally produced the flask and tossed it over, Lucas was under no illusions that it was the half-orcs glare that did the lion''s share of the persuading. Hura''gh immediately reached for it, but before the half-orc could grab it and down the liquid fire in a single gulp, Lucas pulled it away.


    ¡°Easy, easy¡­¡± he said. ¡°This is for crafting, not for drinking. We get out of here first round¡¯s on me, okay? I got a stash. I¡¯ll hook you up.¡±


    Brandy, 10 years old (Excellent): Purifying agent. Remove 50% of the negative effects of up to two reagents.


    The half-orc glowered at him but said nothing, giving Lucas the breathing room to examine the thing. Then, once that was done, he smiled. It was time to do the shittiest cook of his life.

 Ch. 4 - A Toxic Stew

    The first thing Lucas did was borrow Hardcore¡¯s iron cap. As it turned out, the cheap helmet hid a nasty head wound, but Lucas just wiped the inside clean with his shirt, and then he added the mushrooms and the brandy. He¡¯d taken to carry them as his own private cyanide capsule after the last time someone had tried to force his secret recipe out of him, so they were clearly toxic. If he wanted this orc to stay breathing for even a few minutes, he was going to have to leach some of that poison out. ¡°Oh, sir dwarf, might I borrow your fire starter and a pinch of pipeweed?¡± Lucas asked next. If he was going to leach the poison from the main ingredient, he might as well do so from the second most toxic ingredient as well.


    ¡°Only if ye¡¯ be tellin¡¯ me why ye¡¯ need me stash,¡± the dwarf answered with exactly the sort of stinginess that so typified his kind.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lucas said, clearing his throat. ¡°The short short version goes like this. Every herb and mineral in this big magic world of yours has properties. They all do something. If you prepare them right, they do that something better, and if you combine them right, they can do some crazy shit. Pipeweed dulls the intellect and has some strength, but mostly, it just makes you feel real good. I need every last thing that can give our boy here a little boost, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    Grudgingly, the dwarf handed over the things Lucas needed. He got to work, crushing and mixing the pipeweed and redcaps in the bowl with a stick until it was a mix of red and brown. After that, he handed it to the orc and said, ¡°Hold this for a minute while I build a fire.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I just drink it now?¡± Hura''gh asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not at full potency, you big lug, and it¡¯s still got all sorts of toxins in it,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Like¡­ just let me do my job, please. I promise I won¡¯t tell you how to bend bars when it¡¯s your turn¡­¡±


    Alchemical Mixture (8 doses): Poison 13, strength 5, euphoria 4, intelligence -3, dexterity -1. Those who devour or imbibe redcaps have a 30% chance to go berserk for up to one hour.


    Honestly, they were going to need every advantage they could get. He was going to let that brandy sit for at least half an hour before he dumped it out. He needed to because right now, they weren¡¯t creating a strength potion. They were creating a murder potion.


    The only question was whether it would kill the person foolish enough to drink it before they killed everyone in sight, and Lucas wasn¡¯t having that. It wasn¡¯t just that he was more professional than that, either. He was trapped in a cage with the guy who was going to be drinking this, and he didn¡¯t really want to get ripped to bloody shreds.


    While his goo marinated, he collected enough dry straw and scraps of wood for the next portion and built what would become a tiny campfire just outside their cramped cell. Then, after half an hour of waiting and telling everyone to chill the hell out, he dumped the poisonous fluid out and ground up the widower¡¯s root inside his mixture, turning it from a smooth maroon to a chunky brown that was pretty much the opposite of appetizing.


    Alchemical Mixture (5 doses): Poison 8, strength 7, euphoria, 2, endurance, 1 intelligence -2. Those who devour or imbibe redcaps have a 15% chance to go berserk for up to one hour.


    Still, it did improve the stats. They were definitely going in the right direction. That was good because they were only going to have one shot at this.


    Lucas spent the next half hour roasting his helmet full of gunk over a very low flame. Everyone, including him, complained about the smell, but there was nothing he could do about it. This was just part of alchemy.


    The heating step was the most important part of most potions. With some mixtures, it was transformative, but with others, like this, it was merely an amplifier. The longer he heated it, the more of the lesser properties were burned away, and the stronger the main properties got.


    He watched as the intelligence component blinked out of existence, followed by the endurance one as well. It was only when euphoria started to decline that he pulled it off the heat and let the bubbling mixture cool.


    Doing this shit with one hand was hard, but doing it with lousy ingredients was even harder. Lucas¡¯s only consolation was that he wasn¡¯t the one who was going to have to drink it.


    Toxic potion of Strength (3 doses): Poison 10, strength 10. Those who imbibe this potion have a 10% chance to go berserk for up to one hour.


    ¡°Alright. Now that this is done, I say we¡ª¡± Lucas started to tell everyone the plan, and the door at the top of the stairs began to creak open.


    His blood froze solid in his veins as he realized that a guard was coming. ¡°Act natural,¡± he hissed as he looked for the right spot to hide the helmet. Honestly, hiding it was the worst idea because if they searched the cells, then the guards would know it was important.


    So, acting on instinct, he wedged Hardcore¡¯s helmet between the unconscious man¡¯s hands so it looked like he¡¯d thrown up more than anything. Lucas wasn¡¯t entirely sure that the metal had cooled enough not to burn the man, but then he wasn¡¯t entirely sure that he was alive either, so it balanced out. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    In the end, his cautiousness had been for nothing anyway. The squinty-eyed guard stayed only long enough to deliver a few moldy loaves and replace the torch before he walked back up the stairs.


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s not true, is it?¡± Lucas called, pretending to panic. ¡°You¡¯re not really going to execute us tomorrow, are you? I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll tell you anything you want to know!¡±


    The guard¡¯s only response was to laugh as he closed and barred the door at the top of the tiny dungeon, but that was okay because that¡¯s exactly what the prisoners were doing. The guard could only hear the faux panic in Lucas¡¯s voice, but his fellow prisoners could see the ridiculously exaggerated expressions he was making as he mocked the man.


    After that, they all ate their meager portion, and Lucas gave their orc-blooded friend Hardcore¡¯s share while he discussed the plan again. They were going to wait for the bell to ring midnight, then they were going to break out and make for the gate. If it was shut, then they¡¯d go over the wall, but Lucas felt pretty good about their odds. It was better than a coin flip. They¡¯d get free, so long as their muscle didn¡¯t keel over in the first five minutes from the poison that Lucas was going to feed him.


    It was only then after Lord Parin was at least a little convinced that this plan had the possibility of succeeding, that he finally shared his story with them. Well, they all reclined in their hole, waiting for the bell to ring the appointed hour. He told them all the sordid tale of how he¡¯d cock blocked the Prince.


    ¡°If the man had set his eyes on one of my servants, or perhaps even a cousin, I could have looked the other way,¡± the noble explained. ¡°But my sister? What was I supposed to do? Such a liaison would be out of the question. After all, her virtue, her prospects¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fucked up,¡± Lucas said, shaking his head. ¡°The man sounds like a little bitch to me. If I were you I¡¯d beat his ass.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would certainly be one way to end up in the dungeon, which I did my very best to avoid. Instead, what I did was¡ª¡± the viscount started to say, but Lucas interrupted him.


    ¡°See - you shoulda fucked him up!¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°The result was the same, but it would have been worth it!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but it only took him a few weeks to decide that we were defrauding the crown by using grazing lands that belong to him without paying,¡± Lord Parin sighed. ¡°Even now, he¡¯d almost certainly let me out if I agreed, but¡­ I just can¡¯t. Not with such an entitled reprobate hiding behind his father¡¯s good name. I wrote a letter to the magistrate, but it probably never reached him.¡±


    ¡°Dude sounds like a little bitch to me,¡± Lucas said, shaking his head. ¡°You want to square up, and I got your back once my hand heals, of course.¡± It was an easy thing to say because the young noble was soft as cheese and had obviously never been in a fight in his life, which wasn¡¯t a lot less than Lucas had been in.


    He was still annoyed when their muscle laughed at that, though. ¡°Have you ever been in a fight, Lucas?¡± the half-orc laughed.


    ¡°Man, how do you think I get a face like this without taking a couple beat downs,¡± Lucas asked, pointing. People laughed at that too, but this time it was funny, and not because he looked like a weakling.


    He knew that this body wasn¡¯t much. It was even weaker than his real body had been, and he hadn¡¯t won any Mister Universe awards then either, but he was scrappy, and he¡¯d give as good as he got unless the guys doing the giving happened to be guards wearing chain mail just waiting to kick his face in. Then he¡¯d curl up in a ball after they cornered him in an alley and hope that they didn¡¯t break anything important.


    ¡°Did you win your last fight, at least?¡± Hura''gh asked as he chuckled.


    ¡°Fuck no!¡± Lucas yelled, ¡°If I did, why would I be in here with you. The one before that was pretty tight, though. No one called the guards, so¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as he heard the distant bell tower of the city¡¯s church begin to ring in the distance. ¡°...but that¡¯s a story for after we¡¯re out of here. I¡¯ll tell you all over drinks down at my second favorite rathole.¡±


    Lucas reached over, picked up the now cooled gray slime, and noticed that the two layers had mostly settled out. This hole was hardly a real lab, but as he very gently poured out the clear layer into the flask before emptying the sludge layer back on the ground, he was satisfied. No one could have done better with the tools on hand. He was just glad that few people had the identify skill to see this, or his well-muscled friend would have definitely balked at what came next.


    Toxic potion of Strength (2 doses): Poison 7, strength 9. Those who imbibe this potion have a 5% chance to go berserk for up to one hour.


    With a smile, he slapped the helmet back on the Hardcore and passed the flask to Hura''gh. ¡°Alright, man, drink up!¡±


    ¡°You sure this is safe?¡± The half-orc asked hesitantly. ¡°It smells like vomit.¡±


    ¡°The worse a medicine tastes, the more effective it is. That¡¯s what my mama taught me, and that¡¯s just the way it is,¡± Lucas said, sidestepping the question. ¡°I¡¯d drink it to prove the point, but given how weak I am compared to you, it would kinda defeat the purpose, you know?¡±


    Hura''gh gave him a hard look and then downed the flask in a single go. Drinking both doses was probably a little overkill, but it was what it was. Better him than me,  Lucas thought as their muscle dropped the flask and staggered a bit as he rose to his feet.


    ¡°I feel¡­ I feel¡­¡± the half-orc said as he flexed his hands and gave Lucas just enough time to worry about that the berserk effect had triggered. ¡°Strong.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, man,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°No trust these days. Jeeezz. Now bust us out of here before the shit wears off!¡±


    Hura''gh leered at him with a crazed look in his eyes and then turned toward the door and smiled.

 Ch. 5 - Getting Out of Here

    The huge half-orc lurched for the door so fast that Lucas had trouble getting out of the way. He was forced to land on poor Hardcore, who actually let out a low moan for the first time in hours, confirming he wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    ¡°Easy there buddy - we¡¯ll get you out of here soon,¡± Lucas said, even though they had every intention of leaving the man behind.


    Lucas turned to face the orc, and saw that contrary to the plan, the man was trying to rip the door off its hinges instead of bending up the bars where they were rusted through at the bottom for their dwarf friend to creep out of. Despite what he¡¯d said earlier, he was just about to tell the asshole how to bend the damn bars when he actually managed to tear the door right off its hinges.


    With a grunt and a sudden metallic pop, the thing came free, and just like that they were free. Well, not really free exactly, he corrected himself. They were free of their cell, but still locked in the tiny little dungeon. That part was something Lucas felt well-equipped to handle, though, at least he did until he saw what Hura''gh was up to.


    ¡°Hey! No! That¡¯s not the plan,¡± Lucas hissed as loudly as he dared when he saw the half-orc testing the door on the far cell. ¡°Hura''gh¡­ let me get the key, and I¡¯ll get his lordship out of there¡­¡±


    The half-orc stopped, but he seemed disappointed to do so. ¡°I just¡­ feel so strong, he growled. Like it¡¯s burning inside me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hear ya buddy,¡± Lucas answered as he peeled himself off their unconscious cellmate, ¡°but this is faster, and more importantly quieter. If the guards catch us on the way out, you can show them how strong you are as you rip their fucking heads off, alright?¡±


    Lucas grabbed the key and unlocked the noble''s cell before anything else could get fucked up. After that he looked to poor Hardcore passed back out on the ground.


    With his helmet on, it looked like he was just asleep, and if you woke him up he¡¯d be ready to throw down. Sadly, with that head wound, he probably wasn¡¯t ever going to wake up again.


    Lucas wanted to do something for the poor guy since he¡¯d been so kind as to lend them his helmet, but it would take the whole vial of blue to give the man the painless overdose he deserved.


    Sadly, even he still had that in his things upstairs, he wasn¡¯t going to be giving it away. It was Lucas¡¯s last bit of operating capital, and if he was going to be able to rebuild in some other city, he was going to need to give a way a couple free samples to the right sort of people to get the operating capital he needed to set up again.


    ¡°Rest in peace, man,¡± he told the thrashing body as he followed Kar¡¯gandin Hura''gh out the door of their tiny cellblock. It was there he faced a dilemma. The plan said he should just go upstairs and get away as fast as possible.


    That was harder to do when he could hear the sound of someone screaming down the hall, though. Right now some asshole was going to town and getting his rocks off looking for a truth he was never going to find.


    Even from here Lucas could hear the man in question trying to confess that he¡¯d did it, but because the prisoner couldn¡¯t tell him what was in the formula the confessor ignored him and continued.


    ¡°The recipe for a merciful death, is that not fair?¡± the man asked in a tone that was so ingratiating that Lucas wanted to punch him from here.


    He didn¡¯t do that though. Instead, he paused for a moment wondering if this was about evidence, or about the crown trying to steal his shit. Was it possible the powers that be wanted to go into business for themselves with his forbidden recipe? Lucas had to admit that seemed unlikely, but he wasn¡¯t about to dwell on it right now.


    He couldn¡¯t exactly ignore it either, though, so he turned to Hura''gh. ¡°Hey man, I need you to do me a solid. Go kill that asshole to shut that screaming up while I get the door open, alright?¡±


    ¡°Why should we bother saving anyone else,¡± the half-orc asked with a look of contempt. ¡°They didn¡¯t help us out of our cell.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about saving them,¡± Lucas lied. ¡°I just think a couple more dudes that are pissed off at getting carved up might be a good thing to have if the guards catch us out of our cell. I¡¯d do it myself, but I don¡¯t want you ripping the next door off it¡¯s hinges too, capeesh?¡±


    For a second the half-orc glowered at him, and Lucas was more than a little worried the man might just crush his skull, instead he turned and started down the hall.


    Lucas saved the sigh of relief for later. Instead he made his way upstairs to check out their next move. At the top was the heavy oaken door that led to freedom, or at least the courtyard that was one step closer to freedom, as well as the locker where they¡¯d dumped his shit.


    He smiled at that and opened it up quickly, pushing the dwarven account books and the noble¡¯s stuff to one side as he looked for his own belongings. He found his pouch after that but it felt a couple potions light. Attached to it was his belt, but the sheath was empty.


    ¡°Mother bitch!¡± he cursed softly as he went down to join everyone else and deliver the bad news. ¡°Bad news guys. The dagger I¡¯d planned on using to lift the bar that¡¯s keeping us locked in isn¡¯t with the rest of my shit.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Well, of course it ain¡¯t,¡± Kar¡¯gandin laughed. ¡°Ye think they¡¯re in the habit of locking prisoners in with their weapons? That wee niche is just where they keep the evidence their pet questioner might want to see again. Everything else they steal or sell.¡±


    Lucas cursed as he opened his pouch and realized the dwarf was right. His healing and his invisibility potion were both missing, but they¡¯d left the vial of blue behind, and he wasn¡¯t about to touch that. ¡°So what do we do now,¡± Lucas asked.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (ultra pure) (5 doses): Euphoria 12, poison 3, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 200% for 1 hour.


    ¡°I could rip off one of these metal slats and¡ª¡± Lucas volunteered. It was a terrible idea, but the dwarf interrupted him before he could finish it.


    ¡°Too loud, too thick, and much too slow,¡± the dwarf said as he walked up behind Lucas.


    Without explanation, the dwarf picked up the thicker one of his ledgers, and just before Lucas was going to berate the little guy about how this wasn¡¯t the time for math problems or recording debts, he ripped the leather spine off and revealed a very sharp, slender steel stiletto hidden in the binding.


    ¡°Just because they take everything obvious doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s nothing left to take,¡± the dwarf said with a twinkle in his eye. Then, while Lucas kept a watch on the little barred window and made sure the coast was clear, Kar¡¯gandin got to work. The dwarf slid his blade between the door and its worn frame as he sought the leverage to lift the bar on the other side.


    He ignored that for a moment as he heard the tenor of the screams change downstairs. There were a few loud noises that were almost certainly their half-orc, and then there was only silence. Lucas figured he had a pretty good idea of what that meant, but chose to ignore and focus on the dwarf¡¯s efforts, which were taking way too long as far as he was concerned.


    ¡°You sure that thing is strong enough?¡± Lucas whispered as he kept a wary eye out for any guard patrols. This time of night, the castle looked dead enough, and he could hear snoring coming from somewhere out there, but it was somewhere on the wall behind them where he couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that if ye¡¯ question the strength of dwarven-steel again, ye¡¯ won¡¯t live to regret it,¡± the dwarf said without missing a beat. ¡°All things require patience, and all things done through a door of solid oak require a little more patience than usual¡­¡±


    As the dwarf spoke, Lucas looked down, and he could see the thick wooden bar jiggling. The man was making progress, so it was hardly worth freaking out over. Still, he could feel his skin crawling with anxiety.


    Hura''gh picked that moment to start tromping up the stairs behind them, and Lucas let himself be distracted by that for a moment. The man had picked up a heavy iron bar to use as a club and was spattered in blood, but the fact that he was alone told Lucas everything he needed to know about whether or not there were survivors.


    That could have been me, he thought briefly before he pushed it from his mind and turned his gaze back outside. Negativity wasn¡¯t going to do him any favors here. He needed to focus.


    Freedom wasn¡¯t on the other side of this doorway, after all. The courtyard was full of danger, just coiled up and waiting for them. It was every bit as deadly as the executioner''s axe but a hell of a lot less gentle. They were committed now, though.


    Even if they went meekly back to their cell, the guards were still likely to hack them to pieces come morning. No, we needed to get out and¡ª as Lucas thought that the dwarf finally succeeded in prying out the timber, and it came out of the cross braces that held the door closed with a heavy double thunk.


    In that moment, no one breathed, not even Hura''gh. It was only after several tense seconds, where the pounding of Lucas¡¯s heart competed with the sound of the nearby guard¡¯s gentle snoring, that he cautiously pushed the door open.


    The creaking sound that it made shaved another few years of Lucas¡¯s life, but a moment later, they were one step closer to freedom, and he stepped out into the moonlight. He found the guard closer than expected, only a few feet from the door, where he was sitting on a chair that leaned against the wall and shirking his duty.


    Lucas didn¡¯t blame him; the dude had probably had a hard day of beating up on defenseless prisoners and decided he needed a nap. He smirked at that as he gestured to those who were following him and raised a figure to his lips.


    Before they could come up with a plan or he could tell them what he wanted to do next, the half-orc reached forward and slammed the guard¡¯s helmetless head against the wall in a wet thud that left a red stain on the wall as the man slid down it to the ground.


    ¡°Hura''gh!¡± Lucas hissed. ¡°My man. We need to be quiet. Let the man with the stiletto take this dude out.¡±


    ¡°That was quiet,¡± the half-orc grunted.


    Lucas was forced to agree with that, at least in part. It was quiet for him. Certainly quieter than he¡¯d feared, but Lucas still winced at the volume.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± the dwarf grunted, ¡°What¡¯s ye¡¯r plan now? The drawbridge is up, the gate is down, and as soon as someone sounds the alarm, it¡¯s over. I have a feelin¡¯ that all ye¡¯ have done is take us from the roasting pan to the oven.¡±


    ¡°Well, what if we took this guy¡¯s armor?¡± Lucas said. ¡°I could put this on, and then we could get another one for his lordship, and then with a little rope, we could escort you two out for a little late-night questioning. I¡¯ll bet the guards would buy it.¡±


    All of that was off the cuff, of course. He¡¯d been planning for the four of them to make it to the top of the wall and then find a good spot to jump in the moat and pray the alligators were a myth, but this was better. Men jumping over the wall would start the clock on pursuers eager to chase them down, but if they could walk out without anyone even giving a shit, that was pretty much best case scenario.


    No one disagreed with the plan, and they quickly stripped the corpse. Hura''gh helped Lucas don the heavy-scale mail jacket and skirt, and then he belted on the man¡¯s sword and picked up the nasal helm that the man had been using as a footrest, and he was pretty much good to go.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait here, laddie,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said with a smirk that told Lucas that he wasn¡¯t the only one who thought he looked ridiculous in this uniform. ¡°You find some poor bastard standing watch all by his lonesome and run him through. Try not to get blood on the uniform.¡±


    Lucas was about to tell them that there was no way he was doing all that alone when Lord Parin said, ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯s carrying back an arm full of armor without getting stares. We all need to go. Our alchemist can tell us when it looks safe.¡±


    Lucas nodded at that. The viscount¡¯s plan sounded better, but when he looked at Hura¡¯gh, he saw the big man was starting to look a little faded. They were going to have to hurry, or their muscle was going to become a three-hundred-pound sack of potatoes.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Ch. 6 - Change of Plans

    The four of them skulked from shadow to shadow as they made their way across the castle¡¯s inner courtyard when they didn¡¯t think anyone was looking. It was sometime before one, which was pretty much the dead of night.


    The guards probably thought this was exactly the right time to slack off. That probably meant that they had a couple of hours, but as far as Lucas was concerned, they were all on borrowed time.


    The paranoid part of his mind that had been sharpened by years of sketchy late-night deals and even more years of drug abuse was screaming that something terrible was going to happen if they didn¡¯t get the hell out of there. For now, he ignored it and got them to the stables as fast as they could, hoping to find another guard in there who was slacking off.


    The walls or the keep would have been a surer thing, of course, but the former was so damn exposed that someone was bound to see, and the latter - well, that really would be like doing a half gainer out of the frying pan and into the flames.


    Sadly, they struck out in the stables. There were a dozen horses, a few mules, and some vitriolic earth, but no one they could kill and no armor they could steal. That was just as well. He was unlikely to do too well with such a heavy weapon and much preferred his knives. Plus, when he noticed their half-orc getting paler, he decided everyone needed a break.


    Vitriolic Earth (unrefined): Poison 1, air aligned, strong catalyst (alters the alignment of the highest attribute in the current mixture.)


    ¡°Alright, change of plans,¡± Lucas said, looking around at his motley team. ¡°I¡¯m going to go up the stairs, disarm the first guard I can find with my charming personality, and then once I¡¯ve done that, I want Mr. fancy pants here to come up behind him and take him down with one clean stab.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a weapon,¡± Lord Parin said, obviously looking for an excuse not to get his hands dirty. ¡°Why not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because if you haven¡¯t noticed, every guard in this place is human, Kar¡¯gandin is a little short for a stormtrooper, and Hura¡¯gh needs a little break. So, you¡¯re going to take his knife and stab the other guy right in the ear, okay? The spine would be okay too, but there¡¯s less blood if¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can fight!¡± Hura¡¯gh said, but there was no strength in his voice.


    ¡°I know you can, buddy, but those strength potions can take a lot out of you,¡± Lucas lied, ¡°so you just chill out here, catch your breath, and save your breath for when the fighting starts, alright?¡±


    Boosting potions did have harsh comedowns when they faded, but there was no way the big guy¡¯s strength was falling yet. That meant that as tough as he was, the poison was chewing on the man pretty hard.


    Lucas hadn¡¯t meant to kill the guy. He¡¯d thought the poison was low enough in a foul potion that the dude would be able to take it. He probably would have if the big lug had only taken one dose rather than two, but there wasn¡¯t anything he could do about that now.


    He wasn¡¯t going to lose any sleep over one more dead stranger in his path, he decided halfheartedly as he walked out into the night. This time, he wasn¡¯t skulking or sneaking. He was trying his hardest to look like a man on patrol. He even picked up a torch out of a bracket before he climbed the stairs, just to make absolutely sure that no one would miss him.


    He couldn¡¯t see the Viscount following him, but he could hear the man¡¯s footsteps as he tried not to fall too far behind. Hopefully, that rich asshole doesn¡¯t do anything stupid, Lucas thought to himself as he stepped off on the covered parapet that lined the top of the four-story wall and looked out over the city.


    He doubted the man would, though. He¡¯d had the balls to stand up to his Lord over his sister, so he had to be a stand-up guy on some level. Most of the rich dudes that Lucas knew up until this point would sell their own mother for another eight-ball, so, by that standard, Lord Parin was a real saint.


    When Lucas finally saw someone ahead on the walk, he approached him casually like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world and held the torch in the way to blind the man.


    ¡°Quiet night, huh?¡± Lucas said in a deeper voice, doing his best imitation of the guard that had tossed him down the stairs earlier.


    ¡°Every night¡¯s a quiet night on castle duty, ¡±the other man said absently. ¡°You want action; you get yourself on the city watch. Plenty of heads to smash, but that¡¯s a young man¡¯s game.¡±


    The guard had more than a little gray in his beard, and his breath smelled of booze, which made him pretty much the perfect candidate for what came next as far as Lucas was concerned. As the man looked out over the city through one of the large loopholes Lucas moved to join him, doing everything he could to make their mark feel at ease. They were meant to shelter a man with a crossbow in a siege, but right now, they served to do a good job of framing the medieval city that was stretched out before them. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Lucas hadn¡¯t been into nerd shit since he discovered girls and weed in junior high, but he¡¯d lost plenty of afternoons getting high and watching movies with wizards, and elves duke it out while he got blazed out of his mind. Out of all the vistas he¡¯d seen, though, this was hardly the nicest.


    Up here, in the moonlight, it looked pretty enough, but he¡¯d walked the muddy streets, and he knew that it was only height and distance that hid the smell. Being in a magical world was cool, and all until you remembered they hadn¡¯t exactly invented indoor plumbing yet.


    Still, while he listened to the older guard offering unasked advice, he realized that he was going to miss the place, however shitty it was. Down there on the streets of Lordanin, there were fifty thousand people trying to make their way in life and maybe scrape together a couple golden crowns in the process. He¡¯d be sad to toss away all those opportunities when he skipped town.


    Lucas nodded along, asking inane questions and pretending he gave a shit as he watched Lord fancy pants sneak ever closer with his knife. The man had gotten just behind him and was working up the courage to strike the killing blow when a roar split the night.


    Everything changed in that moment. One second, they were about to assassinate this asshole and the next, everything was thrown into chaos.


    The drunk guard whirled around, freezing both Lord Parin and his victim in shock for different reasons. The guard flinched and was about to beg for his life until he realized that his assailant lacked the nerve to commit murder while looking into the eyes of another man. Instead, he drew his sword, but Lucas was faster.


    While the two of them were trying to figure out who was going to kill who and what the right and wrong of the situation was, Lucas was already drawing his sword. However, instead of plunging it into the assailant¡¯s heart, he shoved it in the guard¡¯s face. He¡¯d meant to stab the man in the throat, but instead he¡¯d just sort of brandished it there and the man had jumped back in surprise, toppling off the wall and straight down into the moat


    He no longer cared about the guard or getting a disguise. The half-orc had ruined all that by roaring into the night and waking up half the castle. Lucas looked down and saw a shape that was almost certainly Hura¡¯gh charging across the courtyard at the nearest guard. By the time he reached the man and began pummeling him with manic fury, he already had two arrows in him, but that didn¡¯t seem to be slowing him down any.


    ¡°Mother fucker¡¯s gone berserk,¡± he said to himself before turning to the noble, who was still standing there holding the knife like he was about to stab the guard that was now floating in the moat far below them. ¡±We gotta get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°But the gate¡­ the guards¡­¡± Lord Parin sputtered as Lucas took away the man¡¯s weapon before he hurt himself with it. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can sneak out now.¡±


    ¡°That ship has sailed,¡± Lucas agreed, unbuckling the straps of his armor as the bell in the gatehouse started to ring in alarm. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to jump and then swim for it now.¡±


    ¡°Jump?¡± the noble asked, paling at the very idea. ¡°How could you possibly¡ª¡±


    He was cut off as a crossbow bolt buried itself in a wooden post between the two of them. ¡°There¡¯s more of them up there!¡± one of the guards yelled.


    The whole castle was coming alive like an angry hornet¡¯s nest. Torches were being lit, men were beginning to run here and there, and the battle in the courtyard between their berserk half-orc and literally anyone he could find to fight was only growing.


    ¡°Fuck arguing, we gotta go!¡± Lucas yelled as he pushed the noble to the same loophole he¡¯d just thrown the guard out of a minute before. ¡°You¡¯re either flying or dying, man; the choice is yours!¡±


    Lord Parin looked at him like he was crazy, but he still got up on the stone sill and prepared to jump. The man wasn¡¯t fast enough, though, so Lucas helped him with another push and waited to make sure that the noble hit the water before he climbed up on the wall to follow.


    Then, he gave the courtyard one last look and saw that Hura¡¯gh was still standing even though he was being swarmed by the guards and muttered, ¡°Give ¡®em hell, man,¡± before he jumped into the night.


    Lucas had just enough time to feel how crazy this was and suppress his need to yell out, ¡°Holy shit!¡± before he hit the water, stunning him briefly as he began to sink toward the bottom of the murky water. For a few seconds after that, he tried to swim, but he realized that was going to be pretty much impossible until he got this armor off.


    He pulled out the dwarf¡¯s fine stiletto as he sank to the silty bottom of the watery ditch, he started cutting away at the straps of his anchor. The skirt came off immediately, but the heavy ass coat tied in the back, which meant he was left to try to squirm out of it after he cut away at the collar enough to get his head out.


    It was a race against time, and he was no Houdini. So, all he could do was fight back against his rising panic. For a moment, he thought for sure he was screwed and that he should just try walking out of there along the bottom as best he could.


    Lucas knew that there was no way he was walking up that muddy slope, though. Instead, he struggled harder, and moment by moment, heartbeat by heartbeat, he eventually worked himself free of his leaden straight jacket.


    You can do this, man, he thought, trying to psych himself up as he pushed off the ground and toward the surface.


    Lucas didn¡¯t really believe it, though. All he believed was that there was no way he was going back to that DMV excuse for heaven so fucking soon. All he wanted right now was to breathe one last deep breath, even though he knew that decision would be fatal. Even if it was water that filled his lungs, that would still be enough to stop the terrible burning that had started there.


    He resisted that terrible urge and kicked hard toward the surface. The water cleared as he rose, but with each stroke, he weakened. He went from fighting for feet to fighting for inches. Finally, only a few feet beneath the surface, he ran out of strength and while the trail of bubbles from his mouth continued on toward the surface, Lucas began to slowly sink back into the darkness.

 Ch. 7 - There’s Been a Mistake

    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d ended up in that chair, but he was surprised that his hand wasn¡¯t handcuffed to the armrest. He was even more surprised to find out that he was uninjured; he didn¡¯t even seem to be in a hospital. Instead, he was in a sort of waiting room surrounded by other people in chairs that he didn¡¯t know.


    He had no idea what it was he was waiting for exactly, though. As he looked around the room, he took in the drab gray paint and the dull taupe carpet in an instant. It was obvious that the arrangement had been designed by a committee to be as unremarkable and cost-conscious as possible. He could have been in any government office of any city he¡¯d even lived in.


    Processing the other people he saw, that took longer. There were other people like him wearing normal clothes. Well, clothes I would normally wear, Lucas thought as he saw that he was still in the hazmat suit he¡¯d been wearing before his little lab had gone up in flames.


    He shook his head, wondering why he was still wearing this shit. If he¡¯d been arrested, then they should have stripped him, and if he¡¯d escaped, then he should have ditched it.


    Neither of those mattered, compared to the fact that some of the other people in the room were wearing everything from actual armor to silk dresses and rags. That, more than anything, made him think this was a dream because the only other options were comic con and central casting.


    As he watched, workers in white came and got people at almost random intervals, and by the time Lucas watched them lead off the stranger, he turned back around to find that, invariably, their empty seat had been filled by a new face. None of it made much sense, but that worked for him because his brain was still feeling awfully fuzzy.


    Even though he shouldn¡¯t have been, Lucas was still surprised when one of those women in white approached him and said, ¡°Mr. Sharpe, your caseworker will see you now.¡±


    ¡°My who?¡± he said, taking her offered hand. ¡°Miss - I don¡¯t know who you are or where I am exactly, so I don¡¯t know if I should be talking to you or this caseworker without an attorney, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡± He didn¡¯t want to be rude to the woman because she seemed so pretty and nice, but at the same time, he was more than a little skeptical of following anyone with no idea where he was.


    ¡°I can understand your confusion,¡± she said, casually helping him to his feet with far more strength than he would have expected from her pale, slender limbs. ¡°That¡¯s very common in your situation.¡±


    When she didn¡¯t keep going, he sighed, ¡°But my caseworker will tell me all about that, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said with a smile before turning and walking out of the room, obviously exacting him to follow. ¡°Right this way.¡±


    Lucas did so grudgingly. At first, he dragged his feet, trying to see if he was about to make a mistake or not, but as soon as they¡¯d left the room and gotten into the hallway, he stopped that. He had a bigger concern now, losing track of her.


    The hallways they walked through were labyrinthine and crowded, and the further they went, the worse that got. It felt like everyone in the world had come down for a killer Black Friday sale, but it was already sold out. So, he struggled to keep up with the only person in this whole place who seemed to know his name and, sometimes, his language.


    ¡°What the heck is this,¡± he said mostly to himself. ¡°Someone has to get this under control!¡±


    ¡°We cannot control the flow, sadly,¡± his guide said, just loud enough that he could make her out over the din. ¡°All we can do is endure, I¡¯m afraid. Endure and adjudicate you quickly and efficiently.¡±


    ¡°Adjudicate?¡± Lucas balked, pausing for a moment before she came back and tanked his hand to drag him on. ¡°I told you, we aren¡¯t doing any of that shit without a lawyer. I know my rights.¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± she agreed, ¡°and your caseworker will go over those with you, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But nothing,¡± he answered. He could feel himself being railroaded here, and he wasn¡¯t having it. Before he could lay out a blistering case and make a complete ass out of himself that would probably get a bailiff called on him, though, they were there.


    Even as he was opening his mouth again, she was opening the door, and with a smile on her face, she waved him inside. ¡°Good luck, Lucas. I pray it will be a long time before we see you again.¡±


    Then, the door was closed, and like magic, it was gone. It literally vanished into the wall like a magic trick. ¡°Are you seeing this?¡± he asked the pleasant-looking man behind the desk. ¡°Where did the damn door go.¡±


    ¡°Please have a seat, Mr. Sharpe,¡± the bureaucrat said. ¡°The door has just been put away to make room for other doors in the hallway. Some of these appointments can take quite a long time, and there are always more people to see. Rest assured, it will reappear when it is needed.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°When it''s needed?¡± Lucas repeated, looking at the dude like he was crazy.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the man said, gesturing to the seat opposite him at the desk. ¡°I¡¯m Darius, and I¡¯ll be your¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, caseworker, I know,¡± Lucas said, choosing to remain standing. ¡°Just what case are we working, anyway, because if this is about the bust, I want a lawyer, a coffee, and some privacy.¡±


    ¡°Why, Mr. Sharpe, we¡¯re here to discuss your whole life, not just the circumstances with how it ended,¡± Darius told him.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a social worker you want to¡­ Wait, my, what? Ended?¡± For a moment, Lucas felt a wave of anxiety go through him, and he tried to wave it off. ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    Even as he started to speak, fragments of memory went through his mind. The door being knocked down, the explosion, and the burning all assaulted him for an instant, and under that barrage of pain, he endured. For a moment, he felt faint, but then suddenly, as quickly as the barrage started, it stopped, and he felt whole once more.


    It was only after he saw the way his supposed caseworker was looking at him that Lucas suspected that he¡¯d in some way inflicted those memories on him. That¡¯s crazy, though, he told himself, before momentarily adding, but not as crazy as a fucking door disappearing.


    ¡°Yes, the way that your life ended was unfortunate,¡± the caseworker agreed, flipping the pages of the file that had appeared in front of him. ¡°but what we need to talk about today isn¡¯t so much how your life ended as the choices you made. While you were in the waiting room, I had the chance to look at your life, and honestly, it was right on track through your early twenties, but when you developed your addiction, it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like you know anything about me,¡± Lucas said, suddenly defensive. ¡°Because you don¡¯t know shit about what happened.¡± At that moment, he felt the need to stand again and try to find some way out of this insane office, but before he could, he was suddenly battered with memories.


    They were old ones. Things he hadn¡¯t thought about in a long time. His mom¡¯s OD, his time living with his grandmother when he started filching her pain meds, his first girlfriend and her crazy mood swings, the first time he stole a car, and his first night in Juvvie, along with his first real beat down all hit him one after another like a rising tide.


    Individually, each one of those was an awful memory, but together, they were like the road to hell. His wasn¡¯t paved with good intentions, though. Instead, his life was paved with individual moments of human weakness and the need to escape a bad situation that inevitably lead to a worse one. It was horrifying, and by the time he came up for air, there were tears in his eyes.


    Lucas blinked them away and then fixed a gaze of pure anger at the man across the table. ¡°Just what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing poking around in my head, man!¡± he growled.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to remind you how you ended up where you are now so we can properly discuss what you were supposed to do with your last life and figure out what you need to do with the next one,¡± Darius said with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°Man, the shit that comes out of your mouth¡­ Do you even hear yourself? Do you hear how crazy you sound?¡± Lucas asked as he pointed at his own head in a mocking gesture. ¡°I lived my life on my terms. I made my choices, and that¡¯s fucking that, okay?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the caseworker nodded. ¡°But did you know you were supposed to become a chemist? You weren¡¯t even supposed to die until congestive heart failure in your seventies. You were going to have three kids and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough, alright!¡± Lucas raged, standing as his caseworker tilted the folder forward so that Lucas could see the pictures of three hypothetical children he was apparently supposed to have. ¡°You say one more screwed up thing like that, and I¡¯ll¡ª¡± He lifted the chair to smash it on the desk, but with a gesture, Darius made it stick back to the ground again, stopping him.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find that you have no power here, Mr. Sharpe,¡± Darius said with a shake of his head. ¡°The odds of you overpowering an angel in purgatory are quite slim. We need to focus on the positive here and find a solution that will get you back where you¡¯re supposed to be.¡±


    ¡°Supposed to be, huh? Where¡¯s that?¡± Lucas demanded, not bothering to hide his anger. ¡°Where does a fuck-up like me fit in your supposed plan?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know who this dude was supposed to be and if he was really a divine servant or just some nutter, but he went a long way toward believing when the mine dimmed the lights and turned on some kind of holographic display with a wave of his hand.


    A semi-transparent wall of light arose on the desk between the two of them. At first, it just seemed to be a sheet of pure white, but as it started to zoom in and his eyes adjusted, Lucas could see that it was actually a very complicated pattern with tiny multicolored threads weaving in and out.


    ¡°This is the skein of fate,¡± Darius announced, ¡°For your world at least. Everyone has a place in it, and it¡¯s important that all of you do your part for the warp and weft so that things align just so. It¡¯s for the good of everyone, don¡¯t you see?¡±


    ¡°Like I have any idea what the hell it is I¡¯m looking at,¡± Lucas scoffed while his mind spun, and he tried to get a handle on all of this.


    ¡°Do you see this here? This snarl?¡± his caseworker asked.


    Lucas didn¡¯t, but as the angel spoke, he made a gesture, and the entire image changed. Almost all the threads faded out, leaving them with a slender blue thread that presumably belonged to Lucas and a couple of hundred threads he interacted with. Now, he could definitely see the knot that Darius was talking about.


    It was an ugly thing, and it pulled a number of other surrounding threads out of their course and even seemed to end a few of them that went into the knot but never came out again.


    ¡°What¡¯s this one,¡± Lucas asked, reaching out to touch the red one that vanished into the snarl. He regretted it instantly.

 Ch. 8 - Defying the Heavens

    He only touched the other thread where it intersected his for a moment, but as a result, he spent what felt like weeks reliving that wonderfully terrible time with Maria. From that awful first date where they¡¯d ended up back at her place despite all the odds and the manic courtship that had followed to the overdose that had taken her from him after only a month.


    This was the first moment he¡¯d had to gaze into her soft, dark eyes in almost a decade or see how infectious her crooked smile was, and it took his breath away. All he wanted to do was stop time at that perfect first moment and relive it with her forever, but instead, he was forced to take the express train straight to her grave.


    Doing it for the second time somehow made everything worse. This time, he knew exactly what came next, but there was nothing he could do to stop it as each bad thing happened to them like a series of dominos.


    To him, it never mattered that she was the one that had gotten him hooked, instead of the other way around, like everyone had thought when they blamed him for her death. Before Lucas had met her, he¡¯d been a beer and weed guy, but that still hadn¡¯t been enough to stop him from shooting up with her.


    That night had ruined his whole life, but he still didn¡¯t care. Hell, back then he hadn¡¯t become a complete burnout yet. He¡¯d still been in honors classes, even if he wasn¡¯t doing any of the homework. As his teachers at the time liked to tell him, he was ¡°squandering his potential.¡±


    Now that he was caught in this awful memory, he could practically hear their recriminations pounding into his brain like verbal spikes.


    ¡°You need to take this more seriously!¡± Mr. Barker chastised.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just expect to coast through life forever, Mr. Sharpe!¡± Ms. Morales said in that horribly disappointed tone that broke his heart.


    It didn¡¯t matter, though. In the grand scheme of things, if he had to choose between pulling himself up by his own bootstraps and following Maria all the way down, he was always going to choose her.


    Even after she died, he couldn¡¯t turn away. Every part of him screamed that he should, of course, but by then, he was locked in. First, he was just using, but then, after that, he turned that big, underutilized brain to its true undiscovered talent: making drugs. After that¡­


    As suddenly as that horrible vision started. It stopped, and he was back in that office. The only difference was that his heart was broken all over again.


    ¡°Why the fuck did you make me do that,¡± Lucas said coldly, in a voice brimming with violence.


    ¡°I do not control your behavior, Lucas. No one but you does that,¡± Darius chastised him. ¡°You chose to grasp the thread, and now you have a keener understanding of what we must do here. You and I have to explore these pivotal moments to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t exploring shit with you,¡± Lucas swore. ¡°You understand? Nada. Zip.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t properly cleanse your soul and get you ready for your next life until you understand everything,¡± the caseworker insisted.


    ¡°Cleansing me? You mean like brainwashing? Like the river Lethe and all that crap?¡± Lucas asked as he tried to figure out what this weirdo was getting at.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Darius agreed. ¡°Though these days, it''s more like a sauna. You simply relax for a few hours, let your cares melt away, and then we send you back to Earth to try again.¡±


    ¡°Nah, man, I ain¡¯t doing that,¡± Lucas said. ¡°I ain''t letting you erase me until you get your perfect little bootlicker. So how about you just send me to heaven or hell or wherever you send the rejects, and we declare this mission accomplished?¡±


    This time, he waved away the skein of fate they¡¯d been studying, but he didn¡¯t turn the lights on. Instead, a glowing scale sprang into existence, and even though it looked to be another glowing illusion when his caseworker set Lucas¡¯s file on one side, it actually floated there in midair on one side of the balance.


    ¡°Lots of people feel that way, Mr. Sharpe,¡± Darius nodded. ¡°Letting go of that sense of self can be very frightening, but no matter who you end up becoming in your next life, it will be fundamentally the same person you are now. That¡¯s why we need to focus on your mistakes so we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°I made mistakes because I was a fuck-up, okay?!¡± Lucas shouted, exasperated. ¡°Case closed!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a bad person, Lucas,¡± his caseworker said, trying and failing to offer a sympathetic expression to him. ¡°You are much farther from hell than you are from heaven. Unfortunately, your performance leaves a good deal to be desired. We know you can do better.¡±


    The scale seemed to agree with Darius¡¯s assessment, for better or worse. It was just about balanced and was leaning very slightly toward the positive side.


    He supposed that made sense. Even if he¡¯d been a complete fuck-up, he¡¯d mostly tried to help people. He hadn¡¯t killed anyone or started shit with anyone that hadn¡¯t started it first.


    The only life he¡¯d really ruined was his own. Well, his and many of the men and women he¡¯d sold his crystal to on a regular basis. Even if the idea of losing himself in whatever cosmic kumbaya shit this guy was talking about didn¡¯t repulse him, though, the last thing that Lucas was in the mood for was reopening every wound in his whole miserable life to find some sort of Catharsis. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    They went back and forth about this for days, and argued about it until Lucas completely lost track of time. They argued about it until he tried to force open a door that wasn¡¯t there, tear down the bookshelves in the room, and flip over the desk. He had no luck with any of that, though. He was trapped like a rat.


    Since time seemed infinite, and he couldn¡¯t do anything else, eventually, after hours of resistance, Lucas started to explain and even engage. This was just another ploy on his part, though.


    No matter how sincerely he might seem to be dragging his feet as he slowly came around, he had no intentions of doing any such thing. His caseworker, or angel, or whatever it was that this dude was, seemed to know when Lucas lied, but not if Lucas merely said something that was only kind of true.


    So he started saying things the man wanted to hear, but only in ways that were mostly true. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± Lucas agreed when the man asked him about the time he¡¯d double-crossed Jamie and stolen his stash. Lucas didn¡¯t regret it, though. That dude was a prick, and his shit had been weak.


    That didn¡¯t matter, though. What mattered was that he really did believe he shouldn¡¯t have done that. There were so many better things he could have done with his time than that, like spending the night with Diana.


    Regardless, it didn¡¯t matter. This wasn¡¯t his first shrink. He¡¯d said what the man wanted to hear to get probation in the past, and he¡¯d do it again if that¡¯s what it took. He¡¯d rather be free than proud, and right now, in this damn box, it was the only possible solution.


    It would be impossible to say how long that conversation lasted. The lights never changed. He never got tired or hungry. All they did was talk and review memories.


    Honestly, Lucas would rather be back in prison. Being shivved would be less uncomfortable than watching the moment the 12-year-old version of him managed to call 911 when he found his mother cyanotic on the couch that day he got home from school.


    Darius could force him to relive each of these terrible points over and over. This went on for what seemed like forever, but little by little, Lucas¡¯s explosions of outrage and frustration began to subside in the face of his caseworker¡¯s infinite patience.


    It was somewhere in the second or third month of talking that he understood the angel was wearing him down. Part of him even wanted to try again, but the greater part of him was never going to let that happen.


    Still, he let that hope blossom until it showed through. That was when the man finally relented and decided it was time to move on to the next stage of his death.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to work through what led you here and try to find a life that can suit you,¡± Darius said with a smile that gave Lucas the creeps. ¡°We only want what¡¯s best for you and all mankind.¡±


    After that, they talked vaguely about what he wanted to do with his life, and Lucas said that he wanted to go somewhere exotic and maybe work outside for once as the angel scribbled away, but all he really wanted was to be let out of this damn box.


    Eventually, that happened too, and the angel turned his file into a key and handed it to him.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with this,¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°Go wherever it leads you,¡± Darius smiled, giving Lucas a firm, almost fatherly handshake to go with yet another uncanny smile. ¡°The process is pretty simple. I¡¯m sure a smart man like you can figure it out, Mr. Sharpe.¡±


    Lucas smiled blankly, willing his growing hatred of the man to stay down a little longer. He let that slide off his face into the scowl that reflected what he was really feeling when he turned around and saw that the door had indeed returned. He left without another word and was in such a hurry that he didn¡¯t even realize that the hallways were very different from the one he''d entered through until he was two steps into it.


    ¡°Screw it,¡± Lucas said, noticing the clean white tile, along with the fact that there were many fewer doors and people than there had been before. Even the people that were here were mostly wearing robes or towels instead of proper clothes. It was just about from a brainwashing summer camp.


    He could feel the key tugging him in one direction, and for a while, he started walking that way. Even as he smelled the damp, though, and felt the warmth, he knew that was the room he didn¡¯t want to be in. That was where they¡¯d melt him down and cast him to be another cog in the machine instead of the defect that he¡¯d become.


    Fuck that, right? He thought to himself, wearing a carefully neutral expression.


    Instead, he kept his eyes out for a way out, and half a minute later, he decided that he had found the guy who was going to help him, whether he wanted to or not. He was walking toward Lucas, wearing nothing but a sauna towel and the same blissed-out expression that every other zombie in that outfit wore.


    That was sad because the guy was young. He was like 20, which was even more tragic than Lucas, and judging from the marks on his face, he must have died from smallpox or something.


    This wasn¡¯t the first guy that he¡¯d seen dressed like that, but he was easily the most confused, and most importantly, he seemed to be trying to unlock a door not so far ahead. So Lucas, being the helpful guy he was, ran up to help the man out.


    ¡°Hey man, let me get that for you¡­¡± he said, push the kid back.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± the stranger mumbled, genuinely grateful.


    That made Lucas feel a little bad because what he was about to do was probably going to fuck the poor guy over. ¡°Here, hold this for me,¡± Lucas told him, handing the other man his key.


    As far as he was concerned, he was welcome to whatever fate Darius had decided was best for him. He didn¡¯t want that wingless fuck anywhere near the rest of his life.


    Lucas was able to get the key in the lock, but he wasn¡¯t able to turn it. ¡°Here, you try,¡± he said to the kid, figuring it could only be turned by the bearer.


    He was right, of course, and the thing turned, along with the knob, to reveal¡­ The void of space¡­ For a moment, Lucas was startled, and it was only when he saw the kid walking forward toward it and the planet far below them that he said, ¡°Hey, time out¡­¡± and pushed him away.


    Before he could decide what to do exactly, he heard a familiar voice ringing from down the hall. ¡°Mr. Sharpe, you should know that trying to interfere intentionally in the lives of others is strictly forbidden. That man¡¯s door doesn¡¯t even lead to your world!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ Eat me,¡± Lucas said giving Darius the finger, as he turned and took a flying leap through the door into the darkness. Better to die out there than endure whatever had happened to this dude in here.

 Ch. 9 - No Going Back

    If his mind hadn¡¯t been so occupied by the feeling of panic as he fell from somewhere in orbit toward a world that didn¡¯t look much like the globe he remembered from school, Lucas would have wondered why there were doors that led to nowhere in a strip mall version of purgatory.


    Instead, he just arched his back and spread his arms and legs to stop his tumbling, the same way he¡¯d learned when he used to go skydiving. This didn¡¯t make any sense, but it didn¡¯t have to make sense to be a wild ride.


    Lucas didn¡¯t know why he wasn¡¯t suffocating in the vacuum of space or burning up in orbit or whatever it was he was supposed to be doing up here. Neither one was happening, though. Instead, he was listening to the sound of his hazmat suit ripple in the breeze and enjoying what might have been the single dumbest thing he¡¯d ever done.


    That was when he heard the wings flapping behind him. Lucas didn¡¯t have to turn to know that Darius was going to be there flying after him, but he did anyway, just to see what the dude¡¯s wings looked like.


    What he saw made him laugh. Darius was definitely an angel, and the man¡¯s wings were definitely impressive, but the whole effect was spoiled by the way the man¡¯s now untucked shirt and his rumpled suit flapped in the breeze.


    Lucas wanted to make a joke about the guy¡¯s dry cleaning bill, but he knew he¡¯d never be heard over the roar of the wind. He didn¡¯t want to be caught, either. So, instead, he tucked his arms and legs back into a more aerodynamic profile, determined to race this guy to the ground.


    The faster I hit, the less it¡¯s going to hurt, he told himself as he noticed just how fast the world below him was starting to come up. It was getting real now.


    Still, he didn¡¯t flinch, even though the planet had gone from the size of a dinner plate to a sphere so large that he couldn¡¯t take it all in without turning his head. He wasn¡¯t concerned with the whole thing, though. He was just concerned with where it was he was going to land.


    And that patch of earth was coming closer, in ever-increasing detail. He could make out two snow-capped mountain ranges, a couple of rivers, and a perfectly picturesque forest. As the scenery rushed up to meet him, Lucas even saw what he thought was a city of some type.


    Before he could examine that too closely, though, Darius shouted, ¡°Mr. Sharpe! It¡¯s not too late for you to change your mind. You are making a serious mistake here! If you don¡¯t come back with me right this instant, it¡¯s going to go on your permanent record!¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Lucas laughed out loud. ¡°That¡¯s the threat? My permanent record? I haven¡¯t cared about that shit since junior high!¡±


    Still, even as he blew the guy off, he watched cagily from the corner of his watering eyes, waiting to see if the man would try to follow his words with action, and it turned out he did. After another few seconds of waiting for his charge to see reason, the angel made a grab for Lucas¡¯s ankle, but he was ready for it.


    Lucas pulled his leg forward far enough that it was just out of reach, and when the angel made to grab for it, he kicked hard into the man¡¯s face. Lucas was under no illusions that he could actually hurt the bastard; he¡¯d played enough video games to know that you probably needed a flaming sword or some shit to do that.


    He also knew just enough about extreme sports to know just how wildly the two of them would diverge after that kind of motion. His kick sent Lucas tumbling in one direction and Darius in another, and though the angel had managed to grab him at the last minute, he¡¯d only succeeded in stealing one of Lucas¡¯s rubber boots he wore when he was cooking.


    Lucas actually stabilized before the angel, but only because those big wings of his had to be untangled carefully. By the time Darius was ready to start flapping and give chase again, Lucas was already diving hard directly away from him as fast as the air resistance would allow.


    At this point, it didn¡¯t really matter where they landed. Even if he aimed for the lake, he could see the water would still be like concrete by the time he hit it. He was dead no matter what. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    So he didn¡¯t focus on that. He just focused on trying to stay ahead of this angel prick by picking up as much speed as possible and steering as far away from him as possible.


    ¡°This is your last chance!¡± Darius shouted. ¡°After this, there will be no going back!¡±


    He extended his hand to Lucas again, but Lucas flipped the man the bird again and yelled, ¡°That¡¯s the whole point! I¡¯m never going back there!¡±


    Then, with a sad look in his eyes, the angel opened his wings wide and went straight up. In seconds, Lucas had to crane his neck to see the man. That really drove home just how fast Lucas was falling, though. The angel hadn¡¯t even started going up yet. He¡¯d just stopped going down.


    Lucas, on the other hand, was going to see if he bounced or left a crater, given the speed he was moving. He swallowed hard as the fear started to flow through him then. It was one thing to be on the run from an angelic asshole, but it was quite another to be 20 seconds from your death and falling fast.


    Still, he kept his shit together. He watched the trees grow and farm fields resolve. It was only when he had seconds to go that he realized the rural town he was falling toward had a tiny graveyard on the north side and adjusted his aim slightly.


    Wouldn¡¯t that be funny, he thought to himself. Bodies fall from the sky, but at least they have the decency to do it in the graveyard so no one has to clean it up.


    He would have laughed at his own joke, but it was too late for laughter. The ground was dangerously close now, and three seconds later, he impacted it like a fly on a windshield.


    After that, all was darkness, but it was only when he thought to himself, That was one hell of an exit, that he realized he wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    What in the hell¡­ he cursed as he groped around and found himself in a less than well-built box of some kind. It only took a few seconds for a smart guy like him to work out that it was a coffin.


    ¡°Did someone¡¯s corpse break my damn fall?¡± he asked, suddenly creeped out.


    Fortunately, that did not seem to be the case. He felt all around and found nothing inside it but him. That raised other questions, though, like how he¡¯d gotten in here without blowing a big ass hole in the top of the thing.


    ¡°Fuck this!¡± Lucas shouted, angrily punching at the roof of his prison as he raged. ¡°You think this is hilarious, don¡¯t you, Darius, but this is horse shit. I¡¯m fine with being pavement pizza, but suffocating in a damn box? No way!¡±


    Neither his struggles nor his words did anything, but when he found a loose board, he was able to wiggle it back and forth until it broke. Then it felt like half the earth above this grave caved in on him right there. Lucas realized that he¡¯d gone from suffocating in a few hours to suffocating in a minute or two as he felt the moist earth fill the casket.


    Still, even though that made him miserable and filthy, it reduced the weight on the boards that remained, and he was able to move a second one out of the way and force himself through the narrow gap of the two missing boards deep into the earth like some kind of groundhog.


    For a moment, he wondered what would happen if he came to the surface and saw his shadow. Is that like six more weeks of winter or six more lives of bullshit, or what, he wondered to himself.


    He¡¯d never get an answer, though, because by the time he got to the surface, it was night, and the moon was hanging high in the sky. That made no sense, of course, because it had very clearly been daytime when he was falling, but before he could do too much more thinking about that, a scream shattered the night.


    Lucas joined in, screaming in shock, as he looked for the source. He quickly found a man with a shovel sitting on the pile of dirt that was probably eventually meant for this hole, as white as a sheet. The guy had obviously been on break enjoying his jug of hootch, but when he ran off screaming into the night, he was kind enough to leave it behind.


    ¡°Zombiesss!¡± he slurred. ¡°The dead have risen! Run furrr yur lives!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, man, I¡¯ll drink to that,¡± Lucas said, reaching for the jug.


    It was only then, as Lucas reached for the jug, that a little pop-up window appeared, and he stopped.


    Tainted Rotgut (5 doses): 1 Poison, - 2 int. Purifying agent. Remove 25% of the negative effects of a single reagent.


    ¡°What in the hell is this bullshit?¡± he said, examining the window and wondering why he should care about the alchemical properties of the rotgut he was about to drink.


    ¡°Booze is fuckin¡¯ booze, alright?¡± he sighed, completely exasperated with how the day was going. It was only after he felt the burn that he wondered why he¡¯d even hallucinate a window like that in the first place.

 Ch. 10 - A Helping Hand

    Lucas only remembered that he was drowning as a hand grabbed him and dragged him to the surface. Until that moment, he¡¯d forgotten that what he¡¯d seen was just his screwed-up life flashing before his eyes.


    Now, though, he remembered. In rapid succession, it all came back to him: the castle, the breakout, the moat, and most urgently, the water in his lungs.


    As Lucas was yanked up on shore, he spent the next twenty seconds coughing up so much fetid pond water that he was sure he¡¯d have pneumonia by this time tomorrow. Still, it wasn¡¯t something he could spend too much time worrying about, not when the gates were opening and what sounded like a whole herd of horses was thundering across the drawbridge.


    ¡°Stop them! They¡¯re getting away,¡± someone shouted from the wall, but Lucas ignored them for now.


    Instead, he grabbed Lord Parin¡¯s arm and yanked him back down into the reeds by it. ¡°Not yet,¡± Lucas hissed. ¡°First, they ride, then we run.¡±


    The King¡¯s castle stood on a tall hill overlooking the rest of Lordanin, so the area around the moat was almost like a park sloping down to the rest of the city, but once they got to the streets, it wouldn¡¯t be so hard for the two of them to lose themselves. At least, that was what he thought.


    The easy run to that first row of shops and the alleys and stables beyond. At least, that was true until the guards caught sight of the pair and started firing their crossbows at them.


    ¡°Almost there!¡± Lucas yelled, pulling Lord Parin forward.


    Everything was going fine until it wasn¡¯t. As they ran across the final stretch of grass between them and the cobblestones, Lucas thought that the two of them were home-free. That was when he heard the nobleman cry out in pain and fall to his knees.


    Lucas didn¡¯t check to see where he was hit or how bad. That would just slow them down. Instead, he just helped the man up and hurried both of them across the main street and into the alley beyond it as quickly as he could.


    Speed was the only thing that saved them. Even as they moved to safety, he heard another rain of bolts clatter and ricochet off the stone walls and tile roofs of the buildings they sheltered behind. That was when Lucas finally had a chance to see how bad his fellow convict was hit, and the result was not good.


    Honestly, it was pretty terrible, and he winced as he examined just how bloodstained the man¡¯s fine clothing already was. Getting wounded anywhere in this backward medieval world was pretty bad, but one of those guards had managed to shoot the Viscount right in his left kidney.


    As far as he was concerned, that was pretty much a death sentence without some potions or magic. So, the last thing that Lucas was going to do was try to remove the bolt.


    ¡°How bad is it?¡± Lord Parin asked in a worried tone.


    ¡°Pretty bad, man, pretty bad,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Like nothing a healing potion wouldn¡¯t fix, but I''m fresh out, and I don''t got the herbs to do what we need back in my lab.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do?¡± The Viscount asked.


    ¡°Well, what I should do is cut bait and run while I can, but¡­¡± Lucas started, trying to find a good excuse to bail. He would have, too, except that the man who was dying had saved Lucas¡¯s life not five minutes ago. That kind of put it all into perspective.


    ¡°Do you think your family would have something like that lying around?¡± he asked impulsively.


    He didn¡¯t know where exactly the Viscount laid his head before he¡¯d been arrested, but he was fairly certain that the man was rich as hell. There was no reason that a noble family like that wouldn¡¯t have some of the good shit lying around.


    ¡°I¡­ yes, of course,¡± the noble answered, ¡°but our estate is miles outside the east gate. We¡¯ll never get there without a horse and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait here,¡± Lucas said, running off down the alley, looking for a way to do what he needed to do next.


    You¡¯re going to get yourself killed if you aren¡¯t careful, he chided himself, but that still wasn¡¯t enough to stop him from climbing to the roof with the nearest trellis he found.


    Part of him, truthfully, most of him, told Lucas that he should run while the getting was good. The one small bit of decency that he¡¯d clung to all these years told him that he needed to do the right thing and save the man who had saved him. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    For some reason, he couldn¡¯t shut it out. Not after all the other people he¡¯d screwed over so far tonight.


    Lucas¡¯s plan was a simple one: ambush one of the men on horseback, steal their horse, ride away to safety, and get Lord Parin the help he needed before he bled out. It was a fine plan if he ignored the fact he and horses hadn¡¯t gotten along too well since he¡¯d come to this world. Still, while he debated how else he could possibly help the Viscount before the dude was a deadman, Lucas worked his way into position.


    Fortunately, they didn¡¯t have to wait long. Less than a minute after Lucas got where he needed to be, a pair of guards came along the street on horseback. He¡¯d hoped that the sight of the very visible Viscount would lure the men straight to him, but instead, they both dismounted and secured their mounts at the mouth of the alley and unsheathed their swords before heading toward the two of them.


    ¡°Oh, un-fucking-believable,¡± Lucas whispered to himself as he realized his plan was now completely unworkable.


    He¡¯d wanted one guy he could jump down on and ambush, and now he had two assholes that decided to do things the smart way instead.


    So, instead, he went with plan B: make it up as you go along. He got up and skulked to the two horses, leaving the nobleman at the mercy of the guards unless he did this really quick. Lucas scampered across the roof as quietly as he could, worried that the crossbows might light up again at any moment.


    ¡°What do we got here?¡± he heard one of the guards ask the other. ¡°Looks like we got ourselves an escapee, Ralph. He don¡¯t look too good, neither.¡±


    Lucas couldn¡¯t make out what Lord Parin said. Instead, he ignored the whole exchange. There was nothing he could do from here. He needed a better weapon than guilt or sympathy.


    Once he reached the front of the shop he was on top of, he hung from the roof¡¯s edge and then dropped the last couple of feet to the cobblestone street below as quietly as he could. That part was easy.


    Up until now, he¡¯d merely risked getting shot and breaking his neck. Now, he was going to have to get on one of these big bastards.


    ¡°Easy boy,¡± he whispered, approaching them with more than a little fear, and he undid the loose knots in their reins that tied them to the wall.


    The horses didn¡¯t move much, and though the nearest one looked at him with one of its eyes, it didn¡¯t move away, at least as Lucas tried to get his foot in the stirrup. After that, it still took a couple of tries before he was in the saddle. Once he was finally on top of the horse, though, and he could look down the alley, he saw that they still hadn¡¯t noticed him.


    That was almost enough to make Lucas laugh out loud. After all the noise he¡¯d just made, fumbling and squirming to steal one of their horses, they were still entirely fixated on the man who was bleeding out.


    I just hope that means they haven¡¯t killed the poor bastard, Lucas thought to himself as he cleared his voice and shouted. ¡°Hey, assholes! Maybe pay less attention to him and more attention to me!¡±


    Both men whirled at once after that, but anything they might have shouted at him was lost in the noise as he swatted the ass of the horse he wasn¡¯t riding. The reaction was instantaneous. The other horse reared up, whinnying loudly before it took off in one direction, even as he dug his heels into the ribs of this one, sending him rocketing in the other direction.


    After that, it was a struggle for Lucas to hang on for dear life as his mount galloped hard down the street. He was worse at riding than he¡¯d ever been at driving, and it was all he could do not to pull hard on the reins to make the thing slow down or stop.


    He couldn¡¯t. Right now, he needed the speed.


    Even as the guards chased him, they fell behind, and he rode down the street at a bone-jarring pace. He took his first right and, then, as soon as he could, his first right again. It was a frantic two minutes as he barely managed to stay on the giant beast, but once he was close, he slowed down and looked for the alley entrance that would lead him back to the Viscount.


    Fortunately, it only took Lucas another ten seconds to find the man, and he rode the horse as close to him as he dared without stepping on the poor guy. ¡°Come on, man, get up; we¡¯ve got to bounce,¡± Lucas hissed, trying not to be too loud. ¡°I mean, like, right now, man.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure I can ride,¡± the Viscount moaned, rising unsteadily to his feet by leaning on the nearest brick wall. ¡°But I definitely can¡¯t get on that thing. It¡¯s sixteen hands tall!¡±


    ¡°Listen, man, I don¡¯t care if the thing has eight god-damned hands like Vishnu,¡± Lucas said as he grabbed the noble¡¯s arm and started hauling him up as hard as he could. ¡°You stay, you die, and I¡¯m not putting that shit on my conscience, alright?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I¡ª God¡¯s!!!¡± Lord Parin cried out in pain repeatedly as the two of them wrestled him over the top of the saddle like he was nothing more than a bag of leaky potatoes.


    By the time they got him up there, Lucas could already hear the guards yelling as they homed in on the noble''s cries of pain and came for them again, but Lucas wasn¡¯t about to be trapped like that. He kicked his mount into gear and ran down the first guy to start down the alley toward them. Then, once they were in the street, he made a hard left and headed toward the east gate.


    Lord Parin¡¯s screams started immediately, but Lucas couldn¡¯t afford to slow down and be gentle with the man. Instead, he simply waited for the noble to pass out. He didn¡¯t know if it was pain or blood loss that ultimately silenced the man, but as they galloped through the lonely streets at night, Lucas did the unthinkable and offered a prayer to any of the mysterious Gods of this world that might be listening to take pity on the man.


    ¡°I already got everyone else killed,¡± he sighed. ¡°And this guy might be a prick, but at least he was sticking up for his sister. That¡¯s gotta count for something, right?¡±


    There was no sign or divine intervention, though. Instead, there was just him, the hoofbeats of his stolen horse, and the distant sounds of alarm because of everything he¡¯d done tonight.

 Ch. 11 - Ride or Die

    The east gate was already shut for the night before Lucas got there, so he decided to try the Red Gate instead. If they¡¯d closed that one, he¡¯d have to try the main gate next. It was usually open all day and night, but it would have been even more out of the way. As it was, this was more northeast than east, which made it more than a little out of the way, but it was the next closest choice.


    The Red Gate was named for the ubiquitous tile roofs that all of the large villas had in this part of town. It was a smaller entrance that wasn¡¯t really meant for merchant traffic, but thanks to some of his trips out of town to gather materials in recent months, he happened to know that they often kept it open for nobles who were on their way to or from their nightly indiscretions.


    Just like now, most of the times Lucas had gone through this neighborhood, it was too dark to appreciate its beauty, but he had been here at sunrise more than once, and he knew that behind the vine-veiled walls and wrought iron gates, there were some really gorgeous estates. It was pretty much the opposite of Greybottom, which was the part of Lordanin just downwind from the metalworks and the foundries that he called home right now.


    The guards at the gate tried to stop the two of them, of course. ¡°Halt in the name of the king and identify¡ª¡± the one that looked to be in charge yelled, but Lucas ignored him and spurred his borrowed mount to go that much faster as they approached the threshold.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t exactly traveling in a gilded carriage, but these men were lazy and more used to accepting a few silvers to look the other way, especially this time of night. They ran toward Lucas, but they didn¡¯t get their spears up in time, and his horse charged right past all three of the assembled men while he held on for dear life.


    That was hardly the end of his struggle, though. He was free of the city, but he had no idea where he was going. So, after a time, he let his horse slow to a trot while he tried to wake up his passenger.


    ¡°Come on, asshole,¡± Lucas said, slapping the guy without much success. ¡°I can¡¯t save your life if I don''t know where I¡¯m taking you!¡±


    It was no good, though. Though Lord Parin still had a weak pulse, he was out like a light.


    Lucas knew his way around a first aid kit, and in a pinch, he could probably deliver CPR with some effectiveness. Beyond that, the only medical procedure he really knew was how to dial 911, and that wasn¡¯t really an option these days. Once upon a time, he¡¯d been pretty good with needles, of course, but that wasn¡¯t really a thing either, though he had wondered if maybe it could be.


    After all, needles were just sharp metal. Surely, that was something that could be invented in a fantasy world with the right dwarf, right? With all the time he¡¯d spent making various potions, Lucas had often wondered if it would make them act faster or stronger if he just mainlined one. Sadly, he¡¯d never had the chance to try it out, which was too bad because the nobleman bleeding out on his horse really could have used 50ccs of high-quality healing elixir right about now.


    In the end, Lucas couldn¡¯t get any answers out of the Viscount, so he did the next best thing and stole the man¡¯s ring. For once, he wasn¡¯t just rolling him, though. He was getting a good look at the house crest on the chunky gold ring since it was the best clue he was likely to have.


    Every one of these rich bastards out this way had their house seal mounted on a plaque on the wall or just above their gate, so if he got to the east road and then checked every manor in his path, he should find what he was looking for, right? Even he was skeptical of his half-assed plan, for lack of better options, he still rode forward.


    The Parin household was apparently represented by two goats dancing or charging or whatever it was they were doing against the background of a checked shield. It wasn¡¯t exactly the most regal sort of pose, but at least it was distinctive. He had to give them that.


    Lucas scrutinized 6 manor gates and the largest houses in two villages over the next half hour before he finally found what he was looking for. The building was a sprawling brick affair almost two miles due east of the city, just past the outlying village of Thornberry. The main building was three stories tall, and the outbuildings were in decent repair, even if the fence wasn¡¯t as fancy as some of the noble houses he¡¯d passed earlier in the evening.


    He wasn¡¯t sure that this was the place, but at the same time, he wasn¡¯t exactly going to circle around and check to see if there were any better candidates. He doubted that Lord Parin had another hour of life left in him, and there were two goats on the gates, so he wasn¡¯t going to leave until he got the man a potion or a healer.


    Lucas disentangled himself from the body of his unwilling partner in crime and managed to dismount from the horse without dropping the other man on the floor. Then he looped the reigns over the porch¡¯s handrail. Then, taking the steps two at a time, he pounded on the front door.


    He did so more than once, actually, before a sleepy old man finally opened it a crack. He was just about to slam it in Lucas¡¯s face, but he shoved his boot in the gap to prevent that. ¡°Hey, before you tell me to fuck off, is this the Parin residence?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± the man said cagily, ¡°but unless you have urgent business, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to come back after breakfast. We don¡¯t accept¡ª¡±


    ¡°I need to speak to the lady of the house,¡± Lucas blurted out. ¡°Lord Parin¡¯s sister. I don¡¯t know her name.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what time it is?¡± the old man hissed. Lucas was quite sure that only his need for decorum kept his volume so low, and that made him smile grimly despite the dire circumstances.


    ¡°Yeah, and I assure you, I¡¯ve had a much shittier night than you,¡± Lucas complained, pressing something into the manservant¡¯s hand. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change anything, does it. She¡¯s going to want to see me.¡±


    The man looked down at the gleaming object, but in the dim light, it took a few seconds for him to identify what it was: Lord Parin¡¯s bloody signet ring.


    ¡°Is that¡ª¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Lucas agreed impatiently. ¡°And my ummm¡­ my charge doesn¡¯t have a lot of time, so if you could let me see her immediately, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°But my lady will need time to change and prepare herself¡­¡± the old man stammered. ¡°There are things¡­ forms that must be followed¡­¡±


    ¡°Listen, if you got a healing potion you can give me, she can sleep until noon for all I care, but otherwise, I¡¯m going to need her to hook me up, like now,¡± Lucas insisted, pushing past the man.


    ¡°I-I¡­ can¡¯t give out such things without my mistress''s approval,¡± the doorman protested.


    ¡°Not even for your master?¡± Lucas asked, gesturing to the body slumped over the horse.


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± the manservant said, waffling as if he was trying to justify something. ¡°Even if he is the Viscount, he¡¯s an escaped prisoner. I could be arrested just for¡ª¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so,¡± Lucas agreed, starting up the stairs. ¡°So, let''s go get one before he bleeds out on us.¡±


    Adventurers might toss them around like candy, but at five or ten silver a pop, they were locked up tighter than good brandy in most households, even rich ones. Good health in a bottle had a way of disappearing if it wasn¡¯t watched. That was why Lucas watered his shit down so much.


    The manservant tried to stop Lucas, but he continued up the stairs and left the doorman sputtering in his wake as he pushed past him. It was rude, but Lucas made sure not to hurt the old guy. He was just doing what he thought was best, and right now, he happened to be completely wrong.


    Even though he wasn¡¯t quite sure where he was going, he was pretty sure he¡¯d know it when he found it. Nice houses practically put it up in lights as far as he was concerned. After all, servants'' quarters didn¡¯t need gilded banisters or a string of portraits that were almost certainly their illustrious forebearers.


    Hell, it was harder to see the servants'' quarters than the various doors that belonged to the important people of the house because of just how well those entrances blended in with the wood-paneled walls, but there was no missing the door that belonged to the mistress. It didn¡¯t quite have her name on it, but the rose pattern that was delicately carved into the lacquered door screamed spoiled rich girl more than anything else he¡¯d seen in his time in this world.


    The manservant tried to bar his way, but he just walked in and said, ¡°Excuse me, miss - I¡­ no, your brother needs your help?¡±


    ¡°My broth¡­ huh? Who are you?¡± her sleepy voice came from the dark bed, but Lucas could barely see her outline as she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Who are you? What are you doing in my chambers?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Lucas started to answer her question, but the butler talked right over him.


    ¡°Forgive me, mistress. I tried to keep him out, but I was overpowered. Would you have me send for the guards to deal with this ruffian?¡±


    ¡°No, wait, I want to hear him out,¡± she said softly. ¡°Whats this about my brother? What happened? Was there a stay in his execution?¡±


    This time, Lucas looked at the old man, and when he was satisfied that the man was actually going to let him speak, he finally continued. ¡°Let¡¯s just say this is a good news, bad news sort of situation. Your brother is not going to be executed, but he¡¯s been hurt pretty bad by a crossbow in our little escape, and if you don¡¯t tell this clown to give me a healing potion or two, he ain¡¯t going to live long enough to see sunrise.¡±


    ¡°What? Escaped? How?¡± she said, rising to her feet and showing off her frilled and embroidered full-body nightgown. ¡°How did he get shot?¡±


    ¡°Never mind all that,¡± Lucas said, pushing the issue aside. ¡°Answers can come later. I need your help now. Potions, bandages, whatever else you¡¯ve got, pronto.¡±


    The noblewoman had finally gotten close enough that he could see her, and he was surprised to see that she wasn¡¯t the stuck-up bitch he¡¯d expected. She was just a nice, sweet girl.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she answered. ¡°Gerwin, get this man whatever he needs. My brother¡­ your master¡¯s life is hanging in the balance!¡±


    ¡°But mistress, we¡¯d be aiding and abetting escaped fugitives!¡± he pleaded. ¡°You¡¯re liable to wind up standing right next to him when the headsman takes his turn. You can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gerwin, I know perfectly well what¡¯s at stake here, and I don¡®t care!¡± she said, stomping her foot. ¡°If you won¡¯t help him, then I¡¯ll go downstairs and¡­¡±


    As the young woman spoke, she walked past them to the door of her bedroom, and the manservant cried out as loudly as he dared without waking up the whole house while his eyes were still averted, ¡°Mistress, please, I beg of you, at least stay here and let me do it. Don¡¯t go traipsing around the house in your underthings and compound our shame any further!¡±


    The noblewoman looked down and noticed that all she was wearing was her nightgown. Suddenly she looked scandalized, and blushed hard enough that Lucas could see her skin redden even in this dim light. It was almost enough to make Lucas burst out laughing, but he managed to hold his mirth in and settle for a subtle smirk instead. She proceeded to cover herself like he¡¯d walked in on her naked.


    She wasn¡¯t, of course. She was dressed from her throat to her wrists and ankles in cloth. Every inch of her was covered, but just because it was thought to be a nightgown instead of an actual gown, somehow was enough to make it indecent. She would have been truly scandalized if she ever learned of the existence of a bikini.


    Her and half the whores in the red light district, Lucas thought sardonically. The world was scandalized by a hint of cleavage or a glimpse of calf, and some part of him found that charming.


    ¡°Quite right,¡± she said, embarrassed. ¡°Please uhhhmmm¡­ help our uninvited guest with whatever he needs, and I will wake my maid to get help changing into something more appropriate.¡±

 Ch. 12 - A Long Night

    The old man led Lucas down the stairs to the study, the parlor, or whatever the hell it was. It was a nice room with a lot of books that said more about the wealth of the Parin family than any amount of gold jewelry in a world where the printing press wasn¡¯t exactly a thing.


    He was sure they were very interesting, but he ignored all that and waited impatiently while the manservant fumbled through his keyring for the right silver key. ¡°Come on, man,¡± Lucas prodded him. ¡°This is life and death, you know?¡±


    ¡°You are not making this any quicker,¡± Gerwin snapped, but Lucas ignored him.


    Maybe he locked up his hustle in here with the potions, he thought, choosing not to say it aloud and pick a fight. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that.


    As soon as the chest was open, Lucas was rifling through it. Well, he tried to. As soon as he could see them, a whole cloud of popups momentarily blinded him as he tried to look past the stupid windows to the objects he really needed.


    Lesser Healing Potion (3 doses): Mild healing, endurance +1.


    Lesser Healing Potion (3 doses): Mild healing, endurance +1.


    Moderate Healing Potion (2 doses): Average healing, endurance +2.


    Lesser Antidote (4 doses): Counteracts up to three levels of poison.


    Mild Soporific (2 doses): Lesser sleep, euphoria 1, poison 1.


    Potion of Cure Mild Disease (1 dose): endurance +5 (for the purposes of recovery only), poison 1.


    Those were just the potions, too. The damn thing listed half a dozen herbs, too. Some of them were dried, and others were already mixed in poultices. That¡¯s not what Lucas needed right now, though, and he quickly brushed them aside as he looked for the things he did.


    As far as he was concerned, disease was a great problem to have. Disease meant that you had days or weeks until you died, and a lot could happen in a few days. Blood loss, though? It was much less forgiving.


    Despite the dirty look that the butler was giving him, Lucas began to load up. He pocketed the lesser healing potion and the moderate one, too. Then, he started looking around for practical supplies. There was a needle and thread in here, so he pocketed those. There was no scalpel or bandages, though, which seemed stupid.


    ¡°Why does everyone have to rely on magic in this world,¡± he grumbled softly.


    Medicine was for poor people, and doctors still had leeches. He knew that for a fact, though, which was why he''d never gone back after the last time. He¡¯d rather die in a ditch than be told how medicinal purging his humors was.


    Instead, he left the study as quickly as he entered it and barged into the dining room, where he quickly started clearing off the table.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Gerwin asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s it look like,¡± Lucas shrugged, not bothering to look at the man. ¡°I¡¯m getting bandages. You tend to need those when someone is bleeding. You know?¡±


    ¡°B-b-but these are fine linens,¡± the old man sputtered, ¡°You can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can, and I will,¡± Lucas said as he yanked the cloth free and started wadding it up. ¡°If you got a problem with that, you can go right back upstairs.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even wait for a response that time. He could feel every second ticking by now. This was taking too damn long, and he needed to get out of here. That became even more true when he went into the kitchen to get a knife and he saw lights approaching in the distance.


    They weren¡¯t exactly the red and blue lights he was used to, but the group of flickering orange torches pretty much said the same thing in neon letters. ¡®We are cops, and we¡¯re coming for your ass.''


    ¡°I was never here,¡± Lucas growled at Gerwin before he bolted for the front door. ¡°You understand that? Warn your mistress. Tell her none of this happened, and you never saw us, alright?¡±


    The man nodded numbly, and it was only when Lucas was walking out the front door to his horse that he realized the butler might have thought he was being threatened by the way that Lucas was holding his newly acquired paring knife. There was no time for apologies, though. There was only time to get the hell out of here.


    Lucas didn¡¯t even bother to remount the horse. He just grabbed it by its bridle and started leading it around the house to the far side where they wouldn¡¯t be seen. From there, he faced a dilemma. He¡¯d been planning to do all this right there on the porch, or maybe in the barn he could just barely see from the front yard, but if those were guards, and they were really after them, Lucas couldn¡¯t stay here. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He¡¯d have to be at least far enough away that they wouldn¡¯t hear the sound of screaming when he yanked that crossbow bolt out. So, he headed out past the garden and the barn toward the black wall that he was pretty sure were woods. Being out in the forest of a fantasy world at night wasn¡¯t exactly his idea of a good time, but it was the only choice he had right now.


    Lucas sighed. ¡°Man, I just can¡¯t catch a break. I just want to lay down and take a nap, but that sure as hell ain¡¯t happening.¡±


    He complained the whole way to the forest, passing several smaller outbuildings and a farm over the next few minutes to chase the shadows away. This close to civilization, it was probably pretty safe, but really, what could he do? It wasn¡¯t like they had another choice here.


    Once he picked a likely spot to build their campsite, he carefully unloaded his patient, and after checking his pulse, he checked on the guards. There were torches around the Parin manse, and some lights were on inside, but they didn¡¯t seem to be heading his way, and for now, that was all he could hope for.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be okay, man,¡± Lucas told his unconscious partner in crime as he got him up into a sitting position and fumbled with one of the potions of lesser healing.


    He was talking to himself as much as the Viscount, but mostly he was stalling. He faced a critical dilemma at this moment. If he pulled the crossbow bolt free before he gave the man the potion, he would make the wound that much worse. Lord Parin might just decide to bleed out before the very expensive red liquid could work its magic.


    The man had a much bigger chance of pulling through if Lucas started the healing first, but that just meant it was going to be that much more painful to get the thing out of there when the time came. Ultimately, Lucas didn¡¯t want the man to die, even if he seemed like a putz, so he forced half of the lesser healing potion down the unconscious man¡¯s throat and then held his mouth closed while he choked and sputtered.


    Choking was a good sign, just like when Lucas had been yanked out of the water. It was a sign that you were about to die and not that you were already dead.


    A few seconds later, the lord¡¯s eyes fluttered open, and after trying and failing to speak a couple times, he finally asked. ¡°Did I die?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, man,¡± Lucas smiled, ¡°but keep it up, and maybe next time you will.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not dead, then why does it hurt so bad?¡± the Viscount asked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s the thing, isn¡¯t it,¡± Lucas said as he picked up the tablecloth and started ripping it into strips. ¡°No one is ever grateful to wake up after they survived a drive-by, are they?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a drive-by?¡± the noble asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ never mind,¡± Lucas said as he started winding the cloth around a branch that was just about the right size. ¡°The good news is that you lived, but the bad news is that in a second, I¡¯m going to yank out the arrow that almost killed you, and it¡¯s probably going to hurt like hell.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ why didn¡¯t you do that while I was unconscious?¡± Lord Parin gasped. ¡°I¡­ In light of the current circumstances, I think maybe we should see a proper physiker, or¡ª¡±


    He began to squirm in Lucas¡¯s grip to the point where he was afraid the noble was going to aggravate his injury and drive the quarrel deeper inside him, so Lucas slapped him good and hard to bring him to his senses. ¡°Listen,¡± Lucas hissed, offering him the stick. ¡°There are guards right over there. This is what we gotta do. Alright? You¡¯ll be fine. I brought two potions. One is to make sure you don¡¯t die, and the other one is to fix whatever happens next. Now stop being a little bitch and bite down on this, alright?¡±


    The Viscount looked from Lucas to the stick and back again before he finally said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have something¡­ stronger?¡±


    Lucas rolled his eyes and was about to tell the doughy, spoiled man to grow a pair when he realized that he, in fact, did have something stronger. ¡°Yeah, man, actually I do, but the thing his¡­ blue has risks of its own, you know? The pain might be better?¡±


    ¡°Why would the pain be better?¡± Lord Parin asked. ¡°Do you just want me to suffer? Do you think it¡¯s funny to see a member of the aristocracy in pain?¡±


    ¡°Nah, man,¡± Lucas shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that addiction is no laughing matter, and this stuff, well - it¡¯s strong, you know?¡±


    Truthfully, his blue was strong enough to scare him. Lucas had tried a couple of the early versions when he was still perfecting his recipe, and he¡¯d built a pretty good model in his head of exactly how different drugs stacked up.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (ultra pure) (5 doses): Euphoria 12, poison 3, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 200% for 1 hour.


    Heroin on Earth was probably something like a 9 or a 10, depending on who you got it from and how stepped on it was. Cocaine was somewhere below that at like an 8, which made the crystal he used to deal more like a 6.


    Blue, though¡­ Once he¡¯d gotten the euphoria over 10, he promised himself he¡¯d never try it again. He¡¯d been in rehab enough to know what it was he could and couldn¡¯t handle. The stuff he¡¯d delivered to the Chimera¡¯s Chalice was only an 8.


    It was hard to make anything purer than that in bulk, but this had been meant to try to lure a new patron before everything had gone sideways. Someone like the Viscount but wealthy and powerful instead of bleeding out.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, man, but honestly, the stick might be easier¡­¡± Lucas said, removing the bottle from his jacket and showing it to the wounded man by starlight.


    ¡°Addiction is just a question of willpower, and that is something that a Perrin has never lacked,¡± the noble insisted.


    Lucas hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Alright, your funeral. Open up.¡±


    With a shaking hand, Lucas opened the cork stopper of the vial, and careful not to drip any on his hands, he dripped a few drops into the mouth of Lord Parin.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± the man asked. ¡°I think I¡¯ll need more than that for¡­ woah¡­ what¡¯s this then?¡±


    ¡°That is the next twenty minutes of your life being devoured by blissful oblivion,¡± Lucas said as he laid the man back down on his side to expose the injury. ¡°Enjoy. ¡±


    Then, picking up the knife, he looked at the scabbed, partially healed arrow wound and shuddered.

 Ch. 13 - Messy Business

    Lucas froze there for a moment, not sure exactly what it was he should do next. No, that wasn¡¯t right. He knew exactly what he needed to do, but he wasn¡¯t really sure he wanted to do it.


    He could still bleed out from this, he told himself. You know that, right? Having a knife doesn¡¯t make you a surgeon.


    Lucas took a deep breath to calm his beating heart, and then he gave the bolt an experimental tug. He felt the Viscount¡¯s body spasm, but it did not come out on its own.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Lucas sighed. He¡¯d stitched up a few of his buddies before after they¡¯d gotten beat down before, but other than advanced pharmacology, that was about as deep as his medical skills went.


    They¡¯re going to go a whole lot deeper tonight, though, he thought as he brought the knife to the other man¡¯s skin and traced a dark line of blood that looked black in the starlight as he began to cut.


    The first thing Lucas did was cut around the shaft, but when that didn¡¯t seem to be enough, he cut a slightly larger cross into the flesh to work it free. The bolt came out a few seconds later, and Lord Parin hadn¡¯t come out of his stupor to scream.


    He¡¯d writhed in pain for a moment as Lucas had finally pulled the blood-slick arrow shaft out, but he¡¯d quickly slumped back into his narcotic slumber once that was over. As it stood, he would have been perfectly content to lay there until he bled out, but Lucas wasn¡¯t having that. Not after all the hard work he¡¯d done to keep this asshole alive.


    As soon as the bolt was out, he checked to make sure the whole thing had come out and was relieved to see it wasn¡¯t barbed. After that, he tossed it aside, poured the rest of the cure light wound potion in the wound, and started to sew the man up.


    While he wasn¡¯t sure a potion would help when used intravenously like that, he was fairly sure it wasn¡¯t going to hurt anything, and for now, that was enough. After another minute, his stitch job was enough to keep the wound closed, but it was an ugly thing, and Lucas was sure that it was going to leave a nasty scar.


    Every minute of it was messy and more than a little unnerving, but honestly, he was glad that he¡¯d given in and dosed the Viscount. Lucas wasn¡¯t sure he would have been able to do this to a squirming, screaming man, even if it was for his own good.


    Even after that, the man was still bleeding as bad as he¡¯d been at the beginning of the night, though. So, once he was sure that the puncture wound was going to stay closed, he switched to making a sort of compressing bandage out of what he had, which wasn¡¯t much.


    ¡°I¡¯d kill for an ace bandage right about now,¡± he grumbled to himself.


    He didn¡¯t have them, though, so instead, he just wound long strips of linen around the unconscious body as many times as he could and used them to tie a big piece of wadded-up tablecloth to the wound, pressing tightly against it to try to stop the bleeding.


    It worked, at least to some degree. Lucas could still see some staining on them, of course, but he had no idea if that was from the wound or from his own blood-covered hands.


    He was honestly glad it was dark. He could only imagine how covered in blood he was right now, and he didn¡¯t have the stomach for that just now.


    Instead, once he¡¯d verified the man was still breathing evenly and that Lord Parin¡¯s pulse felt normal, he cleaned himself up as best he could. ¡°Should have grabbed a snack while I was in your house, man,¡± he said, looking at the comatose man. ¡°Or some water, at least. I knew I was forgetting something.¡±


    Those words sparked another memory, and he turned to the horse and started rifling through the small saddlebags. Surely, the man on duty had packed a lunch for the quiet night he¡¯d expected rather than the eventful one he¡¯d had, right?


    Before he opened the nearest one, though, the house caught his eye. The lights were on, but Lucas didn¡¯t see any torches anymore. Instead, he saw a group of riders heading back up the main road. It looked smaller, but he wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure about that.


    Not that it mattered. Whether they could go back to the house was at least a tomorrow problem, and depending on how things went, it might be a lot further out than that. After all, as far as he was concerned, he¡¯d done his good deed.


    He saved me. I saved him. We¡¯re even now, he told himself as he opened the first saddlebag to see if he was going to spend the rest of the night with his stomach growling at him.


    It turned out that wasn¡¯t going to be the case. Now that he was doing the right thing, his luck had returned to him.


    In the left bag, Lucas found a cloth-wrapped parcel that contained cheese and cold sausage, and the right had a cloak and a jug. Unfortunately, the jug contained sour beer rather than water, but even so, he was happy to drink it as he sat down next to the Viscount, checked the man¡¯s pulse again, and then chowed down on his meager feast. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Lucas did his best to keep a careful watch that night, but after everything he¡¯d been through, that wasn¡¯t to be, and sometime before dawn, when the horizon was just starting to turn blue and hinting at the sunrise to come, he finally passed out against the tree.


    His dreams were hectic but unremarkable, and when he woke to the sound of footsteps, he immediately sprang to his feet and drew his bloody knife. ¡°Who goes there!¡± Lucas called out, peering into the dark woods, expecting goblins or worse.


    Fortunately, he was facing the wrong direction, and when someone cleared their throat behind him, Lucas whirled to find the old butler standing there looking smug. ¡°Keeping a sharp lookout, I see,¡± Gerwin said smugly.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ Long night,¡± Lucas said, lowering his weapon and rubbing his eyes.


    ¡°Quite,¡± the older man said, walking forward and depositing a small cloth-covered basket on the roots next to Lord Parin.


    ¡°How¡¯s the house, anyway?¡± Lucas asked belatedly while the butler examined Lord Parin. ¡°Did they give you guys too much trouble?¡±


    ¡°They woke everyone up and caused quite a mess that we are still in the midst of addressing,¡± the man answered stuffily, ¡°But they believed our story because I was able to look their mage in the eye and swear that I hadn¡¯t seen my master since he¡¯d been arrested weeks before. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t come in with you. If he had, well¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news!¡± Lucas beamed, trying to gloss over the unpleasantness of what might have happened. ¡°Now we can put all this behind us and get on with our lives. If you¡¯ll just help me carry Lord Parin back to the house or maybe come back with a wagon, we can¡ª¡±


    He was pretty sure they only got off so lightly because they¡¯d been a noble¡¯s house. From the stories he¡¯d heard, mages had no trouble ripping apart people or buildings when they were after something. He just didn¡¯t understand why the crown would pay a mage to hunt for an escaped Viscount. It seemed a little over the top.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be that easy,¡± the butler answered with a shake of his head. ¡°The city watch seems to think it likely that he will return at some point, so they are leaving a few men behind to spring a trap, just in case. ¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Lucas said neutrally as he felt his heart sank. He should have known it wasn¡¯t going to be quite so easy.


    ¡°So you¡¯re here to take care of him or¡­¡± Lucas said hopefully, trying to find his way out of what he knew would happen next.


    ¡°I do believe that the guards will notice if house Parin¡¯s head butler goes missing,¡± the butler said with a shake of his head. ¡°No, you shall be required to take care of Adin a few days longer, I should think. That is why I brought you some supplies, as I shall do each morning when the guards are¡ª¡±


    ¡°Man¡­¡± Lucas interrupted. ¡°This is some bullshit. You think I don¡¯t got better things to do? Those guys are after me, too, you know. I need to get as far from here as possible!¡±


    ¡°And you shall, Mr¡­ no, it¡¯s better I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want to know should the mage come back looking for you,¡± Gerwin answered with a shake of his head. ¡°Take care of my mistress¡¯s brother, and when this is all done, you shall be well rewarded. She has promised this herself. For now, she just wishes to make sure he¡¯s safe, and you are the only one in easy reach who can help her with that.¡±


    Lucas grumbled at that but let it go. A few coins would make it easier to get started wherever he ended up next, but more importantly, the smell of freshly baked muffins coming from the basket was driving him crazy.


    So, after a few more minutes of idle chatter, where Lucas repeatedly assured him that the Viscount was going to be fine, the man finally left, leaving him alone with his unconscious charge once more.


    It¡¯s funny, he thought as he ate the first blueberry muffin he¡¯d had since he¡¯d come to the world. The man obviously has zero confidence in me, but he wants me to stay anyway. It¡¯s almost like he¡¯s not exactly on the Viscount¡¯s side now, is it?


    Such accusations weren¡¯t even worth saying. They didn¡¯t even rise to suspicion, really. If he¡¯d wanted to sell them out, he¡¯d had his chance last night.


    ¡°He¡¯s just mad that I didn¡¯t obey the proper forms to let Lord Parin die with dignity last night,¡± Lucas said finally, venting his complaint once his mouth was no longer full.


    ¡°Who is,¡± the Viscount asked weakly.


    ¡°Hey, look who¡¯s not dead yet! Congrats, man, you made it!¡± Lucas said, pivoting smoothly to Lord Parin as soon as he showed signs of life.


    In the broader scheme, he really didn¡¯t give a shit about the man. His sister seemed earnest and kind, but Lucas got the impression that the Lord himself was too soft to be of much good to anyone, though right now, it was hard to judge him too harshly. Anyone would look like shit after spending a week in a dungeon and a night in the woods while being covered in blood.


    ¡°I kind of wish I was,¡± Adin whined.


    Lucas nodded at that and helped the man drink some of the remaining beer to try to take the edge off. Then he told him the situation as best he understood it. Lucas told the Lord that his apartment in Greybottom was staked out, so they were stuck out here for a few days along with every other detail that came to mind. Strictly speaking, he didn''t know if that was true, but it was best to assume that it was.


    ¡°So am I going to live?¡± The Viscount asked.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯ll probably be pissing blood for a week," Lucas answered with a grin, "but with a couple more potions to keep any infection away, you should be just fine.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to get more potions if we¡¯re stuck out here?¡± the Lord asked. ¡°It could be days before Gerwin comes back out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll make them ourselves.¡±

 Ch. 14 - Off the Beaten Path

    For the next few days, Lucas and his patient were basically stuck roughing it. Deliveries of food occurred once or twice a day, along with frequent supplies of medicinal brandy for the Viscount¡¯s pain. On the third day, when rain threatened, they retreated from their forest camp to an old cottage at the edge of Parin land that had been used for cider production back when their Orchards were large enough to justify such an activity.


    From his walks through the woods in search of ingredients for potions, Lucas had long ago figured out that this land had all been cultivated before it had fallen into disrepair. Many of the trees, especially older ones, were in neat rows. As he wandered through them, looking for the right ingredients picking up the odd apple, he gave that little incongruity a lot of thought.


    It was strange enough to make him wonder if the story the Viscount had told him about taxes and all the rest might be bullshit. It was clear that despite the beauty of the actual mansion, house Parin had fallen on hard times.


    ¡°It happened after my father died,¡± the Lord confessed to him one night when he was halfway drunk in an attempt to ward off the pain of his injury. ¡°He¡¯d spent too much money on investments that didn¡¯t pay off, and as a result¡­ well, it¡¯s a mess. Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±


    When Lucas pressed further, he got some nonanswers about gambling. That triggered his bullshit detector, but he didn¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s not like it was his business. He was here to keep the lord breathing, which seemed to be pretty much a sure thing now.


    None of that was the reason he left the Viscount by himself most days. Instead, it was the easiest way to ignore his subtle requests for something stronger.


    ¡°You know this brandy helps take the edge off; I just wish it had a bit more punch.¡±


    ¡°This pain is almost bearable. Do you think you might be able to help me out?¡±


    ¡°You know, ever since your little surgery, I¡¯ve barely been able to sleep a wink. Do you have anything that might help me out with that?¡±


    Every day, the Viscount found another way to ask him for another hit of Blue without quite asking him. Once, when Lucas came back from a mushroom hunt, he even found the man looking through his things to see if he¡¯d left that little bauble behind.


    He hadn¡¯t of course. That was an overdose just waiting to happen. It was basically junkie logic 101.


    Lucas had tried to help him where he could. He¡¯d made several potions that weren¡¯t as strong as he would like with the ingredients on hand, but none of those were going to scratch the Viscount¡¯s true craving. The man had tasted heaven, and he wanted more. Lucas understood that only too well.


    Tainted Curative (3 doses): endurance 4 (for the purposes of recovery only), poison 2.


    Potion of Lethargy (4 doses): Lesser sleep, lethargy (12 hours), poison 1.


    He wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s mother, but he wasn¡¯t going to enable the man either. Even when Adin had come right out and offered to pay for another hit on the fourth day, Lucas had turned him down flat. ¡°It¡¯s your silver man. If you want to buy another dose, I¡¯m happy to sell, but only after you¡¯re well. I didn¡¯t save your life just so you could overdose on my watch.¡±


    ¡°Overdose?¡± the Viscount laughed. ¡°If there was that danger last time, then why did you let me have it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to turn this around, man,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°There''s a big difference between ¡®this dude is about to undergo surgery without anesthesia¡¯ and ¡®this guy wants to get high.¡¯¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Anesthesia?¡± the Viscount asked with a look of confusion on his face. He was an educated man, and it had been apparent to Lucas for a while that his occasional use of unfamiliar words annoyed the noble. Right now, he didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lucas said as he walked out the door and slammed it behind him.


    He didn¡¯t really need more herbs at this point, but honestly, he didn¡¯t know what else to do. There weren¡¯t any particularly rare ingredients around here. With his one pan and a campfire set up, he¡¯d already replaced the potions that he¡¯d borrowed from the Parin¡¯s with stuff that was almost as good, and he had enough sagethorn root and silver leaf to make another half dozen if he needed to.


    Truthfully, at this point, it was harder to find a good worm-free apple in the woods than any number of useful but common herbs. He¡¯d even seen some redcaps, though he had no need of a new cyanide capsule just now.


    That thought was enough to remember the berserker that had almost gotten all of them killed. It was hard to blame him for that. Hura¡¯gh wasn¡¯t the one who had rolled the dice with a tainted potion and hoped for the best.


    Any average person could take poison one or two without much more than a stomach ache. Lucas knew from personal experience that he could handle up to about four before he was as sick as a dog, but seven? That was the territory strictly reserved for orcs and dwarves. Surviving that sort of thing without liver damage or worse was a coin flip.


    This time, as Lucas was lost in thought, he didn¡¯t go into the woods. It was too early for that. The sun had not yet risen sufficiently high to chase away the shadows for his liking.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Instead, he wandered the fallow fields dominated by tall switch grass between the trees and the house. It was afternoon, and he supposed a sharp-eyed guard could theoretically see him, but he didn¡¯t look all that different from the peasant foragers that he¡¯d seen around looking for edible mushrooms, fallen apples, and other tubers.


    Lucas didn¡¯t judge them. Everyone had to eat, and in a world without convenience stores, things could get pretty tough. Hunger was a force of nature he¡¯d never known until he¡¯d come here. Not even on the street.


    While he strolled to cool off from how much the situation with the Viscount annoyed him, he noted the violet blossoms of witch grass, and he was tempted to take it, but he decided not to. It was only one of five ingredients he needed to make blue, and though he only really needed two other things to turn the vivid flower into a weak mana potion, he didn¡¯t really need one of those either. Maybe if he had some vials, he could make some to sell for some traveling money, but that was a process in itself.


    Still, it was hard to waste such a find, and even after he walked past them the first time, he returned and began to pluck them one at a time, just below the head. He would dry them and put them to use later. Whether they turned into gold or silver, leaving the money on the ground just because he was in a funk was wasteful.


    Witch Grass Blossoms (raw): Mana 4, Poison 3, intelligence 1, maximum mana increased in proportion to soul or int for 6 hours.


    He didn¡¯t know much about the stuff, except that witches and other nonmages sometimes used the stuff to curse people and perform other rituals. Most people said it was just a fable and it didn¡¯t actually work, but looking at the stats on the thing, it was hard to believe it didn¡¯t. Some people got worked up enough to deal with the fact that the bitter little things were going to make them as sick as a dog, and they got to pretend to be wizards for a few hours. A few other herbs could be added to increase the effect, but he''d never been tempted to try it.


    Lucas didn¡¯t want any part of that, though. The only magic he needed was the kind that jingled in his pockets.


    Still, he was only halfway through gathering the little, thumb-sized flowers when she found him. Well, found was putting it too politely. He heard someone moving through the grass, and when she scared the crap out of him.


    ¡°Christ, woman¡­ a Lady Parin, don¡¯t sneak up on a guy like that,¡± he cried out. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t supposed to be out here with us until the guards left and¡ª¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve gone,¡± she cut in cheerily. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me Lady Parin, by the way. That¡¯s so stuffy. Call me Denaria instead. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Lucas shrugged at that and smiled back. She was obviously very sweet and had an infectious smile. That made it impossible to be mad at her. ¡°Lucas. Lucas Sharpe and the pleasure is all mine,¡± he said, smiling a little wider as he suddenly felt self-conscious. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll want to see your brother, then?¡±


    ¡°In a minute,¡± she nodded, ¡°But first, I was hoping to learn more about the man that saved him. Gerwin didn¡¯t have many kind things to say about you after you barged into my room and saw me in my¡­ errmmm¡­ underthings, but decorum can hardly be expected when lives are on the line. Truly, he should have given you the medicine you needed without even bothering with me!¡±


    ¡°Well, in your defense, your outfit was a lot closer to a burka than a bikini,¡± he smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about. As to your butler, he was just doing what he had to do in the same way that I was just doing what I had to do. It all worked out okay.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± she agreed. ¡°Where did you meet Adin? Have you known him long?¡±


    ¡°He was in the cell across from me when I was dragged into the dungeon. That¡¯s all,¡± Lucas answered. ¡°I knew him perhaps two hours before we busted out of there.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re a criminal?¡± she asked, looking scandalized for the first time in the whole conversation. ¡°What did you do? Nothing too dreadful, I hope!¡±


    ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t kill anyone if that¡¯s what you¡¯re getting at¡­¡± he said before his mind flashed to that guard. Lucas didn¡¯t think he¡¯d killed the guy, but honestly, he wasn¡¯t really sure either way. ¡°At least, I probably didn¡¯t. Regardless. It¡¯s not really my thing. I¡¯m more of a business¡­ err, tradesman, an alchemist, really.¡±


    ¡°An alchemist, then, how interesting,¡± she smiled. ¡°It was probably just a misunderstanding with the King that led you down this dark road then?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± he agreed as she looked at the way her gaze studied his purple-stained fingertips. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I was making too much money and got the attention of the wrong people. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Well, then it only makes sense you¡¯d get locked up in the same cell as my brother,¡± she said excitedly. ¡°He had much the same dilemma. Something about logging rights or market fees. King Velonian and his tax collectors have certainly been prickly lately. It¡¯s not as if we even have much silver left in the house to satisfy them!¡±


    Lucas noted that her laced trimmed floral outfit and simple silver jewelry probably cost a handful of gold dragons but said nothing. She was too young to worry about these things and too cheerful to have her naive hypocrisy shoved in her face. Instead, he just answered questions about different flowers as they made their way to the tiny cabin where her brother was sleeping.


    This one could be used in potions of speed, that one was poisonous, but you could mill the seeds for lamp oil, and this pretty pink one just smelled nice. She was very impressed that he knew the name of every plant she pointed at, but given that it appeared as a pop-up that only he could see, it wasn¡¯t anything special. He was just reading off a cheat sheet.


    When they reached the tiny cider house, Lucas wasn¡¯t surprised to find that Lord Parin had gone through his shit again. This time, he¡¯d downed the entire bottle of the potion of lethargy, which meant that he was going to be out like a light for hours.


    ¡°As you can see, he still needs time to uhmm¡­ recover, but I think that given enough time, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lucas said, trying not to curse the rat fuck out and make him look even worse in front of his sister. ¡°But I¡¯ve done everything I can, so there¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t just get on the road now and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, please, you must stay,¡± Denaria insisted. ¡°At least until we¡¯ve had a proper feast to thank you for all you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Really, I appreciate it, but the longer I stick around, the more trouble I¡¯ll¡­¡± he answered. Those protests died on his lips as she began to pout, though, and finally, he said, ¡°Fine, but just one more day, and then I really have to be going.¡±

 Ch. 15 - Last Supper

    Lucas spent the rest of the day imagining a grand feast laid out for them, and once the Viscount arose, he explained to him the plan. Unfortunately, Gerwin forbade a grand feast in the house. He said it would be too risky. ¡°If all the servants find out Lord Parin is back, it won¡¯t be long before the guard knows it too!¡±


    He was right, of course. Lucas didn¡¯t try to argue that, especially not when he found out they¡¯d still be served a lovely dinner in the barn.


    The Viscount protested that they served their guest in such a miserable place, but nobody paid him much mind at this point. His servant ignored him because the old man obviously knew better. His sister ignored him because she was still concerned about the extent of his injuries, but Lucas ignored him more than the other two combined because he could see that Lord Parin was going downhill fast.


    Not healthwise. In terms of healing, the man was almost completely out of the danger zone. He could get up and walk around, and he no longer needed Lucas to be his nursemaid.


    Unfortunately, that made him more of a pest than ever, and the lord spent the remainder of that afternoon and the following morning pestering Lucas as he wandered around the grounds. Sometimes, it wasn¡¯t so bad when he told him stories about the area or shared some gossip about their neighbors, but inevitably, the conversation always returned to drugs.


    ¡°I¡¯m better now,¡± the man insisted. ¡°You said so yourself. So if I had my manservant Gerwin fetch a few silver, perhaps I could¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he intends on listening to a single order you give him until your name is cleared,¡± Lucas interrupted, dodging the topic. ¡°He¡¯s more like your sister¡¯s servant these days, no offense.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, be that as it may, a few silvers from the Parin coffers are almost as easily replaced as they are obtained,¡± the man continued, ¡°and another dose of your little miracle drug should go a long way toward¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you even listening to yourself?¡± Lucas asked, suddenly spinning around and pointing his finger in the other man¡¯s face. ¡°One fucking hit, and now you¡¯re down so bad you¡¯re practically begging. That¡¯s pretty weak. Honestly, I¡¯ve seen professional junkies hold up better than you. Get a hold of yourself.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t, actually. What Lucas saw in the disheveled appearance of Lord Parin was pretty much par for the course. He could practically see himself in the man¡¯s shoes back when he¡¯d been hooked on smack, but the man had appearances to keep up, and so he was hoping that pride would be a useful pressure point.


    In this case, it turned out that it actually was. Instead of arguing back, as he¡¯d obviously planned to do, the noble crumpled like a cheap suit. ¡°God¡¯s, you''re right,¡± he agreed. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t, but I¡­ it haunts my dreams, you know? Part of my mind tells me that just one more taste of heaven would fix that, but it would just make things worse, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It would,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°But if you give it time, that urge will get weaker, and by the time this whole thing with the prince blows over, you won¡¯t even miss it at all.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s never going to blow over without money, is it?¡± Lord Parin asked, picking up a branch and swinging it in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s like you said; we need to make more of your fabulous potion and start selling it. I know more than a few dilettantes that would be eager enough to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Adin, no one ever told you this before, so I don¡¯t blame you for not knowing, but there¡¯s one simple, ironclad rule to this game: ¡®Never get high on your own supply,¡¯¡± Lucas said with a shake of his head. ¡°And right now, if I got all the equipment and set up an operation, there¡¯s no way I could trust you to stay clean.¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± the noble said earnestly, in a voice that was very nearly pleading. ¡°Maybe if you were to give me a watered-down version to ween me off, I could¡­¡±


    ¡°See what I mean?¡± Lucas laughed coldly, but it was for effect. ¡°The first time I turn my back, you¡¯ll be dead in a ditch.¡±


    He¡¯d done what he¡¯d done, both here and on Earth to get by, but there was a difference between knowing the damage he was doing and seeing it firsthand. He¡¯d been making a point not to get too cozy with addicts for years now, and this was why.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t,¡± Lord Parin said, shaking his head from side to side, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as they heard the sounds of someone approaching. His sister had managed to get almost all the way to them before either of them had noticed she was there. The sun was setting now and hanging low and red in the sky, blinding them in that direction.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t what?¡± she asked sweetly.


    This time, she was wearing a somewhat subdued forest green dress with what looked to be riding boots. For a second, Lucas wondered if this was her version of being incognito or dressing for a stroke through the wilderness, but was quickly distracted by such adorable thoughts when her brother quickly answered, ¡°Would never betray you! I was just letting our guest Lucas know that he could stay here without fear as long as he wanted.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°I should hope not, dear brother,¡± she smiled. ¡°That man saved your life, and the gods damn those who treat their guests poorly.¡±


    ¡°What can we do for you?¡± Lucas said, trying not to roll his eyes.


    ¡°I just came to tell you that our little dinner, simple as it might be, has been served,¡± she said with a mock bow and a stern imitation of her serious manservant, but halfway through, she folded and ended up laughing all the way to the barn with the two of them in tow.


    Lucas had been expecting some cold cuts or maybe some leftovers, but instead, there was a full three-course meal waiting for them in there, complete with wine. Someone had even moved a table large enough for four in there and set it just like the main table Lucas had so recently pilfered.


    ¡°Wow,¡± he said, checking out the roast and the rest of the food, ¡°I¡¯m impressed. You¡¯ve outdone yourself, Jeeves!¡± Lucas exclaimed.


    ¡°Gerwin,¡± the man said stiffly, standing at one end of the table with his mistress¡¯s seat pulled partway out, ¡°but you can call me sir.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Lucas said, sitting down at the opposite end of the table. ¡°Jeeves is a term of respect for servants where I come from. It¡¯s like Alfred, but you know, classier.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± the butler said, even though he obviously didn¡¯t. Instead, he sidestepped the conversation and began to serve everyone the first course of salad and dinner rolls.


    Lucas dug in immediately. It was good, and so was the squash soup and the pork roast that followed it. It wasn''t as good as the ribs at the chop house he¡¯d been frequenting in the meat packing district since he¡¯d started turning a steady profit on his blue, but it was not something he¡¯d ever turn down either.


    He left the two Parin siblings to dominate the conversation as they caught up on all that had happened. Adin complained about the cell, the dank conditions, and even the fact that he was home but couldn¡¯t sleep in his own bed. His sister, on the other hand, asked questions about what could be done to fix the situation, but to Lucas, most of the answers that the Viscount gave his sister sounded like bullshit to him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a letter to the magistrate, but I will send another one promptly,¡± he assured her. ¡°Even though the King should never have been able to take our herds for grazing on the common, the very fact that he¡¯s done so means that we are owed compensation! Between their value and the damages I expect we shall receive, that should be more than enough dragons to clear even our father¡¯s ferocious debts.¡±


    The butler said nothing, but even as Denaria opened her mouth to dispute some part of that, Lucas noticed that the man raised an eyebrow at some part of what the Viscount had said. That didn¡¯t surprise Lucas. The way the man¡¯s story was slowly shifting back and forth certainly seemed to indicate that there were larger things in play here. At the very least, Lord Parin was downplaying them, and worst¡­ well, that wasn¡¯t Lucas¡¯s problem.


    Tomorrow, he''d be in the wind. He wished this lovely but dysfunctional family the best, but it wasn¡¯t his problem. At least it wasn¡¯t supposed to be.


    ¡°...and if that isn¡¯t enough coins to settle the tax debts, then¡­ Lucas and I will go into business making healing potions to pay off the difference.¡±


    ¡°You will?¡± Denaria asked with a growing smile.


    ¡°We will?¡± Lucas asked in complete confusion. ¡°I was actually¡ª¡± He¡¯d tuned out of the conversation for a moment, but he had no idea how things could have gotten to this point.


    ¡°We will,¡± Lord Parin answered in a tone of self-assured finality that made Lucas want to punch him in the nose.


    ¡°Why, that¡¯s wonderful news!¡± Denaria said, fixing Lucas with her beautiful green eyes, ¡°Thank you so much for agreeing to help us with this, Mister Sharpe. We really do appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­your brother and I still have some things to work out, and we weren¡¯t supposed to talk about it yet,¡± Lucas said through gritted teeth. ¡°I have other commitments and¡­¡±


    ¡°All of that will be worked out,¡± the noble said with a dismissive gesture that made Lucas¡¯s blood boil even more. As far as he was concerned, this was a conversion that was going to be settled by fists at this point, so he busied himself, stuffing his face with the last of his roast so that he didn¡¯t start cursing up a storm. His fury was building, though, and even Denaria¡¯s unexpected hug when he¡¯d finished and was leaving failed to quell it entirely.


    Instead, it just continued to slowly grow, and when Lord Perrin opened his fat mouth to explain when they were nearly at their dilapidated cottage.


    ¡°Listen, I know we were still talking around the edges of this, but my sister, she¡ª Ahh! Lucas, what in the pits?¡± he cried out as Lucas punched him in the mouth without any warning.


    ¡°She honestly might be better off without an asshole like you in her life,¡± Lucas said, shaking his hand to try to get rid of the sting. ¡°I¡¯m not staying. I have no plans to stay, and your problems got nothin¡¯ to do with me, alright?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lord Parin agreed, ¡°But they¡¯re a lot worse than I told my sister. Even before the prince had me locked up, we were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and now this. We need your help¡ª¡±


    This time, Lucas didn¡¯t punch him in the mouth. He punched the noble as hard as he could in the stomach, doubling the man over and making him retch. It was a low blow after such a big meal, but he didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m beginning to see the pattern of behavior in your little sob stories, Adin,¡± Lucas said, shaking his head in disgust. ¡°And the pattern is, you have no idea what the fuck¡¯s going on, do you? Why would I even work with you? You¡¯ve got no knowledge, no skills, almost no capital to speak of, and you¡¯re already fiending? You¡¯re about the worst possible choice I could imagine.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can learn, and I have a place¡­¡± he gasped. Lucas raised his fist again, but when the man finished talking, he paused. ¡°Please. This isn¡¯t about the blue. We don¡¯t even have to make it, but you¡¯ve already made half a dozen healing potions with nothing but a cooking pot and the things you found on the ground. If you could just show me how, then I could¡­¡±


    The man flinched, but Lucas¡¯s blow never landed. Instead, he sighed and said, "you know what? It¡¯s too late for this shit. I¡¯m going to sleep on it. If I¡¯m still here in the morning, well, that¡¯s your answer.¡±


    The Viscount kept talking, but Lucas just waved him off, went into the cider house, and laid down on his bed. Right now, he was completely over it.

 Ch. 16 - Getting Started

    Lucas lay in his bed for hours that night, trying to decide what he should do here. Even after the asshole that was getting him roped deeper and deeper into this strange predicament started snoring heavily from the other side of the room, and Lucas knew he could easily grab the horse and bounce, he just lay there with his hands behind his head and stared at the shabby roof above his head.


    The first day they were in here, he¡¯d covered the holes with bundles of weeds since he didn¡¯t have any straw, so it was mostly weatherproof now, but even so, it was a dingy little place. It must have been nice once, though. There were bunks for a dozen workmen, storage places for apples, and a few chairs that might still be safe to sit on. There were even fermenting bins and apple presses, though they¡¯d long since rusted solid.


    He didn¡¯t imagine that cider sold for much, of course, but with this many trees, they could put it in kegs, ferment it, and then freeze the water out of it in the winter, turning it into a poor man¡¯s whiskey. Honestly - that by itself would have been a perfectly good business model, Lucas thought to himself.


    Given just how spineless the Viscount was shaping up to be, Lucas no longer had any idea of what to believe about his hardships. If Lucas had inherited vast wealth and an honest-to-god apple orchard, he¡­ honestly probably would have fucked it up too, he realized. It had been a while since the angel had played ¡®This is your Life¡¯ with him, but it was still too recent for him to lie to himself about such things. There was the better part of a decade where he would have gladly sold everything that wasn¡¯t nailed down for one more high.


    He sighed. Nothing could ever be easy, could it?


    Sleep eventually came for Lucas, but it was restless, and there were no prophetic dreams to give him the right answer. In the morning, he was left with the same dilemma and the same snoring. So, he decided to do something about both at once.


    It was only sunrise, but he got dressed in the dark, and then, grabbing the pot he¡¯d been using to brew things in, he went to the river and gathered some nice cold water. Then, with that in hand, he gave his little lordling an especially icy wake-up call.


    The man bolted upright, gasping from sudden shock. To his credit, he didn¡¯t actually scream like a girl, but Lucas was sure that if he hadn¡¯t been standing there with a sour expression, then Adin would have done just that.


    ¡°By the stars, man, why would you do that?¡± the noble gasped.


    ¡°I tried to wake you up a couple of times by¡­ let''s call them more traditional means, but you weren¡¯t budging.¡± Lucas lied. ¡°Now come on, get up - we got shit to do.¡±


    ¡°We have what?¡± Adin yawned. ¡°The sun has barely risen. What could we possibly have to do?¡±


    ¡°Well, that depends,¡± Lucas said theatrically, extending a finger for each choice he laid out. ¡°Either you can go back to bed, and I can get on my horse and ride out of this berg before the guard catches me, or you get your ass in gear, and we can see how serious you are about cooking.¡±


    ¡°Cooking?¡± the noble asked uncomprehendingly.


    ¡°Cooking. Alchemy. Slinging potions!¡± Lucas exclaimed in annoyance. ¡°Come on, man, what are we doing here? You going to get busy living or get busy dying? I ain¡¯t got all day.¡±


    This, at least, was enough to get the noble up and moving. Without another word of complaint, the man changed into something a little drier and got his boots on. Then, after they gathered some sacks, baskets, and knives, they were off.


    They didn¡¯t take the horse for two very good reasons. The first was that even with its barding removed, it still had a city brand, and that might be noticed by any number of keen-eyed observers. The second reason was more practical: the Greenwood wasn¡¯t so far from here, but it would be even closer if they cut through Parin¡¯s overgrown orchard and the fields beyond. There was only one field between the orchard and the road and only two more beyond that to the woods proper.


    Strictly speaking, they didn¡¯t really need to go there, but Lucas had no interest in taking it easy on this prick. If he wanted to start an alchemy business, then Lucas was going to watch him sweat and see how the man did.


    Even that wasn¡¯t going to be enough to make him stick around more than a few more days, of course. Teaching the lordling how to cook up blue would just be murder with extra steps.


    But teaching him a couple of ways to make some healing potions might be enough of a lifeline that the man could save his sister¡¯s house and maybe find a way to buy himself out of the jam he was in. At a couple of silvers a pop, it would probably take him years, but peddling his wares on the corner for that long would probably teach the man a little humility, too, and Lucas thought that would be a fine side effect.


    So, while they walked, Lucas picked a couple basic lesser healing potion recipes that he¡¯d used before with ingredients that should be fairly common in this area for two or three seasons a year, and he made Adin repeat them all the way there.


    ¡°Silver leaf, Sagethorn root, water,¡± he repeated dutifully as they crossed over the road. ¡°And if I can¡¯t find those, I can make something that¡¯s almost as good with pure spirits, ground elderberry seeds, bark from a rosewood tree, and¡ª¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°No, not just any bark from the Rosewood tree!¡± Lucas interrupted. ¡°What kind of bark did I say specifically?¡±


    ¡°The umm¡­ I don¡¯t remember,¡± Adin snapped in frustration. ¡°You said I needed to take the bark and boil it in spirits and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, if you take the bark off one of those trees and boil it like that, then congratulations, you just made rat poison,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°The brown bark is old. It has zero healing properties. You have to peel that off first to get at the red bark on the inside, and then you use the alcohol to leach out the poison.¡±


    ¡°If it has poison in it, then why would you use it in healing potions anyway?¡± Adin asked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just¡­ I don¡¯t know, tap the sap and make a healing potion that way?¡±


    ¡°The sap?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°You think just because it¡¯s part of the same plant, it will have the same properties? Man - you¡¯re going to do some serious damage with shit like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, why not?¡± Adin asked, obviously annoyed now. ¡°If the outermost bark is poisonous, and the inner bark is poisonous and healing, then the sap or the heartwood should just be healing, right?¡±


    Lucas sighed. ¡°The leaves of the tree don¡¯t do anything, but I hear if you¡¯re starving, they¡¯re edible. The seeds taste kind of weird, but some bakers like to sprinkle them on top of freshly baked bread for the color and the bark¡­ well, we talked about that. The sap, though¡­ let¡¯s say it¡¯s used in a sort of love potion, which is not what we¡¯re looking for today.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± the lordling asked, suddenly intrigued. ¡°I¡¯d think a love potion could sell for a hell of a lot more than some lesser healing potions.¡±


    ¡°Listen, Viagra takes a lot more ingredients than distilled Rosewood sap,¡± Lucas shook his head. ¡°Some of them have to be imported. No, that¡¯s a story for another day.¡±


    The Viscount looked at him with annoyance for a bit but eventually dropped the subject and went back to repeating the formulas that Lucas had given him until he could say them on command without screwing them up.


    After that, Lucas added a couple of other items to their shopping list and started describing the plants to the other man in detail. In the Greenwood, most of them wouldn¡¯t be hard to find exactly. In fact, he¡¯d chosen these two recipes specifically because the reagents that were needed for them were both common and visible.


    As much fun as it would have been to make the man figure out the difference between a scarlet funnel and a red spotted trumpet cap, the man would almost certainly end up killing someone on accident when he mixed those up. Lucas didn¡¯t need that on his conscience. They weren¡¯t picking up any mushrooms today,


    Well, not unless I see a few truffles lying around, he corrected himself. Because those are damn good.


    Truthfully, he might pick some wizened gnome caps if he found them, too. They were another ingredient he needed for blue. Really, he was sure he could find everything he needed to make the drug on their trip today, except for the sour dwarf berries, but those were cheap enough to buy at the market. If he were to just swing by his little dive on the way home and pick his glassware back up, he¡¯d be able to go back in business by this evening.


    That was too risky, though, and not at all what he''d planned for the day. Going anywhere near Lordanin until the heat had died down seemed like a terrible idea.


    So they spent the day picking leaves, digging up roots, and scraping bark off of trees. Every time the lordling complained about the hard work, Lucas would laugh. ¡°You want to quit now? Just say the word, man. Just say the word, and we¡¯ll go right home right now.¡±


    He didn¡¯t give up, though, which was not what Lucas had expected. Not when their waterskin ran dry while the sun was high in the sky, and not when he pricked himself for the tenth time on the painful Sagethorn plant.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s called a Sagethorn, you know,¡± Lucan shared. ¡°Because after you get stuck once, you¡¯re supposed to be wise enough never to let that happen again.¡±


    Adin looked at him sullenly but said nothing. Instead, he continued to fill the baskets with their primary ingredients, and Lucas just kept letting him, even when they had far more than enough Elderberries. Despite the risk of goblin attacks slowly increasing as they inched toward sunset, Lucas stayed until the red light wanned and the forest canopy dimmed, just to give the Viscount one more reason to quit.


    Goblins definitely put the fear in me the first time I was ambushed, Lucas thought to himself. That didn¡¯t happen, though, and instead, they made their way back, chatting quietly as they went.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much stuff?¡± Adin asked, sweating under his load as they got close to home.


    ¡°It depends on how many times you fuck up,¡± Lucas said casually. ¡°I could probably make close to a hundred doses out of all of this stuff, but you¡­ We¡¯ll be lucky to get half that.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are we going to do with 50 healing potions, though?¡± Adin protested. ¡°That still seems a little¡­ excessive.¡±


    ¡°Why, we¡¯re going to sell them, of course,¡± Lucas said with a sarcastic smile.  ¡°A reputable shop might charge five silvers for a blend like this or even ten for something stronger. Since we are hardly reputable, we¡¯ll probably only get a silver or two, but hey - that¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still at least five golden dragons,¡± Adin said, starting to smile as he saw the bigger picture. ¡°That¡¯s a hell of a lot of coin for a day¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°A day¡¯s work?¡± Lucas laughed doing some quick math in his head. ¡°Man, we¡¯re barely getting started. And after buying all the things we need¡­ it¡¯s going to be more like two or three gold pieces for a week''s worth of work, but still pretty good money, right?¡±


    It was a lot of money, though. The man wasn''t wrong. Well, at least it would be he thought as he imagined their stack herbs becoming potions and those potions becoming cash. A golden dragon was 20 silver kings, and each of those was 20 coppers with a crudely stamped bushel basket on them. A farmer''s harvest might be worth a handful of dragons, which wasn''t so different than a pile of herbs, properly treated, or even a single vial of blue. That was enough to put a lot of things into perspective for him.

 Ch. 17 - A Days Wage

    The next morning, Lucas watched the pot that was supposed to be simmering boil over with red froth for the third time that morning. He laughed at that and reflected that this would have been a pretty good way to make a living if the noble who was trying and failing to be his partner could actually make even a simple potion.


    A pound of herbs and other components boiling away in two different pots and then combined was enough for at least twelve lesser healing potions. At least that would be true if Adin wasn''t spilling half of it.


    Sold for two silvers a pop, minus a couple coppers for the vials, which they¡¯d have to start buying in bulk, they¡¯d still be getting paid ten times more than a mason or a cobbler. Hell - they¡¯d be getting twice as much as a physiker and slightly more than a goldsmith¡­ each.


    ¡°That¡¯s the good stuff right there,¡± Lucas said as Adin panicked. ¡°You¡¯re ruining it. Take it off the heat!¡±


    Adin scrambled, almost burning himself in the process, but he moved the pot off the heat enough that it stopped boiling just as the smell of burning started to come from the pan with the rosewood bark.


    ¡°Careful, you need to add more water, or you¡¯re going to burn the whole place down!¡± Lucas cried theatrically.


    ¡°This is impossible! Why aren¡¯t you helping?¡± the lordling complained. ¡°There¡¯s too many things going on for just one person!¡±


    As much fun as he¡¯d been having as he watched Adin screw up, though, he had to admit that the sheer amount of mats going to waste for this farce was starting to get on his nerves. The only useful thing the man had done all day was dispatch a servant to town with a shopping list for bottles, alcohol, salt, corks, and a handful of other sundries they were going to need.


    While doing this on a metal grate over a burned-down campfire using battered cookware was hardly ideal, it was still better than Lucas¡¯s first setup had been and almost as good as the one he used to cook blue now, so that was hardly an excuse.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done next batch,¡± Lucas said, eying the stat window for each of the ingredients and deciding they were mostly okay. This would definitely be a tainted potion, but it would still do more good than harm.


    ¡°Alright, pour them through the sieve and into the cauldron, and we¡¯ll fish the burned bits out as best we can,¡± Lucas said finally. He noted the gray color and marked this batch down to one silver instead of two. It was medicine for the desperate, not a cure for the poor.


    Some small part of his mind told him that this wouldn¡¯t be so bad, though. Sure, he¡¯d make ten times less than he would brewing a nice big batch of blue, but he wouldn¡¯t be making addicts or trading off human misery. Lucas started doing the math on how long it would take him to open his Mexican food-equipped inn on half a dragon a day when Adin interrupted him by yelping in pain as he burned himself.


    Lucas shook his head. ¡°Fortunately for you, we got just the thing to take care of that,¡± he said, ladling a little of the steaming brew into a wooden bowl and noting the ugly ashen color that only had a few strains of oily pink on it. ¡°Congratulations, my Lord - you¡¯ve made your first potion. It¡¯s terrible.¡±


    Alchemical Healing Mixture (18 doses): Healing 3, poison 2, endurance -1.


    The Viscount balked at that. At first, he tried to defend his efforts. ¡°If it works even a little, then I¡¯d say it was pretty good for a first-timer!¡± he declared.


    After that, he continued to protest loudly and proceeded to give Lucas a whole litany of excuses. Lucas didn¡¯t pay much attention to any of that, though. Instead, he got to work and nodded periodically and said ¡°uhuh¡± or ¡°whatever¡± when it sounded appropriate as he prepared his own ingredients to show the man who had just failed so colossally under his instruction.


    He started with the bark. Once it was good and ground up in the mortar and pestle, he left that to soak in cold spirits. The stuff they were using now was too expensive, and something like that would cut into their profit margin in the long term, but Lucas had no intention of staying long enough to build a still and teach the Viscount how to make vodka from kitchen scraps.


    After that, he started to prepare the berries, cutting them open one at a time to get to the pits. As was the case with most alchemical tasks, it was tedious and simple, but he didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Why are you saving the berry flesh anyway?¡± Adin asked. ¡°You said it¡¯s not used in the recipe. Are we saving them for another potion or¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s called jam, and it¡¯s the bomb,¡± Lucas said, rolling his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a little sugar, a lot of berries, and some time, but I¡¯ll work on that later.¡±


    ¡°Why would you spend your time making jam when you could be making potions of healing or strength or even¡­¡± Adin¡¯s words trailed off before he brought up the forbidden word again. Blue. It was never far from the man¡¯s mind. ¡®Why would you be making literally anything else when you could be making me my fix?¡¯ Lucas heard the words, even if the man didn¡¯t actually say them.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s fucking delicious,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Because as much as your region gets right, it gets a lot of shit wrong. Like - you don¡¯t even have hot sauce, man. That¡¯s just one more thing I gotta change when I find the right peppers.¡±


    ¡°What? There are many hot sauces. The pork we had last night was served with a hot port reduction that¡ª¡± the lordling volunteered. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t even close to the same thing,¡± Lucas grumbled. ¡°You¡¯ll see. Now go scour these pots with sand before you ruin my cook. You burn it, you clean it.¡±


    All through the conversation, and even after Adin left to do his chores, Lucas kept working. He cut berries ground pits, and when all was in readiness by the time his mostly clean pots returned to him, he began to drain the now toxic spirits from the bark and boiled the two ingredients separately at different temperatures as he watched the stats of both fluctuate.


    Elderberry Seeds (processed): Healing 2, mana 1, poison 1, intelligence -1


    Rosewood inner tree bark (leached): Healing 2, poison 1, endurance 1, intelligence -1


    Theoretically, Lucas could have just boiled them together into one pot, but that wouldn¡¯t have given him the same level of control. One of the reasons his concoctions were so much cheaper and simpler than traditional formulas was because he could see exactly what was changing in real-time. They just had to pile in tons of other ingredients and boil them all down until they each contributed only a little bit of healing to the final product.


    Rosewood inner tree bark (leached): Healing 3, poison 1, endurance 1


    He could do better, though. He could watch the lesser contributors fall away one at a time, slowly increasing the major attribute as he boiled it down.


    Rosewood inner tree bark (leached): Healing 2, endurance 1


    Lucas frowned as the canceled poison counteracted some of the healing. That happened sometimes and was frankly better than the alternative.


    Truthfully he still only understood how this works in the broadest of strokes. He didn¡¯t attend alchemist school, or study under a master. Apparently the body he occupied was going to be a chef before the pox had taken him. He knew a few mechanics, though, like using alcohol to purify toxins, or boiling something to enhance the main property at the expense of the minor ones. There was a strange sort of logic to it.


    Through all of this, he never once let either pot boil over. In fact, he made his minion stoke the fire and add a little more wood, and when he was finally ready, he strained and combined the two into a separate pot and set them aside to simmer.


    Alchemical Healing Mixture (25 doses): Healing 5, poison 1, endurance 1. Those who imbibe have a 10% chance of nausea for one hour.


    It wasn¡¯t perfect, but Lucas chalked that up to using pans that had not been scrubbed sufficiently. That was his fault. He¡¯d seen the residue, but he¡¯d been in too much of a hurry to go and do it himself. By the time it cooled, though, he knew that it would be a pleasant red-pink and that plenty of people would be happy to buy it at a cut-rate price. Honestly, they could probably dilute with some water and add a little elderberry juice color and get nearly the same price.


    The purpose of this exercise wasn¡¯t to scam to make more money, though. It was to show off and demonstrate to Lord Parin that he was in no way ready for this.


    So, he filled up two small vials when the servant finally came back from town with his shopping list, and Gerwin brought them out to the cider house.


    Small Tainted Lesser Healing Potion (1 dose): Weak healing, poison 2, endurance -1


    Small Tainted Lesser Healing Potion (1 dose): Lesser healing, poison 1, endurance 1, those who imbibe have a 10% chance of nausea for one hour


    ¡°See,¡± Lucas said, holding them both up to show off the obvious differences between both to the Lord and his manservant. ¡°Which of these is worth two silver, and which of these should be fed to the pigs, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, you said they¡¯d both heal, right?¡± The Viscount asked. ¡°Sooo¡­¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t drink the gray one if you paid me two silver,¡± Gerwin said, cracking a rare smile.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Lucas said, trying and failing to give the man a fist bump. ¡°He gets it. This is why you can¡¯t be an alchemist Adin - you suck at it, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± the Lord admitted. ¡°But you don¡¯t. You¡¯re great at this; if you did all the work, we could¡ª¡±


    ¡°There is no I in we, asshole,¡± Lucas said, cutting him off. ¡°I paid my debts. I saved your life and gave this little experiment a go, but there¡¯s no team if you bring nothing to the table, is there?¡±


    The butler excused himself from that uncomfortable silence without a word, and when Lucas realized he might have been a little too harsh, he added, ¡°But hey - look on the bright side, at least you¡¯ll get a bunch of healing potions out of the deal, because I sure as hell ain''t taking all of this with me. You can sell that shit and make some coin.¡±


    ¡°Where will you go?¡± the Viscount asked in a tone that was almost pleading. ¡°Where will you find a better deal than this?> Here, you already have a lab and someone to help you and watch your back¡­¡±


    Anywhere there¡¯s someone less annoying than you, honestly, Lucas thought, reflecting on how much he¡¯d soured on the man after just a few days.


    He didn¡¯t say that, though. As exhausting as he found it talking to the spoiled noble, he didn¡¯t want to hurt the guy¡¯s feelings more than he had to. Instead, Lucas just shrugged and said, ¡°Who knows. I¡¯ll go wherever the road takes me and find somewhere nice to settle down.¡±


    Truthfully, there weren¡¯t a lot of places nicer than Lordanin; that¡¯s why he¡¯d come here from the little town in the middle of nowhere he¡¯d started out in. Well, that and to escape the endless rumors that he was a zombie.


    He and Adin worked the rest of the day in relative silence. Eventually, Lucas mixed the two mixtures together and added a little fruit juice for color, creating something that was probably better and safer for whoever ended up drinking it.


    Adulterated Lesser Healing Potion (2 doses): Weak healing, poison 1, endurance -1, tart, those who imbibe have a 5% chance of nausea for one hour


    It was only once that was done, and they¡¯d filled 21 vials with a deep red healing potion, that he finally turned to Adin and asked, ¡°Well, you want to learn how to make it the other way now, or are you good?¡±


    The noble just glared at him, but that did nothing to stop Lucas¡¯s smile.

 Ch. 18 - One Last Thing

    That night, when Denaria visited them, Lucas was the one to break the news to her that he wouldn¡¯t be staying after all because her brother was too chicken shit to do it himself. She was crestfallen, and though Lucas thought that such an emotion would show itself in a self-centered sort of way like her brother¡¯s had, she only seemed concerned with his well-being.


    ¡°Well¡­ you be safe on the high road, okay?¡± she cautioned him. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it from the ladies in my sewing circle that there¡¯s been a lot of bandit activity this season. Maybe find a caravan you can travel along with to make sure no one decides you look like easy pickings, alright?¡±


    The spoiled young 19-year-old was always cute, but she was doubly so when she talked to him like she was the voice of experience and wisdom to a guy like him. He kept his sarcastic comments to himself, though, and promised that he¡¯d do just that.


    They talked a little while after that, and she expressed some concerns about her brother. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll land on his feet somehow,¡± she said in a tone of barely repressed exasperation. ¡°He always seems to somehow.¡±


    Lucas wanted to dig further into that, but he left it alone, and eventually, after they finished discussing the two different color healing potions, and she went off on how she much preferred the pink Sagethorn root blend to the red Elderberry one, she left him sitting there on the porch alone in the gathering dark.


    Later, Gerwin came to fetch Lucas and asked, ¡°It would seem that the Viscount had gotten himself a touch too inebriated in the barn this evening. Since no one else is supposed to know of his presence, could I impose on you to help me fetch him and bring him back here so he can sleep it off?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Jeeves. Happy to help,¡± Lucas said.


    It was even true, but only because he welcomed any distraction from what was going on in his head right now because some small part of him was conflicted. Yesterday, he¡¯d been like ninety-nine percent sure that he should bounce, but today it was only like seventy-five percent.


    Leaving would fix a lot of problems, but it would create some new risks and deny him the chance to fuck up Brog or the Guard Captain for the way they¡¯d treated him. There was also this whole mess with house Parin. It wasn¡¯t exactly his problem, of course, but he knew he wasn¡¯t getting the full story.


    ¡°Listen, Gerwin, I want to apologize for the night we met,¡± he said finally, breaking the silence and doing his best to butter the old guy up for what was coming next.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, Mister Sharpe,¡± Gerwin nodded slowly as he walked with his hands behind his back. ¡°It was an emergency; these things happen. All that matters is that it¡¯s ended well.¡±


    ¡°Has it, though?¡± Lucas responded. ¡°Because¡­ and you tell me if I¡¯m out of line here, I get the sense that you thought that your mistress was better off with her brother removed from the equation.¡±


    ¡°Out of line,¡± the old man said, pausing there in the middle of the darkened field they were traipsing through to reach the barn. ¡°But unfortunately, quite correct. Even if he manages to evade arrest, his impacts on the family can be quite¡­ Chaotic.¡±


    ¡°Hey, every family¡¯s got one,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°But the way Adin told it, it was his dad that fucked everything up, and all this was just a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the former Lord Parin was many things, but at least he ensured that his daughter¡¯s marriage prospects were well provided for with a handsome dowry; sadly, her brother¡¯s efforts to regain the family fortune will make that quite impossible, I would think.¡±


    ¡°Wait, is that for financial reasons, or more like¡­ reputation?¡± Lucas asked as his stomach started to sink. ¡°What are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve said too much already,¡± the old man said with a stiff expression. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on retrieving the Parin¡¯s prodigal son for now, and then tomorrow, you can be on your way.¡±


    Lucas nodded at that, and together with a wheelbarrow, they were able to make light work of the drunk man. He¡¯d gotten fresh clothes the other day to replace the bloody ones he¡¯d been wearing when he arrived, but these were halfway to ruin as well and looked no better than the raggedy outfit that Lucas wore.


    After the Viscount was dumped into bed, Lucas spent several hours convincing himself that none of this was his problem and several more trying to decide where to go next. Niv and Heinen weren¡¯t supposed to be so far away.


    Both would be large enough to guarantee a certain type of clientele. The reputation of the former said that he¡¯d almost certainly end up paying one of the rival gangs some kind of protection racket, and the latter, being so full of non-humans¡­ Well, he didn¡¯t know how blue would react to a gnome or a dwarf. He knew for a fact that slants and half-orcs liked it well enough, but other customers¡­ well, he might have to do a little reformulation. Time would tell. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    In the morning, Lucas decided to enjoy a little of the Elderberry jam he¡¯d made yesterday once they¡¯d finished knocking out the potions. It was good on cold bread but not as good as it would have been if the primitive people of this world would invent a damn toaster.


    Once that was done, he loaded his saddlebags with his meager supplies and said goodbye to a hungover Aidan, who waved him off. Then mounted up and said goodbye to the Parin household. All that went according to plan. After that, though, he deviated almost immediately.


    What I really should do is stop by my place and grab my notes, he told himself as he veered back toward the Greenwood. That wasn¡¯t where he was going through, some little voice in his head told him that Lordanin wasn¡¯t safe for him yet.


    He¡¯d learned to trust that little voice, of course, but since it wasn¡¯t saying shit about the Greenwood, he figured he¡¯d better stop by and grab more supplies. After all, the biggest threat to any of his plans wasn¡¯t the legal climate or gang politics. It was what he could find locally and how much it would cost him to import everything else.


    It was Lucas¡¯s understanding that none of the ingredients were especially rare. Witchgrass blossoms could only be harvested seasonally, but it was a weed found in or around most wheat fields. Wizened Gnome Caps were wrinkly gray mushrooms that looked like brains to Lucas; they were hallucinogenic on their own, but they were found on fallen trees anywhere where it rained often enough to make them sprout. That just left the dwarf berries, which were cultivated widely but only near dwarvish settlements, goblin bile, and Blue Esper Willow sap.


    Wizened Gnome Caps: Endurance 3, Poison 2, intelligence -1, 50% chance of vivid hallucinations for the next 4 to 6 hours. Maximum mana increased in proportion to soul or int for 6 hours.


    Technically, he didn¡¯t need all four ingredients and the catalyst, but just two would produce something hopelessly mild, and three - well¡­ no one was going to write home or tell their friends about a high that was missing goblin bile or Wizened Gnome Caps. Hell, he could probably find ways to make his blue even stronger; he just didn''t really need to. A euphoria rating of 10 or 12 was about as high as he thought most people could stand anyway.


    So, instead of getting on the road and heading east, he headed to the area of the Greenwood where he¡¯d had the best luck with willows in the past. He already had some of the other two tough ingredients, after all, and he could kill goblins or pay someone else to do it pretty much wherever. They were a universal pest.


    In fact, they were so common that he hadn¡¯t been at all surprised to see goblin shit on his last foraging run the other day with Adin. This trip, though, he was a little more concerned, not only were the tracks he saw fresher, but it was still early enough that he might run into¡­


    Even as Lucas had that thought, he heard the sound of a branch breaking underfoot not so far away. He tensed for a moment while he harvested the vine he was after, but he forced himself to keep moving and act natural.


    Goblins were weak, cowardly hunters, and as long as one thought it was undetected, it would try its best to get as close as it could before it struck. So Lucas moved and hummed to himself like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, but he¡¯d already reversed his grip on his knife, and as soon as he could stand the tension no longer, he lashed out at however many of them were sneaking toward him with the vine he¡¯d been winding up like a rope.


    Blue Esper Willows weren¡¯t a species of tree; they were a willow that had been colonized by parasitic vines. They could eat other trees too, but depending on the tree it feasted on, the sap would have different properties, and Blue Esper Vines were by far the most toxic, which suited his purposes.


    Blue Esper Willow Vine (raw): Perception 3, poison 2, endurance -2


    The vine might drool evil looking goo, but it was hardly usable as a weapon or anything. The stupid goblins didn¡¯t know that, though, and all three of them scattered widely, giving him a chance to breathe.


    Lucas didn¡¯t hesitate. He walked toward the first one and kicked it hard enough to send it bouncing across the clearing. The second one raised his spear but wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop Lucas from plunging his knife into the thing¡¯s skull all the way to the hilt.


    He let go of the blade and grabbed the goblin¡¯s ugly spear as its grip loosened, and turned to face the final attacker. This one was cagier and made a few half-hearted thrusts as it yapped and growled at him in its ugly, guttural language. Lucas ignored that and focused on the thing¡¯s weapon. It was just a crooked spear with a knapped stone point, but he was sure it would still be enough to murder him if it got him somewhere vital.


    They went round and round like that for a moment, but ultimately, Lucas waited for it to bring its weapon too low, and then he stomped on it. That held it in place just long enough for him to thrust forward without any fear of reprisal and impale the final goblin. He used his weight and bore it to the leaf-covered ground, letting it wail and scream until it finally stopped moving.


    Lucas dropped the gore-spattered weapon and waited for the third goblin to stop moving and whining piteously before he bent to wrench his knife free from the second goblin¡¯s skull. He had no intentions of harvesting goblin livers for their bile today. He wouldn¡¯t even if he¡¯d had a jar for it. It was too disgusting, and he didn¡¯t want to smell like that for days on the road.


    Still, even though he wanted nothing more than to be rid of these corpses so he could gather his vines and move on, the blade didn¡¯t want to cooperate. This isn¡¯t a huge problem, he told himself as he struggled to work the blade free. That was true until he heard the sound of something crashing through the brush toward him.


    After that, he worked faster. He tried to convince himself that it was just a deer or perhaps another hunter, but that was a lie. The way it was stomping through without a care in the world meant that whatever it was, though, was at the top of the food chain and didn¡¯t have a care in the world.


    Once the knife finally came loose, Lucas was torn between whether or not to make a run for his horse at the edge of the woods or make a stand here and collect his supplies. After a moment''s thought, he chose to stand and fight, switched his knife into a reverse grip in his left hand, and picked up the nearest unbroken spear in his right.


    He was ready for whatever it was that had been attracted by the violence and was about to burst through the foliage in front of him. As long as it was something he could manage, he¡¯d stay and fight, and if not¡­ well, he just hoped he could run faster than whatever it was.

 Ch. 19 - Change of Plans

    In that moment, Lucas expected a lot of terrible things to come charging out of the bushes. The size seemed to rule out another pack of goblins, but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t have a hob for a chieftain.


    Lucas could probably take one of those, but if it was a beastman or, worse, a giant spider¡­ well, he should already be running. He was conflicted, but he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d gone into the dark wood deep enough for either of those to be a problem.


    The almost eight full tall silhouette looming out of the forest disagreed, but even as his urge for flight overpowered his urge for fight, he was stopped in his tracks by a booming laugh. ¡°Well, look who it is¡­¡± the man-shaped thing said.


    It took a second to figure out that the voice was familiar and another to figure out that he wasn¡¯t looking at a man, not in the most technical sense. He was looking at a half-orc. After he put those two pieces together, it only took another moment of fumbling to come up with a name.


    ¡°Hura''gh - you son of a bitch!¡± Lucas roared, dropping the spear and sheathing his knife. ¡°How in the hell did you get out?¡±


    There was no point in playing it cautiously at this point. The giant bastard could twist his head clean off with or without a strength potion. That made friendliness by far the smartest play, even if the guy still held a grudge that Lucas had left him for dead.


    He didn¡¯t seem to, though. Instead, he offered up a big toothy grin and extended a hand to shake Lucas¡¯s. ¡°You didn¡¯t see? Me and Kar¡¯gandin let loose a bunch of horses and thundered across the draw bridge as soon as you and your buddy with the Brandy sounded the alarm.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was kinda trying to go for a little swim in the moat¡­ wearing armor,¡± Lucas said wryly, ¡°So I didn¡¯t exactly see a whole lot.¡±


    This induced another round of laughter from Hura''gh, so Lucas continued. ¡°Anyway, we didn¡¯t slip. I thought that was you.¡± Lucas said, shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember going berserk and fighting your way across the courtyard with a trail of bodies in your wake?¡±


    ¡°I remember every trail of bodies I¡¯ve ever left in my wake,¡± the half-orc said, sharing Lucas¡¯s confusion as he tried to figure out how their stories might have gotten so different. ¡°And the only blood I spilled that night was in the torture chamber when I put that monster and his¡­ victims out of their misery.¡±


    Lucas thought for a long moment, trying to square that circle, and then he figured it out. ¡°Son of a bitch, it wasn¡¯t you!¡± he shouted before quickly looking around to make sure he wasn¡¯t attracting any more hungry goblins.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Hura''gh answered, shaking his head. ¡°Me and the dwarf - we were going to give you another day or two, but we figured you and his highness never made it out.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you or me that alerted the guards, then it had to be Hardcore,¡± Lucas blurted out.


    ¡°Who?¡± Hura''gh asked. ¡°The guy in the armor? Nah - I¡¯m pretty sure that guy was stone cold.¡±


    Lucas was sure he¡¯d figured it out by now but was unwilling to tell the half-orc exactly why. Nah, man - the berserk side effect of the toxic potion I gave you might not have affected you, but some of it got into that guy¡¯s head wound, and he went insane, he thought dismissively. Yeah, there was no way that conversation would end well. It certainly explained why that guy didn¡¯t go down fast, though. Not only was he wearing armor, but he was hyped up on potions.


    He didn¡¯t say any of that, though. Instead, he told Hura''gh, ¡°Nah, man, it makes sense. He wakes up pissed, he comes out of the dungeon looking to murder everyone. That sounds the alarm, and the guards spot me and Adin. So we have to jump over the wall into the moat, and when they open the gate to try to get us, you ride out and ruin their whole plan. Couldn¡¯t have worked better if we¡¯d planned it that way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Hura''gh said as he turned and headed back the way he came, beckoning for Lucas to follow. ¡°You know what? Doesn¡¯t matter. He didn¡¯t make it, and neither did the noble, so we gotta get with Kar¡¯gandin and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Woah, hold up, I gotta get these vines¡­¡± Lucas said, scrambling to pick up his shit and follow before he lost track of the big guy.


    A couple of minutes later, they were traipsing deeper into the woods, and the smell of wood smoke was getting stronger while Lucas argued that he couldn¡¯t just leave his horse alone, but the half-orc ignored him, and soon enough, they came upon a small clearing with a pair of horses, a couple hanging carcasses of game, a primitive shelter made of dead wood and leaves, and a familiar dwarf sitting by the fire smoking.


    ¡°Look what the orc dragged in!¡± Kar¡¯gandin yelled. ¡°Now we can finally stop waiting and get to work!¡±


    That was when Lucas remembered why it was they were waiting here of all places. It was because he¡¯d talked a big game, so they¡¯d help him break out. Now they expected him to set up a drug lab with them¡­ He swallowed hard and took a moment to think that through and try to figure out a way out of this mess.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead,¡± Lucas corrected Hura''gh as Lucas heard him repeat the falsehood. ¡°He just got shot with a crossbow. I got him patched up. He¡¯s recovering nicely.¡±


    ¡°But you said¡ª¡± the half-orc protested.


    ¡°Well, if he¡¯s not here, and he¡¯s still breathing, lad, then where did ya¡¯ dump him?¡±


    ¡°Dump him?¡± Lucas asked in confusion, ¡°he¡¯s hiding out in a shack on the edge of his family¡¯s estate. That¡¯s where we¡¯ve been the last couple of days.¡±


    For a moment, both of their expressions darkened, and Lucas wasn¡¯t quite sure why until Hura''gh opened his mouth and bellowed, ¡°Why in dragon fire are we camped out in the green wood killing goblins while you two are all nice and cozy on a noble¡¯s estate?!¡±


    Lucas was about to laugh off the complaint, but he saw some of that same annoyance reflected in Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s expression, so he took their concern a bit more seriously.


    ¡°Hey - first off, I didn¡¯t even know you two made it out, and second of all, the man was dying; what did you want me to do?¡± Lucas shot back defensively. ¡°His sister had the medicine I needed, and I spent the last couple of days making healing potions to replace the ones I used. Simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± the half-orc growled. ¡°I guess that means we can pack up this shit hole and build a hideout over there, then. I don¡¯t see how you¡¯re going to brew shit with these constant goblin attacks. I told you the Greenwood was a miserable place.¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± Lucas said as he realized they were getting the wrong idea.


    ¡°I reckon we won¡¯t have much to take with us,¡± the dwarf said, taking a look around the camp. ¡°The deer carcass has another day or two of good eaten in it at least. I guess we could¡ª¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I was thinking about skipping town,¡± Lucas blurted out, not sure the best way to approach that.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± both of the other men asked, talking over each other.


    ¡°Well, you know - they¡¯re going to be looking for us,¡± he said, suddenly on his back foot. ¡°I was thinking maybe we go to Niv and Heinen.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more wealth in one district of Lordanin than both those bergs combined,¡± the dwarf laughed.


    ¡°And I hear the weather¡¯s miserable in Heinen,¡± the half-orc said. ¡°No, I think we¡¯re staying here. They¡¯ll forget about us in a couple weeks anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before; we stay out of trouble for a few months or a year, and the powers that be won''t even remember our name to put on wanted posters.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think that might change if we start flooding the streets with blue?¡± Lucas asked. Until now he''d been willing to throw everything away for a clean start elsewhere: twenty or thirty dragons, his recipe notes and all the alchemical apparatuses he''d scratched together over the last few months for a clean break, and now these mother fuckers were talking about staying?


    ¡°Well - not if we put some coins in the right pockets.¡± the dwarf smiled. ¡°A golden dragon, when put to proper use, can be almost as persuasive as a real one.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said finally, frustrated and more than a little confused.


    He wanted to get out of the city, but that was as much because of the Viscount as any real danger. He did owe these people, too, though.


    So what¡¯s the right answer? He asked himself. But he didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t exactly trust these two, but the way things were going, they still probably ranked highest on the list of people that were least likely to screw him over.


    So, for now, he¡¯d go with it, he decided as his new-found friends led their horses back to his, and together, they made their way back to the Parin estate.


    On the way back, the three of them chatted, and he slowly started to feel better about the whole thing, just maybe not good enough to go back into town to try to retrieve his shit. Hura''gh wouldn¡¯t be much good for anything but muscle, but as long as they were going to be making frequent trips into the Greenwood, that had its place.


    The dwarf, on the other hand, seemed like he knew anyone who was anyone. He¡¯d be able to get Lucas the berries he needed and the glassware and whatever else. He was also probably the biggest danger in the whole thing: once he knew the recipe, there would be nothing to stop him from stealing it and sharing it with his clan, and that wouldn¡¯t exactly be hard to do.


    So, on the way back, he regaled them with stories about just how badly Adin had screwed up his first attempt at healing potions and practically made a poison in the process.


    ¡°Alchemy is tricky business,¡± Kar¡¯gandin nodded. ¡°I had an uncle who was a maker of fine alcohols. Everything from spirits to stouts. Eventually, he even began to make certain elixirs, too, for a tidy profit. He said that there was only the finest of lines between medicine and poison. He¡¯s dead now, rest his soul.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Did he accidentally make the wrong sort of poison, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Kar¡¯gandin answered in a sad tone. ¡°His potions were fine, but one day, gods rest his soul, he finally passed away from drinking too much.¡±


    ¡°A dwarf?¡± Hura''gh asked incredulously. ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°Only if you own a brewery!¡± At this point, the dwarf¡¯s sad facade shattered, and he began laughing so hard that there were tears in his eyes before he was done.


    At the end of the conversation, Lucas wasn¡¯t sure if the uncle''s existence had been a joke or if the manner of his death had just been too funny to deny, but he went with it while he tried to figure out what he was going to do.


    How in the hell am I going to explain any of this to Adin without coming off like an asshole? Lucas wondered as they approached the cider house through the backwoods.

 Ch. 20 - We Got Nothin’

    For lack of anything better to say, when Lucas opened the cider house door and found nothing but the messy room and the Viscount¡¯s shocked face, he called out, ¡°Honey! I¡¯m home! You¡¯ll never believe who I ran into while I was out.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I thought you were¡­¡± Adin started to say, but his words trailed off as the dwarf walked in behind Lucas, and the orc ducked to walk in after that. ¡°What¡ª How¡ª I thought you were¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dead,¡± Hura''gh chuckled in a tone that was menacing even though he didn¡¯t mean for it to be. ¡°Yeah. We know. We thought the same thing about you.¡±


    ¡°I thought ye¡¯ said we were going to a noble¡¯s estate Lucas,¡± the dwarf chimed in as he looked around disapprovingly. ¡°This place is kind of a shitehole.¡±


    ¡°Now, wait just a minute,¡± Adin said, sitting up as anger flashed across his face. ¡°This building is¡ª¡±


    ¡°A hell of a lot better than a clearing in a goblin-infested forest, right?¡± Hura''gh interrupted.


    ¡°Aye, it is at that,¡± Kar¡¯gandin agreed, completely ignoring the fuming noble. ¡°Still, if we¡¯re going to put out anything of quality we¡¯ll be needing more than this, I think. You said that your potions had very precise recipes, did you not Lucas?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he commented, noncommittal. ¡°I mean, I can make do with a campfire for easy shit, but if we want to make good shit¡­ well, I¡¯m going to need a proper stove, glassware, reagents that we¡¯ll have to order from abroad. You name it.¡±


    ¡°Bricks for the stove and lumber we can probably handle ourselves if the good Viscount has some hand tools we can use, but glassware and all the rest for your little blue liquid, that¡¯s going to cost a lot of kings, no?¡±


    ¡°Wait, I thought you said that you weren¡¯t making Blue?¡± Adin asked again.


    He was as baffled by the conversion as he was by the way the dwarf was walking around inspecting different parts of the dilapidated structure and pacing things off as the wheels in his mind began to turn. Once Kar¡¯gandin had inspected the rusted cider machinery, he looked at areas of rotting wood and even the holes in the ceiling as whatever he was starting to plan slowly came together.


    Lucas didn¡¯t know about all that. He wasn¡¯t a big picture sort of guy. He just wanted to make some potions.


    ¡°Well, you could say that after consultation with all parties we¡¯ve opted to go with plan C,¡± Lucas told the lordling before turning back to the dwarf. ¡°Well, I already thought about that, and I was kinda thinking we could sell some easy potions to build up a little bit of operating capital, then switch back to something more delicate.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s plan C?¡± Adin asked, but no one listened to him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just swing by your old lab and get what you had there?¡± Hura''gh asked.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± the dwarf agreed, stroking his beard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think going anywhere near my old operation is a good idea for now,¡± Lucas answered cautiously. ¡°They had a mage the night they arrested me, and after the jail break - well it¡¯s entirely possible they¡¯ve tracked me back to that little rat hole. It''s not worth risking everything for a couple dragons worth of alchemy equipment that we can buy somewhere else.¡±


    That''s what he said at least. The truth was the really valuable stuff was buried underneath a stone in the earthen floor. He wouldn''t be heartbroken if he lost the flasks or his still, because everything worth keeping would stay put until the heat had died down and he could go get it.


    They debated that for a moment, and he eventually relented that it might be worth sending around a messenger of some kind to check on it once the heat died down. ¡°There¡¯s no point in having a fancy setup if ye¡¯ be working in filth anyway,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said finally, agreeing with him in a backhanded sort of way. ¡°T¡¯would be like trying to forge mithril with nothin¡¯ more than a rusty hammer and a tree stump for an anvil.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t know what that meant, but he nodded along anyway. ¡°Yeah, good work is hard to pull off with the basics,¡± he agreed. ¡°Like¡­ check these out.¡±


    `


    Lucas handed him a couple of the potions he¡¯d made with Adin the day before, ignoring the fact that their lordling was trying to get his attention. ¡°These aren¡¯t great, but for something made in an old pot over an open flame, these aren¡¯t so bad, you know? I figure we brew these up and sell them off for a few weeks while we work on our setup, and then we move on to bigger things. No one in the palace is going to start a manhunt over some bootleg potions.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Ya know, these aren¡¯t bad,¡± the dwarf said, looking at them with a far away gaze for a moment. If we could get these to my cousin Burken, in quantity, he might give us a king or maybe even a king and a half a pop.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got an identify skill?¡± Lucas asked, surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t think dwarves had magic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of an¡­ appraisal skill,¡± the dwarf said cagily. ¡°I just know what my cousin pays and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Will you all please shut up and let me speak!¡± Adin yelled finally. ¡°What is plan C? What are you all doing here, and why don¡¯t you seem to think you need my approval? This is madness. I am certainly willing to work with you, but I am a Viscount, and this is my home. I will have a say, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Plan C is for cooking, Your Majesty,¡± Lucas said after everyone else in the room regarded Lord Parin coolly for a moment. ¡°It comes right after plan A which was abscond from our prison cells, and plan B which was breaking out of the castle. It comes just before plan D where your lands end up getting sold to pay your debts, you dig?¡±


    ¡°But even so,¡± the noble swallowed hard, ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°But nothing,¡± Lucas interrupted. ¡°You wanted to cook; we¡¯re going to cook. You wanted to escape; we escaped. You¡¯re in this now, just like everyone else, so man the fuck up, or get the fuck out.¡±


    Adin looked at him in shock and opened his mouth, but after a moment of silence, he closed it again. Lucas took that for agreement, or at least compliance, and looked around the room at everyone else.


    ¡°I mean it. I got thrown in that cell and almost tortured to death because the last guy I worked with threw me under the b¡­ wagon to save his own neck, so if you¡¯re thinking about stabbing me in the back, save me some fucking time and stab me in the front right now instead, because I want to build something here, you know?¡± Lucas felt exasperated. He didn¡¯t show it, though. Instead, he showed only steely determination.


    This was something that had been building up in him for days now. More than even his annoyance with the Viscount it was probably the reason he¡¯d wanted to ditch town. He¡¯d been betrayed more than once in his short time in this world and in this body, and he was completely sick of it.


    ¡°We¡¯ve all got a price on our heads,¡± he said as he looked each of them in the eye, ¡°And only a single reason to trust one another: gold. We¡¯re in this to make money. Which means sticking together, keeping our mouths shut, and stacking coins.¡±


    Lucas¡¯s impromptu gang warmed a little bit to what he was saying, so he continued.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest of you, but I don¡¯t want to be an alchemist forever,¡± he continued, gesturing to the milk crate full of red potion vials. ¡°I want a nice bar with some pretty wenches, some tequila, and some motherfucking hot sauce. I¡¯m sure you all want things too, and I¡¯m telling you, with this group, we can get all of them. We can buy back our good names, we can pay off the Viscount¡¯s debts, we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why should I care about paying of this guy¡¯s debts?¡± Hura''gh asked. ¡°You and Kar¡¯gandin have skills. You are both valuable allies, but a rich man without riches? He¡¯s worth less than a sword without an edge.¡±


    Lucas agreed with him, though he didn¡¯t plan to say so out loud. The truth was that the half-orc¡¯s muscle and the dwarf¡¯s connections were infinitely more valuable than a broke junky that could barely be trusted to gather herbs on his own. Saying that wasn¡¯t going to build the unity he was going for here, though, and the second these guys decided one member of their posse was worth booting, he might be next.


    So instead, he shot back, ¡°You think so? You think that Adin here has nothing to contribute.¡±


    Lucas laughed. ¡°Not only is he the one that gave us a convenient hide-out to buy us some time, but once we get things straightened out, he¡¯s going to be our golden ticket.¡±


    ¡°Golden ticket?¡± Hura''gh asked even as Kar¡¯gandin and Adin mouthed the unfamiliar phrase.


    ¡°Yeah, man,¡± Lucas said, trying to get excited about this. It wasn¡¯t his dumbest idea so far. He¡¯d probably be fine. ¡°Golden ticket. He knows people. Like - the important kind. How many of your friends are going to be able to float a dragon-a-week drug habit? Do you think the average working stiff on the docks is going to be able to afford to buy our shit? They might buy a bootleg potion for their aching back, but blue? We¡¯re going to want to be selling that to knights and earls and wayward dukes that are fourteenth in line of succession and whoever else has a heavy coin purse, ya know?¡±


    ¡°Names open doors,¡± the half-orc agreed, ¡°But his name is mud, what good does that do us?¡±


    ¡°His name is mud¡­ for now,¡± Lucas said, ¡°We¡¯ll find a way to get him off the shit list, and until then, he can just sort of¡­ steer us in the right direction. I¡¯m sure that you have a good idea of who might have the right sort of proclivities to want to get to know us better, don¡¯t you, Adin?¡±


    ¡°Umm, yeah,¡± he agreed. He was obviously having trouble keeping up with all of this. ¡°The Brussons, the Maldins, and of course the Duchess of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Hura''gh grunted. ¡°The little man can stay, but don¡¯t expect me to go picking berries or whatever else.¡±


    ¡°Nah man,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°That would be a complete waste of your talents. You¡¯re here to crack skulls and make problems disappear. Some of the ingredients I¡¯ll need come from beasts and monsters, so you can help with that too. We all got our roles to play in this.¡±


    The conversation continued for a while longer as they discussed plans and divided responsibilities. That was the easy part.


    Explaining why these strangers were here to Gerwin and Adin¡¯s sister when they came by that evening was somewhat harder. Denaria seemed overjoyed to see Lucas, though, and she even gave him a hug despite her manservant¡¯s frowns, so she accepted his statements that this was their best option easily enough.


    ¡°Mistress¡­ y-y-you can¡¯t be serious!¡± the old man sputtered. ¡°These are hardened criminals. The good name of house Parin will¡ª¡±


    ¡°Be completely obliterated in a few years if we don¡¯t do something drastic, I agree,¡± she interrupted in a calm, clear voice. ¡°And if there¡¯s one thing we can all agree on about this, it¡¯s that this will be pretty drastic.¡±

 Ch. 21 - Small Improvements

    To say the next few days were filled with baby steps was an understatement. Lucas¡¯s initial hopes were quickly clouded over by bickering and infighting. It wasn¡¯t that his little gang didn¡¯t want to work together. It was that they all thought they should be in charge.


    Adin at least still did what Lucas told him, despite his attitude, and was content enough to go and gather more Elderberries and Rosewood bark, but the other two¡­ Lucas found it hard to concentrate on anything while the two argued about how exactly they were going to retrofit their little cabin.


    Honestly, he didn¡¯t care if they knocked the damn thing over and started from scratch if it would shut them up, but that didn¡¯t seem to be an option. Finally, after noon, when he ran out of ingredients, he went in to try to break them up and found the cider house to be almost completely unrecognizable. Despite their feuding, they had succeeded in cleaning most of the debris and broken down furniture from the place, but only at the cost of filling the whole of the one-room building with choking clouds of dust.


    ¡°What in the hell are you two doing in here?¡± Lucas gasped, coughing.


    ¡°Demolition,¡± shouted Kar¡¯gandin at the same time Hura''gh grunted, ¡°Taking out the trash.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lucas said, only a little concerned that they might kill each other. ¡°Well, don¡¯t demolish it too much. We still need somewhere to sleep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I told him!¡± the half-orc grunted. ¡°I told him that the Kingdom of Nye wasn¡¯t built in a day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all work that needs doing,¡± the dwarf insisted. ¡°We¡¯ll need to clear areas for brewing, ingredient preparation and storage, and all the potions ye¡¯r about to start maken¡¯. That¡¯s going to involve more than just moving a couple beds out of the way. We¡¯ll need lumber and bricks, which means clay. We could hire someone, but it would be cheaper if we just made em ourselves, and after that, we could make a kiln and save a lot of money on potion vials if we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do we even have clay around here?¡± Lucas asked, trying to keep the conversation from spinning out of control. ¡°I didn¡¯t really see any¡­¡±


    Currently, they could get their ingredients off the ground, and if any of them ran short, he supposed they could always switched to collecting scum lilies and skunk blossoms since pine nuts weren¡¯t really common around here. It wasn¡¯t his favorite potion to make, but they would still sell well, and there would be no overlap with the materials they¡¯d need for blue, unlike mana potions. Thinking about kilns and warehousing space seemed a little like putting the cart before the horse to him, though, and he could kinda see Hura''gh¡¯s point.


    ¡°Do we have clay, he says¡­¡± the dwarf said, shaking his head. ¡°Pha! Of course, we have clay. Did you not see it? The white bands amongst the tawny grey silt down by the stream? Digging out would be backbreaking labor, no doubt, but exactly how do you plan to brew your ingredients at carefully calibrated temperatures without a proper firebox and dampers. Do you even¡ª¡±


    ¡°You think digging a hole is back breaking?¡± Hura''gh laughed. ¡°I thought that was what dwarves did? Dig holes!¡±


    ¡°Careful¡­¡± Kar¡¯gandin growled. Until then, he¡¯d been fidgeting with a piece of wood that looked like it had once been a chair leg and drawing in the dust where he thought different things like ovens and chimneys would go. Now, he was holding it like a cudgel.


    Thinking fast, Lucas said, ¡°Hey - go easy on him Hura''gh, not all of us are as strong as you, okay?¡±


    The dwarf flashed a look of anger at Lucas but paused when Lucas gave him a quick wink before turning back to the half-orc. ¡°I¡¯ll bet you could dig up that much clay in a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I could,¡± Hura''gh agreed. ¡°More even. Earth would never pose a problem to a warrior of the wide plains.¡±


    Lucas thought for a moment about asking him why a warrior of the tribes would be slumming it in Lordanin, but he already knew the reason, just as he knew what an insult it would be to ask, so he ignored, and said, ¡°Well then by all means, don¡¯t let us stop you, if it¡¯s so easy why don¡¯t you go take care of that, while I help Kar¡¯gandin air this place out.¡±


    The half-ork looked back and forth between the two of them with suspicion, and for a moment, Lucas thought he was about to be called out for his bullshit reverse psychology, but even as Hura''gh opened his mouth Kargandin said, ¡°Bah, talk is cheap, but digging is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Hura''gh roared. ¡°I will dig out your red clay. I will dig your weight in earth in a single hour. Then you will see!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that,¡± Lucas said, but even as he spoke the half-orc was storming out of the room and as soon as the big warrior grabbed a shovel from the shed his footsteps retreated into the distance.


    They both waited a few seconds after that before Kar¡¯gandin let out a low chuckle and said. ¡°Very smooth for a youngin¡¯ like ye¡¯, Lucas; I will have to keep an eye on ye¡¯ lest you find a way to lead me around by the nose like that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lucas asked, feigning innocence. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make sure all the work we need to do gets done, you know?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Aye,¡± the dwarf nodded. ¡°And there¡¯s a lot of work to do. The wood is rotted through in places, and though getting the straw to re-thatch the roof will na¡¯ be too hard, I¡¯m not exactly plannin¡¯ to build a sawmill to redo this shiplap, if ye know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Lucas answered as he looked around the room. ¡°This place doesn¡¯t have to be pretty. It just has to be functional for now. Once we have the funds we can find some place more¡­ defensible.¡±


    ¡°Defensible?¡± the dwarf laughed. ¡°That¡¯s just another way to get more eyes on ya¡¯ laddie. We don¡¯t need defense. We just need to keep a really low profile. Sell to wholesalers, show no flash, let others take the fall?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of a weird thing to say when talking about your cousin,¡± Lucas said, a little disturbed.


    ¡°Oh, no one will be taking the fall for some bootleg healing potions,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t get him involved in anything that¡¯s truly illegal. He¡¯s too much of a straight arrow for that. He thrives in gray areas, and I see no reason to change that now. When the time comes, we¡¯ll just have to negotiate with one of the gangs for a cut of the profits. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I tried that already. Twice, actually,¡± Lucas confessed as he started opening up all the shutters he could to clear the air. ¡°The first time was with the assholes that run the market district, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, The Blind,¡± the dwarf nodded ruefully. ¡°Why did you ever think you could trust those maggots?¡±


    ¡°Well, when I first showed up here, they seemed like the only game in town, so I tried to partner up with them. When I was small time, it was fine, but once I started to make real money¡­¡±


    ¡°They tried to gut you like a fish and steal your recipe?¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked, pretty much finishing Lucas¡¯s thought.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Lucas agreed.


    ¡°Well, that makes things simple. We¡¯ll approach the Knights of Brass or the Red Lantern Gang. They hate the beggars, not that we can trust them either.¡±


    ¡°No shit!¡± Lucas yelled at the feeling that his paranoia had somehow been vindicated. ¡°That¡¯s why I went to Brog and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brog¡­ Verdwin?¡± Kar¡¯gandin said with a disbelieving laugh. ¡°The dwarf who owns the Chimera¡¯s Chalice? Why¡¯d you get in bed with that snake?¡±


    ¡°How was I supposed to know he was a snake,¡± Lucas said defensively as he picked up a broom and started angrily sweeping. ¡°I was told that he was a dwarf with his finger on the pulse of everything, and that was just about what I needed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a dwarf on the pulse of everything¡­ for Prince Raston,¡± Kar¡¯gandin chided Lucas. ¡°The man has his talents, but the only reason he got in bed with you was to sell you out to his true master.¡±


    ¡°Now you fucking tell me,¡± Lucas griped. ¡°So, who are you going to sell me out to? Your clan?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± the dwarf said, taking a step back and grabbing another broom. ¡°The last thing I want is to mix clan Bronzebeard in with drugs. We have a bad enough reputation in certain circles. I¡¯ll happily take my cut, and then once I¡¯m made whole from Lordanin¡¯s legal deprivations, I¡¯ll go home and count my blessings. You¡¯re welcome to stay as long as you like.¡±


    Lucas considered those words long after they switch topics, and even after they stopped talking at all. Bailing on something like this was probably the smart move. There was deffinitely such a thing as too much of a good thing. How will I know when I get there, though,  he wondered.


    Lucas reflected on his last life while he worked. There¡¯d been a number of points, usually just before he got arrested or beat down, that he thought he couldn¡¯t lose. That, he decided was probably the trigger. When everything was great, it just meant that something awful was lurking around the corner.


    The rest of the day turned out to be a productive one. Adin eventually came back with whole baskets full of mostly the things they actually needed, Kar¡¯gandin managed to strip every last thing out of the now empty cider house except the four best beds, and Lucas brewed up everything they had, with pretty decent results.


    Tainted Lesser Healing Potion (2 doses): Lesser healing, poison 1, endurance 1.


    It was only when the three of them went to see what the half-ork was up to that they found a real surprise. When he hadn¡¯t come back after a couple hours, Lucas had expected that he¡¯d given up or decided this was a waste of his time. That¡¯s what Lucas would have done.


    Instead, they found Hura''gh in a pit that was past his waist not so far from the stream next to a mound of clay that was both taller and wider than Kar¡¯gandin. ¡°See, did I not tell you?!¡± the half-orc boasted as soon as they got close. ¡°It isn¡¯t back breaking, it¡¯s easy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you sure showed us,¡± Lucas called back with a pasted on smile as he approached the pile and played with a handful of the plastic red earth. ¡°This going to do the job Kar¡¯gandin?¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± the dwarf nodded. ¡°We just need to make some brick molds, make a whole pile of bricks, and then we¡¯ll fire ''em.¡±


    ¡°Fire them?¡± Adin asked. ¡°How do we do that? I thought that was careful work for guild artisans.¡±


    ¡°It can be,¡± the dwarf admitted with a shrug, ¡°But in my experience, it¡¯s easy enough. You just need to keep a good campfire going for a few days, and that¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°Digging clay¡­ making bricks¡­ Cooking them¡­ It just seems like a lot of work. Wouldn¡¯t it just be easier to, I don¡¯t know, buy them?¡± Adin asked, still looking at the whole thing with obvious distaste.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± the dwarf said with a wide smile. ¡°You could get a few laborers to bring you a whole wagon load for a copper a brick. Maybe less if you order in bulk, or you could get a couple of guild artisans out here to turn this clay right here into bricks for you just the way I described for maybe half that. All you need is five or six golden dragons. I don¡¯t suppose you have a few on you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s not so much in the grand scheme of things, but until we sell these potions, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m a little short,¡± Adin confessed.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a little short,¡± Kar¡¯gandin laughed. ¡°You, you¡¯re flat busted, so we need to make what we can and spend where we have to. Maybe in a few weeks, that will be different, but for now¡­ welcome to the lower class with the rest of us.¡±


    Lucas and Hura''gh both laughed at that as the dwarf offered the noble his dirty hand. Adin didn¡¯t see what was funny, but he did shake the offered hand just the same.

 Ch. 22 - Stacking Bricks

    ¡°Why does everything in your plans involve cooking?¡± Adin asked as he stood next to Lucas, stripped to the waist, laying out bricks to dry in the sun on the field between the cider house and the barn.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Lucas asked.


    Until that moment he¡¯d been a million miles away. He had been since the man they¡¯d sent to deliver six dozen potions of healing and a letter of introduction to Burken Bronzebeard had come back earlier. The Parin servant had returned with a pouch full of gold, and a letter for Kar¡¯gandin as expected, but he¡¯d also come back with one other thing: a wanted poster.


    Burken had promised a good price for any other potions that Kar¡¯gandin wanted to send his way and promised that one of his men would look through Lucas¡¯s Greybottom laboratory and report back, but if the dwarf were to be believed, the wanted posters were up all over town, which was exactly the opposite of what Lucas¡¯s friends had thought would happen after over a week in hiding. Lucas had feared exactly this sort of scenario of course, but he said nothing. Instead, he just worried.


    Technically, he should have worried the least. The drawings for Hura''gh and Adin were pretty dead on. Kar''gdin¡¯s picture had been okay, but Lucas¡¯s had looked nothing like him. That told him they still had no idea who he was, but he¡¯d be lying if part of him didn¡¯t think that was an excellent excuse to get while the getting was good.


    He didn¡¯t run, though. Instead, he listened as Adin repeated himself and then said, ¡°First of all, these bricks aren¡¯t cooking; they¡¯re baking, and second of all - I like cooking. What¡¯s wrong with that? Chemically or culinarily speaking, both can be a lot of fun.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case to hear the servants talk,¡± Adin mused. ¡°It sounds like quite the chore if you ask me. Personally, I¡¯ve never tried it for myself.¡±


    Yeah, and it shows, Lucas thought wryly. He said nothing, though. Instead, he laid his last wet clay brick down on the grass to dry and went back for another load.


    According to Kar¡¯gandin, they only needed a hundred or so to make the small firebox Lucas had asked for, but it was hard to fire so few bricks, so they were going to make a couple hundred anyway. That was kind of a pain in the dick, of course, but Lucas, more than anyone, was looking forward to having fire that he could regulate at a nice steady temperature. He was getting sick of campfire cooking, and now that they had the money for some real glassware, he didn¡¯t want to risk ruining it in such an unstable work environment.


    At least the first step was done, though. Now, they just had to pack the clay into wooden molds and leave the resulting bricks out to bake in the sun for a couple days on each side. According to their dwarf, whom Lucas trusted completely in all matters related to construction, once that was done, they could finally bake them.


    No matter Adin¡¯s complaints, it really was like baking, too. They even used sand like flour to keep the sticky red clay from holding too tightly to the wood once it had been packed hard inside the frames.


    The three of them had been hard at work on this for a couple of days now, and only Hura''gh was missing. He¡¯d proclaimed this work beneath him, so Lucas had tried and failed to convince the half-orc to take a break.


    ¡°Once this is done, I¡¯ll help you chop down some trees so we can start seasoning firewood,¡± Lucas told him.


    Predictably, Hura''gh hadn¡¯t been interested in help. Instead, he¡¯d decided to show the weaklings he was surrounded with how to fell trees and gone off with only an axe. Lucas hadn¡¯t seen him in half a day, but from the sound of chopping, he had no doubt they¡¯d spend a good portion of tomorrow hauling and splitting the logs that their giant was making.


    Some of them would become counters for his future alchemy shop, but most of the rest was destined to be split and stacked to become firewood. I just hope that son of a bitch is cutting down the dead trees, Lucas thought with a sigh. Not only were the living apple trees going to be a good source of sugar for his still when they started brewing their own shine for potion making, but green wood would take forever to age and dry.


    The days were exhausting, but they were going by uneventfully, at least. That was enough to make him smile even as he sweated under the noonday sun. Lucas had brewed and sold over a hundred healing potions so far, and even though they were still broke because almost all of that cash had been immediately used to order new glassware with the glassblower''s guild and secure shipments of other rare reagents he¡¯d need, it still felt like progress.


    Plus they were eating better too now that they¡¯d started giving Gerwin a meal budget to work with. The man was not happy that the four of them were squatting at the edge of the Parin estate and putting his mistress in jeopardy. Despite that, though, once they started paying him a dragon a week for the kitchens to provide food for the four of them, he became a lot less stingy. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    For the first week, it had been nothing but stale bread and stew composed mostly of leftovers. Admittedly, that had still been pretty good for free food, but now that Lucas was making sure they were contributing to the failing finances of the house, they were finally getting real meals. The house would deliver them sweetbreads for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and last night, they¡¯d had potato soup and sausages for dinner.


    All in all, it wasn¡¯t bad. Except for Hura''gh¡¯s chainsaw like snoring, and Adin¡¯s subtle insinuations that he¡¯d really love to get another hit of blue, life was pretty much perfect. He even had a pretty girl that was obviously trying to catch his eye.


    Lucas had no intentions of getting with Denaria, of course. She was much too sweet and innocent for someone like him. He would ruin her without even trying. She was more like a butterfly, and every time she found an excuse to come out and visit him amidst their labors and ask about this or that, he had to remind himself that no matter how beautiful the blonde girl could be when she smiled, touching a butterfly was the surest way to kill it.


    Besides, he reminded himself, Taking off all of those petticoats¡­ Netflix and chill would take all night in a place like this. We¡¯d run out of movie before we ran out of clothes.


    No, now wasn¡¯t the time for women. When everything was back under control, and the heat had died down, maybe he¡¯d take a stroll through the red light district and find some romance the old-fashioned way: with his coin purse. For now, women would only distract him.


    Right now, they needed to work. While the bricks were drying, Kar¡¯gandin chopped wood, and he and Adin went looking for more brewable ingredients. They¡¯d run out of elderberries and sage root in just about every direction, and orange vogel blossoms were out of season, so that put healing potions off the menu for now.


    Instead, they were hunting for anything that might eventually be turned into blue, along with ingredients he could use to make potions of stamina, potions of strength, and potions of iron will. That last one, admittedly, wasn¡¯t for selling, it was just something that Lucas wanted to brew up to see if it would help Adin grow a pair and kick the habit.


    Kar¡¯gandin had wanted Lucas to try to brew the love potions that the lordling had mentioned around the campfire the other night, but for now, Lucas put that off. When the dwarf demanded to know why he wouldn¡¯t make something that would sell so well, Lucas had claimed they¡¯d have to order most of the very expensive ingredients, but the truth was that he didn¡¯t trust himself to make such complex potions without access to his notes.


    That was a problem for a great many recipes he had. They might be out of materials for common healing potions, but Lucas was fairly sure that he could whip up some greater healing potions, or even some healing salves and balms if he had his notes. Unfortunately, those were in his hideout too.


    Unlike the flasks and beakers, which had only been hidden amongst his other dishes and behind cushions, his notes were buried beneath the earthen floor and the hearthstone in front of his tiny hideaway¡¯s small fireplace. So, while they were almost certainly safe, he wouldn¡¯t be getting to them any time soon, and he wasn¡¯t about to send someone to go and fetch them in his place.


    If he made the mistake of trusting either Kar¡¯gandin or his cousin, it would be the easiest thing in the world for them to tell him, ¡®So sorry, my man found nothing, they weren¡¯t there anymore,¡¯ and make off with the last couple years of his alchemical research. That was unacceptable.


    It was something he thought about often between other tasks, but it didn¡¯t stop him from working, and three days later, they finally gathered the sun-dried bricks and stacked them into sort of a giant cube. It was only partway through the exercise that he realized what they were doing.


    ¡°We¡¯re building a damn oven,¡± he blurted out when they were stacking up the third course.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the dwarf agreed. ¡°An oven that cooks itself.¡±


    Lucas had never given it much thought before, but he supposed it made sense. Bricks needed to be baked until they were hard, so why not bake them in an oven that was made out of unfired bricks? It was an elegant solution.


    In the end, they ended up with a cube of uniform tan bricks four feet on a side surrounding a fairly large empty cavity in the middle that had been stacked full of wood. The top had a large chimney hole, and the sides were riddled with smaller holes to allow the whole thing to breathe.


    Lucas thought it looked pretty ugly, but as the sun set and they lit the fire, all that changed. Slowly their bonfire picked up steam, moving from barely visible to all consuming. They couldn¡¯t just let it burn itself out though. According to Kar¡¯gandin, there was a lot of work left to do.


    First, they had to keep adding fuel for hours as the thing slowly became a blast furnace. Then, once that was done, they had to start closing the thing up with rocks and sand to keep all the heat in.


    ¡°I¡¯m kinda starting to feel bad for those bricks,¡± Lucas joked. ¡°We built them a little tiny hell in there.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Kar¡¯gandin agreed. ¡°Hotter than Embermaw¡¯s breath in there. That¡¯s how you get the buggers nice and strong.¡±


    ¡°How will we know when they¡¯ve been in there long enough?¡± the half-orc asked. ¡°Will they not crumble to ash if we bake them too much?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± the dwarf laughed. ¡°A little blackening is a good sign, but as a general rule, more heat is better. It''s true for the forges and true for¡­ now, what do you suppose is goin¡¯ on over there?¡±


    As one, the three of them turned to where the dwarf¡¯s stubby finger was pointing, and Lucas instantly recognized the torches from their last visit. ¡°Shit,¡± he muttered. ¡°The guards - they¡¯ve come back.¡±

 Ch. 23 - Really Cooking!

    The four of them chatted tensely for a few minutes, and it was only when some of the lights started getting closer that apprehension burst out into full-blown panic.


    ¡°Why do I have to stay here,¡± Lucas demanded, as he stood there with nothing but his shovel and an expression of disbelief as everyone else started to retreat into the woods.


    ¡°We¡¯ve talked about this,¡± Kar¡¯gandin growled. ¡°Nonhumans in human cities stand out like sore thumbs, and they¡¯re here looking for Adin, so you¡¯re it,¡± before he took off into the night.


    Lucas sighed as he turned back to the approaching lights, feeling entirely alone. The plan made sense. That was why he¡¯d agreed to it before, because, honestly, it would have been even more suspicious to just disappear and leave a halfway rehabbed building or a pile of burning bricks with no one to watch it. Such a thing might be enough to make them sure the Viscount was here and justify a complete search of the overgrown orchard where the rest of his crew were hiding.


    So, he just kept doing what he¡¯d been doing, and covered up the bricks, one shovelful at a time. By the time the half a dozen guards arrived he was basically left with a sweltering anthill with only a few glowing gaps on the upper parts that hinted at the hellish conditions inside the mound.


    ¡°What do we got here?¡± one of the guards called out.


    Lucas turned to answer him but his voice caught in his throat for a moment as he recognized the tall guard and the short guard that had arrested him on the night this had all started a couple weeks back. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me officers,¡± Lucas said finally, just managing to keep his voice from shaking. ¡°Just sweatin to the oldies back here.¡±


    ¡°Sweating to the what¡­¡± the short one asked. ¡°What are you making there?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just here to work the shovel and watch the bricks burn, sir.¡±


    Both of them eyed him suspiciously for a moment, and a couple of other guards spread out and began to look around the cider house. ¡°We''ve received reports of suspicious activity,¡± the guard said, trying again. ¡°Word is the Viscount might be hiding out back here and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Lucas asked, prompting the guard to shove one of the wanted posters into his hand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen the man,¡± Lucas said after spending a moment studying the images.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get out of the city much, though. This one,¡± he said pointing at Hura''gh, ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen him before at the drunken donkey before, but not, you know, recent like or anything.¡±


    ¡°The Drunken Donkey, huh?¡± the short one said, eyeing him suspiciously. ¡°Say, Rob, does this guy look familiar to you? Didn¡¯t we pick up someone like him the other day?¡±


    Lucas cursed himself for using the same bar as he had last time and triggering this guy¡¯s memory. Fortunately, the tall guard was already looking past him and moving toward the cider house. ¡°How in the pits should I know that Sten?¡± he said, walking past Lucas. ¡°We crack 10 heads a night; if the masonry guild wants to hire drunks or vagrants to tend night fires, why should I give a single goblin crap about that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡ª¡± Sten said, still eyeing Lucas.


    Lucas decided to lean into that, though and bowed slightly. ¡°I won¡¯t deny I¡¯ve been on the wrong end of the watch¡¯s baton more than once,¡± he interrupted. ¡°Shameful though it is to admit, more of my meager wages go to drink than I would like, but I have no one to blame for that but my own self, good sirs. I hold no anger toward the guard for helping to keep me in line, and I¡¯d be happy to help you in whatever way I can before¡ª¡±


    Lucas¡¯s obsequiousness earned him a shove from the shorter guard as he moved past Lucas to rejoin his fellow, but no more than that. ¡°Do you know what the bricks are for or what the lady of the manor plans to do with this building?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say,¡± Lucas said with a shake of his head. ¡°I think I heard my masters talking about refurbishing this building and clearing up the orchard, so I assume they¡¯d start making cider again, but it''s really not my place to speculate.¡±


    The rest of his crew should have cleared out the place, but as he followed the guards inside, he still held his breath. There were still a few crates filled with odds and ends, but nothing too incriminating, and once they verified that the Viscount wasn¡¯t hiding under the bed, they soon lost interest. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°If you see anyone strange in the woods, you let your masters know,¡± Rob cautioned him as the group turned to leave. ¡°There might be a good turn in it for you the next time you¡¯ve had a bit too much to drink.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Lucas promised, even though he had no plans of ever talking to the law again if he could help it.


    Instead, he went back to plugging gaps in his pile of smoldering bricks until none of the ember light escaped. Then, when that was done he watched the torches retreat into the distance. Even once they were gone, though, he stood there sweating until the torches had given up and began moving back to the city.


    ¡°They¡¯re still looking for you, man,¡± Lucas told Adin when he saw the three silhouettes emerging from the woods.


    ¡°Why? Why are they hounding me and not either of you?¡± the Viscount said, angrily railing at the half-orc and the dwarf.


    ¡°Who says they aren¡¯t laddie?¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, sounding tired. ¡°My cousin said they¡¯d visited him and other business associates, too. They¡¯re definitely still looking for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Well, if they¡¯re going to keep looking for us here, then why in the hell are we building an alchemy lab here!¡± Hura''gh bellowed.


    Honestly, it was a good question. Lucas had assumed that the last search had been kind of a one-time thing. Now that it was a two time thing, though it could just as easily become an every week sort of thing, which could put a real crimp in their plans.


    ¡°Well, as I see it, we¡¯ve really only got two choices,¡± Lucas told them. ¡°We either keep building here but we make it look like a boring operation that makes nothing but cider or we start over somewhere else before we get too much father along.¡±


    ¡°We could build further back in the orchard,¡± Adin volunteered. ¡°If we chopped down the middle part of the grove, we wouldn¡¯t be visible from the road or the house. We could start over and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nah, laddie¡¯; I think the better choice is to stay right here but be a bit more subtle.¡± the dwarf said, stroking his beard.


    ¡°What?¡± the half-orc bellowed, sounding almost as surprised as Lucas was by the statement. ¡°Why? Do you want us to get caught?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, when you¡¯re being searched on a regular basis, the best place to hide is in plain sight,¡± the dwarf said, walking over to an unsplit log before sitting down so that he could begin to load his pipe. ¡°If they¡¯re going to keep coming back, they¡¯ll eventually search that orchard too, and anything they find there will be instantly suspicious. Here, at least, we can make everything look like it might have another purpose.¡±


    He reached over and stabbed a twig into the mound of burning bricks and then used the burning tip to light it, taking a couple puffs before he continued speaking. ¡°The Parins have an orchard and a cider house - no reason in the world why they might not use it to make cider. We could even import it into the city and pay taxes for the stamp and everything. If we pack it right, the gate guards ain¡¯t gonna open it up to look for potions they don¡¯t know about. We¡¯d be able to get a better price from my cousin, too.¡±


    ¡°A better price?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Why would that get us a better price?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s getting paid a smuggling fee?¡± Kar¡¯gandin laughed. ¡°You want him to sell our goods, that costs. You want him to smuggle it in to Lordanin and tell people that it was made by guild alchemists, that costs too. Everything costs, including hiding from the guards, but I think we can manage it with a little work.¡±


    Wait, that mean''s he''s probably getting a cut too, Lucas thought to himself as he mulled the situation over.


    It was an annoying realization, and Lucas vowed to explore exactly how much the dwarf''s connections were costing them, but for now, he didn''t bring it up. Instead, they debated it for a while longer, but in the end, that¡¯s what they did. They ordered some barrels and set the cider presses back up just like they were waiting for the fall harvest and made some clever hiding places for the most incriminating things behind a bookshelf and under some beds.


    All of that took time, but they had nothing but time right now. Sure, the changing of the seasons would eventually screw him over and bring everything to a halt, but for now, as long as Lucas kept finding ingredients to brew into something worth selling, the money kept going in, and over the next few weeks he built up quite a respectable lab setup, complete with a wide fireplace, a copper still, and a number of beakers and boiling flasks.


    He took solace in those little vials as everything else moved on around him. Light blue concoctions of iron will, brick-red potions of strength, and other colorful tonics and elixirs briefly passed through his lab before being bottled into little glass vials, packed into straw-filled barrels, and whisked away to the city for sale.


    Even the failed potions cheered him up. This was the part that Lucas loved: experimenting. The muck weed mixed with the rust fern and the yellow lichen didn¡¯t quite mix into the antidote potion he thought it would be, but the resulting foul smoke that billowed out when he combined the three negative poison ingredients was enough to clear everyone out of their shack until it had been properly aired out.


    That had earned him the ire of everyone for an afternoon, but even days later, Lucas couldn¡¯t think about the moment without chuckling softly to himself. That shit was hilarious.


    Alchemical Mixture (10 doses): Poison -3, endurance 1, strength 1, incompatible mixture: noxious fumes


    Through all that, he put off making hard drugs and focused on other smaller projects until the sour dwarf berries arrived. It was only then that he was ready to start making blue. Well, he was ready to grab some goblin bile, at least. That was the only ingredient he was missing before he could start really making some money, but for that, he and Hura''gh were going to have to go on a little hunting trip.

 Ch. 24 - Goblin Hunting

    Hura''gh and Lucas left early the next morning, leaving the other two behind to try to get the still running. It was producing alcohol that was good enough for industrial purposes, but Kar¡¯gandin stubbornly insisted he could make it better. Lucas had tried to explain to him that the condenser loop needed to be longer, but the dwarf refused in almost the same language Brog had, which made Lucas smile.


    ¡°This is the way it''s always been done and the way it always will be!¡± he insisted.


    Lucas made a mental note to see what he could do to chill that reservoir a little more. That was, after all, the reason the ¡°classic dwarven design¡± was so obviously underperforming in the warm Lordanin summer: deep waters were colder, and the dwarves had little intention of changing their designs to match the surface conditions.


    It didn¡¯t matter, he decided as he tromped through the woods with his half-orc companion. He was pretty sure he had a potion of chilling draught in his notes, and hopefully, a few drops of that would resolve the issue.


    ¡°Hmmm - I would have thought there¡¯d be more of the little buggers out this early,¡± Lucas said finally when they¡¯d been walking in circles for what felt like an hour.


    ¡°Goblins fear me, as they should. All men should be afraid of the warriors of the open plains,¡± Hura''gh said without a hint of irony.


    Lucas let the half-orc go on like this for a while because he obviously enjoyed it while he focused on any sign that they were about to be ambushed. However, even after another ten minutes of letting Hura''gh lecture him on the superiority of the orc khanate, Lucas still hadn¡¯t seen a single sign of Greenskins.


    Is it that stink bomb I set off the other day? He wondered as he sniffed himself experimentally.


    Normally, one didn¡¯t have to go out of their way to look for goblins in the Greenwood; they just had to make enough noise to attract their attention. That had always been Lucas¡¯s experience, but then he¡¯d never come here with a hulking seven-foot-tall bodyguard.


    Lucas was just pondering whether he should come back by himself or with Adin another day when Hura''gh slapped him on the back hard enough to stagger him as he exclaimed, ¡°You see, that is the only reason we do not already control the West. Because long ago, the humans stole our magic and perverted it to break tribal control of the whole of the realm!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m less concerned with who invented wizards and more concerned with finding some goblins to slice and dice,¡± Lucas answered, regaining his balance. ¡°I got shit to do and don''t want to be out here all day, man.¡±


    The truth was that Lucas hated fighting goblins, but in this strange fantasy world he found himself in, it was a fact of life. In all his years of dealing back on Earth, he¡¯d never killed anyone, and though people here and there had died because of his actions, none of that was on his conscience. Goblins, though, were just close enough to creepy looking horror movie children that he still felt a little bad doing it.


    That wouldn¡¯t stop him, of course. Out here, it was the law of the jungle - eat or be eaten and all that, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel a little like a murderer every time he cut one of the little bastards down.


    ¡°We will find them,¡± Hura''gh said seriously. ¡°An orc warrior always finds his prey.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no offense, man,¡± Lucas said, suppressing his sigh of exasperation, ¡°But if you¡¯re so big on the plains and the hunting and all that¡­ why are you breaking legs in Lordanin?¡±


    ¡°Why am I¡­ what are you implying, little man,¡± the half-orc asked, glowering at him. ¡°Do you think I can¡¯t make my own way away from the city?¡±


    You said it, not me. Those were the words that he very nearly said, but he wasn¡¯t sure if Hura''gh would have killed him by accident when he slapped the shit out of him or whether it would have been on purpose. So, instead, he answered, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant at all, man, chill out. I¡¯m just saying it sounds like you¡¯d be happier out there, you know? Fresh air and the blood of your enemies instead of digging ditches and chopping trees.¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s people can be¡­ unforgiving,¡± Hura''gh answered after a moment of genuine introspection. ¡°I have fought no wars and raided no villages. I don¡¯t even have a proper mount. They would not accept me as a warrior without some kind of honor or renown. It is a difficult burden for the orcs and half-orcs that dwell among the human cities to bear.¡±


    There was also the little fact that a full-blooded orc was a foot taller and nearly a foot wider than the already imposing Hura''gh. Lucas had never had the misfortune to cross paths with one, but they were a force to be reckoned with. Lucas didn¡¯t say any of that for obvious reasons. Instead, he just shrugged and said, ¡°Yeah, I hear those land dragons are really something, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°They are a glory to behold,¡± Hura''gh agreed heartily, slapping Lucas on the back again as they continued deeper into the woods. ¡°They¡¯re worth fifty warriors on foot or ten armored knights ahorse, and that does not include the orc riding them!¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    This part Lucas actually listened to, because he found it interesting. He¡¯d known that orcs were a nomadic people, and that they rode the giant scaled lizards that had more in common with an Escalade than a horse. Hell, they were like the evil love child of an alligator and a tank, but that didn¡¯t make them true dragons.


    This world had a lot of false dragons. The real deal were supposed to be giant fire-breathing beasts, just like all the stories said, but there were other kinds too. The orcish land dragons, wyverns, and drakes, there were even¡ª


    Lucas¡¯s attention was suddenly ripped away from Hura''gh¡¯s words, and even his own thoughts by the sight of a spiderweb not so far in the distance. He looked around, and suddenly found that there quite a few that he hadn¡¯t noticed until now, even as his half-orc companion kept droning on about how fierce land dragons were.


    Based on the pattern of the webs, Lucas had been expecting a greater orb weaver or something to attack them, not that he knew much about different types of spiders. It was only when he saw the 8 red eyes appear like orbs that he realized he was wrong.


    ¡°Ummm Hura''gh, buddy¡­ we¡¯ve got¡ª¡± Lucas started to say, pointing, even as he tapped the orc on the shoulder. Save for the eyes, the threat was invisible, but Lucas knew that wouldn¡¯t last for long.


    It was only when the spider leaped from where it had been perched in the tree and lashed out at them that its hairy body faded into existence. Intellectually, Lucas knew that it wasn¡¯t illusion magic or anything like that. Instead, it was more like an octopus with powerful natural camouflage.


    The short, stubby hairs that covered the abdomen and thorax of a stalking spinner could each be tuned to the color of its choice. As a result, it could blend almost anywhere until it was in a position to ambush its prey with its paralytic venom.


    It had apparently decided that was going to be Lucas, but even as it faded into existence predator-style, he dove out of the way and landed with his daggers drawn. Unfortunately, Hura''gh wasn¡¯t so lucky.


    ¡°These webs are old,¡± he said, turning around just in time to get a face full of spider. ¡°Something already took care of this, so we can Hurrkk¡ª¡±


    The spider the size of an easy chair smashed into the half-orc, knocking him to the ground instead of Lucas, and knocking the air from his lungs. Even as Lucas got up and ran to help him, the two were already locked in a mortal struggle.


    The orc had his hands on the upper part of its two branch like forelegs, and was using all his strength to hold it off of him, just far enough to keep out of reach of its fangs as it snapped at Hura''gh again and again.


    ¡°Get the hell off him!¡± Lucas roared, running at the thing and burying both blades in its body.


    The arachnid let out a high, keening screech of pain as the steel slipped eight inches into its thorax and left long, gooey wounds where they ripped free. Now, it was thrashing again, but this time it was struggling to break free of the half-orc¡¯s grip to face its attacker.


    That was impossible, though. With a quick look at Lucas and a grunt of determination, he gripped the thing''s legs even tighter in his hands and began squeezing so hard that Lucas could hear the chitin starting to crack.


    Lucas didn¡¯t hesitate. If the thing couldn¡¯t turn to face him, he would take advantage, and he charged up to the abdomen and stabbed it over and over again. As he did so, he cursed his short blades.


    If I had a sword, this monster would be dead by now! He berated himself, annoyed he hadn¡¯t been better prepared for this.


    Another part of him said that he should have poisoned his blades before they¡¯d gone out, but he ignored it. Instead, he focused on doing as much damage as possible as quickly as possible, resulting in dark ichor splattering across both of them.


    Still, despite more violence than he¡¯d ever unleashed in his life, it wasn¡¯t enough. It wasn¡¯t over until Hura''gh literally snapped the thing¡¯s stiff right leg off and used the four-foot-long appendage like a spear and forced the jagged thing right down the throat of the giant beast.


    ¡°Take this, Monster!¡± the half-orc roared as he silenced the stalking spinner forever.


    It was only when the thing collapsed to the ground that Lucas saw that the half-ord been bitten at least twice and that red blood was mixed with green ichor across his wounded chest.


    ¡°Fuck, man,¡± Lucas said as he fumbled in his bag for a bandage or a healing potion. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it got you.¡±


    ¡°It is only a scratch,¡± Hura''gh said, refusing aid even as he looked at the puncture wounds. ¡°I do feel a little light-headed, though.¡±


    ¡°No shit,¡± Lucas blurted out. ¡°These things have serious poison. We need to get you back like asap!¡±


    ¡°We are not returning until we have what we need,¡± the half-orc said with a shake of his head. ¡°I will not allow my mission to end in failure.¡±


    ¡°If you pass out in the middle of nowhere, then that¡¯s still¡ª¡± Lucas started to say.


    ¡°I will not pass out. This spider did not beat me!¡± the half-orc roared. ¡°We will feast on goblin livers, and only then shall we return triumphant.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine, you win,¡± Lucas said, backing slowly away, muttering ¡°your funeral,¡± under his breath.


    They¡¯d been out for hours, and truthfully, he didn¡¯t like the idea of being out here for hours more. With that much poison in the half-orc¡¯s veins and no antidote in sight, he wasn¡¯t sure what they were supposed to do. Then his eyes fell upon the cocoons already decorating the damaged greater orb weaver web.


    Noting the size, he quickly decided that those had to be dwarves, children, or goblins. While he hoped it wasn¡¯t the first two, a couple goblins would be a godsend.


    The good news was that they were all goblins, but the bad news was that most of them had already been sucked dry and only green, desiccated goblin jerky remained. Eventually, Lucas found two that squirmed weakly when he opened up their silk prisons, and he quickly beheaded them before harvesting their black livers and the dark purple gallbladders that were attached to them.


    It was disgusting work but necessary, and when it was done, and he¡¯d put the organs in the pot he¡¯d been carrying all afternoon just for this purpose, all he wanted to do was take a shower, but getting clean would have to wait until he¡¯d done the truly nasty part and extracted the bile.

 Ch. 25 - An Emergency Potion

    Despite Lucas¡¯s best efforts, Hura¡¯gh refused to be rushed, and by the time they reached the edge of the Greenwood, the half-orc¡¯s movements had stiffened noticeably. ¡°You sure you¡¯re going to be okay?¡± Lucas asked.


    Hura¡¯gh merely grunted. With great difficulty, he remounted his horse, and when he was in the saddle, he said, ¡°I told you that you should have stayed for those venom glands! You could have made something to sell with them.¡±


    ¡°Whatever man,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug. ¡°We got what we came for, now let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Lucas had no doubt that was true, but he was also pretty sure that if he¡¯d taken any longer, the paralytic poison running through his companion''s veins would have frozen him solid. If that happened, there was no way that Lucas was moving the man without tying a rope to him and dragging him back to their hideout.


    Not that things were much better now that he was on his horse. Hura¡¯gh was so big that he made his stolen warhorse look like a pony. As they rode back to the Perin¡¯s land, the man began to stiffen more and more. First he lost control of his hands, then his arms.


    That was when he let Lucas pour a healing potion down his throat, but the red potion did little besides close the wounds that had already been scabbing over. It didn¡¯t stop the half-orc¡¯s legs from going numb or from making Hura¡¯gh slur his words. When that happened, Lucas took the reins and led the horse back while his nearly paralyzed companion complained.


    ¡°Why dihd yhou nhot bring the aunty-venom with you ihnto a fhorsst fhilled with sphiderss Lhucasss¡­¡± he complained.


    Because you said you would have said, ¡®the warriors of the plains are too strong for such things!¡¯ he screamed for a moment in his head before he shrugged and said, ¡°We¡¯ll get you fixed up in no time; we¡¯re almost back.¡±


    The truth was that he¡¯d completely forgotten. He¡¯d known there were spiders in there, of course, but he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d end up fighting one. Honestly, he¡¯d never personally seen anything worse than a goblin that close to the city. Still, he promised himself that next time, he would bring everything they were likely to need instead of everything he was sure he was going to use.


    When he got back to the cider house, Lucas pulled Hura¡¯gh¡¯s horse next to a pile of hay and then pushed the half-orc off his frozen perch on the saddle into the relatively soft landing it provided. ¡°Sorry about that, man,¡± he said as he quickly checked for a heartbeat and found that the warrior¡¯s heart was still beating strongly despite everything that had happened.


    After that, he rushed inside to grab one of the antidotes he¡¯d made the day before only to find they were all gone. ¡°Where did you put the green ones?¡± he yelled at Adin as he came up empty.


    ¡°The yellow-green ones are in that crate there, and the bright-green ones are in the cider barrel out back,¡± he answered helpfully. He opened his mouth again, and Lucas was sure that he was going to ask about how his hunt for blue ingredients went, but instead of listening to the Viscount ask for a fix in the guise of pleasantries one more time, Lucas cut him off.


    ¡°No, not those. The green-brown ones that sort of looked like muddy water,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Hura¡¯gh needs some antivenom like¡­ now.¡±


    ¡°The uhh¡­¡± Adin paused. ¡°Our bearded friend took those in the shipment he was taking to his cousin¡¯s emporium today¡­¡±


    ¡°God damn it,¡± Lucas cursed, kicking a stool halfway across the room. ¡°Wait - Kar¡¯gandin is going alone into Lordanin? He¡¯s not sending a servant? What about the wanted posters?¡±


    ¡°He said he had his ways and¡ª¡± Adin started to answer, but Lucas ignored him and stormed over to a drawer full of ingredients to see what he could make that might be able to help the half-orc out.


    His ways. Lucas thought in exasperation. We all agreed that was a bad idea, but Kar¡¯gandin just has to do things his way, doesn¡¯t he!?


    He didn¡¯t have much left to be honest. He¡¯d used most of the ingredients they¡¯d gathered over the last few days on a big batch of potions, and other than the stockpile of herbs that he¡¯d set aside to make blue, he was kind of tapped out.


    Lucas pushed various mushrooms aside, and dug through one of his drying jars, and he came up with enough silver leaf and arrow root to do the job, mostly, but looking at the stats, he decided that probably wasn¡¯t going to be enough to handle a double shot of a Stalking Spinner.


    Silver Leaf: End 1, heal 1, poison -2


    Arrow Root: poison - 3, makes any potion containing it twice as bitter.


    ¡°Hey, Adin, stop what you¡¯re doing and go out and find me some broom thistle leaves or gold heather blossoms,¡± Lucas ordered as he dug out his mortar and pestle and threw the herbs he¡¯d already gathered inside it before he moved to the small stove across the way from his workbench and started to pump air into the dying coals.


    ¡°The what now?¡± Adin asked.


    ¡°Come on man, you¡¯ve gathered both of those with me before,¡± Lucas said, not bothering to look up at him. ¡°I need the spiny leaves of the puffy yellow thistles or the bright yellow flowers of that weed I showed you. They¡¯re in basically every field; you just have to look.¡±


    ¡°So did you want¡ª¡± Adin asked, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Lucas whirled around. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Right fucking now, man!¡± Lucas yelled. ¡°Hura¡¯gh¡¯s heart is going to stop if you don¡¯t get a move on!¡±


    That at least got him moving, and he ran off to the field without so much as a knife or a basket to find what Lucas needed. He took his sweet time, too. While he was gone, Lucas crushed the herbs he had, boiled some water, and did everything he could. He was honestly tempted to feed this mixture to the big lug, but deep down, he knew that -3 poison wouldn¡¯t be enough to counteract the toxins coursing through Hura¡¯gh¡¯s veins, though.


    So he waited, and when Adin returned with a handful of crap, Lucas threw it on the rough wood counter and started throwing out everything he didn¡¯t need. Yellow moth weed? Pass. Thorny worm tongue? Poisonous. Long plains grass? Useless.


    Lucas rolled his eyes. Adin really has no eye for this, he thought to himself. When Lucas had finally reduced the pile of crap down to the herbs he actually wanted, he paused.


    Broom Thistle Leaf: Int 1, poison -2


    Golden Heather Blossom: Str 1, poison -2


    Would just the thistle be enough, he wondered. -7 poison is a hell of a lot of antivenom, but -9 would be that much better. There¡¯s always the risk of an adverse reaction, though¡­


    Tucked away in Lucas¡¯s missing notes were recipes he¡¯d developed and ingredients worth remembering, but more than that, he¡¯d kept lists of all the ingredients that didn¡¯t belong together. Some of them were as mild as nausea or foul taste, but others could produce bizarre and even dangerous results.


    The odds of that happening with any given combination of herbs was rare, of course, but the more ingredients he added to a given potion, the more likely it was that one or two of them wouldn¡¯t like each other. Lucas had never been able to predict quite why that was. Theoretically there were synergistic combinations too, but he¡¯d only found a few of those. They seemed to be a lot rarer than an adverse reaction.


    ¡°Fuck it,¡± he muttered, throwing both of them in the mortar and pestle and getting to work.


    Two minutes later, he had all four bubbling happily away in the water as he boiled down the brown residue and then set it aside to cool in a flask.


    Bitter potion of Purity (1 dose): moderate purge poison, +1 to stats, bitter


    As soon as it was cool enough to touch the vial, Lucas corked it, dunked the hot vial in a pot of cold water, and then whirled around. That was when disaster almost befell him. He knew where Adin was. He¡¯d seen the Viscount out of the corner of his eye, but as he whirled around to take the potion to the half-orc, he ran right into the man¡¯s sister.


    ¡°Alright, lets¡ª¡± Lucas started to say as he spun around, but the words died in his throat.


    Until that moment, Lucas had been so focused on the work he¡¯d been doing that he hadn¡¯t seen her. She squeaked in surprise as he knocked her on her ass, but for now, he ignored that. Normally, he would have been able to catch her and make a cute little joke about it if he''d been into the woman because he was smooth like that.


    This time, though, he looked past her pretty blue dress and the look of shock on her face as he watched the fragile vial he¡¯d just worked so hard to create tumble end over end through the air. Everything happened at once as he lept over her falling form and grasped at the cylinder that was slowly falling to the dusty wooden floor.


    The world moved in slow motion as Adin looked on in horror. Lucas fumbled once, and felt his hand slip on the slick wet glass with his right hand, but managed to snatch it with his left before he hit the ground hard and rolled with it.


    He was as surprised as anyone as he rose to his feet and found the ugly beige potion unbroken in his hand. He looked at the woman struggling to get to her feet while she drowned in her petticoats to her brother and back again before he yelled, ¡°Sorry!¡± and ran from the building.


    Hura¡¯gh wasn¡¯t on the clock, per se. There was no evil countdown above the half-orc''s head, which was slowly ticking to zero, but Lucas wasn¡¯t exactly going to take any chances. If the roles were reversed, he was fairly certain that he would already be slowly turning to room temperature.


    Lucas found the warrior exactly where he¡¯d left him in exactly the position he¡¯d left him, which wasn¡¯t a surprise. ¡°Alright, buddy,¡± he said, ¡°This is going to taste like shit, but it¡¯s going to counteract the poison, so just do your best to swallow and then just relax until it kicks in, okay?¡±


    Hura¡¯gh said nothing, but then Lucas didn¡¯t really expect him to. Instead he just poured a little of the beige liquid in at a time and stopped each time the half-orc made any choking sounds. Once that was done, he waited, and when Hura¡¯gh¡¯s outstretched limbs began to relax and fall down to his side, Lucas knew he¡¯d been successful.


    Lucas stood and went to rejoin the others but found they¡¯d joined him outside. This time, they watched him from a safe distance, at least giving him the perfect chance to apologize. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Denaria,¡± he said, ¡°I was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, please, stop,¡± she insisted. ¡°I was the one that was too curious and got in the way. You were only trying to save that poor man¡¯s life!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Lucas struggled for the right words. ¡°Hura¡¯gh is a tough bastard. I¡¯m sure he would have made it through but¡­ best not to take chances. right?¡±


    ¡°What happened to you two, anyway?¡± she asked, approaching him with a cloth and wiping away a bit of blood on his forehead from a wound that Lucas didn¡¯t know he had.


    ¡°Well, we went goblin hunting, and we were ambushed by a giant spider,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°We got the ingredients we needed, but¡­ well, you can see for yourself. That was one tough bitch, pardon my language.¡±


    She blushed at that and said, ¡°Regardless, I think it¡¯s very brave.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head, not sure what to say. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have a few nasty ingredients to purify before I get started with the real work.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that for the blue?¡± she asked innocently. ¡°Blue potions are mana potions, right? I¡¯m sure those will fetch quite the price.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ something like that,¡± Lucas answered, shooting her brother an annoyed look.


    What the fuck is he doing telling his sister anything about a FUCKING drug lab? He raged internally. He said nothing, but Adin saw the accusation in Lucas¡¯s gaze and shrank away.


    ¡°Adin, you keep an eye on Hura¡¯gh for me,¡± Lucas muttered as he walked back toward his lab. He didn¡¯t have time for this amateur-hour shit.

 Ch. 26 - A Simple Explanation

    When he walked back inside the cider house, the last thing Lucas expected was for Denaria to follow, but that¡¯s exactly what she did. He¡¯d been so busy being pissed off at her brother that he very nearly slammed the door in the poor woman¡¯s face as she walked in behind him.


    ¡°Is there something I can do for you, Denaria?¡± he asked, keeping any trace of annoyance out of his voice.


    It wasn¡¯t her he needed to be pissed at. She hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. It wasn¡¯t her fault that her brother had told her enough that it might get her into trouble if she casually mentioned it to one of her friends, and it made it back to the wrong people.


    ¡°I just¡­ all the sciences fascinate me, arcane or otherwise,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I thought I might watch and learn something, at least until Gerwin rings the bell for supper.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡± he started to say. He had a dozen reasons why letting her stay was a bad idea: poisonous substances, filthy conditions, dangerous knowledge, and, of course, the most toxic thing of all: him. Still, something about her disappointed look when he was about to tell her to scram made his words shrivel up and die.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he shot back instead, ¡°But don¡¯t get too close to anything hot, and watch out for the fumes.¡±


    This caused her face to light up with glee, but he ignored it as best he could and started setting out the ingredients for today¡¯s brew. Goblin bile, witch grass blossoms, wizened gnome caps, blue esper vine sap, and, of course, dwarf berries. He had to process the goblin livers to get the bile, of course, but he wasn¡¯t about to do that with a woman in the room, so he set that pot aside and focused on the more normal ingredients.


    As soon as he put the purple witch grass blossoms into his mortar and pestle, he was peppered with questions. If it was Adin asking, he would have told him to fuck off, but with his sister, that was a more difficult proposition. She was just so sweet in earnest that eventually, he found himself answering and giving her a little lesson in basic alchemy.


    After a couple minutes he even had her crushing the blossoms in his mortar and pestle while he explained the reason behind each step. ¡°To really unlock the uhm, magic¡­ of an ingredient, you have to pulverize as much as possible before you add it to other things,¡± he explained, pointing to the flask of pale blue vine sap. ¡°Processing ingredients makes them useable, and then after that, you do other things to sort of¡­ get them where you want them, I guess you could say. Fine-tune it, you know?¡±


    ¡°I was always taught that the magic was created when the ingredients were mixed together with one another, is that not so?¡± she asked, pausing her grinding to give him a perplexed look.


    ¡°I mean, yes and no,¡± Lucas answered. ¡°Every ingredient has the magic in it already, but most of them don¡¯t exactly have a lot. Like the blossoms you are pulverizing have some mana restorative abilities, but not a lot. The same is true for this sap, but if you mix them together¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you get a mana potion!?¡± she asked excitedly.


    ¡°Well, kinda¡­¡± he nodded as he did the quick math in his head. ¡°These two ingredients would probably give you lesser mana restoration, but it might kill you too, so best not to try.¡±


    ¡°Kill me?¡± she asked. ¡°Why would it kill me? I thought mana potions were perfectly safe.¡±


    ¡°Well, they are when done right,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°But most strong ingredients in any potion are poisonous, and pretty much everything that gives mana is. You have to leach that poison out before you can process it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense,¡± she agreed.


    Lucas went to the still, and took the spirits that had been slowly dripping into the small barrel that served as its reservoir and examined them. They weren¡¯t the best, in the world, but they¡¯d do just fine for this.


    Rough Common Spirits (weak): Purifying agent. Remove 50% of the negative effects of a single reagent.


    He sniffed it experimentally, noting the harsh smell that was probably more suitable as an engine degreaser than used for medical purposes, but he knew better than to taste it. This shit wasn¡¯t poisonous, but it might as well be if you had more than a couple glasses.


    Lucas made Denaria stand back as he scraped the mortar clean, deglazed it with the grain alcohol, and poured the whole mixture into a beaker because it was a messy process. ¡°You don¡¯t want to stain your dress,¡± he told her, remembering how he¡¯d already gotten it dirty.


    ¡°That¡¯s very sweet of you,¡± she smiled, ¡°But I rather think a dress this purple would look lovely, don¡¯t you think?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Lucas looked from her dress to the flask, and back again. It was a lovely shade of deep violet, that was probably perfect for a royal garment, but he¡¯d never really noticed it before until she pointed it out.


    ¡°I mean, we could try that sometime if you want, Denaria, but¡­¡± As he turned back to face her mid-conversation, he found her standing closer to him again.


    She¡¯d shown this habit more than once, but with her standing close enough to him that he could smell her floral perfume over the sour smell of saturated witch grass blossom solution, he suddenly realized something even more obvious that had eluded him up until now: she was waiting for him to make a move.


    The realization hit him like a slap in the face, and he was shocked that he hadn¡¯t noticed it before. It was hardly the first time he¡¯d been in this exact scenario before, after all. Rich girls were somehow drawn to drug dealers, even before they got hooked on shit like this. Lucas didn¡¯t know exactly what that was the case.


    He¡¯d never understood it on Earth either, but he¡¯d seen it enough times that he experienced a wave of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. That was his cue to get back to work, and he turned away to focus once more on making sure his flask didn¡¯t overboil as it started to reach proper heat.


    ¡°Hey, ummm, so what is it you think we¡¯re doing back here?¡± Lucas asked her after a moment of awkward silence where he tried to put that weirdness behind them.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked sweetly. ¡°You¡¯re making potions with my brother and your other friends to help repair the finances of our noble house and raise the funds to clear your name.¡±


    That¡¯s at least half true, he thought, noting just how self-serving her brother¡¯s explanation had been. At least she hadn¡¯t mentioned drugs or illegal activity.


    ¡°Right,¡± he agreed. ¡°Mostly true, but like - you understand that this is a secret, right? You can¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course,¡± she nodded vigorously. ¡°As long as they¡¯re still looking for my brother, his presence is keeping the rest of you in grave danger. Well, that and the Alchemists'' guild. I don¡¯t suppose they take very kindly to you selling unofficial potions and undermining their monopoly.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± he said, breathing a sigh of relief at just how much her guesses were off the mark. At least she didn¡¯t think he was a drug dealer. She thought he was an outlaw, and that was fine. ¡°Those greedy bastards would love to keep charging so much for these things that no one can afford them, but we can sell ¡®em for a lot less under the table.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so generous, Lucas,¡± she said with a smile that melted his heart just enough to keep him from laughing. No one had called him generous in a long time. Certainly not after they¡¯d seen his rap sheet.


    ¡°Well, where I¡¯m from, medicine was way too expensive,¡± he said, setting up the strainer so he could separate the herbs and the solution. ¡°Making a profit is fine, but the shit¡¯s gotta be affordable, you know?¡±


    ¡°Where is that exactly?¡± she asked. ¡°Where you¡¯re from, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh, umm¡­ it¡¯s a little kingdom called Idaho, and it¡¯s a long way away from here. You wouldn¡¯t have heard of it,¡± he mumbled as he picked up his tongs and grasped the glass flask.


    Painfully aware of her gaze, he carefully tipped the hot container and poured the boiling fluid through the wire strainer, separating the poison from the rest of the useful ingredients. What was once unprocessed witch grass blossom had now become purified witch grass blossom pulp and vaguely purple poison that might have made a fine ink or dye if he didn¡¯t have other plans for it.


    Witch Grass Blossoms (Processed): Mana 4, Poison 1, intelligence 1.


    Witch Grass Blossom Dregs: Poison 2


    ¡°Now I just need to do this a couple more times with some other ingredients, and before you know it - we¡¯ll have a few mana potions we can sell for a dragon or two,¡± Lucas said, holding up the violet slime.


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful,¡± she said. ¡°After that¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wonderful?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked thickly, stepping through the door with Adin. His voice hinted that he wasn¡¯t a hundred percent yet, but if he was moving around after only like twenty minutes, he was going to be fine, and that¡¯s all that mattered to Lucas.


    ¡°I was just explaining to our hostess how mana potions are made,¡± Lucas said, glad to change to subject. He stood up and walked over the half-orc, slapping him on the shoulder. ¡°But wonderful is the fact that you¡¯re still breathin¡¯ man. You had us scared. How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Like you should have brought an antidote potion with you into the Greenwood,¡± the half-orc said in a tone that might have been anger. He stood there glaring at Lucas for a moment, and just when he thought that Hura¡¯gh might rip his head off, the big guy reached down and wrapped Lucas in a bearhug that threatened to crush his rib cage.


    For a moment, he was too stunned to do more than struggle to breathe, but when Hura¡¯gh released Lucas, he smiled his toothy grin and said, ¡°But you saved my life despite your incompetence, so I will forgive you.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing,¡± Lucas answered, a little touched by the unexpected gesture. ¡°I was just¡ª¡±


    ¡°My life is not nothing,¡± Hura¡¯gh growled, ¡°And you have saved it twice. This is a debt I will honor Lucas Sharpe.¡±


    Lucas could sense another monologue on the warriors of the plains, but before that could happen, he said, ¡°Alright, everyone is safe, and Denaria got her first alchemy lesson, but I have shit to do - these goblin livers aren¡¯t going to keep all day, so everyone is going to have to clear the building so I can make the bl¡­ potions, okay? Everyone out!¡±


    For a moment, the three of them looked at him, but finally, they relented and, one at a time, left the cider house, leaving him in peace. Adin was the first one to leave, and his hungry gaze told Lucas all he needed to know about how excited he was about his next concoction. After he and Hura¡¯gh left, Denaria shook his hand with her small, warm hands, letting him feel just how soft the skin of a woman who¡¯d never had to work a day in her life was before she left him to the real work that lay ahead.

 Ch. 27 - Making Magic

    Lucas wanted the peace and quiet of course, but more than that, he just wanted to work on his secret recipe without anyone looking over his shoulder. Whenever Adin had forced the issue, Lucas had talked about all the different ingredients and how complicated it was, but that was a lie. He wasn¡¯t even really going to use most of the ingredients. He was going to use the leached off poison instead.


    But that was a ways from now. First, he had to get the goblin bile together, which meant wading into the goblin guts. Just thinking about that part sent a shiver down his spine and made Lucas wrinkle his nose. He hated this part, but there was no way around it.


    Carefully he opened up the pot and hung the livers from a nail above it. They were both about as big as his fist, and they stank like three day old roadkill.


    I¡¯m definitely going to have to air this place out, Lucas thought to himself as he watched the dark organs drip their black bile into the clay vessel. Once that was done, he cut off the little purple acorns that were their gallbladders and squeezed them dry, too. It took over fifteen minutes to harvest half a cup of the dark liquid, but that was plenty.


    Lucas wiped his stained hands on a rag and then wrapped the drained organs in it and set them aside to throw into the midden heap when it was all done. After that, he turned to the blue esper vine sap he¡¯d already drained and got to work adding alcohol to both the sap and the bile, bringing both of them to a gentle boil for several minutes.


    Goblin Bile: Poison 9, strength 3, endurance -1, violent diarrhea


    Blue Esper Willow Vine (sap): Perception 4, poison 3, endurance -2, 20% chance to hear voices and/or experience paranoia for 3 hours.


    Lucas was thankful that the marginal qualities like diarrhea and hallucinations were usually lost in the mixing process. That was a shame when they were more interesting, like the witch grass blossoms, but he supposed there was a reason that witches and other mystics were reputed to eat it raw.


    The reason he¡¯d done these two first was because, as liquids, they couldn¡¯t be filtered. Instead, he had to be clever and put all this fancy glassware to use with fractional distillation. It took a minute to attach the fractioning column and the simple condenser to the two flasks. He could have mixed them together at this point to make the set-up half as difficult, but he decided against it.


    After all, when he was done, he could turn the bile into potions of lesser strength and the sap into potions of true sight, but together? Who would even want to boost their perception and strength at once? He wondered. An archer?


    Maybe something like that would have high demand among the elves. He shrugged. It didn¡¯t matter. They would get a lot of silver kings if he took an extra few minutes. It wasn¡¯t like it was hard. He just had to align everything and then put a couple coals under the mixtures, and as long as he kept an eye on it, he could move on to the wizened gnome caps.


    They were simple enough, though he usually wore gloves if he had any cuts on his hands, just in case. Lucas had tripped hard on these ugly gray mushrooms exactly one time, and that was enough as far as he was concerned. He had no interest in seeing fairies coming out of his mouth whenever he spoke or feeling the grass and weeds of the earth try to tangle him up and swallow him whole while the trees reached for him threateningly. It was a bad fucking trip that he had no interest in repeating, and he¡¯d have happily worn latex gloves if they¡¯d been invented yet.


    Today, despite his fight with the spider, his hands were wound-free, though. So, he quickly got to work slicing and dicing before drawing the ugly gray chunks in cheap alcohol.


    Wizened Gnome Caps (processed): End 3, Poison 1,


    Wizened Gnome Caps Dregs: Poison 1, intelligence -1


    Once that was done, he quickly set aside the sludge and dumped the gray liquid into the purple alcohol he¡¯d made with Danaira earlier, producing the start of what would quickly become a rather toxic compound.


    Slightly Poisonous Mixture (20 doses): Poison 3, intelligence -1


    Lucas stirred that together well, and then reached for the next two fluids he¡¯d concocted. The pale blue liquid that was derived from the esper vine sap made the concoction shimmer like twilight for a moment as the blues, purples, and grays swirled together without ever actually mixing. All that disappeared when he dumped the black bile dregs in too. It plunged the entire concoction into inky blackness.


    Very Poisonous Mixture (40 doses): Poison 10, intelligence -1


    Then, it was all but done. He could heat it to try to intensify it or dilute it to make more of it, but all he really needed to do was add the juice of two dozen sour dwarf berries.


    Lucas didn¡¯t do that just yet, though. Instead, he paused to appreciate this moment.


    He¡¯d built himself up from nothing again for the third time on. As a snack, they were common enough among dwarves. It wouldn¡¯t kill a human to try them, of course, but they were eye-wateringly tart and so sour that they made those little gummies he used to get at the movies seem sweet by comparison. They were a snack that only an IPA lover could enjoy, and that had never really been his thing. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Sour Dwarf Berries (raw): Euphoria 1, intelligence - 1, sour, strong catalyst (alters the alignment of the largest attribute in the current mixture.)


    They did have one unique feature that wasn¡¯t commonly known, though. They were just about the cheapest strong catalyst that one could buy.


    Most alchemists and merchants kept a long list of ingredients along with their elemental alignment, their known properties, and other trivia. Lucas didn¡¯t have to do much of that because, unlike most, he could simply see what each herb and berry did and didn¡¯t do. Fortunately, the man he¡¯d apprenticed under when he¡¯d first come to this world liked to get a little high, and that was where Lucas had discovered the grand alchemical cycle, so to speak.


    For a long time, he¡¯d wondered what the catalyst tag was on some of the herbs in the shop, but it wasn¡¯t until he¡¯d watched that old bastard Mr. Keller sprinkle some vitriolic earth into some mana potion dregs that he finally understood.


    Now, he knew the people of this world had it backward: it wasn¡¯t earth, air, fire, and water that mattered. It was a different Binary: healing vs poison and mana vs euphoria. It had only taken a couple experiments to prove it. His master had thought that turning poisoned dregs into some kind of mild hallucinogenic ambien had worked because the air in the vitriolic earth had interacted with the fire intrinsic to all mana, making it effervescent, but he couldn¡¯t have been more wrong.


    Lucas was certain that was incorrect, though. Instead, a major catalyst moved the property clockwise, and minor catalysts did the same thing counterclockwise. There was probably more to it than that. If he¡¯d written a paper and presented it to the guild, he probably would have been showered with riches to dig ever deeper into alchemy.


    He hadn¡¯t done that, though. Instead, he¡¯d done the next most logical thing: he¡¯d learned to make hard drugs to sell and buy his way out of that little shithole town and make his own way in this world.


    A couple of years later, he¡¯d finally found enough synergies to make blue, and the rest was history. Now he knew things had a specific order well; at least some things did. It didn¡¯t seem to matter what he did them in. He could add the sap to the bile or the bile to the mushroom juice. In the end it would all turn black no matter what order it was done in. All that mattered was that the berry juice was added last.


    He poured the clear liquid in at that moment and watched as the tiny alchemical lightshow kicked on. For a brief minute the black void lit up like a stary sky, as magical sparks and unknowable chemical reactions kicked the black morass over to a deep navy color that slowly turned more and more cyan with time.


    Lucas watched an alert flicker briefly before vanishing, but he didn¡¯t need to read it. He¡¯d read it a thousand times before.


    Catalyzed: Poison -> Euphoria.


    After that, it was gone, and he was left the same message as always.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (pure) (45 doses): Euphoria 8, poison 2, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 180% for 1 hour.


    Inevitably, some of the poison was left, which was annoying. You¡¯d think that since this literally turns one to the other, there¡¯d be none left, but what can you do, he thought. Still, he ignored that and smiled just the same.


    ¡°With this set up I can finally try to figure out what causes that,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Maybe we can filter it or distill it and get closer to pure.¡±


    For now the only way he knew to purify the stuff was to boil it down to a more concentrated form, like he¡¯d done in the experiment that Adin had gotten a taste of. It probably wasn¡¯t cost-effective, though. Even at its current concentration, they¡¯d have people lining up around the block to pay five kings for the privilege. Even if they stepped on it a few times to make something more palatable to lower classes, they could still charge a silver or two and make a whole pile of dragons.


    Still, the former plan appealed to him more. While he liked the idea of getting a bunch of assholes in the upper crust strung out on blue, the part of him that felt guilty at getting a working stiff hooked on something so strong was growing larger by the day. Other than maybe the guards he seemed to keep crossing paths with or Brog, he really didn¡¯t wish that on anyone.


    Lucas took his time to meditate on these and other issues, and it was only when he was good and ready, and he¡¯d sealed and stowed his jar of cyan liquid, that he started opening up the doors and windows to air the place out. Outside, in the shade of a badly overgrown apple tree, he found the rest of the gang, including Kar¡¯gandin.


    ¡°Where the hell have you been? I thought we said we were going to stay out of the city!¡± Lucas asked before noting the dwarf was happily munching away on his very sour catalyst. ¡°And why the hell are you eating all my berries. I need those!¡±


    ¡°Yer berries?¡± Kar¡¯gandin laughed. ¡°This is more like share and share alike. I think ye mean our berries.¡±


    The dwarf started by catching Lucas up on his trip, and eventually even he was forced to concede that he¡¯d probably done the right thing. Kar¡¯gandin had gone to test security and see how tight things really were, and the answer was not very. He¡¯d smuggled himself inside a wagon on the way in and had worn a big floppy hat as a disguise just in case, but even as he walked around the city speaking to various contacts, he¡¯d never gotten the feeling that anyone was seriously looking for him.


    ¡°On the other hand, I did get the feeling that people were looking for you, well - your little blue potions, at least. Apparently, it¡¯s very popular stuff, and your old customers are frantic to find a new supply.¡±


    ¡°Fuck ¡®em,¡± Lucas spat, hoping they tore Brog to pieces looking for a fix. ¡°I don¡¯t care what happens to them.¡±


    ¡°Well, all I care about is a ready customer base, laddie,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said with a shrug as he pulled out his pipe and began to pack it. ¡°We have the product and the customers; now we just need to decide who¡¯s going to handle the¡­ ahem¡­ distribution for us.¡±

 Ch. 28 - Making plans

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just sell it ourselves?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked.


    ¡°I mean, we can,¡± Lucas said doubtfully, ¡°But I¡¯m not going to stand on some corner like an asshole just waiting for the guards to notice me.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s lots of crime that the guards never seem to notice,¡± Adin added, having a difficult time keeping his eyes off the blue stains on Lucas¡¯s hands. ¡°Some say the watch is incompetent, and others say that the thieves guild gives the crown a cut. No one knows for sure.¡±


    It was just sap and bile. It wasn¡¯t even blue, but the lordling didn¡¯t know that. Still, it was an excellent reminder that the man¡¯s growing addiction was going to be trouble, and Lucas wasn¡¯t sure how he was going to handle that just yet.


    ¡°¡®Course the guards are corrupt,¡± Kar¡¯gandin laughed, ¡°And of course the crown takes a cut. That¡¯s just the way Lordanin runs lad. It¡¯s the way it¡¯s always run. The city is sort of a vast farm where they raise huge crops of gold and silver, and then they dump most of it in the castle. That place is like a bottomless pit for gold, and it¡¯s always hungry.¡±


    ¡°Pity we can¡¯t just rent a space, throw up a shingle, and call it a day,¡± Lucas said with a shrug. ¡°¡®Ye Olde Potions and Shit,¡¯ I think it has a nice ring to it.¡±


    Everyone laughed at that before the dwarf added. ¡°Ye could do that if ye were a member of the alchemist''s guild, of course, but you are not. That would be a sucker''s game, though. Ye¡¯d have to charge guild rates and pay exorbitant taxes. No, in my opinion, we should go with the gangs. The pay-off will be much better, and the risks increase only a little.¡±


    Kar¡¯gandin launched into a long tirade about the different taxes and how it was cheaper to get the guards to look the other way, but about the time he started to enumerate the different fees based on types of products and all the rest, Hura¡¯gh got bored and interrupted him. ¡°But what good is saving money when the thieves will just steal from you themselves? Besides, don¡¯t most of the gangs already sell drugs?¡±


    ¡°They do,¡± Kar¡¯gandin agreed. ¡°Faerie dust, demon blood, Dusk, and whatever else they get up to, but according to our man here, his stuff is going to beat every other potion out there, ain¡¯t that so me, boy?¡±


    Lucas nodded at that. ¡°I do, but the jolly green giant has a point. The Beggars left a pretty sour taste in my mouth. Maybe we could give it to Adin and have him sell the stuff to his rich noble friends.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a great idea,¡± the viscount chimed in. Lucas rolled his eyes at that. The man would agree with any plan that put him within spitting distance of the good shit. ¡°I know plenty of dilettante that might show interest if we were to attend a party or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that would be a mighty fine plan one day, but ye¡¯re still a wanted man,¡± Kar¡¯gandin nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t see well-wishers lining up to deliver ye calling cards and ask about ye¡¯re health. No, if anyone was going to do that, it would have to be Lucas here.¡±


    ¡°M-me?¡± Lucas sputtered, almost spitting out the sip of water he¡¯d just taken from his skin. ¡°Why would I have to do it. I don¡¯t know these people.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter. Lord Parin here can tell you all ye need to know, and when ye get dressed up fancy who¡¯s going to know one way or another?¡± the dwarf smiled broadly. ¡°Don¡¯t ye know, all humans sorta look alike.¡±


    This time, only Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh laugh. Lucas would have joined them once he figured out the punchline. However, but then he was too busy looking at Adin, as the man grew visibly angry.


    ¡°What, you think if he just tells everyone he¡¯s a cousin of my family, they¡¯ll¡ª¡± Adin started to ask indignantly.


    ¡°Aye, a cousin,¡± the dwarf nodded. ¡°That¡¯s great. Ole¡¯ cousin Lucas from out of town come to share a little bit of blue from abroad. Maybe we can give it a better name to appeal to the upper crust. You know, like Sapphire Fire or Dragon¡¯s Tears. Something like that.¡±


    ¡°But he can¡¯t just pretend to be nobility. The man might be a talented chemist, but how¡¯s that going to help him exercise all of the proper courtesies?¡± Adin scoffed. ¡°The man knows nothing about dancing or jousting. He doesn¡¯t even know which fork to use at dinner. No offense.¡±


    That last part was tacked on at the very end and only mentioned when he realized that what he was saying might be offensive to Lucas, but he didn¡¯t care what this asshole thought of him. Not really.


    ¡°Well, then ye¡¯ can teach him all that. I would love to see what our alchemist looks like when he¡¯s learnin¡¯ to dance!¡± Kar¡¯gandin said before he burst out laughing. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The half-orc quickly followed suit, leaving Lucas to spin it off. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m good with it,¡± he said with the wide smile he used most often to hide his growing annoyance, ¡°But Adin is the one wearing the dress, alright? He¡¯s about his sister¡¯s size and¡­¡±


    That made everyone laugh all the louder. Everyone except Adin of course. The nobleman fumed with his lips pressed together tightly until the laughter died off before he added, ¡°None of this is getting us any closer to making dragons.¡±


    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s true enough,¡± the dwarf agreed. ¡°Dancing lessons will have to wait. Before we can afford to get Lucas dressed up nicely, we¡¯ll have to find a larger source of revenue, which in my mind means the Knights of Brass or the Red Lantern Gang.¡±


    The four of them debated the matter until nearly sunset, and in the end it was the arrival of dinner that decided things more than anything else. There were perhaps a dozen gangs worth the name in Lordanin proper. Each of them had their own territory and their own rackets.


    Some of these, like the Orphans, would have no interest as they dealt primarily with burglaries and other petty thefts. The Illuminated wouldn¡¯t be worth the time to contact, either. Though Lucas kinda dug their brightly colored tattoos, they were largely dock workers and longshoremen and weren¡¯t really good at much besides smuggling things in and out of the city. Their operation would have to be a lot bigger before they¡¯d have to worry about sending things abroad.


    In the end, the Lordanin drug trade mostly revolved around four groups: the Alchemists¡¯ Guild, the beggars, the reds, and the brass. A couple others, like the slants or the equestrians, might be interested, but regardless, it would be a short list.


    According to Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s investigations, the Beggars had apparently tried and failed to copy Lucas¡¯s recipe. They sold something black now that they called Miidnight and a darker blue formulation that was called Dusk. Neither of these was very creatively named, or, apparently as strong as the mythical blue that had circulated through the city for a while, but it helped take the edge off of the junkies that Lucas had left in his wake.


    ¡°Hah! They¡¯re making methadone to feed the heroin addicts,¡± Lucas exclaimed, but no one got the joke, and he didn¡¯t feel like explaining it.


    Almost every gang they discussed was already distributing some bootleg intoxicant that they made themselves, but Lucas didn¡¯t care much about that. The beggars were obviously using his little trick to turn goblin bile into drugs. He regretted letting that little detail slip, but other than getting a bigger gang to murder every last one of them, that genie was out of the bottle now.


    Everyone else mostly dealt with reds, though. Reds were easier and more common to make. He¡¯d never seen a good recipe before, but if he was a betting man, he¡¯d say that they were healing potions that had been altered with lesser catalysts in the same way that he used greater catalysts to make his concoctions.


    According to feedback, he¡¯d heard that things like Dragon¡¯s Breath and Demon Blood were more like uppers. They were more directly compared to cocaine or Meth than blue. That made sense.


    Someday, he hoped to get a look at the stuff and see what his little identify screen told him about it, but he¡¯d managed to keep his nose fairly clean since his arrival in this world. He had too much going on to pick up an addiction like he had in his last life.


    Lucas spent a lot of time thinking about this while he listened to the rest of his group argue about which gang had the best territory or was the least untrustworthy. Eventually, it was just too much information, and it made his eyes glaze over.


    Finally, when the debate had gone on long enough, and he could see that the food would get cold before everyone agreed, he rejoined the verbal fray.


    ¡°Listen, you guys, I don¡¯t care if we draw straws at this point as long as it''s not the fucking beggars, but I¡¯m at my wit''s end here, so how about this,¡± he said before pausing to make sure he had everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°How about we get every group you can think of to send a member or two in some neutral territory, outside the city, like an inn or something. We tell them to bring along their favorite junkie, and then we, you know, give out free samples and let them bid on the price.¡±


    ¡°Bid?¡± the dwarf asked, stroking his beard. ¡°Like an auction?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lucas said, leaning forward. ¡°Like an auction. Here¡¯s our shit; you tell us how much you think it¡¯s worth, and we go with the highest bidder, you know, like a real business!¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm, maybe, lad, maybe.¡± The dwarf said as he mulled it over.


    Hura¡¯gh wouldn¡¯t let that settle the issue, though, and asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t asking others how much they would pay for your potions make us seem weak? Would it not be stronger to simply tell them how much they must pay for our product and establish the dominant position?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°But when we let them decide, we''re playing them against each other, you know? Now, it¡¯s not us versus them; it''s them versus all of their least favorite competitors. The question is no longer, ¡®how much can I sell this shit for,¡¯ it''s ¡®how can I keep it out of my enemy¡¯s hands.¡¯ Like¡­ that batch I just made is pretty pure. They can probably step on it once or twice, and it will still sell fine. That¡¯s like¡­¡±


    Lucas did the math quickly in his head before adding, ¡°Thirty or Forty dragons, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thirty dragons?!¡± Kar¡¯gandin exclaimed. ¡°For a single batch? Are you making drugs or turning lead to gold in there?!¡±


    ¡°I mean, pure it''s probably worth that to the right buyer too, but no working stiff is going to have that kind of cash, you know?¡± Lucas said with a shrug. ¡°Anyway - They aren¡¯t going to bid that. They¡¯ve got to make a profit too, but one guy might say fifteen and another guy might say twenty, you know? We give ''em a taste, and then we see what happens.¡±


    Hura¡¯gh didn¡¯t seem convinced, but he did seem hungry. So, instead of debating it further, he got up and strode over to the barn where they took their meals, ending the conversation for now, and Lucas was totally fine with that. He just wanted everyone to make a decision and move the fuck on, and this was the best non-decision he could make short of putting all the gangs on a dart board and letting his terrible aim decide for him.

 Ch. 29 - Just a Taste

    Over the next few days, Kar¡¯gandin worked his contacts and reached out to representatives of the four gangs they were most interested in doing business with. Lucas was worried that people he knew would know that he was a wanted man, and that they might rat him out for the reward. He even said as much, but the dwarf just responded. ¡°Humans? Maybe. They tend to be short term thinkers, but a dwarf? No chance.¡±


    ¡°You guys are just more loyal, huh?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°What is it, like a clan thing, or is this just more of your anti-human bigotry?¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± the dwarf chuckled. ¡°Why would a dwarf turn me in for a few coins now when he knows my relationship and my favors might net him a hundred-fold more over the next century or two?¡±


    It was an answer that Lucas would have never guessed, but it made sense, and it gave him something to think about while Kar¡¯gandin ironed out the details. A few of the gangs seemed keen, while a couple were less interested, but none of them turned Lucas¡¯s group down.


    After that, the rules were quite simple. Each group would be allowed to bring only two people to minimize the risks. The message was simple enough: we have blue and can get more, so come have a taste.


    Lucas was satisfied with the message. It was simple and to the point. It directed everyone to meet at the crow cages near the western crossroad at sunset. It was there that the dwarf showed his true value.


    The spot he¡¯d chosen for the meet wasn¡¯t even close to where they planned to do the deal at an inn half a mile to the south called The Fiddler¡¯s Rest, but it was a wide-open area that made ambush impossible. That was smart. Lucas wouldn¡¯t have considered that extra layer of safety, but he certainly approved of it since, in the end, it would just be him and Hura¡¯gh going.


    Since neither the dwarf nor the Viscount were much for fighting, they¡¯d decided that they¡¯d make for a quicker get away with fewer people, and since there was no way Lucas could trust Hura¡¯gh to be the sole messenger, and no way that he was going alone, that was just how it was going to have to be.


    While all of this was going on, Lucas did something more important: product testing. He didn¡¯t test the blue, of course. He knew exactly what a bad idea that would be. He didn¡¯t need to, though. Not when he had a volunteer like Adin who was happy to help with this duty.


    After all, Lucas had been forced to lock the clay tankard of diluted narcotics down in a cabinet just to keep the noble''s hands off it. The man hand paced back and forth like a starving hound once he¡¯d caught sight of it.


    So, when Lucas presented the man a vial of the stuff he¡¯d expected him to be over the moon. Instead the first words out of his mouth were, ¡°It doesn¡¯t really look like the same stuff, is that the right color?¡±


    Lucas nodded at that. ¡°Good eye. This batch isn¡¯t quite as strong as I¡¯d like,¡± he lied, ¡°But it¡¯s still more than strong enough to do what it needs to. Next time, maybe we can find more mats, and I can do better.¡±


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (mid-grade) (1 dose): Euphoria 6, poison 2, mana regeneration decreased by 150% for 1 hour.


    In reality, Lucas could have kept it at euphoria 8 without watering it down, but he decided to do so for two reasons. The first was that he figured they¡¯d make a lot more money selling seventy doses than they would forty, and the second was that he was hoping to ween Adin off the stuff.


    That would be impossible if he kept feeding him the full strength dose, of course, but something like this - that might be enough to make him high and enough for him to decide it wasn¡¯t that big a deal. While they needed a taste tester like Adin on staff, the last thing they needed was a junkie. Someone like that could do a whole lot of damage.


    Adin looked from Lucas to the tiny potion and back. For a moment, it seemed like he was about to complain one more time before downing the thimble full of fluid. The result was not quite instantaneous, but it was still immediate and intense.


    The noble¡¯s body relaxed immediately, and after wobbling dangerously on the stool he was sitting on, Lucas hopped to his feet and guided the man to the ground, letting him slump down into whatever hole the drugs were digging for him. He wanted to ask him how the trip was, but there was no point. He¡¯d get any relevant details once Adin returned to the real world.


    The results were about what Lucas had expected. ¡°It¡¯s still an incredible high,¡± the man said, ¡°It just maybe doesn¡¯t have quite the kick that it did last time.¡±


    In time, it was possible he could find a way to extend the high with another ingredient, though he couldn¡¯t imagine the trial and error involved. He knew that if you added monk¡¯s wart to several different healing potion recipes, it made the effect more gradual, like a time release capsule. There was probably something similar he could do to his blue recipe, given enough time. It would be a good compromise; make the high last longer without getting the user too high.


    It wouldn¡¯t happen this time, though. All too soon, the appointed day arrived, and he and Hura¡¯gh set out for their date with destiny just after a quick dinner when the sun was getting low in the sky.


    One of the reasons that Kar¡¯gandin had chosen this place was that it was on the opposite side of the city from the Parin estate, which made it less likely they¡¯d be followed. In reality, that meant that it was an almost hour-long ride just to see the damn place. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The western crossroads were a lonely place. To the east lay the still visible walls of the city, to the north was the winding channel that led to Lordanin¡¯s rocky harbor, and to the south and west were scattered farms and villages. A few miles further west would take you to the ocean proper, along with the city¡¯s large lighthouse, but those dunes got terribly windy at night, and Lucas had no intention of going there.


    Instead, the two of them waited not far from the cluster of rusting gibbets that hung nearby. There wasn¡¯t much traffic in this area normally, but this close to dark, there was almost none, and as the handful of horses made their way to them, almost every single one stopped to greet Lucas. They didn¡¯t state their affiliations. In most cases, they didn¡¯t even give their names, but then, they didn¡¯t have to. It was evident in the colors and styles of the clothing they wore.


    The Knights of Brass, were certainly the most heavily armed. Officially they were classified as a militia in the city, but in reality they ran a protection racket on the west side. The Red Lantern Gang were the most beautiful, and beneath their cloaks, the ladies that came representing them wore beautiful dresses that even offered a hint of cleavage; that was something familiar to Lucas, but pretty rare in these parts.


    The slants came too, which Lucas had been expecting. He didn¡¯t see himself doing business with the elves. They weren¡¯t known for their deep pockets, and their tattered clothing showed as much. The eight of them waited around for a few minutes while they waited for the last group to show up. Everyone was a little uneasy, and it was clear there was no trust here, but it was equally clear that no one wanted to tangle with a half-orc.


    As the last group arrived, Lucas noted that they had four horses, which seemed to indicate that he¡¯d been double-crossed, but as they got closer he could see that they were actually two separate groups. The first two were scarred, muscular men that obviously belonged to the Butchers that ran the slaughterhouses and the meatpacking district, but the last group was harder to place.


    In fact, Lucas didn¡¯t figure it out before the dark-eyed woman from the Ren Lantern Gang hissed, ¡°Whisperers. What are they doing here?¡± A murmur of agreement ran through the group.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly,¡± Lucas answered honestly, ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t seem to be on my guest list¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the dusky woman said with a Cheshire smile. ¡°You couldn¡¯t expect that we not attend such an interesting gathering. Not when the whole town is abuzz about you, mister blue.¡±


    Lucas cringed at the nickname but said nothing about it. Instead, he pivoted. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re flattered, but you aren¡¯t exactly on the guest list, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Come now,¡± the woman said. ¡°We¡¯ve ridden a long way to see you. Surely, your little room at the inn can seat two more.¡±


    ¡°How did you¡ª¡± Lucas began asking, but before he could finish, she cut him off.


    ¡°After all - if you send us away now, who knows who we might tell?¡± She said with a glittering smile. It was a threat, but an effective one, reducing his world to two choices, take them with him, or cancel the whole thing.


    Reluctantly, Lucas decided they could come and turned his horse south to the fiddle, waving for everyone to follow him. The road there was rutted but straight, and they arrived not long after full dark, giving Lucas plenty of time to consider how it was that the Whisperers knew where they were going when it hadn¡¯t been part of the message.


    He realized that the most likely answer was that they didn¡¯t, and they¡¯d just been bluffing, but the word on the street about the whisperers was that they were in deep with the mages and worse. They weren¡¯t known for being part of the drug trade, as they typically dealt in the much more profitable markets of secrets and blackmail. All of that made their threats believable enough, and Lucas decided that the best thing to do was let it all play out.


    So they all secured their mounts at the stables, threaded their way through a common room that went quiet the moment so many hooded strangers entered, and then made themselves at home at the private dining room that Kar¡¯gandin had booked for just such an occasion.


    Lucas didn¡¯t even try to insist everyone leave their arms aside. He knew there was no point. The Brass Knights might be the only ones to carry their swords on their hips, but he had no doubt that everyone entering the room was armed.


    Once they were seated, drinks were brought in, and the doors were closed and barred from the inside by Hura¡¯gh, Lucas finally addressed the table full of strangers. Some of them looked at him with naked greed and others with annoyance. Only the Whisperers looked at him with amusement.


    Some of the assembled guests insisted on introducing themselves, and some insisted on making sure no names were used, but Lucas didn¡¯t really remember all of those. The only name that really stood out to him was Mistress Artesia Dannica, who headed the Red Lantern Gang delegation, and only then because of how she insisted he call her mistress.


    Lucas of course, politely declined. He wasn¡¯t into that kinky shit. Instead, he kicked off the meeting proper once the chit-chat had died down.


    ¡°Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is why we are all here,¡± Lucas said, uncomfortable with so many eyes upon him as he began to pull out the small vials from his pouch one at a time, setting them in front of them. ¡°I¡¯ve got the blue, and I¡¯m looking for a partner to help me sell it. Every one of you will have the chance to sample the goods and then place a secret bid on the slips of paper I¡¯ll be handing out.¡±


    The vials were tiny things. Their corks took up nearly as much space as the fluid they contained, but that was all someone like Adin needed to forget he existed for a few minutes. He had no doubt that would be equally true for everyone else in this room.


    There was a storm of questions after that. Why couldn¡¯t they bit out loud? Why did they have to do this so far from the city? The woman who was here for the Red Lantern gang asked, ¡°Why not just sell to us and skip all of this. No one in this room can match us in either wealth or charm.¡±


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not the boss,¡± Lucas lied. ¡°He says jump, I say how high, and if he says he wants a sealed bid auction for a keg containing seventy doses of high-grade blue, then I ride out to the middle of nowhere to do what he says. Trust me, the boss gets scary when you tell him no. You don¡¯t want to know what happened to the last guy to have my job.¡±


    He looked around the room. Some of them looked like they believed him, but the rest - well, he didn¡¯t really care. He just cared that they¡¯d stopped talking.


    ¡°Alright, boys, bottoms up,¡± he said as he walked around the room and started handing out bottles and slips of paper.

 Ch. 30 - Just a Taste (part 2)

    Everyone¡¯s reaction to the vial was different. The Brass Knight, who looked a little like every addict that Lucas had ever seen, just popped open his vial and downed it without a thought. The elvish delegation discussed it at length in their strange musical language before doing likewise. The Butcher¡¯s taster tried just a drop, trying to determine what it was made of, but became insensible before he could do much besides babble about how sour it was.


    In the end, only the beautiful ladies of the Red Lantern Gang and the Whisperers seemed to have no intention of tasting it. No, that wasn¡¯t right, he realized. One of the Red Lantern women had taken the drug, but somehow, they remained standing or in this case, sitting, he couldn''t say.


    Lucas let out a low whistle and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll bet you¡¯re fun at parties.¡±


    ¡°Julania has tasted the finest poisons and potions that this world has to offer,¡± the older woman with the plunging neckline said about her subordinate. ¡°If she can handle Demon¡¯s Blood, then something this weak would hardly be of difficulty to her.¡±


    Suddenly, Lucas saw the wisdom in the dwarf¡¯s words. He could see the younger girl was struggling with the effects of the blue, and for a second he wondered if she¡¯d taken something to delay the effects, or to counteract them. He knew from bitter experience that taking uppers and downers at once could be hard on the body, but he didn¡¯t mention that.


    Instead, he said, ¡°That¡¯s just the sort of hardball tactic that would have served you well if we were doing business one on one, but look around lady, everyone else is enjoying this but you. Well, you and the women in black back there. What¡¯s a matter ladies, too scared to try it for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t need to sample your work to know what it¡¯s worth, Mr. Blue,¡± the tall, pale woman said with a smile that chilled him to the bone. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find our offer more than reasonable in any case.¡±


    As the tall woman spoke, the younger woman with violet eyes stood and walked over to Lucas, and handed him a slip. He hadn¡¯t even seen them fill it out, but there it was, neatly folded before him. He took it and set it down in front of him unread.


    ¡°Well then, the bidding has started,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Please confer amongst yourselves, and I will review your offers at the conclusion of this meeting.¡±


    While everyone enjoyed or endured the effects of his drugs, he got up and ordered another round from the bar, along with whatever they had that was warm. Tonight was going to be a profitable night, so Kar¡¯gandin could hardly be cross with him at splurging.


    Lucas helped himself to a few ribs and a decent stout while Hura¡¯gh went through two turkey legs. It was about as much fun as you could have watching other people get high, and for the first time in a long time, it made Lucas crave something light, like weed. He had yet to find cannabis in this world, of course, but Faerie dust was supposed to be close.


    Lucas ignored that thought, though. He just had to take a hard look at the drooling idiot in battered armor sitting off to his left to know where that path led. They were called gateway drugs for a reason.


    So he made conversation instead. He spent a little time talking to each of the representatives of their respective gangs to pass that time. The topic of the conversation didn¡¯t matter so much to him, though he did make sure to talk shit about the Beggars whenever possible. He found out that the Brass Knights were currently at war with the Beggars over turf just south of the tannery and at other points all along the river, which was enough to raise their estimation a notch or two in his eyes.


    Otherwise, the only thing he really learned was that all the stereotypes were true. The Red Lantern girls were haughty, the slants were standoffish, and the Whisperers were a bit of both. Still, as everyone started to come around and hasty conversations were had, numbers were scribbled on slips of paper, and those slips were handed in.


    It was only when Lucas had all five that he actually began looking through them, though. He didn¡¯t want his reaction to give any of the parties an advantage in the bidding. That had obviously been the right move because the Red Lantern ladies had only given him their slip when it became obvious that nothing would proceed until that happened.


    Lucas quickly found that none of them were anywhere close to each other. The Butchers offered a price of five silver kings a dose, which came out to seventeen and a half dragons. That was probably the lowest bid. The Brass knights came in next, offering him twenty, which was another lowball, but at least in the realm of reasonable.


    He¡¯d been getting fifteen dragons for fifty doses from Brog which worked out to less than either of these bids, but to be fair he hadn¡¯t had a rep back then. He¡¯d had to take the first offer to come his way. Thanks to his crew, he wasn¡¯t going to have to make that mistake twice, and that was enough to make him smile as he set those two slips aside and reviewed the rest.


    The Red Lantern ladies offered him only five crowns in cash, along with a seventy crowns of credit in any of the pleasure houses, which was enough to make him smirk. The Whisperer''s offer was enough to make him smile even wider, just because it was such an asshole move. Their slip simply read, ¡°One more silver king than the highest offer.¡±


    He was about to make a sarcastic comment about how that wasn¡¯t how sealed bids were supposed to work, but when he got to the slant¡¯s offer, he frowned instead. It simply said you have stolen. You have stolen from the forest. Our Goddess''s love is not for humans to taste! Give us your recipe, or perish!Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    When he looked up, he could see the elves were serious, too. They¡¯d looked at him with general contempt until now, but that was fairly common for their type. Beneath that, though, he could see the edge of violence. That was even more true in the eyes of the man who had tasted the blue than the ones who hadn¡¯t.


    Are these fuckers religious fanatics? He wondered. Just what I fuckin¡¯ need.


    ¡°Listen,¡± Lucas barked. ¡°We aren¡¯t here for that shit, we¡¯re here to do business, so if you¡¯re only here to try to bully your way to a better deal, then you can¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as they both shrugged off their cloaks and rose to their feet. Both of them were holding two hand crossbows. They weren¡¯t as intimidating as a real crossbow, or even a long bow. In fact, their tiny bolts were more like throwing darts than the bolt he¡¯d pulled out of Adin not so long ago.


    No one would have been afraid of them if not for the elves¡¯ reputation for coating the projectiles with deadly poisons. ¡°You have two choices,¡± one of them said, ¡°You can give up the recipe, or it can die with you. The choice is yours!¡±


    Lucas put his hands up out of force of habit as he said, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re talkin¡¯ to the wrong guy. Even if I wanted to tell you, I¡¯m just the messenger!¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d had a gun pointed at him, and he wasn¡¯t particularly scared. He was just trying to buy a little time to figure out what the next move should be.


    ¡°Liar!¡± The other elf screamed. ¡°They called you Mr Blue. The Whisperers know that¡­¡±


    The elf¡¯s words trailed off as he looked over to the women standing in the corner and saw that the older one had pulled out a scroll. Scrolls were something that Lucas had heard of before, but he¡¯d never seen one used before. They were a poor man¡¯s mage. They were supposed to be a spell all written down except for the final word, and when that was said by its wielder, it activated.


    In this case, that word turned out to be ¡°Velaforsanith!¡±


    None of them knew what would happen as the thin parchment started to burn while slender lines of arcane power traveled through the words, completing the complex glyph that powered whatever was going to happen next. The closer elf released two bolts at the woman holding the scroll, but she vanished before they struck home in a quick inversion of reality.


    One second, the two women clad in gray dresses and dark veils were there, and the next, there was a ripple that took out part of the wall and a few of the floorboards. The strange shockwave that caused was enough to cause a gust of wind to blow throughout the room, snuffing out all the candles and reducing them to the light of two oil lamps that had been shielded by their glass shade and the light from the common room that made its way out under the door.


    Everything happened at once after that. Hura¡¯gh threw the nearest chair at the spot where the elves had been standing as the sound of swords being unsheathed and crossbows being fired filled the near darkness.


    After that, there were screams and the sounds of reloading. The people that used those devilish little crossbows often kept spare bolts on their thighs in a holster that allowed them to be reloaded at the same time they were being recocked in a single, quick movement. In that way, they really were like guns, only instead of a bullet putting you out of your misery quickly, you were stabbed with a pencil and then allowed to suffer as the poison ran its course.


    Even as Lucas pulled his dagger and leaped up onto the table, he didn¡¯t feel anything hit him, but he wasn¡¯t sure he would with all the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Getting shot was a problem to be dealt with only after he¡¯d closed the distance, though.


    Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t the only target. The Whisperers might have vanished, and the women from the Red Lantern Gang might have disappeared under the table to wait this out, but both the Butchers and the Knights of Brass were on their feet, and before Lucas had even gotten close, those burly toughs were hacking the elves to pieces.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Lucas called out, but there was no point. He¡¯d been hoping to get some answers to their sudden, bizarre outburst. Who was their Goddess? Why did they think the bliss of his drug specifically belonged to the elves? Were they just fucking crazy? He had no way to know for sure now.


    When it was over there were a lot of armed men looking at each other uncertainly in the semi darkness of the room, and after a second Lucas realized they were looking at him.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the one that went crazy!¡± Lucas shouted defensively. ¡°This isn¡¯t on me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that invited them. You¡ª¡± The Butcher with the salt and pepper beard said.


    ¡°Is everything alright in there?¡± the bartender yelled, pounding on the door.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Lucas sighed under his breath.


    ¡°Listen,¡± he said, louder this time. ¡°This is going to have to be continued. We¡¯ve got to bounce, but I¡¯ll make it right with you.¡±


    ¡°How you gonna make this right?¡± One of the Brass Knights said as his friend slumped against the wall. ¡°The bastards poisoned Ritchie!¡±


    Lucas looked at the dart the man pulled out of his friend, but even as he did that, he was sheathing his blade and hopping down from the table. When he reached the floor, he pulled out a dark green potion of lesser antivenom and handed it to the man. ¡°Give this to your friend, and he¡¯ll pull through.¡±


    He pulled out a second one, along with a healing potion, and said, "Is anyone else hit? How about you, Hura¡¯gh. You okay over there?¡±


    ¡°I hit them with a chair,¡± the half-orc bragged. ¡°How could they hit me with anything at all after that?¡±


    Lucas ignored that bravado and gave the big guy a once over, but he seemed to be fine. As the Red Lantern Ladies slowly stood up now that the coast was clear, it became obvious that the only other person to be injured was one of the Butchers. Since the elves had been holding bows instead of knives, it was obvious he¡¯d been stabbed by his buddy, but Lucas didn¡¯t say shit about that.


    Instead, he just tossed the man a healing potion and said, ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got to get out of here before this gets any more complicated.¡±

 Ch. 31 - An Offer You Can Refuse

    No one argued with Lucas, and one by one all of the rogues from each of the different factions squeezed out the side of the inn through the hole that the Whisperers had left behind. It was a large, thin crack that was so big that Lucas barely had to duck. The Brass knights struggled a little in their armor, but Hura¡¯gh was really the only one that had problems, at least until he use brute strength to widen the crack a little bit before he could escape.


    That sudden display of strength was enough to make the roof sag a little, but Lucas wasn¡¯t worried about that. As much as he¡¯d love to pay for the damages, he wasn¡¯t sticking around long enough for anyone to describe him to the guards. Hopefully, the elves had a few coins between them to give to the innkeeper for his trouble, and if not, well, their fancy little crossbows would certainly sell for more than a few silver kings to the right buyer.


    One short run later, they were all mounting their horses and heading in different directions as it quickly became every man for himself. Hura¡¯gh had tried to take the Whisperer¡¯s horses with them, arguing, ¡°The mare at least will fetch a good price. A handful of dragons at least,¡± but Lucas shot it down.


    ¡°Did you see the same thing I saw, man?¡± Lucas chided him. ¡°Those bitches had a scroll, and all the rumors say that gang is in league with mages, if not mages themselves!¡±


    ¡°Mages have better things to do than join Lordanian factions and fight for territory,¡± Hura¡¯gh answered skeptically.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± probably, Lucas said, realizing the big lug made a good point. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean they can''t hire someone to track us down by their horses. Hell - maybe this is how they wanted this whole meet to play out. I say we don¡¯t fuck around where they are concerned. Not even a little.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to throw away dragons just because of a what-if?¡± the half-orc asked. ¡°It¡¯s money in the hand, practically.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am,¡± Lucas said with a shrug, ¡°and to be honest, it''s something I should do more often.¡±


    With that, he spurred his horse and started riding down the road. He didn¡¯t go too fast, though, both because he didn¡¯t care much for riding, and because if he did, there was no way that Hura¡¯gh would be able to catch him before the big half-orc¡¯s mount keeled over from a heart attack.


    A few minutes later, when they were well clear of The Fiddler¡¯s Rest, and had turned off onto a side road, they slowed down so they could discuss the night''s events. Both of them had considered violence to be a possibility, but neither one had expected a poisoned fusillade or magic to be a factor in the whole thing. It was crazy.


    ¡°Whose offer will we take,¡± Hura¡¯gh asked, finally. ¡°If they are still good, I mean?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they still be good?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°You think those guys don¡¯t want to make some money? More importantly, you think they don¡¯t want to keep their rivals from making money?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t care about all that,¡± Hura¡¯gh said with a shrug. ¡°The way I see it, just want to know who wants to pay the most, you know? They¡¯re all scumbags, but with enough dragons, I could pretend to like ''em.¡±


    Lucas spent the next couple minutes explaining how all the deals compared, and the little tricks they tried, while the half-orc listened. When it was all said and done he expected the warrior to comment on the Whisperers offer, but instead he just said, ¡°A hundred crowns is a lot of credit. You could spend a couple nights with one of the beauties on Lavender Lane for that kind of scratch.¡±


    ¡°Hura¡¯gh, do I look like the kind of guy that would have to pay for it?¡± Lucas asked with a smirk.


    ¡°Honestly, yeah,¡± the half-orc answered before he burst out laughing. ¡°No offense, man, but my nose has been broken a dozen times, and I¡¯m still prettier than you.¡±


    Lucas nodded, playing it off with a wisecrack or two, but he couldn¡¯t deny that Hura¡¯gh¡¯s words had stung. He definitely wasn¡¯t the prettiest on Earth, but the half-orc''s comment certainly reminded him that he was as far from handsome as he¡¯d ever been these days.


    Fortunately, the very last thing he was looking for was someone to keep his bed warm at night. Maybe he¡¯d change his mind after he¡¯d unlocked the secret of margaritas and gone straight, but until then, he was focused exclusively on stacking coins. Even then, though, he could probablly do better than the well painted whores of the Red Lantern Gang, and he had no intention of accepting their offer.


    The ride back took longer than Lucas would have thought, but taking the back way got them lost more than once, and by the time they arrived back at the cider house sometime after midnight, he was beat, and only Kar¡¯gandin was still awake and waiting for them.


    He was sitting on the porch with a pipe in hand. ¡°How¡¯d it go,¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked as soon as they rode up.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to sell to the Whisperers,¡± Hura¡¯gh said with a toothy grin before Lucas could respond. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°The hell we are,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°Getting into bed with those bitches is a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°The Whisperers?¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked. ¡°The Back Alley Whisperers? By Grandfather¡¯s great axe, who was daft enough to invite them?¡±


    Hura¡¯gh pointed at Lucas, and for a moment, the dwarf looked back and forth between the two of them in shock. ¡°What? When? Why would you do that, me boy?¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked.


    ¡°First of all, I didn¡¯t,¡± Lucas said, ¡°and second, I couldn¡¯t. I haven¡¯t even been to Lordanin in weeks. How the hell would I contact those creepy bastards?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ You did to the Fiddle, Lucas,¡± Hura¡¯gh chided him. ¡°I was there, remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what he¡¯s talking about, asshole,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°Yes, when they met us at the crow cages, I invited them, but only because it was the least worst outcome. I have no freaking clue how they heard we were meeting or who it was that told them, got it?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the dwarf and the half-orc said in unison as one misconception was removed from the board, and the three of them were pulled back into alignment.


    ¡°So what was their offer, then?¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked.


    ¡°One silver king more than our next best offer,¡± Lucas said, reaching into his pocket and handing the dwarf the slips.


    ¡°Not worth it,¡± the dwarf answered, shaking his head. ¡°Not worth the complications.¡±


    ¡°Definitely not worth it,¡± Lucas agreed.


    ¡°So then, who¡¯s going to be our partner in crime for the foreseeable future?¡± the dwarf asked. ¡°The Brass Knights offered the most, and they¡¯ve got some good territory along high street, and all through the east quarter.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would be my bet,¡± Lucas nodded, ¡°But I still feel like we could get more if we were to fuck with them a little and maybe tell them we were going to go with someone else like the Butchers or something. I mean, I did save one of their lives; they owe me.¡±


    ¡°Ye saved one of their¡­slow down, lad,¡± the dwarf said, slamming on the brakes to the conversation. ¡°This was supposed to be a straightforward tasting. Don¡¯t tell me that Whisperers attacked ye?¡±


    ¡°Naw,¡± Hura¡¯gh answered. ¡°Those cowards fled with a scroll as soon as the slants tried to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Slants? Scrolls?¡± the dwarf cried out, ¡°If someone doesn¡¯t start telling me what happened, and soon, I¡¯m going to have to slam both yer heads together until all the pieces of this insane story come tumblin¡¯ out. Do ye hear me?¡±


    Lucas felt a little bad when he realized that he¡¯d forgotten to mention the most important part of the whole night because he¡¯d been so aggravated at Hura¡¯gh¡¯s accusation that he¡¯d been the one to bring uninvited guests to the party. So, he spent a few minutes going through every last detail, from the moment weapons were drawn to the moment that they¡¯d fled the scene, and when it was all over, Kar¡¯gandin nodded. ¡°Aye, ye handled that about as well as one could ask for. Bad things can happen - that''s why I said ye should take Hura¡¯gh with ye.¡±


    ¡°So he could bring antidotes for other people and not for me?¡± the half-orc laughed. ¡°I see how it is - little humans sticking together.¡±


    ¡°You think those were for anyone but you after the run-in with the spider? Asshole.¡± Lucas sighed. Sometimes, Hura¡¯gh seemed so close to getting it, and the rest of the time, he was somewhere off in left field.


    There were only a handful of people in this world he could probably trust, and he wasn¡¯t going to let one of them get killed just because he forgot to bring the right shit ever again. That would be such a waste.


    They chatted a little longer, but after they¡¯d decided the Knights of Brass would be their best bet, the three of them joined Adin in slumber. In the morning, it was decided that Lucas would be the one to smuggle the shit into town.


    ¡°Why me?¡± Lucas asked over breakfast, even if he already knew. ¡°I was going to start mixing up some mana potions.¡± He might understand why he was the best choice, but he still hated it.


    Breakfast wasn¡¯t the fanciest meal for them, but every morning, a servant brought out a big pot of steaming porridge or oatmeal and some sausage or bacon to go with it. It was simple fare, but it was usually pretty good. Word was that the cook really appreciated the sudden increase in the finances of house Parin, but other than Adin¡¯s sister and her butler, he didn¡¯t really talk to anyone from the big house.


    ¡°Because the bloke on the poster ain¡¯t ye, and because ye got a relationship with the client now,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said with a smile before devouring the slab of bacon off the chipped plate in front of him.


    Everyone laughed at that, even Adin, who had no idea what the joke was even supposed to be, making Lucas scowl. ¡°Alright,¡± he agreed, ¡°But when I get back, I better be drowning in fucking Mushrooms, Adin, you got that? Piles of them, sorted nice and neat and ready for me to work on tomorrow, and if you and Hura¡¯gh run into any goblins, I want those fucking livers, too, alright?¡±


    Adin nodded, but his heart really didn''t seem in it until Lucas¡¯s admonition, ¡°Because there¡¯s no more blue until we cook, and I ain''t doing that until I have enough of the shit to be worth my time; you got it?¡±


    That got the noble¡¯s attention, and he nodded once as his eyes focused. After that, all that was left to do was figure out how they were going to smuggle the blue into the city, but his dwarven friend already had that figured out, too.


    While Lucas had been cooking, Kar¡¯gandin had been scheming, and he¡¯d had his cousin whip up a keg built to hold another smaller keg and a few gallons of cider in case someone decided to tap it at the front gate. It even had a tax stamp that Lucas was quite sure no one had ever paid.


    ¡°So what, I just walk in there with this tied to the back of a mule and walk up to the first Brass balled motherfucker I find?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should - you know, send some correspondence and arrange a meet or something?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said with a frown. ¡°First, you¡¯re going to go put on a servant¡¯s livery, so you look more like a house Parin flunky, and then you¡¯re going to walk your keg of delicious cider over to the small courtyard just north of the Street of Hammers.¡±


    ¡°So dress like a tool and go to the place full of tools,¡± Lucas agreed with a smirk. ¡°Got it.¡±

 Ch. 32 - Running Errands

    The four of them argued a little longer about whether or not it was a trap but reached no consensus. Lucas was of the opinion that even if the city guard didn¡¯t get him, the Brass Knights still might. But Kar¡¯gandin disagreed mightly on that front. ¡°One of the reasons I think these are the right boys to do the business with is because they cling to their honor like some gaudy decoration. If they decide to murder us, they¡¯ll send a bloody declaration of war about it first. It¡¯s the silliest shite ye ever did see.¡±


    Lucas had heard similar things before, but still, he was unconvinced. Before he left their little hideout, he dug through his growing stash of potions for a few that he might want, just in case he ran into trouble. A healing and antidote potion were a must, of course, but he grabbed a few other odds and ends, too, just in case.


    While he didn¡¯t disagree with the dwarf¡¯s assessment that he was the least likely to be caught, that chance wasn¡¯t zero exactly, and he was painfully aware of that fact. Lucas dwelled on those ideas as he walked to the main house and asked Gerwin for a servant¡¯s uniform he could borrow.


    The butler looked at him stiffly and said, ¡°I trust you¡¯ll be returning it in good condition then? No mysterious stains, blood or otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Me? Why, I would never.¡± Lucas said with a sarcastic smirk.


    It was clear to him that the manservant didn¡¯t care for him much, but it was also clear to Lucas that the man liked him more than his mistress¡¯s brother, so on the whole he took their uneasy relationship in stride. He probably wouldn¡¯t like it if a bunch of criminals started cooking up product in his backyard, either.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I have something in your size you can borrow then,¡± the older man said as he walked through one of the servant''s doors into the narrow side passages that threaded through the house.


    The clothes that Lucas wore normally had seen better days, and though he washed them as often as he was able in the stream, they were looking pretty rough. They¡¯d definitely mark him as a troublemaker to the guards. The clothes that Gerwin provided him, by contrast, were much nicer, even if they were just black slacks and a white button down shirt that had been bleached within an inch of its life until it was stiff and scratchy.


    The old man escorted him to a small privy so that Lucas could get changed, but when he saw that the large wooden tub was full of water, he decided to give himself a quick scrub with a bar of harsh soap. The water was tepid, and if he¡¯d planned things better, he certainly would have arranged to have some warm water brought, but it wasn¡¯t frigid river water. That made the whole thing good enough to overlook the fact that this was almost certainly someone else¡¯s dirty bathwater, even if it looked pretty clean to him.


    ¡°God, I miss running water,¡± he sighed as he rinsed off and toweled dry. ¡°My bar is definitely going to have a hot shower and a flush toilet, I swear to god. It doesn¡¯t matter how much money I need to make.¡±


    He kept grumbling as he started to get dressed, and after getting his pants on, he stopped to take a look at himself in the mirror. His patchy stubble was threatening to become a full-blown beard, and he desperately felt the need to shave, but since it made such a good disguise, that could wait until after his trip into the city. Honestly, he barely recognized himself.


    When he heard a knock as he was putting on his extra scratchy shirt, he yelled, ¡°Come in¡± without thinking.


    That brought him unexpectedly eye-to-eye with Danaria, who opened the door. ¡°Oh, Lucas, I¡¯m glad I caught you. I heard from my maidservant that you were going into town today, and I¡­¡±


    Her words trailed off as her mind seemed to lock up, and for a moment, Lucas wasn¡¯t sure what happened. It only occurred to him when her face started to redden, and she suddenly turned away that it was because his shirt was off.


    ¡°B-but you¡¯re not decent,¡± she stammered.


    ¡°Guilty,¡± he agreed with a chuckle. ¡°But seriously, it¡¯s fine. It''s just a shirt; you guys need to learn to relax about this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Relax?¡± she asked, horrified, ¡°You¡­ you¡­ how would you react if you were to come into a room and see me shirtless, mister Sharpe?¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t answer with the first thought that came to his mind or even the second. In fact, he wasn¡¯t able to work out an answer that had the proper decorum before she noticed the lewd smile on his face. That was enough to make her sigh heavily and turn around to face the hall as her blush deepened.


    ¡°And to think I was just coming in to wish you well and ask if you might be free when you return,¡± she said, talking quickly. ¡°And instead, I have to face this¡­ depravity.¡±


    ¡°Depravity?¡± Lucas chuckled. ¡°Denaria, I¡¯ve seen depravity and can assure you that¡­ no, you know what? Never mind. What did you need me for anyway?¡±


    ¡°Need you?¡± she asked, confused before she finally put everything together. ¡°Oh, my brother said that you might be attending some of the balls this season and that we would have to fetch the tailor and engage in some dance lessons. I was just wondering when you wanted to do that and thought we might have tea and discuss some appointments.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Uhuh,¡± Lucas said as he did up the last button. Well, the last button he planned on buttoning. He was going to leave the last one undone so he could breathe. Adin hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about this to Lucas in the last couple of days, but long term, that was definitely the plan. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s work on the details after I go into the city. I have a delivery to make.¡±


    Danaria peeked to see if he was decent yet, and when she saw he was, she turned around and smiled at that. ¡°Excellent. That¡¯s good to hear,¡± she said, pausing for a moment as she looked like she was about to shake his hand with her white, lacy gloves. Instead, she took a step back, and continued, ¡°Well, you be safe then, and I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Then she was gone, like a skittish deer.


    Lucas had to force himself not to laugh at that reaction. Instead, he tugged on his boots, took one more look at his shaggy hair in the poor-quality mirror, and headed back to fetch his cargo.


    I¡¯m never going to look like a noble at this rate, he thought with a smirk. Adin and Danaria are going to have their work cut out for them.


    By the time he returned to the cider house, the donkey was loaded up and waiting for him. ¡°Looking Sharp for a human!¡± Hura¡¯gh said as Lucas approached.


    ¡°Whatever, man,¡± Lucas responded.


    That wasn¡¯t enough to dissuade everyone else, though. ¡°Nay, lad, ye clean up well - maybe we¡¯ll be able to attract a higher tier of clientele sooner than we would have thought.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, before we worry about that, how about we worry about finding someone to make these deliveries because I really don''t want to be going to Lordanin too often as long as there¡¯s still a price on our heads, Kar¡¯gandin,¡± Lucas answered as he grabbed the lead of the animal.


    ¡°Aye,¡± the dwarf agreed. ¡°We need to work on that too, but more members of our little club means more chances for cheats and traitors.¡±


    Lucas nodded at that, but said nothing as he started walking back toward the main house, and beyond it, to the road that lead to Lordanin. On the main roads, he had nothing to fear but the guards. This close to civilization the only monsters lurked deep inside the Greenwood, and this close to the city there was no such thing as bandits.


    Instead, the only things that barred his way were the outlying villages that grew steadily larger as he got closer to the walls of the city. The Parin household was close to Meadowin, which was only barely large enough to have a greengrocer and a few small shops. There were two other villages he passed through on the way to the east gate whose names he hadn¡¯t bothered to learn yet.


    So, he enjoyed the sunshine and led his mule down the road toward the east gate while he whistled a little tune and tried to tamp down his nagging worries. No, he reminded himself, I couldn¡¯t bring Kar¡¯gandin or Hura¡¯gh with me. Two or three people off the same wanted poster would look a lot more suspicious than a single guy with a donkey.


    As it worked out, though, he had nothing to worry about. No one even tried to stop him. Only one of the gate guards gave him the barest of glances before the man¡¯s dull eyes slid off Lucas, looking for someone better to harass. Because I look like I belong, he thought to himself as he walked through the gates. Because I fucking do. This is my town. Well, at the rate we¡¯re making money, it will be someday, anyway.


    Those were his thoughts as he made his way to the street of hammers, on the far side of the foundry district. Lordanin was a big place. It was big enough to get lost in, but more importantly, it was big enough that it was hard to be found in, and as he walked through it dodging traffic and the occasional third story resident emptying their chamber pot into the stinking gutters, he found himself thinking about money.


    If things went smooth with the Knights of Brass, then Lucas and his growing gang might have forty dragons a week flowing into their coffers sooner rather than later. Even after operating costs and a four way split, that was still a year¡¯s worth of money every week. They were going to have to think bigger than better equipment and fancy clothes if they wanted to put all of that to better use.


    Well, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to start construction on the bar of his dreams tomorrow, but they could probably start buying shell companies and maybe consider moving their operations into the city if they really wanted to. What would make the most sense, though? An alchemist shop would be noticed, but maybe a cooper or a glassblower would work instead?


    The dwarf was still hard at work on making a kiln that would be big enough to bake a couple dozen clay potion vials at a time. For now, their biggest cost was buying glass vials, and fantasy worlds hadn¡¯t invented the technology of buying in bulk yet, unfortunately.


    Lucas heard the street of hammers long before he saw it. He¡¯d woven around the Gray Bottom district just in case, but it hadn¡¯t taken too much longer. Soon enough, he was surrounded by smiths, all working on armor or blades. That was probably a good business, too, but they didn¡¯t really need to buy weapons in bulk. Not yet, anyway.


    Lucas kept going until he found the Small Courtyard off the street. It was ironically named because the place was quite large and set aside for duels and testing their brand-new weapons. Here was in the heart of someone else''s power, and he was well aware that the average brass knight could kick the shit out of him. They were big dudes that knew how to use weapons.


    Even more important than that, Lucas kept any worry or concern off his face. People like this¡­ like him, could smell fear and weakness, so he strolled in like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, and as soon as he found a man wearing the brass broach of the knights on his cloak at the entrance to the courtyard, he said, ¡°Hey, man. I¡¯m here to talk to your boss,¡± with a shit-eating grin that practically dared the other man to try something.

 Ch. 33 - If Anything Should Happen

    ¡°Who are you, and why would Sir Tristin waste his time on a skinny little pissant like you?¡± the man sneered, but Lucas only responded by smiling a little wider for a long moment.


    When the man opened his mouth to speak again, Lucas finally answered. ¡°Special delivery. Just let him know it''s what we discussed last night, and he¡¯ll know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    The man looked Lucas up and down before he said, ¡°Sounds like someone else could handle it. You sure you want me to bother the boss with this? If he never heard of your delivery, it won¡¯t just be me kicking your ass, you know that, right?¡±


    Lucas shrugged, and said, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just the delivery guy. You want me to go home, you can be the one to explain to the man why he¡¯s out the dragons, not me.¡±


    The guard¡¯s eyes squinted a bit, and he grunted, ¡°Wait right here,¡± before walking off toward the other side of the small courtyard.


    Now that the big man was out of the way, Lucas could actually get a view of the place. It was a large open space surrounded by two and three-story tall buildings. A number of armed and armored men sat in the shade while a couple dueled on the sands of the place with more than a few spectators.


    Some of the fighters used wooden weapons for fierce sparring, but others used steel for the practice of more formal-looking forms. It was all pretty interesting and probably something he should start practicing himself at some point after he was on good terms with these dudes.


    All in all, it was a nice atmosphere, not so different from a gym, but those hadn¡¯t been invented yet. More than half of the people here wore the orange of the gang, but without the ink he was used to those types sporting, they seemed like average mercenaries and the like. Honestly, if you added a sports bar and the background sound of some Harleys, this would have seemed like a motorcycle club to him. That much made sense to him, at least, since those dudes were notorious drug smugglers and gun runners.


    Lucas hadn¡¯t heard much about the Knights of Brass besides the fact that they tended to think more with their swords than with their heads. He could work with that, though. Simple men, motivated by money. Those were the least likely to betray you as long as business stayed sweet.


    He stood there looking like he was watching the fighting, even as his eyes followed the guard that had gone to deliver his message. The man walked to the far end of the courtyard where it was most crowded, and when he got there, he waited deferentially until the older man that sat on a wooden bench was no longer surrounded by a crowd of hanger ons. Once the boss was free, there were a few words exchanged, and the men looked over at Lucas while he pretended not to notice.


    After that, the guard returned and said, ¡°The boss will see you after all, little man. Looks like you¡¯ve got friends in high places.¡±


    Lucas said nothing and moved to walk past him with the donkey, but the guard grabbed the lead, preventing it. ¡°No animals in the courtyard. They foul the sand. I¡¯ll take it to the stables for you until your business is concluded.¡±


    ¡°But my cargo¡ª¡± Lucas protested.


    ¡°Will be very safe with us,¡± the guard continued. ¡°You can consider it to be delivered. Now, it''s all just a matter of payment and paying respects.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lucas answered skeptically. ¡°Well, just remember that what you want is in the small barrel inside the larger one. Be careful removing it, or I¡¯ll have to charge you for both.¡±


    The guard smiled dismissively and then led the animal away, leaving Lucas free to enter. He gave the donkey one last look, trying to decide if he was being tricked or not, but in the end, he decided to go with it. If they fucked him over, he¡¯d just sell them a keg of blue food coloring next time to make up the losses.


    They didn¡¯t, though. Instead, when he reached the far end of the courtyard, he was warmly welcomed by the man in charge who stood and shook Lucas¡¯s hand in a painfully tight grip. ¡°Welcome,¡± he said loudly as a couple of his lieutenants moved and made room for Lucas to sit.


    The leader of the Knights of Brass was an imposing fellow. He was neither the largest nor the most muscular, and with his steel gray hair you might be forgiven for thinking that the man was passed his prime. All it took was one look into his eyes from up close and Lucas knew he was a killer.


    That wasn¡¯t the only tell, of course. The way he carried himself, the difference of the strong men around him, and of course, the man¡¯s armor which was both expensive and well-used, all told the story of a man who was not to be fucked with. Lucas decided to set aside the idea of squeezing a few extra coins from him just now before they¡¯d exchanged a word. That simply wasn¡¯t how you dealt with people like this. He had no intention of rolling over.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t sure exactly when to expect you, but my men said you acquitted yourself well in last night¡¯s melee. Charged right toward the enemy without any regard for poison. Very impressive.¡±


    ¡°Fucking slants,¡± one of the other men growled, but Lucas ignored him.


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t want anyone ruining a get-together if I called it in the first place,¡± Lucas said. ¡°It makes mee¡­ my boss look bad, you know?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Sir Tristin said. ¡°If one of our men had been maimed or killed under the auspices of a parlay, you¡¯d owe more than a blood debt.¡± Everyone nodded at that. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Well, all¡¯s well that end¡¯s well,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°How¡¯s Ritchie?¡±


    ¡°Already practically healed,¡± the knight nodded. ¡°We might want to invest in more than just your blue if you can offer us a good price on healing aids of that caliber.¡±


    Lucas recognized that as flattery immediately. Though he was sure that men like this could always use a healing potion or two, the stuff he¡¯d made was nothing special. It was called lesser for a reason.


    Before he could figure out what to say, though, the man gestured, and a young man came running over with a bag of coins that jingled just about right. He quickly handed it to the knight and then vanished from the meeting again, leaving the grown-ups to talk business.


    It probably wasn¡¯t fair to call the lad a kid, though. He was probably a squire or something, and they obviously had him working out like a dog because he obviously had more muscles than Lucas.


    ¡°Go on, count it,¡± Sir Tristin said as he handed Lucas the small leather coin purse. ¡°New partnerships should be scrutinized. Trust can come later.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t hesitate. He¡¯d seen dealers try to make that bluff to shame you into not counting before, but he always counted. Inside were twenty dragons, exactly as advertised. None of them seemed fake. Lucas counted them, chose one at random, bit it, and then, satisfied, returned them to the pouch and tucked that away in the shoulder bag with his potions.


    ¡°Looks good to me,¡± he nodded, ¡°So if there¡¯s nothing else¡­¡±


    ¡°Leaving so quickly?¡± the knight asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to stay and watch the fights? No better place to find muscle if you¡¯re looking for someone to keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have that covered, with¡ª¡± Lucas started to answer.


    ¡°Yes, the half-orc,¡± Sir Tristin nodded. ¡°But those¡­ creatures are beasts as much as men. As your little organization grows, you might find that you need something more¡­ biddable and loyal.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t imagine that the men I see are going to be more loyal to me than they are to say¡­ you,¡± Lucas said, making the assembled men laugh.


    ¡°Not everyone here works for me, though most want to,¡± Sir Tristin agreed. ¡°Still, there are plenty that would be happy for any steady work as long as they got the chance to crack some skulls occasionally. If none of them are to your liking, though, then you could always hire my friends and I to protect your interests.¡±


    ¡°I imagine you¡¯d want to be paid for that protection, too,¡± Lucas said while his mind raced.


    This was exactly the sort of hard sell he expected. The Knights of Brass might honor the letter of their agreement, but they were clearly the stronger party here and where strength was involved. People tend to push.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the leader of the Knights of Brass said with a predatory smile, looking every inch the leader of a gang of some notoriety just then. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t think we¡¯re worth the money? Everyone needs protection, especially in your line of work. Running alchemy labs can be very dangerous¡­ All those volatile chemicals¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we really need¡ª¡± Lucas started to say.


    ¡°You¡¯re just becoming a very important partner of ours,¡± Sir Tristin continued. ¡°That¡¯s a nice product you got there; it would be a shame if something were to happen to it.¡± He said the words with a tone of sorrow, but there was no mistaking it for anything but a threat.


    ¡°For a mere five dragons a month, you could have a veritable army at your beck and call, ready to keep you, your property, and even your loved ones safe,¡± the Gang leader said, smoothly easing toward the end of what was obviously a well-practiced pitch. ¡°No one would dare try to cross you with the Knights of Brass at your back.¡±


    ¡°Five dragons is a lot¡­ for an outfit of our size, I mean,¡± Lucas said, hastily adding the last bit when he realized the other man would twist his words into an insult about how they weren¡¯t worth it if he didn¡¯t. ¡°I mean, I¡¯d be happy to pay for services rendered if we need it, but right now everything''s¡­¡±


    ¡°Clients typically don¡¯t have much money when the trouble starts,¡± the knight said, obviously growing a little annoyed. ¡°We find it best to make regular payments as soon as possible to make sure we can be there when you need us. You know - a sort of insurance.¡±


    ¡°Everyone needs insurance,¡± Lucas agreed, tensing up. This was worse than being cheated out of a couple coins. If this group sensed weakness, they¡¯d swallow their outfit whole. Suddenly, he found himself wishing that Kar¡¯gandin was here to help him talk his way out of this.


    What would the dwarf do to try to chisel his way out of this,  Lucas wondered.


    He¡¯d find a way to beat them at their own game. That¡¯s what he¡¯d do, he realized with certainty, but how? These guys spent every day training with swords, and he was only decent with his daggers.


    He realized there was no way that he could win, but as he looked into the smug face of the gang¡¯s aging leader, he suddenly realized that didn¡¯t matter. If the game was rigged he had to cheat, or play a new game. Something that would allow his speed and cleverness to matter more than the man¡¯s skill and armor.


    Just as Sir Tristin opened his mouth, Lucas started to talk again, trying to stay ahead of this. ¡°Well is there anything I could do to convince you that me and my crew are more than capable of taking care of ourselves?¡±


    ¡°Not at risk¡­¡± the Knight asked, confused. ¡°Of course you are. Everyone¡¯s at risk in this chaotic world of ours, that''s why you need¡ª¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Lucas agreed, interrupting him. ¡°Maybe we aren¡¯t five dragons worth of risk right now, though. Maybe we¡¯re just a dragon or two? That¡¯s how insurance works, right? The more risk, the more it costs.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, you¡¯re haggling,¡± The gang leader said, ¡°You don¡¯t think that we¡¯re worth¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it at all,¡± Lucas insisted. ¡°If I was in a jam, you¡¯d be the first ones I¡¯d come to for help; no matter the price, you¡¯d be worth it. I¡¯m just saying right now, things are good. We¡¯re both getting paid, no one¡¯s out to get me, and we don¡¯t need to upset the apple cart, you know?¡±


    ¡°What do you propose then?¡± The knight sighed, rubbing his temples with one gauntleted hand. When he¡¯d been giving his pre-planned sales pitch, he¡¯d been pretty slick, but now that Lucas had him off his game, he was a little frazzled.


    ¡°I dunno, I hadn¡¯t thought that far ahead.¡± Lucas lied. He certainly had thought that far ahead; he just didn¡¯t know if it would work. ¡°What about you and me square up so you can see what I¡¯m made of. Not a duel, of course - I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against you, but just¡­ you know, more of a challenge? How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    All the talking had obviously been getting on Sir Tristin¡¯s nerves, but the mention of combat perked him right up. ¡°What are your terms?¡± he asked as he leaned forward.

 Ch. 34 - If Anything Should Happen (part 2)

    ¡°My terms?¡± Lucas asked, sounding surprised. ¡°I¡¯m just a novice here and not exactly dressed for a fight. Why don¡¯t you tell me? What would show you that I know how to handle myself in these sorts of situations?¡±


    The older knight smirked at him and said, ¡°No offense, but I doubt you could ever handle yourself in this sort of situation. You¡¯d be hard-pressed to land a single blow on a trained warrior as the obvious novice you are.¡±


    Words that started with no offense were always intended to offend in Lucas¡¯s experience, but he ignored that and waited for the wave of chuckles to pass through Sir Tristin¡¯s hangers-on before he continued.


    ¡°Hey, no doubt,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°I¡¯m just saying, like - what would it take? Maybe I could get Hura¡¯gh here. He¡¯s my half-orc, and you could¡ª¡±


    ¡°I think not,¡± the gang leader said coldly. Lucas had expected exactly that response. Not only were orc-blooded people only marginally more popular than elves in this very human city, but he hadn¡¯t seen a single Knight of Brass with even a tinge of green, and that was really all he needed to know. ¡°If we were to test or challenge¡­ well, I¡¯m far more concerned with the leader. How strong and resourceful are they?¡±


    ¡°Well, who said anything about me being the big guy?¡± Lucas quipped, trying to laugh it off, but it was clear they weren¡¯t buying it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m an excellent judge of character,¡± Sir Tristin smiled coolly, ¡°and though I don¡¯t think you could manage to land a single blow against me, I¡¯m willing to give you a chance. If you prove to be more than meets the eye¡­ well, I think that might prove that your organization is in a lower-risk category. How¡¯s that sound to you?¡±


    ¡°I mean, before I say yes, I¡¯m still waiting to hear the rules,¡± Lucas said cagily, ¡°I ain¡¯t looking to get stabbed just to make a point here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need for stabbing, I think,¡± the knight answered. ¡°I think simply showing you that you can¡¯t lay so much as a single blow against me will be more than sufficient.¡±


    ¡°So if I hit you, even with the tip, then we¡¯ll go with the lower price? Say two dragons?¡± Lucas asked, making sure he understood the game.


    For a moment he thought about saying free, because he was pretty sure his idea was going to work, but if he did win, and embarrass the man like that, he¡¯d probably make an enemy for life. It was probably better to split the baby here and improve terms later when he and his boys were in a better position.


    ¡°The tip will be more than sufficient, and when that proves impossible, well, perhaps you¡¯ll see why five dragons is a price that''s more than fair.¡±


    ¡°No other rules I should know about?¡± Lucas said, offering his hand.


    ¡°No other rules,¡± Sir Tristin said, shaking it vigorously.


    With that, they both stood and while the knight began to stretch, Lucas dug through his pouch. ¡°What was that,¡± his opponent asked as Lucas pulled out a muddy brown strength potion and downed the foul liquid in a single shot.


    Tainted potion of Lesser Strength (1 dose): Strength 4, poison 1, endurance 1. Those who imbibe this potion have a 1% chance to go berserk for up to one hour.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Lucas said. ¡°You said there are no rules. Just think of it as a pick me up.¡±


    The knight¡¯s smile brightened, even as his eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°Well then, choose your weapon, and we¡¯ll get started and see just how much protection you and yours need.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t respond as he walked to the weapons rack. Instead, he studied the weapons in front of him. All sorts of swords were there: long swords, broad swords, and even a couple of rapiers.


    Lucas looked past all of those, though, and inspected the practice swords. At the end of the row there were even half a dozen wooden swords. He took his time. It took almost a minute for a boost potion to kick in fully, and even if it was only going to last for twenty or thirty minutes, the fight would be over in five.


    Even though it hadn¡¯t fully kicked in, though, he could feel it coursing through him as a sudden burst of adrenaline that made him more than a little queasy. Well, it was either the potion or the nerves that were doing that, he decided, more than aware that all eyes were on him at this point.


    He returned his attention to the weapon rack. Any one of them would be useless against the man¡¯s armor, especially the wooden ones. However, it wasn¡¯t like he had a prayer of penetrating that well worn plate armor anyway. Not even with the strength potion that he could already feel starting to buzz through him.


    The type of sword didn¡¯t matter for what he was planning. Only the condition. So, he picked up several and gave them an experimental swing before settling on one of the older ones. It wasn¡¯t the most beat up appearance-wise, but it had sort of a hollow sound when he tapped it against the wall, which made him think it was on its last legs.


    So, with a flourish, he chose it and walked into the sand where his opponent was waiting for him with a kite shield and a gleaming long sword. ¡°You can choose steel,¡± the knight smirked. ¡°I assure you that even if you manage to hurt me, I¡¯ll take no offense.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Nah. Those swords you have over there are heavy as shit,¡± Lucas said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m more about speed than strength, you know?¡±


    Sir Tristin nodded, answering, ¡°Still, these things are typically settled by¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, you said to choose a weapon, and I chose this one,¡± Lucas called out, knowing that his plan would be useless with a metal sword. ¡°Now, let¡¯s fight already!¡±


    This was obviously the right answer, and the knight gave him a feral grin before saluting him with his sword and dropping into a guard stance. Lucas, for his part, gave the man a mock salute and then tried a few quick feints to get a feel for the man. The first two were parried with his opponent''s gleaming sword, the next was blocked by the shield, and the last one he simply stepped out of reach.


    ¡°Go on,¡± the knight goaded. ¡°Let us not be lukewarm about this. Show us all what you¡¯re made of!¡±


    Or the price could be going up next month,  Lucas thought to himself. Looking around the courtyard it was clear they were the center of attention now. Sir Tristin probably always was, but now it was obvious that Lucas needed to show these guys something, even if it hadn¡¯t been before.


    So, he laid into the other man, hammering him with blow after blow. He used only one hand for now, which gave him reach instead of power, and was careful to pull his punches a little bit. He didn¡¯t hold back much, though. He wanted this to look good, after all.


    Despite that, he came up short. Even though he rained down slashes and thrusts on the other man, he barely had to move much quicker than before to keep up. Not only did his plate mail not slow him as much as Lucas had hoped, but even without that, it was hopeless. It was clear to everyone, especially Lucas, that Sir Tristin had spent a good portion of his long life honing his craft; he was a consummate swordsman, and on a level playing field, there was no way that Lucas could hope to win.


    Fortunately, Lucas had never planned to fight fairly. It was just a matter of what strategy would work best in this case. Even if he used the smoke bomb he¡¯d brought with him, he doubted that would be enough to turn the tide, and even if he did manage to hit the man in a choking cloud of white smoke, no one would believe him. That was why he¡¯d gone with the strength potion instead.


    Unfortunately, the knight was managing to fuck even that part up. He was so skilled that he wasn¡¯t just parrying, against each blow he was parrying with the flat of his blade, and doing very little to chip away at Lucas¡¯s flimsy wooden weapon. Still, he wouldn¡¯t be denied, and he pressed harder, at least forcing the older man to take a few steps further back.


    ¡°Come on, show me something!¡± the knight roared. ¡°You¡¯ll never get there like that!¡±


    ¡°Raaghhhh!¡± Lucas roared, pretending to get pissed off and caught up in the moment. He switched to a two-handed grip, leveraging more force in every blow.


    He didn¡¯t let himself get frustrated, though. Since the knight¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t cutting it, he switched to bashing on the top of Sir Tristin¡¯s shield with every third blow. The knight didn¡¯t react so he obviously didn¡¯t notice what it was that Lucas was trying to do.


    It was only when the last six inches of the sword were noticeably damaged that he switched tactics and used his full strength. The potion he¡¯d chugged had been flowing with him for some time now, but now he finally let loose, unleashing a storm of blows.


    Lucas was hardly a strong man, but with the alchemical boost he could fake it pretty well. Each impact of wood on metal rang out loudly enough to echo against the walls of the surrounding buildings. They were also enough to earn the full attention of his opponent for the first time all fight, and Lucas could see the man¡¯s eyes glow with joy. No matter what reason he had to fight, it was obvious he enjoyed it.


    ¡°Had enough?¡± Sir Tristin said through gritted teeth. ¡°I think we¡¯ve proved that¡ª¡±


    That was when Lucas kicked out with his left leg, pushing against the man¡¯s shield. The blow was both unexpected and powerful, but the goal wasn¡¯t to knock it out of the way. Lucas knew the man wouldn¡¯t let go of the shield; instead, he wanted to use that to twist the knight ever so slightly off balance.


    He succeeded in that at least, but only because Sir Tristin lashed out with his blade automatically as he feared the counterstroke. Lucas might have actually hit him in that moment if he¡¯d been aiming for the other man. He wasn¡¯t though. He¡¯d been aiming for his sword, and he struck it with all his might in almost exactly the right spot.


    For a moment he feared that he¡¯d missed, but that was only because where their blades finally met, one sliced clean through the other, sending the tip soaring passed then knight¡¯s guard and clattering hollowly against the man¡¯s breastplate.


    Combat paused there in that confusion as the small courtyard quieted, and everyone tried to determine what had just happened. ¡°We can pause if you¡¯d like to get a new sword,¡± Sir Tristin said, obviously not sure what just happened.


    ¡°No need,¡± Lucas smiled, ¡°The blow is struck, the test is passed, and I¡­¡±


    ¡°A blow?¡± the knight laughed, ¡°but your sword shattered. Such a strike would never aid you in battle.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ that¡¯s true. In a real fight, you¡¯d slice me into bloody sushi,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°But this wasn¡¯t a battle. This was tag, and you said the tip would be more than sufficient, so¡­¡±


    ¡°The tip?¡± he said, baffled. ¡°Wait¡­ you did that on purpose? You broke the sword to get past my guard?¡±


    ¡°Guilty,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the first time in my life I told someone I¡¯d just give them the tip, and I followed through.¡±


    For a second, Lucas thought the joke might have gone over the man¡¯s head. In fact, he hoped that''s exactly what happened.


    ¡°The first time, huh?¡± Sir Tristin said as he bent over to pick up the shattered piece of sword that had made contact with him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not the first time a little bastard like you fucked me out of a few dragons¡­¡±


    Lucas held his breath, wondering he¡¯d made a mistake, but after a theatrical moment, a grin suddenly sprang to life on the knight¡¯s face, and he continued. ¡°But damn, if it ain¡¯t the first time I enjoyed it! You¡¯re a clever one, Mr Blue. I look forward to our continued relationship.¡±


    He tossed Lucas the broken piece of wood, and he looked at it dumbly. He was as surprised as anyone that his little maneuver had worked out, but still he was glad for it. It would buy them a little breathing room and get them what they needed most: allies.

 Ch. 35 - One Last Thing

    A flask of strong whiskey was produced, and the two of them sat back down to drink and chat. Lucas paid the gang his due. It felt shitty to lose two dragons to a strong-arm tactic like this, but the rep he¡¯d earned as a smart-ass was probably worth almost that much. So, instead of beating himself up over not finding a better way out of this, Lucas simply consoled himself with all the money he¡¯d saved himself in the future by not just bending over.


    Once the pecking order had been established, they seemed like good enough guys. Lucas took a sip of the liquor before passing it on, and found it to be pretty good. He pretended to take a slug of course, but given that he already had one poisonous potion flowing through his body he didn¡¯t want to chance getting drunk. Reactions like that could be¡­ unpredictable.


    There was simply no such thing as the old rule of thumb: liquor after beer, you¡¯re in the clear when it came to little magical vials, and whenever possible, he preferred not to mix them. As near as he could tell, the fact that there was a little poison in almost every alchemical substance was normal.


    Getting that out before one finished a brew was one of the two key components of the craft. Everyone worried about the second one, which was the effect, but making a toxic potion did no one any good. Well, no human anyway, Lucas thought to himself ruefully. He was still surprised that Hura¡¯gh seemed basically fine after the shit he¡¯d made for him in the dungeon.


    So, Lucas abstained from getting his buzz on and instead traded jokes with the warriors while he felt the adrenaline from the fight still buzzing away behind his eyes like ants or cheap crack. After half a dozen veiled accusations that he might be clever, but there was no way he could take so much as a squire in a real fight, Lucas finally took up the challenge while Sir Tristen watched blandly.


    He knew that the Knights of Brass were still looking to get the measure of him by goading him like this, but he didn¡¯t care. That was why he fought again, to get the energy building up inside him out before he said or did something stupid.


    For this second fight he took off Gerwin¡¯s nice pressed shirt and put on a cheap leather jerkin and a helm for just such an occasion. This time, instead of pitting him against a decades old knight, he faced off against a boy who was half a head taller than Lucas. He outweighed him, too, but Lucas wasn¡¯t concerned about that. Right now, it was about the size of the fight in the dog and not the dog in the fight.


    The two of them crossed swords a few times before the boy was convinced that Lucas knew little enough that he could best him easily and fully engaged. That was his mistake. Lucas didn¡¯t have a lot of fancy skills, but right now, he was half again as strong as he usually was, and as soon as it came to trading blow and counterblow, he quickly battered his young opponent¡¯s sword until he was finally disarmed.


    Still, it was good fun, and Lucas offered the other man a hand while he lay in the dirt. While he did so, he was more than a little conscious that if not for the now-fading potion, the fight certainly would have gone the other way.


    ¡°There, now you can tell all your friends,¡± Lucas boasted when he returned to the group clustered around their leader. ¡°I might not be able to take out your boss in a million years, but I can beat up small children.¡±


    Everyone laughed at that, and Lucas stayed long enough to feel his pulse finally slow down, but eventually, he decided to leave before he¡¯d worn out his welcome. He promised to come by once or twice a month, and when he expressed some genuine interest in learning to get better with a sword, Sir Tristen seemed genuinely pleased.


    ¡°Do that long enough, and maybe one day you and I can have a real duel,¡± the other man laughed. ¡°Perhaps in twenty years, when I am enfeebled in my dotage, you might even win!¡±


    It was a strange experience, but despite the somewhat adversarial way things had gone, he felt that they¡¯d parted as friends. At least it was better than the way things had gone with the beggars. Those blind bastards had practically kicked him to death in an alley and left him for dead, so the current state of things was a vast improvement.


    Not that there¡¯s any honor among thieves, of course, he reminded himself. The Knights of Brass might claim to have honor, but if they¡¯d sensed real weakness next month, five dragons would have become ten, and soon enough, he¡¯d be working only for them in some basement somewhere ¡®for his own safety.¡¯


    It¡¯s just the way the world worked. The strong preyed on the weak, and he was going to have to get stronger if he wanted to keep the wolves at bay as they started to make real money.


    That was what made him decide it was finally time to retrieve his notes before something happened to him. Why not, right? He¡¯d gotten into the city without a hitch. No one seemed to be paying the least bit of attention to him.


    When he stopped by the stables to pick up his mule and was told that the cask hadn¡¯t been returned yet, that was the final straw. ¡°Take your time, I¡¯m going to go grab a bite,¡± Lucas told the stable boy. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    He might, too, but only after he stopped by his old place in Gray Bottom. It wasn¡¯t far. The foundry district was the next district over, and everything from the smokestacks to the river was technically Gray Bottom. Technically it was a series of tenements that was downwind of the worst polluters, but the truth was worse than that. It was the poorest district of Lordanin and the place where dreams came to die.


    As Lucas approached it, he could see the bleakness radiating from the place as clearly as he could see the brick buildings or the rising smoke. The place was a maze, but that had made it perfect for his purposes. It was exactly the right place to be when you wanted to make sure your comings and going were untraceable.


    He knew the whole area like the back of his hand anyway. He had to. The building he¡¯d lived in for the last few months was on a street that didn¡¯t even have a name. It was just a winding path through a burned-out lot that had once been a factory.


    Lucas approached his neighborhood with caution but saw nothing suspicious. The same bums begged on the same thoroughfares as usual, and the same old women looked out of the same glassless windows they always sat at, adding to the aura of despair.


    He grew even more cautious when he approached the tenements that he lived in, but again, it was just his paranoia. There was nothing there.


    ¡°Hah, nothing was right,¡± he chuckled as he found the door to his one-room apartment and found the place stripped pretty much bare. Not that he¡¯d expected anything less. People were vultures, and desperate people were doubly so.


    Normally, his glassware was safe when he left the place for a day of herb hunting because he mixed it in with his crockery and cook pots and hid small articles under clothes and behind furniture. That strategy worked less well when everything was stolen, right down to the match sticks, making Lucas laugh to himself as he took in the sheer emptiness of the place.


    Someone had definitely ransacked it, though it was hard to say that it was the authorities since his things weren¡¯t just smashed and lying across the floor. Instead, they were just gone.


    Most of his meager possessions had probably disappeared into his neighbor¡¯s homes, and a few of them were probably still available in the flea markets that popped up at random in the minor squares of the city. Only a few mugs, a smashed volumetric flask, an overturned chair, and a pair of pants still lay scattered around the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s about what I expected,¡± he said to himself as he walked over to the window and opened up the shutters to look out at the back alley that ran behind his building. ¡°There¡¯s probably somebody drinking cheap beer out of a boiling flask right now.¡±


    It was an amusing thought, but he genuinely hoped that he¡¯d remember to clean the things first. Some of the ingredients he mixed up could be downright dangerous.


    Still, there didn¡¯t seem to be any signs that anyone had dug up his real treasures, so no real harm was done. Lucas walked to the hearth and used his dagger to start pulling up the largest stone in front of it. The floor of the place was pounded earth, which was pretty much the opposite of fancy, but it did give him a great hiding place for small things, especially if he kept a small fire burning when he went out to discourage a more thorough search.


    The large, flat stone was heavy and stuck in the ground pretty firmly. However, with a little gouging and a little prying, he soon worked it free.


    Though his apprehension continued to mount, as soon as he saw the cover of the old ledger he used to take notes on, he relaxed. Lucas quickly shoved the coin purse in with the other one in his shoulder pouch. The notes would be a little harder.


    The book that he used to store his collected alchemical knowledge to date was thick and falling apart. More than half of it were bits of scrap papers that he¡¯d stuck between the sheets of the book that had originally been a cobblers ledger before it fell into his hands. There, amidst the patterns for shoes and the order quantities sorted by month and year, were notes about ingredient incompatibility and the various minor synergies he¡¯d discovered over the years.


    Lucas flipped through them, stopping on a page with specialized healing potion information. For +50% effectiveness to eye ailments, including near and farsightedness, maiden slip roots could be added. If you wanted a healing salve that would have increased effectiveness on skin problems, you could add bear grease or a white clay suspension. The former would¡ª


    As Lucas reviewed the book and felt the joy that he wasn¡¯t going to have to rediscover all of this from scratch, he paused and looked up as he heard a humming sound. No, heard was the wrong word. He felt a strange hum going right through him.


    That was the first and only sign that something strange was happening. ¡°Magic,¡± he spat, closing the book and hopping to his feet.


    Lucas darted for the door, but only made it a step out into the dark hallway before he saw a glint of something metallic and hastily jumped back. Before he could slam the door shut, it was there, floating in the air in front of him. A dagger.


    No, he corrected himself. His dagger. The one he¡¯d had on him when he¡¯d gotten arrested.


    To locate you he¡¯d heard mages needed something that belonged to their target, and apparently when they¡¯d found it, they¡¯d used it like a compass needle to point right to him. Well, it did more than point. It was chasing him, and apparently ready to run him through.


    Lucas scrambled back as the thing came at him like an angry steel hornet hovering in midair. He moved for the window, but the thing cut him off, forcing him to back closer and closer to the fireplace. He had a knife on him, but if he¡¯d had a shield or a sword, he might have been able to parry it when it finally darted at him.


    It didn¡¯t, though. Even as some part of him realized that this spell actually had to have a pretty short range for it to have happened here, and not simply when he walked into the city this morning. It was also definitely guided by an intelligent mind by the way it was content to menace him rather than moving toward its target until it was embedded in his chest. So, he wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door.

 Ch. 36 - Lost and Found

    Lucas had his left hand stuck in his shoulder pouch while his right held up his book like a flimsy shield when the mage entered the room. The man was younger than he would have thought, but he wore the same dark robes that the other mage had worn on the night of his arrest.


    Does that mean it''s the same guy or that they¡¯re part of the same order? Lucas wondered. He didn¡¯t have answers.


    Wizards did wizard things, and the rest of the world simply tried to adjust. During his time in Lordanin, he¡¯d seen red robes, blue robes, and black robes. He didn¡¯t know what any of it meant, but he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they had something to do with rank or purpose.


    None of that mattered right now. All that mattered was that the young man who was looking at him with a wand in hand had an obvious chip on his shoulder, and when he opened his mouth, Lucas could barely resist the urge to punch him in the face, even if it meant getting stabbed.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how long you¡¯ve made me wait, peasant?¡± the weasel-faced mage asked in a tone so nasal that it was begging for a wedgie at a minimum. ¡°I¡¯ve been forced to wait here for weeks when my best spells failed to find you anywhere in this awful city. Come now, apologize to your betters, and perhaps I will deliver you to the Prince with all of your¡­ appendages intact.¡±


    Lucas had the feeling that the man wasn¡¯t referring to his fingers with that strange comment, but he ignored it anyway. Too much thinking about what a weirdo like this did or did not mean was bad for your health.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Lucas yelled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you put the spell down, and we can talk this out. I¡¯m not the guy you¡¯re looking for!¡±


    The dagger twitched as the mage pursed his lips in annoyance. ¡°Not the right man?¡± he laughed. "You think you can lie to a man that¡¯s holding a spell locked to your very existence?¡±


    With the man¡¯s final word, the weapon shot forward with blinding speed. Rather than embedding in Lucas¡¯s eye socket, though, it merely sliced his cheek before orbiting the back of his head and scoring another shallow slash down his left arm before returning to its original spot, floating between the two men.


    ¡°You should know that right now, all this simple little spell wants to do is return to its owner. It wants to embed itself in your heart, and I¡¯m the only one keeping you from bleeding out. Do you understand?¡± the mage asked, in a tone that dripped with so much superiority that Lucas could have taken another few cuts for the chance to punch the man in the mouth. ¡°Now you¡¯re going to apologize for being a stupid little worm, and then you and me are going to walk to the district guard post so that they can take you to the castle. I hear that the Prince is positively desperate to talk with you.¡±


    A dozen different thoughts flashed through Lucas¡¯s mind at that moment. How he didn¡¯t want to die and the fact that this miserable mage scared him more than that giant spider was right near the top of the list, but nothing topped his certainty that he would never go back to that fucking palace. He¡¯d heard the way that they treated their other prisoners, and he¡¯d rather die here and now with a knife through the heart than spend days getting tortured for his secrets.


    It¡¯s not like he had a lot he could tell them anyway. I have these little windows that pop up whenever I see a potion or a reagent. No, I¡¯m not crazy. It wasn¡¯t exactly a skill he could transfer. The way that the mage seemed to look at the empty air now and then as he looked at Lucas indicated that his magic might operate in some similar way, but honestly, he couldn''t care less how this asshole¡¯s magic worked. He just wanted to get away.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry,¡± Lucas started, holding his breath for a moment. He readied himself for what came next while he watched the mage¡¯s smile brighten. ¡°...that you¡¯re such a prick!¡±


    As he spoke, he pulled his hand free from his pouch and etched the man¡¯s look of consternation deeply into his mind. He threw the vial in his hand on the floor, smashing it to bits.


    Noxious Potion of Camouflage (1 dose): Create 30 cubic feet of choking smoke for 10 seconds. 10% chance of nausea.


    Lucas barely had time to flash the asshole a grin before the whole room was filled with white, noxious smoke. There was no fire or anything. He hadn¡¯t gotten around to trying his hand at fireworks, but he¡¯d made this little gem by accident once upon a time when he¡¯d been trying to make a potion of natural armor.


    Instead, he¡¯d discovered that stinkweed was not in any way appropriate to replace bog Lilly. Instead of making the potion his client had asked for, he learned that a combination of pulverized stink weeds, alcohol, and salt produced a stink bomb big enough to clear a room and make vision impossible for at least a few seconds while the cloud billowed out. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The white billowing clouds wouldn¡¯t last long, but hopefully, it was enough for what was going to come next as he braced his book in front of his chest. Hopefully, that asshole meant heart literally instead of figuratively, or this is going to be the shortest escape on record.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long, at least. A moment later, he had his answer, as the book he was holding shuddered under the impact, and the knife pierced it all the way to the hilt.


    The blow was so strong that, for a moment, it drove Lucas back against the wall, and he struggled to keep the recipe book from impaling him. Of all the times not to have a fucking strength potion, he thought as he struggled.


    In the end, it was only the embarrassment of dying this way that gave him the strength to push free. As the smoke started to fade, Lucas took three steps forward and clocked the mage hard with the spine of his ledger, sending the wiry young man to the floor.


    ¡°Not so tough without a knife to my throat, are you?¡± Lucas taunted. He regretted it almost immediately, though, because the mage leveled his wand at him.


    Lucas kicked the mage¡¯s arm just as he yelled out, ¡°Vertenbraserria Karatethimusium!¡±


    Lucas felt the air gust by him like he¡¯d been standing a little too close to a train as the wall behind him disappeared. Disappeared might have been too strong a word. It violently exploded, pelting the building on the other side of the street with bricks and sending debris everywhere into the back alley. It also removed a key structural support, and the whole structure around them shuddered.


    Lucas ran out of the hole in the wall like a shot. The mage might strike him dead before he could get out of the young man¡¯s line of sight, but the building would certainly crush him if it fell down on top of them.


    The mage had time to yell, ¡°Vertenhavalia¡ª¡± and then whatever else he¡¯d planned to cast died with him as the three stories of rubble fell down on top of him, silencing whatever his last words were.


    Lucas practically collided with the far wall before he managed to turn right and run down the alley as the building continued to collapse behind him, sending up a wall of dust and debris. At the end of the alley, he paused to catch his breath. It was there that he realized that the dagger that was impaled in his journal was still writhing and trying desperately to stab Lucas.


    ¡°That motherfucker is still breathing?¡± he asked, unbelievingly, as he watched the dagger writhe. He didn¡¯t believe it. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Even as the pulverized dust billowed, he stood there baffled. ¡°There¡¯s no way. This shit has to be enchanted or something because¡ª¡±


    Somewhere behind him, there was an explosion, which was exactly the sort of sound that Lucas would expect to hear if a mage was throwing a cosmic sort of temper tantrum in an attempt to dig his way out of his own grave. He didn¡¯t delay after that. He ran down different streets, one after another, turning from thoroughfare to alley and back again.


    He wasn¡¯t aiming for a specific place. Away was the only destination that mattered for the next five minutes. People looked at him like he was a crazy person as he passed them.


    Lucas didn¡¯t blame them. He was covered in dust and bleeding, and to top it off, he was holding a book out in front of him like it was a bomb or something.


    It was only after he took a break that he realized the dagger was no longer struggling against his grip. He stood there for a moment, fearing some kind of trap, before everything finally clicked.


    ¡°Oh, I finally made it out of range,¡± he said dumbly as he looked at the thing.


    He had no idea if that was enough to cancel the spell or if the thing would return to life as soon as the mage got close enough to him once more. He wasn¡¯t about to find out, though. He took the thing out of his book and jammed it into a crack in the wall of the alley he was resting in and then kicked it repeatedly with his boot until his foot was aching and it was so wedged between the stone and the wood that someone would need an axe to get back out.


    Only then did he relax and try to calm himself up a little bit. ¡°Man, Gerwin is going to kill me when he sees what I did to his shirt,¡± Lucas sighed as he washed his face in a rain barrel. Once that was done, he popped his healing potion and watched his wounds evaporate. After that, he scrubbed his shirt in the barrel to get rid of the worst of the stains, and then he tried to figure out where he was.


    It only took a few minutes of looking at the street signs to realize he¡¯d run practically to the harbor. Lucas took the next twenty minutes, taking the long way around back to the stables that held his donkey on the street of hammers. He had to cross the river twice, but it was worth it to avoid the mere chance that he¡¯d run across that damn mage again.


    Both the guard and the stable boy looked at him funny when he showed up looking like shit, but Lucas ignored their stares before finally saying, ¡°What? Someone tries to roll you; you gotta kick their ass, right?¡±


    That at least got a nod of recognition. These simple bastards only really recognized force as a means of resolving conflict.


    ¡°You won, though, right?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re god damned right I did,¡± Lucas growled as he walked past them. Of course, he won. He was going to keep on winning, too, and he wasn¡¯t going to let the gangs or the mages stop him from getting what was his.

 Ch. 37 - Rolling Deep

    Lucas could see that he¡¯d stirred up a hornet''s nest even before he left the small courtyard. Well, he hadn¡¯t, not really. It had been that asshole mage that had knocked half a building over. He didn¡¯t want to think about how many people were buried under those bricks, but it wasn¡¯t like it was his fault.


    There were already lots of guards on the main streets in and around Greybottom, but he bought a cheap cloak to cover up his bloodstained shirt and hide his fucked up book, walked north out of the main gate, and no one gave him too hard of a time.


    He was certain this would have consequences, and he kind of regretted that the mage didn¡¯t die with the rest of his victims, but the fact that he¡¯d survived wouldn¡¯t make revenge any less likely. Mages didn¡¯t seem to be the forgiving type, and even without a dagger that always pointed to him, Lucas doubted that the weasel would forget his face any time soon.


    By the time Lucas made it home, the sun was getting low in the sky. Even though he shed his cloak as soon as he was well away from the gates, no one troubled him. He was just one more loser with a donkey heading back to his village after selling his wares as far as anyone was concerned, and he made it back to Parin Manor without incident.


    By the time he reached it and walked by the main house, he saw Gerwin looking at him from the porch with disapproval. ¡°So much for just going for a little talk,¡± he said stiffly.


    ¡°Look, I wasn¡¯t expecting to get jumped either man. I¡¯ll buy you a nice new shirt, alright?¡± Lucas answered.


    ¡°Will that be in place of, or in addition to, an apology?¡± the manservant asked.


    ¡°Jeez, man, I¡¯m sorry, okay,¡± Lucas sighed. He didn¡¯t even bother to stop as he walked past, and when he was well past the porch and walking along the side yard, he finally muttered, ¡°Asshole.¡±


    He found his friends where he¡¯d left them. No, not friends, he corrected himself. Business associates. Partners in crime. Thinking that about strangers that might slit your throat while you sleep was a good way to end up dead. Adin was a junkie waiting to happen, Hura¡¯gh was a killer, and while Kar¡¯gandin might well be growing on him, the man was a known liar and a cheat.


    Still, that resolve became harder to hold when they were so sympathetic. When he arrived at the cider house, Hura¡¯gh was chopping wood, and Kar¡¯gandin was on the porch fiddling with his account books when Lucas walked up. To their credit, not even the half-orc laughed; instead, he said, ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Two ambushes, a fight, a mage, and a big ass sale to the Knights of Brass,¡± Lucas said. ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡±


    ¡°Ye have the money, though, right?¡± the dwarf asked, pointing at him with his pen.


    ¡°Yeah, most of it,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°But before you blow up about it, let me tell you how it all went down.¡±


    So, as Adin came out Lucas sat down on a firewood round that hadn¡¯t been split yet and told them the whole story from the beginning. ¡°So I started with this nice clean shirt,¡± he said, holding out his arms, ¡°and it all went down hill from there.¡±


    He told them about his meet up, and the easy sale followed by the hard sell that followed. There were a few chuckles as he explained how he got one over on Sir Tristen and salvaged that situation, but the laughter stopped when he was almost murdered by the mage that had been waiting for him.


    ¡°Boy someone sure wants you bad,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said. ¡°Do ye know how much it costs to have a mage in your pocket every day just waiting for yer sorry self to show up? All the dragons we just made wouldn¡¯t be enough for a week.¡±


    Lucas had not, in fact, considered that. It was a sobering thought, and in his mind, the only place it pointed to was the castle. There were noble houses that could certainly afford that bill, of course, but he hadn¡¯t busted out of their dungeon and made a fool of them in their own city.


    Or maybe there¡¯s more to it than that, he thought. Maybe someone in the castle has a taste for¡­


    ¡°Do you think he can follow you here?¡± Adin piped up, disrupting that train of thought before he could get any further. ¡°Like - are we in danger? You saved my life, but If they¡¯re going to turn us into toads or light us on fire, then maybe it''s best if¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby,¡± the half-orc said. ¡°If a wizard thinks they can come on our turf and do as they will, then I will teach them the error of their ways.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Lucas doubted that the orc would have much luck with that, but he ignored the comment and said, ¡°Why do you think I didn¡¯t bring the dagger with me? Who knows what they could do with their magic if they got close to something they¡¯d already cast a spell on. Better to bury somewhere no one will ever find it again.¡±


    Kar¡¯gandin was less concerned about the mage than he was about the protection money, of course, but he agreed that Lucas had done the right thing. ¡°I¡¯d hoped that they would have seen the value in the relationship, but it seems they got greedy as well,¡± the dwarf nodded. ¡°Still, ye showed spine, and that counts for something. The next time ye go back, we¡¯ll have to have a couple tough-looking men with ye to show that we¡¯re growing so they don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Back?¡± Lucas exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m not going back. The fucking mages are hunting me, man. I may never enter Lordanin again at this rate.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the dwarf said, putting down his book. ¡°Ye have the relationship with them. It¡¯s vital you¡¯re the one that does this. We just have to be smart about it.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you do it?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°As a human, ye might not be the most aware of this, but not all the people of your kingdom care for my kind,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said. ¡°Aye, I could go and handle it, but we¡¯ll get a much better price with fewer troubles in the long run if it''s a human face that shakes their hand and drops the product. Still, if you feel comfortable letting someone else walk off with years worth of magic potion, I¡¯m sure I could think of a name or two that could do the delivering for us for a modest fee. They might even come back with all the dragons.¡±


    Lucas sighed. He remembered just how violently Sir Tristan had reacted to talk of a half-orc as Lucas¡¯s champion. That was more than enough to prove Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s point. ¡°Nah, I think I¡¯m good on that front. I just want to know how I¡¯m supposed to get in and out of the city without getting pinched.¡±


    ¡°Well, that part¡¯s easy. We just have to make sure that you look so different that you hardly recognize yourself,¡± Adin answered with a grin. ¡°It just so happens that my dear sister has engaged a tailor to take your measurements tomorrow after lunch. If we pair a nice new suit along with a haircut and a shave, then you¡¯ll look like a¡ª¡±


    ¡°An idiot,¡± Lucas snorted derisively.


    ¡°A whole new you,¡± Adin finished. ¡°This won¡¯t be enough to make you fit in amongst the upper crust, of course. We¡¯ll still need to book a dancing instructor, a riding instructor, and then there¡¯s the table etiquette to consider of course¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a lot of work to sling a little product at parties,¡± Lucas grumbled.


    ¡°Nah,¡± the dwarf said with a shake of his head. ¡°You said so yourself. We¡¯ll get more money from the gentry and their parasites than we ever will for the working stiffs. It¡¯s just going to take some prep work, is all.¡±


    Kar¡¯gandin managed to say all that with a straight face, but as soon as he finished, he cracked a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m just glad I ain''t the one that¡¯s gotta get dressed all nice and fancy.¡± After that, he laughed, and everyone else, including Lucas, joined in.


    After that, they ate. Eventually, Lucas got around to sorting out all the mushrooms and other herbs that Adin had spent the day gathering. Well, a day might have been a bit of an exaggeration. There were two full baskets and a pile on his bench, which probably meant four hours of work and eight hours of relaxing and complaining.


    Though he''d end up throwing a lot of them away, the haul was mostly useful, though. In addition to the wizened gnome caps he needed, there were some black spots, a few bearded ladies, and an assortment of shelf style mushrooms in golden, grey, and curdled milk. While he hadn¡¯t planned on making any potions of night sight, he definitely could if he tracked down a little copper leaf, and some of the rest could be powdered down for catalyst purposes.


    All in all, it wasn¡¯t a bad haul. There was no goblin bile, though, which meant no making another batch of blue, which was out until he went on a hunt. Adin swore he hadn¡¯t seen any, which was strange this time of year, but Lucas dropped it. If the man was lying because he¡¯d been too squeamish to butcher the little bastards, then it wasn¡¯t like badgering him was going to change that.


    It was only when he was lying in his bed later that night, listening to the war of snoring between the dwarf and the half-orc, that he realized that moments like this were why he couldn¡¯t help but think of these guys as friends. Well, except maybe Adin, between being a junkie and holding on to some idea that he was somehow better than the rest of them, that gap was probably unbridgeable, but he¡¯d play his part or tragically disappear if worst came to worst.


    The rest of them, though, hell - even Gerwin and Denaria were pretty great. If they could just bring on some more muscle that wouldn¡¯t try to kill them in their sleep to ward off any further encroachment by the Knights of Brass or any of Lordanin¡¯s other gangs, they¡¯d be all set.


    Honestly, he¡¯d been surprised that no one else had been more upset at the idea of paying the other gang protection money. Is that just because I¡¯ve seen too many mob movies or what? Lucas wondered. To him, it felt like weakness, but not even Hura¡¯gh saw it that way.


    ¡°It is not dishonorable for a smaller tribe to pay tribute for peace,¡± the big man had said. ¡°In time, when they are the smaller tribe, and we are the larger one, they will pay us for peace. This is the way of things.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t know if it was or wasn¡¯t, but to him, it felt wrong, even if there wasn¡¯t really a choice in the matter right now. That was the thought he fell asleep to that someday they¡¯d be the bigger gang, and they¡¯d be the ones to decide what was right. He just didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d decide when he got that far.

 Ch. 38 - Fitting

    In the morning, once they¡¯d finished eating breakfast, Lucas gave Adin a wish list of herbs and roots he wanted the man to find along with very detailed descriptions and asking Hura¡¯gh to guard him in case goblins attacked. The noble protested and asked, ¡°Why am I the one that always has to pick berries,¡± but Lucas blew him off.


    Maybe when you know how to do more than pick berries and complain, you can spend your time on other things, he thought. He didn¡¯t say that, though. Instead, he just shot back, ¡°because I¡¯m doing more important shit, and someone''s got to do it if we¡¯re gonna cook, alright?¡±


    The truth was that he wasn¡¯t actually in a hurry to cook more blue just yet. They¡¯d barely started spending money from their last windfall, and he didn¡¯t want enough gold lingering for someone to get greedy. As long as they were still living hand to mouth, everyone was staying focused on what needed to be done, but as soon they got comfortable, that could fall apart.


    Lucas had long ago decided he preferred to work alone, especially when he was tweaking, and his paranoia was maxed out. If he had to have a partner or two, then he needed to think of it like a shark. A shark never rested comfortably or took a nap. They either keep swimming, or they died. This arrangement was like that, too, even if they didn¡¯t know it, and Lucas was going to do his part to keep everyone so busy that they didn¡¯t think about it.


    Of course, he also wanted a few things that had nothing to do with making more drugs. Now that he had his recipe book again, and he could rely on more than just admittedly faulty memory, he¡¯d be happy to work out what it was he needed to make other interesting potions that they might be able to sell for a little money on the side.


    After all, despite the fact that blue made five times more than a good healing potion, it would be a waste of money and the chance to do more experimentation to leave other ingredients to rot. So, he¡¯d make a few small batches of other potions and maybe learn a thing or two.


    Hopefully, those assholes find some goblins, or I¡¯m going to be looking for a substitute for that ingredient soon enough, he thought to himself as he organized his workspace.


    He wasn¡¯t really sure if there was a substitute ingredient for such a complex recipe, of course. In theory, there was always the chance that there were ten more ingredients that would work just fine. Theoretically, as long as it was toxic, it might work, but in practice, it was harder.


    Through trial and error, Lucas had worked out a number of snake venoms and a couple of more common poisons because they all conflicted with at least one other ingredient. That was the problem, ultimately. A weak potion usually consisted of just two ingredients put together after being processed correctly.


    The man that had taught him alchemy when he¡¯d arrived in this world liked to add all sorts of placebo ingredients that did nothing, but the didn¡¯t seem to hurt anything either, most of the time. It was when you added a third real ingredient, or a fourth, that things started to go wrong. He¡¯d gotten lucky in the prison cell, but probably only because all the ingredients were so nasty that no sane person would drink them.


    Lucas dwelled on those thoughts for hours as he tried to decide what he should brew up next, while he organized his ingredients into neat piles to grind and pulverize later. Sometimes he felt like he was forgetting something while he continued to make progress on deciding the best use for each little herb and mushroom, but since nothing came to mind he shook it off and kept going.


    These would be a healing balm, and those would be used to create a restorative elixir of second wind. Everything could be used for something, and the few herbs he hadn¡¯t played with enough to write down a recipe for? Well, those were put in the experimentation pile. He was always down for an experiment or two.


    He honestly could have spent all day working on his little house cleaning project if Danaria hadn¡¯t come and interrupted him. ¡°Lucas, here you are! What are you still doing back here and why haven¡¯t you come to the Manor?¡± she asked impatiently.


    ¡°Was I supposed to?¡± he answered her question with a question. ¡°I was just¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as he suddenly realized what it was he was forgetting. ¡°The fitting,¡± he breathed.


    ¡°The fitting indeed,¡± she said, stomping her foot in irritation. ¡°Now, put on something nice, and we can leave. My carriage is already waiting and¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is it,¡± Lucas said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, confused.


    ¡°This is the nicest thing I have at the moment,¡± Lucas said, looking over his stained and sliced shirt. A couple days ago, it looked pretty decent, but now it was almost as bad as his only other outfit. At least this one still smelled mostly clean.


    ¡°That''s¡­ it?¡± she asked again in confusion. ¡°Surely you jest. Have you no wardrobe? No baggage?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Sadly, I misplaced my carriage and my manor house, Miss Parin,¡± Lucas said with a smile. ¡°Surely, my servants will be along any day to rectify the issue.¡±


    ¡°Your servants? Are you¡­ Ohhhhh, you are jesting with me, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked with a smile tinged with a touch of blushing that made her look almost twice as pretty as she had the moment before when she was being cross with him and doing her best to feign seriousness.


    ¡°Guilty,¡± he said with a smile of his own. There was a little moment there between them where their eyes met, and their smiles matched. If she¡¯d been someone a little less innocent, he might have put the moves on her. Instead, he let the moment pass and said,


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got a tailor to see.¡±


    The two of them walked to where the carriage waited on the front lawn. Lucas hadn¡¯t seen it before, but it made sense for her to have it. Most of the nobility in Lordanin traveled exactly like this. He was less concerned about how they were getting there than where they were heading.


    ¡°Are we going into the city?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was necessary, so I made an appointment with Mister Twee. He has a shop in Meadowin,¡± she answered almost apologetically. ¡°He¡¯s done many of my finest dresses, but if you wanted something more fashionable, I¡¯m sure we could find something on high street or¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, your choice will be just fine, thank you,¡± Lucas said, breathing a sigh of relief as he opened the carriage door.


    If they were only going as far as the village, it made even less sense that they were taking a carriage when they could walk or ride, but he was too relieved that he wasn¡¯t going to have to roll the dice with the guards again so soon after his last disastrous trip. So, he didn¡¯t complain. He just sat there quietly as he watched the road reel by while Danaria made conversation.


    She talked about the village and the tailor at first, but since it was a largely one-sided conversation, it eventually drifted to other things like the weather. Lucas nodded along wherever it was appropriate but mostly took in the beautiful weather and the contrasts between the woman¡¯s dress and her carriage.


    The vehicle had obviously seen better days, just like the house and the grounds, but her clothing was nice and new. It was stylish even. She seemed oblivious to money matters, so he was left to wonder if she was wearing her floral print canary dress and matching hat and yellow slippers because she didn¡¯t know how bad the house¡¯s finances were, or if her brother spoiled her despite that.


    Lucas would have asked, but by the time he¡¯d worked it all out, they were already in Meadowin¡¯s market square, and the horses were coming to a stop. It had been such a short ride that he was again reminded that it was a complete waste of time.


    The shop itself was a simple affair, with a thatched roof and whitewashed walls, as were all the other buildings in the village. Inside, it was a little nicer. Bolts of colorful cloth hung from the far wall, and dummies with partially finished outfits were positioned near the window so they could be worked on.


    The proprietor was not immediately present, though. Instead, he was in a back room, tending to someone. Lucas couldn¡¯t see who that was, but he could hear someone coughing.


    After a moment, the man came out and introduced himself. ¡°Ah, right on time,¡± he said, even though they were clearly late.


    Lucas let Danaria make the introductions, but when she started to make excuses for his appearance, he took over and said, ¡°I¡¯m her cousin, Lucas Parin, from the Esterbrocken Parins, and on the way here to pay my dear cousin a visit, I was waylaid by bandits.¡±


    ¡°How, how dreadful,¡± the man said.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure whether the tailor believed his story or not, but the man certainly acted like he did. Of course, he probably went along with whatever his paying clients told him, Lucas realized. When dealing with nobles, it was probably best to keep your head down.


    The three of them discussed fabric and styles for the next twenty minutes, and though Lucas didn¡¯t have much of a preference, he pretended like he did. He would appear to act indecisive or talk about the current fashion at home before bowing to his dear cousin¡¯s opinion.


    In the end they decided on 2 two dark suits in the modern style, 1 in a more archaic but fanciful style along with a dozen shirts and a few trousers in various shades of blue and black along with underclothes, pocket squares, and a few waistcoats and cravats.


    It seemed a bit excessive, but Lucas couldn¡¯t deny that he had literally nothing to wear beyond two ragged sets of clothing now that his home had been thoroughly ransacked. All in all, though, it was barely more than a handful of dragons to replace a fancy wardrobe.


    Of course, eight dragons was a lot of money, and most of that would go to buying the materials. Still, if Lucas had to choose between a landless cottage, a new wardrobe, or two wagonloads of cheap beer, he knew which one he would purchase.


    It was an enjoyable enough game, and though Danaria almost gave it away more than once, she quickly grew used to it. It was only after he¡¯d paid the tailor when it was time for him to strip to his underclothes for measurements that she excused herself.


    Lucas had never been to a tailor before. He was an off-the-rack sort of guy on Earth, so it was a new experience for him as the older man took his measurements one by one and made idle conversation while he jotted down the numbers.


    Once, during a coughing fit, he made Lucas stand there while he went and attended to whoever was in there, but other than that, the man worked quickly and efficiently.


    ¡°So, how long do you think all of this will take?¡± Lucas asked, eventually, when he was finally getting dressed.


    ¡°Oh, weeks and weeks, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Mister Twee said. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d go faster, but with my daughter being so sick, well¡­ I¡¯ll try to have you something as soon as I can.¡±


    Lucas nodded at that and said all the right things, but as soon as he was done, he quickly left the room behind to go find his so-called cousin so they could go home, and he could get back to cooking.

 Ch. 39 - Linger

    When Lucas shook the tailor¡¯s hand and left the shop he¡¯d planned to head right back to the cider house. Danaria, it would seem, had other plans. As he moved to get into the carriage with her, she got out on the other side and said, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, back to the house?¡± he said, not sure where else they would be doing.


    ¡°But what about the cobbler and the barber?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, I do need a shave, but I already have good boots, so¡­¡± he looked down at his muddy boots and immediately regretted it. They¡¯d been black once, but after so much wear, it was hard to tell anymore.


    ¡°That,¡± she said, pointing at his boots, ¡°Is exactly why you need to visit the cobbler. We could buy you the fanciest cravat on High Street, but no one would believe you were my cousin without better footwear.¡±


    She smiled at that last bit, which was infectious as always. She obviously loved their shared secret. No doubt it was great fun. It would get more serious, though, once he started making connections and snaring more addicts like her brother. Had she given any thought to how dangerous that might be for her? He wondered.


    Before he could contemplate that any further, she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him along to another shop further down the street. This time he met a dour faced man named Finnegan, who started shaking his head the moment he saw Lucas¡¯s worn out shoes.


    ¡°Ya ever think to polish these even the once?¡± the man asked in exasperation as he examined the battered things.


    Lucas stayed polite and tried the same excuses about the bandits, but the man was much less circumspect than the tailor. ¡°You?¡± he laughed. ¡°Her cousin? In these boots?¡±


    ¡°Distant, cousin,¡± Lucas insisted. ¡°Very far removed.¡±


    Danaria seemed quite horrified that they¡¯d already been caught in their little lie, but before she could confess everything and apologize for leading the man astray, he interrupted and put in an order for new boots like the ones he was wearing, a higher set of riding boots, and two sets of shoes: one for dancing and the other for court.


    All of that was barely more than a dragon, and once the quarrelsome man bit the coin to check it, he became a lot more biddable. By the end of the translaction, he¡¯d even started calling Lucas "Sir," though he¡¯d been extremely sarcastic about it.


    Danaria seemed entirely impervious to such things, as only sweet, naive girls like her were. As they left the shop, she clutched his arm and said, ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe you fooled Mr. Wake like that,¡± she said, still giggling.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s a canny man, but nothing blinds like gold,¡± Lucas said, trying to ignore how nice she smelled as they walked across the square to the barber.


    There had been a few people out and about when they arrived, but now that it was almost noon, the village had fully come to life. People were buying and selling vegetables in the few stands that made up the market.


    It was a pleasant enough scene, but that was quickly interrupted when they walked into the barber shop and found the man extracting a tooth from a customer. ¡°I-I think I¡¯ll wait outside,¡± Danaria said, suddenly turning and walking back out into the square.


    Truthfully he wanted to do likewise, but he didn¡¯t want to look like a bitch even more. So, instead, he shut the door behind him and found a seat on one of the chairs against the far wall.


    ¡°Now hold still, Earl!¡± the barber said, readjusting his grip on what looked a lot like a wrench. ¡°The sooner I get this out, the sooner it stops hurting!¡±


    Lucas let his gaze drift to the window, and instead of concentrating on the screams of the man who was having a very painful sort of root canal, he looked out the window and watched as Danaria gave away copper coins to small children. It was both adorable and vaguely patronizing, but from the way they reacted, he could tell that was something she did quite often.


    From the way she smiled, it obviously made her happy to be kind to them, and he doubted that she was the type to worry about counting coppers. He was just starting to imagine what it would take to get her to smile at him like that when the barber suddenly wrested the tooth free from his patient, and the barber¡¯s chair was vacated.


    ¡°Now what can I do for you,¡± the bushy bearded man, asked. ¡°Just here for a trim, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me the works,¡± Lucas told him. ¡°I need a shave and a haircut. After so much time on the road, I¡¯m a mess.¡±


    Lucas spent the next half hour getting shaved to within an inch of his life while he told the man a harrowing and completely fictional tale about his travels to Lordanin. The man seemed to believe him. Not that it mattered. Lucas wasn¡¯t so much trying to convince him as practice the story and try the identity on for size. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    A good lie took preparation and details. It required you to commit to the part, and when he finally had some nice shoes and some clothes to go with his new haircut, the last thing he wanted to be was an empty suit.


    Despite how uncomfortable he was letting a stranger hold a straight razor to his throat, when it was over, and he checked himself out in the distorted mirror of polished bronze, he had to admit he looked better than he had in a long time. It had definitely been worth the quarter crown.


    When he got back to the cider house, Hura¡¯gh teased him and called him a youngling, while Adin clapped him on the back and congratulated him on becoming halfway respectable. Only Kar¡¯gandin grumbled.


    ¡°What de ya mean? No big deal,¡± he fumed. ¡°The best part of a dozen dragons on clothes?! Pffaa! Armor, I could understand. Weapons I could accept, but wool and cotton are not steel me boy, you¡¯ve been duped!¡±


    ¡°What can I say,¡± Lucas shrugged. ¡°You gotta spend money to make money, and when we can start selling pure to the rich assholes that Adin knows, well¡­ I bet I can make all this back in one night of hobnobbing.¡±


    ¡°Pure?¡± Adin asked. ¡°Definitely, but if you want someone to try it out, to, you know, make sure it¡¯s up to snuff¡­ What?¡±


    Everyone started laughing at that, and only Adin wasn¡¯t sure why. Junkie logic always made guys like him think they were being slick when they couldn¡¯t have been more obvious.


    After that, they spent the rest of the evening discussing the only real bad news of the day, which was that there were no goblins to be found pretty much anywhere.


    ¡°None?¡± Lucas answered in exasperation. ¡°Really? They¡¯re vermin. You should be able to kick over a random stone and find three anywhere in the Greenwood!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much,¡± Hura¡¯gh agreed. ¡°But they ain¡¯t there.¡±


    They discussed it a bit but came to no answers. As it stood, they really only had two choices. They could either figure out where they went, or they could try to find them somewhere else instead.


    As Lucas lay in bed that night, he found it difficult to sleep. At first, he thought it was the way that Danaria had been distractingly pretty that was keeping him up. It had been a long time since he¡¯d had a girlfriend, and since this was pretty much his longest period of sobriety on record, that thought was really starting to weigh on him.


    As he thought about it, though, he realized it wasn¡¯t how pretty she¡¯d looked in her yellow dress that he¡¯d been obsessing about. It was the copper bushels she¡¯d been handing out to the people of her village.


    A copper coin was literally nothing to him at this point, but for an impoverished family, it might be enough to feed them for a day, and those children had clearly been impoverished. He didn¡¯t know all the fancy medical terms, but he could see crooked bones and gapped teeth.


    Hunger was a frighteningly common problem in this world. He¡¯d learned that in the few years he¡¯d been here as he worked his way up from near zombie to small-time drug dealer and had more than a few hungry nights himself. It was something he¡¯d just learned not to see after a while, but that was harder after he saw the way it pained good people like Danaria.


    He didn¡¯t even really care, but it still ate at him like some kind of emotional acid reflux. So finally, instead of letting his subconscious torment him indefinitely, he got up, got dressed, and put on his boots. Then, walking past his snoring roommates, he grabbed a basket, and proceeded to collect half a dozen healing potions that didn¡¯t have too much poison in them and started walking back toward Meadowin.


    He felt kind of stupid for doing it. A few weak healing potions probably wasn¡¯t enough to cure any of those ills permanently, but it would be enough to make him feel better, and that was the only thing he was looking to fix right now.


    Lucas took his knife with him. Technically this time of night, the roads probably weren¡¯t safe to walk alone, even this close to the city, but he doubted anyone was going to fuck with him. Ten minutes later, he was pounding on the tailor¡¯s door. The village was dark, but there were candles and hearths still burning in a few windows, including this one, so he didn¡¯t feel too bad about it. He mostly just felt like an idiot for being here at all.


    Mister Twee eventually looked out his window, and after a few seconds, he removed the bar from his door and opened it just a crack. ¡°Oh, uhm, Mister Parin, was it?¡± the older man spoke quickly.


    ¡°Perhaps I wasn¡¯t clear. When I said that your clothing would take some time, I didn¡¯t mean today, perhaps next week or even¡ª¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Lucas said, thrusting the basket in the man¡¯s face. ¡°I thought you could use these more than I could.¡±


    The tailor straitened his glasses and peered into the cloth-draped basket, but before he could ask what was in it, Lucas volunteered, ¡°They¡¯re healing potions. Please give one to your daughter to help with that awful cough and the rest, well, just give them to whoever else might need them in the village.¡±


    ¡°Healing potions,¡± the man said in disbelief. ¡°And so many? No, Mister Parin, there¡¯s no way that I can possibly afford such a¡ª¡±


    ¡°I understand your financial state,¡± Lucas said. ¡°And since I just paid you good gold to replace my wardrobe, you understand mine too, I¡¯d imagine. So, think of it like this¡­ It is imperative, or whatever, that I receive my garments as quickly as possible, and you said you¡¯d need your daughter¡¯s help to do that, so now she can help.¡±


    ¡°But there must be two dragons worth of potions here,¡± the man said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly.¡±


    Maybe like a dragon and a half if they were up to the alchemist''s guild¡¯s standards, Lucas thought, but lesser potions with foraged ingredients, we¡¯re talking maybe six kings. Maybe.


    He didn¡¯t say any of that, though. Instead, he just muttered, ¡°Exactly, pocket change to a man like me. So take the potion, get your girl well, then put her to work, alright?¡±


    The tailor was about to decline again. Lucas could see it in his eyes, but another terrible, wracking cough made him reconsider. Instead, he took the basket and said, ¡°Thank you very much. I will find a way to repay you with time and quality, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°See that you do,¡± Lucas said sternly, leaning into his role as a noble as he summoned all the limited imperiousness his shave and haircut provided him. ¡°See that you do.¡±


    As the door shut in his face, Lucas started walking back to the manor. His heart felt a little lighter, and now he could finally get some sleep.

 Ch. 40 - A New Supply

    Lucas spent the next day doing what he could with the herbs he had while Adin went out and got him more inner rosewood bark and sagethorn root. While they did that, Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh spent the day chatting up strangers at the inns along the main road looking for answers about their goblin dilemma.


    When the four of them were reunited at dinner time, Kar¡¯gandin declared he¡¯d found the source of their problem. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t all he¡¯d discovered. As soon as the dwarf sat down at the table in the barn that served as their dining room, he slapped a wanted poster down on the table. This one had one major difference over the last one, though: the only one on it was Lucas.


    Where as before there was a poster with all four of them on it, now it was just him, along with the promise of a sizable reward. It was a terrible likeness of course. Not only did it show him with the beard the mage had almost certainly seen, but he was described as far more menacing and muscular than he actually was.


    With all of those shortcomings, he wouldn¡¯t have worried if it wasn¡¯t for the money that was offered for his capture and questioning.


    ¡°Fifty golden dragons shall be offered for the man if he be delivered alive to the castle. For further questioning,¡± Lucas read aloud before setting it back down.


    There was a lot more about his various misdeeds, including assaulting a mage and slaughtering dozens of innocent people along with guards over the course of his many escape attempts while he continued to poison the city, but he didn¡¯t care about any of that. All he cared about was the way the other three men at the table were looking at him.


    ¡°So is that it,¡± he asked. ¡°Are you losers going to turn me in for a lousy pile of dragons?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to,¡± the half-orc admitted, ¡°but the dwarf talked me out of it.¡±


    ¡°Yer damn right, I did!¡± Kar¡¯gandin said. ¡°I might sell me own mother for such a sum, but the man that can make twenty or thirty dragons in a week with random ingredients he finds on the ground? He¡¯s worth way more than that!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I think,¡± Lucas answered with a grateful smile. He was pleased that at least one person knew there was more money to be made in feeding the golden goose instead of slaughtering it. ¡°You let me know when it hits five hundred, and I¡¯ll start to worry.¡±


    ¡°Boy, it would take a thousand for me to even consider such a thing,¡± the dwarf smiled.


    There was a little more joking, but after that, the four of them discussed the more serious matter of the missing goblins between bites of leak soup and loaves of freshly baked bread. Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s answer surprised him, even though it shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡± Lucas asked after the dwarf started laying out the big picture. ¡°The Blind are hunting them?¡±


    ¡°Well, not directly,¡± Kar¡¯gandin replied. ¡°But through intermediaries, they¡¯ve put out contracts, a king for a corpse, no questions asked. Apparently, adventurers from all over have been purging lairs. It¡¯s practically a gold rush.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fucking bullshit,¡± Lucas cursed.


    He¡¯d already done the math in his head. Even if their jank-ass midnight potion or whatever it was they were calling it was selling for half what his blue was, they were still tripling their money because the fire salts they were using as a catalyst were far from expensive.


    ¡°So, is there an alternate ingredient we can use?¡± Adin asked. The man was clearly fiending. It had been a few days since his last fix, and he was taking this news harder than anyone. ¡°Maybe troll blood or orc¡­¡±


    Adin trailed off when Hura¡¯gh looked at him with fire in his red eyes. ¡°Sorry,¡± the noble mumbled.


    ¡°Well, the lad has a point,¡± the dwarf agreed, ¡°If we could find an alternative, we might¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t, not any time soon anyway,¡± Lucas said, spreading his hands wide in a gesture of helplessness. ¡°It¡¯s complicated alright, but that doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is how simple the rest of this is all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°Simple?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked. ¡°Simple, how? Do you know where to find goblins they don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always going to be more goblins, man, don''t worry about that,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°But they don¡¯t matter either. What matters is that the Blind bastards stole my recipe, and now we gotta fuck ''em up.¡±


    ¡°Fuck them up how?¡± Adin asked. ¡°They¡¯re way bigger than us. They got a claim on most of the best spots in the market district and dozens of men. Hundreds, maybe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they also got someplace where people are turning in those corpses,¡± Lucas shot back, ¡°and as vile as that work is, I doubt very much they¡¯re bringing them into the city. So, it simplifies things. We find out where they¡¯re carting off our goblins. We break in, steal whatever they got worth stealing, and then burn the place down as a warning to the rest of them.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°That will start a gang war for certain, sure,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, though Lucas noted he didn¡¯t seem particularly upset by it. ¡°If we start killing people, then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whoah, who said anything about killing people?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°I doubt they¡¯re running a 24-hour operation. Who¡¯s going to want to steal a bunch of dead goblins? Besides me, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you want to kill them?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that send a stronger message?¡±


    Because I¡¯ve never killed anyone before, for one, was what Lucas thought, but he didn¡¯t say it. He couldn¡¯t. That wasn¡¯t a message he could share with these men. The city watch was making him out to be some kind of mastermind on a murder spree, and even if that wasn¡¯t true, his growing gang certainly saw him that way. The Knights of Brass probably did, too.


    It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t understand that people needed to die, he just wasn¡¯t sure he had it in him. People had already died because of him. Guards, elves. Whether he swung the sword or not, dead was still dead.


    While he wrestled with these thoughts, he lied and said, ¡°We attack while people are there, then we send a stronger message, but if someone escapes, then they know who did it. We strike in the dead of night then no one is there to see it, and we can make up whatever story we want and pit them against the gang of our choice.¡±


    ¡°And how do you propose we do that?¡± Adin asked. ¡°A nicely worded invitation. Dear Mister Blind, we stole your drugs, sincerely, the Butchers?¡±


    ¡°The Butchers are a great idea, actually,¡± Lucas said with a gleam in his eye. ¡°Whose more likely to break up than an illegal drug ring based around butchering monsters than those meatheads?¡±


    Lucas went over his plan after that: Find out where the Blind were taking the corpses, ambush it in the middle of the night, find enough bile to keep cooking, and then grab any vials of midnight that the bastards might have already cooked up and find a way to sell it to their rivals cheap.


    It was a simple plan, and in his experience, those always worked best for him. That was doubly true when he was going to be working with mouth breathers like Hura¡¯gh and Adin. There was just one problem. They didn¡¯t have nearly enough people for something like this.


    They all knew it, even the noble. ¡°What are the odds they don¡¯t have even a small night shift or a few watchmen to keep the place safe until morning?¡± the noble asked. ¡°If it¡¯s as important to them as you say it is, then they¡¯d be fools to leave it unguarded.¡±


    ¡°The man has a point,¡± Kar¡¯gandin nodded. ¡°Rare, true, but it has happened.¡±


    Adin almost thanked the dwarf before he realized he was being insulted. ¡°Hey!¡± the noble shouted, but everyone else just laughed at his expense.


    ¡°Well, then we grow the gang,¡± Lucas said. ¡°We could tap into our relationship with the Brass Knights, but it would be impossible to keep it a secret then.¡±


    ¡°What other choice do we have?¡± Adin asked. ¡°I know Viscounts, Baronesses, and Earls, but not a single mercenary company looking for work, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°You know lots of people,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Servants that might drive the wagon, those villagers you were going to hire to do construction on the cider house. Kar¡¯gandin probably knows a couple of dwarves who are good with an axe, too. If he doesn¡¯t, then I¡¯m sure his cousin does. You guys are tight like that, right?¡±


    ¡°I know a few caravan guards, sure,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, cautiously, ¡°But I¡¯m not sure exactly what it is you¡¯re getting at here.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is we gotta build our own muscle, our own network,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Someday, we should handle everything up to and including distribution. That doesn¡¯t happen until we have enough money to buy a few members of the watch, though.¡±


    ¡°But teamsters and brute labor¡­ they aren¡¯t killers, Lucas,¡± Adin said. ¡°I could hire all of the strongest men in Meadowin. Most of them know how to use a sword or an axe, but they¡¯re hunters and farmers, not murderers.¡±


    Neither am I, Lucas thought, but that doesn¡¯t mean we won¡¯t all become one sooner or later. He didn¡¯t say that, though. Instead, he just shrugged, and when that wasn¡¯t a good enough answer, he said, ¡°Have you seen the state of your village, man? Kids so skinny you can see their ribs through their shirts. If a man¡¯s family is starving, and you¡¯re offering to put food on their table, or they have a sick wife, and you can make the cure, you can own them pretty cheap.¡±


    He paused as he listened to the words coming out of his mouth. It wasn¡¯t something he planned in advance, but it was definitely on the right track, so he decided to double down. ¡°Us four, we¡¯re stuck together now, for better or worse, until we make enough money to go our separate ways, but we start inviting just anybody to come work for us, and sooner or later, one of the other big gangs is going to figure out who we are, where we cook, and how to put us out of business. We want to avoid that, well - we¡¯ve got to be smart about it, you know?¡±


    ¡°Why worry about city dwellers at all?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked. ¡°We could simply pay tribute to a tribe from the great plains, and they¡ª¡±


    ¡°And they would stick out like a sore thumb,¡± Lucas said, trying hard not to sigh. ¡°We need people that can blend in. People with a particular set of skills if you will. If you got a buddy or two you trust to crush some skulls, then I¡¯m all ears, but a tribe¡­maybe not right now.¡±


    Hura¡¯gh glowered at him, but since he didn¡¯t actually growl, Lucas called it a win.


    ¡°Ye know lad, I might have been wrong about ye,¡± the dwarf said, as he leaned back in his chair.


    ¡°Oh yeah? How¡¯s that?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°I thought ye were just a lunatic looking to make some quick coin, but yer really tryin¡¯ to build something here, ain''t ya?¡± The dwarf¡¯s tone was approving, but even if it wasn¡¯t Lucas would have grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a guy trying to put together enough coins to open a bar and invent Mexican food,¡± Lucas said. ¡°But we need to make a lot of money to get there, and I¡¯m sure this is the way to do it.¡±


    Even after dinner wound down, the four of them talked about his plan to find and take out whatever abattoir the Blind had set up. To him, it seemed more than doable. The bastards were most known for petty theft, pickpocketing, and begging rings. They were scammers, not fighters, so as soon as the four of them put out some feelers and found where they needed to hit, he was sure they would fold easily enough.

 Ch. 41 - A Simple Plan

    For the cost of another four healing potions and a few handfuls of silver coins, Adin was able to recruit half a dozen strong young men from the village, and Kar¡¯gandin was able to borrow a few good dwarves from his cousin. It took more to arm and armor the farmers than it did to hire them, but the dwarves at least came well-equipped with heavy crossbows and battleaxes.


    Lucas had considered making potions of strength and toughness for everyone, but he¡¯d been a little short on some ingredients. So, he decided against it. After all, they were going to outnumber their opponents more than two to one, and they had the element of surprise on top of that. They didn¡¯t need an even bigger trump card for this, though he conceded that they might for future operations.


    Instead, he just brought a few more healing potions with him than usual. He hoped they wouldn¡¯t need them, but it would be cheaper than paying out the death benefits they¡¯d agreed on to any widows and orphans.


    Those efforts were enough to almost triple the size of their meager little band, bringing it to 11, not counting the two younger boys who were just there to drive the wagons. It took a few days to recruit and equip the newcomers, but that was fine with everyone except for Adin. He was the only one fiending for a fix.


    It only took two days of asking around about the bounty to find the decrepit old farmhouse a few miles north of town, just inside the Greenwood. Adventurers were happy to share that bit of news with Kar¡¯gandin for the price of a few drinks while he bullshited them about some grand plan of his.


    He told them a story about how he was looking to recruit hunters to import fresh goblin corpses from the dark warrens beneath the Amaranthine Range to the north. He figured that he could empty out whole tribes of greenskins in an afternoon, and then bring back the corpses on ice to turn a tidy profit rather than hunting through the nearly depleted Greenwood like everyone else. They bought it too, hook, line, and sinker.


    Why shouldn¡¯t they, though. It was a great plan, and probably what they¡¯d have to do once all this was done since the Blind would almost certainly keep poaching supply this close to the city.


    A couple nights of surveillance later, they had their answer. The place was a shack with perhaps three or four people inside at any given point on a long abandoned farmstead that had long since been taken over by weeds. Corpses were slaughtered and hung from trees not far from the building before being disposed of via an ever present bonfire. After that, bile came in, and sometimes barrels went out.


    At this point, they didn¡¯t know if those barrels contained Midnight or simply bile, but either way, they were worth taking. In the end, they opted to time their assault a few hours before the next expected shipment, and the group arrived after moonrise, just before ten. leaving their horses, drivers, and a pair of guards a few hundred yards from the drug lab.


    After that, they advanced on foot, quietly through the underbrush. Well, as quietly though the underbrush as nine armored men could be, at least. Lucas smelled the place long before they saw it.


    Finding the bonfire of corpses was easy enough, and once that was spotted, Hura¡¯gh had no trouble sneaking up on the man who was tending the fire despite his size. He quickly ripped out the beggar¡¯s throat before adding the man¡¯s body to the pyre.


    Lucas watched the man struggle briefly as he burned before he stilled forever more,


    That surprised Lucas, and though he¡¯d never had to fight a full-blooded orc in this world, watching his comrade in action reminded him that he never wanted to if he could help it. Humans were dangerous enough for him.


    That left three, probably. Maybe four people left, depending on how many were inside the actual farmhouse. The guard outside the front door of the ramshackle farmstead didn¡¯t see them coming, and when his chest was pierced twice with two powerful bolts, his death wasn¡¯t quite so quiet. Each of them bit loudly into the wood of the wall the watchman was leaning against, which was more than enough to alert anyone inside.


    He had enough time to call out an alarm, too, though, with a punctured lung that was already partway deflated, it was more of a death rattle. By the time two men were already advancing on him with swords held high, the only thing that was holding the watchman up were the bolts that pinned him to the wall. He didn¡¯t even have the strength left to raise his spear before he was struck down by multiple blows.


    The men that Adin had gathered obviously didn¡¯t have a lot of combat experience, but what they did have was heart. They seemed eager to impress, too.


    Getting paid a week''s wages for a night''s work almost certainly meant that they wanted to be called back for more in the future. Lucas understood that as he stood there with his knives out, waiting to see what surprise awaited them next.


    He¡¯d hoped someone would charge out of the building to investigate, only to get cut down, but instead, he heard shouts of alarm followed by the sound of whoever was inside barring the door. That would make things slightly more difficult but not difficult enough to become a problem.


    The dwarves quickly dropped their heavy crossbows and drew their axes to hack down the door. Hurrah was faster, though. He just walked to the part of the wall that looked to be in the worst shape and then started tearing dry rotted boards off of it one at a time. In less than a minute, there were two different entrances into the structure: the shattered door and a gaping hole in the wall. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Lucas charged in just behind Hura¡¯gh and regretted it almost immediately. The place was foul. There was no alchemy being done here, just butchery for profit. The reagents were scattered around mixed with the scents of poison and decay.


    Goblin Bile: Poison 9, strength 3, endurance -1, violent diarrhea


    Fire salts: Poison 2, endurance 1, intelligence -2, makes mixtures more volatile


    The Beggar closest to them held a shortsword and feinted twice at Hura¡¯gh while he shouted, ¡°The Blind are not to be messed with! When our reinforcements arrive, we¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    He never finished the sentence. When he thrust his blade at the intruders for the third time, Hura¡¯gh reached past it, grabbed the man by his hand, and then used that grip to smash him against the wall several times before tossing him to the ground and crushing his rib cage with a single deliberate stomp. Lucas heard bones crack with each blow and doubted very much that the man would survive without healing magic that was well beyond anyone here.


    One of the dwarves bellowed in pain as the other man with a weapon got a piece of him, but even before he¡¯d finished yelling, his partner chopped right through the man¡¯s near leg, drowning out everything else with a terrible scream.


    Lucas tuned that out for the sake of his sanity as he moved forward toward the last man that was still standing. That was when he realized that he recognized the man. Garren.


    For a moment, Lucas couldn¡¯t help but remember the last time he saw this asshole, and that was when they¡¯d beat the secret for making Blue out of him. He hadn¡¯t given them the real recipe, of course. He¡¯d just made up whatever he could to play for time. After that, they¡¯d beat him to unconsciousness and kicked his insensible body until they¡¯d broken several ribs in a quiet alley not far from the market.


    ¡°Come on, man,¡± he¡¯d whispered, ¡°Tell us the last step, and I won''t have to take your fingers before I take your life.¡±


    The man was a snake, and Lucas would certainly be dead now if those assholes had searched him for the backup healing potion he¡¯d consumed as soon as he¡¯d woken up. Even so, he¡¯d crawled into someone¡¯s basement and waited to die for two more days before he was strong enough to stagger to a well in a safer part of town and drink.


    ¡°Lucas,¡± the man gasped as his face went white as a sheet, ¡°You¡¯re alive, but how¡­ I¡­ I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t finish the job, asshole!¡± Lucas shot back as he advanced on the man.


    ¡°Listen, we can talk this through,¡± Garren said as Lucas stabbed the dagger he¡¯d had in his left hand and grabbed him by the collar. ¡°This is your recipe, right? We couldn¡¯t make Blue without you, but Dusk¡­ Midnight¡­ well, we¡¯re making kings hand over fist. I can cut you in. I can talk to the boss. Ten percent, no questions asked. We can¡ª¡±


    Lucas slammed him against the wooden wall, hearing the whole thing creak from the force as he glared at the man with dead eyes. ¡°Why in the fuck would I want my name near any of this?¡± he asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t alchemy. There¡¯s no skill here. It¡¯s fucking garbage, just like the people that make it.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t say that to be hurtful, either, it was obvious in the little pop-up alerts that lit up the room all around him. Even after they¡¯d beaten his secrets out of him, they had no idea what they were doing.


    Poisonous Potion of Midnight: Euphoria 5, poison 4, 30% chance to pass out for 1 to 4 hours, addictive


    Poisonous Potion of Dusk: Euphoria 7, poison 5, -2 intelligence, addictive


    Alchemical Mixture: Poison 5, strength 2, endurance -1


    There¡¯s not even any damn alcohol in here to refine the bile, Lucas realized, looking around the room for the missing step. He saw some esper vine sap, but it was from the wrong kind of tree, and so it was more purple than the aqua color one needed to make blue. No wonder they¡¯re making trash.


    Violet Esper Vine Sap (processed): Agility 4, poison 2, intelligence -2, unable to sleep for the duration of the effect, 10% chance to hear voices


    ¡°You¡¯re killing people? You know that?¡± Lucas said sternly. ¡°Getting people hooked is one thing, but you might as well be feeding them drain cleaner.¡±


    Garren looked at him in confusion about the strange term, but as soon as his eyes flicked to Lucas¡¯s knife, he said, ¡°Who cares. Silver is silver, and there¡¯s always more customers. It¡¯s not like you give a shit about life either.¡±


    That was enough to make Lucas pause, but only for a moment. He wasn¡¯t a murderer. He¡¯d stolen, he¡¯d betrayed, he¡¯d made and sold drugs, and done a thousand other terrible things. Murder was about the only line he hadn¡¯t crossed in his life, but it wasn¡¯t like his hands were clean just because he hadn¡¯t pulled the trigger. Every man that had died tonight, and every man that had died in their escape from the castle, those bodies were on him, and he was going to have to find a way to square that.


    Not tonight though. Tonight was about doing what needed to be done, and more importantly, revenge. Ignoring his misgivings, Lucas dragged his knife across the other man''s throat in a motion so fast that Garren¡¯s eyes showed disbelief more than pain. Some part of Lucas died there, along with his victim, as the man started to down in his own blood.


    He was surprised to find that there was no joy or thrill in the moment as he let go of the Beggar¡¯s collar, and he slid down the wall to the ground. It was a moment of brutal clarity, but before Lucas could examine it any further, people were cheering their easy win.


    That worked for Lucas. He started barking orders about what to take while he surveyed the damage on his side. No dead, and only one man wounded was pretty much perfect, he thought with a nod. That was almost enough to wipe away the sick feeling from what he¡¯d done, too. Almost.

 Ch. 42 - Constant Distractions

    They made a clean get away, taking everything of value, and planting a few meat cleavers and a pigs head which were the typical calling card of the Butchers. After that, Lucas set fire to the place and he and his men set off into the night. Even though the job had gone just as well as he could have hoped, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of everything they¡¯d done.


    In the end, what ate at him more than the guilt of killing one piece of shit, was the idea that they were going to take any of the foul product that these assholes had been moving. Blue might be addictive, and it might ruin lives, but short of an overdose, it wasn¡¯t going to hurt you. Not physically, at least.


    He could barely bring himself to take even a little bit of the midnight with him that they could use to spread the blame. After all, it wasn¡¯t much different than killing the user himself. If they¡¯d purified the bile with alcohol, that would be one thing, but this was rat poison.


    Adin could do a better job than this, Lucas thought with a sigh as they rode back.


    The only bright spot in the whole thing was that they had nearly twenty gallons of goblin bile. Lucas didn¡¯t even want to think about how many goblins it would take to have so much of the foul stuff. It was only low grade because it had started to spoil, but Lucas was sure he could get plenty of blue out of it yet.


    As they took the long way home to make sure they weren¡¯t followed, Lucas used those details to distract him from everything else. How the problem was going to be that they didn¡¯t have nearly enough of everything else for more than a couple batches, but if he kept Adin busy as hell for the next couple of days, they would probably be able to get enough blue esper willow vine sap and witch grass blossoms to cover the difference before this went bad.


    The only problem was, now that he had the goods, he didn¡¯t want to make a ton of it and flood the market. He was going to of course. He had to, people were depending on him at this point, but something felt off about it. After all, what was the difference between contaminated poison like Midnight and pure poison like Blue?


    That question kept Lucas awake for hours that night, but it didn¡¯t stop him from kicking everyone out of his lab so that he could work anyway when he woke up in the morning. Adin and Kargandin had decided to keep the men that had worked so well with them last night to dig a hidden root cellar beneath the cider house, but all Lucas did was agree with them while he had his bacon and eggs.


    It was a good idea, but his mind was on other things, so he¡¯d agreed with it. Otherwise, he didn¡¯t give it much thought. Instead, he went to the small keg of Midnight he¡¯d brought back and parceled it into two dozen vials so that Hura¡¯gh could sneak it into town inside their keg within a keg and pass it off to another half-orc he knew.


    Lucas told the warrior not to drive too hard a bargain but to make sure he got enough money so that it wouldn¡¯t be suspicious either. It was only once all that was done and everything had been set into motion that he sat down and got to work on the next batch of Blue. He was more than a little surprised when the sound of digging interrupted his distillation partway through the blue esper willow vine sap.


    He endured it for a few minutes. However, as more shovels joined in, forming a steady rhythm of digging, it quickly became intolerable.


    ¡°What in the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Lucas asked, taking a break as soon as he finished processing the wizened gnome caps.


    ¡°What?¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked. ¡°Ye said that ye were fine with the idea of an underground laboratory, did ye not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°Like, fine in theory. Like, fine, eventually. But right now? I¡¯m trying to get work done in there!¡±


    ¡°Presumably, ye will be working in there almost every day,¡± the dwarf countered. ¡°Be that as it may, we have to move forward. Ye¡¯d hate to be ambushed and meet the same fate as the Blind, wouldn¡¯t ye? Best if we build something a little more discrete and defensible, don¡¯t ye think?¡±


    Lucas had been prepared to tell him to fuck off no matter what he said. His time spent mixing ingredients and getting proportions just right was nearly zen as far as he was concerned. It was sacrosanct and the next best thing to getting high himself, so the last thing he wanted was to interrupt it.


    Still, the dwarf made a good point, and for a moment, he couldn¡¯t help but imagine it was their drug lab that was burning instead of the Blind''s. ¡°Fine,¡± Lucas said finally, ¡°but I don¡¯t see how we¡¯re going to be able to keep any of this a secret much longer, he said, looking at the three men.¡±


    ¡°You think that I would¡ª¡± one of the men asked. Lucas hadn¡¯t bothered to learn any of their names yet, but he knew that people thin-skinned enough to take offense to a broad accusation like that were the ones you wanted to watch out for. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°What he means to say is that if we get much bigger, we¡¯re certain to be noticed,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, smoothing things over. ¡°And that¡¯s true enough, but¡±


    ¡°Everyone in Meadowin already knows theres something strange going on at the Parrin estate,¡± the third man said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve known for over a week, long before Adin recruited me to help out. Even before you passed off those healing potions to old Mister Twill¡ª¡±


    ¡°So he could get my new clothes finished faster,¡± Lucas said defensively as the dwarf looked at him askance.


    ¡°Sure,¡± the man agreed. ¡°The point is, no one knows shit, and no one has said shit. That¡¯s all. The Parins have been good stewards of the area, and this¡­ well, you seem like a smart man, Mister Blue. Better to be workin¡¯ for you than workin¡¯ against you, as far as I see it. With you and the Viscount working together, I don''t see how all of us don¡¯t prosper and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Lucas said. He¡¯d thought the perspective was interesting, but putting him and Adin on the same level almost made Lucas burst out laughing.


    ¡°Mister Blue?¡± the workman asked. ¡°Uhmmm¡­ what should we call you then, sir?¡±


    ¡°Lucas does just fine,¡± he shot back. ¡°Or Mister Parin since I¡¯m supposed to be the uhm¡­ Viscount¡¯s cousin. Anything else just spreads the gossip faster, you got it?¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for the man to answer. Instead, Lucas whirled on Kar¡¯gandin and said, ¡°Fine, keep digging, but try to be quiet about it. I¡¯m at a very delicate stage in here.¡±


    That quieted them enough for a while, but within half an hour, the digging was just as loud as before, and from the looks of things, this was a project that was going to take weeks. Lucas sighed in frustration, looking at his mediocre product. He¡¯d hoped to distract himself from how he felt about being a killer now by cooking, but instead, he¡¯d been so distracted by the noise intruding on his sanctuary that he couldn¡¯t really think about cooking at all.


    Instead, everything was a jumble, and this was the result. It¡¯s fine, he told himself, even though it wasn¡¯t. It was good enough to sell even, but it was nothing to be proud of, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to dilute it as much as they had the last stuff.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (pure) (40 doses): Euphoria 7, poison 2, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 170% for 1 hour.


    No one but him would notice the difference, but it was still a disappointing result, but it was probably be the best he was going to be able to do with that racket. He would gladly put the whole thing off for a week, but the bile might go bad by then, and unfortunately, refrigeration was not exactly a thing yet.


    When Adin finally came through the door, Lucas was almost relieved by the distraction. That lasted only long enough to notice that he was wearing one of his good suits instead of carrying a heaping herb basket.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, man? I thought you were supposed to be getting the plants I put on that list for you!¡± Lucas said in annoyance as his relief dissipated. ¡°The last thing I got time for is to cook and pick by myself.¡±


    ¡°That will have to wait until tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid,¡± he answered with a smile, trying and failing not to look at the fresh pot of Blue that was simmering gently at the edge of the brick stove. ¡°My sister has retasked us, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Your sister has¡­ retasked us?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°Since when did she become the boss here?¡±


    ¡°Since she hired a dance instructor for this evening to come by and start your lessons,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Now come along. We must make you presentable.¡±


    ¡°Dance instructor?¡± he said, completely baffled, as he tried to remember if that was something she¡¯d mentioned to him. ¡°Can¡¯t that wait? We have a lot of shit to do.¡±


    ¡°I imagine that will be your answer on any given day,¡± the lordling agreed, tearing his eyes away from the drugs he craved to meet Lucas¡¯s gaze. ¡°However, since I have secured an invitation for my sister and her cousin to the VanDavin¡¯s garden party on the next festival day in several weeks, I think it¡¯s best we start on this immediately. After all, we have plenty of product to sell but are desperately in need of more wealthy customers, are we not?¡±


    Lucas sighed at that but didn¡¯t disagree. He could sell some extra pure distilled shit to a few rich bastards and hook them hard, just like he¡¯d inadvertently done with Adin. After that, well, men like that would do anything for another hit.


    They¡¯d keep selling to the Brass Knights, of course, especially if gang warfare really burned through the city in the coming days. Of all the toughs in the city, they were the ones best equipped for a brawl.


    With a shake of his head, Lucas rose and said, ¡°Sure, man, just let me wash my hands, and I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°I took the liberty of having the housekeeper draw you a nice hot bath,¡± Adin said with a smile before leaving the room.


    It took Lucas a moment to figure out the man was being so helpful to try to get to the drugs he¡¯d made as soon as Adin left the room. The fact that he¡¯d done everything he could not to mention them was a dead giveaway.


    He took the pot off of the heat and set it to cool on the work bench. This would easily be enough to kill the lordling, Lucas thought. That might be inevitable, he realized, but still, for now at least it was undesirable, so he took the time to dilute the brew down to euphoria 4, and then open the back door, call Kar¡¯gandin in, and explain the circumstances to the dwarf.


    ¡°So, ye want me to bottle up the blue stuff there, leave the other ingredients alone because ye¡¯ll finish with them later, and ye absolutely want me to keep Lord Parin from getting another taste while ye go learn the ways of the fancy folk?¡± the dwarf asked. ¡°Is that about the size of it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you got it,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°Try not to have too much fun while I go and publicly embarrass myself.¡±

 Ch. 43 - Suffering, in C Minor

    Lucas had not expected much from dancing lessons. He¡¯d never been much at parties, but it turned out that his limited repertoire of bumping and grinding combined with a few novelty moves like floss dancing and the sprinkler were less than useless, and only the aging bard that had been hired to teach him the convoluted steps to these horridly archaic dances were even the least bit amused by his clumsy moon walk.


    The whole thing was made somehow worse by his borrowed monkey suit. He looked the part of a noble, finally, but the clothes were a poor fit, and itchy to boot. Still, he did his best not to completely embarrass himself and tried to emulate the steps as best he could while the old man pounded the hardwood floor of the now-empty dining room with his staff.


    That was how he, Adin, Danaria, and her lady in waiting Elsbeth spent the next few hours as he learned the fine art of switching partners as they circled each other and clasped hands, or more often, never touched each other at all.


    Adin breezed through it, showing real talent at something for the first time that Lucas had ever seen. He was a natural. He might be a blue-addicted weasel, but the man flowed smoothly, always on the beat and never missing a step. His sister was almost as good, though she was less sure of herself and prone to getting distracted by some of the more complicated partner changes.


    She was more distracting too, and though Elsbeth was his partner most of the time, whenever they swapped, and Lucas ending up dancing with her for a few beats, he couldn''t help but notice how much prettier she was when she smiled.


    Elsbeth was pretty, too, of course, but she looked at him like the garbage he was whenever he screwed up, which meant she was scowling a lot more often than she was smiling. She put up with it, though, and with him, largely because she was now being paid double, along with the rest of the staff. She still probably wasn¡¯t making a silver coin every week, but with Adin showing his face around the house so much, they¡¯d decided it wouldn¡¯t hurt to buy a little extra loyalty.


    Lucas made progress, but it was hard-fought. When they finally stopped for a break, he thought that if he did this for another year or two, he might not embarrass himself entirely.


    ¡°Well, this was fun, guys, but I have to¡ª¡± Lucas started to say, but the bard quickly corrected him.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not done yet,¡± the man snapped retrieving a small box from his bag and placing it on the window sill. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve gotten the basics of the footwork down, its time to start on the hand gestures, and all the other little details to be expected of someone in your position.¡±


    ¡°I kinda thought we were doing that already,¡± Lucas complained. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do much more complex than this.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Adin said with a smile. ¡°Look, it¡¯s easy. You¡¯ve already learned the line and the pivot just fine, but if a circle dance is called, or heaven help you a carol which is sort of like a circle, but with singing, then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go outside for a smoke,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll just tell them all about my injury I got in the war or something.¡±


    ¡°You were injured?¡± Danaria asked sweetly. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that. Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡­It¡¯s fine,¡± Lucas answered after taking a moment to make sure she wasn¡¯t making fun of him. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, I don¡¯t have to dance to chat people up at a fancy party.¡±


    Adin looked like he was about to disagree, but they both stopped when the bard opened his little wooden box and began to channel mana to the smaller golden box inside of it. To Lucas in just looked like a gaudy gem encrusted music box, but then it started to glow.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Lucas asked as he saw shapes begin to emanate from it, and at the same time, the music started up.


    ¡°This is no more than a trifle that was given to me by the Countess of Lastrasia,¡± the man said with a smile. ¡°This was in my younger days, of course, when I still traveled widely. Her and I had¡­ many fond memories, and this was just a bauble she gave me to mark her favor.¡±


    Magical items weren¡¯t exactly uncommon in Lordanian, and Lucas had seen a few before, but he¡¯d never seen one quite so lovely, and he certainly wouldn¡¯t call this a bauble. In a world where everything had to be played by real musicians, a boombox, even a magical one, struck him as one of the greatest things one could possibly own.


    So, for a moment while the man explained what ridiculous dance they were going to do next and what he was supposed to do, Lucas tried to pay attention, but he found it hard the way that the small flock of ghostly musical instruments that twirled and danced as they played themselves. Aside from the beauties from the Red Lantern gang and Danaria, it was probably the most beautiful thing he¡¯d seen in a long time. The magic of this world was, in his experience, rarely so delicate. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Still, he couldn¡¯t just stand there and try not to gawk forever. Eventually, he was forced to participate and practice, not just the way that he had to spin around his partner and the way that she would, in turn, spin around him, but all the gestures and looks that went with it. As hard as all that was, the hardest part was trying not to roll his eyes. He¡¯d never been much for clubbing, but he would have taken that any day because as beautiful as this music was, it was not exactly danceable as far as he was concerned.


    Well, most of it wasn¡¯t. He changed his mind when they finally switched from the group dances to the slow ones. Those, at least, were something he¡¯d done before. Though he had to hold both women at a very slight remove rather than holding them tight to him like he might have done at Senior Prom, it was still always enjoyable to hold a pretty woman close to you. That was even true when they sometimes stepped on your foot, the way Danria did when they changed directions with their box step.


    Still, after hours of dancing, the bard finally put away his instrument and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back for our next engagement at the end of the week then.¡±


    Lucas was irritated to see that Adin was paying the man four silver kings, but he had to admit that a man that could summon a magical orchestra on command was probably a pretty rare gift, and he said as much once he¡¯d left and Lucas, along with Parin siblings adjourned to the front porch for tea while the dining room furniture was put back in place by the servants and the table was remade for dinner.


    ¡°I have to say, that music box of his was pretty crazy,¡± Lucas said, trying to make conversation. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because you¡¯ve been mixing with the trash at the bottom of society,¡± Adin said with a smile. ¡°But little trifles like that are common enough, and there¡¯s more than a few wild talents to wield them. I dare say that you could without too much of an issue if our dance instructor felt like teaching you the trick to it.¡±


    ¡°Wild talent?¡± he asked. He¡¯d heard the term before, but he¡¯d thought that it referred to a specific form of mage. ¡°Nah, man, I just get these little screens that pop up and¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different for everyone, of course,¡± Adin shrugged, brushing him off after he finished sipping his tea. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, of course. Sadly, I was born without such a gift, my dear sister, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Adin, stop,¡± she said, putting an end to that topic. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ you know I¡¯m never going to use that power. It¡¯s too horrible.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a lover, not a fighter,¡± Adin said with a wink. ¡°Sometimes people get talents that are unsuited for them, but most of the time, they go on to define a person¡¯s life. The older and purer the bloodline, the stronger the talent, generally speaking.¡±


    Lucas said nothing for a moment as he tried to figure out what was being hidden here. Adin wasn¡¯t a great liar, but Lucas was fairly sure he was using his sister¡¯s discomfort to hide something else. Was it possible that Adin had a talent as well, and he just didn¡¯t want anyone to know it? Lucas made a note to circle back on that later, but for now, he focused on the task at hand.


    ¡°So, these are things nobles get normally?¡± Lucas asked, trying to learn more, ¡°Because I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Anyone can end up with a talent,¡± Danaria said. ¡°They¡¯re uncommon, but not nearly as uncommon as being a proper mage. Why Mr. Hardeson, the blacksmith and even Mr. Twill the tailor have one.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°And what is it they do?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really understand the powers completely, but¡­¡± Danaria started to say before her brother cut her off.


    ¡°These things are kept pretty close to the vest, you understand,¡± the Viscount said with a smile, ¡°But rumor has it that old man Hardeson used to be a mercenary before he hung up his sword, and he can boost his strength somehow. As to Mr. Twill, while I¡¯ve seen him play little tricks for children. He can make his thread dance and needles fly when he desires. Quite a handy trick if you¡¯ve got a huge backlog of dresses to make. ¡±


    Lucas let the conversation drift on to other topics, but he made a mental note to talk to the tailor about how that worked exactly when he went back to pick up his clothes. Eventually, though, the call of his lab could be avoided no longer, and Lucas stood.


    ¡°Well, time to head back to the barn,¡± Lucas said finally, but Adin merely smirked and shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re not going back to hang out with those dregs just yet,¡± Adin said. ¡°Dancing was just the first lesson. Next, we have to work on your table manners, which means you and I are eating here at the manor until you can tell your salad fork from your dinner fork.¡±


    Danaria smiled at that, which was just enough for Lucas to suppress the theatrical sigh he was going to make. It¡¯s going to be a long night, he¡¯d been about to complain, but instead, he just smiled so as not to ruin the moment. She was probably eating alone a lot these days, so there was no need to rain on her parade if she wanted to spend time with her brother. Besides, the food was probably better up here.

 Ch. 44 - Something to Think About

    The food was better, though, Lucas would have gladly eaten moldy bread if it would have come without constant reminders to keep his elbows off the table, and instructions about how to lay his silverware across the table to let the servants know that he was finished with that particular course.


    Still, the pumpkin soup and the roasted lamb was delicious, and he didn¡¯t regret it. Not entirely, anyway.


    While they ate, the three of them discussed his backstory and fleshed out some details about who Lucas Parin was. He¡¯d already picked the faraway city of Esterbrocken in his discussions with Mr. Twill, so they went with it. It was a trade hub on the far side of the continent that was nearly as wealthy as Lordanin but with a particularly unsavory reputation. That was the only reason Lucas had heard of it before now. It was because it was sort of a promised land that thieves and cutthroats sometimes talked about at the bar. It was like Eldorado or Las Vegas as far as ne¡¯er do wells were concerned.


    They debated whether or not he should be legitimate or a bastard child through the main course, and Danaria thought that details like that were great fun. She wanted him to be a romantic figure with a star-crossed lover and a tragic destiny just like in the epic poetry she sometimes read. Adin thought it was best if he was the second son of someone important, like a fictional Duke. ¡°That way, you¡¯re just important enough to take seriously.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should split the difference and be a gambler, I¡¯m pretty good at dice games, and I could¡­ what?¡± Lucas asked, stopping his explanation as Adin started to laugh.


    ¡°Well, for starters, dice are crass and best left at the pier side,¡± Adin said with a smirk. ¡°You¡¯d have to learn to play games with proper cards. You¡¯ll just have to trust me. Even if you learned all the suits and the way they changed depending on the game¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, man,¡± Lucas shot back, annoyed that the lordling was being so high-handed with him. He¡¯d found one thing in life he was better than Lucas at, and he was just running with it. ¡°Of course, I know how to play cards. There¡¯s no magic to it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Adin asked with a smirk. ¡°So then, in a game of folly, which suit would you need your high card to beat a flush of roses?¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Listen. Im saying I know how to play cards, not your crazy ass card games. If you want to play poker or blackjack, though, I¡¯ll kick your ass.¡±


    ¡°Sadly, I¡¯ve never heard of either of those games,¡± Adin answered with a shake of his head, but even if I had, I can assure you that you lack the money to play at those sorts of tables.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, man? We¡¯re swimming in dragons these days. I¡¯m about to go make another pile of them in a day or two when I have some decent threads!¡± Lucas said.


    ¡°Oh, you might see some gold on the table in the early rounds, but games in the backrooms of VanDavin¡¯s would be dominated by ivory chips marked in denominations of hundreds or thousands of coins.¡± the Viscount answered with a shrug. ¡°These aren¡¯t the sort of funds that we could afford to lose at this stage of our, hmmmm, what did you call it? Operation?¡±


    Lord Parin¡¯s attitude just made Lucas want to do it more. He was pretty decent at bluffing, but unfortunately, until he learned the rules of their crazy ass card games and how the trumps worked, he agreed it was a bad idea. One of Lucas¡¯s high school teachers had been fond of saying that Gambling was a tax on those who couldn¡¯t do math.


    Lucas believed that to a point, but he¡¯d told Mr. Harris that since he knew how to count cards, he kinda did know how to do math. The man had not liked that answer, and one day, when he had time, he showed these bumpkins a whole new kind of magic, but for now, it was probably best to stick with bragging and drug dealing, he decided.


    After the dessert of sponge cake and red berry compote, which Lucas noticed could be used as an alchemy ingredient if he wanted to create beauty products, he excused himself to go hit the hay. Danaria wished him a good night, and it seemed like there was more she wanted to say, but after a quick glance at her brother, she decided against it and merely smiled as he left.


    Sweet Red Berries: Beauty 2, Intelligence -1, sweet.


    Adin joined Lucas, of course. The whole way back, he talked about how much they should charge and how pure the product should be to attract the ideal buyer for status reasons, but Lucas tuned him out, wishing the Viscount would stay in his own damn room again and leave the cider house to the low-born trash like him.


    The only reason he didn¡¯t stay in the main house was in case the guards came back unexpectedly again. They would eventually, of course. That was the whole reason he¡¯d gone along with the dwarf¡¯s idea of building an underground lab, which was basically the dream of every meth cook he¡¯d ever known.


    When they returned, Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh had finished their dinner, and the dwarf had long since vialed up the Blue.


    ¡°Did you guys finish digging yet?¡± Lucas asked with a laugh as he opened the door. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Ya, fer today!¡± the dwarf laughed. ¡°It''s gonna take weeks to do this job right, ye know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know,¡± Lucas nodded sadly.


    ¡°I heard ya know how to dance too now, all pretty like,¡± Hura¡¯gh said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Guilty of that too, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Lucas sighed as he watched Adin approaching the neatly arranged vials of Blue the dwarf had laid out. ¡°But truthfully, I¡¯d rather be digging holes with you than¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you think maybe I could have¡­ You know, since I¡¯ve been so helpful today with all your learning,¡± Adin asked as soon as he saw the neat rows of vials. Lucas hadn¡¯t watered down this batch because he¡¯d been planning on bringing a dozen or so vials and charging the nobles a dragon or so each for them to test the waters so he wanted it strong.


    ¡°I feel like that stuff might be a little strong for you,¡± Lucas said as Adin picked up one of the vials and examined its shimmering blue contents. ¡°Maybe you better let me dilute it first.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ this will be more than sufficient, I think,¡± he said with a smile as he walked away from the bench.


    Lucas shrugged. He wanted to help ween the guy off of this shit, but while you could lead a horse to water, you couldn¡¯t make it drown. So if he wanted to¡­


    Just as Lucas was getting ready to brush the whole thing off, he couldn¡¯t help but notice that two vials were missing. The dwarf had lined them up in such neat, orderly rows that noticing that two were missing instead of one from the final row became not just possible but easy.


    Lucas didn¡¯t hate Adin anymore. Hell, most days, the man didn¡¯t even get on his nerves, but this wasn¡¯t something he could let slide for a variety of reasons. It would be the same as catching Kar¡¯gandin stealing from him or the half-orc spying for a rival gang. Such things had to be dealt with.


    He didn¡¯t provide Adin with any warning at all. He just walked up behind him, grabbed him by the hair, and slammed his head against the nearest post, making the man cry out in pain.


    The noble might be a great dancer, but he had no idea how to fight, and he was terrible at defending himself. Even as he began to struggle, and moved his hands to protect his head, Lucas had already switched tacks and was rifling through the pocket where the Viscount had stuffed the drugs.


    When Lucas came up with two vials, he immediately looked at the Viscount in disgust and held them aloft for the other two members of their crew to see before he tripped the noble and pushed him to the ground.


    ¡°Well, what have we here,¡± Kar¡¯Gandin said as he took in the show.


    ¡°I-I can explain,¡± Adin said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to. You¡¯re a junkie. This is why I keep things locked up,¡± Lucas shot back as he turned and walked back toward the counter while the noble scrambled to his feet.


    ¡°I just¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to take them both tonight, I promise,¡± Adin stammered. ¡°I was going to save the other one for tomorrow and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And overdose sometime in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep,¡± Lucas continued, crossing his arms.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry, okay,¡± the noble said, just noticing that he was starting to bleed from a wound near his hairline. ¡°If you just give me the vial, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t giving you shit. Not tonight anyway,¡± Lucas spat. ¡°Maybe in the morning, I¡¯ll give you a healing potion if you seem appropriately remorseful, but blue? Nah. You¡¯re cut off for now.¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± Adin begged. ¡°I need it!¡±


    ¡°Well, you should have thought of that before you¡­¡± Lucas¡¯s words trailed off as soon as he pivoted. He knew what a desperate man like Adin would do, and he was giving the man just enough to hang himself.


    With his back turned, Adin charged immediately. Whether that was to take a shot at Lucas or to just grab for a vial, he¡¯d never know. As soon as the noble got behind him, he jabbed backward with his left elbow, letting Adin¡¯s momentum do all the work as the blow struck his solar plexus and knocked all the air out of him.


    As Adin lay on the dirty floor gasping like a fish on land, Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh both gave him hard looks but said nothing. They knew the drill, he could see it in their eyes. Lucas was tempted to leave it here, but he knew that would be letting Adin off too light. It might make the man hate him, but more than hate, Lucas needed the noble to fear him and the other members of their group to see him as hard enough to be their leader.


    So, he didn¡¯t stop there. Instead, he kicked the noble hard in the ribs, making him curl up into a ball as he cried out in pain.


    ¡°This may be your land, but this is my fucking house, Adin!¡± Lucas roared. ¡°My house, my fucking rules, you got that? If I say you can get a hit, then you can get a hit. If I say you can¡¯t, then you go without.¡±


    The man sobbed and babbled, but Lucas couldn¡¯t make out what he was saying, so he kicked him hard again, this time in the kidneys, and repeated himself. ¡°I said, do you fucking get me?¡± he repeated himself.


    ¡°Ye¡­ yeah, okay. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! But if I could¡­¡± Adin squealed.


    ¡°Get the fuck out of here,¡± Lucas said, giving the man one final kick before pulling him up from the dirty floor by his collar and shoving him toward the door. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping in the barn tonight. Maybe tomorrow, too, until you learn some fucking respect.¡±


    Adin¡¯s face was full of incredulity for a moment, and he turned back, about to say something. However, when he looked at Lucas¡¯s flinty eyes, he closed his mouth again and slunk out the door like a whipped dog.


    When the door slammed shut behind him, Lucas turned back to the other two people in the cider house.


    ¡°Nicely done, lad,¡± the dwarf said after exhaling a cloud of smoke from his pipe. ¡°I knew that he was going to be trouble. Best to close that shaft down before it gets any deeper.¡±


    ¡°Naw, you let him off easy,¡± Hura¡¯gh growled. ¡°I woulda¡¯ broken his hand so that he didn¡¯t forget this night.¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time I¡¯ll have to,¡± Lucas said with a shrug. ¡°For now, at least I¡¯ve given him something to think about.¡±

 Ch. 45 – Day After Day

    That set the tone for the rest of the week. Kar¡¯gandin and most everyone else focused on the laboratory¡¯s expansion. Lucas brewed up a whole pile of mana potions as a side effect of another two batches of Blue, along with whatever random shit he could with what Adin brought him.


    Lucas made a couple more smoke bombs, a potion of truth-telling, a handful of different boosts, including a particularly rough-looking potion of speed he¡¯d made out of the stolen oak service sap, which he had no plans on selling and a few other healing potions that were probably destined to win more hearts and minds for their recruiting in the surrounding villages.


    Noxious Potion of Camouflage: Create 30 cubic feet of choking smoke for 10 seconds. 10% chance of nausea.


    Tainted potion of Speed: Agility 6, poison 1, intelligence -2, unable to sleep for the duration of the effect, 10% chance to hear voices


    When the time came to send the Blue and the mana into the city, though, he delegated that shit. It was kind of unfortunate, honestly, because he actually wanted to go back to the small courtyard and practice some sword fighting as well as get a lay of the land regarding the fallout from their attack on the Blind cash cow. Sadly, he had to focus on his dancing and his table manners, though, which meant that he had to get the play-by-play from Hura¡¯gh every night after dinner.


    While Kar¡¯gandin and the men from Meadowin were digging, he¡¯d been prowling the city streets and asking around about what local talent might be available and what quests might be in the offing. While Lucas wasn¡¯t sure that the dumbest member of their group was the right one to play spy, he and the dwarf were too busy, and right now, no one trusted Adin with more than berry picking, so there simply wasn¡¯t another choice in the matter.


    ¡°Things are heating up. I heard there was another scuffle, just off Dyers lane this time,¡± the half-orc told him when Lucas returned to the cider house after dinner. ¡°An ambush by the Butchers this time. Heard they sliced and diced a Blind underboss this time.¡±


    That was a pretty definitive escalation from the story the half-orc had told them the day before last. That had been the ransacking of a warehouse that had led to a fire and some injuries as the Blind looked for leads on where the Butchers were hiding their drugs, but a fight like this, in the commerce district and in broad daylight?


    Something like that was going to catch the attention of the city watch sooner rather than later. That wasn¡¯t his problem.


    ¡°Sounds intense,¡± Lucas said with a shrug wondering how high the body count from his direction was now. It didn¡¯t matter of course, good people didn¡¯t join the Butchers or the Blind so it didn¡¯t matter what happened to them.


    ¡°It would be more intense if you¡¯d let us get involved and smash a few heads!¡± Hura¡¯gh growled. ¡°They¡¯re both putting out feelers and looking for mercenaries. We could get some coin and make the blood bath that much¡ª¡±


    ¡°Theres no money in killing, not compared to this work right here,¡± the dwarf said readjusting a stack of gold coins so that they jingled musically. There were over a hundred golden discs. That was half a lifetime of wealth to the average farmer, and nearly a decade of work for an honest tradesman, and they¡¯d made it in a week by selling drugs.


    The fact that they¡¯d done it without entangling themselves in any feuds yet made that all the better. Lucas was still worried when the Whisperers would make their displeasure known, but for now, they¡¯d been quiet, which made sense. They tended to avoid direct conflict, so as long as the Butchers were hacking people up in the streets, they¡¯d maintain a pretty low profile.


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of money to be made in killing,¡± Hura¡¯gh countered. ¡°Ya kill the right people, and you get to take their shit, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And then they kill ye and take yers, and nothing was gained by anyone,¡± the dwarf continued.


    Before Hura¡¯gh could open his mouth and loudly disagree, Lucas butted in. ¡°There will be plenty of time for killing, and territory and all the rest, but we aren¡¯t even a gang yet, not really. We¡¯re just a couple of guys with a product worth paying for.¡±


    ¡°If any of those other prickless sons of bitches tried to come at us¡­¡± Hura¡¯gh growled.


    ¡°Then we¡¯d die on our feet, but we¡¯d still die,¡± Lucas said with a shake of his head. ¡°Think about it. The Brass Knights are so big because almost an entire quarter of the city pays them a few kings or dragons a month to keep the peace. That kind of payroll buys dozens of toughs and, in a pinch, hundreds of mercenaries. It¡¯s going to take time to match that, but we¡¯ll get there.¡±


    They spent hours that night debating how long it would take to get there. Topics ranged from recruiting local talent to hiring expeditions to go kill more goblins for them. What they didn¡¯t discuss was how they could pit more gangs above them against each other for a bigger slice of the pie. Lucas didn¡¯t have a good answer to that yet, but if they were really going to carve something out of this city for themselves, it was something they¡¯d have to do eventually.


    Through all that, Adin alternated between skulking around like a whipped hound and trying to ingratiate himself for another hit of Blue. The man¡¯s pride never allowed him to deliver a real apology without the threat of violence, but he did mostly behave himself, and he worked harder than usual.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    What he didn¡¯t do was show up to any of the dancing sessions that Lucas was forced to attend. As a result, Gerwin had to take his place, Which prompted Danaria to ask if something had happened, but Lucas just played it off. ¡°There¡¯s just a lot going on,¡± he told her. ¡°Your brother¡­ he¡¯s a pretty dedicated guy, and right now, there¡¯s a lot of ingredients that need gathering, you know?¡±


    ¡°Well, where did he get the bruises from?¡± Danaira asked. ¡°Adin might claim to be quite handy with a sword, but¡­ he¡¯s yet to be on the winning side of a single duel.¡±


    ¡°Well, the forest is a rough place, but he¡¯s been fine so far,¡± Lucas assured her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it too much. It will toughen him up.¡±


    She seemed unconvinced but dropped the subject. Lucas was grateful for a moment, but after that, she tangented to asking him why they were always creating mana potions instead of healing potions that people desperately needed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been distributing some among the people, and truthfully, Meadowin seems healthier and more productive than it has in years,¡± she told him during their next break, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that take the highest priority?¡±


    ¡°In time, perhaps,¡± Lucas lied. ¡°It''s nice to do good, but we¡¯ve got money to make too, and mages¡­ well, they pay top dollar.¡±


    ¡°Top dollar?¡± she asked in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a saying from my homeland,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Plus, you have to think about it. Some ingredients are rarer than others, so we need to make what we can find.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you plant more of the herbs you need then?¡± she asked. ¡°Would that not be easier than finding them?¡±


    Lucas fed her a line of bullshit on that about very specific growing conditions and the potency of wild plants, but even after they finished dancing, the thought about making a more serious attempt at a herb garden or harvestable plantation lingered long after he stopped thinking about how pretty Danaria had been in her frilled baby blue dress.


    A couple days later, when he told the boys about the idea, Kar¡¯gandin and Adin both thought it was a good idea. ¡°If we¡¯re recruiting so many farmers, then we might as well get some farmin¡¯ out of them!¡± had been the eloquent way he¡¯d put it, and Lucas found it hard to disagree with. After all, they had a whole decaying orchard and a few fallow fields around their little drug lab.


    Surely something could be done with that, couldn¡¯t it? He wondered.


    The answer turned out to be, unsurprisingly, yes. For a few coppers each, they were able to hire dozens of young men from the village to start clearing land and burning brush, and Lucas had Adin start gleaning seeds for the different plants they would need most. They would make the whole area appear like an apple orchard, but all of the dead apple trees would be cut down for firewood and replaced with rosewood trees.


    ¡°Won¡¯t those take years to grow, though?¡± Adin had asked as Lucas mapped out the property and planned out what they could do with it. ¡°I¡¯m all for generating more legitimate income for my house, but surely so many non-fruit bearing trees even after they grow large enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s why we¡¯re growing them inside the apple grove; I don¡¯t exactly want to hang a sign on our front door that says, ¡®These guys are making healing potions,¡¯ now do I?¡±


    ¡°But it will still be years,¡± Adin insisted, cleaving to the main thrust of his argument. ¡°Surely there are better things to do with our time than¡­¡±


    ¡°One, hiring a few boys to clear brush just strengthens our cover about your house getting back on its feet and costs us almost nothing,¡± Lucas said sharply, holding out a finger for each point he listed off. ¡°Two, it doesn¡¯t matter if it doesn¡¯t help us today because tomorrow always gets here sooner than you think, and three, magic can work on plants, too.¡±


    After he finished his third point, he dug out his journal and flipped through the pages. Then, when he found what he was looking for, he handed it to Adin. He¡¯d long since lost his paranoia about people stealing his secrets when he realized one key fact: the people of this world could no more read English than he could read Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s dwarvish ledgers. It was essentially his very own secret language.


    ¡°What is it I¡¯m supposed to see here?¡± Adin asked dismissively.


    ¡°It says, serum of plant growth, and I¡¯ve never tried it, but when I found it by accident while I was trying to turn bonemeal and red clover into a potion of endurance,¡± Lucas told the noble. ¡°That didn¡¯t work, but this might.¡±


    ¡°Potions for people, potions for sale, and potions for plants,¡± Adin said with a laugh. ¡°Is there anything you don¡¯t have a potion for?¡±


    For getting you to shut the fuck up, Lucas thought, but he didn¡¯t say it. He could see looks of resentment that the noble gave him sometimes, and unless Lucas planned on getting rid of the man, it wasn¡¯t wise to antagonize him more than he had to.


    Instead, he just said, ¡°You know, better living though modern chemistry, right?¡± Adin nodded like that made any sense, which was silly, since the man was anything but modern, and had no idea what chemistry was.


    So, that became one more element in their increasingly convoluted plan. At least everyone assumed he had a plan. Kar¡¯gandin talked at length about the extra money they could make selling a few thousand more healing potions a year. Hura¡¯gh insisted they¡¯d need most of them for the gang wars to come and that no one would be able to stand against them, while Adin argued that Lucas should experiment with drugs like Dragon¡¯s Blood.


    The last thing that they needed was to make more poison, but honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure what the best use for these resources would be when it reached fruition. The only reason that he didn¡¯t include Blue ingredients in this initial plan was because he didn¡¯t want to spell out what they were to everyone just yet.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d be used for fighting or for cash flow. That didn¡¯t matter. All that did was that he wasn¡¯t going to put any new poison out on the streets. Blue was enough for now. He could do better than that going forward.

 Ch. 46 - Dressed to Kill

    That simple rhythm continued for the next half week before Danaria sent one of her ladies to inform him that they would be going to town after lunch so that he could try on and pick up his new clothes for the upcoming party. That suited Lucas just fine, he¡¯d been doing the same thing for so many days in a row that he felt like he was starting to get stuck in a rut.


    Every morning he¡¯d cook until the sound of digging and construction got too obnoxious. Then, he¡¯d walk the orchard, look at the progress their hired hands were making. After that, Lucas would gather herbs and other reagents until it was time for Gerwin and Danaria to make him feel like he was the clumsy old man instead of the other way around.


    The only difference lately was the different kinds of healing potions he was making when they came in. Bear grease would turn a common potion into a healing salve, and boiled turnip greens would make a healing potion that helped the digestive system.


    Tainted Lesser Healing salve (3 doses): Lesser healing, poison 1, endurance 1, 50% more effective against skin ailments.


    Tainted Lesser Healing Digestive (2 doses): Lesser healing, poison 1, endurance 1, 50% more effective against stomach ailments and food poisoning.


    There were limitless combinations, and someday, he hoped to find the right combination that would grant a bonus to all traumatic injuries, but to date, he hadn¡¯t found that little wrinkle just yet. All he needed was ingredients and time. The most recent ingredient to catch his eye had been the pulverized wings of the stinging dragonfly.


    The iridescent wings were surprisingly powerful, and while they might strengthen a potion of true sight, he was fairly sure that they could boost a healing potion in that direction too. There were more than enough people in the nearby villages with eye problems.


    Iridescent Dragonfly wings(pulverized): Perception 4, agility 1, poison 1


    It wasn¡¯t a bad way to spend his days, and honestly, they were making money hand over fist. Between the potions that Kar¡¯gandin was selling to his cousin and the drugs that were being bought once or twice a week, the coins were coming in like a river. It had gotten to the point where the dwarf had purchased a large, iron-bound strong box and a stout lock to hold their increasing gains.


    He¡¯d explained his Byzantine accounting system more than once to Lucas, but he wasn¡¯t really concerned. Items that were to be used by the gang were deducted evenly from the four of them. That included not just reagents and other materials like glass vials, but also wages for their growing workers and hangers-on, along with provisions and other things. Still, all of that was only a few dragons a week, and they were making a lot more than that.


    Lucas probably should have argued for a double share early on, but he had no wish to walk down that road. Right now, every member of the group, with the possible exception of Adin, was providing a valuable service, and this wouldn¡¯t have worked without everyone, so the last thing he wanted to do was start nickel-and-dimeing everyone. He hadn¡¯t actually spent a single silver on anything fun since this had all started, either, but he wasn¡¯t too put out by it.


    He was patient, and in addition to the thirty-seven dragons and change he¡¯d buried at the fence line, Kar¡¯gandin told him he had twenty-four dragons and twelve kings to his name in the treasury. It wasn¡¯t bad. In less than a month, he¡¯d collected more than ten percent of what he¡¯d need to build a nice tavern. That might seem like a long time, but he was going to have to decide on a name, and he didn¡¯t think that the residents of Lordanin would get it if he called the place South of the Border.


    The trip into town was anything but eventful. It was a hot, sunny day, so Danaria brought a deep violet parasol that matched her outfit. Lucas doubted he could afford to replace her closet even if he spent every last dragon he had. Not only was each piece tailored to her, but the fabric was obviously pricey. It was more expensive than anything he¡¯d ever worn but far from the most expensive thing he¡¯d seen noblewomen wearing around town.


    The real difference was that the men of Lordanin, even the noblemen, wore fairly simple outfits. It was only for women and bards to dress up like exotic birds, and colors cost money.


    I wonder if we could start a dye business up on the side, he wondered to himself as Danaria made pleasant conversation with him about the weather and how Meadowin was flourishing.


    Dying was hardly the next order of business, though. Not unless he wanted to find a new way to smuggle drugs. What they really needed was a glassblower to their unlimited demand, and eventually a blacksmith devoted to making them weapons and armor.


    Every few days Adin brought home someone else that lived in his holdings or was related to someone who did that was eager to join up, and at the point the only thing they¡¯d spent more money on than Lucas¡¯ clothing were weapons and armor for the new recruits.


    It was honestly getting expensive and gave Lucas a lot more sympathy for assholes like the Prince, and his dad, the King. They had to arm and armor thousands of soldiers. Lucas would have to sell an awful lot of Blue to make that happen, but then he¡¯d need an awful lot of enemies to justify such a ridiculous expense.


    Well, I have a lot of enemies already, he thought as he exited the carriage. They just don¡¯t know who I am or where to find me, and I aim to keep it that way.


    They stopped by the cobbler first and found everything finished. Lucas changed his boots on the spot, finding the new ones to be much more comfortable than the old pair. The other shoes were fine too, of course, but he wasn¡¯t really into the whole shiny-black-leather-with-giant-silver-buckles look that the nobility tended to favor. Air Jordan¡¯s they were not, and he was sure that much like fashions regarding women¡¯s hats, the less functional something was, the more fashionable that made it.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°You want me to repair those too, your Highness, or¡ª¡± the cobbler snarked.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Lucas shot back, ¡°Those are my ass-kicking boots, and I¡¯ll still need them when I need to kick a little ass now and then.¡±


    That got a laugh out of the man, though Danaria was aghast at the whole exchange. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that Finnegan would persist in being so rude with you and that you would return that rudeness. Really, Lucas, a Parin is better than that. You must¡ª¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± he said, ¡°But your cobbler is a no nonsense dude, and he likes a little no nonsense in return. That¡¯s all. Its a guy thing.¡±


    ¡°I assure you that women can be rude too,¡± she said as they walked to the carriage to deposit their purchases before returning to the tailor.


    ¡°Women, sure?¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°They can be b¡­ a bit rude sometimes, you though, probably not.¡±


    ¡°You know not of which you speak!¡± she laughed, ¡°Mister Sharpe, I can assure you that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Perin,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°Lucas Perin. Your cousin and you shouldn¡¯t forget it.¡±


    After that little exchange and a small fit of giggles on Danaria¡¯s part, at how she¡¯d let their little lie slip, he opened the door and they both went inside. The tailor¡¯s shop was little changed, except for the fact that this time Mister Twill¡¯s daughter was working away on pinning a dress on a manaquin in the corner instead of coughing in the back room.


    The girl brightened immediately as she saw Danaria, who immediately went over to join her. Lucas ignored them and walked up to the tailor instead.


    ¡°Glad to see everyone is doing better,¡± he said, shaking the older man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Much, and I must thank you again for¡ª¡± Mister Twill started to say, but Lucas cut him off.


    ¡°I told you not to mention it, and I meant it,¡± Lucas said, adding a touch of severity to his false snobbery. ¡°Now tell me, how much of my order have you had a chance to finish? There¡¯s a ball coming up, and I simply must attend.¡±


    ¡°Why, all of them, I think. A few might need alterations after we check the fit, but first, ladies¡­ if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    The women caught the man¡¯s drift and went outside, leaving the two of them alone. In the real world, Lucas could be assured that if one size L fit him, then all the others probably would, too. Here, though, everything was handcrafted, and just because the left shoe fit, there was no guarantee that the right would do the same.


    So, Lucas spent the next half hour trying on the piles of clothing, which was thoroughly and utterly dull. In the end, everything fit just right, and the only keen eyes of the tailor noticed the few problems that existed. He even pointed out a number of small pockets that he¡¯d sewn into jackets and the sleeves since, as he put it, Lucas ¡®struck him as a man that placed a great deal of priority of discretion.¡¯


    Whether he was referring to Lucas¡¯s nighttime potion delivery, or other rumors about him, Lucas couldn¡¯t say. He didn¡¯t ask, though. Some things were better left unsaid.


    In the end, Mister Twill held back only one of the shirts because a button wasn¡¯t quite where he wanted it and a pair of pants because it was hemmed just a little too low. Otherwise, they were basically perfect. With a fresh shave and a little attitude, no one would have any idea about his humble beginnings when he put on one of these suits. Hell, looking at himself in the mirror now he barely recognized himself.


    ¡°Excellent work, Mister Twill,¡± Lucas said with a smile. ¡°If I have any need for more outfits, you¡¯ll be the first person I call.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very kind,¡± the tailor said with a very slight bow.


    ¡°I did hear a very interesting rumor about you from my cousin,¡± Lucas said finally. He¡¯d meant to work this into small talk earlier, but the man had been all business, so he¡¯d never found the time. ¡°He mentioned that you might have a wild talent.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not such a rare thing,¡± Mister Twill said with a shrug. ¡°Half a dozen people in the village have them, and probably hundreds in Lordanin proper.¡±


    ¡°Could I see it?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Just a little demonstration? I¡¯m a sucker when it comes to magic.¡±


    The old man smiled thinly but didn¡¯t say no. Instead, he reached out into thin air, and with a little concentration, the silver flash of a small bit of metal flew across the room. It soared quicker than he could see, and Lucas could only make out the slender metallic glint before a needle appeared in the tailor¡¯s hand.


    Mister Twill smiled, and then, taking careful aim, he threw it at the counter a dozen feet away, where it embedded. Lucas was about to praise him for the trick, but as he opened his mouth, another needle, and another, and another flew to join the first. In the space of seconds, two dozen needles flew across the room, and all of them embedded in the same spot, one after the other. By the end of that demonstration, that spot of wood was a veritable pincushion.


    ¡°Very impressive,¡± Lucas said, louder than he meant to as he clapped. ¡°If you could do that with daggers or even nails, then you¡¯d be a fearsome assassin indeed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± the old tailor said. ¡°It¡¯s just a parlor trick and nothing more. It doesn¡¯t work on anything heavier than that. Even a silver king is much too heavy for me to move, but for something truly tiny, like a needle or a small button¡­ well, I can do whatever I like within reason.¡±


    The two of them chatted a little more about wild talents. Mister Twill was apparently among the minority of people who believed that everyone probably had one; it was just that most never figured out what theirs was.


    It was an interesting thought, and it gave Lucas something to think about on the ride home as he fended off Danaria¡¯s compliments on the ride home. ¡°Why, with a little powder, one might never know you weren¡¯t born a Parin to begin with,¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing makeup,¡± Lucas growled.


    ¡°Well, Then you¡¯ll be the only one,¡± she giggled. ¡°Welcome to the upper classes, where no one is what they seem, and everyone is out to get you.¡±

 Ch. 47 - Party Time

    That night, after Gerwin helped Lucas get dressed in his newly obtained finery. At Adin¡¯s suggestion Lucas had gone with the black suit and the ruffled cravat. Lucas didn¡¯t care for the lace cuffs around his wrists, or the way the pants flared around his boots. It made him feel like a sort of well dressed hippie pirate, but Adin assured him that this was indeed the height of fashion for men right now.


    Men didn¡¯t seem to get to wear much color in this society, and Gerwin laughed when Lucas mentioned that he might want to get something that would stand out a little more next time. ¡°You know, red, or maybe blue,¡± Lucas said, looking at himself in the mirror, ¡°You know, something flashy.¡±


    Gerwin chuckled and added, ¡°That might leave some of the partygoers wondering if you were there for the men or the women, sir.¡±


    ¡°Neither, obviously,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°I¡¯m just there for the booze and the coins.¡±


    Ever since he¡¯d paid the old man for the shirt he¡¯d wrecked, they¡¯d largely been on good terms. Lucas wasn¡¯t sure if that was because he was bringing money into the estate on a regular basis or if it was because he mostly kept to himself, but it was probably a bit of both since he really only seemed to care about how Danaria came out in all this.


    After that, Lucas went out to the cider house to decide how best to take what he needed to take with him. He chose to travel light. Adin loaned him an ivory-hilted dagger, which was all he would have as far as weapons went, though he doubted he¡¯d need one. If he got into a fight at a garden party.


    That suited him fine. It just left more room for potions.


    This time, he opted not to bring much with him in the way of protective potions. While Hura¡¯gh mocked him for looking like a stranger, Lucas settled for a Potion of Clear Thinking in case he needed an edge and a smoke bomb in case it all went to shit, along with the healing potion he almost always carried on him.


    Noxious Potion of Camouflage (1 use): Create 30 cubic feet of choking smoke for 10 seconds. 10% chance of nausea.


    Tainted Potion of Clear Thinking (1 dose): Intelligence 3, perception 3, poison 2, 50% chance to cause a nasty headache when the world becomes too clear.


    Tincture of Healing (1 doses): Light healing, euphoria 1, poison 1, endurance +1.


    He couldn¡¯t justify more than that, though. Even carrying three took up nearly a third of his space, just left him 7 vials of blue. Adin suggested that he just fill up a flask and parcel it out that way, but Lucas didn¡¯t like the idea of a bunch of people getting high and passing out at the party and causing a scene.


    He didn¡¯t want to leave an opium den in his wake, and presumably, if he left the men and women he was about to meet with no way to take it home with them, they would try it on the spot.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (pure) (1 dose): Euphoria 7, poison 2, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 170% for 1 hour.


    So, instead, he split the baby and brought a small satchel that he¡¯d leave in the carriage. That way, he could re-up as necessary without clinking around the party like a junk salesman. The ruffles and folds were good for that, at least. They hid the lines and bulges of all the little extras he was carrying.


    Once Lucas moved and flexed to make sure that nothing was likely to fall or slip he finally pronounced, ¡°Don¡¯t wait up guys, I¡¯m going to knock em dead tonight!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that laddie,¡± the dwarf smiled, ¡°Those are payin customers, we want em alive!¡±


    It took a minute to realize that Kar¡¯gandin was being sarcastic, but that just put a smile on Lucas¡¯s face. He spent several minutes waiting in the foyer for Danaira after that, and when she finally descended, he was left nearly open-mouthed at how pretty she was.


    Danaria was always lovely. She was a sweet young woman in her early twenties with a slender body and blond hair. Back on earth all of that would have been ruined by endless Instagram attention, but here she was a hothouse flower that had been sheltered from the travails of the world by her brother and her servants, so her kindness only amplified that.


    Tonight, though, neither her kindness nor her sweetness entered the equation. Instead both were overwhelmed by the diaphanous pink dress that she wore, exposing just a hint of decolletage. It was pretty tame by earth standards, but it bordered on risque in fantasy land, and she walked slowly down the stairs, holding her skirts up just high enough to reveal her slippers, as she walked unsteadily down the stairs.


    ¡°Well, I ¡­ Wow, just wow. That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to say on the subject,¡± Lucas said with a smile as she reached the bottom of the stairs. ¡°You look great, Danny, just¡­ the guys at this party aren¡¯t gonna know what hit ¡®em.¡±


    She blushed at the compliment and stood there silently for a moment. He was sure that he was supposed to complement her heavy earrings, or her pearl neckless, or some other detail, but as he searched for the answer, he finally noticed that she¡¯d extended her gloved hand for him to kiss.


    He did so, making her blush a second time, and the silence lingered a moment longer before she managed to squeak, ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re too kind, Lucas.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Gerwin brought her a light gray shawl that went well with her outfit, covered up her exposed shoulders, and gave Lucas a warning look. After that, the two of them were off.


    The butler didn¡¯t need to do that, of course. Lucas was well aware of how pretty and interested Miss Parin was and had no intention of going there. Never shit where you live, he reminded himself while he helped her into the carriage.


    Unlike their quick trips to Meadowin, this ride was going to be a lot longer. The VanDavin estate was almost as far from the north gate as the Parin Manse was from the east gate, and as a result the two of them would be riding together for almost half an hour each way.


    That wasn¡¯t a problem. He didn¡¯t mind spending time with Danaria at all, even if she looked and smelled nicer than usual. Despite his best intentions, it was impossible not to flirt back with her at least a little, and it was with some relief that he welcomed the topic change to potions, at least initially.


    ¡°This is less pleasure than business anyway, at least for me,¡± Lucas told her absentmindedly. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stand around and look pretty and have fun while I do that, though.¡±


    ¡°Adin mentioned that to me,¡± she agreed. ¡°I could help you know, I don¡¯t know a lot about mana potions, but I could spread the word and¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best that you don¡¯t,¡± Lucas said, mentally cursing Adin¡¯s name. Lucas had been very clear with the man to leave his sister out of anything even remotely drug-related, but it would seem he couldn¡¯t help himself.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want my help?¡± she asked, sounding a little hurt.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Lucas answered quickly. ¡°You¡¯ve been very helpful so far. I couldn¡¯t have gotten these clothes together or learned to dance half so quickly without your help. I just¡­ These, uhmmm, mana potions aren¡¯t exactly sanctioned by the Alchemist¡¯s Guild and are pretty illegal, and I don¡¯t want you getting in trouble if something goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said finally.


    He was glad she did because he didn¡¯t. The idea that he could somehow shelter her from things going wrong was pretty laughable, and he half expected her to throw that in his face. He was cooking in her backyard, her brother was his lackey, and he was using her goddamn family name. If there was blow back, it was heading straight for her and everyone she cared about, so asking her to stay out of it at this point was kind of ridiculous.


    His real fear wasn¡¯t that, though. It was that she¡¯d get curious and end up in the same spot as her brother. The very last thing he wanted to do was hook such a kind soul, it was like murdering a butterfly with ether, and much of what made her wonderful would be replaced with a grasping goblin-adjacent junkie willing to do anything for her next fix.


    Lucas knew a number of dealers who had been eager for those sorts of arrangements with pretty young women, but that had never been his thing. Honestly, he thought it was a little creepy.


    As the moment stretched into an uncomfortable silence, he decided to level with her, but only a little bit. ¡°You see, Danny,¡± he told her, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Mana potions are in high demand amongst mages and even some wild talents, but they¡¯re¡­ well, they¡¯re not good for you. They¡¯re sort of like a poison.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re poisonous, then why are you selling them?¡± she asked, aghast at the prospect.


    ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t poisonous for the people that use them all the time, just for people like you and me that don¡¯t,¡± Lucas clarified. ¡°And the people that use them, they can get desperate, so you need to stay well clear of both the mana potions and their users, you understand?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so sweet!¡± Danaria said, hugging him, unexpectedly. ¡°Always thinking of other people. I don¡¯t know what my brother and I would do without you and your other friends, I really don¡¯t.¡±


    Well, friends might be a little much, he thought to himself, before he said, ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± instead.


    After that, he managed to veer the conversation into safer territories, and before he knew it, the two of them had arrived at the estate. Of course, he saw the large manor coming up well before they arrived. The VanDavins were apparently much better off than the Parins and their four-story manor dominated the countryside for some distance.


    The grounds were almost as nice, though. The gates were flanked by twenty foot tall topiaries that had been grown to resemble giant horses, and the long gravel drive gave them plenty of time to examine the gathered crowds as well as the paper lantern-lit glower gardens.


    All in all it was very impressive, but as they disembarked their carriage and the driver left them to wait on the far side of the manor, Lucas focused on the details. Nearly everyone had a glass of wine in their hand, and more than a few were drunk already. This was a target rich environment as far as he was concerned, and he would have rubbed his hands together in anticipation if he wasn¡¯t trying to play it cool.


    For the first half hour, Lucas stayed close to Danaria while she made introductions, and he met all the right people. This was one of the few things that Adin would have done a better job with. In her mind the right people meant the rich and powerful, but actually the people he really needed to be talking to were the men with deep pockets and sallow complexions. He needed to be talking to anyone that Adin might have considered a friend.


    Still, he endured. He met their hosts, Mr and Mrs VanDavin along with two of their daughters and one of their sons. They were gracious enough, but it was clear that they considered the Parin¡¯s beneath them, and that Danaria had been invited as some sort of courtesy.


    After that, the opening act of the party was a blur as he was bombarded with the faces and names of well-dressed strangers. He struggled to remember any of them, but it was a losing battle. He met not one but two retired field marshals, which struck Lucas as funny because Lordanin had hardly any army to speak of. He also met three dukes, four viscounts, half a dozen heirs and heiresses, and one duchess in a sea foam green dress that was at least a decade older than him that gave him a particularly hungry look that left him no illusions about how much better she wanted to get to know him as she asked about his adventures in far off places.


    Lucas endured all of that with as much grace as he could muster, even though he could already feel his social battery beginning to wane, before he managed to break away from Danaria to go spend some time with the men, ¡°Just stay with your friends here, and I¡¯ll be back in a little bit. I¡¯ve got some business to take care of.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you want to dance with me first?¡± Danaria asked sweetly.


    ¡°Later,¡± he promised. ¡°After I¡¯ve had a couple drinks.¡±

 Ch. 48 - Party Time (part 2)

    Lucas endured a veritable feeding frenzy of introductions and glad-handing as he made his way from the crowded area among the refreshments in the rose garden to the smaller clusters of men and women that were occurring toward the outer edge of the party. As he moved he looked for a likely group or two to get to know better, but most of these knots seemed to contain either men and women that were simply socializing or couples that were sneaking off for a tryst in the hedge maze or somewhere behind the fountains. It took almost ten minutes before he finally smelled something stronger than pipeweed.


    He followed his nose to an alcove that prominently featured the statue of some hero he didn¡¯t recognize. This far from the party proper, he could still hear the music beneath the dull roar of conversation. There were a few paper lanterns even here, done in the checked red and white of house VanDaven, but Lucas didn¡¯t need them to find what he was looking for. He knew what he¡¯d find as soon as he smelled the dank they were passing between them.


    The smell was almost as familiar as the people. It wasn¡¯t so different from weed on earth, and though it was considered an elven drug here, plenty of humans partook. These humans weren¡¯t so different from the potheads he¡¯d known his whole life. Even before introductions were complete, he¡¯d had most of them pegged. They were second sons, disappointments, and burn-outs, the lot of them.


    So Lucas put on his best smile and started making friends, agreeing with every aggrieved statement and passive-aggressive complaint someone offered in his general direction. The only thing he didn¡¯t do was hit the pipe of dank too hard. Oh, he looked like he did each time it came around the circle, but he could smell the pixie dust that someone had laced this shit with, so he pulled a Clinton and only pretended to get blazed.


    Not that anyone was the wiser. Most of this lot was too wrapped up in themselves to see much else, which made them the perfect customers as far as Lucas was concerned. So, he listened to everyone else''s complaints while he pretended to have a good time. Lord Barwin thought that there weren¡¯t enough attractive, eligible women at the party and would have much rather been carousing the red-light district. Baronet Melek agreed, but only because he was getting married soon.


    ¡°Pfa, there are more important things than women,¡± Lord Corrin, sighed. When he was harassed by his friends about what a terrible opinion that was, his only answer was, ¡°I¡¯d trade every woman in my family for one more hit of dusk.¡±


    ¡°Dusk, huh?¡± Lucas said, finding his opening. ¡°I heard that was a thing here. Burned through Esterbrock a few years ago before people got tired of it. I remember it being okay, but it¡¯s just like Mister¡­ I mean Lord Barwin¡¯s complaint about the girls at this party. There are better choices out there.¡±


    That got a few laughs, but they only held off the inevitable questions. Was he really from somewhere so far away? Why would he travel all the way to Lordanin? If he didn¡¯t think Dusk was that good, what was his drug of choice?


    Each of the questions was predictable, and he fended them off in a predictable way. ¡°Why, I¡¯ve come to Lordanin to help my lovely cousin right the ship ever since¡­ well, you know,¡± Lucas said, happy to throw Adin under the bus for a few laughs and a little street cred.


    There were a couple comments about just how lovely Danaria was, and for a second Lucas felt the urge to throttle the man that had said it, but he mastered the urge and instead pretended that he didn¡¯t hear it before continuing. ¡°As to my drug of choice, well, that would have to be an abiding lust for life.¡±


    Lucas waited a moment for the groans before he pretended to burst out laughing at his own bad joke. ¡°Seriously, though, these days, besides a little dank to help me sleep, I don¡¯t touch anything but Blue, I mean, what would be the point?¡±


    ¡°Blue?¡± Lord Barwin asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    A few others murmured similar questions, but Lord Corrin said. ¡°Yeah, well, good luck with that here. I haven¡¯t seen any of it for sale in the city for weeks now. Like Dusk, it¡¯s gone. Whoever used to make it closed up shop and¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as Lucas produced a vial as if by magic and held it aloft for all to see. ¡°Supplies in Lordanin have been tight,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°But I¡¯ve made my money through trades and traders captains, so I have a pretty good sense of who might be carrying what after I hear where they¡¯ve come from.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you could introduce me then,¡± Lord Corrin said, ¡°I¡¯m always interested in making new friends.¡±


    ¡°And Captain Welgin would love to make new friends, I¡¯m sure,¡± Lucas said, making up a name. ¡°Sadly, he¡¯ll be at sea for half a year or longer before he comes back, but I¡¯m sure, given enough time, someone new will pop in with some fresh supply.¡±


    As Lucas finished speaking he tucked the vial back away in his suit watching Lord Corrin¡¯s hungry eyes follow blue vial until it disappeared. ¡°Do you think that maybe¡­¡± the young noble said, trying to figure out the right way to get his fix. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Lucas had to pretend not to notice, of course, as prepared to move on to other topics and instead listened as another young noble who was pretending to be a tough guy explained why Demon¡¯s Blood was the superior high. It was impossible to pretend to be tough while wearing a crushed velvet doublet or shoes with tips that curved upwards like something out of Santa¡¯s workshop, of course, but the man was too young to know that.


    ¡°Oh, did you want to buy a dose or two?¡± Lucas said absent-mindedly as if he¡¯d only just noticed the man¡¯s pathetic expression.


    ¡°I mean, if you have some to spare, I¡¯ve only a few dragons on me, but if that¡¯s not enough, surely I can ask one of my brothers for¡­¡± The little lord kept talking, but Lucas stopped listening.


    He couldn¡¯t hear anyone over the sound of the dollar signs. Dragons. Plural? He¡¯d always suspected that he¡¯d been able to get more money from the upper class if he could find an in, but a two hundred, three hundred, or even five hundred percent increase seemed like a big step.


    Suddenly, he wished he¡¯d boiled down his last batch to make it even purer. If these dilettantes could afford to throw away such sums on a high, then he should have done everything he could to hook them for life.


    The twinge of regret that followed that thought was small and passed quickly as Lucas leaned forward and smiled. ¡°I think if you consider the cost and the effort that it took to obtain these little vials, you¡¯ll find that three dragons are more than fair.¡±


    For a moment, it looked like Lord Corrin was about to haggle as indecision warred on his face, but when one of his friends said, ¡°Now, just a minute. Three gold coins for any vial seems a bit steep, don¡¯t you think. Surely¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Hells, I¡¯ll take two if you have them,¡± Lord Corrin interrupted, quickly pulling out his coin purse.


    It was his eagerness that sold everyone else. A moment ago, there had been a mass of skepticism. Now, though, everyone wanted a taste, and why wouldn¡¯t they. Any of their outfits certainly cost more than the entire wardrobe of clothing that Lucas had just obtained.


    The first five actually sold instantaneously, and when it was revealed that he only had two left on him, the bidding war the followed instantly pushed that price to five dragons a pop. Just like that, he¡¯d made twenty-five dragons off of Blue, which was worth perhaps two dragons in his mind.


    He smiled as he made his apologies. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all I have to spare just now, but when I make my way back to my valet, I might have more. I believe I left a dose or two with him just in case, so check back in with me later.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t cut and run after that. He hung around for another twenty minutes, making friends and telling ridiculous stories about his adventures to ingratiate himself with these guys, and it was only when their pipe was out, and their glasses were empty that he found other people to schmooze with, well, at least that¡¯s what he did after he picked his way to his coach and restocked his vials. He also had to empty his coin purse out, though he did that by ripping a hole in one of the cushions and stuffing it discreetly in there.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need to get a lock box for the god-damned coach,¡± he mumbled to himself.


    Sadly, he didn¡¯t have one, and he felt kinda dumb just leaving so much gold barely hidden like that. So he did the next best thing and paid his driver five silver kings to guard the carriage with his life. It seemed to be a reasonable middle ground.


    At least until an hour later, when he had to come back a second time to dump more gold and pick up his last five vials of Blue. Then he upped his offer to the coachman to a full dragon. ¡°If you try to take my shit and run,¡± Lucas cautioned, ¡°you will live only long enough to regret it.¡±


    The young man was a long time servant of the Parin¡¯s, and only too happy to get paid to sit there. Word had spread, and people were interested in buying what Lucas was interested in selling. He even sold out his last five vials by the time Danaria finally tracked him down and forced him to the dance floor.


    ¡°Lucas, I can¡¯t believe you left me standing there for almost two hours with those women!¡± she hissed as she took him by the hand and led him to the carpeted dance floor where people were forming up for what looked to be a line dance, though he was no expert in these things.


    ¡°I told you what I¡¯d be doing tonight,¡± he whispered back, ¡°and what¡¯s wrong with those women anyway?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t shut up about you, that¡¯s what!¡± she murmured as they took position near the far left side and waited for the band to come back from a short break.


    ¡°Listen, there¡¯s plenty of handsome guys here,¡± Lucas started to say, ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, not that,¡± she said softly, trying not to laugh. He didn¡¯t blame her even though it stung a little bit. He was far from handsome. ¡°About your reputation, and my brother and everything else. When it comes to the noble women of Lordanin, anything gossip-worthy turns them into a pit of vipers, and I¡¯ve been fending them off all night.¡±


    That¡¯s hardly unique to Lordanin, or even this world, Lucas though ruefully. He didn¡¯t say that though. He didn¡¯t even think about telling her that she might have had a little too much to drink and was coming dangerously close to slurring her words.


    Instead, he opened his mouth to offer a clever apology and tell her how successful his night was, but as soon as he did so, his words were lost to the music, and he had to suppress a sigh. He couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. He was finally going to have to dance and try not to embarrass himself in public.

 Ch. 49 - Party Time (part 3)

    It turned out that dancing was harder in public, with strangers, than it was in private with a few people you knew well, but Lucas managed. That wasn¡¯t because he did well, of course, but because by this point in the night, there were more than a few people who were getting close to sloppy drunk.


    On another night, Lucas might have joined them, but this evening, he¡¯d been much too busy making cash hand over fist to be anything more than a social drinker. At least here on the dance floor, he wasn¡¯t being pestered by anyone else looking for a fix.


    Who was going to notice Lucas¡¯s missteps or his imprecise hand gestures when old Baronette Ruthrin had to leave the floor to vomit, or the Lady of Classton moved a bit too quickly, and her loosened corset didn¡¯t quite follow, leading to an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction for the poor widow.


    These things were apparently not uncommon at this stage of these parties, though, because everyone seemed to take them in stride. Even the Prince of Lordanin laughed as he moved by Lucas on the dance floor. The heir to the kingdom didn¡¯t even look twice at Lucas as he glided past. He was much too busy checking out the eligible young ladies.


    That¡¯s my nemesis? Lucas thought after his brief chance to finally study the man. He seemed like a pompous, venal fuckboy, which he almost certainly was.


    That put things into better perspective for Lucas. Clearly, the Prince wasn¡¯t the threat that he¡¯d thought he was. Which meant what? Did he have a canny captain of the guard? Maybe a particularly cutthroat adviser?


    It certainly wasn¡¯t the King himself. Everyone knew that the old man was just clinging to life and being made comfortable. In a land of magic and healing potions, Lucas imagined that the rich could be made to keep breathing for a good long time, but as far as he was concerned, that was no way to live.


    Through all the strutting and stomping and clapping as the band played on, Lucas kept an eye out around the edges of the gathering looking for candidates that might be the real power behind the throne, but he saw none. Despite that, the only time he took a break from that activity was when he was paired with a particularly pretty woman.


    Danaria certainly qualified in that department. There were a few other women that caught his eye, but every time her smiling face and her tight body circled around him he was instantly distracted enough to miss a step or too. Those moments were always followed by the inner reminder that she was definitely off limits, but there were a few other women he wouldn¡¯t mind getting lost in the hedge mazes with for an hour or two.


    Besides the pretty Miss Parin in pink, the woman that most caught his eye was a dark-haired beauty in a red dress. She was at least a decade older than Danaria, but that did nothing to rob her of her imperious beauty.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t the only one to think so, obviously, but given the amount of attention she was receiving from the other men, he was fairly sure there was more to her than her busty figure. She had to be rich, or powerful, or both. He wasn¡¯t sure, but he would believe either. The one time he ran into her on the dance floor toward the end as partners swapped and twirled around each other, she simply looked right through him and smirked.


    It was like she instantly knew he was a pretender, which made him even more interested because, so far, no one else had even hinted he might not belong. Not the guys he¡¯d been dealing with, not the other women he¡¯d been dancing with, and not even the Prince had given him a hint that they might know who he was.


    It was enough to pique his interest in more than just her bust, but there was no way to approach her once the song finally finished. Not only was she hobnobbing amongst the Dukes and the Prince, but no sooner did the music end than a red-faced Danaria sought him out and clutched at his arm.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that fun?¡± she asked, tearing him away from any attempt he might have made to get the mystery woman¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Fun isn¡¯t exactly what I would call it,¡± Lucas said with a shrug, ¡°But it wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought it would be.¡±


    ¡°As bad as you thought it would be!¡± she laughed. ¡°Lucas, this is a grand time. We really must get you out more. Someday, when our manor is restored, we¡¯ll be expected to host a party of our own, and you must be able to play the consummate host by then!¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Lucas dreaded that idea, but then she was probably right. If they wanted to burnish the Parin name and continue to attract wealth and power, not to mention make connections and recruit underlings, that¡¯s exactly what they¡¯d have to do.


    Maybe if I¡¯m to host, I won¡¯t have to dance, he thought optimistically. I can just stand at the gate, and great people then adjourn to a smoke-filled back room to do the real work while people like her and Adin make friends.


    She led him to one of the refreshment tables, where each of them had another glass of champagne, and then began to quiz him, pointing out different members of the crowd and asking who they were and why they were important.


    Lucas probably only got two in ten right, but it did an excellent job of underlining her point. If he was expected to move among these people and spread his very profitable poison, he would have to work harder on getting to know them.


    That¡¯s how they spent the remainder of the evening. They stood there for another half an hour as Lucas watched people slowly slip away from the party while those that remained got drunker and drunker. During all that time he learned that the pretty woman in red was the Lady Skylara, and though Danaria wasn¡¯t quite sure why she was important, she was fairly sure that she was related to the royal family in some way.


    ¡°Not in the line of succession, though,¡± she corrected hastily. ¡°Ssshe¡¯sss like an aunt or a cousssin or sssomething. I hardly ever hear any drama about her.¡±


    Danaria was getting drunk, too, and after one too many slurs, he decided it was time to get her back to her house before she turned into a pumpkin. So, the two of them said their goodbyes, and thanked the hosts, and eventually returned to their carriage.


    Lucas was pleased to see the carriage was still there when he arrived, and even more pleased to see that their driver was still breathing and hadn¡¯t run off with his cash. Paying the man a golden dragon was more than worth it given that he¡¯d been guarding so many others.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name,¡± Lucas asked him after he finished poring Danaira into the carriage.


    ¡°Mort, sir,¡± the man said.


    He wasn¡¯t much. He was a little younger than Lucas, maybe, but there was nothing special about him. Physically, at least, he did seem to have a rare combination of loyalty and balls, though, and Lucas could use a few more like him.


    ¡°Well, Mort, how¡¯d you like to do some more work for me on a regular basis, I mean?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I already doing that?¡± Mort asked as he handed Lucas back his dagger.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you are, aren¡¯t you,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°but I mean like deliveries too. You stepped up tonight, and I appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, whatever you need¡­¡± the man nodded. His words trailed off as he looked at the dagger that Lucas was putting back on his belt. ¡°Well, maybe almost anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax, Mort,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t want you killing people. I mean, you need to know how to fight, but there''s a big difference between a cold-blooded killer and a capable driver.¡±


    The man nodded at that, and then Lucas got into the carriage, and sat there with Danaria on the way home. She spent the first half of the ride alternating between gently haranguing him for leaving her all alone and telling him how much fun she had.


    She only asked about why one of the cushions was so lumpy once, but Lucas played it off, and the view of the city at night distracted her instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty at night, don¡¯t you think?¡± She said, leaning just a little closer than necessary as she reached past him to point at the nighttime lights of Lordanin as they road not so far from the walls back toward the east.


    Lucas turned and looked. He agreed with her, but really, the view was lost on him. After you¡¯d seen a modern city lit up by electricity, the dim glow stones and lanterns of a place like this barely rated to him.


    When he turned back around, she was right there, and he could have definitely kissed her if he wanted, but he pretended not to notice and let the moment pass as he leaned back in his seat. Kissing a business partner¡¯s sister was a terrible idea, but doing it when she was drunk was orders of magnitude worse.


    She seemed not to notice and settled for laying her head on his shoulder after another moment or two. She was out like a light after that, and when they finally arrived home, a little before two, Lucas carried her upstairs and handed her off to her maidservants, who looked like they¡¯d just woken up to take care of their mistress¡¯s homecoming.


    After that, he took his pillow full of gold and walked back to the cider house to get some shut-eye before he told everyone how great things had gone.


    On his walk, he noticed just how shabby the Parin Estate looked compared to the place he¡¯d just been. Even the main house was barely as nice as the VanDavin¡¯s servant¡¯s quarters. The fence, too, was neither decorative nor defensive. If they were going to get serious, they had a lot to get serious about, and Lucas decided that he¡¯d talk to Adin and Kar¡¯gandin in the morning.


    He went to bed fully dressed and lay there thinking about the piles of gold they were going to make. He couldn¡¯t believe how wrong they¡¯d been going about all of this. They¡¯d been fishing for pennies in the gutter when they should have been shooting for the stars.

 Ch. 50 - Getting Serious

    In the morning, Lucas told his crew the news between mouthfuls of ham steak and piping hot biscuits. Adin kept asking about irrelevant details like who was there with whom or what the lady of such and such was wearing. Lucas tried to answer the first couple of times, but when he realized that each answer would only lead to more questions, he ended that topic by grabbing his cushion sack and dumping it out in the center of the table between the four of them.


    ¡°None of that matters. You know why? Because we¡¯re rich, bitch!¡± Lucas declared.


    That caused a momentary lull in the conversation, but after that, there was a storm of questions. Lucas just smiled and let them pass over him.


    ¡°How many of those vials did ye take with ya lad?¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked.


    ¡°Who¡¯d you kill for all this scratch?¡± Hura¡¯gh bellowed.


    Adin asked a number of questions about who bought and how much they paid. By the end, though, he was sputtering and simply sat there staring.


    Lucas told them all about the long, strange trip to 69 dragons with 17 vials of blue, but when he told them what a nice number that was, no one got the joke.


    ¡°I kann¡¯a believe you gave yer coachman a whole dragon just to watch yer purse!¡± Kar¡¯gandin growled when Lucas got to that point, but when he calmed down he saw that it made sense.


    After that, it became less about the money and more about what they needed to do to safeguard and make more of it. Getting a strong box for the carriage and a few full-time guards for the house were the first order of business, of course, but when Lucas started talking about planting some sagethorn hedgerows around the perimeter of the estate, Adin drew the line.


    ¡°Sagethorn is very low class,¡± he insisted, ¡°It¡¯s a weed and an ugly one at that.¡±


    ¡°Are you even listening?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°This is your house, man. That¡¯s your sister I went to a party last night with. I sold drugs under your name. I made sure to tell everyone that I was sold out until the next ship came in, so nothing bad is going to happen tomorrow or anything, probably, but the minute one of those rich boys gets a craving or runs low on cash, we¡¯re going to have problems.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well¡ª¡± Adin started to answer, but Lucas cut him off.


    ¡°But someday, someone is going to dime us out to the powers that be or make a run at us,¡± Lucas continued willing away thoughts about how long it was going to take the Whisperers to track him down after this. ¡°So while hiding the lab is a start, we got a shit load of other things to do if you want to see this through. This place has to become a fortress.¡±


    Of course, it had to be a nice looking fortress, with discretely hidden guards, and defenses disguised as ornamentation. It had to be both functional and impressive, because he¡¯d put out a lot of vials last night, and later this week half a dozen of those guys were going to send him calling cards to invite him to lunch or stop by with offers of going into business together and a thousand other things.


    The four of them spent the next half hour arguing as they hashed out their to do list. At the top of it was finishing the new lab, and returning the cider house to some modicum of usefulness. While that was being worked on, Hura¡¯gh would go recruit half a dozen warriors looking for work. Lucas was vaguely concerned that this would end up with a whole gang of orc bloods running the show, but for the time being that wasn¡¯t his focus.


    He and Kar¡¯gandin were going to have to go talk to some local artisans. They¡¯d been planning to buy a glassblower¡¯s shop, or at least an interest in one. Now they were going to have to add a blacksmith to that list at least, along with more laborers and various artisans.


    After all that, Lucas could feel all the money he¡¯d made last night slipping further and further away as they added up the costs associated with each activity. By the time they finished all the necessary investments all of that was going to be gone, and that was after they decided, in a vote of three against one that the purely cosmetic improvements should be paid for by Adin¡¯s share.


    ¡°How am I supposed to buy my way back into the Prince¡¯s good graces by paying off my back taxes if you spend all my money on painting the manor and hiring gardeners?¡± the noble asked plaintively.


    Lucas ticked another check mark next to the category in his mind labeled ¡®Viscount¡¯s ever-changing story¡¯ but didn¡¯t call him on it. He¡¯d mentioned unfair taxation and dredging rights before along with his sister, but back taxes were a first, and Lucas decided to dig a little further into that when the two of them were alone.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    For now, he just had the noble do what he was best at: write missives so that Lucas could do more important things. The Viscount wrote five letters when all was said and done, soliciting a bid for services in the fancy way that only a member of the court could do. He wrote one to the iron works to query about the costs of wrought iron fencing, two to importers asking for bids on a number of necessary reagents, one to the carpenters union for the coming major repairs, and one to the brickmaker''s guild, because now that they had all this money they certainly weren¡¯t about to dig up the whole damn riverbed themselves again for all the upcoming projects.


    While he did all that, Kar¡¯gandin was beneath the cider house and as soon as he¡¯d given his men instructions on where to dig and put up shoring, he and Lucas were off to Meadowin. ¡°How much longer do you think it¡¯s going to take to get the lab where we need it to be?¡± Lucas asked as their feet crunched on the gravel of the front walk.


    More than anything, he suddenly felt exposed, and he¡¯d like to have everything hidden pretty quick. At least, plausibly. True secrecy with secret passages, and maybe even illusion magic could come later.


    ¡°I mean, ye could cook down there tomorrow if ye like,¡± the dwarf mused, stroking his chin, ¡°I figure we¡¯ll have ourselves a working chimney by then, though if ye want to wait for stone floors to keep the dust down, that will take a bit longer I suppose.¡±


    The dwarf listed off all the things that still needed to be done on his stubby little fingers, and the longer he went on, the more concerned Lucas got. ¡°A month?¡± he demanded finally when the dwarf was done. ¡°That¡¯s an awful long remodel, man. What do we have to do to speed that shit up?¡±


    ¡°I said two weeks to a month, laddie, and really, we can¡¯t do much more than that,¡± Kar¡¯gandin answered with a shrug. ¡°Ye can only fit so many people down there working. I suppose we could hire more bodies and work ''em in shifts, but I ain¡¯t sleeping through that racket, I can tell you that!¡±


    When they reached the village, Lucas was surprised to find that more than one person waved at him or called him by name as they wished him good morning. It was confusing but not unpleasant.


    They met with the blacksmith, Mr. Hardeson, and though he wasn¡¯t amenable to being bought out, he was happy to prioritize whatever they needed done on account of all the good they¡¯d done for the village to date. Fortunately, Kar¡¯gandin had brought a list that included everything from nails and hinges to locks and swords.


    The blacksmith insisted a few of the items were beyond him, but only the complex mechanical workings. After that, they went to the next village over, and after a little haggling, they convinced the glassblower to leave his run-down shop behind and come and work for them. Kargandin promised to have a new shop built to his specifications on the Parin grounds within a single season.


    The only sticking point came when they got around to discussing what it was he¡¯d actually be making. ¡°So, you don¡¯t want jugs or bottles, but vials and flasks?¡± the man asked, confused. ¡°Do you mind if I ask what for exactly?¡±


    ¡°Well, in addition to cider, we plan on producing healing tinctures for the masses,¡± Lucas said, playing the philanthropist. ¡°Health has reached an unprecedented low, especially in the poorer parts of the country and the city slums. I am to correct that with a¡­ revitalizing tonic! Truly a miracle cure, but every patient will need only a tiny amount, so we must make the bottles very small.¡±


    The man seemed unconvinced but nodded anyway. He didn¡¯t seem to care what he made so long as he got paid, and when Kar¡¯gandin had started to discuss volume requirements, the glassblower had struggled to keep a straight face. Even with a serious discount, this dude was going to make bank.


    After that was complete, Lucas hired a number of village boys a copper bushel basket a piece to run the messages Adin had prepared to all of the various offices in the trade quarter. The dwarf accused him of overpaying, but Lucas was glad to do it.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather send massagers at a silver king a pop rather than walk by another guard holding a wanted poster of me,¡± he told Kar¡¯gandin. ¡°At a copper apiece, it''s a damn bargain, is what it is. As far as I¡¯m concerned, we should open a damn messenger service with them. That¡¯s what we should do.¡±


    ¡°Well, if ye want to run deliveries of Blue with the wee lads, I ain¡¯t going to stop ye, but a copper a run is too damn much,¡± the dwarf cursed. ¡°It should be no more than a third of that!¡±


    The dwarf¡¯s words stunned Lucas into stopping for a moment as they walked back down the dirt road toward Parin Manor. ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight,¡± Lucas said as he started walking again. ¡°We aren¡¯t getting kids involved in this. No way, no how. It¡¯s just wrong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fine notion,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, ¡°But didn¡¯t you just get them involved? Paying them in drug money to perform a task that will lead to more drug sales seems involved to me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lucas practically shouted. ¡°Running a message for some petty cash isn¡¯t involved.¡±


    ¡°What about paying them to pick mushrooms?¡± the dwarf asked, ¡°Would that be involved? How about delivering empty vials or notes about when and where a deal was going to go down. Maybe¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Lucas grumbled. ¡°I get it, okay?¡±


    ¡°You just tell me where connected and unconnected gets,¡± Kar¡¯gandin shrugs, ¡°Because if everything goes to hell I¡¯m taking my 47 dragons, 18 kings, and 9 bushels, and going right back to the clanhold. Ye should do the same, o¡¯ course, but for some reason, I get the feeling ye¡¯d actually try to stay and fight.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re building something here,¡± Lucas said defensively. ¡°You¡¯ll see when those nobles come crawling for another dose or two. We can get all the gold we want. We can probably get more than gold too. It¡¯s just a matter of figuring out who¡¯s good for what.¡±


    They debated those points all the way home, but at no point did Kar¡¯gandin convince Lucas that he had anything but a big ole lump of coal where his heart should be.

 Ch. 51 - Everything at Once

    The following week was a blur. People came and went, things got done, and most importantly, money was spent. A lot of money was spent.


    It actually shocked Lucas how quickly golden dragons were going out the door. Until now, the figure in Kar¡¯Gandin¡¯s logs had only ever gone up, but now that trend was reversing, and after paying deposits and haggling for bulk orders, they were back down below fifty golden dragons in the strong box that they kept in the partially finished root cellar that would become his new lab in another week or two.


    This was despite the fact that he¡¯d made another thirty dragons by selling Blue to nobles at smaller get-togethers, and another shipment had been sent to the Knights of Brass. It wasn¡¯t so long ago that he¡¯d thought even a single dragon was a lot of money, but that was before he¡¯d had to deal with guild envoys about anything formal.


    ¡°It takes money to make money,¡± he told himself, but as true as it was, that still didn¡¯t make him feel any better. Day by day he could feel his future tavern slipping away.


    Still, everything was going full speed, and except for the occasional invitation to dine with some of his new friends, there had been no problems. Piles of wrought iron posts were being delivered, new men with experience had been hired to help whip some of their earnest young farmers into shape, the manor was being painted, and most importantly, Blue was getting made.


    At this point, Lucas was the limiting factor more than anything. It wasn¡¯t like he could trust someone else to make his drug, and he couldn¡¯t make it while he was off hobnobbing with the various ne''er-do-wells of the most important local families, either.


    Lucas had let Adin try to make healing potions twice more before giving up on him as a lost cause. Instead, he¡¯d recruited a local apothecary to handle some of the mundane potions that needed to be made and free up some time. She spent more time midwifing and scolding the village boys than brewing potions, but he had only needed to take a look around the prepared herbs in her shop to see that she knew her business better than Adin ever could.


    Casarra had no magical gifts, but she was just fine at following directions. If she put the right ingredients in the right proportions, then she got a pretty decent result every time. She was also a pretty redhead who wasn¡¯t too much older than him, though he did his best to ignore those gifts and keep his eyes on the work at hand.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to mix sagethorn root and silver leaf together?¡± she¡¯d asked after he met with her the first time to see if she had what it took to be his understudy.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Lucas asked, confused.


    ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t compatible, elementally speaking,¡± she said, pointing the little chart on her wall. ¡°sagethorn is earth aligned, but its roots have a bit of water in them, and silverleaf has an air element. Typically, you would¡­what?¡±


    She stopped talking and looked at Lucas as he rolled his eyes. Lucas sighed and explained, ¡°Listen, I know that¡¯s what all of you say about this stuff. That elemental alignment is key to making a good potion, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± she said, getting up in his face. It took him a second to realize she was actually getting angry about it. ¡°It''s the lack of elemental alignment in various ingredients that generates the toxins in potions. That¡¯s why usually you would use pharra root or the ground pits of an alcot fruit or¡­ What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    It turned out that she was one of those women that got hotter when they got angry, and he was close enough now that he tempted to kiss her, but he resisted. He needed her help, and there wasn¡¯t exactly another apothecary in a one horse town like Meadowin that he could ask.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said, shaking his head to push the urge further back. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree that those things matter, but we can bypass that problem with the alcohol step like I told you. It leaches out the umm¡­ incompatible elements and the potions work just fine.¡±


    She looked at him skeptically for a moment. Then she nodded and leaned back, mollified while she continued to mix the potion as his instructions specified.


    The truth was, elements were rarely mentioned on his little alchemy pop-ups, so he didn¡¯t give a shit about them. To the other alchemists of the world, their adherence to that bit of wisdom bordered on obsession, but he ignored it. If something had compatible stats, he mixed them together. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn¡¯t. In either case, he wrote it down.


    As far as he was concerned, the main consequence of the elemental obsession was that some ingredients were incredibly expensive because they were ¡°required,¡± and others were super cheap or seen as nothing more than weeds because they were incompatible with the most popular recipes. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Lucas didn¡¯t need to rewrite the book or introduce the world to the scientific method, though. It was just one more edge he had over everyone else as far as he was concerned. He didn¡¯t just have secret recipes to make, he had the mind set to go out and create more.


    Besides, they weren¡¯t selling the stuff she was going to be making at this point. Healing potions were now either used to recruit new members, or stock piled to take care of the injured. After all, more gang wars were coming, he was sure of it.


    According to Hura¡¯gh, the fighting in the warehouse districts that sat squarely between meatpackers row and the marketplaces and alleys that the Blind held sway over were becoming a bloodbath, with each retribution and warning inspiring another from the other side.


    The Butchers seemed to be winning now, but how long that could last was anyone¡¯s guess. Lucas was just glad that the two gangs had never figured out who the real culprit had been. The Blind hadn¡¯t even bothered to open new contracts for goblins that anyone had heard about, both because they were so scared in the Greenwood and because they had their hands full. However, without the steady income that dusk and midnight had been providing, they had almost certainly fallen completely on their old habits of petty theft, and that would only further aggravate the guards.


    The whole situation was enough to make him start researching more combat-related potions. Well, enough to order the stuff to do that, at least. He¡¯d been too busy with everything else to put what had already arrived to use, and half of what he needed hadn¡¯t come in yet.


    Potions of strength, speed, and toughness were all well and good and would give his crew an advantage, but there was no reason that Lucas needed to settle for just that. With enough effort, he was sure he could put together some real superhero shit.


    He also needed some better answer for mages that might eventually cross their path. Especially if the Whisperers decided to make a move. Those were probably things he couldn¡¯t solve with potions, though. They would probably need to shell out serious coins for magic items and scrolls.


    Which was, of course, one more expense that would have to be paid. In addition to all the things they were doing to improve their base and make it more defensible, Lucas had put together orders for bigger and more specialized alchemy equipment. By the time the lab beneath the cider house was fit for purpose, he should have a new, larger cauldron and an even bigger copper still. He¡¯d need it too. They were using dozens of gallons of pure grain alcohol every week now. That was enough to get a small army drunk every night.


    Today, he couldn¡¯t worry about any of those things, though. Today he had to get dressed, because instead of cooking up a storm he¡¯d been invited to lunch at the Corrin estate on the far side of Lordanin. This was hardly the first little outing he¡¯d been invited to since the VanDavin¡¯s garden party. They¡¯d been coming so frequently that even Danaria had stopped asking to come with him, and she loved excuses to go out.


    Though they weren¡¯t much more prestigious than the Parrin family, Adin insisted that Lucas do all he could to strengthen this relationship on account of their association with the tax collection franchise.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t popular because they¡¯re too dangerous,¡± Adin told him as Lucas studied himself in the mirror. ¡°And because they¡¯re so close to the cash flowing through the royal coffers, getting too rich would look bad, don¡¯t you see? They might never be king, but for as long as they appoint tax collectors, they will always be kingmakers.¡±


    Lucas nodded, but he wasn¡¯t paying too much attention. Really, he was trying to decide how much product to bring. The little lordling that was inviting him, had seemed pretty desperate, so he could bring quite the haul.


    How much could I sell the little bastard at once before he ODs? Lucas wondered to himself.


    When he heard Adin go on at length about the family he was visiting and all the ways they were connected to the powers that be, though, he had a different question on his mind. How many vials can I hide discretely, in case this is a trap?


    ¡°If these guys are so loyal to the crown, then are you certain I should be doing business with them at all,¡± Lucas asked. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in low lives and debauched old names that can¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t you see?¡± Adin asked. ¡°It¡¯s perfect. These are exactly the sorts with the connections we need, and you¡¯re getting leverage on them in the only way one can, with something I¡­ I mean, that they need.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Lucas said. ¡°If you¡¯re right, the Blue¡¯s on me when I get home, and if you¡¯re wrong, well, maybe you wait a couple more days.¡±


    Adin flinched at the threat but didn¡¯t complain. He knew better than to do that. Especially when he was only rewarded with the drugs he craved when he proved to be useful.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Adin said, finally. ¡°Everything will be just fine. Wallace has always been a creature of luxury. He¡¯s nothing like his father.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Lucas said, taking a handful of vials before he walked out to his carriage.


    Something about this all felt wrong to him, so instead of going stuffed to the gills like he¡¯d planned, he hid them in the small compartment that remained when they¡¯d installed the new strongbox under the rear bench of the carriage just in case. Theoretically, someone could steal them if he left them unattended this way, but he very much doubted that anyone would rip out the cushions and dig around underneath the heavy-ass, iron-bound box to find them.


    He sighed heavily as the carriage got underway. ¡°God damn, I can¡¯t wait until we clear Adin¡¯s name,¡± Lucas muttered to himself. ¡°Then he can be the dealer, and I can go back to being the fucking cook.¡±

 Ch. 52 - Unexpected

    The luncheon was entirely uneventful. Even though Lucas had feared that the man he was meeting would pull a fast one and try to strong-arm him for more Blue, or worse, try to use Lucas to find his ¡°cousin¡± Adin, nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the two of them had sandwiches with some of his friends, drank wine made from the grapes of the Corrin estate, and mostly just bullshitted about faraway places.


    There was some talk of playing cards, or a round of mallets, which struck Lucas as a croquette like game, though he didn¡¯t really know the rules for either. In the end, the five of them did neither. They just sat around enjoying the warm weather from the comfort of the shade while they traded witty barbs.


    When things were winding down, and Lucas and Wallace were alone, they chatted about other topics. Most predictably was the Blue of course, and whether or not Lucas had managed to procure anymore from friendly ship captains.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure if the man believed his cover or not, but deep down, he didn¡¯t really care. All that mattered was the deniability.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Lucas answered, ¡°But they¡¯re in my carriage, and I wanted to broach another topic before we walk there.¡±


    Lord Corrin nodded, and Lucas continued. ¡°It¡¯s my cousin, you see, fuck up that he is, he¡¯s family, and I¡¯ve been told that the issue at the heart of his warrant has something to do with crown lands or back taxes?¡±


    ¡°I could look into it,¡± the lordling volunteered helpfully, eager to curry favor with his dealer. ¡°He¡¯d have to raise substantial sums probably, but the crown often settles, even with fugitives, so long as they get what they owe.¡±


    ¡°Could you?¡± Lucas asked, feigning gratitude when all he could think about was how much this was going to cost him. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is exactly. He might even be dead in a ditch, but I¡¯d much rather have this settled so that he¡¯s not a stain on our family.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Lord Corrin agreed. ¡°I understand completely. It will be hard to find your cousin Danaria a proper match as long as that dark cloud is hanging over the Parin family name.¡±


    That he brought up Danaria getting married struck Lucas as strange, but not so strange that he didn¡¯t offer the man a deal and sell him five vials for a crown and a half apiece. They shook hands and parted on good terms, and Lucas vowed to invite the noble to the Parin estate when the renovations that had recently started were finished.


    No, the strangeness didn¡¯t start until they were on their way home, and they found a woman standing in the middle of the road, blocking their way.


    ¡°Want me to go around her?¡± Mort asked, ¡°It could be a trick of highwaymen.¡±


    Lucas frowned. Highwaymen this close to the city were unheard of, but then well-dressed women simply standing in the middle of a well-rutted road seemed more than unlikely as well.


    Lucas leaned his head out the window to get a good look at her, and he didn¡¯t like what he saw. It was the veil that covered her eyes and nose. That was the detail that gave her away. Well, that and the damned smile. ¡°The fucking Whisperers,¡± Lucas swore softly.


    He had Mort rein in the horses, and he exited the carriage to approach her on foot. Not too closely, though, because he remembered that damn scroll they¡¯d had last time and the chunk they¡¯d taken out of the wall.


    ¡°You know, we just keep meeting like this. I¡¯m sure if you¡¯d wanted to join us for some sandwiches, I¡¯m sure the Corrin¡¯s would have let you hang out,¡± Lucas said, stopping twenty feet from the mystery woman. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep meeting me at desolate crossroads. People will talk.¡±


    The mystery woman smiled a little more broadly at that, but it was a cold smile of white teeth against dark skin. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, she said, ¡°People will talk about what we tell them to Mr. Parin,¡± in a severe tone. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that. The chattering classes are easily led, which is why we were so disappointed to see you stepping on our toes.¡±


    ¡°Your toes?¡± he asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that this was your turf.¡±


    ¡°While we were disappointed that you decided not to go into business with us, we respected the decision,¡± the mystery woman continued. Lucas couldn¡¯t tell if she was answering his question or ignoring it. ¡°To spurn us is one thing, but to poach our clients¡­ you should know that you do this at your own peril. Is it war you¡¯re after? Do you see anything good coming from the fight between dregs of the market district?¡±


    Yeah, that they aren¡¯t trying to kick my ass, Lucas thought with a wry grin. He obviously didn¡¯t say that. Instead, he yelled out, ¡°Look, lady, I¡¯m just trying to sell a little bit of product and make a little bit of money. I¡¯m not political, alright? You are welcome to continue to corner the market on all the gossip and the drama you like. Leave me out of it.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± she said flatly. ¡°You mean to tell me that you are slowly chaining the worst parts of the best family in the city to your perverse alchemy, and all you plan to extract from them is petty cash?¡±


    Lucas had to admit that it sounded kind of stupid when he said it like that, way, be he ignored her point. Adin might well be able to play the sort of games she was talking about down the road, but he wasn¡¯t built that way.


    ¡°Listen,¡± Lucas said. ¡°You can keep your little blackmail ring or whatever it is you¡¯re doing here. I don¡¯t really care. I just want to cash in, sell out, and chillax, alright? Nothing more complicated than that.¡±


    She stood there quietly for a moment. He was sure that she was trying to be menacing, but he found it awfully hard to be menaced by a woman in a dress too cowardly to show her face. To him it felt like some kind of comic book showdown, and if he hadn¡¯t seen the way she vanished in the blink of an eye the last time, he would probably be openly laughing at her.


    ¡°We know where you get your supply,¡± she said finally. ¡°We can make things very hard for you if we were to cut that off. You¡¯d have a lot of very unhappy customers.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lucas answered as a cold chill ran down his spine.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she answered. ¡°You might know a captain or two, but do you really think you own more people on the waterfront than we do? ¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Lucas said, hiding his relief. ¡°You want me to cut you in. A partnership of sorts.¡±


    ¡°If that will salve your ego, then yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°There are still ways for the two of us to be friends.¡±


    ¡°How much do you think this is worth?¡± Lucas said, suddenly producing a vial of an appropriately blue potion. It wasn¡¯t actually Blue, of course. He¡¯d sold all of those half an hour ago, but a Potion of Clear Thinking was about the right color.


    He watched her reaction, such that it was with the veil hiding her eyes, but he saw no desperation or hunger. He was daily certain that she wasn¡¯t actually hooked on the stuff already. She was probably too smart for that. He just waited for an answer.


    ¡°The Knights of Brass pay you half a Dragon per dose,¡± she said finally. ¡°We¡¯d offered to pay you a silver more than that, but now I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d have trouble going even that high. We have you over a barrel, after all.¡±


    ¡°You have me over a barrel?¡± he laughed as he uncorked that vial and started to pour it out on the ground in front of him. She jerked initially but managed to stay silent as he threw away a perfectly good dose of what she was looking for. ¡°The Parins of your city might be less than useless, and you might have a great deal of knowledge about what goes on in Lordanin, but don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to cut me off from my suppliers when you don¡¯t even know how much Im selling my product for.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we know everything about you and your cousins,¡± she spat back. ¡°Adin can¡¯t stay ahead of the guard forever. When he returns home, he¡¯ll be¡ª¡±


    ¡°You really are a dumb bitch, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said with a laugh as he realized she had no clue what was going on here.


    She might have her sources, but they were obviously very official, and except for where his business touched that of the Knight¡¯s of Brass, she was clueless. It was a comforting thought. At this point he lingering question was less about who she was, or how she could hurt him, but how she¡¯d known he¡¯d be here if she knew so little about anything else.


    Was it Corrin that sold me out, he wondered. No, he hadn¡¯t seemed nervous enough. Who could it have been¡­ The messenger. That realization hit him like a bolt from the blue and distracted him so much that he almost missed her next point. What was the easiest way to get secrets? To read someone¡¯s private letters.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she demanded in an outraged tone. ¡°You will not speak to me in this fashion.¡±


    ¡°No, not used to it, your highness?¡± he laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, I think all these plots have your brain a little cross wired. I already told you that I¡¯m in it for the cash. You could just offer me more and I¡¯d sell you more, no questions asked, but you just keep having to play these petty power games, don¡¯t you. Its just who you are.¡±


    This time, Lucas could see the fury radiating off her from here. ¡°We have offered you more, you numbskull. Sadly, that offer is no longer available. You have crossed us twice now. Do so a third time at your peril.¡±


    Before he could respond, she vanished. It wasn¡¯t like last time, where she opened a portal and stepped through it. This time it was more sudden than that. One moment she was there, and the next she was gone. He was fairly certain that it had something to do with invisibility, since he¡¯d made those potions before a time or two, but he wasn¡¯t exactly going to beat the bushes and see if she was hiding there.


    The encounter done, Lucas turned and walked back to the carriage. ¡°You didn¡¯t see anything Mort. You hear me?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°None of this happened. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, sir,¡± he stuttered, clearly shocked by the woman¡¯s departure. ¡°But what she said, war? Do you think that will really happen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great question,¡± Lucas answered as he climbed into the carriage. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the sort of thing I¡¯d expect someone to ask if they had seen anything happen here today.¡±


    He slammed the door behind him and sat in the cab to brood as they started moving again. He had no idea what the fuck he was going to tell the crew about this, but it wasn¡¯t exactly something he could sit on.

 Ch. 53 - Collateral Damage

    Lucas thought about a lot of things on the way back. He thought about the messenger services. The Back Alley Whisperers had gotten into their business two times. Both were right after they¡¯d sent or received a letter from an official courier. More than anything, he thought about the way the woman had disappeared at the end of the conversation. That was when he decided that this whole thing was one more layer of some elaborate trap.


    At this point, the right thing to do would be to go anywhere but the Parin estate. It would probably be safer for him to ride into the city proper and deal with the guards, but changing his plans would tip his hand, and he was sure he¡¯d lose the opportunity.


    Instead, with the tension growing, he bidded his time, and as soon as they crossed the gate into the Parin territory he yelled, ¡°Mort, as soon as we stop I want you to fetch Adin and Danaria and tell them to meet me in the dining room, then I want you to personally shoo away all the servants, do you understand? Even Gerwin. This is family business and i do not wish it to be overheard by anyone!¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡± the driver started to say.


    Lucas interrupted him immediately. He had no idea what he wanted to say, but really, this wasn¡¯t about him. This was about anyone else who might be listening. ¡°No buts!¡± he yelled. ¡°Fetch them straight away. We will need to examine shipping schedules and see what we can do to throw these scoundrels off the scent.¡±


    Lucas felt silly being so dramatic, but that was exactly what was needed. He sat in the carriage even after Mort parked it directly in front of the front porch and ran off to carry out his order, but Lucas lingered, straining his ears while he pretended to fume.


    He heard nothing, though, and so he got up and stormed into the house like a man that had just lost a lot of money, or worse, a man that was about to. Adin happened to be there already, and he looked at Lucas, strangely, but when he opened his mouth, Lucas practically bit his head off. ¡°Not one word, cousin. Not until your sister gets here. I dont want to have to explain the terrible thing that just happened twice.¡±


    He stood there by the table pensively, tapping his foot, as he watched the servants stream out of the kitchen and then out of the house. When Danaria came down from her rooms, she said, ¡°What¡¯s all this? If you send the servants away like this, then dinner will be delayed. If you had something so secret to discuss, then why don¡¯t we meet in¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s urgent,¡± Lucas insisted, as he shut the door to the parlor after she walked in, making a big show of making sure it was empty. ¡°It couldn¡¯t wait. Let me just check that the kitchen is clear too and then we can discuss the frightful day I¡¯ve had.¡±


    She looked at him strangely as she sat down, but that was okay because he was talking strangely. Neither she nor Adin were his target audience, though.


    Lucas stormed into the kitchen, but he wasn¡¯t making sure that the cooks boy was hiding or anything. Instead he walked to the counter, grabbed the large crock that held the bakers flour, and then charged back into the dining room where everyone was waiting, and with no warning at all he shattered it on the floor, sending up a cloud of white powder that filled the room clinging to every surface and shocking both of the Parin siblings.


    ¡°Lucas what in the bloody¡ª¡± Lucas covered the other man¡¯s mouth as he searched the room with his eyes and his ears. Danaria on the other hand sat their stunned at his unexpected behavior. He ignored them both and focused on the faint currents in the air and the crepuscular rays that cut through the sudden cloud of flower he¡¯d unleashed as he searched for any sign that they weren¡¯t alone.


    For a moment, he thought he¡¯d done all of this for no reason, and he was about to look like an idiot. Then, he saw a flicker of movement in the corner, which drew his eyes to the faintest dusting of flour that was slowly collecting on the outline of a person who wasn¡¯t there. He charged them without a second thought.


    Fuck, she¡¯s heading toward the window, he realized. Glass windows were a rarity in the world, and though the Parin mansion had them, this one had been left open. He should have closed it before he launched his flour bomb, he realized belatedly, but it was too late for that now.


    He changed tactics, leaping up onto the table and running across it. Then as he saw the smudge of a ghostly hand on the window sill as his spy jumped, he leaped off it and out the window, tackling someone he couldn¡¯t see midair. And landing in a tangle of limbs.


    He was bigger and stronger than the veiled woman, but being unable to see your opponent was a pretty big disadvantage, and she almost got away more than once. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She clawed at his eyes and punched him in the mouth, but neither was enough to break his hold on her. If he let this woman free, he¡¯d never catch her again, and this was probably his one chance to turn the tables on the secretive gang that he could just tell was about to become a pain in his ass.


    ¡°Get off me!¡± the woman yelled, But Lucas ignored her.


    Now that they were smeared with dirt and flour on the ground he could see at least the outline of her. She¡¯d shed her dress ad some point and seemed to be wearing leggings or armor instead. He couldn¡¯t say. But when she reached into her vest and came out with something decidedly wand shaped, he tried hard to shake it free from her grasp.


    ¡°Tsvondris!¡± she yelled as he moved the thing aside. The resulting beam of fire lasted only for a moment, but it was enough to singe his hair as the flames arced by him and sheared the top off three nearby trees.


    When he got it away from her, it went out immediately and became visible as nothing more than a slender branch with delicate runes carved into it. The woman who wielded it was still invisible, but by the time other people were running to his aid, he¡¯d managed to completely pin her, and by the time he got organized, he was already pulling off her jewelry a ring at a time, looking for whatever was making her invisible.


    It wasn¡¯t until he¡¯d removed all the jewelry on her left hand and started on her right that the spell faded, though, and the whole time he did, she howled and spat like a scalded cat.


    ¡°Release me!¡± she yelled, ¡°You shall not treat the daughter of a duke like this!¡±


    Some of the men that had come running actually did when she ordered it the first time because they were that ingrained to respect nobility. Lucas, though, he ignored all that and made them do their jobs. The only thing he did was try not to hurt her any worse than he had to because he had a rule against hitting women, especially beautiful ones.


    He didn¡¯t know who she was or who her father was supposed to be. However, as soon as he saw her face, he knew it was a shame that she wore a veil to hide it in all their other encounters.


    Adin obviously seemed to, the way he looked at her though, so as soon as she was secured, Lucas had picked up the slender wand, ordered the other men to get tied up, asked Danaria to search her thoroughly, and then he took the Viscount aside.


    ¡°Spill,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Who is she, and how fucked are we?¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Adin gasped. ¡°Lucas, what in the name of all the Gods is Arrisa Tovrin, third daughter of Duke Tovrin, doing in my house, and why was she invisible?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the answer to that in a bit,¡± Lucas said. ¡°For now, get Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh together, and I¡¯ll be along to the cider house to discuss all of this after she¡¯s secured.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think it¡¯s my place to search someone like this¡­¡± Danaria volunteered hesitantly.


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want to, I can have one of the guys do it,¡± Lucas shot back, but I figured that would be a lot ruder than if someone like you handled it.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you put it like that¡­¡± Danaria said, ¡°But we¡¯ll still need some privacy, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can have all the privacy you like,¡± Lucas said. ¡°We¡¯ll bring her into the basement and have the guards turn their backs. You need to search her thoroughly, though, because¡ª¡±


    ¡°Their backs?!¡± Danaria gasped. ¡°That simply isn¡¯t done! A man can¡¯t be in the same room as a woman when she¡¯s in a state of undress like that! It¡¯s not¡­ It¡¯s not¡­¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t answer her with words. Instead, he grabbed her by the chin and turned her head before he pointed to the tree their prisoner had just given a flaming haircut to. ¡°That could have been me,¡± he growled, ¡°And you have no idea what else she might have on her. The last time we met, she had a scroll that teleported her away. This time, she had a ring and a wind. She could have anything¡­ Anything¡­ on her, so if you can¡¯t do this without guards, then I¡¯ll do it myself, damn propriety.¡±


    Even as he let go of Danaria¡¯s chin, she stayed staring at the smoldering tree that was missing most of its leaves. Finally, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be very thorough. I¡¯ll make sure she has nothing that could hurt anyone else. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Lucas said, turning his back and walking toward a couple of the men who were just standing around. ¡°Alright, everyone, here¡¯s the deal. No one saw anything; in a couple hours, drinks and the annual ¡°I didn¡¯t see shit¡± bonus are on me, but first, I need you guys to cut down that tree, dig up the stump, clean the dining room, and clean up any other evidence that this ever happened, you got it? This never happened, and Mort, you¡¯re in charge of shit that didn¡¯t happen, so get to work!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, boss,¡± Mort said, as everyone suddenly looked to him, even members of the staff that were technically more senior, like the cook and the head groundskeeper.


    They probably didn¡¯t like the new balance of power, but then, Lucas didn¡¯t give a shit. They were already being paid double the going rate, and he had more important things to worry about than some hurt feelings, like invisible spies and assassins jumping out of the woodwork.


    He¡¯d been busted by cops wearing a wire, and he¡¯d had a tactical team break down his door before, back on earth. He was aware that things could get crazy, but he never thought that the damn Predator would come out of nowhere and shoot flaming lasers at his ass.


    Lucas sighed as he headed toward the cider house. ¡°This is going to be a long fucking day, isn¡¯t it.¡±

 Ch. 54 - What Now?

    He found the three of them, along with a few other toughs and laborers, in the cider house. It was obvious that everyone knew that something had happened, but they had no idea what.


    ¡°Alright boys, drop what you¡¯re doing and go grab some dinner,¡± Lucas said. ¡°We¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s going to be any late night work after we talk through all the recent developments.¡±


    The men filled out. Most seemed worried or at least curious about what the commotion was all about, but some seemed eager at the idea of putting in some overtime. Whether that was because they wanted to fight or they just wanted the paycheck that went with it, he couldn¡¯t say, but it was good news either way, and he hoped that the enthusiasm lasted if the shit hit the fan.


    Once they were gone and the door was shut, Kar¡¯gandin immediately asked, ¡°What did ye do, lad? You were supposed to be off making new friends, not bringing home new enemies.¡±


    Lucas sighed, grabbed one of the chairs at the table where the rest of them were sitting, and then swung it around to sit on it backward as he leaned on the chair¡¯s back. Then after a dramatic pause, he said, ¡°Well, the bad news is that we¡¯re still in the crosshairs of the damn Whisperers, but the good news not only do we have a hostage we can ask questions of, but I think I figured out how they¡¯ve been keeping tabs on us.¡±


    After that, Lucas laid out everything. He started with the visit to the Corrin estate, then he told them about the unexpected confrontation on the road, and how he¡¯d figured out that she¡¯d probably hitched a ride with him to learn more information rather than leave it at a warning, before he told them how he found her with the flower and the struggle in the yard that followed before he got her under control.


    ¡°She cut down the tree¡­ with a wand?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked with a bloodthirsty grin. ¡°Brutal. Imagine if she¡¯d aimed it at your head.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to imagine,¡± Lucas responded. ¡°That¡¯s where she was aiming before I grabbed her wrist and twisted. It could have just as easily been the cooking staff that was standing nearby or the second floor of the manor. I had no idea things like this could be so powerful.¡±


    As he spoke, he set the wand on the table. Adin immediately picked it up, and Lucas said, ¡°Be careful where you point that fucking thing, okay?¡± as he toyed with the ring. It was too small for any of his fingers, though he managed to get it onto his pinky, but it didn¡¯t do anything, and after he confirmed that everyone else could see him, he took it off and set it down, too.


    ¡°So, ye said you knew how they were spyin¡¯ on us? What¡¯s their trick?¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked with a scowl. ¡°More magic?¡±


    ¡°Nah. The post office. Oldest trick in the book for the Statsi, but it might be a brand new trick here,¡± Lucas said.


    ¡°The post-what?¡± Adin asked, as confused as everyone else.


    ¡°The messengers. The only things she seemed to know about were the things that woman seemed to know about, which were the things that had been sent via the official messaging services,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug. ¡°She knew that we got the drugs off the docks because Lord Corrin sent me an official page boy, and she knew about the meet the first time because they''d used a couple of the official services to message the gangs about the auction and establish interest. Since then¡ª¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t get Blue from the docks, do we?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked. ¡°If you aren¡¯t making it here, then what are you doing all day?¡±


    ¡°Of course I make it here,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°That¡¯s just a lie. I started at the party I had to go to. If I tell people I¡¯m making it myself, then not only do I paint a target on my back, but I drive the price down.¡±


    ¡°Why would where you get it drive the price down?¡± Adin asked, finally putting down the wand. ¡°The price is whatever we say it is, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Ya idjet!¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, pounding the table. ¡°If ye make it, then ye can make more of it. That makes it anything but rare. Since no one except for us and the Knights of Brass has any idea where it comes from, though, we can say it¡¯s from far, far away, and that instantly makes it rarer and more desirable. Especially amongst the dolts in the upper crust like ye!¡±


    ¡°Exactly, I couldn¡¯t have said it better,¡± Lucas agreed before clearing his throat. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve just been hiring boys from Meadowin to run my messages lately, even though someone thought it was a waste of money, and she didn¡¯t know shit about any of that. So I figure that the Whisperers either run some of the official messaging outfits, or they just have people that work there. Either way, we have to assume any letter we send or receive that way from now on is getting read, whether it''s sealed or not.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Then I suppose we¡¯d best not send any more correspondence that way, then,¡± Adin said smugly.


    Lucas just looked at him and rolled his eyes. ¡°We know how they get the secrets they use to blackmail the people in power, and you think the best use of that information is to just¡­ what? Not use it?¡±


    ¡°But if we sent a letter with something important in it then they would¡­ ohhhhhh, I see,¡± Adin said, working through the problem himself. ¡°Very devious. We can use them to believe things that aren¡¯t true. Very devious Lucas, very devious. How do you propose we use that information then?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was thinking we try luring them into a trap, and see what happens,¡± Lucas said with a smile. ¡°All of this information has a shelf life. In a day or two, they will notice that their agent hasn¡¯t come back. If she¡¯s as important as you say, they¡¯ll either have a private army, or the city watch come back here and turn over every stone looking for her.¡±


    ¡°But why would they look here?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked. ¡°You told them you were getting your drugs from the docks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and as long as they were trying to get their hands on my shit to expand their little blackmail operation, they chose to hold on to the little secret that Mister Blue lays his head here most nights, but when things start to spin out of control for them, who knows what cards they will play,¡± Lucas answered, connecting all the little imaginary dots in his brain. ¡°And if one of their agents is the daughter of a Duke, then we can say that they¡¯re well-connected at the highest levels.¡±


    ¡°But the Whisperers are barely as powerful as the blind according to most,¡± Hura¡¯gh said, trying to follow, ¡°Even the Butchers are stronger than them, and these days they ain''t shit compared to the Knights or a few other groups. Hells, we ain¡¯t even so far out of the running as we were a couple of weeks ago.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t bother to explain that there was a difference between real power and street power to the half-orc because he didn¡¯t think that the brute would get it. It didn¡¯t matter. This conversation was for him, not for any of them. The more he talked, the more the pieces fell into place, and right now, all he could think about was that fucking dagger.


    There was zero doubt in his mind that they¡¯d have a way to track down Miss Torvin, too, when the time came. That meant that they had to get her the hell out of there, but unfortunately, other things came first.


    Everything was a flurry of motion after that. Even though the new lab location wasn¡¯t done, they had to disassemble the current lab and get it down stairs, they had to hide the entrance to the downstairs, erase all evidence of the conflict, and decide what to do with the prisoner.


    Before any of that, though, he had to make a potion and send some messages. The potion was less of a potion and more of a bomb, and since he was in a hurry, he chose something as simple as possible so they could start breaking down the lab. In the end, he chose to create a fulminating potion.


    It wasn¡¯t complicated. Sulfur and alcohol he already had laying around already, and coal dust and sugar he could get from the house. His old master used to add ground fireblossom root it, but Lucas had never understood why. It worked just as well without it, but the old man didn¡¯t understand exothermic reactions.


    In this case, he added a touch of blue esper sap to it to give the whole thing the right blue color. Once properly mixed, it became an extremely fast-acting oxidizer. It would have been better to have someone wait by the barrels and throw it, but he didn¡¯t want any loose ends.


    So, he¡¯d have someone sneak in tomorrow after the barrels had been delivered and tuck the flask between them. That way, it would either get crushed when they tried to steal the barrels or opened when they noticed it. Either way, the results would be explosive.


    It was probably overkill, he decided, as he sealed it with a cork stopper and a wax seal before he started shaking it to make it bubble and froth. If those assholes open a barrel full of lamp oil with a torch in hand, the whole place is going to go up anyway, he thought. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.


    After that, all he had to do was write the letters. The first one was simple enough that he had Adin handle it. They were going to need half a dozen barrels of lamp oil for what came next. The next two, he wrote himself while everyone was breaking things down. Both were to Sir Tristin, but he planned to send them via two different messengers a few hours apart.


    The first one that he planned to send via the compromised route simply read, ¡°Due to attention I¡¯ve attracted from the Whisperers, I will not be able to make a delivery this week. Be advised that tomorrow night, an associate of mine from the docks will make a delivery of several barrels to the warehouse at the following address.¡±


    He chose a place that he¡¯d done some business before that was known for its connections to the Blind, on the north side off the market district. Two birds with one stone was good, but three birds would be even better, and with any luck he could earn the Whisperers another enemy while all this sorted itself.


    After that, he wrote a second letter, letting Sir Tristin know that the first one was bait for a trap because their communications were compromised, and then he should send no one to that warehouse under any circumstances. Once that was done, he gave them to three separate boys to run into town.


    Lucas could have saved some money by just paying one boy to do all three, but he couldn¡¯t shake the fear that if he did it that way, the kid would end up mixing the messages up, instantly tipping their hand to the Whisperers.


    Once that was one, he collected the magic items, and decided to pay the girl a visit. ¡°Pack a bag, Adin,¡± Lucas said on the way out. ¡°You and me are going camping for a could days.¡±

 Ch. 55 - Laying Low

    The last thing that Lucas had to do before he could bounce was decide what to do with their prisoner. That meant he had to meet with her again, so before he did that, he got cleaned up.


    Looking disheveled or that he was in a hurry would just make her feel like there might be some way out of this for her, and that was the last thing he wanted. So, no matter how hectic the preparations were elsewhere on the compound, he changed shirts and made himself presentable.


    Only then did he go to the main house, where he found Danaria looking through some things at the kitchen table. ¡°Where¡¯s our guest?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s downstairs, under guard,¡± Danaria answered, ¡°There were no problems. I was just waiting for you to get here to tell me what any of these things are.¡±


    Lucas looked around the table. He saw an emptied coin purse that contained only gold and silver. A little black book that was full of notes, though apparently in some kind of cipher, a very expensive-looking dagger with what seemed to be a family crest on it, a scroll, and a few other pieces of jewelry.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lucas answered truthfully. ¡°Any one of them could have a secondary purpose or a hidden danger with the right command word. I¡¯ll take them with Adin and bury them in the orchard before we find a place to lie low for a while. They can stay there until we have a better idea of what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°The orchard?¡± she asked, looking up, ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on is that this woman has friends. Powerful friends. They almost certainly know that she went out to talk with me today, and when she doesn¡¯t come back¡­¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Well, when she doesn¡¯t come back they¡¯re going to look everywhere they think that she or I might be. Which means here, first and foremost.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness, you¡¯re right!¡± Danaria said, rising to her feet. ¡°We have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not you,¡± Lucas interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re staying right here. It¡¯s me and your brother they¡¯re looking for along with¡ª¡±


    ¡°But what if they think I¡¯m¡­ I don¡¯t know, in league with you, or involved in all this, or whatever,¡± she asked, suddenly panicking. ¡°Because I kind of am!¡±


    ¡°Listen!¡± Lucas said, grabbing her by the shoulders and moving close enough to her so that she couldn¡¯t focus on anything but the words he was going to say next. ¡°You have to stay here with Gerwin and everyone else and just act natural, okay? I¡¯m going to leave Hura¡¯gh and Kar¡¯gandin here too, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t they be looking for them, too?¡± she asked, starting to panic. ¡°What if they know I¡¯m lying to them and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Danaria, calm down. It¡¯s going to be fine,¡± Lucas practically shouted, forcing her to take a nice deep breath. ¡°Guards have come looking for your brother twice, and they¡¯ve left twice without issue. This will be the same as that. As for the dwarf and the half-orc, well, they might still be wanted, but no one is really looking for them specifically. They¡¯ll stay out of sight and keep an eye on you guys, and if something goes wrong, they¡¯ll let me know.¡±


    ¡°Lucas¡­¡± she whimpered, suddenly surging forward to hug him. ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± he nodded, patting her on the back. ¡°This wasn¡¯t how I planned to spend my day either. Shit was finally on rails, and now this.¡±


    He spent a few more minutes trying to comfort her, and when Gerwin came in and saw the two of them hugging, he frowned and made no attempt to hide his displeasure. He calmed down once Lucas explained the plan, and other than his silent judgment about the things that Lucas was doing to interrupt this household, he did nothing.


    By the time he got down to see his prisoner. He found Miss Torvin bound hand and foot in the northeast corner of the basement, under the stairs. She¡¯d been stripped to her underwear, which was still enough to cover about eighty percent of her body, but she looked to be as uncomfortable as Danaria had been the time he¡¯d walked in on her in bed.


    To the guards¡¯ credit, they weren¡¯t staring at her like creeps, at least, and Lucas sent them upstairs to help clean up everything as he pulled up a chair and sat down in front of his prisoner. ¡°Well,¡± he asked. ¡°Was it worth it?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you anything,¡± she spat. ¡°How dare you treat a lady of the court this way. When my father hears of this¡ª¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°He¡¯ll do very bad things,¡± Lucas nodded as he agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. But he has to find me first, and I can promise you one thing. If I don¡¯t get some answers out of you, then no one is ever going to see you again.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have the balls to hurt me,¡± she smirked.


    ¡°Hurt you? No. I¡¯m not into that,¡± Lucas answered with a shake of his head. ¡°But you must remember that I do have certain¡­ alchemical connections. I could poison you whenever I want, and I assure you it will be a very peaceful death. You won¡¯t feel a thing.¡±


    That threat was enough to cow her, but only for a moment. ¡°Even if I die, others will have my revenge. You¡¯re just the criminal scum of a lesser house. Who would stand up for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you said it yourself earlier,¡± he smiled. ¡°Anyone I want, after they get hooked on blue. That¡¯s what you wanted it for, right? So you could make addicts of the key people in Lordanin and control anyone that opposed you?¡±


    ¡°You know nothing about me or my plans,¡± she said with a smirk, but Lucas could tell he¡¯d hit close to the mark, and her lies were hollow.


    ¡°Well, be that as it may, you¡¯re coming with me for a couple of days. We¡¯re going to lie low and do a little digging into what you want while we decide what to do next,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you,¡± she shot back. ¡°When I don¡¯t come back tonight, they¡¯ll look for me, and by this time tomorrow, I¡¯ll be home eating veal cutlets, and you¡¯ll be in chains in the dungeon waiting your turn with the torturer.¡±


    Lucas smiled coldly. He had to admire her confidence if nothing else. Arissa was a lovely woman with dark complexion, and dark curly hair. He was sure that she was used to being the center of attention, but maybe not quite like this.


    ¡°Sounds nice,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°I could go for some veal myself, but it¡¯s going to be simpler, fair, at least for a while until your friends give up the chase. I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°You think you can¡ª¡± she started to say, but Lucas kept on talking right over her.


    ¡°As to waiting here, I¡¯ll give you two choices,¡± he continued. "You can either come along willingly, and I¡¯ll let you put a dress back on, or you can keep fighting, and I¡¯ll drag you upstairs in your underwear and put you in a mule cart. You know, give the boys a real eyeful.¡±


    She shivered at that, and covered up her bust, which near as he could tell was already covered by at least two or three different layers of fabric. She said nothing, and was content to glare daggers at him until he stood up. Then she said suddenly. ¡°Fine, send your maid servants and whoever that girl was back down with my clothes and I¡¯ll come along peacefully. I will not be exposed to the eye of the commoners anymore than I already have been today.¡±


    Lucas called Danaria and had her come back down, but he switched outfits on the woman. Miss Parin brought down something a little more feminine than the odd suit that the woman had been wearing.


    ¡°These are not my clothes!¡± she yelled. ¡°Where are my blouse and trousers?¡±


    ¡°Probably the burn pit,¡± Lucas lied. ¡°You have more than enough magic on you. We¡¯re not giving you back anything you might be able to turn into a weapon against me as soon as I turn my back on you.¡±


    Lady Tovin yelled in anger for several minutes after that, flinging all the verbal abuse she could think of at him. In the end she was wearing one of Danaria¡¯s old dresses, and after the ropes around her ankles were loosened to allow for walking, he took her upstairs.


    By that point, the dining room was almost clean, dinner was almost done, and Adin was packed and ready to go, though he didn¡¯t seem to be much happier about it than Arissa was.


    Since their prisoner had already tipped her hand that no one was going to be looking for her for at least a few more hours, they had one last warm meal before the three of them headed off. It was a somber affair. Everyone¡¯s face was full of unasked questions, but for various reasons, they weren¡¯t spoken aloud. Instead, after they finished eating, Danaria said, ¡°Please return safely when all this is done.¡±


    ¡°We will dear sister,¡± Adin said with a smile, stealing the words right out of Lucas¡¯s mouth, to his annoyance.


    The three of them set out on foot toward the orchard. From there, they would cut across the main road, and then go into the Greenwood. Before they left, though, Lucas spoke with Hura¡¯gh and Kar¡¯gandin, letting them know the plan, and approximately where he¡¯d be so that they could send him updates.


    ¡°What about th¡¯ Knight¡¯s of Brass,¡± Kar¡¯gandin asked. ¡°They¡¯re gonna want answers, especially when the deliveries stop, and the you-know-what goes off.¡±


    ¡°Send them a clean runner, and let them know that we¡¯ve already opened a new lab elsewhere in the city, and that as soon as I¡¯m not dealing with the Whisperers, I¡¯ll start getting them their product again,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Whatever you do though, don¡¯t mention anything about this house. Make him think its all in Lordanin somewhere. They¡¯ll smell weakness from all this and we want them looking in the wrong direction along with everyone else.¡±


    After that, they started moving. Lucas didn¡¯t plan to get very deep into it tonight, and now that the goblins were an endangered species, he didn¡¯t expect much in the way of trouble. The real trouble was how long it was going to take for the smoke to clear on this mess and for him to decide what he should do with their prisoner.


    While Lucas knew what the right answer was here, he also knew that he wasn¡¯t that kind of scumbag. The best move was probably to chop her into little pieces and plant the body in the Knight''s territory. That''s exactly what he would have done if she''d died in the struggle, but killing her in cold blood would never sit right with him.

 Ch. 56 - Roughing It

    That night, Lucas took the watch because he didn¡¯t trust Adin to stay awake all night. They lit a low fire just inside the treeline, and they didn¡¯t even put up the tarp because the weather was nice, and making camp in the dark was miserable.


    Instead, they just suffered through it, and in the morning, Lucas took a two-hour power nap. Amidst his many other potions, he¡¯d brought some violet esper sap, which was miserable, foul stuff, but it would have been enough to keep him awake all night.


    Right now, though, he didn¡¯t need that. He needed to think about his options. That was a task that was made very difficult to do with all the bitching and moaning of the noblewoman they were babysitting.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty.¡±


    ¡°This bedroll is lumpy.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t seriously expect me to eat this filth.¡±


    ¡°I need to use the privy.¡±


    Everything was a complaint, and every solution was unacceptable. Lucas didn¡¯t expect anything different, of course. He¡¯d had a couple high maintenance girlfriends back when business was booming, before his first arrest on Earth. So, he tried to think of her as Margret and handle her with a sort of detached passive aggressiveness.


    Even so it grated, and matters weren¡¯t helped by much that Adin wasn¡¯t a lot better. He didn¡¯t complain about the bedding or the toilet at least, but they weren¡¯t in the bush for even 24 hours before he started complaining about the food over lunch.


    ¡°What are you talking about, man,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Rotisserie chicken last night, ham sandwiches today? We¡¯re living like kings!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what will we do when it runs out?¡± Adin asked, pointing his finger at him.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll get more, bitch,¡± he said a little too loudly as his exasperation left him feeling a little frayed. ¡°Our friends will be bringing us food and news the day after tomorrow, and¡­¡±


    Lucas saw Adin open his mouth, and before the man could ask the dumb question he knew was coming, Lucas continued, ¡°And if they don¡¯t show, then we¡¯ll buy something, and if none of these little villages have any food for sale, then we¡¯ll hunt something. It¡¯s going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°You? Hunt? You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Arissa said, laughing at both of them. She¡¯d eaten, but only barely. Ever since Lucas had talked about how he could easily poison her, she seemed to be very leery of both food and water and only consumed the bare minimum to keep herself going. They hadn¡¯t even been out here for two days, and already she looked thinner.


    ¡°Do you think her friends have already raided the manor yet?¡± Adin asked, changing the topic.


    ¡°Without doubt,¡± Arissa answered before Lucas could. ¡°By now, your friends are dead, and your sister¡¯s in chains. If you want to save her, then you¡¯ll have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m going to gag you if you keep that up,¡± Lucas interrupted. ¡°Everything is fine. These people aren¡¯t the type to go straight at any issue. By now, they know that our pretty pretty princess is missing, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I am not a princess!¡± Arissa blurted out. ¡°I am the daughter of duke¡ª¡±


    ¡°But they have no idea where she is,¡± he continued without missing a beat as he ignored her outburst. ¡°They¡¯re already looking, and we¡¯re¡­ well, I¡­ I¡¯m probably at the top of the list of suspects. They might have even gotten a mage to seek out Miss Tovin, but they won¡¯t find her. That shit is very short range.¡±


    ¡°How can you possibly know that?¡± Adin asked.


    ¡°Because they were looking for me for weeks with it, and they didn¡¯t find me until I fucked up,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°So as long as no one thinks to check for her in the Greenwood, mages are useless. Now the real question is when our little party kicks off.¡±


    ¡°Party?¡± Arissa asked. ¡°What party?¡±


    Lucas was tempted not to tell her. Spilling secrets wasn¡¯t a good idea, generally speaking. He realized that in this case, though, he might be able to use that as leverage.


    ¡°Let me ask you a question,¡± Lucas said finally. ¡°How much do you care about the other members of your little group? Are the other Back Alley Whisperers all little noble brats running around grabbing at the levers of power, or are they mostly just disposable henchmen and all that?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking if they¡¯ll come for me, then of course they will,¡± she retorted. ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not at all what I''m asking,¡± Lucas answered, poking their campfire with a stick. ¡°Try listening more and waiting for your turn to speak less, and you¡¯ll get better results. Trust me, I know. I¡¯m asking you how much you personally care about these assholes, like, if, say¡­ I blew them up. Would you be sad about that?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°You overestimate yourself, Mr. Parin,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°If you think you can just walk into a secret headquarters with my wand and just start blasting until all your problems go away, I assure you. You are quite mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lucas said, meeting her hazel gaze. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°We operate on a complex system of cells, and no one knows any more than a couple of other people who¡­¡± she trailed off as she realized she was giving away far too much information with her smug bragging. ¡°Anyway, you wouldn¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Lucas said finally, ¡°I understand, and I feel much better. That means only a handful of people know who you are or where you might have gone. If they¡¯re the ones to check out our next shipment of blue¡­ well, all our problems are solved.¡±


    Arissa was aghast as she put the pieces together. ¡°What next shipment? What did you do?¡±


    Lucas merely smiled and said, ¡°If you behave, I¡¯ll tell you later. For now, it''s time we get moving. I want a proper camp before it gets dark. We could be there for a while.¡±


    They took the next hour to pack up, and after that, they spent the next three or four hacking their way through the underbrush. It would have been faster to walk around the edge of the forest. That¡¯s the way that their friends would come to get to them, but Lucas wanted to minimize their chances of being seen.


    He¡¯d agreed with Kar¡¯gandin that they¡¯d camp in sight of the lonely tower, which was a falling-down old structure that people used for navigating this side of the forest. There was nothing there anymore. It was a precarious old thing that had long ago been gutted by fire. Still, it, along with a few of the sturdier old outbuildings, still stood, and they would make camp in one of those. He¡¯d feel a hell of a lot better with a sturdy stone wall against his back so nothing could sneak up on him in the dark.


    Along the way, Lucas and Adin got into an argument about what they would rename the Greenwood, given that the goblins were all but extinct. Adin voted for the Royal Forest since it was so near to the seat of power in Lordanin. Lucas had scoffed at that, mostly because it sounded dumb. He thought that Murkwood was just about right because of the spiders, but that wasn¡¯t a reference he could explain to anyone, so he¡¯d gone with Greatwood but suggested Spider Groves as an alternative. The whole conversation only made their prisoner laugh.


    ¡°What, you think you can do better?¡± Adin asked.


    ¡°At least I know why this place is named the Greenwood,¡± she sneered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of the goblins?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bite, why is it named the Greenwood?¡±


    Arissa played coy for a few minutes but eventually traded the answer for some water and a rest break. She was not having a good time hiking through these gnarled roots in her fancy boots.


    ¡°The Greenwood has literally nothing to do with goblins or orcs or trolls or any other greenskin,¡± she sighed. ¡°It has to do with the tree¡¯s themselves, specifically those, right there.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t all trees green?¡± Adin asked.


    Lucas said nothing. Instead, he studied the tree, bringing up the little pop up for its alchemical properties as he examined the leaves, nuts, and bark. None of it was particularly interesting, but the name was certainly evocative.


    Wyrmsbane Bark (unprocessed): Poison 2, endurance 1.


    Wyrmsbane Seeds (unprocessed): Poison 1, healing 1, dexterity -1


    Wyrsbane Roots (unprocessed): Inert.


    It wasn¡¯t until he studied the leaves that he understood where she was probably going with this.


    Wyrsbane Leaves (unprocessed): Poison 4, especially effective on reptiles.


    ¡°The Greenwood and other forests like it are what keep dragons from burning the whole place down like they do in the northern lands sometimes,¡± she said, obviously taking great joy in putting them in their place. ¡°The dragons can¡¯t stand the smoke they produce, so they stay well clear of the regions where these trees grow, and so the area stays green.¡±


    Lucas nodded in approval at the bit of trivia. It had no obvious uses, but maybe it would react with some other ingredient in an interesting way. The experiments would have to wait until all this had blown over, though.


    An hour later, when the shadows were starting to grow long, the reached the skeleton of a tower. It was a five-story middle finger pointing at the sky, so it wasn¡¯t hard to spot, and even though it had stood for so long, Lucas made sure they chose something far enough away that it wouldn¡¯t fall on them overnight.


    By this point, their prisoner was so bored she started to pepper them with questions, but every time Adin tried to answer something, Lucas shut him down. ¡°You want to trade information?¡± he asked, ¡°because we can do that. If you just want us to give away our secrets so you can know how to hurt us after you escape, though, well¡­ no thanks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you think I¡¯m going to escape now,¡± she grinned.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re going to try,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t try too hard, though, because if you run into a giant spider, you¡¯re going to have a bad time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what your obsession with them is, but they aren¡¯t nearly so common as you think they are, Mr. Blue,¡± she answered smugly.


    Lucas flinched. He hated that name. It was literally the lamest super villain name in existence. It was so awful that it made some comic book villains seem interesting and believable.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he asked, smiling. ¡°Well have I got a little story for you.¡±


    While he and Adin hung the tarp up, and he built a small fire, he told her the story or the time he and Hura¡¯gh had nearly been devoured. Even after she started to look squeamish, he didn¡¯t leave a single detail out. He told her about the way it was practically invisible until it struck, the way its purple ichor went everywhere. He even told her about how the poison was so strong it almost stopped Hura¡¯gh¡¯s heart.


    By end of that she was well and truly grossed out, and he was much more confident that she wouldn¡¯t try to run off in the dark. After all, the tower was easy to find, but they were there already, and she had no idea which way it was back to the city by this point. Even without predators, she might never make it out of the Greenwood alive without them.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t hurt that the forest got awfully loud at night once the sunset. This deep into it, there were more than just spiders, and Lucas wondered what it was they were eating now that the goblins were so scarce.

 Ch. 57 - Roughing It (part 2)

    Lucas had been expecting Kar¡¯gandin to send someone with supplies, so he wasn¡¯t surprised when he saw the mule emerge from the treeline a little before noon on the appointed day. He was rather surprised that the dwarf had come himself, though.


    He was grateful for that, but even so, he was exhausted. He¡¯d stayed up all night for the last two nights, and even with Adin watching Arissa during the day, he slept fitfully. He didn¡¯t trust junkies even when they had noble birthrights, and between his worry about when Adin would rifle through his things searching for another fix, or when he would slip up and let their prisoner escape, any sleep he managed to get was fitful and fleeting, and he was bleary eyed by the time Kar¡¯gandin reached them.


    ¡°What¡¯s up Mr. B, he said, careful not to use the dwarf¡¯s name in front of the prisoner. Don¡¯t you have more important things to do then come out here all alone?¡±


    ¡°Lots ta do, and more ta say,¡± the dwarf answered with a shake of his head. ¡°I thought I best come meself so that one of the lads wouldn¡¯t screw it up.¡±


    Lucas nodded at that, and left Adin with their prisoner as the two of them moved off a ways. He noticed that the noble was instantly annoyed at that arrangement, but that was just the way it had to be. He wasn¡¯t letting her hear anything he didn¡¯t want to hear.


    Kar¡¯gandin quickly filled him in on the particulars. Apparently, the Parin household had in fact been raided by the city watch, though they didn¡¯t find anything after all the hard work they¡¯d done to hide everything incriminating. They¡¯d been looking for Lucas of course, but Danaria had claimed that he hadn¡¯t been there in a week and that he¡¯d gone off in search of her brother, which wasn¡¯t the farthest thing from the truth.


    ¡°I thought they¡¯d come back over and over again, but then, well, yer little surprise burned down half a block before they got it under control the night before last, and well - they ain¡¯t come back since,¡± the dwarf said with a smile.


    ¡°I mean, one day isn¡¯t much of a pattern,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Maybe in a week we can talk about coming back. Did they mention anything about little miss Torvin?¡±


    Before the dwarf could even answer that question Lucas was following up with others. ¡°What about the fire? What are they saying about that? And sir Tristin. Is he¡ª¡±


    ¡°One thing at a time, laddie, one thing at a time,¡± the dwarf answered, shaking his head. ¡°Your little prisoner hasn¡¯t been mentioned a single time. By anyone I¡¯m aware of, but one of the people that showed up with the guard was a mage according to your ladies manservant, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my lady, laddie,¡± Lucas said, making no efforts to hide his annoyance, but the dwarf only smiled and continued.


    ¡°Regardless, I suspect that the mage was there to try to divine her presence for the powers that be. Since she wasn¡¯t there, then they will look other places, but none of that¡¯s the interesting part.¡± He paused, and sat down on a knee-high stretch of wall before pulling out his pipe and beginning to pack the bowl with pipeweed. ¡°The fire like I told ye, was massive, but instead of pointing the finger at you, or even at the Knights like I thought they might, apparently they¡¯ve decided to blame the whole thing on the escalating violence between our two favorite gangs.¡±


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that convenient,¡± Lucas said with a smile. Anything that hurt one of the other factions only helped them in a round about way. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have happened to a nicer bunch of guys.¡±


    ¡°True, true,¡± the dwarf nodded after he¡¯d lit his pipe with a flame twig. ¡°But even if we aren¡¯t takin¡¯ the heat on that one, the market district and all the surrounding areas are pretty much locked down at this point. The Kinght o¡¯ Brass actually sent us another message asking us not to try to ship anything right now because the risks are too high.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Are they pissed?¡±


    ¡°That I do not yet know,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, ¡°But Hura¡¯gh and I will be meetin¡¯ with their leader at a pub outsidde the main gates a pace to discuss things. I imagin¡¯ they¡¯ll want to be reasonable. Especially when i explain how the Whisperers have been spyin on them, and pretty much everyone else in the city worth spyin on.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t go giving too much away,¡± Lucas sighed. He wasn¡¯t happy that high level conversations like this would be happening without him, but he wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to do about it. ¡°Tell them about the Whisperers if you need to of course, but make sure you get something out of it.¡±


    ¡°Who do ye think yer talkin to,¡± the dwarf chuckled. ¡°Ye don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll haggle the pants right off ¡®em if I have to. What about ye, Lucas? How goes yer interrogation of the woman? You must be bein real subtle, because I don¡¯t see a bruise on her yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to torture a woman for information,¡± Lucas sighed, not even sure he¡¯d torture a guy in most situations. ¡°It¡¯s just not done.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll don¡¯t ye be forgettin¡¯ that she already tried to kill you the once, and that if she gets away, its on all our heads,¡± he nodded, taking a puff from his pipe and blowing out smoke rings. ¡°If ye like, tomorrow I could send Hura¡¯gh up here. I doubt he has the same compunctions. He might¡ª¡±


    ¡°Definitely no,¡± Lucas said, ¡°But I appreciate the creativity. Just because I¡¯m not willing to torture her doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to let someone else do it, man.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Well laddie, you¡¯ll figure it out,¡± the dwarf smiled. ¡°Ye always do.¡±


    The two of them chatted a while longer, about what other supplies he and Adin might need, timelines to starting production back up, and strategies about what they could do next. Lucas volunteered that they could fake his death, and come up with a new identity, but Kar¡¯gandin put a stop to that idea quick.


    ¡°Lucas Parin is a lot more valuable to the operation than Lucas Sharpe or Lucas Smith or any other damn Lucas you care to name,¡± the dwarf sighed. ¡°Hell, the rumors likely to spread from all of this will just make ye seem even more shady and dangerous.¡±


    Lucas just nodded. The dwarf had a point.


    ¡°Maybe if they start putting up wanted posters with yer name on ¡®em we can look at that, but until then,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, finally standing. ¡°I say we stand pat and stick to the plan. Until they give real charges ye aren¡¯t more than a person of interest, and with a high-born hostage, well, who knows what we can accomplish.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there is that,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°She¡¯d probably be worth a hell of a ransom if we could ever figure out how to spend it.¡±


    They chatted a little more, but by the end of the conversation they were already walking back to unload the mule. Once that was done, Kar¡¯gandin said his goodbyes and left the three of them to fend for themselves once more.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± Adin asked after that.


    Lucas shot him annoyed look, but said, ¡°Lots. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡±


    When Adin looked like he was about to express his annoyance in more words than Lucas wanted their charge to hear, he dug out a vial of midgrade blue from his belt and tossed it to the man. ¡°Go on, Lucas said, take the edge off. We can catch up later.¡±


    At this point Adin was down to a vial every three or four days, thanks to dosing with the dilute stuff that was destined for the streets, and not the high test product that Lucas reserved for selling to Lordanin¡¯s finest.


    ¡°Yeah, later¡­¡± Adin said, getting a far away look in his eyes, ¡°Later we can¡­ But shouldn¡¯t you be sleeping? This can wait if you want to try to get another nap before it gets dark. We can¡ª¡±


    That he even managed to resist temptation enough for a pretext warmed Lucas¡¯s heart, but he just shook his head. ¡°Nah, man. Knock yourself out,¡± he insisted. ¡°I¡¯ll nap in a few hours while you make dinner.¡±


    Adin smiled at that, and then made himself comfortable before he popped the cork and downed the blue potion in a single swallow. At this point it wasn¡¯t enough to put him under completely, but as a goofy smile spread across his face and the warm tendrils of narcotic bliss snaked deep inside of him, he was basically dead to the world for the next hour or so.


    As soon as Arissa finished watch that display with disgust, she said, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is? You dose your own people to ensure their loyalty, but you expect me to believe that you¡¯re only after money when it comes to selling it to the scions of important noble houses? That¡¯s such bullshit coming from you.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s what¡¯s going on here?¡± Lucas asked, as she realized the woman was exactly right, at least in Adin¡¯s case. For that man, blue was a leash, and he was the one holding it.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± She shot back.


    ¡°Not even close,¡± he lied. ¡°Adin¡­ he had an injury I guess you might say, and it just so happens that my product helps with the pain. We¡¯re trying to ween him off.¡±


    ¡°There are other potions to deal with pain,¡± she shot back, ¡°And he looks rich enough to afford real medicine from a reputable member of the guild instead of trash peddled by trash.¡±


    ¡°Woah, woah woah,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°Talk shit about me all you want, but leave the Blue out of this. Its pretty much perfect.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re going to do with me?¡± she asked as fear bloomed in her eyes for the first time, ¡°You¡¯re going to get me hooked to make me work for you too?¡±


    In her eyes he could see a whole chain of fictions and intrigues playing out behind her eyes in some social Rube Goldberg chain of unlikely events, but rather than try to deny it, he just laughed. ¡°That would be easier, probably,¡± he agreed, ¡°My dwarven friend thought I should torture you for what you know and then kill you.¡±


    Arisse paled at the casual threat, and swallowed hard before she asked, ¡°and are you?¡± in a wavering voice.


    ¡°I¡¯d like a better option,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°Got any?¡±


    The conversation the followed was tense. She admitted that he had no reason to trust her, and that she had no reason to honor her word once given, which made everything that much more complicated.


    ¡°I¡­ I could betray the Back Alley Whisperers and tell you things that I shouldn¡¯t,¡± she said eventually. ¡°Things that would get me killed if they found out. Would that be enough leverage for you?¡±


    ¡°It would if they were true, but I have no way to verify that you aren¡¯t just feeding me a line of bullshit to save your own skin,¡± he sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. ¡°Shit would have been a lot easier if you would have just left us alone, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you expect the Whisperers to just let you move in our turf, then¡ª¡± Arisse said, gesturing at him in frustration with her bound hands.


    ¡°Bitch, were you dealing drugs? Or were you stealing secrets and using them to blackmail people for favors?¡± Lucas yelled back, ¡°Because I¡¯m pretty sure you were doing that second one, while we were doing the first. You guys are the ones that decided we were stepping on your toes. You weren¡¯t even invited to the damn meeting you crashed, and look where it got you! Right at the end of a hangman¡¯s noose!¡±


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure what to expect in response to that, but sudden sobs were officially not one of them. Part of him was tempted to berate her further for crocodile tears, but somehow he didn¡¯t think they were. She might be part of some secret society and have access to murderous magical items, but deep down she was still just a young woman, and it was only now that she realized she was untouchable, and that her daddy¡¯s name might not be enough to save her from the horrible fate she¡¯d found herself in.

 Ch. 58 - Roughing it (part 3)

    After that, Lucas let her be, and though Arisse had mostly recovered her poise by the time Adin had returned to his senses, she was pretty quiet the rest of the night. Not that he blamed her, of course. Lucas finally crashed out an hour or two before dinner and woke to the smell of only slightly burned stew.


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t so bad, and though both the nobles he was doomed to spend the rest of his life in a forest with were whining about it. It was warm, it was savory, and it was filling. There wasn¡¯t much they needed beyond that. They even had some wine, though he didn¡¯t dare drink it because he knew he¡¯d never stay awake the whole night if he did.


    Instead of the meal, they just argued about what was the most superior dish and what it should be paired with. Lucas didn¡¯t really have an opinion, of course. He hadn¡¯t eaten half of the meals they were describing and couldn¡¯t even tell you what the difference between an herb-glazed flounder and a horse radish-encrusted halibut was. That didn¡¯t stop them from comparing which year of what kind of wine was best drunk with what meal in an effort to distract themselves from the meal they were eating. In fact, the only thing they could agree on was that this dish was beneath them.


    ¡°But you made it, Adin,¡± Lucas insisted. ¡°How can it be beneath you when it was literally the best meal you were capable of making. Doesn¡¯t that mean it''s the meal that you deserve?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t enter into the equation,¡± he insisted.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± Arisse agreed.


    ¡°Even if I had the full kitchens of Parin Manor at my disposal, it is unlikely that I could make something that was good enough for me,¡± Adin admitted. ¡°This is because a cook is inherently beneath a lord, so I would ill-suited to their work, in perpetuity.¡±


    Lucas¡¯s first answer was to make a joke about how he was a cook and he was way above Adin at all this shit, but he quickly realized that would give away too much information to their prisoner. So, instead, he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that backward? If a Lord is superior to a commoner, then shouldn¡¯t they be able to do everything a commoner can do, only better?¡±


    ¡°They must do things very differently where you come from cousin,¡± Adin smirked, ¡°Because that¡¯s not the case at all. Some men are simply born to do, and some are born to lead. Its the natural order.¡±


    ¡°I hate to say that I agree with him,¡± Arisse said, ¡°But the arrogant criminal has a point.¡±


    Lucas opened his mouth to respond, but that¡¯s when the conversation was interrupted, though, when they heard a horrible screech echoing out from the woods. It was impossible to say whether the thing had been close or loud, but Lucas and Adin turned to each other immediately.


    ¡°What in the name of the Gods was that?¡± Adin asked.


    ¡°How the fuck should I know,¡± Lucas yelled back. ¡°Trouble, for sure, but hopefully not our trouble.¡±


    The idle conversation was ceased, and weapons were drawn as the three of them looked out into the night. Lucas drew his dagger in his right hand but kept his left free in case he needed to draw her wand as well. He didn¡¯t know how to use it, but he knew the words she¡¯d yelled in his ear, so he was sure that he could figure it out.


    It was just about now he wished they¡¯d done more to set up defenses for their little camp. They¡¯d picked a good location, with strong stone walls on two sides, and their campfire might serve to protect a third side, which could leave them just one direction to defend. He¡¯d feel better with some sharpened wooden stakes or a palisade, though.


    Anything would be better than the darkness just beyond the firelight, where anything might be lurking. They had plenty of firewood, though, so they got their fire going to generate more light. In the time it took to do that, they heard that strange roaring or screeching, or whatever it was, twice more.


    That¡¯s when they heard the sound of movement. Something was getting closer.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just leave me like this,¡± Arisse hissed. ¡°Untie me, or I swear when this thing eats me, I¡¯ll lay a death curse on your soul that will never end. You piss blood and vomit¡­¡±


    Lucas ignored her, but she never got the chance to finish. As whatever it was stomped closer to them, she shrank into silence and huddled into the corner of the stone, becoming as small as she could.


    That¡¯s when they heard something climbing the wall behind her. Everyone froze then, looking at the terrible sound of claws digging into stone as whatever it was that decided it was hungry enough to go looking for a fight moved toward them.


    In the firelight, Lucas thought that it was a giant bird at first. When he saw it¡¯s beak come over the wall and heard it scratch again, he didn¡¯t change his opinion, but as more came into view, he finally figured it out.


    A fucking owl bear, his mind screamed as he tried to figure out what the right answer was here. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The spiders had been terrifying, and the goblins might look like demented trick or treaters, but neither of those things had anything on the raw killing power of a grizzly bear mixed with a person sized owl. When he¡¯d fought the spider, he¡¯d wished that he¡¯d had a sword, but even a long sword wouldn¡¯t be enough to fight this thing. He¡¯d need a battleaxe or a polearm.


    Or a fucking mage, he thought to himself as he reached for the wand. As the thing reached the top of its eight-foot stone perch, all Lucas wanted to do was run. He couldn¡¯t, though, especially not after the thing leaped down directly in front and batted him aside like he was nothing.


    Lucas went tumbling for several feet before he rose up to his knees. By the time he could see what was happening again, the thing was looming over Adin and Arisse, and screaching out a bloodthirsty cry. He could bearly see the two of them in the shadow of the giant predator, but he was surprised to see that Adin had sprung to the defense of the tied up woman.


    There was nothing the man could do to stop the terrifying creature, but the honorable gesture was still touching somehow. Lucas grinned and spat blood as he thought. I would have expected him to run and piss himself. He was glad to be surprised, though.


    Lucas pulled out the wand he¡¯d taken from his prisoner and, pointing it at the thing''s head, yelled, ¡°Yondervis!¡±


    Nothing happened. ¡°Vonderfizz! Ronderitz!¡± he yelled, but again, the wand barely flickered.


    ¡°Tsvondris,¡± Arisse yelled, even as the thing turned back toward whoever was yelling behind it. It might have no idea what magic or a wand was, and even as Lucas opened his mouth to repeat the line, the thing was on him.


    ¡°Tsvond¡ª Ahhh!¡± Lucas yelled as the thing grabbed him in its left paw, raising him up into the air even as its claws sank into his flesh.


    This thing moved faster than something this size had any right to, he thought as he saw the monster¡¯s beak opening wide like it was about to bit his head off. It had all the strength of a bear and all the speed of a bird of prey, which meant that they were pretty well fucked.


    Oh shit, it really is about to eat me, he realized in that final moment. That was also when he realized he was still screaming.


    Lucas needed to use the wand, but the way that the thing''s claws were digging into him, but as long as this thing was twisting knives into his flesh, he could hardly be expected to talk.


    Lucas hoped that magical items meant they were magically strong as he shoved the wand in the thing''s mouth like some kind of cartoon maneuver. That caused the thing to pause just long enough to try to discover what had happened and figure out why it couldn¡¯t close its mouth.


    That tiny delay gave him the chance to embed the dagger still clutched in his right hand into the owlbear¡¯s large, saucer-shaped left eye. It dropped him immediately, though the dagger and the wand stayed eight feet in the air as he fell on his ass.


    For a single moment, Lucas had time to curse his luck, then he watched as the monster finally bit down and for a few seconds, night became day. Lucas had no idea how magic worked, and even less of an idea about how magic items did their thing.


    However, he had seen copper thieves try to steal cabling from a high-voltage system while it was still energized back when he was tweaking, and this looked just about like that. Whatever it was that powered that tiny wooden sliver erupted out of it in a single burst that erased the owlbear¡¯s head. Weapons might have been all but useless against the creature¡¯s hide, but as tough as its skull was, it wasn¡¯t thick enough to withstand a grenade.


    Fire shot up and out in an explosion so powerful he had no doubt it could be seen from the city. Even lying on the ground, he felt the heat wash over him painfully. Moments later, it was dark again, and Lucas had just enough to worry about whether the decapitated corpse of the owlbear was going to fall on him and crush him to death beneath several hundred pounds of stinking carcass when the thing fell slightly to his right, narrowly missing him.


    He heard Adin and Arisse yelling different things, but he couldn¡¯t really make out either one of them. Instead, he tried to rise to his feet, only to realize that he was too weak to do so. That¡¯s when he looked down and saw how badly he was bleeding.


    Adin rushed over to him after that, and Lucas said, ¡°I¡¯m going to be fine,¡± but he wasn¡¯t sure if he was trying to convince Adin or himself.


    Adin said something, but Lucas ignored him. ¡°Bring me my fucking bag,¡± he demanded in a voice just above a whisper before coughing up blood.


    Punctured lung, huh? Makes sense, he thought as Adin darted off to do as he was told. I wonder how well healing potions do at replacing major surgery.


    Lucas could already feel himself fading. The world was going gray around the edges. So, when Adin shoved the bag into his hands, and Lucas started tossing aside every potion he pulled out that wasn¡¯t a healing potion. It was like a grab bag of death, and every time he chose poorly, he was two heart beats closer to going to sleep and never waking up again.


    When he finally found a position of lesser healing, he opened it with slick hands, and when he downed it, some small measure of sense returned to the world. He kept searching through his satchel for more potions of healing. He was pretty sure he¡¯d brought three or four with him. Certainly, he had more than one.


    ¡°Adin,¡± he rasped. ¡°I need two things.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the noble asked. He was obviously on the verge of panicking.


    ¡°When I get done drinking every last healing potion we have, I need you to use any cloth that we have to bandage me. Clothing, bedrolls, whatever... I¡­ you have to stop the bleeding, or I''m done for, you got it?! Bandages and pressure, even if I pass out.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± Adin asked.


    ¡°No matter what you do, do not untie that bitch¡­¡± Lucas said before he tried to cough up a lung. ¡°You cannot fucking trust her, okay?¡±


    As soon as he was done, he popped a second healing potion and was disappointed that it didn''t seem to help nearly as much as the first one had. Was this enough? He wondered. Was it ever going to be enough, or was he just a lost fucking cause now?

 Ch. 59 - Through the Fire

    Lucas remembered very little of the next few days. He woke up briefly, at random. It was just enough to know he was still alive, but most of the time, it wasn¡¯t enough to figure out much else.


    He was still hurt bad, Adin was still trying to take care of him, and eventually, he saw the dwarf looking at him with concern too. They¡¯d moved camp, maybe? He wasn¡¯t sure, but he didn¡¯t think that they¡¯d camped in the tower last time. He thought they¡¯d been somewhere else. He saw Arisse, sometimes, but other than that her wrists were still tied, he didn¡¯t really care.


    Lucas tried to talk to them during those lucid moments, but even if they could understand him, they wouldn¡¯t listen. They all told him to save his strength, but he had no strength to save.


    Things didn¡¯t start to fall into place until suddenly he saw Casarra tending to him, and she was talking to Kar¡¯gandin. It was then he found out that he had a terrible fever while they were arguing about treatment.


    ¡°He needs a proper doctor or a healer,¡± she said, practically yelling. ¡°If you don¡¯t take him to Lordanin, he¡¯s going to die out here.¡±


    ¡°If I would, I could,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°But it ain¡¯t safe to move him yet anyway. Hura¡¯gh is out looking for a healer that''s willin¡¯ to come this far out, but until then, do the best you can.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t hard to see why he was in bad shape. The bandages she gestured to were green and black more than they were red, and if that¡¯s the color his wounds were, he was probably dead without antibiotics that hadn¡¯t been invented yet.


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s happening,¡± he rasped finally, joining the conversation.


    ¡°Well, the good news is ya killed the owl bear,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said with a fragile smile. ¡°The better news is it sounds like Adin figured out what we¡¯re going to do with your prisoner¡­ and after that, we¡¯re pretty much out of good news. I won¡¯t lie to ya, Lucas. You¡¯re hurt pretty bad, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not me,¡± he interrupted, already feeling weaker just from the effort of talking. He coughed hard, letting the pain overwhelm him for a moment before he continued. ¡°The operation. The Manor. The city. What¡¯s happening there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, on that front, things are better,¡± the dwarf nodded, obviously relieved not to have to talk to Lucas about how grim things looked for him. ¡°Plenty of fightin¡¯ and feudin¡¯, but we ain¡¯t involved, so it¡¯s all to the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Cassara said, shaking her curly red mane in annoyance. ¡°You dragged me out here to the middle of nowhere to save this man, so I¡¯ll tell you both this, he needs his rest, more than anything else.l He needs to sleep until he can¡¯t, so there will be no more talk of business or strategies or anything else, is that understood?¡±


    For a moment, her indignation was enough to cow even the dwarf, but that approving thought was Lucas¡¯s last coherent thought before he lapsed into darkness, though. Because she was right. Even trying to make himself heard was too big a strain on a body that had lost this much blood and was fighting off a serious infection. Later that evening he was woken up long enough to choke down another healing potion and some water.


    He didn¡¯t have to ask her how he was doing. He could see it in her eyes.


    ¡°Maybe he needs something for the pain,¡± Adin volunteered, but Lucas just shook his head at that.


    ¡°No,¡± Cassara said, catching his meaning, ¡°the pain is anchoring him to this world right now. It might be the only thing that is. He must bear it, at least until his health is improved.¡±


    Lucas had no idea if she was making that shit up or not, but he completely agreed with it. Pain was the only thing that let him know what was going on, especially after the fever dreams started.


    He dreamed about lots of screwed-up things. He dreamed that he and Danaria were married, but in Idaho, where they were cooking meth, not blue. He saw the terrible damage that those drugs took on her health and beauty, but he just kept doing it anyway. He dreamed he was back in purgatory. The angel there tried to convince him that he¡¯d died again and was going to be reborn as a knight to serve others for all of his misdeeds.


    Fortunately, Lucas could feel the owlbears claws still suck into his sides, so he was able to laugh the whole thing off until the endless gray of that place faded back into the darkness of unconsciousness.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he stayed there, at the edge of the abyss, but when someone finally pulled him off it, it hurt worse than all the other pain up to that moment combined. One moment, he was floating in the darkness between life and death, and the next, someone was forcing the light inside of him. There was a lot of light, too. It burned into him, cauterizing his terrible wounds and burning away the disease even as it healed the wound. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Lucas was sure that he screamed the whole time, but he didn¡¯t remember it. Instead, after what felt like days, he woke up again, weaker than before.


    This time he was on a cot, in a tent. That wasn¡¯t where he¡¯d been when he¡¯d fallen asleep. It wasn¡¯t even where he¡¯d been when he¡¯d passed out the first time, and he thought that perhaps they¡¯d gone back to Meadowin.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re still in the middle of nowhere,¡± she said, quickly disabusing him of that notion. ¡°It¡¯s still not safe for you there, according to your friends, but apparently, Lord Parin is working on that.¡±


    ¡°What''s he doing?¡± Lucas asked, his voice cracking even after a long drink of water.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care,¡± she said dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s not the business of a peasant and certainly not the business of a healer. I¡¯m only here to make sure that the man who¡¯s been so good to my village pulls through so he can continue to help make things better.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Adin¡¯s job?¡± he chuckled, instantly regretting it as a dull ache spread through him.


    ¡°It tis,¡± she agreed, ¡°Not that you¡¯d ever know it from looking at what he¡¯s done for his subjects.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not who you think I am,¡± Lucas confessed, feeling a little weird about her strange, prickly gratitude. ¡°I¡¯m just looking to build goodwill and trade favors.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± she nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a great many rumors around town about you, Mister Parin. Some say you aren¡¯t even related to the young master or his sister, and most agree you¡¯re up to no good, but I care more about the good ya done than the wickedness people seem to believe you¡¯re going ta do.¡±


    Lucas was humbled by that response and entirely unsure of what to say. Finally, he asked, ¡°What was it that healed me anyway?¡±


    ¡°Your orcish friend found an itinerant battle priest and convinced him to come to your side,¡± she answered, giving him another sip of water. ¡°Fortunately for you, your wounds were given to you in the heat of battle. They can¡¯t heal anything else. I¡¯ve never been subject to their tender mercies, but after talking to a few people who have, I can¡¯t say I¡¯d ever want to try.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Why¡¯s that?¡± Lucas asked as the fog slowly drifted away from his brain, and things started to make sense.


    ¡°Because the act of healin¡¯ not only inflicts the pain from the wound on you but all the weeks and months of pain that you would have suffered from were you allowed to heal naturally. I¡¯m told that it¡¯s quite painful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m sure I paid a fortune for the privilege, too,¡± he said bitterly. This time, he took the cup and drank for himself. ¡°Still, I suppose I should thank the man regardless.¡±


    ¡°That would be difficult in your current condition,¡± she answered with a shake of her head. ¡°He left days ago, already. As to payment, I believe he healed you for the price of a meal by the fire and the story of how it was you took down something as terrible as an owlbear all by yourself. The way that Lord Parin told it sounded very impressive.¡±


    ¡°It was definitely the most impressive accident I¡¯ve ever personally been involved in,¡± he agreed, silently adding on this world. Though his meth lab on Earth exploding had technically been more impressive than the wand unleashing all of its power in a single burst, that was another lifetime ago, and in his current state of mind trying to explain it to the woman would have been impossible.


    Still, the revelation that the healing had been days ago shook him. He could imagine the holy fire burning within him to heal him well enough, but the fact that the healing magic had left him so exhausted that he would need to sleep for days just to recover from it spoke to just how traumatic it had been more than the half-remembered agonies he¡¯d suffered through in his sleep.


    ¡°So, if I¡¯ve got a clean bill of health now, maybe I can¡ª¡± Lucas started to say.


    ¡°Then maybe in a few hours, if I decide you¡¯re well enough, you can have some soup,¡± she finished his sentence for him in the least fun way possible. ¡°But you are not getting out of this bed until we get some color in those cheeks. Is that understood, mister? You might be a lord, but until you can stand on your own two feet again, I¡¯m in charge, not you. You got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Lucas said, not sure what else to say.


    What he really wanted to do was talk to Adin and figure out what had happened, but Cassara wasn¡¯t going to let that happen until he was better.


    ¡°Maybe after dinner tonight, he can come visit you for a few minutes,¡± she agreed eventually, ¡°but that¡¯s it. You understand? Even though your wounds are healed, you could still drop dead from exhaustion. Your body is completely depleted.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should try another healing potion?¡± he suggested.


    ¡°The only potion you¡¯re having is chicken broth, Mister Parin,¡± she said with a cruel smile. ¡°It and time are the only things that will make you feel better now.¡±


    He slept fitfully after that, and true to her word after he¡¯d choked down a bowl of tasteless chicken broth, Adin entered the tent.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal?¡± Lucas asked, staying as calm as possible, so Cassara had no excuse to kick the Viscount out any earlier than she had to. ¡°My nurse tells me that you¡¯ve figured out how to deal with the Whisperers. What¡¯s the plan? How are we going to take them out?¡±


    ¡°Take them out?¡± Adin asked, confused. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what¡¯s happening at all. We¡¯re going to ally with them. Miss Torvin and I are to be wed.¡±

 Ch. 60 - Happily Ever After

    Lucas did not like this plan. Not from the very beginning, but since it was all decided while he was incapacitated for what turned out to be the last two weeks, all he could do was deal with it. Rather than pump her for information and use that information to destroy the people she worked with, they¡¯d thought like nobles think and decided that an alliance was in order.


    Of course, Lucas was equally certain that the two of them were already trying to figure out how to backstab each other to get everything for themselves. He could practically see it. It was their nature. Adin got something out of the deal, of course. He got his debts paid, and his name cleared. Apparently, The Torvin house was powerful enough to pull strings on its own that even the Whisperers would struggle with.


    ¡°Her father will insist on it, don¡¯t you see?¡± Adin explained to him. ¡°He¡¯ll have to clear my name and give the Parin¡¯s a renewed sense of legitimacy before the wedding is announced, otherwise it will make him look bad, and once we¡¯re related by blood, well, our interests are aligned. It''s the perfect match.¡±


    Lucas admitted that the man¡¯s point had a certain kind of sense, but he didn¡¯t see how simply murdering Adin in his sleep wasn¡¯t also an option. ¡°The moment you ally with those people, you¡¯re putting a target on all our heads,¡± Lucas argued. ¡°She¡¯s only trying to save her skin and get the Blue. After that, you will be one more casualty in whatever secret war it is they¡¯re waging to seize power in the city.¡±


    There were no answers that night nor in any of the nights that had followed. One night, after Lucas was strong enough to walk around, they sat together near the edge of the clearing, and he finally learned that the price for the marriage alliance was one-quarter of all the Blue they made going forward.


    Lucas argued that was bullshit, but Adin countered that he was already entitled to the four-way split, and he¡¯d only given up his share. ¡°She wanted the recipe; fortunately, I don¡¯t know it, do I?¡± he said sardonically. ¡°You said so yourself. I¡¯m terrible with different herbs and forever mixing them up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re betting your sister¡¯s life that you¡¯re right, you know?¡± Lucas told him a few days later when it looked like they¡¯d all be able to go back to the manner and get back to work soon.


    ¡°I think you already did that when you started making drugs and my house and selling them under my name, dear cousin,¡± Adin taunted him.


    If Lucas had been stronger, he would have knocked him out right there. The man was getting testy because they were almost out of Blue, and Kar¡¯gandin hadn¡¯t seen fit to bring any more because everything was still buried and hidden in case the guard came back.


    ¡°You might think this is going to protect your sister,¡± Lucas spat, ¡°But I don¡¯t see how this ends well for you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Adin asked. ¡°I get a beautiful high-born wife, a freshly cleared name, and connections I¡¯d never have been able to manage before. I don¡¯t see how this doesn¡¯t end well for me.¡±


    ¡°What about the blue?¡± Lucas asked, allowing himself a smirk.


    ¡°What about it?¡± the noble asked, kicking some rocks.


    ¡°Well, you gave away your share to the Whisperers. Where are you going to get more?¡± Lucas countered.


    ¡°Everyone around me is swimming in the stuff. I¡¯ll simply buy a vial when I need one now and then. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± Adin answered, but Lucas could see the doubt he was trying to plant worming into the noble''s thick skull. ¡°Surely my wife will¡ª¡±


    ¡°Give it to you?¡± Lucas asked, leaning forward from where he was sitting on a low stone wall. ¡°She better because all your income came from your share of the drugs I sold, and you gave that away. Buy more? From who? With what money? You might think this is a fabulous deal, especially for you, but I see exactly one upside to the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, what¡¯s that?¡± Adin asked peevishly.


    ¡°It''s going to finally force you to get clean,¡± Lucas chuckled, despite the pain, ¡°And boy, I don¡¯t envy you that.¡±


    Adin walked away that day frustrated, which was good. It meant he¡¯d gotten the subtext. The Viscount could either get clean, buy blue with money he didn¡¯t have, or he could ask his new wife and her friends nicely. Both of them knew that there would be a lot of strings attached to that third choice.


    Perhaps that would put the fear in the lordling where none of Lucas¡¯s other words had, he thought smugly as he slowly walked back to the tent like an old man with a bad back. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Lucas had gotten a lot stronger in the last week, but he was only halfway back to normal. He knew that when they got back to the Manor, he could speed that up with potions, but even so he hated for people to see him like this. It could¡¯t be helped, though. If he didn¡¯t move and exercise he¡¯d never recover, despite the healing.


    At night, when he took his shirt off, he saw the puckered scars of three stab wounds in his ribs, making it trivial to imagine how big that monster¡¯s claws had been. He was told that the wound in his back was the biggest of the four as well as the ugliest, but he couldn¡¯t see that one, and honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to.


    . . .


    After almost a month in the wilderness, they were finally given the all-clear to go home. Lucas rode a mule back, but only at Cassara¡¯s insistence. Even so, he walked the last leg from the orchard to the house so he could look stronger than he felt.


    All of them had a celebratory dinner in the main dining room after that, and though Lucas ate sparingly and waited for the other shoe to drop, there was no late night guard raid that put them back in the dungeon. Honestly, the hardest part of the night was dealing with Arisse. She was even more difficult than Danaria.


    Danaria wished only to smother him under worry and affection. She had heard about the owlbear attack, but everyone had assured her that he was fine. Now that she could see he was most definitely not fine, despite his best efforts to fake it, she became an even more suffocating nursemaid than Cassara had been.


    That at least was done with the best of intentions. Arisse, though, she¡¯d been arrogant even when she was bound hand and foot. Now she was insufferable.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere until any number of guarantees are in place,¡± he reminded her on more than one occasion. He still didn¡¯t fully understand the dynamic of the warehouse bombing and so many other facets. Would the Whisperers just forgive those deaths because they finally had a trickle of their blackmail drug? That seemed unlikely, but given how cold-blooded they were, it certainly wasn¡¯t impossible.


    Still, she seemed to prefer the prison cell of a well-appointed room to a month in the woods, so at least she didn¡¯t try to escape. It was a small enough blessing, but he¡¯d take it.


    The next morning, Lucas decided that he was going to start cooking again. Before he started, though, he made it very clear that Arisse was not to be let out of her room even if the Manor was on fire.


    ¡°We must do everything in our power to make her believe that we continue to import this stuff from abroad,¡± he lectured his partners when they all sat around the table in the cider house that morning. It was the first time the four of them had been together, and other than him, none of them seemed worse for the wear. ¡°We only just finished building this lab, and the second she knows where it is, we might as well burn it down and start building one somewhere new.¡±


    Everyone agreed to that, even Adin, so he might be completely out to lunch in all this. ¡°Second,¡± Lucas continued, ¡°We now know they run around with invisibility and shit, so we need to be more careful. All this stuff needs to look like a legitimate enterprise up here to hide the illegitimate one down there, right?¡±


    No one disagreed with that either. Indeed, they¡¯d made great strides toward that since he¡¯d been gone. The room was now filled with new bunk beds, wooden kegs, and apple bins. Even the pressing equipment had been refurbished. To all appearances, it looked like they were getting ready for the harvest season that was coming in another month or two.


    Once all that was done, he finally climbed down the hidden staircase in the back that led to the new lab. Once he was there, though, he took a few moments to look around before he got to work. The place had turned out a lot nicer than he thought it would be.


    He¡¯d expected a dirty little hole in the ground. That had been the original plan, of course, but apparently such things weren¡¯t up to Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s dwarven sensibilities, and he¡¯d had the walls bricked in and laid flag stones on the floor. Lucas still had a stove and a still, but now they were both bigger and better than before.


    Those were really the watchwords for the whole place. The ingredients were labeled and sorted in various bins that were clearly labeled; his glassware stood clean and ready to use on a counter that was now plained wood instead of a split, rough-hewn log. If he had a few more apparatuses, he¡¯d have been tempted to call this modern.


    Once Lucas was done gawking, he got to work. That didn¡¯t mean Blue, though. That would have to wait. The first thing he wanted to do was create the weak potions of healing with some endurance ingredients.


    So far as he was aware, there was no way to make the effects of a boost potion permanent, but with the right ingredients most recipes could be turned from normal potions into slow acting potions. For a person like him that was still recovering from his wounds, that could make all the difference in the world.


    So, after deciding on a few recipes he wanted to try, he gave a few of the boys that they¡¯d hired for this sort of thing his wishlist, and they went off in search for what he needed. In addition to the normal healing potion ingredients, they were also looking for hedgehog thistle root and the flowers of a poison creeper. Either of them might work, but he wasn¡¯t sure. He¡¯d never tried to make a slow-acting endurance potion before.


    Once they went out hunting, he got started purifying all the other ingredients. Not only had Lucas¡¯s absence given Kar¡¯gandin the time to stockpile pretty much anything that Lucas had asked for in the past, but with the new still, he¡¯d have pretty much all the alcohol he¡¯d ever want.


    Some of the things that had been collected had already rotted, and others were starting to go bad, but the various barks, mushrooms, and flowers had all been dried by someone just the way Lucas had explained before. So, that was nice to see at least.


    He spent the rest of the day in the hole, finally doing his job for once. Honestly, it felt good. This was all he really wanted to do. He just wanted to while away the day, fine-tuning formulas and trying new recipes, and the rest of the world seemed hellbent on dragging him off to adventure after adventure, but for a while at least, he wouldn¡¯t let it.

 Ch. 61 - Open for Business

    Once they had a few kegs of Blue to sell, they had to start selling again. There was no choice in the matter. They needed money, and Junkies needed their fix, and that¡¯s all there was to it.


    All Lucas wanted to do was stay in the basement and fiddle with the balance of the potions he was making between batches of their favorite product, but the many junkies that now lived in and around Lordanin weren¡¯t the patient type.


    Those first two kegs went to Sir Tristin and his men so they could get back in business. That was fair. Lucas understood that. He would gladly have given him all the rest, too, if that had meant that he could have stayed in the lab, but that would have left the noble clients, who were their real moneymakers at this point, out in the cold.


    Sir Tristin had tried to strong-arm them by doubling their protection money when he met Lucas one day in a quiet tavern not far outside the main gate. ¡°It¡¯s only fair; the city is a mess right now, and costs have gone up.¡±


    He was surprised when Lucas agreed immediately. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± he nodded. ¡°Five dragons is more than fair with everything that''s gone on. I¡¯m glad you understand.¡±


    ¡°Understand?¡± the knight asked, confused.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lucas nodded, ¡°that costs have gone up. I was about to tell you the same thing. Sadly, because of the trouble the Whisperers have caused and some uhh¡­ let''s say necessary changes to our operation, we¡¯re going to have to charge thirty dragons a barrel going forward instead of twenty.¡±


    The man had not been happy, but then he¡¯d opened the door, so he had very little room to maneuver. In truth, Lucas hadn¡¯t been planning to raise the price of anything. It was almost all pure profit to him anyway. The relationship was more important than the money, but if someone was going to try to fuck him over, then turnabout was fair play.


    After that, he was forced to put on his fanciest clothes and become Lucas Parin once more. Rather than go to all sorts of different houses all over the countryside, Lucas suggested that they have their own party right here. ¡°It would be nice and simple,¡± he joked over breakfast. ¡°We put the food over here, the dancing over there, and right in the middle, we have a line for the drugs with a cashier and a couple of guards. A one-stop shop.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a cashier?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Lucas protested. ¡°The point is, there¡¯s got to be simpler ways to do this than me spending a week riding all over. I¡¯ve got work to do!¡±


    ¡°The manor ain¡¯t ready for that kinda show, and we ain¡¯t ready for that kinda heat, and ye know it,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, pointing at him with a breakfast sausage. ¡°Maybe in the winter, or perhaps the spring, we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Die of exhaustion because shit never stops?¡± Lucas suggested.


    The dwarf stared at him blankly for a moment, then they both laughed at that. Hura¡¯gh joined in their laughter a second or two late, indicating he didn¡¯t get the joke but didn¡¯t want to be left out, but Lucas ignored it.


    Truthfully, he thought he might well die of exhaustion. Every day he felt a little stronger, but recovering from being at death¡¯s door was a real bitch, even with his little pick-me-up.


    Long Lasting Flask of Tainted Curative (5 doses): Endurance 2 (for the purposes of recovery only), lasts for four hours, poison 1.


    Still, he shouldn¡¯t complain. He¡¯d be a dead man without his potions, and he was a live man with them, and that was all he needed to know. Currently, the only things they really imported in bulk were sour dwarf berries and goblin bile, but once their cash reserves were looking a little better, Lucas planned to order a few more exotic herbs and reagents to try to bump up the bitter elixir that he kept in the flask in his pocket.


    It was enough to keep him on his feet throughout the day, but only barely. Making social calls was definitely going to push both him and it to the limit.


    Fortunately, Kar¡¯gandin had been busy while he¡¯d been gone. He¡¯d had his ¡®cousin¡¯ Lady Danaria answer the steady supply of calling cards they¡¯d received the whole time he¡¯d been away, expressing her condolences that her cousin wasn¡¯t currently in Lordanin.


    According to the dwarf, most of her messages went something like, ¡®Dear Lord Suchandsuch, I am so sorry that my dearest cousin will not be able to make it to your luncheon/dinner party/jubilee/garden party. Currently, he is abroad and has put to sea. I don¡¯t know what for exactly, but he said something about seeking out new supplies and told me to let anyone looking for him know that he was going to be back in a month or two. Kindest regards, Lady Danaria Parin.¡¯


    While he¡¯d made sure to have all of those condolences sent by official channels, he¡¯d also had the tailor whip up some liveried outfits for their own messenger boys. Now that the time was right, they would send those young peasants on horseback anywhere there was a rich young man looking for a fix and inquire as to their availability. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Their messengers would of course wait around to collect the response and ensure it was delivered, thus bypassing any remnant Whisperers that might still be looking for him and his movements. Fortunately, thanks to all of this, they had a ready list of nobles to visit in the form of dozens of calling cards all stacked up neatly on Danaria¡¯s writing desk.


    Lucas took that stack and spread them out on the table, spreading them out to determine who¡¯d sent him multiple invitations. Most had only sent a single letter, but several had sent two, and some had sent them missives practically weekly, showing the desperate state of their addiction. They started there for obvious reasons.


    Of course, no one refused him. As soon as the messenger came to let them know that he was once again in the city, they insisted that he come calling at once. Soon, Lucas¡¯s social calendar was completely full.


    Before everything had gone sideways, he¡¯d hoped to pawn this job off on Adin, but now that he was in bed with Arisse, both literally and metaphorically, he no longer trusted the man. There was no telling what favors he would demand in lieu of cold hard coins from their rapidly expanding customer network.


    So, for the foreseeable future, at least half of every day was spent eating fancy meals, exchanging pleasantries and gossip he didn¡¯t care the least bit about, and dealing drugs to the richest people in the land.


    Oftentimes, he was booked for both lunch and dinner and spent almost the entire day away from the estate. He traveled with Mort every day. Apparently, the young man had been learning how to fight should the unexpected happen again. Sometimes, Kar¡¯gandin sent another one of their growing stable of warriors, with him posing as a manservant. Though that person changed pretty frequently depending on what else the group had going on that day, it felt good to have a little backup.


    There was no trouble, though, even though Lucas expected it. There were no ambushes or attempts at entrapment by the city watch. Instead, there were any number of frivolous games and diversions planned by his hosts to ingratiate them into his good graces. Lucas, in turn, spoke about the renovations he was having done on his sister¡¯s home and how he would host them soon.


    Though he didn¡¯t do much riding for obvious reasons, he got reasonably good at mallets and friendly card games. He was showered with any number of invitations for deeper relationships by men who never wanted to be without their drugs again. Brothers offered him their sisters, and husbands offered him their daughters. Sometimes, an engagement was suggested, and other times, a more scandalous tryst was offered in its place. Even a few of his rarer female clients hinted they might be open to some sort of discrete physical arrangement for a steady supply of Blue; it was hardly the first time a junkie had offered herself up for a fix to him.


    Mr. Sharpe was disgusted, and his wonder about Adin¡¯s story regarding his sister grew with each new attempt to bribe him with a pretty young thing. On Earth, he would have turned them down flat. Here, he had to be a bit more circumspect. Mr. Parin couldn¡¯t afford the luxury of being disgusted by scumbags. Instead, he had to smile and tell the man across the table drinking brandy what a tempting offer that was.


    It was only after he seemed genuinely interested that he could turn down such things without any hurt feelings. So, his backstory grew, one tawdry conversation at a time. It turned out that he was engaged you see. To the daughter of a Baron back home, and for reasons related to his father¡¯s debts, he couldn¡¯t cancel such an important alliance.


    Yes, Lucas had more than his share of dalliances, but his dance card was already quite full. ¡°In fact,¡± he often said, ¡°After this, I expect to be entertaining two different women from a very good family for the evening. Yes, at once. So, you see, I must save my strength for them, but perhaps next time¡­¡±


    Of course, with his rising disgust came rising costs. Good customers who were happy to pay in cash, like Lord Corrin, would receive the old rate. For the rest, though. For people like Baron Ronwhite, or the heir to Hessenburough who tried to offer him the flesh of his prettiest maid as partial payment instead, Lucas would have to deliver the unfortunate news that, sadly, due to a ship lost at sea, and another plundered by pirates, the price had gone up to six and a half dragons.


    For some with even more terrible offers and growing desperation in their eyes, he might not even be able to sell at that rate. Sometimes, he had only a single vial left to his name just now, and he couldn¡¯t part with it for less than eight or perhaps even ten dragons. It was tragic, really. He considered these extortionary rates, of course, and reserved them for those who offered him a night with their non-human slaves.


    He always expected them to balk, but really, he shouldn¡¯t have. He had what they needed, and no one else did. Oh, a few people would mention that the stuff circulating the streets of Lordanin was much cheaper. That was true, of course, but the Knights of Brass stepped on their product pretty hard. Lucas has seen samples. It was barely even blue at that point. It was just euphoria 2, and at this point, it was only enough to keep away the pangs of addiction rather than bring real bliss.


    To that, Lucas¡¯s answer was always the same, ¡°If you like what they¡¯re selling, then you should buy from them instead of me.¡±


    He could have cut them off then and there, of course, but he wasn¡¯t in the business of making enemies. Enemies had a reason to make his life hard, whereas customers, even ungrateful, disreputable customers, had reasons to help him, or at least look the other way.


    There were other drug dealers and other gangs in Lordanin, of course. None of them sold Blue, though. None of them sold what these men needed, and after a few doses, it really was a need more than it was a want.


    So, every day for weeks he departed the Parin estate with a strong box full of vials, and every afternoon or evening he returned with a small pile of gold, honestly, it wasn¡¯t a bad life, but it wasn¡¯t really what Lucas wanted to be doing with his time either.

 Ch. 62 - Thriving

    ¡°If you can charge whatever you want, then you should be charging fifty dragons!¡± Hura¡¯gh declared loudly while they were out chopping wood for the cider house fireplace and still one evening.


    The stairs to the basement were hidden behind the woodpile out back, and the weather was getting colder. Those were all excellent reasons for Lucas to do this work, but that wasn¡¯t why he was doing it. Instead, it was to get fitter.


    As well as his potions kept his strength up to get through the day, he¡¯d grown to resent the addiction. Not that it actually was addictive, of course, but for the last few weeks, he¡¯d certainly been reliant on the bitter draught, and he was determined to change that.


    So, during times when he was neither needed downstairs nor off on another stultifying sales trip to make nice with high-class junkies, he was up here, learning to use a wood axe. At first, he¡¯d been laughably ineffective, but now he could split wood, just not as fast as his half-orc companion.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to put your back into it!¡± Hura¡¯gh teased him regularly. ¡°Your skinny arms aren¡¯t going to do anything to that thing!¡±


    He had a fair point, Lucas thought, but then he also had 150 pounds and almost a foot of height on Lucas, so there was that. Still, it was good for him. Between evenings spent wielding the axe and mornings spent going on longer and longer walks looking for plants that his helpers seemed to have a hard time finding, he was certainly making progress. Lucas was even starting to put on some muscle for the first time in a very long time.


    ¡°We charge what we charge so we keep the customer,¡± Lucas said pausing to lean on his axe handle as the steel head rested on the wood he¡¯d been working on as he explained the facts of life to Hura¡¯gh. ¡°You only get to bleed ¡®em dry once, but if you bleed a little every day, you¡¯ll get a lot more in the long run. You know?¡±


    ¡°But why would you have to bleed anyone at all?¡± Danaria asked, making Lucas practically jump out of his skin. ¡°Are you two talking about healing or¡­¡±


    ¡°Lucas was explaining to me why we can¡¯t charge too much for the¡ª¡± Hura¡¯gh started to explain, but Lucas quickly cut him off.


    ¡°For the, uhm, mana potions,¡± Lucas volunteered. ¡°Healing potions we can let go for cheaper, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that blood was a part of that recipe,¡± she said, making a sour face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± he said quickly. ¡°It¡¯s just like a figure of speech. What are you doing out here anyway? It¡¯s after dark. You should be in your rooms.¡±


    ¡°I just hadn¡¯t seen you in a while,¡± she sighed, ¡°And when I heard the chopping, I knew you must be out here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s been a lot of work to be done lately,¡± he agreed, trying to figure out how to transition to a safer topic.


    ¡°So why are you bleeding anyone?¡± she asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you just charge a reasonable price?¡±


    ¡°I mean, that¡¯s kinda literally what I was saying,¡± he said, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Maybe bleeding was the wrong word. I meant you have to charge what the market will bear.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hura¡¯gh nodded. ¡°Lucas is smart. Just because something is addictive doesn¡¯t mean you make them broke, you gotta¡­ what?¡±


    As the half-orc continued to speak, Lucas facepalmed, and by the time he opened his eyes again, Danaria was staring at him in shock, and at least a little disgust. ¡°Lucas Sharpe, what are you selling these people?¡± she demanded.


    Lucas saw that Hura¡¯gh was about to open his mouth again and said, ¡°Hey, I think you¡¯ve helped enough already, buddy. Maybe you could give us a minute, okay.¡±


    The half-orc nodded and then winked at Lucas before stalking off. That made Lucas scowl for an instant, as he was completely unable to believe the other man truly thought he was helping, but he quickly corrected it to a more neutral expression. He even tried to ease into a smile, but she clearly wasn¡¯t buying it.


    ¡°I¡¯m just selling what we have to, to try to get by,¡± he said finally.


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Danaria demanded. She was a sweet girl.


    He doubted that she could take the whole truth, but he didn¡¯t want to lie to her either. Especially not since the whole truth would eventually come out. There was simply no way around it.


    She had to have expected at least this much, he thought. Especially after he¡¯d tackled an invisible intruder in front of her, and her brother had announced that he was marrying that woman.


    One day, her brother or the woman he was about to marry would say something. Even if they stayed quiet, she¡¯d hear something at a party, and then whatever image she¡¯d built up in her head as the man who had saved her brother from prison and was rebuilding her family''s fortunes would be revealed to be nothing but another low-life dealer. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He shouldn¡¯t care about that revelation one way or another. She was nothing to him. Still, as she stood there trembling, he found himself feeling increasingly bad about the whole thing. This wasn¡¯t how he wanted her to find out.


    ¡°Come on,¡± he said finally, delaying the moment. ¡°You look cold. Let''s go to my lab, where it''s warmer. Then we can talk.¡±


    As he showed her the secret door on the back of the ciderhouse he swore her to secrecy, especially as far as Arisse was concerned. Shge agreed, but when they got to the bottom of the stairs and she saw the hidden, well appointed room, she asked, ¡°When did you do all this.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been busy,¡± he answered. ¡°Where do you think all those healing potions for Meadowin and the other peasants come from?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you try to side track me, Mister!¡± she said, with a sudden intensity that showed how quickly she¡¯d seen through his attempt to deflect. ¡°I know perfectly well that Cassara makes those in her little shop.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she does now,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°But before that? The first couple hundred of them were made in this little cider house by me.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not all you¡¯ve been making,¡± she said. It wasn¡¯t a question.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not all we¡¯ve been making,¡± he agreed. ¡°Something had to pay the bills, and cheap healing potions and tinctures aren¡¯t going to cut it.¡±


    ¡°Which is¡­¡± she asked after he sat there quietly looking at her while his mind raced and he decided how he wanted to handle this.


    ¡°Drugs, Danaria, we make drugs,¡± he said finally. He didn¡¯t have the energy to dance around the point anymore. It was better to bite the bullet now than soft pedal it and lose all credibility when she learned the truth.


    ¡°You man¡­ drugs?¡± she asked, in shock. ¡°For who? Wha-why?¡±


    ¡°Nobles, mostly,¡± he shrugged, watching her deflate as he wondered if he¡¯d made the wrong choice. ¡°You know, all those letters you answered while I was recovering? Those guys are pretty much the top of the list right there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making and selling drugs, and I was¡­ helping you?¡± she said, confused as her eyes began to tear up. ¡°But Lucas, you¡¯re a good person! You¡¯re better than this!¡±


    ¡°I hate to break it to you, Danaria, but this is who I¡¯ve always been,¡± he said, leaning back against the counter. ¡°I¡¯m just a low-life, scumbag, drug dealer, trying to get by.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you can¡¯t,¡± she said, holding back the tears. ¡°What about all the people you¡¯re hurting?¡±


    ¡°What about all the people I¡¯m helping?¡± he said, trying to find some fig leaf for all this. ¡°Look how much more alive your village is since I arrived. Forget this Manor, in fact, fuck the Manor, just look at your people. Happy, healthy, and well-fed.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t justify this,¡± she said, tears running down her cheeks.


    She was still close enough that he could hug her. He could just reach out and do it, but that felt wrong, so he stayed right where she was even as she advanced on him in a pleading way.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± he agreed.


    ¡°And now that everything is fixed, you could just stop and¡ª¡± she started to say. Even after this painful revelation, she was still trying to find some sort of silver lining. She was still trying to find some way to save him from himself. It would have been adorable if it wasn¡¯t so misguided.


    ¡°I wish it were that easy,¡± he interrupted, ¡°But business like this, and people like this¡­ you don¡¯t just walk away from them, and if you try, bad things tend to happen.¡±


    ¡°But why would you do this here, in my house?!¡± she said, as anger flared through her, temporarily holding back the tears. ¡°You say these people are dangerous¡­ that woman¡­ my brother¡¯s. She could have killed you. She could have killed me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nodded, hurting from the low blow. ¡°I didn¡¯t want that to happen. I promise you that. We¡¯re doing everything we can to make this safe. The upgrades to the house and fence, the guards, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°None of those things will keep out invisible attackers, Lucas!¡± she cried. ¡°And the guards. I thought they were looking for my brother. How many times have they been here now, looking for you?¡±


    At this point, he just stood there silently, meeting her gaze with flinty eyes as he took her abuse. It wasn¡¯t undeserved, and it wasn¡¯t the first time, but he¡¯d get through it.


    ¡°Well?¡± she demanded, finally.


    ¡°What do you want me to say?¡± he asked, finally.


    ¡°I want you to say you¡¯ll stop, damn it!¡± she shouted.


    That was the first time he¡¯d ever heard the woman swear, and he was a little taken aback by it.


    ¡°Not happening,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry. I can try to make sure you¡¯re as uninvolved as possible, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lucas, you¡¯re on my estate, you use my name when you make these deals, and I¡¯ve introduced you to my friends. Hells, I¡¯ve written your correspondence!¡± she started calmly, but my the end she was shouting in exasperation again. ¡°How can I ever be not involved again?¡±


    Every time she¡¯d yelled at him so far, she came another step closer to him. Now, she was practically in his face. She was so close that he could have leaned forward and kissed her.


    ¡°This has to stop,¡± she said finally, a cold edge to her voice. ¡°We can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m going to talk to Adin, and we¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Danaria,¡± he sighed. ¡°I told you that can¡¯t happen, but even if it could, what is it you think you¡¯d live on if not for this money. Adin practically spent you into the poor house before I got here. This house was inches from being sold to pay his debts. You want to go live in a thatched hovel? You want to trade your extravagant dresses for linen frocks and your fancy meals for¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish what he was saying, she slapped him. It didn¡¯t hurt. She was a frail wisp of a thing, and he doubted that even a punch would have done more than stun him. Still, he caught the hand on reflex before she could do it again.


    ¡°Unhand me this instant, or I¡¯ll¡ª¡± she demanded.


    ¡°Or you¡¯ll what?¡± he asked with a cold smile. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Dan¡ª¡±


    As she spoke, she kissed him full on the mouth. Though her slap had done less than nothing, her kiss had just enough passion to actually stun him, and for a moment, he stood there frozen. That was enough for her to wrench her arm free.


    The moment he was no longer holding her, she ran toward the stairs. Then, she hiked up her skirts and ran up them to get away from him as fast as possible. Lucas didn¡¯t even try to stop her. He just stood there, wondering what in the hell had just happened.

 Ch. 63 - This Changes Nothing

    The next morning, when Lucas sat down to talk with everyone else about what had happened, he left the kiss out. When he was finally done explaining how the awkward conversation had happened, Hura¡¯gh said, ¡°What? I was trying to help.¡±


    Lucas shook his head at that, and Kar¡¯gandin merely laughed and shook his head. Only Danaria¡¯s brother Adin seemed nonplussed.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡± he asked with a shrug. ¡°It had to happen sooner or later with everything that¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think it will cause trouble?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°She had to grow up sooner or later. ¡± Adin said with a shrug, ¡°And this is as good a time as any. Once our name is cleared and we have enough for a proper dowry, it will be time to consider how she could best be used to cement further alliances.¡±


    Lucas did his best to keep his building anger off of his face. He wasn¡¯t sure why this was upsetting him, but it was. This is the way it was done here. Nobles played games with peoples lives and the ones closest to them were their most ready and disposible pawns.


    Still, the idea that Adin would marry his sister off to a man twice her age just because the guy had the right last name or could get him the favors he needed for some scheme or another to succeed repulsed him, and he fumed about it for the rest of the day. Of course, Danaria made every effort to avoid him, too, which gave him plenty of time to tinker in the lab.


    That should have been what he wanted, but even as he tinkered with making strength and agility potions that lasted as long as his flask of long-lasting curative did, the thoughts about it nagged at him. Should he have done something differently? Should he have lied to her or kissed her back?


    Lucas had no idea, but it bugged him.


    He didn¡¯t actually see her again until he was being driven back from another insufferable luncheon and saw her sitting there in Meadowin¡¯s square, weaving a crown of flowers together with some of the younger children. In the afternoon light, it was impossible not to find her stunning. She¡¯d taken to wearing simpler dresses after Lucas had pointed out just how much her extravagant wardrobe cost, but even so, in a simple lavender frock, she looked like a little princess sitting there with the flowers in her hair.


    That was what made him stop the carriage to talk to her. At first, that did not go well, and even though she didn¡¯t speak harshly in front of the children, there was a chilly aura about her the whole time.


    ¡°It was lovely to see you today cousin,¡± she said, not really meaning it, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid I must be heading home.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ride with me back to the manor,¡± he volunteered, giving her his best smile, but she brushed it off.


    ¡°A good constitutional is excellent for the health,¡± she said, ¡°You should try it sometime.¡±


    Lucas stood there for a moment, watching her leave, then he turned to go back to his coach but said, ¡°Fuck it,¡± to himself and then called to Mort, ¡°I believe that Miss Parin has the right of it. I¡¯ll walk back to the Manor; you can go on without us.¡±


    Mort gave him a little salute, then flicked his reigns, bringing the horses to life and leaving him and Danaria alone on the road out of the village. Lucas jogged a few steps to catch up, and they walked in silence for a hundred feet before she said, ¡°When I said you should try to walk more for your health, I did not mean today.¡±


    ¡°I mean, when a pretty girl asks me on a walk, is there even another answer besides yes?¡± he asked, feigning innocence. That simple line made her blush more than it had any right to, and silence returned for a long time before they finally talked at once.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you. I¡ª¡± he said at the same moment she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I reacted so poorly the other night¡ª¡±


    They were both quiet for a moment before they again spoke at once. This time, they said the same thing. ¡°No, please, after you.¡±


    This caused them both to laugh, and finally removed the pall from the moment. That was enough to let him finally look at her without finding a look of disgust waiting for him, and for now that was enough.


    ¡°Look, this isn¡¯t what I wanted to ether,¡± he said. ¡°Not originally, anyway. When I came from Earth and found wizards and shit here, I thought that was amazing. More than anything, I wanted to be one of those, but I found out pretty fucking quick that this world doesn¡¯t allow a lot of choice in those things, and after that, well, I sorta fell back on my old tricks, you know?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°That sounds terrible,¡± she agreed before asking, ¡°But where is this Earth place? Is it far away?¡±


    ¡°Very,¡± he agreed, cursing himself for forgetting. ¡°But the point is, if the only thing you have is a skill that makes money, then what the hell are you supposed to do? Even if it is wrong?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it right, you know.¡± She said sadly. ¡°Even after my brother explained all of this to me, I still don''t think that it makes things right.¡±


    Lucas was about to go into some explanation about how the right could outweigh the wrong, but at the mention of her brother Lucas realized that would have been a very Adin answer to give. So he didn¡¯t. Instead he just said, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Having these skills is still wonderful, though,¡± she said, trying to put a positive spin on it. ¡°Some people with talents never find a use for them, you know, and now you¡¯re healing the sick and doing other¡­ less reputable things. Why not find something else you could make? People pay good money for more than drugs, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°You know, what¡­ fine,¡± he agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll try. No promises I¡¯ll succeed, but I will try at least.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a fine start.¡±


    ¡°Your brother mentioned that you had a talent before, didn¡¯t he?¡± Lucas asked, trying to change the subject.


    ¡°Most nobles do,¡± she agreed noncommittally, ¡°but mine is nothing special.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± he smiled. ¡°What can you do?¡±


    ¡°If I tell you, you must promise it will be our secret,¡± she said, looking at him suddenly serious. ¡°Especially not my brother. He loves his secrets, and for some reason, he insists on keeping this under wraps. I think he doesn¡¯t want people to think less of our family because of how pathetic it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never tell,¡± Lucas agreed.


    Danaria beamed at him for a moment before turning away and searching the sky. ¡°There, do you see that Sparrow?¡±


    Lucas had no idea what a sparrow looking like, but he saw the tiny bird, and said, ¡°Yeah. Cute little guy, isn¡¯t he.¡±


    She pointed at it, and for a moment, he thought that she was about to blast it out of the sky or something. Instead, it flew to her before landing on her finger and tilting its head to look at the two of them.


    ¡°You¡¯re what¡­ summoning it? Controlling it?¡± Lucas asked, genuinely impressed. Unlike his alchemy, which was nothing but a glorified video game, this was real magic, and to him, that was cool as hell.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ riding it, let''s say,¡± she said, struggling for a word. As she spoke, the thing took off and began to circle the two of them in a very unnatural way as it flew tiny laps in the air. ¡°I can tell it what to do, I can see through its eyes and hear through its ears, but eventually it breaks free and¡­¡±


    As she spoke, the bird suddenly altered course and took off back into the sky once more, leaving them alone. ¡°Pretty pathetic, huh?¡± she asked, forcing Lucas to give her a dirty look.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he said louder than he intended as the little bird flew away. ¡°That shit is fire right there.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t really do it with larger animals,¡± she sighed. ¡°They just¡­ they fight me, and there is little to be done in taming common songbirds.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know what I think? I think you should keep practicing, you know?¡± he said, trying to cheer her up. ¡°Today, sparrows and robins or whatever, and if you work really hard, maybe you¡¯ll be able to use ravens or squirrels in a month or two.¡±


    ¡°I can do it with squirrels too, already,¡± she said with remarkably less enthusiasm than he would have thought this warranted. ¡°But I''m not sure if I can ever do use my talent on something bigger than that.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m telling you, today song birds, tomorrow eagles, and in a year or two dragons at least,¡± he laughed. ¡°Hell, maybe you could use this on people too. We¡¯re just nothing but animals, after all.¡±


    ¡°Well, if I did that, then I¡¯m sure Adin would be able to make a much better match for me,¡± she smiled sadly.


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, you can do whatever you want with your life,¡± Lucas said with a smile. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to listen to your brother, and I say that as someone, your brother has to listen to whether he likes it or not, so if there¡¯s a man you fancy, you just tell me, and I¡¯ll tell him to stop his scheming, and we can set up the match that will make you happy instead.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, pausing in the shade of an oak tree not so far from the Manor¡¯s gate, ¡°There is one man I know. He¡¯s not particularly suitable, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s great,¡± Lucas said, ¡°How about him? Is he interested in you too?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I think so¡­¡± she answered.


    She blushed hard enough then that he was confused. At least until he figured out that he was the man she was talking about. After that, he cursed himself silently. He¡¯d been trying to mend fences with her, not find creative new ways to break her heart.


    Right now, women were a terrible choice for him for any number of reasons, but this woman, right here. Danaria. He couldn¡¯t have picked a more complicated match if he tried, barring Arissa, of course, but he¡¯d sooner drink arsenic than let that woman into his bed chamber.


    They stood there underneath that oak tree for a few seconds while he tried to figure out what to do. It was apparent to Lucas that she was waiting there for him to kiss her, and confess his feelings for her.


    He was unwilling to do that, but he was also unwilling to toss her heart away and put another crack in it. So, instead, he took her by her hand and kissed her fingers lightly before saying. ¡°I think we both know that this unsuitable man of yours¡­ He¡¯s probably not in the right place to respond to your affections right now, but someday¡­ when he¡¯s a better person, then maybe¡ª¡±


    She hugged him before he could finish what he was going to say, but he decided to drop it so as not to spoil the moment. Instead, he stood there for a long moment, letting her cling to him before they finished their walk to the Manor.


    ¡°So long as he¡¯s getting better, I will wait for him,¡± she said finally. ¡°If you must tell my brother something, then tell him that.¡±

 Ch. 64 - A New Product

    The next few days were busy ones. Lucas sent messengers to various places in the city and secured himself molds, double boilers, and several sacks of sugar, which was a very expensive substance in a world that hadn¡¯t invented sugar cane.


    No one understood why he bought the candy making equipment and bribed a few talented members of the confectioners guild to understand the most important parts of caramelizing sugar. Not until after days spent making more caramel than blue he tossed Adin a lozenge of condensed Blue narcotic and said ¡°Here man, try this.¡±


    Candy of Mana Intoxication (pure) (1 dose): Euphoria 9, poison 2, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 190% for 1 hour. Sweet.


    Adin did exactly as he was told, like Pavlov¡¯s Noble, and passed out with a look of bliss on his face almost immediately. The fact that the noble lay there in a stupor for several hours afterward certainly spoke to the effectiveness of the new variety of the drug. ¡°I think you might have killed him,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said at one point after he kicked the man, and he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Lucas answered with a shit-eating grin, ¡°But that asshole is going to be fiending for a while after this. I can promise you that.¡±


    For a long time, Lucas had been trying to wean Adin off of the hard stuff with the very best intentions. Lately, he¡¯d only been giving him potions that were euphoria 3 and 4.


    Those numbers were typical of the quality he gave to the Knights of Brass, though they probably watered that down in half before they sold it cheap to the peasants. Nobles, on the other hand, typically got a much higher quality of Blue that was closer to 7 to make sure they stayed customers for a long time to come.


    Lucas could have done the same thing with Adin, but for months, he¡¯d felt bad enough getting him hooked in the first place, and he wanted the man to have a good shot at getting clean. However, with everything that was going to happen now, Lucas decided that letting the man think he might be able to break free of his addiction was a bad move. After all, at this point, he had no idea what sort of poison his fianc¨¦e might be pouring into his ear, and the easiest way to secure the noble¡¯s loyalty was to reinforce his addiction, for better or worse.


    In his mind, inflicting this on someone, even someone as selfish and wretched as the Viscount, was almost as bad as slitting Garren¡¯s throat had been. It was unquestionably wrong. In this case, the only bright side was that he expected this wouldn¡¯t haunt his dreams quite as badly as the murder had.


    In fact, looking at Adin laying there, he was surprised to find that it didn¡¯t bother him at all because the man deserved it. All he did was treat other people like pawns, so it was only fair that he became one.


    Of course, strengthening his leash on someone who was spending entirely too much time with his fianc¨¦e to be trusted was a sensible precaution, but it wasn¡¯t the only reason he was doing it. The fact that they were now only a few days out from the engagement dinner, and after that, all hell might break loose. Soon, several members of both the Whisperers and the Tovrin family would be here, and Lucas was sure that things would start to move fast after that.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t all he was working on. Now that his visits into the country were slowing down because all of his biggest customers had been topped up so recently, he finally had some time to focus on alchemy.


    Since he¡¯d already improved the duration of his boost potions and made recipes for any number of specialized healing products for Cassara to make both the manor and the village, Lucas had spent the last few days working on a new product to appease Danaria: Cosmetics.


    Not for her, of course. She hardly needed anything to make herself even prettier, but other than booze and drugs, it was one of the few things on Earth that made more money than drugs, so until he perfected the recipe for magic Viagra or potion of eternal youth, face creams and beauty products were pretty high up on the list of things that might make enough money that they might eventually be able to get out of the drug business.


    That was a vain hope, of course, especially with everything that was going to happen next, but he still believed that he might be able to limit his narcotic deprivations to the upper crust. If they could leave the working stiffs to lesser vices, that was enough for him.


    His partners weren¡¯t the least bit interested, they didn¡¯t even care for Adin¡¯s idea of trying to research new and better drugs to sell to more people. It was obvious that they considered it to be a waste of time. Kar¡¯Gandin was fond of saying, ¡°We already have a golden goose! It would be downright ready to go off in search of another!¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Even the idea of a dwarf calling someone else greedy wasn¡¯t enough to dissuade him, though. It changed nothing as far as Lucas was concerned. It wasn¡¯t like they could stop him from cooking up whatever the hell felt like anyway. It was the main thing he got out of this relationship: complete freedom to do what he wanted as long as he gave them the good shit.


    He hadn¡¯t promised Danaria that he would get out of the drug business, but he had promised her that he would try to find another way, and this was part of that, or at the very least, a good faith dead end if it didn¡¯t go anywhere.


    Sweet Red Berries: Beauty 2, Intelligence -1, sweet.


    White River Clay: Endurance 2, poison -1, beauty 1.


    Thickened Cream: Beauty 1, agility -1.


    So far his only success he¡¯d managed to make was a skin cream out of white river clay, cream, and red berries, but as a nighttime mask it was promising, considering that most of the richer members of the nobility used white power with a toxic lead base to make their completions clearer and smoother.


    Nighttime Face Mask of Moisturization: If worn for at least 1 hour, it increases the user¡¯s appearance by 1 for 12 hours. If worn for 8 hours, it increases the user¡¯s appearance by 2 for 24 hours.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad start, of course, but true cosmetics would require more knowledge about how they were made, and those were secrets that the alchemists in those industries guarded very carefully. He vowed to do just that, or maybe even reach out to the Red Lantern gang and see about mending fences now that the gang war between the Butchers and the Blind was slowly dying down.


    Other than keeping an eye out for new talent, that¡¯s mostly what Hura¡¯gh did for them these days. He kept his ear to the ground and provided them regular updates. To hear him talk, things were quiet, and there hadn¡¯t been any new wanted posters for Lucas in weeks. It would seem they¡¯d given up hunting their mysterious alchemist.


    More interestingly, though, was that the Blind were practically an endangered species at this point. ¡°After the watch got sick of their shit, the other gangs in the area basically declared open season on ¡®em,¡± the half-orc explained that night as the three of them sat around having dinner in the cider house.


    ¡°This was when you were dying in the forest, of course, but it weren¡¯t like you woulda gone to Lordanin to check it out, would you? So it wasn¡¯t like you missed much,¡± he said between bites. ¡°Anyway, they shut the whole market district down for a couple of days, and the Butchers, the Knights, and the Illuminated just went in there and beat the snot out of them until there was practically no one left that was willing to claim allegiance to the dead gang. Now, the territory that was theirs is split between the other three gangs, more or less, and the Orphans got a bit larger. Other than that, everything is pretty much back to normal.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lesson to be learned there,¡± Lucas said.


    ¡°Aye,¡± Kar¡¯gandin agreed with a laugh. ¡°Never be weaker than yer enemies or yer neighbors, lest they take advantage.¡±


    ¡°More like, never become a big enough public nuisance that they feel the need to make an example out of you,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°It¡¯s bad for business.¡±


    ¡°You sayin¡¯ we just got to cower and hope we ain¡¯t next?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked. ¡°Because, as far as I¡¯m concerned, that¡¯s one of the quickest ways to paint a target on your back.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°We can¡¯t show weakness, but in my mind, whenever it''s possible, I prefer not to show ourselves at all, you know? The Whisperers might not have the right of it in general, but they have the right of it there, and if Adin plans on allying with them, I play on stealing from their playbook in a big way. It¡¯s the only way to make sure they don¡¯t swallow us whole.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I confess I do not care for the way this is playing out either,¡± the dwarf agreed, gesturing to Adin¡¯s empty chair in the cider house. ¡°A man that is too good to eat with us is probably too good to work with us for much longer.¡±


    Lucas thought about reminding them that the house food was much better but decided against it. Honestly, he was tempted to eat in the manor sometimes. Only his desire to avoid Danaria before things got even weirder made him avoid the place.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like he can just quit and go somewhere else,¡± Lucas shrugged, taking another drink. ¡°If he turns on us, he¡¯ll never find another drop of Blue, and I have a feeling that¡¯s a choice he¡¯d regret for a long time to come.¡±


    ¡°Only until he manages to steal the recipe and give it to his new wife,¡± Hura¡¯gh said. ¡°You¡¯re always sending him to fetch ingredients. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he knows how to make it already.¡±


    Lucas laughed at that. ¡°The man can¡¯t make a healing potion, and he gets the plants wrong half the time anyway. We have twelve-year-old boys working for us now who are more dutiful and attentive than our Viscount!¡± Lucas smiled at that. ¡°No, I think my secrets are shielded by, among other things, his incompetence and ego. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll to me, it sounds like yer cookin¡¯ something up there Lucas,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said. ¡°Perhaps not the words, but certainly the tone in which ye say them¡­¡±


    ¡°Rest assured that both of you will be included in any plans I cook up,¡± Lucas said with a smile, ¡°And truthfully, right now, I¡¯m only cooking up a few things: Blue, beauty products, and preparations for Adin¡¯s announcement dinner toward the end of the week.¡±

 Ch. 65 - Blue Wedding

    The next few days were packed with preparations around the manor and the rest of the grounds, but Lucas did his best to ignore them. He only had a couple of things to do before the big day, and the hardest one of those by far was to pretend he was happy about this strange turn of events. He welcomed the new arrangements with exactly as much enthusiasm as he might summon for skinny-dipping with piranhas.


    So, he left discussions about security to Kar¡¯gandin, and with the help of a few other guys, they shut down the lab completely. Instead, he kept a small crew back there to start harvesting and pressing apples. Fortunately, when it came to trade, the dwarvish mind simply couldn¡¯t be beaten, and the willy trader figured out how to turn Lucas¡¯s lies into truth.


    ¡°Ye see, they¡¯ve heard all this time that our blue comes from the docks, but they haven¡¯t seen it, so in a couple of days, when all then that girl¡¯s family and her accomplices are here, we¡¯re gonna make sure they see a big delivery coming in with their own eyes,¡± he explained, looking as smug as Lucas had ever seen him.


    Kar¡¯gandin arranged for a number of crates from several different ships to be picked up on that day, and brought by wagon just before the other guest were due to arrive. He would make sure their enough clues about their origins were clearly visible on the outside to provide the Whisperer agents any number of false leads to chase down.


    ¡°Of course, the box we give them with their cut of the product will be carefully stripped to try to conceal the origin, but that will only make the other clues seem more real,¡± the dwarf said with a smile.


    ¡°So we¡¯re going to smuggle drugs into the city just to smuggle them back out again?¡± Lucas asked, confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of counterproductive?¡±


    ¡°Ye need to think outside the box a little more, my friend,¡± the dwarf laughed. ¡°The crates, we¡¯ll have whatever they have in them. Wool, grain, pottery. It doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯ll leave Lordanin just fine, and then, on the road between here and there, we¡¯ll switch the contents so that our new friends can see us unloading them.¡±


    ¡°And then they chase their tails for weeks trying to steal a connection with traders that doesn¡¯t exist,¡± Lucas shouted, finally putting all the pieces together. ¡°I fuckin love it, man. Great plan. Let me know if you need anything, I have to go into Meadowin and check on the happy couple¡¯s engagement present.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what is it yer getting made for Adin?¡± the dwarf asked. ¡°A knife for his back? I think his bride-to-be already picked out a couple of those for him.¡±


    They both laughed at that for longer than they should have before Lucas finally said, ¡°Nah. We all got plenty of knives out already. This is just some custom glassware for the couple¡¯s future home. It seemed appropriate.¡±


    Lucas was forced to take the carriage into town, but only because he wasn¡¯t carrying a crate of glasses all the way back by himself. That would have been murder on his hands.


    ¡°Is it true that there¡¯s going to be trouble?¡± Mort asked when they were halfway there.


    ¡°What makes you think there will be trouble?¡± Lucas answered, curious about what the normally quiet young man had heard.


    ¡°Well, I heard that your orcish friend is hiring a lot of extra guards just in case, and¡ª¡± the carriage driver started to say.


    ¡°The best way to make sure there won¡¯t be trouble is to be ready for trouble,¡± Lucas said with confidence he didn¡¯t have. They could have two dozen extra guards, and it wouldn¡¯t even be worth one of the wands that any one of the Whisperers might have on them when shit went down.


    Lucas had looked into buying himself a weapon like that just in case, but when he saw that they started over a hundred gold dragons, he decided that maybe it wasn¡¯t quite time to pull that trigger yet. By contrast, the glasses that he¡¯d had their loyal glassblower make came in at only thirty-five silver kings for the whole set.


    Lucas took a long, hard look at each piece before he paid the man. There were eight elegant wine flutes in all. Each of them was shaped like a beautiful flower that he planned to claim that Blue was extracted from on a faraway tropical island, just to muddy the waters that much more. The only difference was that five of them were a beautiful shade of blue, and four of them were crystal clear. They were fancier than anything he¡¯d ever want to own for himself, but for Adin, they were just about right.


    As he loaded the carriage, he looked around the village, noting how much it had grown in the few short months he''d been coming here. Everyone referred to him as Mister Parrin or Sir now, and he found that he enjoyed that more than he should. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Lucas had never been a benefactor before, and the experience had given him a lot of insight into gang culture back on Earth. That wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d messed with, but seeing a flourishing neighborhood that was blossoming because of his misdeeds was a balm to his soul, even though he knew that it shouldn¡¯t be. He¡¯d need that, of course, what came next.


    Adin, for his part, walked around with his head in the clouds. He was as obsequies to Lucas as he was demanding over everyone else, after getting the new dose. Lucas knew that the addiction would buy loyalty for a while at least, but he was under no illusions that the man¡¯s future bride would be clever enough to pick up the clues that the man casually dropped to figure out the shape of the true situation in a year or two.


    That sad reality made everything that was going to happen next more important than ever. Still, Lucas brooded about what he needed to do for days after that, even after all the preparations were done. By the time dinner rolled around that weekend, the place had never looked better. Parin Manor was polished within an inch of its life, and the house was overflowing with servants in formal liveries in a way that he¡¯d never seen before. Honestly, he would scarcely have recognized it compared to the threadbare place it had been the first day he¡¯d been here, but that spoke to their success as much as anything.


    Even Arissa was finally let out of the room he¡¯d been imprisoned in and allowed to dress in her fancy gowns once everything she shouldn¡¯t see was shut down. It wasn¡¯t like she was going to try to escape now, not when she was going to do her best to devour them whole.


    On the day of the engagement dinner, no less than 12 carriages dropped off guests of various levels of importance. The bride-to-be¡¯s father, her mother, and all of her brothers were in attendance. There were other people, too, including well-dressed friends who were more than a little cagey with names or using obvious aliases that told Lucas all he needed to know as to whether or not the Whisperers were, in fact, in attendance.


    For his part, Lucas was dressed up in as fancy a suit as he had and joined his ¡®cousins¡¯ on the front steps for all of the hand-shaking and introductions he could stomach. He quickly lost track of all but the most important names. It was easier to simply refer to people as Lord or Lady Torvin whenever possible, which was lazy but effective.


    Despite the fact that they were outside, he found the whole thing suffocating, both because the comrades he could count on most were absent as much as the way that the upper crust dressed and acted. Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh might make an appearance later when it was time to discuss business. Adin had insisted that demi-humans would not be welcome for the formalities when guests of this caliber were involved.


    Still, at least the whole thing started with a garden party. The whole thing had been planned out sort of like an onion by Adin and his bride. More than fifty people would be in attendance for the reception, but only perhaps the most important dozen of those would stay for dinner. Then, sometime after that was concluded, Lucas, Adin, his bride, her father, and another power broker or two would get together in the library with glasses of wine or brandy and have a real discussion about what came next.


    Lucas¡¯s grip tightened on his drink just thinking about it. After all the hard work they¡¯d put in, including recovering from some mortal injuries, the very last thing he wanted was to be made a flunky in someone else¡¯s organization. The very thought enraged him, but he tried to keep his cool as he mingled with strangers and pretended like he belonged.


    A couple of the young noblemen he¡¯d sold to in the past tried to cop from him here, but even if he had any blue on him, he wasn¡¯t particularly interested in selling with so many new eyes on him. Instead, he made a joke that no one in this world was likely to get. ¡°You come to me on the day of my cousin¡¯s wedding and show me this disrespect¡­¡± he said in his best Italian mafioso accent, barely managing to keep a straight face.


    All in all, the whole thing went reasonably well, even though he couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was a bit underdressed. The one snag that seemed to stand out only to him was all the strange poison testing that went on. Lucas could understand how, on some level, that made sense, especially in the presence of an underground alchemist of ill repute like him, but even so, it seemed excessive.


    No less than half a dozen nobles at the gathering had their own private poison testers, and Lord Torvin had a small magical charm that glowed green whenever he passed it over food or drink that was safe to drink. Presumably, it would glow red or some other color if it wasn¡¯t, but of course, none of the platters of snacks or flutes of wine had been tampered with in any way.


    By the time the gathering started to dissolve and the core of the group retreated to the main dining room for dinner, Lucas was already exhausted. It wasn¡¯t like he could stop, though, and just let events play on without him. So he was forced to continue to play the good host and keep a smile that was as indefatigable as it was insincere plastered to his face as they made their way to the dining room.


    At this second gathering, he found many more questions than before directed his way, and they were often more pointed than before. No one came right out and asked if he was the notorious drug dealer known as Mister Blue or anything, but nobles were quite fond of beating around the bush.


    ¡°Is it true you¡¯ve recently been involved in a hunting accident?¡± Arissa¡¯s eldest brother asked? ¡°You¡¯ve recovered quite nicely.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps next time you¡¯ll go out with us and show us a thing or two,¡± her younger brother commented blithely.


    Lucas shrugged off their words with smiles and drinking. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry,¡± he promised them, ¡°I know a thing or two about taking down big game.¡±


    The two of them reacted to that in a manner that was just as blas¨¦ as he thought it would be, but that was okay. Lucas was happy for them to underestimate him. He was focused on his plans for later in the evening.

 Ch. 66 - Blue Wedding (part 2)

    As the group sat there and worked their way through the courses in that large, cramped dining room, the mood was quite celebratory. Everyone, including Lucas, acted like they were happy for the young couple and their plans to wed. Everyone acted like it had been a natural idea that had been a long time coming, and no one mentioned or even hinted at the fact that she¡¯d been held prisoner in this very manor for almost two months before this meeting.


    It was easy enough to see the official story fraying in the hard looks and tight smiles of Arissa¡¯s friends and family who had gathered together for the occasion. Lucas told himself that was going to make what was coming next easier, but for now, he did nothing to tip his hand. Instead, he endured the gossip and enjoyed the menu of braised lamb, potato gratin, and all the other side dishes that stretched between here and dessert. Along the way, he found time to compliment Arissa¡¯s mother and chat with some of the people who had been introduced as her friends but were almost certainly members of the Whisperers.


    It was only when that second circle of hell ended, and the larger group began to break up that Lucas learned who the real power brokers were in this relationship. There, the biggest surprise was that none of the Torvin brothers were in the inner circle. Lucas had expected the oldest to join them at least, but as the bride¡¯s father started pulling people aside for a ¡®friendly chat,¡¯ as he called it, he selected his daughter but not his sons.


    That makes for an interesting dynamic, Lucas thought, though he wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of it at the moment. In the end, only six people, including Lucas, walked into Adin¡¯s study before the doors were shut: Lucas, Adin, Arissa, her father, and two of her friends, Lords Broan and Halforn. Both of them seemed far too old to be her friends, and Broan seemed likely to be a mage or something similar, which made the hair on the back of Lucas¡¯s neck stand on end.


    Still, at least he isn¡¯t the mage that tried to kill me last time, he told himself, trying to count small blessings. And six was a good number. He¡¯d expected five but prepared for up to seven just in case, so everything might yet work out. Still, he kept his face neutral in the same way Adin did, as if they were expecting a scolding or worse, as Lord Torvin finally sat down across from them on the plush leather couch.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t how I planned for things to work out, but I suppose it will do,¡± Lord Torvin said finally, eyeing the two of them. ¡°You¡¯re not the son-in-law I planned for, but even so, I trust my daughter¡¯s instincts, and I think this should work out just fine.¡±


    He was a stern man that Lucas had chatted with several times throughout the day, but not once had his stiff demeanor that was his personality softened, not even after a few glasses of wine. To look at him, he was more protocol than man, but that was just about right for anyone who had risen up as high as the Torvins in the Lordanin¡¯s court.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Adin said, obviously not sure what else to say. ¡°Your daughter and I¡­ we are of like minds on some things. I think we¡¯ll make a good match.¡±


    Lucas couldn¡¯t help but notice that the way everyone had chosen to sit, he and Adin were isolated and very nearly surrounded. He doubted that was an accident.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m as happy as anyone for the two lovebirds,¡± Lucas said finally, ¡°But let''s not beat around the bush. We all know that none of us are here in this room for the engagement. So, what¡¯s going to happen next.¡±


    ¡°Why, you¡¯ll work for us, of course,¡± Lord Torvin said with an icy smile as if there wasn¡¯t a question in the world. He paused for a moment to give Lucas a moment to speak, but even if Adin hadn¡¯t been giving him a hard look at that moment, Lucas knew better than to say shit.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be given a fair price, of course,¡± the older man smiled, continuing, ¡°But ultimately, this tool is much too powerful to be sold for gold and silver coins. Not only is the Prince desperate to get his hands on all he can, but even if that wasn¡¯t the case, the idea of wielding true power through a number of well-placed addicts is simply too¡­ intoxicating.¡±


    Lord Torvin laughed at his own joke then, along with the two flunkies he¡¯d brought into the cramped study with him. Lucas followed their lead, but only barely, and it was only when the faint laughter passed that he finally said, ¡°Fine. If that¡¯s the way you want it, then we can do that, but I want whatever deal we sign in writing. I¡¯m done playing games. I just want to import my product, get my cut, and live the high life.¡±


    ¡°What he means to say is¡ª¡± Adin tried to pretty up Lucas¡¯s words, but the elder noble seemed amused by his impudence and cut him off fairly quickly.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he assured Lucas. ¡°As long as we get what we need to turn the city into the bastion that it could be, I care little how you spend your time. I¡¯ll confess that when my daughter told me that you were only in this for the gold, I found that difficult to believe, but some people really are as stupid as they look.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Lucas ignored the insult. ¡°What about that stupid misunderstanding at the warehouse?¡± he asked. ¡°Am I really supposed to believe that¡¯s just going to be water under the bridge?¡±


    ¡°If I can forgive the Parin house kidnapping my daughter, then I¡¯m not too likely to get wrapped up a single cell of our organization suffering an accident, now am I?¡± the older man continued. He acted nonplused, but Lucas could see ice in his cold blue eyes as he answered. ¡°Damages will be paid to their families, new members will be recruited, and that will be that.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lucas answered, unconvinced. Instead of continuing the discussion further, he reached under the desk he was sitting at, pulled out Adin¡¯s bottle of good brandy, and put it on the table. ¡°We¡¯ll drink on working together for now then and work out the exact terms later on paper.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll want to give that a scan with your poison sniffer, I suppose,¡± he said before standing and moving to a shelf along the wall where he retrieved the glasses he¡¯d had custom-made for Adin the other day.


    Lord Torvin moved his amulet across the bottle, and as expected, it found nothing objectionable. Indeed, no one seemed to have any problem with the idea of drinking to cement the alliance. Arissa sat there smugly, the two other members of the Whisperers talked quietly among themselves but seemed pretty pleased, and the white-haired Lord Torvin sat there calmly with slightly less animosity in his expression than there had been before. He¡¯d expected a surrender, and he¡¯d gotten one.


    Lucas set out 6 blue glasses with great care, and then poured them all an equal measure of ten-year-old brandy with an almost sincere smile on his face. When that was done he took one glass, and handed another to Adin before he raise the fancy, delicate thing in a toast and said, ¡°To working together for a long time to come.¡±


    Everyone else grabbed their glasses, and after raising them in a manner that seemed almost menacing in some cases, all of them took a drank to their new alliance. Some like Arissa took a sip, and others like her father downed the whole thing in a single swallow, the results were almost immediate in every case.


    ¡°What is¡­¡± Lord Torvin managed to ask before the glass he was holding slipped from numb fingers and fell on the floor.


    Arissa didn¡¯t even get that far. Instead, her eyes widened as the sudden narcotic bliss shot through her system, but no words escaped her mouth before she slumped backward in her seat, spilling the rest of her drink on the floor.


    One of the Whisperers - the man with sharp eyes that had been introduced as the leader of her cell, managed to pull out a wand, but he had no strength to speak whatever terrible word activated it.


    Only seconds after Lucas had offered the toast, all four of them were lost in their own private narcotic induced heaven. He smiled and finished his drink what. Adin looked at everything that had happened in shock.


    ¡°What in the name of all the devils below did you do!¡± he said finally, exploding into motion even as he looked at his drink with suspicion. ¡°Did you poison them? How? Why? They¡¯re going to kill us!¡±


    ¡°They were always going to kill us,¡± Lucas laughed, leaning back in his chair. ¡°I could see it in their eyes. As soon as they got what they wanted, we were finished. The man¡¯s pride would never have allowed for less.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t know that!¡± Adin shot back. ¡°We could have fixed this. Arissa and I were going to fix this, but now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now we have done onto them exactly as they planned to do onto others,¡± Lucas smiled wickedly, setting his glass down. ¡°They wanted to use addiction as a leash to get their way, and in return, I¡¯ve done exactly that to them. Now, they can never turn against us. Not without a very ugly detox period.¡±


    ¡°But how?¡± Adin continued. ¡°The bottle wasn¡¯t poisoned, and neither of us were drugged, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t think this trick was going to look, but seeing how easily it fooled you, I really sold myself short here.¡± Lucas sighed, pulling out the rest of the glasses and setting them down on the desk. ¡°What do you see, Adin? What¡¯s the giveaway here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t see anything. They¡¯re all blue, but¡ª¡± the viscount started to say.


    ¡°And how many of them were blue earlier?¡± Lucas asked, trying to lead him to the solution.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know - half?¡± Adin guessed. ¡°Did you really pay for enchanted glasses just to sign our death warrants?¡±


    ¡°Nothing magic here,¡± Lucas said with a smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know the first thing about using it. I¡¯m just smarter than the rest of you. I was sure they¡¯d check the bottle for poison, but an empty glass? I thought that was pretty unlikely, and in this case, that¡¯s what bit them.¡±


    ¡°You poisoned the glasses?¡± Adin asked incredulously. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t poison shit,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°I took that same candy coating I showed you last week and coated the inside of the clear glasses with it. That was the whole reason I had them made. Once you let that shit cool, it looks just like the blue ones. That lets me choose exactly who gets dosed and who doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going to fucking kill us,¡± Adin said, putting his head in his hands.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°But they always were, and now if they do it - well, it''s going to make them hurt more.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, what if they just kill everyone but you now?¡± Adin asked piteously. ¡°The secret to making Blue won¡¯t stop them from killing Danaria or burning this place to the ground, now, will it? They only need you, and after a little torture, they don''t even need you breathing.¡±


    The man wasn¡¯t saying anything that Lucas hadn¡¯t already thought of. The move wasn¡¯t without risk, but it was still the most insurance he could possibly muster in the face of the dangers they faced. He wouldn¡¯t give them shit, though. As much as he was dreading going back to the afterlife after everything he¡¯d been through, he¡¯d rather face those angels all over again than roll over for these assholes like a bitch.

 Ch. 67 - A New Equilibrium

    By the time Lucas¡¯s new partners started to wake up, their obvious weapons had been removed and set on the far side of the desk, and a large glass jar of small blue candies had been set between them. He did his best to sit there looking supremely confident, though his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Adin had left the room and taken his fiancee with him, which made room for Kar¡¯gandin to join Lucas in the cramped little study. The presence of a demihuman among such important people was sure to make them even more annoyed, but honestly, Lucas was looking forward to that part.


    Kar¡¯gandin was the only person that Lucas had shared his plan with before everything had gone down, and though the dwarf had been leery, he hadn¡¯t seen a better play. ¡°Yer gonna kick up a right hornet¡¯s nest if ye do this boy,¡± the dwarf had cautioned him, but it was what it was.


    Lord Broan was the first one to wake up. He was more confused than anything. ¡°What is the meaning of this!¡± he demanded.


    Lucas just smiled thinly and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you, but after due consideration of your kind offer, I¡¯ve decided to renegotiate our deal.¡±


    That he managed to say it with a straight face amused him, but not as much as the other man¡¯s reaction. For a moment, the sharp-nosed Lord struggled to understand what Lucas had said, but as soon as he¡¯d processed what Lucas was saying, murder replaced the haze that clouded his vision.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± the man blustered. ¡°I¡¯ll have you killed. I¡¯ll have your whole family killed. Here in Lordanin and across the seas in¡­¡±


    He kept going like that for a while, but his increasing volume started to wake up the other two men who had been struggling with their own brief but intense high, and Lords Torvin and Halforn slowly started to stir.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save the threats for when your Master¡¯s wake-up, lapdog,¡± Lucas interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll want to make some too, and I¡¯d rather have them all out on the table at once so they don¡¯t get too repetitive. ¡±


    The man was clearly not used to this sort of disrespect and was stunned into apoplectic silence for a moment, but that was all the time it took for Lord Torvin to open his eyes and glare daggers at Lucas. He was sharper than his minions, and he knew what Lucas had done right away.


    ¡°You really think you can subject us to this¡­ humiliation and expect to live,¡± the man rumbled dangerously. ¡°I¡¯ve got a dozen killers out there. At a word, I could have you castrated and flayed.¡±


    ¡°You could certainly try,¡± Lucas nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of killers here tonight too. Maybe we could make a bloodsport of it. I¡¯d be careful, though. You already blundered into this trap; who knows what others are waiting for you.¡±


    Lord Torvin was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°You think you¡¯re some kind of mastermind? You think you can outmaneuver me? I have men at every level throughout this city. It is I who¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I appreciate all that hard work,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°You thought to use my drugs to own Lordanin, but now I¡¯ve used my drugs to own you instead, so I suppose, in that sense, that makes Lordanin mine.¡±


    ¡°You think you can hold me were mere chains of addiction?¡± Lord Torvin roared. ¡°I¡¯ll beat this, and then I¡¯ll beat your cousin bloody for your insolence as well.¡±


    Lucas laughed then. ¡°That¡¯s funny. You still think after all this time, I¡¯m related to the Parins? They were just a place I decided to crash when I came to town with a few kegs of blue. I mean, really, we look nothing alike. The first thing I did was get them hooked on Blue, the same as you. Do whatever you want to them; I¡¯ll just pick a new family and a new name. Maybe I¡¯ll be Lucas Torvin next; how does that sound to you?¡±


    ¡°But that can¡¯t be¡­¡± Lord Torvain said, showing signs of doubt. ¡°Arissa told me¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope she told you that Adin has been hopelessly addicted for months now,¡± Lucas said blandly, sure that she had. There was no way a fop like Adin could hide his gaze from her keen eye.


    ¡°He¡¯s tried and failed to quit twice now,¡± Lucas lied. ¡°He used to have a little pride, but look at him now. He practically begs for the stuff after a few days. I guess we¡¯ll see if you¡¯re any stronger than that.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this,¡± Lord Halforn said, trying to get a word in edgewise. ¡°We could have been reasonable. We could have¡ª¡±


    ¡°From the very minute you walked in this door, you looked down your nose at me and my operation. This was never a partnership. You thought I was going to work for you,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°And now the shoe¡¯s on the other foot. Now you¡¯re going to work for me. That¡¯s all. Other than that, everything stays the same.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°And what are your terms?¡± Lord Torvin growled.


    Lucas was under no illusions that the man had been cowed or given in in any way. For now, he was just looking to get as much information as he could to decided how to screw Lucas over. That was fine. He¡¯d expected no less from the man at the center of so much intrigue.


    ¡°The same as before, just with the roles reversed,¡± Lucas smiled coldly. ¡°You go on playing your shadowy games. You can even use blue to do it. You just belong to me now. That¡¯s all. I make the drugs, you use the drugs, we both profit.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll be a dog on a leash for you?¡± Lord Torvin spat. ¡°You think this is a game?¡±


    ¡°You certainly did when you thought that whole ¡®enslave people with addictions¡¯ thing was going to apply to your enemies instead of you,¡± Lucas said with a smile. ¡°The only thing that¡¯s changed is that now you have skin in your game.¡±


    ¡°This changes nothing,¡± Lord Torvin said, standing, ¡°except that after my men kill you, I will get this poison out of my system and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maybe ye should try that in the reverse order there, chief,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, chiming in for the first time. ¡°I¡¯ve seen dwarves shake this shite off after a few months, but humans? The only customers we¡¯ve seen that managed to quit for more than a week were suicides.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll get it from other sources,¡± Lord Torvin said, unwilling to change his tune. ¡°I will not tolerate your existence a moment longer than I have to.¡±


    ¡°What over sources?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°I disappear, and this whole operation dries up and blows away, leaving you with nothing but a growing craving you¡¯ll never be able to sate. You think Dusk will scratch that itch? Dragon¡¯s Blood? You ask the junkies in the kingdom how much that helped them when I ran out for a few weeks last month. Those men would have given all they had for one more fucking hit.¡±


    The two of them glared at each other for several long seconds before Lord Torvin¡¯s eyes flicked down to the jar full of blue candies. ¡°What¡¯s that then?¡± the man asked. ¡°More poison?¡±


    ¡°A show of good faith,¡± Lucas quipped. ¡°40 days worth of Blue for one person, or 10 days worth spread between your two lieutenants here and your daughter. I don¡¯t want you to think I¡¯m going to cut you off at any moment. If you spread it out and only take a couple a week, that supply could last all of you for a month.¡±


    ¡°A long leash is still a leash,¡± Lord Torvin answered.


    In this case, it''s technically a noose since I¡¯m giving you enough rope to hang yourself with, Lucas thought to himself, but he said nothing.


    The man obviously didn¡¯t like the current situation, but now that his outrage was fading, he understood the trap that had been laid. It was impossible to believe both that a drug was so addictive that he could use it to control his enemies but so weak that he could cast off its chains.


    Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s words had been a lie, of course. Any habit could be kicked if you went cold turkey long enough. Blue was no exception to that. In fact, the sooner the men in this room started, the more likely they were to succeed. That¡¯s why Lucas was making that job that much harder by giving some product away for free. The more they took, the harder it would be to break that narcotic spell, and the less they would want to, so it was in his interests that they gave in and accepted the inevitable as soon as possible.


    The Lord seemed conflicted and looked to the dwarf-like he was about to talk down to him, but instead said, ¡°Is this your real partner then? Perhaps I should burn down his home instead, my soon-to-be son-in-law¡¯s. Maybe that would send the right message.¡±


    ¡°Burn down whatever you want,¡± Lucas said, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go to war, of course. I can¡¯t be publicly disrespected any more than you can, but your fine allies have an awful lot more to lose than my junkies, and unlike you, I can start over somewhere else. My empire is portable, and yours isn¡¯t.¡±


    It was a bluff. In Lucas¡¯s mind, it wasn¡¯t even a particularly good bluff, but as Lord Torvin started to deflate, Lucas realized that they¡¯d won, at least for tonight. Somehow, this wasn¡¯t going to devolve into bloodshed for now. He could feel it.


    The conversion continued, and eventually, it became less adversarial as Lucas insisted he didn¡¯t want to do anything to screw up the Whisperer¡¯s current arrangements. That was a lie, of course. Just like Lord Torvin pretended that he might ever be okay with a subordinate arrangement, Lucas pretended that he was going to let the man keep running roughshod over the city.


    The truth was, there were going to be a lot of changes around here. If Lucas was going to keep peddling poison, he was going to do it to the right sort of people. That might even be enough to give his burgeoning little gang a name: the Bluebloods, he decided.


    If aristocracy was going to be a weapon, then he might as well see if he could accomplish some good with it. After all, he¡¯d barely tried, and he¡¯d improved the lives of the nearby villagers immeasurably. If he found himself with the resources of half the nobility of the city, well, who knew what he could accomplish.


    When the five of them finished their conversion, Lord Torvin took the offered Blue with him. He even shook hands with Lucas, though there was nothing but ice behind his forced smile. Even as he returned everyone¡¯s weapons, he was reasonably sure that Lord Broan was going to pull out his wand and vaporize them. That didn¡¯t happen, though. Instead, they exited the study, and a few minutes later, they were leaving the grounds entirely.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they were the type to leave so meekly,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, once the two of them were alone on the front porch and the last of the carriages was retreating down the front drive.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t,¡± Lucas answered as he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s still going to be war. They just need to figure out a new plan to fuck us over. Shit is going to get ugly, I think, just not as soon as before.¡±


    ¡°Well, that gives us more time to prepare then,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said with a smile, clapping him on the back before they went inside to call it a night.

 Ch. 68 - Aftermath (End Book 1)

    For the next couple of weeks, very little of what went on could be called productive. He was so concerned that invisible spies might be watching him or that the ambush they''d all been waiting for might begin that he didn¡¯t actually cook once. Instead, he sat around bored out of his mind, pretending to have a good time with Adin or going on leisurely herb gathering trips where he plucked anything but the ingredients to Blue.


    He also made sure that no one left the grounds without an armed escort. It didn¡¯t matter if it was him, the Parins, or even a messenger boy. They weren''t going to make this easy on Lord Torvin because, like it or not, Lucas was sure the cagey old man was planning his revenge. The man had a heart of flint and a devious mind. He also paid people in the village to watch the road and keep an eye out for strangers, and he arranged random guard patrols of the grounds and the orchard. None of that would have been enough to stop a determined attack, but all of it would make the planning that much more difficult.


    It turned out that waiting for the axe to fall wasn¡¯t the most difficult part of the whole thing, even though Lucas had thought that it would be. It was pretending to be someone like Adin the whole time in case he was being watched. Trying to throw the Torvins, along with anyone else who had a vested interest in killing him, off the trail, was exhausting work. He just wasn¡¯t made to be a dilettante and eat finger sandwiches while he had long conversations about nothing at all.


    The second most difficult part, though, was putting up with Adin all day long and his incessant whining about Annise. Apparently, she was very displeased that she¡¯d gotten hooked on Blue in all of this, and though she couldn¡¯t break the engagement for appearance¡¯s sake, she¡¯d barely spoken a word to him since and had refused to see him on numerous visits. Lucas found how upset he was by that to be more than a little amusing, considering how it was supposed to be a marriage of political convenience.


    ¡°Just tell her it was all my fault,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Tell her I¡¯m the monster that made you do it, and you¡¯re in the same position she is. It¡¯s pretty much what I told her father, so she¡¯ll definitely believe it.¡±


    ¡°The only thing worse than being a villain is an impotent fool,¡± he snarled back. ¡°If I told her that, she¡¯d never respect me again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d rather be hated?¡± Lucas asked, laughing.


    ¡°Love isn¡¯t necessary for a strong relationship, but respect is,¡± Adin sighed. ¡°Ours was never going to be a loving bed, but for a time, it was quite nice. Annise is very clever, I¡¯ll have you know. You could learn a thing or two from her.¡±


    Of that, at least, Lucas had no doubt. She was a snake, for sure.


    Spending time with Danaria was nice, at least for the most part. She still seemed to run hot then cold, and he wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to make of that. One day, everything was fine with them, and the next day, she was chastising him for being a drug dealer. It wasn¡¯t a fight he could win, so he rarely tried. Instead, they talked about other things, like the cosmetic research he¡¯d tried.


    She wasn¡¯t much for makeup, but she hoped that he would try perfumes one day, which, honestly, wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d ever considered before. Could he make perfumes with his alchemy skills? Lucas had no idea, but he supposed it was worth a shot. They were mostly just just alcohol and sweet-smelling things, weren''t they?


    Wait, didn¡¯t whaling have something to do with it, too? He thought to himself. He had a brief recollection from history class about something to do with whaling and whale oil, but it was gone. He¡¯d never exactly paid much attention in school, so that was hardly a surprise.


    Lucas wasted almost two full weeks. It was only when he risked a trip into town and hired a sage for the extortionary price of 8 golden dragons to explain to him how the ring of invisibility worked that he was finally able to get back to work. He needed to. They were spending a small fortune on precautions, and pretty soon, the Knights of Brass were going to be on his ass about re-upping.


    Honestly, Lucas wanted to phase out that whole line of business in the not-so-distant future and sell exclusively to the nobles. Not only would it be less destructive in the long run, but it would be much more profitable, and he could feel good about both those things, so long as the sage could tell him how to slip away so that he could come and go as he pleased.


    ¡°You see here,¡± the wizened old man pointed out. ¡°This symbol here is what controls the device.¡±


    ¡°What? Like a button, or is it more of a command word?¡± Lucas asked, unsure of how exactly he would pronounce a diamond shape with several cursive squiggles that ran through it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Neither,¡± the sage said. ¡°First, you wear the ring, and then you visualize the sign on it in your mind, which links your mana to it and¡­¡± As he spoke, nothing happened for several seconds, and then suddenly, the old man vanished in the blink of an eye like he¡¯d never been there at all.


    Lucas had just enough time for his jaw to fall open at the minor miracle, but before he even finished reaching out to touch the man, the sage reappeared and handed Lucas the ring. ¡°Now you try,¡± he said calmly.


    If it was that easy, Lucas felt like he¡¯d been seriously ripped off on the fee to meet with this man, but it turned out not to be the case. He put on the ring, but try though he might he couldn¡¯t feel more than a tickle.


    ¡°You must calm down,¡± the sage said after several attempts when Lucas¡¯s irritation started to become relevant. ¡°Channel essence can only happen with a clear mind.¡±


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m trying to do here,¡± Lucas sighed.


    The old man walked him through a series of breathing exercises. Then, after that interminable waste of time, Lucas tried again. At first, he felt nothing, just like before, but on his second attempt he felt a slight tingle, and on the fourth try he flickered out of existence long enough to notice, before the sudden surge of excitement at that realization broke the spell and ended it immediately.


    ¡°Woah,¡± he gasped.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the old man said softly. ¡°It can take some getting used to, but it¡¯s important to stay calm, first and foremost.¡±


    ¡°And once the magic is active, it just stays on? Until when?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°How do I know when I¡¯m running out of mana or whatever?¡±


    ¡°These things will become clear to you when you practice more,¡± the sage said. ¡°Mana is like any other form of endurance, and it improves with practice. Initially, you might find you can only use this trinket for short periods of time, but with practice¡­ well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the results you seek.¡±


    The man offered to sell him a child¡¯s toy that nobles often purchased for promising you mages to improve such skills, but at 55 golden dragons, Lucas balked at the price. He would happily practice with his ring instead, which was exactly what he did that night.


    Because he was being watched, he was sleeping in the guest bedroom of the main house, instead of in the ciderhouse with the guys. And after he went to bed he spent more than an hour practicing his invisibility. This time he got it on the second attempt, but by the fourth he was able to just hold it in place with a little bit of concentration.


    That first night, he couldn¡¯t even sit up without breaking the spell, but after a few nights of trying, he was able to sit up, stand up, and even walk around. Opening doors and picking things up without reappearing took longer, but after a few more nights, he got there. All in all, though, he was able to stay invisible for several minutes without any real strain. Starting on the second night, he tried to hold it for as long as possible.


    Though Lucas didn¡¯t have a clock, he estimated that he could hold the invisibility effect for maybe three minutes without any effort and maybe five before he started to really feel the burn. ¡°I wish there was some way to quantify this better,¡± he sighed to himself. ¡°You know, like numbers and shit.¡±


    Part of him hoped that some stupid pop-up window with all of his magic stats would appear when he said that like it did with his alchemy stuff. That didn¡¯t happen, though. After almost a week of practice with the ring, including a few late-night walks around the mansion while everyone was asleep, he finally decided to test it the following day outside, where people might catch him.


    Somehow, despite his nervousness, he managed not to fuck that up, and he quickly and quietly made his way down to his beloved lab. It was only when he was standing there in the near darkness that he realized how much he missed the place. Despite the noise of people working above him now that apple harvesting was in full swing, he felt more at peace down here than he had anywhere since that whole stupid trip in the woods had almost left him gutted.


    Lucas spared a moment to enjoy that, but after that, he got to work, reviewing inventories and noting what ingredients were still good and what would have to be tossed out. Fortunately, he¡¯d thought ahead and dried vast quantities of witch grass blossoms, wizened gnome caps, and dwarf berries for just this moment, and they¡¯d boiled off the water from the goblin bile and blue esper vine sap to make a more purified and shelf-stable version. While he noted a few of the jars of bile now had the status of rotted or putrified, most of them were still fine.


    So, Lucas quickly got to work. After all, he was going to need a lot more blue soon. They all were. Their regular noble customers needed over a hundred doses a month now, the Knights were going to need forty doses a week of the watered-down stuff, and Lord Torvin and his bunch, well¡­ Given that they hadn¡¯t been attacked yet, Lucas was pretty sure he could put them down for another forty or fifty a month just to be safe.


    The result came out to be almost four batches a week, which definitely meant more mats than he had right now, at least in terms of goblin bile. His mind racing, Lucas realized he was going to have to get the boys out scavenging again, and he was looking to pick up any esper vine they could before the weather turned. Then there was talking to Kar¡¯gandin so the dwarf could get more bounties out there for the bile and¡­


    Lucas forced himself to stop, then feeling slightly ridiculous, he used one of the breathing exercises the sage had taught him to force himself to calm down a little. All that could wait. It could certainly wait until the end of the day and probably until the end of the week. All that mattered now was what he was doing. He¡¯d waited weeks to get back to it, and he wasn¡¯t about to blow a cook because he was distracted.


    Refocused, Lucas smiled and then lit the fire on his stove. It was time to get to work.

 Ch. 69 - Harvest Season

    Lucas wiped the sweat that had gathered on his brow in defiance of the chill. ¡°Is that the last one?¡± he called up to where Hura¡¯gh was manning the pulley above him.


    ¡°Nah,¡± he called down. ¡°Still a couple more to go.¡±


    They¡¯d installed this trap door so they could surreptitiously store all the extra tried herbs and purified reagents they¡¯d been gathering for weeks now once all the other hands had gone to bed. While it was convenient, he certainly missed little things like freight elevators and would love to find a magical equivalent, though that was hardly a priority, he thought with a sigh as he started to shove the crate, sliding it against the far wall.


    The half-orc didn¡¯t seem to notice the cold or the weight of the crate he¡¯d just lowered into the lab, but just looking at it made Lucas tired. It was definitely getting colder, but snow was still at least weeks away. At least he hoped it was weeks away because they had a lot of shit to gather if they wanted to keep producing blue and healing potions all winter long.


    Obviously, they should have started all this sooner. They should have prepared for winter right about the time Annise had ambushed him on the road months ago, but everything had kind of gone to shit after that, so it wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d been slacking or anything.


    Still, all of their hired hands and most of their muscle were off searching far and wind through the Greenwood and everywhere else to get everything worth getting before the first frost made reagents a whole lot rarer than before. They were going to be fine, he¡¯d decided, probably.


    Lucas had already let Sir Tristin with the Knights of Brass know that shipments would be a little slower in the winter, and most of the nobles he sold to regularly had been informed that rough winter weather could make shipping schedules unpredictable. Those fig leaves would let Lucas cut their output by almost a quarter until the weather warmed up without much issue.


    It wasn¡¯t like they needed the money, not really. Kar¡¯gandin had informed them at their last meeting two days ago that their stash exceeded a thousand dragons now, and now that their strongbox was all but overflowing, he was going to have to start depositing the excess in the dwarven banking system.


    ¡°You sure that¡¯s safe?¡± Hura¡¯gh asked. ¡°I heard banks are like graveyards for money. It goes in the ground somewhere, but it never leaves again.¡±


    ¡°Well, if ye like, we could buy more chests and start burying it ourselves,¡± the dwarf grumbled. ¡°The mansion grounds have plenty of space for such a foolish thing, but in the bank, our funds will earn interest and¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lucas said. ¡°It¡¯s your money, too, and though I don¡¯t trust banks, I trust a dwarf not to lose money.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least there¡¯s that,¡± Kar¡¯gandin smiled.


    The truth was they were making money hand over fist. It wasn¡¯t even just the drugs, either. They were selling so many bootleg potions that they were starting to shape the market of the city. Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s cousin had informed him that with the amount of mana potions they were making, they were no longer worth the glass vials they were being sold in, for one.


    Once upon a time, the other blue potion they made had been worth so much that they were their second-biggest moneymaker after blue. These days, they only brought in a few silvers a week, and almost a third of their funds were made from excess healing potions and salves, and Lucas hadn¡¯t even intended to sell those originally. They¡¯d been to bribe people and win the villagers over, but between his and Cassara¡¯s efforts, they had more than Meadowin and the surrounding towns could ever use. The pretty red-headed herbalist had been incredibly helpful, but even so, selling the rest only made sense.


    So, between the medicine and the poison they were selling, they were reaping huge sums every week. That was likely to fall during the winter, of course. Everything would slow down once the snows fell and the rich and poor alike retreated to the warmth of their hearths, but even so, based on Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s figures, it didn¡¯t seem likely that they¡¯d ever fall below a hundred dragons a week ever again, but counting unhatched chickens was a bad habit, and as easy as it was to do the math and figure how many more months it would be before he could buy an inn free and clear he resisted.


    Not just because of possible money troubles, of course, but because he knew that he had the tiger by the tail now, and if he let go, people would be coming for him, and it seemed unlikely that his dreams of a quiet life could survive such vengeance. That¡¯s fine, though, he thought with a shrug as the crate finally came in contact with the wall and stopped sliding. It¡¯s no margaritas on the beach, but this life isn''t the worst thing in the world either. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    As he moved back to the trapdoor to prepare for the next crate, he decided he had things pretty good. Life at the manor was pretty sweet. Adin was barely around these days, and he had all the time in the world to cook and play with potions most days now. He could even turn invisible on command, which blew his fucking mind. No, Lucas counted his blessings right down to his partners, who, shockingly, were still pulling their weight; it was hard to believe that things would have turned out any better if he¡¯d fled the city as he¡¯d originally planned.


    They spent another half hour moving the last few crates and barrels down into the basement. Then Hura¡¯gh came down and helped him stack them neatly against the wall to make the large space a little less cramped. That was hard, though, since it was full to bursting with stored supplies.


    ¡°You think this might be a bit of¡­ what¡¯s the word¡­ overkill?¡± the half-orc asked.


    ¡°I think that if we had twice as many herbs on mushrooms, I¡¯d still try to squeeze a few more in,¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°No, let''s close this place up and call it a night.¡±


    Despite all their hard work, once they extinguished the lamps, took the ladder back up into the cider house, and put some barrels over the trap door, it was like it had never happened. Instead, it was just an empty room filled with everything you¡¯d need to make hard cider for the winter season. There were worse things in life.


    Lucas went back to the big house and left Hura¡¯gh and Kar¡¯gandin to call it a night. Lucas spoke briefly with Gerwin when he returned before calling it an early night. That was pretty much his life now. He cooked, chilled, met with the Torvins to discuss the next steps, practiced being invisible for longer and longer lengths of time, and, of course, spent time with his new instructor.


    This time, it wasn¡¯t a dancing instructor, though. Lucas was sick to death of dancing, and even though he could do it without embarrassing himself when Danaria forced him to go to parties, he doubted he¡¯d ever develop a taste for it. Fighting, by contrast, was something he was almost equally as bad at but something he desperately wanted to improve upon. Kar¡¯gandin had taken to calling those bouts dancing lessons as well and often watched him as he tried and failed to defeat the instructor that the Knights of Brass were kind enough to loan him for a small fee.


    In fact, when Sir Milen arrived the following morning, the dwarf, along with everyone else who happened to be around, sat down and got comfortable as Lucas prepared to get humiliated all over again on that chill autumn morning. Unlike actual dance lessons, though, these small humiliations were worth it because there was no denying he was getting better.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Sir Milen said when Lucas reached up and blocked the man¡¯s blow with the wooden dirk in his offhand, rather than having to use his sword to deflect the blow.


    That still didn¡¯t let him touch the man with the vicious underhand swing that followed as the knight moved lithely back half a step with more grace than anyone but an elf should have been able to muster. Sir Milen was a trusted lieutenant of Sir Tristin and not much older than Lucas. The main difference between the two of them, though, was that while he¡¯d spent half his life getting high and the other half making shit for other people to get high, Sir Milen had been kicking ass, and it turned out that the difference between those two paths was profound.


    They spent the entire morning like that, with only a few breaks to get water or discuss his form. The fact that Lucas could see his breath most of that time didn¡¯t stop his instructor from fighting, stripped to the waist, showing off his muscular body and the extensive collection of scars he¡¯d obtained over the course of his life.


    ¡°You should not be ashamed of your scars,¡± he told Lucas as he had on more than one occasion in the past, implying Lucas should strip off his leather armor, too. ¡°You would move better if you were less weighed down, and you will learn faster if the blows hurt more.¡±


    Truthfully, he wasn¡¯t ashamed of his scars. The angry red marks that the owlbear¡¯s claws had left him looking like a murder victim, but after months of potions and exercise, he was in the best shape of his life, so they weren¡¯t holding him back anymore. Even so, he still popped a curative flask every morning before this training, just so he wouldn¡¯t embarrass himself. He¡¯d worked out a strength version, too, but he didn¡¯t take that one. Somehow, one felt like a performance enhancing drug, but the other just felt like cheating to him; Lucas wanted to get better at fighting, not at juicing.


    Long Lasting Curative Flask (3 doses): Endurance 3 (for the purposes of recovery only), lasts for four hours.


    ¡°Last time, you almost broke a rib,¡± Lucas answered with a tight smile. ¡°I think I¡¯ll stick with the padding until I figure out how to keep your sword at bay.¡±


    Sir Milen laughed at that. ¡°You will be wearing it forever then, I think.¡± Their small audience laughed at that one, and Lucas saved up his annoyance at that to power his next flurry of blows despite how tired his arms were. His blade sang, moving through the complicated pattern he¡¯d been practicing so vigorously the last few weeks. Even so, he only scored the lightest of touches before his dagger missed the parry, and he took a blow to the head hard enough to daze him and make him bleed a little.


    ¡°And now you are dead again,¡± Sir Milen smiled, ¡°though, at least this time, you would have been remembered in the form of a new scar.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, at least there¡¯s that,¡± Lucas sighed, staggering over to his chair and sitting down to press a rag to his head to stop the bleeding. This probably didn¡¯t need a healing potion, but if it did, he could grab one in a minute.


    ¡°Just a small one though,¡± Milen said, making everyone laugh again. ¡°Still, this is progress, I will not dispute it!¡±


    Lucas knew the man was mocking him, but he didn¡¯t really care. Progress was progress, and things were looking good across the board. Any way he measured it, things were looking up, and if this was the way he got good enough to fight whatever it was that was coming next, well, he would endure the occasional bout of mockery or blow to the head.

 Ch. 70 - A Long Cold Winter

    The hectic pace only held up as long as the weather did. In those waning weeks of autumn, as the world began to shut down and the villagers started to prepare their harvest feasts, it became harder and harder to find men willing to work for coin. Aden assured Lucas that was typical, but he didn¡¯t really believe it until he heard the words out of Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s mouth, too.


    Still, by the time the first real storm dumped snow across everything from Lordanin to the Greenwood, they¡¯d harvested everything worth harvesting, from blue esper vines to apples, and they¡¯d set about preserving as much of it as they could by roasting it over low flames or filtering and boiling it. They¡¯d even dispatched a few orders for ingredients from further abroad to augment their supplies.


    So, while sour dwarf berries might not arrive for months, they would expect a big shipment of them sometime just before spring. Likewise, Goblin bile could be had year-round, and it was by far the most finicky ingredient he used regularly; it was just a matter of paying adventurers to venture further and further afield.


    None of that mattered anymore once he woke up to the snow. Before all of this fantasy world bullshit, Lucas had lived in Idaho, which had pretty rough winters. Still, nothing in his recent memory looked quite so picturesque as the suddenly white countryside. Though they¡¯d done a lot of work on the manor in the last few months, it still had a ways to go. Suddenly, all that was erased by a blanket of pure, driven snow that was too fresh to even be marred by the chores of daily life.


    Lucas stood there at his window for several minutes, just looking out and shivering. He was smiling, too, though, and it was only when he could resist the chill radiating from the glass that he finally retreated to his wardrobe to get dressed.


    The house had four large fireplaces on the ground floor, not including the two that were used for actual cooking, and all of them were roaring by breakfast time. They lent the whole place of backward charm that Lucas could appreciate, even if he could never explain it to the Parins or his business partners.


    He went out and checked on them first thing and found the cider house relatively cozy. It had a large fireplace in it now to hide the smaller one in the laboratory in the basement, and though Hura¡¯gh complained about the cold, they both seemed to be doing just fine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, smiling from behind his pipe. ¡°Orcs prefer the heat. We¡¯ve got enough firewood to last for two winters if need be.¡±


    ¡°Not prefer,¡± the half-orc shot back, ¡°Require. It is one of the reasons we are a nomadic people and half the reason we don¡¯t conquer you all!¡±


    ¡°What he means to say is that they flee from the winter as fast as they charge toward battle,¡± Kar¡¯gandin laughed, ¡°And it¡¯s not the weather that keeps the horde away. I believe that would be a certain red dragon with a taste for green flesh¡­¡±


    ¡°The tribes flee from nothing, not even winter,¡± Hura¡¯gh retorted. ¡°A to Embermaw, one day we will have our vengeance on her!¡±


    Lucas thought about pointing out that Hura¡¯gh wasn¡¯t exactly roaming the grassland here. Instead, he just shot the shit with the two of them for a good part of the morning. Work barely even came up. It was like the winter weather had hit a pause button for everyone, which made for a nice change of pace.


    Partway through the conversation, Lucas almost let Kar¡¯gandin¡¯s present slip while they were talking about drinking, and he mentioned applejack, but the dwarf let the reference slide over him. Even if he had some idea of what frost distillation was, he didn¡¯t seem to know the word. So, Lucas was able to slip away from them without anyone being any the wiser.


    Even though he¡¯d been really busy, he¡¯d actually put a lot of thought into gifts for everyone. It wasn¡¯t just because their Winter Feast was apparently as much a tradition here as Christmas was back home, either. It was because he was loaded. Lucas had more money than he¡¯d ever had in his life, and he was more than a little sick of watching it stack up only to be frittered away on ingredients and upgrades. He wanted to spend it on something he cared about, and if he couldn¡¯t start his tavern yet, then extravagant gifts for his friends would have to do.


    They are my friends, after all, at this point, aren¡¯t they? He wondered to himself as he crunched through the snow back to the main house. Danaria and Kar¡¯gandin were for sure, he decided. Hura¡¯gh probably was, too, and even Gerwin, Mort, and some of the men in the village probably counted. It was only Adin he was unsure about, but he¡¯d bought the guy a present anyway because he hadn¡¯t wanted him to feel left out, even if he was a bit of a dick.


    In the same way that Adin could be a pain in the ass, he was also the only one that seemed to want to talk business on such a relaxing day. Danaria was happy to talk about decorations and the upcoming feast. More than anything, she seemed to want to drop hints about what she¡¯d gotten Lucas, but every time she started being cute and precious, her brother did his very best to chase her away so he could discuss the details of how the Torvin¡¯s wished to proceed.


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing that,¡± was Lucas¡¯s most common answer. ¡°Not until I know what they want it for.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°But if Count Torvin says¡ª¡± Adin insisted, or ¡°They¡¯ll be very displeased if things go awry because¡ª¡±


    ¡°One,¡± Lucas said loudly, ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly a day for work. Why is it that every day I¡¯m trying to get shit done, you want to gossip, but the moment I settle down to hang out and enjoy this picturesque fucking weather, you try to give me a to-do list?¡±


    Adin opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Lucas interrupted him.


    ¡°And two,¡± Lucas continued. ¡°What in the hell leads you to believe I give a good God damn what that guy wants. I ain¡¯t about to go start shit with him, but he¡¯s going to work on our terms from now on and not the other way around; you got that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure if that¡¯s the wisest way to deal with the Torvin¡¯s,¡± Adin sighed.


    ¡°I get it,¡± Lucas said. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out. We¡¯ll throw em a bone or two, but not today. You know perfectly well that nothing is getting done until after the holiday. Even addicts have to rest, so we might as well enjoy it.¡±


    Adin grumbled but relented. He spent the day trying and failing to enjoy the day, and eventually, after a dinner of braised lamb on a bed of roasted vegetables, Lucas sought the privacy of the upper parlor where he could enjoy the snow falling in peace. He even helped himself to a little of the applejack he¡¯d been making for Kar¡¯gandin. There was something about the rich burn of the whiskey compared to the sweet brandy that the nobles here seemed to prefer that sat right with him, especially as he looked out at the snowflakes swirling in the dark and thought about how far he¡¯d come.


    That was when Danaria showed up. He was far from drunk when she sat down on the couch only a few feet from him and started up a conversation with him. With the faint buzz he had, it was harder than usual to keep his eyes on hers instead of the light blue dress that clung tightly to her figure. It was chaste enough to make sure that it showed nothing, right down to the white gloves that she wore, but it was tight enough that he had no trouble imagining everything.


    Still, he pulled his mind out of the gutter and listened to her talk about the preparations that the servants had left to do before the feast in a few nights and everything else. He wanted to tell her, ¡®Just let Jeeves handle it,¡¯ but he liked the sound of her voice, so he just nodded along as she went on and on about nothing that mattered too much.


    ¡°What about you?¡± she asked, ¡°have you found presents for everyone close to you?¡± she asked sweetly.


    ¡°Just about,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve got some particularly vicious face paint for Hura;gh, a new pen for your brother, and I¡¯m just about done with¡ª¡±


    ¡°Face paint? Really? How terrible,¡± Danaria laughed. ¡°That¡¯s not in the winter spirit of giving at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, orcs aren¡¯t much for winter as I understand it, so as far as I¡¯m concerned, it works,¡± Lucas said. ¡°As to Kar¡¯gandin, well, I didn¡¯t think it wise to replace his favorite pipe, so I¡¯m brewing him up something special.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Another potion?¡± she asked. ¡°How in character for you.¡±


    ¡°Nah. Booze. Applejack, actually,¡± he said, handing her his glass, which only had the smallest sip left in it. ¡°Go on, try it.¡±


    She looked at the glass doubtfully and sniffed it before looking at him again. He thought she was about to turn him down. Instead, she suddenly downed the half a shot or less in a single gulp.


    She opened her mouth to speak but instead coughed. ¡°Strong, isn¡¯t it,¡± Lucas laughed.


    ¡°I thought you said you made this from cider,¡± she said finally. ¡°That is not cider.¡±


    ¡°It was before the cold got to it,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    He stood up and walked to his room, where he had a pony keg of cider by the fire. It was still a little immature and wouldn¡¯t be particularly good to drink on its own, but then, he had no plans to drink it as it was. He set down his glass and his flask on the mantle, and then he retrieved the wide metal saucer he used for freezing and explained the nature of frost distillation to Danaria without using any fancy science words that might confuse someone from a fantasy world.


    ¡°You see, hard cider is nothing but a little bit of alcohol and a lot of water, and those freeze at different temperatures,¡± he said as he opened the window. ¡°So, if you set some out overnight in weather like this, then in the morning, you''ve got a disk of ice you can throw away and a little bit of booze worth drinking. Nature gives you the chance to make everything better if you just figure out how to use it right.¡±


    For a moment, he started to think about a few of the ingredients in his lab he might want to try frost distillation with. It was possible it might separate them in inappropriate ways, of course, but¡­


    ¡°In everything, huh?¡± she asked in a tone that completely wrecked his train of thought. ¡°Even making booze?¡±


    ¡°Hey, not all alchemy involves making magic potions and shit. Sometimes it¡¯s just about¡­¡± Lucas set the saucer of booze on the windowsill and carefully shut the window.


    However, when he turned to continue his conversation with Danaria, he found her suddenly close to him. She was uncomfortably close. Well, she would have been if she hadn¡¯t been a beautiful woman.


    ¡°About bringing the right things together?¡± she volunteered, trying to finish his thought.


    ¡°Yeah, something like that,¡± he said before moving to kiss her.


    Despite the fact that he had never planned to kiss her, it was a bold one, and after a moment of surprise, she returned it eagerly. What followed was brief but passionate, and after a few seconds, he broke it and pulled away.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t,¡± he said softly. ¡°You¡¯re too young, too innocent¡­¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re a villain and a scoundrel,¡± she breathed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡±


    She never finished the thought. Instead, they kissed again. This time, it was longer and deeper, and as the faint buzz of alcohol that was rushing through his system resonated with his desire, he had trouble seeing which way was up.


    We should not be doing this, he told himself. Even so, he didn¡¯t find his own argument to be a persuasive one, and that chastisement wasn¡¯t enough to convince him to push her away. Instead, she clung to him, and he pulled her tightly to him.

 Ch. 71 - Something for Everyone

    The next morning was a tense one, even though it should have been anything but. Lucas sat there, smiling as wrapped gifts were plucked from the pile and handed out, but really, his mind was a million miles away as he thought about last night and tried to figure if Gerwin was looking at him more sourly than usual.


    Had the old man seen anything? Lucas wondered.


    He was actually grateful that the butler had chosen the moment that he and Danaria had started making out to start walking up the stairs. That meant that the thing that never should have happened certainly didn¡¯t have the chance to go any further than it should. Still, Lucas thought they¡¯d separated an appropriate distance before the old man had reached the upper parlor to allay any suspicion; still, the way he looked at Lucas certainly implied that he knew what had happened even if he hadn¡¯t uttered a word.


    While that feeling might have been Lucas¡¯s guilty conscience, the way that Danara was looking at him certainly wasn¡¯t. She was looking at him like a love struck girl, which, he supposed, she probably was. She was twenty, but caged up in the house like she was while her brother waited to find the best noble to marry her off to, she might as well have been a school girl with her first completely in appropriate crush, and it was targeted right at Lucas.


    That was his fault, of course. He¡¯d gone and kissed her. When she¡¯d kissed him in the middle of their argument about drugs a few months back, it had been because her emotions had overcome her, but this time it had been him that overwhelmed her, and he wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do about that now. Still, he forced himself to pull away from that thought as Adin unwrapped the small present Lucas had bought for him.


    ¡°Dice!¡± the man cried out, feigning a disappointed expression that failed to fully suppress his smile. ¡°I thought I told you that cards were the preferred weapon of a nobleman?¡±


    ¡°Well, just in case you ever want to slum it, I got you a very noble set of dice,¡± Lucas said with a smile. They were expensive, that was for sure. Both of them were made with ivory, and the pips were inset pieces of onyx. They¡¯d been carved by hand, and polished to within an inch of their life. Their balance was almost perfect, too.


    It had been the second most expensive gift he¡¯d purchased, though if he added up all the money he¡¯d handed out to the staff and servants as thanks for their hard work it would have been the third. Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh¡¯s gifts had been cheap by comparison. Only Danaria¡¯s hairpin had been more expensive.


    Lucas had paid a jeweler to make a pin of gold and sapphires shaped like a soaring bird, in honor of her secret power. She¡¯d been practically overwhelmed by it when she¡¯d undone the brown butcher paper that had hidden it and given him a hug so hard that it had been almost inappropriate.


    In return he¡¯d gotten a new belt from Adin with a place to hide lock picks in the buckle, and some fine leather gloves that were perfect for the season from Danaria, and a set of delicate brass measuring scales from Kar¡¯gandin. Hura¡¯gh didn¡¯t celebrate this, or any other human holidays. Neither did dwarves as it turned out, ¡°But I thought you could use a better way to measure out the small ingredients down there instead of just guessing, and my cousin had this one for sale cheap, so I thought it was appropriate.¡±


    Lucas could appreciate that logic, even if it was a touch rude to tell someone you got them something because it was on sale. Neither of them care enough to join everyone else for the festivities in the main house though. It was a pragmatic choice, since the Torvins were expected to attend for the feast later that evening unless the weather got worse. He would have gladly ducked out of that too, if he could, but he couldn¡¯t imagine the sort of blizzard he¡¯d need to say he couldn¡¯t make it from the cider house to the main house.


    ¡°Not as appropriate as this, though,¡± the dwarf laughed, holding up Lucas¡¯s gift. ¡°Ye¡¯ve outdone yerself her boy. It¡¯s so good I could almost believe it was made by dwarves. Ye¡¯ll have te tell me where ye picked it up.¡±


    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t possibly. It¡¯s an old family recipe,¡± Lucas said, very seriously, shaking his head before he burst out laughing. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just fucking with ya. It¡¯s an easy trick. I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done one night here real soon. You can show your cousin¡­ or you can keep it to yourself and we can sell it to him by the barrel full.¡±


    ¡°Now yer talkin¡¯¡± the dwarf said, roaring with an approving laughter.


    Sadly, as much as he might have liked to, he couldn¡¯t stay out here all day, though it did was give him plenty of time to decide what he was going to do about Danaria on the slow walk back to the house. Today, more than usual, it was ful of distractions, and he needed them. He might visit the kitchen to check on the preparations before the cook shooed him away, or play a few games of dice with Adin to pass the time, but all of those activities were overshadowed by Danaria¡¯s presence, and Lucas had no idea what to do. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    On some level he¡¯d been attracted to the woman for months, but he knew that the right thing to do was to leave her at arms reach from his world. That worked of course, until he had one drink too many and reached out to grab her.


    What am I supposed to do now? He wondered. Do I let her down easy? Do I see where this goes? Hell, in this world I¡¯m probably supposed to talk to her brother about a dowry or some shit.


    He didn¡¯t know, but not knowing wasn¡¯t going to make it go away. So, it spent the day hanging over him like an unwelcome guest at their harvest festival celebration.


    The celebration seemed to be something like a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas, at least the way those were supposed to be celebrated. For the last decade his holiday meals had alternated between fast food and stove top stuffing, but this was the real deal.


    There was a giant turkey, slowly roasting on a spit in the kitchen. A number of smaller pies and dishes were also baking. The whole thing was sort of a, thank-the-gods-the-harvest-was-good hopefully-the-winter-isn¡¯t-too-harsh sort of thing the way it had been explained to him. It was about ending the year on a high note, even if the new year was still a good way off. That made a great deal of sense to him when central heating wasn¡¯t exactly an option.


    Still, it was a nice celebration. He certainly appreciated it. When he¡¯d fallen from the sky into this world a couple of years ago he¡¯d ended up the apprentice to an alcoholic alchemist that was more of a bootlegger than a scientist. Still, Lucas could have appreciated that mindset if the man wasn¡¯t so intent on beating him. So, back then, he really hadn¡¯t had much of a chance to explore the holidays and feasts his neighbors and the upper crust enjoyed.


    Now, though, one prison break and gallons of drugs later he was part of that upper crust, and he had to admit it was kind of nice. It was cushy even, especially sitting on one of the overstuffed couches, watching the snow fall while he sat by the fire.


    This winter, there would be no scrounging for food or firewood. There would just be delicious food, a celebration or two, and all the time in the world to play with his experiments in the lab. Thanks to the harried and feverish efforts of his gatherers, he had all kinds of odds and ends he normally wouldn¡¯t bother to seek out. That meant that he could try all sorts of new recipes.


    Who knows, he thought to himself. Maybe I¡¯ll even find something worth mass-producing that isn¡¯t addictive. That would make for a hell of a New Year''s resolution.


    Soon enough his time goofing off and enjoying the festivities was over as their guests started to arrive. This wasn¡¯t intended to be a business meeting, at least in whole. So, there were people from all over that were invited to join them at the house for dinner. That list was a long one, and though the main table had been lengthened in the dining hall, several more tables were laid out in the main hall.


    The gues list included nobles from neighboring families, important people from the villages that owed allegiance to the Parin¡¯s including Lucas¡¯s favorite herbalist and tailor. It also included the more important of the lieutenants, and tradesmen they¡¯d done business with. The year had been a good one for the Parins, and though not everyone in the room knew exactly why that was, it would have been considered very rude to watch a family soar to such heights, and not find a way to give back to those that had played a part in it.


    Lucas spent as much time as possible in the main hall, greeting the those that were considered commoners. It wasn¡¯t even just to avoid his soon-to-be in-laws, either. He just liked spending time with them.


    All too soon though, he had to abandon the kiddy table and join the important people at the main one. Adin had set it up so that he sat at the head of the table like the patriarch of the family he styled himself with his soon to be wife at his left hand and his father-in-law at his right. He¡¯d set Lucas¡¯s place at the foot of the table, but Lucas didn¡¯t mind that at all. Honestly, since he had everyone at the other end of the table under his thumb already, he kinda felt like he was already at the head of the table. Mostly he was just happy to sit with Danaria and some of their less important neighbors. They made much better company than the Torvin¡¯s, who still found time and reason to scowl at him now and then, even on a day like today.


    Lucas was trying to decide how many little blue candies he should remove from their present before he gave it to them, when the servants finally started to bring in the dishes he¡¯d been smelling for hours. After that, socialization took a back seat to eating in a well planned gourmet ballet. First came the soup and the breads. This was followed by something resembling a green bean casserole, and small meat pies. It was only after that, that the turkey followed; it was so large it had to be wheeled in on a cart, and the way that one wheel squeaked, Lucas could hear that cart rolling up and down the halls for the next hour, making sure everyone was fed before coming back around for seconds.


    As it turned out, the fantasy world had not in fact invented stuffing yet, so Lucas added that to his to-do list, right up there with hot sauce. By the time the desert course arrived he was resolute; he wasn¡¯t just going to make potions and drugs, he was going to fix the gaps in all this delicious food, or he was going to die trying.

 Ch. 72 - Making Plans

    Lucas was no judge of these things, but if he had to say so, he would have called the whole winter feast an unmitigated success. The guests were merry, the house was full, and by the end of it, the food had largely vanished. It was only after dinner was complete, and Lucas had stuffed himself so full of desserts that he knew he would regret it, that he finally rejoined Adin and the Torvins for the part of the night he¡¯d been dreading the most.


    He would have loved to say that was the reason why he¡¯d gone back for thirds on Ms. Darrinsons mixed berry pie. That hadn¡¯t been a delaying tactic, though. That had been all gluttony on his part.


    Still, when it couldn¡¯t be delayed any longer, he went with Adin, at least until they started to go to the Viscount¡¯s study. That was when Lucas said, ¡°Nah, not here. There¡¯s way too many people in the house to talk business right now.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting we meet outside? It¡¯s freezing,¡± Arissa complained.


    ¡°Well, I was thinking we¡¯d go to the cider house so we could meet with a couple of my other associates if that¡¯s not too long a walk for you, Your Highness,¡± Lucas said, trying to keep a straight face.


    He knew it wasn¡¯t wise to antagonize the woman, especially under the hard eyes of her father. He just couldn¡¯t help it. Something about her entitled attitude, even when she¡¯d been his prisoner, made him want to put her in her place. It was going to be very hard to be nice to her once she was married and became a Parin.


    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± Adin started to say before he remembered himself. ¡°That place is filthy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s also where we keep our pet demi-humans because they aren¡¯t housebroken, isn¡¯t it,¡± Lucas answered dismissively, ¡°And if you guys want to get strategic, my pet dwarf is going to be in the loop, alright.¡±


    Lucas had already warned Hura¡¯gh and Kar¡¯gandin that this might happen and what to expect, but Lucas still didn¡¯t like it. He could be a jerk to Arissa all day, but referring to Kar¡¯gandin as ¡®his dwarf¡¯ made Lucas cringe inwardly.


    Still, in the end, no one protested any further, so they all went to the entrance to get dressed for the cold. In fact, Lord Torvin seemed like he was unbothered by the change of plans, but Lucas knew better than to trust that. The man was obviously biding his time for something.


    As they crunched through the snow to the cider house, the Count casually remarked. ¡°You should know, I checked, and it¡¯s true, there¡¯s no record of the Parin¡¯s having any cousins anywhere in the east. No legitimate ones, anyway. So, if you¡¯re from Esterbrock, then you¡¯re certainly not related to them.¡±


    ¡°And when I leave Lordanin for whatever my next port of call happens to be, I won¡¯t be related to whatever good family I choose as my camouflage either,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug, ignoring the man¡¯s attempts to show off his shady resources. ¡°That¡¯s just the way this business works.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find that there¡¯s a lot of wealth left to savor in Lordanin,¡± Arissa shot back, trying to be relevant.


    ¡°There might yet be,¡± Lucas agreed half-heartedly. ¡°Weather aside, it''s a nice place. I¡¯m in no rush to leave quicker than I have to.¡±


    In the cider house, Lucas found his colleagues drinking and dicing. They¡¯d been complaining about something, but they stopped as the door opened. He glared at the half-orc in an attempt to remind him about their earlier conversation. Complain about mistreatment and act offended all you like, but leave talk about the business to me and the dwarf.


    The last thing he wanted was for the half-orc to mention anything about alchemy or the lab, which might blow the game, but at the same time, he knew that the man¡¯s very presence was distasteful to people like the Torvins and that just being here would throw them off their game.


    Lucas made introductions for everyone while he watched Arissa squirm. Then he sat in the far chair and leaned it back against one of the posts that held up the roof on its two rear legs while everyone tried to pretend like this was normal. ¡°So, what¡¯s so important that we can¡¯t wait until sometime closer to spring to start planning all this out,¡± Lucas said, trying to be as dismissive as possible. This time, he earned himself a rebuke from Adin, in addition to the Torvins, but the man knew the game.


    Adin was good cop, and Lucas was bad cop. The Viscount sought to appease and ingratiate, and Lucas tried to rile them up to get a glimpse at whatever their real plans were. Apparently, this wasn¡¯t a common tactic around here, but Lucas thought he would do okay; if there were two things in this world that Adin was good at, they were self-aggrandizement and ingratiation.


    Count Torvin said, ¡°Are you really saying you planned to take the whole winter off?¡± He seemed more offended by that than anything that Lucas had said so far. ¡°While it¡¯s true that business slows down, especially at the ports, now is precisely the time we should be planning for our future priorities.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve made a lot of money this year thanks to everyone¡¯s hard work,¡± Lucas said flippantly, ¡°And if I want to take a month off to go drinking and whoring, well, most of that money is just going to come right back to me anyway. Junkies never keep their coins for long.¡±


    ¡°Spend enough gold publicly like that, and a tax collector will be up yer ass in no time,¡± Kar¡¯gandin cautioned, doing a pretty good job of acting like he didn¡¯t care at all for Lucas. ¡°Trust me on that one.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Lucas waved off the concern. ¡°We¡¯ve paid plenty to the port authorities for various imports, and they¡¯d have a hard time proving I made much money here beyond that.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± lord Torvin said, trying to return the conversation to the main thrust of the argument. ¡°The ports are one of the places I want to firm up our control. We don¡¯t have many inroads at present with the Illustrated Men, and though we have connections with a few tax collectors, the harbor masters¡­¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The man droned on and on, talking about a complicated network of people and offices that all sort of blended together for Lucas. He nodded along like he knew who it was the Count was talking about, but really, he didn¡¯t have a clue. In the end, his plan seemed to be a simple one. He wanted to dose three of the more important officials and put them on the payroll, whether they wanted to be or not.


    ¡°To what end?¡± Lucas finally asked.


    ¡°To what end?¡± Count Torvin sighed, repeating the question. ¡°Once they are beholden to us, there¡¯s no limit to what we might do. We could siphon off a portion of the kingdom¡¯s revenues or simply get tipped off when valuable cargo worth disappearing comes into the city.¡±


    Lucas thought about making a joke about how those tips had worked out the last time they¡¯d found out where something valuable had been stored. He decided against that, though. He wanted the Torvins off balance, not infuriated. So, he stayed silent, which the Count took as tacit agreement, and moved on to other topics.


    One by one, he covered the whole city in a web of intrigue. Every district was covered, one by one, and only the King¡¯s castle directly was spared. They had machinations with how the market district had been divided up by the recent gang war; they wanted an in with the bargemen on the river, and even the inns were not spared. Those, at least, they didn¡¯t want to steal from directly; Lord Torvin just wanted a heads up when someone foreign was staying the night so that his minions could decide if it was a loose thread worth pulling on.


    Everything the man was focused on seemed to be about more information, more loyalty, and, most of all, undermining the influences of other families. It was all so fucking devious that if Lucas tried something half so complicated, he¡¯d end up tied in knots inside of a week.


    No, he thought to himself, con¡¯s should be nice and simple, and this ain¡¯t it.


    He sat there for a moment, letting the silence grow uncomfortable before he finally leaned forward and looked around the table. ¡°Is this your way of trying to get me out of your town sooner rather than later?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Are you trying to say you want me to take my blue and seek greener pastures?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Lord Torvin said, legitimately caught off guard by Lucas¡¯s less-than-enthusiastic response. ¡°These are long-term plans here. By this time next year, I believe we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Strangle the city to death? Make all our customers broke?¡± Lucas said, slamming the table with a fist. ¡°We got a golden goose right here, and every plan you offer is a way to cut it to pieces and devour the scraps.¡±


    ¡°A golden goose?¡± Adin asked with confusion, making it clear to Lucas that the story he was referring to had never been told in this world.


    ¡°Alright, I guess that little child¡¯s tale hasn¡¯t made it to this foreign shore yet,¡± Lucas answered, pretending that such a story might be normal somewhere far away. ¡°Let¡¯s say that one day you open up your chicken coop and go out to collect eggs, and you find one of them is solid gold. After checking to make sure you aren¡¯t dreaming, you figure out it''s your prize goose that laid it. What do you do?¡±


    ¡°You consult a mage?¡± Arissa asked?


    ¡°You wait for it to make more eggs.¡± Adin volunteered hesitantly.


    ¡°You build a better fence so that the foxes can¡¯t get it, and you feed it well until the day it dies,¡± Lord Torvin said finally. ¡°And before you sell a single egg, you melt them down so you don¡¯t have to tell a soul where you got them.¡±


    ¡°Ding, ding, ding, you got it in one chief!¡± Lucas said, with one finger on his nose, while he pointed to the older man, who was suddenly looking quite perplexed. ¡°In the story, the man who owns the goose tries to do just that, but when he tells his wife, she gets greedy. One egg every few days is simply no longer enough, so she resolves to cut it open and get all the eggs it has left.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s an incredibly short-sighted strategy,¡± the man said, missing the point. ¡°She¡¯d get far more gold if she only exercised a little more patience and¡ª¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Lucas said, ¡°Which is why your plans are complete shit. You want me to start cranking out what, another forty doses a weak so you can control two dozen people, so you can what¡­ play power games?¡±


    Both Lord Torvin and his daughter opened their mouths to protest, but Lucas continued talking over them. ¡°If you steal enough from the system, it collapses, just like a lake that¡¯s been overfished or a forest that¡¯s been overhunted. One minute you¡¯re rolling in gold, and the next¡­ well, there ain¡¯t no more gold to get.¡±


    ¡°How dare you,¡± Arissa said finally, making Hura¡¯gh laugh. ¡°My father¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can speak for himself,¡± he said gruffly, cutting her off. ¡°While I see your point, it¡¯s hard to argue that you do any differently, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m doing exactly that,¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°But I know my limits. I know what we can do for a long time. Take the blue I sell you - I could charge you ten dragons a pop. You wouldn¡¯t like it, but you¡¯d find a way to pay it until you either figured out how to get your own source so you could bump me off or until House Torvin was flat broke. Since I don¡¯t want either of those things to happen¡­ well, I charge a much more modest price.¡±


    ¡°So you want to keep Lordanin on the hook forever?¡± Lord Torvin asked, a little less skeptically than before.


    ¡°Ideally,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I employ the dwarf, among other reasons. He keeps me apprised of the financial lifeblood of the city, and according to him, it¡¯s not doing so hot.¡±


    Kar¡¯gandin said nothing. Instead, he shook his head from side to side with a sour look on his face.


    ¡°He thinks that even our current rate of graft might have to be cut back if we don¡¯t want to wheels to come off too soon,¡± Lucas said with a shrug, ¡°and I didn¡¯t hear one goddamned thing in your big plans that was going to help change that.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­¡± the Count said, entirely baffled. ¡°It¡¯s not my job to make Lordanin a better place or make sure the people are fed. That is a duty of the King, and if he¡¯s too ill to rise from his sick bed, then that falls to the Prince. My job is to advance my house and¡ª¡±


    Count Torvin stopped, and a look of fury briefly stole over his features when Lucas started to laugh. For a second, he looked like he was about to rise to his feet and deck Lucas for his insolence, which would have been funny if the man probably didn¡¯t have three different magic items that could murder him in seconds. The noble¡¯s rage was just enough to put Hura¡¯gh on edge before he forced himself to calm down.


    ¡°Your nobility is inextricably interconnected with the Kingdom¡¯s health,¡± Lucas said finally. ¡°If you win your little shadow war and get all the power, you still die when it dies, and since your peers are doing the same thing, it all happens that much faster. You¡¯re pretty much the same as the Blind and the Butchers if you get right down to it, just on a bigger scale, but that¡¯s not what I want from you.¡±


    ¡°And what is it you want from us?¡± Arissa asked.


    ¡°I want you to do just enough to earn your keep,¡± Lucas said. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to make the world a better place or anything, but I want to do what we can to keep the blood pumping in this place so we can bleed it dry as long as possible. If that means doing a little good for the peasants while we bleed their masters¡¯ dry, then so fucking be it.¡±

 Ch. 73 - Finally Alone

    No one walked away from that little conference happy. Lord Torvin was not used to his plans being objected to, but he did agree that Lucas had a point and that he would find some way to address his concerns while still affecting a forced takeover of the docks.


    Lucas shrugged it off. He wasn¡¯t about to let this little argument cast a pall over the festivities, and by the time he returned to the house, he was his cheerful, smiling self again.


    Over the next few days, he made himself scarce. That wasn¡¯t just because a shipment of exotic herbs and expensive reagents for him to play with came in, either. It was because he was doing his very best not to be alone with Danaria again. After all, he wasn¡¯t sure what would happen when that happened, and just now, life was complicated enough.


    Oh, he was still polite and friendly with her in the parlor and over meals. Sometimes, if the servants were out of the room, he¡¯d even flirt with her a little to make her smile, but she was so sheltered he doubted very much that she was ready for more than that. By the time he was out of high school, he was dating women who would probably make the Red Lantern girls blush, so he was a poor judge of such things.


    His ring of invisibility proved remarkably useful for that. He was still practicing it almost as much as his sword work and had felt his mana, or whatever it was, slowly increase through regular effort to the point where he wanted to try more magic, but he wasn¡¯t really sure how to go about it.


    In the meantime, whenever Danaria knocked on the door to his room, he would simply vanish. He felt a little bad about doing it, but he always found a way to make it up to her later that day. He knew he couldn¡¯t avoid the conversation that was coming forever, of course, he just needed time to let things cool down and think rationally.


    Which, of course, meant it was time to make some potions. Honestly, as much as he¡¯d enjoyed Winter Feast and the chill days that followed, it was only when his men brought that shipment in and started unloading it that he truly felt like a kid on Christmas morning.


    Up until now, most of their crates that had been brought here were bulk ingredients to be used in their most important recipes, bought from just enough different sources to make them hard to track. He doubted that anyone would try to turn the poisonous byproduct of mana potions into drugs, of course, but then he doubted he would have been able to single-handedly tank the price of mana potions so hard that they were now sending those abroad for sale.


    This, though, was a long list of dozens of plants that he¡¯d heard about that seemed like they might have some utility. Some of them, like locust seeds and powdered demon horn, were controlled substances, so they¡¯d been purchased through a cut-out they¡¯d created by bribing a junkie in the alchemist guild. However, even as he used the crowbar to pry open the first crate, he knew this was what he¡¯d been waiting for.


    For too long, Lucas had been limited by what grew locally and could be picked off the ground, but now he had cash. Now, he could get almost anything that was worth getting, and if he could figure out a way to turn a profit on it, so much the better.


    Lesser Demon Horn(powdered): Strength 6, euphoria 3, rage 2, poison 2, intelligence -3


    Locust Seeds (dried): Endurance 4, endless hunger for 48 hours.


    Ogre Blood (distilled, purified): Strength 5, stamina 4, poison 4, rage 1, intelligence -1, beauty -4


    Iron Wood Ash: Endurance 5, poison -5


    Earth Crystals (whole): Earth 9, endurance 4, poison -1, counteracts significant amounts of air in mixtures containing that element.


    Troll Blood (living): Healing 9, poison 9, endurance 3. If not inoculated prior to use, troll blood almost inevitably proves fatal.


    It was an impressive haul, really, and it was just the tip of the iceberg. The last one was vaguely terrifying, as the blood bubbled and swirled in a spectrum of emeralds and blacks like a living thing, which it was.


    These were just the endurance-focused ingredients. He¡¯d made whole lists focusing on each of the stats he had experience with, but there was always more to research and elemental things - that was pretty much going to be completely new for him, so he was going to have to investigate it carefully. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    For now, he wasn¡¯t about to stress it, though. Instead, he just calmly opened each crate and started sorting their contents into appropriate sections with a little help from Hura¡¯gh, where heavy lifting was concerned.


    ¡°What are these ones for,¡± the half-orc asked, picking up a dragon pepper. ¡°Look¡¯s tasty.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll probably get a chance to taste it,¡± Lucas said with a broad smile. ¡°That one is for a special culinary potion I want to try making called hot sauce. It makes pretty much anything you put it on taste better.¡±


    Hura¡¯gh looked like he might just try devouring the whole thing, and Lucas had enough of him that he was inclined to let the half-orc try it, just to see the reaction, but after a few seconds, he put the large red pepper down, and said, ¡°We shall see if you are successful. That might even be better than a strength potion.¡±


    Lucas laughed at that, and as soon as they were done emptying and clearing the old crates, he was once again left alone to decide his next steps. So, while he started the fire and gathered the vials and other glassware that he expected he¡¯d need, he thought about his priorities.


    Theoretically, he should probably be looking for ways to make Blue stronger or make another product in the same vein, but honestly, he had zero interest in that. Less than zero interest. Despite how great everything was now, some days he wished he could go back in time and uninvent it, but that wasn¡¯t how life worked. He couldn¡¯t uninvent Blue, he couldn¡¯t unkiss Danaria, and there was no way he could undo the growing entanglements that were beginning to bind his life.


    But what he could do was cook, and right now, he wanted to make something fun and interesting but not necessarily profit-focused. He¡¯d ordered all this endurance shit back when he was feeling a lot weaker than he was now, so it was less important than it had once been, but it was still interesting. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted to create a good ole¡¯ comic book super soldier serum, and it would be useful for that.


    While he doubted he could turn himself into a superhero on a permanent basis, even being able to create potions that could double the strength and toughness of his men for a few hours would be enough to defeat anyone short of a mage, and if he pushed Lord Torvin much harder and they had a serious falling out, or the man figured out a way to make Blue on his own, then he was certainly going to need a plan B.


    So that was on the agenda, but it was still too productive for how he was feeling, so he moved on to other things.


    He wanted to make some invisibility potions and some gas and firebombs of varying strengths for testing. The idea of doing the same thing over and over at slightly different concentrations was also king of boring, though.


    For a moment, he almost took his peppers and went to the kitchen to start his hot sauce project. He wanted to try fermenting some of the peppers and grinding up others with vinegar and salt to see which was the better choice for their taste profile sometime soon. He just didn¡¯t want to do it bad enough to leave the lab yet.


    Which left pretty much the beauty products. Lucas looked around the room and sighed. He¡¯d just done the alchemical equivalent of complaining about how nothing was on after flipping through a hundred channels of cable.


    ¡°Really,¡± he chided himself. ¡°An hour ago, you were excited that you could do anything, but now, nothing? Get over yourself, man, and get to work.¡±


    Lucas closed his eyes and reached out for an ingredient at random, and when he opened them again and saw that he¡¯d picked up a vial of bestial scent glands, he shrugged and said, ¡°Well, I guess it''s time to try my hand at perfume.¡±


    Bestial Scent Glands: Poison 5, beauty 3, endurance -1. Dangerous if consumed, these pheromone-laden musk glands have a powerful scent.


    Lucas had no idea how to make perfume, of course, but he wasn¡¯t about to let that stop him. As he understood it, the process was simple enough: find stuff that smells good, find stuff that smells strong, mix it with alcohol, and hope for the best. Humans had been making it for thousands of years, so it couldn¡¯t possibly be too complicated.


    So, he spent the day doing just that. First, he took some of the tinctures that he¡¯d already made for this project and started mixing them together in small quantities to see how they smelled. They were made from dried flowers, fruit peels, and various sweet-smelling herbs that he¡¯d stockpiled specifically for this project, so he had quite a range to choose from. Here all the stats he could see didn¡¯t do a lot to help. They were all +1 or 2 beauty, so what mattered more was a pleasing scent to cover and mix with the scent glands.


    After trying half a dozen combinations that he mixed together with a reed pipette, he eventually decided on cinnamon, cedar, thorn blossom, and orange peel. It created a very earthy scent that was almost strong enough to remind him of all the incense his hippy girlfriend used to burn. He added a little of the musk glands to it and was pleased to see that the stats looked decent, but he decided he¡¯d try at least one or two more combinations to see if he could do better, then he¡¯d let Danaria decide which one was the best.


    Aromatic Perfume (20 doses): Beauty 5, poison 1. Effects last up to 6 hours.


    Lucas had a lot of unanswered questions, of course, but to him, it seemed to be the feminine version of a strength potion, socially speaking. The question was, what would extra beauty do exactly, and could it stack? Could he invent half a dozen magical cosmetics and make an effect so alluring that men would have trouble resisting whoever wore them, or did only the strongest stat matter.


    That was something he was going to have to test after he figured out how lipstick, rouge, and all those other powders were made.


    Lucas might have been a chemist of one sort or another for most of his life now, but he¡¯d never dipped his toe into beauty products. He¡¯d have to, though, if he wanted to ever get out of the drug game, and recently, for better or worse, he¡¯d had a very good reason to do just that.

 Ch. 74 - Some Like it Hot

    In the end, Lucas presented her four choices, one that was heavy on lavender and evercrimson, two that were more fruity than anything, and the first one he¡¯d greeted. He needn¡¯t have bothered, though. As it turned out, Danaria liked the first one he made most of all, and took to wearing it almost every day after that. She acknowledged that one of the other fruity ones was okay but decided he should go back to the drawing board on the other two.


    It did seem to make her prettier, though. That was the good news. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how, of course, because she didn¡¯t look any different, but when she wore this scent, he somehow felt more drawn to her than he had before.


    The bad news was that she now insisted that they make the time to go into the city and find some customers for some of the beauty products he¡¯d made, despite his plans or the weather. ¡°I know you, Lucas Parin,¡± she said mischievously. ¡°You won¡¯t follow up on this seriously until you find a way to make money off of it. Surely one of the brothels in Lordanin or perhaps some of the noble wives of some of your other customers would be interested?¡±


    ¡°If you add public hanging as the third option, I think I¡¯ll pick that one,¡± he laughed, even though Danaria didn¡¯t think it was funny.


    Truthfully, both of those options sounded absolutely wretched to him. After the way they left things, it would probably be fine to approach the Red Lantern Gang about another deal, of course, especially if he offered up a little Blue to sweeten the pot. The very last thing he ever wanted to do was go door to door, shilling products like the Avon lady.


    Hello, can interest you in this perfume of transcendent attraction, or perhaps you¡¯d prefer mouthwash of +3 to kissing¡­ It would hurt his soul. Though he was sure there were snake oil alchemists that made their living just fine going from town to town to pitch miracle cures from brightly colored wagons, even they would draw the line at pedaling beauty cream to rich women. At least, he hoped they would.


    ¡°You have to do something with all this,¡± she insisted. ¡°What would you do if not sell it?¡±


    Give it to you so you walk around smelling nice, he thought, but he viciously repressed the thought so as not to say it. Instead, eventually, he relented and sent a messenger into town to seek out decision-makers at the Fallen Orchid, where word had it that Artesia Dannica, who¡¯d headed that delegation to his drug auction so long ago, could be found.


    He¡¯d expected her to play hard to get, but though she didn¡¯t quite come out and say it, her reply contained a number of detailed questions that revealed just how interested she might be in such products. That made sense; when your business was flesh merchant, you wanted your girls to be as pretty as possible. Really, what those girls probably needed was potions of cure disease, he thought with a chuckle. Maybe he¡¯d throw in some of those on the house.


    Eventually, after three more exchanges, they agreed on a date the following market day, and he was invited to the Orchid directly. The date worked for him because he needed to meet once more with the Knights of Brass anyway. The only problem was that Danaria wanted to tag along.


    ¡°I am not taking you into a whore house,¡± Lucas insisted, banging the table and making Adin laugh as she brought up the topic once more over dinner.


    ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s not fair,¡± she pleaded. ¡°Adin gets to participate in your operations. Why can¡¯t I at least help with the beauty part?¡±


    ¡°Adin isn¡¯t doing shit besides preparing for his upcoming wedding,¡± Lucas said with a scowl, making the Viscout laugh again. ¡°And you¡­ I could list a dozen reasons. You¡¯re a woman. You¡¯re a virgin. You¡¯re unmarried¡­¡± As Lucas spoke, he listed them off one finger at a time. ¡°It would be entirely disreputable.¡±


    ¡°Some women do, you know,¡± Adin said with a smile as he stirred the pot. ¡°Lady Vermilia. Lord Rothin¡¯s younger sister. It¡¯s been seen and discussed, but they were able to keep it secret for a while with cloaks and masks. If you ask me, women have needs too, perhaps¡ª¡±


    ¡°See,¡± Danaria interrupted, ¡°I could wear a disguise.¡±


    Lucas sighed loudly and rubbed his face in exasperation. Eventually, they agreed on a compromise. Danaria could go with him into town and visit the Knights of Brass with him, but when Mort dropped him off at the Orchid, she was staying with him, and that was the end of it. The noblewoman was disappointed but eventually agreed.


    Lucas felt bad babying her like this. He wasn¡¯t her husband or her father, but he¡¯d feel even worse if she picked up some terrible habit from the women in those places; she was much too sheltered to be shown that wide of a world at once.


    Of course, Lucas expected that if he went to the small courtyard, he expected that Sir Tristin would pit him against one of his squires or perhaps a lieutenant if he wanted to embarrass him, so he was glad he¡¯d spent so much time the last few months practicing his sword fighting techniques. That was doubly true since Danaria would be there with him this time, which meant that juicing was probably in order, he decided as he got ready that morning. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    He¡¯d deliberately avoided taking flasks of endurance or strength during his training to improve as much as possible, but faced with professionals, he saw no reason not to take every edge he could. So, after he chose an outfit complete with a doublet thick enough that it could serve as an arming jacket if need be, the two of them shared a light breakfast and then made their way into town.


    ¡°Have you been avoiding me?¡± Danaria asked as soon as his men had loaded both deliveries he planned on making and the carriage had left the driveway for the snowy road, letting him know it was going to be a long ride. She didn¡¯t ask the question so loudly that Mort or the other man they had traveling with them as a guard could hear them, but the words rang in Lucas¡¯s ears all the same.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he lied. ¡°I¡¯ve just been busy. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that¡­ Since that night, I¡¯ve just been wondering what you think about¡­ us, but I never got a good chance to ask you because you were never around,¡± she said with nervous, halting words.


    To Lucas, it was as honest and forthright a conversation since Brianna Killpatrick had passed him a note in the third grade that asked, ¡®Do you like me?¡¯ with two little check boxes labeled yes and no just beneath it. The whole thing was heartbreakingly adorable, but the last thing he wanted to do was break Danaria¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Look, that was a mistake,¡± Lucas said, looking up at her to keep her from making this any more awkward than it had to be. He saw a look of disappointment cover her features immediately, but he took one of her hands in both of his to reassure her. ¡°It was a mistake, but it was a welcome one, and I¡¯m glad it happened. That said, if you and I ever want to try¡­ courtship, or whatever it is you call it here, it has to be done the right way, alright? You said so yourself, you can¡¯t be with a man that peddles poison, but maybe in the future, I can be less of that guy and more of the guy you want me to be, alright?¡±


    That reassured her somewhat, and they talked about things for a while longer without any real change in the status quo. Well, no change, save for the fact that they held hands most of the way to the city gate. Lucas honestly couldn¡¯t say where this was going exactly, but he wanted it to go somewhere, eventually.


    The guards didn¡¯t so much as challenge a high-born carriage, and they rolled into town across the market district to Blacksmith''s Row without any issues. On the way there, Lucas saw a single warehouse that had been almost entirely leveled by fire and wondered if that had been the one he¡¯d burned down. The snow made it look less ugly, but it was still a horrible gap in an otherwise neat row of buildings.


    When Lucas reached the small courtyard, the guards there offered him only slightly more of a challenge than the city guards had, and that was likely only because he hadn¡¯t come into town himself in person for months. Instead, they only sent two men to retrieve the keg of watered-down Blue he¡¯d brought with him in the secret compartment beneath the seats.


    ¡°Ah, if it isn¡¯t Mister Blue, come to pay us another visit after all this time,¡± Sir Tristin said, rising to his feet and shaking his hand warmly. It wasn¡¯t hard to see why. The man was more gold than before, and his inner circle seemed better armed. Even if they were only getting the dregs of Lucas¡¯s business, they were still making a lot of money. ¡°And who¡¯s this lovely creature,¡± the grey-haired knight said, bending low to kiss Danaria¡¯s hand in a way that caused an unexpected twinge of jealousy.


    ¡°She¡¯s my cousin,¡± Lucas answered stiffly, ¡°and after I took care of business here I promised to buy her something nice on Market Street.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re cousin, huh?¡± he asked with a lascivious grin that showed he¡¯d gotten entirely the wrong idea. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you have great taste in family then? Would you care to show us if you¡¯ve gotten rusty over the winter, or is your¡­ shopping¡­ too urgent?¡±


    ¡°Bring it on,¡± Lucas growled, letting his annoyance leak out. ¡°Maybe this time we should go with the blunted steel blades instead of the wooden ones, so you can really check for rust.¡±


    ¡°Splendid,¡± Sir Tristin said, clapping his hands together. ¡°I think that Maerik will be an excellent test of your skills.¡±


    As Lucas put on a set of chain mail, Danaria took a seat amongst the Knights of Brass inner circle, not far from a warming brazier, and even before Lucas sent Mort over there to babysit her, he noted the other men sat a respectful distance from her. That was good because if one of them tried something, he was going to have to murder someone.


    Murder would not be required, though, as it turned out. Instead, the situation only demanded brute force, and the apprentice that they sent out to fight him was put on his back almost immediately as Lucas locked shields with him and then tripped the young man.


    That drew a mixture of cheers and boos, which he¡¯d expected, but all he really cared about there was the way that Danaria smiled as she clapped at his win. After that, they sent him against a man named Luther, and when Lucas beat him, there was a Cedrin.


    The first two had been younger men, still very much in training. They were probably in better shape than Lucas, but they were hopped up on potions after weeks of private tutoring, and his reflexes, along with Sir Milen¡¯s most annoying moves, were what won the day in those cases.


    Cedrin, though, was a hard-bitten man with enough scars to show that he¡¯d fought in some real battles, and he put Lucas on his back foot immediately with a series of well-timed blows that made Lucas¡¯s shield all but useless. So, he cast it aside. He hated the thing anyway, and there was no way that his sword could keep up with his opponents using a one-handed grip.


    What followed was the first and only real sword fight of the morning as the two exchanged a flurry of blows. Steel rang out against steel over and over in the yard until all the other small fights and distractions stopped to watch.


    Lucas could parry his dance instructor¡¯s blows with reasonable success now, but the man was so fast that he¡¯d never managed to block more than two or three in a row. This morning, though¡­ Well, Lucas didn¡¯t know if it was because Cedrin was a little slower or the potions made Lucas a little faster, but each attack was stopped, as it became a battle of will as much as anything.


    In the end, it wasn¡¯t Lucas''s potions or his talent that won that match, but the ice. He took a step forward, and Cedrin took a step back, and when his foot landed on an icy cobble, the thing was done. Lucas felt a little bad about that, but not so bad not to take the victory and then help the man to his feet with a grin.


    ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll fight in good weather,¡± the older man growled, but Lucas just nodded. Next time they fought, he¡¯d be even better than he was today; he was sure of it.

 Ch. 75 - Some Like it Hot (part 2)

    ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way,¡± Sir Tristin nodded once Lucas had gotten free of his armor and joined the group. ¡°Personally and organizationally. Perhaps in time, you won¡¯t need my Knights at all.¡±


    Lucas recognized the trap for what it was and simply smiled. ¡°The bigger we get, the more we will need men ready to fight. You know that.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Sir Tristin agreed, taking the coins.


    At this point, Lucas felt like an asshole, he¡¯d fought the man so hard over three golden dragons, and that wasn¡¯t shit now. Clearly, he¡¯d have to find an excuse to pay the Knights more when the time came because Lucas was sure that the ability to buy the loyalty of a small army on short notice was a superpower he would always want, just in case.


    They talked a while longer, but when he noticed that Danaria was starting to get cold despite her coat and the brazier, he made his excuses, and they returned to the carriage. There, Lucas instructed Mort as to the rest of the plan. ¡°I have no idea how long negotiations with those, uhh¡­ women, are going to take. So, once you drop me off, take Danaria to High Street and let her do some shopping. When I¡¯m finished, I¡¯ll find you there.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that they could try something?¡± Danaria asked. ¡°Maybe if you asked Sir Tristin nicely, he¡¯d loan you a few guards while you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine,¡± Lucas said. ¡°They¡¯re in this to make money. There¡¯s no grudges here.¡±


    Honestly, Lucas was pretty sure they would try something. Probably more than once, but bringing guards with him wouldn¡¯t protect him from getting seduced, which was the only real danger that the Red Lantern women could unleash on him if he could hold his own with men like Cedrin.


    No, he thought to himself, the worst thing that could happen is they bend me over the price of something, and I ain¡¯t agreeing to that until I consult with Kar¡¯gandin, he told himself as they got in the carriage and started back across down into the seedy area between the harbor and the market district on the west side of town known as the Red Lantern District.


    Lucas had not spent a whole lot of time here before, but it was about what he¡¯d expected. Brothels of various quality fought for space with bars and taverns, and all of these were mixed together with two and three-story tenements, which created slums of even more questionable quality. It was like someone took the Gray Bottom he¡¯d spent a few months living in, slapped on some brightly colored paint onto the biggest buildings, and called it a day.


    The end result was that there were islands of wealth and debauchery surrounded by forests of poverty, which was so bad that there were half-naked children with their begging bowls out along the main thoroughfares, even in the snow.


    Lucas saw Danaria looking at them sadly and said, ¡°Listen, we can open up a soup kitchen for them or something, but you are not going to hand out coins to them like you do in Meadowin. It¡¯s dangerous here. Someone would knife you for your purse before you knew what happened.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± she nodded. Her eyes never left the poverty, though. There was a lot of wealth in Lordanin, but it was not spread out evenly.


    It turned out that he was going to the biggest island of wealth in the whole area. The Fallen Orchid was a four-foot-tall building painted in bright purples that towered over its nearest neighbors and competitors. In fact, the closest that poverty reached it was the end of the street. It was a grove of opulence amid a forest of misery.


    ¡°No stops,¡± Lucas told his driver when he got out and started removing his case with the cosmetic samples. ¡°I¡¯ll hire myself a carriage when I¡¯m done here. This place isn¡¯t safe for even a midday stroll.¡±


    ¡°Big man, you¡¯re with me,¡± he said, referring to the tough that had accompanied them throughout the day but done absolutely nothing so far. It pained Lucas to say it, but their organization had grown so large that he no longer knew everyone¡¯s name, so he was just going to have to wing it.


    The truth was that it wasn¡¯t any more dangerous here than it was in Gray Bottom; the real difference was when he lived there, he was a scrawny fuck in dirty clothes that didn¡¯t look like he had anything worth taking. In this outfit, though, someone would definitely try for his purse or his throat before he made it somewhere respectable.


    Here, though, there were no beggars, and the doorman let them right through. Inside, he had just enough time to take in the over-decorated interior that relied heavily on gilding, mirrors, and velvet upholstery to make it look fancy. However, before he could even introduce himself to the beautiful woman who was standing there in the lobby to greet new customers, she said, ¡°Mister Blue? You¡¯re expected. Please follow Azela, and she will take you to your appointment.¡±


    As soon as her name was uttered, a younger girl appeared, as if by magic, and led Lucas toward one of the two large spiral staircases that lead to the upper floors. If this had been Earth, the place would have no doubt had elevators, but that was one more thing that hadn¡¯t been invented yet. So, he followed the girl, trying not to stare at her ass as she walked in front of him in a slinky dress that made it very clear that she was also on the menu if you were into the waifish type. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He wasn¡¯t into any type on the menu here, though. So, instead of staring at her, he took in the surroundings. The first floor had been made into a giant sort of parlor or bar. It was basically a waiting room, so it was clean and brightly lit. The second floor had many of the same decor choices, but its lights were dimmed, and the shadowy place was filled with seats that gave the men seated there the perfect place to stare at one of the dancers grinding and gyrating on one of several different platforms.


    They hadn¡¯t invented pole dancing in the fantasy world, for that didn¡¯t matter too much. There was a beautiful elven woman wearing little more than a bikini as she did something like aerial silk dancing and a bustier human redhead that was dancing nearest the stairs wearing little more than a slowly decreasing number of veils.


    Lucas¡¯s eyes glazed over each of them in turn and did not linger as he took in the place, though he noted the muscle he¡¯d brought with him was more than a little distracted by the show. It was about what he¡¯d expected. If anything, it was a little classier. The waitresses were dressed in a dazzling array of dresses and gowns that would make even Danaria¡¯s expensive wardrobe green with envy, and there were a number of guards mixed in among the clientele.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to pick them out immediately. They might be dressed like noblemen, but their swelling physiques combined with the fact that they were the only ones with weapons in here made it clear who were the bruisers and who were the johns.


    They didn¡¯t stop on the second floor. Instead, they proceeded past the third, which was only an intersection of hallways that led to rooms in all directions to the fourth. The noises on the third floor made it clear that many of those rooms were already occupied and that, at least when it came to the Fallen Orchid, business was booming.


    It was only there, on the fourth floor, that they left the stairs and moved to a door that was well guarded enough by men who wore black leather armor instead of nice clothes that it was obvious the boss lay behind the door.


    "My mistress will see you now your man can wait out¡ª," Azelea said


    ¡°My man can follow me right in,¡± Lucas corrected her. ¡°No offense to you or yours, but you got all the muscle in the world, so I¡¯m entitled to a little of my own.¡±


    She frowned and said, ¡°The Misstress wil be displeased by your lack of trust, but that shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± with a slight bow before leaving him there to begin her own journey back down the stairs.


    The men gave both of them a pat down and searched his case for anything obviously dangerous but let him through without much trouble, which was stupid if he thought about it. Not only did they not take their obvious weapons, but they didn¡¯t take anything that might have been a disguised weapon either.


    He was a drug dealer and an alchemist. He might have had anything in there posing as perfume, and even though he didn¡¯t, it was still negligent as far as he was concerned.


    The office was dominated by large floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a commanding view of the district, all the way out to the castle in the distance. Other than that, it was remarkably spare, almost zenlike. On one side there was a here was a simple bedroom that he could only glimpse beyond an elaborate dressing screen painted to resemble an elaborate flower garden, and on the other side, there was a large wooden desk in front of the far window, along with a single table in the center of the room with four chairs.


    That was where he found Ms. Danica, seated in an elaborately embroidered silk robe, steeping a pot of tea. ¡°Ah, Lucas, I¡¯m so pleased you could make it,¡± she smiled, not bothering to rise as she ignored his bodyguard.


    He gestured for the man to stand by the door, but it didn¡¯t escape his notice that somewhere along the way, she¡¯d picked up his first name. While that was enough to make him wonder what else she might have learned, it wasn¡¯t enough to make him afraid. Like it or not, he was getting to be well known, and it was going to be impossible to put the genie back in that bottle.


    ¡°How lovely to see you again, too, Artesia,¡± he said with his most confident smile. ¡°Nice place you¡¯ve got here.¡±


    ¡°You like it?¡± she smiled back in a lifeless way that made her look almost like a doll for a moment. ¡°If any of the girls caught your eye, I could arrange for a private tour once our business is concluded.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± he said, sitting down. Once he was seated, he opened the small case and started laying out the offerings he¡¯d brought with him one at a time on the table between the two of them. ¡°I¡¯m just here to show you how you can make your girls a little prettier and make you some extra cash. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± she asked, pretending to be disappointed as she picked up one of the vials of perfume. ¡°Pity.¡±


    After that, Artesia poured him a cup of steaming tea in a porcelain teacup, which he thanked her for, even if he had zero intention of drinking. Once the formalities were out of the way, Lucas got to work explaining the benefits of the various things he had on the table in front of him.


    ¡°No cosmetics?¡± she asked, partway through the spiel. ¡°Perfume and face cream are important, but if you aren¡¯t selling magical lipstick, well¡­ that¡¯s almost as disappointing as your decision not to sell us your drug. It¡¯s taken the city by storm, you know. We could have helped you with that.¡±


    ¡°As I seem to recall, your taster tried to pretend it was weak and barely worth taking,¡± Lucas responded, riposting her verbal thrust. ¡°As to lipstick, that¡¯s a work in progress. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°It took Julania almost six weeks to get your poison out of her system, and I¡¯m told she still craves it from time to time, all these months later,¡± Artesia retorted so quickly that it was like she almost expected that answer.


    Before Lucas could figure out what to say next, she produced and rang a small silver bell. Before he could react and do more than turn his head, the doors to the room started to open.


    Did this bitch just set me up? He wondered as he thought about what he would do if a bunch of armed men came running through that door.

 Ch. 76 - Some Like it Hot (part 3)

    Lucas immediately feared a double cross, but instead, it was just a handful of off-duty women that had come from one of the lower floors. They looked tired but bore no weapons; the most dangerous thing about them seemed to be the outfits they wore.


    ¡°I have some correspondence I have to address, but while I take care of that, these girls will be your¡­ models,¡± Artesia explained. ¡°try out your potions and salves on them, and if I like what I see, we will talk about whether or not we can do business. If your little alchemical tricks backfire - well, then you¡¯ll owe me damages, won¡¯t you.¡±


    The Madam¡¯s final words before she excused herself and left him in the company of her employees sent a chill down his spine. She thought there was a chance that what he could do might harm them, and was still okay with him proceeding? It was unbelievably cold and spoke to just how little she thought of the women she prostituted. He sold drugs to addicts, but even he wouldn¡¯t consider accidentally poisoning them part of the cost of doing business.


    Still, even before he was trying to process that, the three women were sitting down around him and pouring themselves tea, making it even less likely that the stuff was poisoned.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the new guy,¡± the blond one asked.


    ¡°Who knows,¡± the busty brunette purred, ¡°But if Artesia says he can do whatever he wants¡­¡±


    ¡°Now now, ladies,¡± Lucas teased, trying to regain control of the situation. ¡°Business before pleasure.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying there is to be some pleasure then,¡± the dark-haired woman said in an accented voice, leaning a little closer with hungry eyes. It was only when she brushed her long, straight hair aside that he realized she was an elf. That explained the lack of tits, at least.


    Lucas introduced himself and spent a few minutes explaining why he was there and what he was looking to do with them today. Surprisingly, they seemed disappointed that none of his activities was going to involve sex, especially when he informed them that they¡¯d all have to remove their current makeup for the mask.


    Each of the beauties complained about being seen without makeup, as they scrubbed it off with enough effort that Lucas decided he was probably going to have to add a facial cleanser to his list of future products. Did I save any dyer¡¯s berries or holly leaves? He wondered to himself. He wasn¡¯t sure he had, so reluctantly, he filled the project away for the spring.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be seen naked than do without my eyeliner!¡± the brunette complained.


    ¡°You¡¯d rather be seen naked, period,¡± the elf quipped immediately. Everyone laughed at that, even Lucas, though he was trying to remain serious. When they were finally ready, he had them look at themselves in a hand mirror before providing them with the mud mask, and then they sat around for an hour while it did its small but noticeable magic.


    ¡°So we would do this every day?¡± the blond woman complained. ¡°That sounds so boring. Who would want to put mud on their faces and just lie around?¡±


    ¡°Well, where I come from, it''s considered a luxury for rich women who show that they have nothing better to do with their time than to spend the day lying around doing nothing at all,¡± Lucas explained. ¡°A mud mask, some cucumber slices on the eyes, and a few mimosas to drink. Hell, toss in a massage and a steam bath, and you walk out looking like a new woman. It¡¯s never been my thing, but one of the women I dated said that a spa day made her feel ten years younger.¡±


    ¡°Massage? Steam Bath?¡± The brunette asked as the elf scoffed.


    ¡°As if ten years younger would mean anything at all to me,¡± the raven-haired woman shot back.


    Lucas was tempted to ask how old she was exactly but decided that was probably considered rude in any world. She looked like she was somewhere around thirty, but for all he knew, that meant 300.


    He spent the rest of the time explaining to them what saunas and spas were because they were foreign concepts here, apparently. The closest they had were dwarvish baths, which were apparently a little bit too warm for any of the other races. Lucas noted it down as another business opportunity.


    From drug lord to a chain of boutique spas and cosmetic shops, he thought to himself with a smirk. That would be one hell of a way to go straight. That was just a pipe dream, of course, but it was a funny one.


    When all of the women cleaned off their faces, it was easy to see the difference. They quibbled, but he could definitely see they looked prettier than before. It was even more obvious once they returned from reapplying their makeup in their dressing rooms and adding a dusting of enchanted perfume on top of it. The three of them had been lovely before, but now they were positively stunning.


    They alternated between soliciting his stone faced bodyguard by the door for compliments, and asking Lucas if he had anything else they could try. Sadly, he had no more products ready for market, though he did notice with annoyance that his muscle was starting to melt under all the attention he was getting from the beautiful women. It was hard to blame him too much, though.


    ¡°You really think there''s a difference?¡± the women asked each other, teasing as they talked about the way it made her cheeks fuller or reduced her laugh lines. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Lucas was well out of his depth here, and part of him wished that he¡¯d brought some woman here with him to handle this. Certainly not Danaria, of course, but having a woman on his team who could handle this strange sort of situation, well, that might be useful.


    The Madame¡¯s bell tinkled again, making him look up. A well-dressed servant entered the room, and she ordered, ¡°Bring us some refreshments and send in someone to light the lamps. I cannot be expected to judge these results properly in such dim light.¡±


    The man bowed and left, leaving Lucas with the three painted whores and their boss, they were all crowded around him just closely enough to make him feel uncomfortable. He didn¡¯t know if all the touches, brushes, and glances were an actual attempt to seduce him, but he was sure that for most men, it would already be working.


    It worked even better once a new servant came in with a lit wick on the end of a long pole came in and began to light the lanterns that hung from the ceiling near the walls of the room. He hadn¡¯t noticed how much darker it had gotten or really how much time had passed, but even though it was nowhere near night yet, the winter gloom had turned the skies gray, and he would be hard-pressed to say exactly where the sun was.


    The women continued to talk over the effects or lack thereof, that his products had on them for a few minutes longer before the refreshments arrived. By then, Lucas was feeling just a little overwhelmed by everything.l Between whatever spicy scent it was they¡¯d put into the lamp oil and the perfumes they¡¯d already been playing with, he wanted fresh air more than anything, but they were minutes away from a deal. He could feel it. So, he wasn¡¯t about to walk out of here empty-handed.


    Instead, he waited and was eventually rewarded by a nod of approval from Artesia. ¡°You know, I think we can do business after all, Lucas. You are clearly a man of many talents.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he answered. ¡°I love it when people recognize my value.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your value has been hard to miss, even after they stopped putting up those posters with those horrible little pictures of you,¡± the Madam said with a chilly smile. ¡°Do you remember my offer from before? Would you rather be paid in time with my girls or in coin? As you know, I can be very generous¡­¡±


    Very generous with other people¡¯s bodies, he thought, biting his tongue.


    ¡°I always prefer to be paid in coin, of course,¡± he smiled. ¡°No offense to your lovely ladies, but I¡¯m a one-woman sort of man.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d be happy to be that woman,¡± the elvish beauty sighed, stroking his chest lightly with her fingertips. ¡°You know, if the spot isn¡¯t already filled.¡±


    Lucas brushed her hand aside lightly, trying to think of the most polite way to rebuff all of this attention, even if the need to tell them all to fuck off was slowly growing more powerful inside of him.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Artesia said with a cruel smile, ¡°I feel exactly the same way. That¡¯s why I could haggle with you over these trinkets, or I could sell you to the city guard. Did you know that your reward is up to 150 golden dragons now?¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s just short-term thinking right there,¡± he said, stalling for time as he tried to figure out whether that was a bad joke or he¡¯d horribly misjudged the situation. ¡°You and me - we could make a lot of money here. I¡¯ll work on some cosmetics over the winter, and by this time next year, you¡¯ll be dominating your competitors.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is possible,¡± she nodded. ¡°What¡¯s the saying... A bird in the hand and all that?¡±


    It¡¯s not a joke, he realized, not after a statement like that.


    All of this had been part of the trap. The normalcy. Letting him keep his weapons. Everything.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he was defenseless, though. One of the vials labeled perfume, in his case, was a stink bomb, and of course, he still had his sword and his ring.


    Lucas¡¯s mind started to whirl at high speed as he tried to decide on what the best plan was. If they wanted to take him alive, then it was possible that the women were armed, but he was certain that a dozen well-paid toughs were only a ring of Artesia¡¯s bell away.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so clever, don¡¯t you,¡± he said, buying time. ¡°You think you can just take whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°I usually do,¡± Artesia agreed as he started to rise from his chair. ¡°And after you rejected me all those months ago¡­ well, the only thing that can mend my broken heart is gold, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Lucas was about to say something witty, but it was only when he started swaying unsteadily as he reached for his sword that he realized how fucked he was. He looked at the lanterns and finally put two and two together. That wasn¡¯t incense or even an aphrodisiac, as he¡¯d suspected. It was some kind of sedative, or¡­


    He looked to his man by the door and noticed that he was slumped over, passed out by the wall. Lucas had no idea when that had happened.


    Instead of drawing his weapon, he had to put his hand on the back of his chair and lean on it to keep from falling over. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s much too late for heroics, I think. Not after all the Nulim oil you¡¯ve inhaled.¡± Artesia said with a broad gesture at the lamps. ¡°I¡¯d worried that an experienced alchemist would notice the scent, but it would seem that you¡¯re less of a scholar and more of a petty pusher. My girls and I are quite used to the stuff to make the aggressive men that come here¡­ more tractable.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Lucas opened his mouth, but he had nothing to say. His brain was still working fine, but his body was barely functional. What had snuck up on him as a feeling of dizziness and claustrophobia had become a lethargy that bordered on numbness. He still had legs, but his feet might have well been leagues away.


    That didn¡¯t stop him, though. Instead, he staggered toward the window. The giant picture windows didn¡¯t open, but if he could break one of them and get some fresh air, then he could wash away some of this weakness and use one of his tricks to get out of there.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s much too late for that,¡± she gloated. ¡°In a few seconds, you¡¯ll be as weak as a kitten, and in a few hours, I¡¯ll trade you for that fat reward.¡±


    Lucas never made it to the window. Instead, his vision began to blur, and his legs went out from under him after only two steps. I didn¡¯t even drink the tea, and the bitch still got me, was his thought as he lay there on the throw rug, looking at the floor as the woman that had done this to him started to order people around and bind his hands and legs tightly.


    ¡°Pity we couldn¡¯t have had more fun,¡± the elven beauty whispered in his ear. ¡°I generally prefer to be the one who¡¯s being tied down, not the other way around.¡±


    Lucas sighed inwardly, unsure what in the hell he was going to do to get out of this.

 Ch. 77 - Where it all Started

    Though he was conscious when he fell, that became less certain over time as he was disarmed and trussed up like a Thanksgiving Turkey. Whether it was because whatever drug they¡¯d put in the oil was continuing to take its toll the longer he breathed it in, or because it was in higher concentrations as the heavy fumes sank toward the floor, he didn¡¯t know, but after a couple of minutes he could no longer associate meanings to the words that were being said, and shortly after that, the world faded to black.


    The darkness was dreamless and fitful, and he was woken several times as two large men wrestled his insensible body downstairs. He tried to struggle then, but it was impossible. He lost consciousness again before whatever happened next was going to happen, and he was only woken up sometime later by the cold.


    That was when he found himself in the back of a barred wagon, trundling over the cobblestones toward the castle at the center of Lordanin. He shook his head in disbelief.


    All that work and I ended up right where I started, he thought, in disappointment. He had no idea how he was going to get out of it this time, though.


    The cold, clean air had returned him to consciousness, but his head was still fogged over, so he didn¡¯t bother trying to figure out what he was going to do exactly just yet. Instead, he lay there, staring out the back of the wagon between the heavy wooden slats at the slowly retreating city as he breathed and tried to stay calm.


    Even that mental discipline didn¡¯t keep the recriminations away, though. It was stupid to have gone to the Orchid with only one man. Of course, ten would have passed out in the strange gas she¡¯d used just the same way, but all of them would have been warned by the first one to drop, and maybe a dwarf would have been resistant. If he¡¯d brought Kra¡¯gandin to assist in the negotiations, then maybe¡­


    Lucas sighed. There was no point. He could go in circles all day long about this. What was important, aside from whatever fate the man he¡¯d brought with him turned out to be, was that he¡¯d been so sure she was interested in money more than anything else. He¡¯d been right, too, in the worst way imaginable. Now, he was going to have to pull a rabbit out of his hat, or he was going to get his toenails extracted by whoever the Prince replaced his last torturer with.


    Just the thought made him clench his fists as a shiver went down his spine. The mental image was gruesome, but the gesture was enough to note that he was still wearing his ring. That brought a smile to his face. They¡¯d taken everything from him except for his most important and expensive possession. It was enough to laugh if he wasn¡¯t trying to keep his poker face.


    Still, Lucas grinned and gripped the ring tighter. He wasn¡¯t going to use it yet, of course. There was no point when he was tied up and locked in a cage, but it was definitely a trump card to be played at the right moment. He had to get out of here after all; not only did he not want to get tortured for what he knew, but he was going to have to make that bitch pay for this.


    She betrayed him for a bounty, she almost certainly killed his man, and now he was going to have to burn her whole world down around her ears. Lucas wasn¡¯t much for killing and still regretted the small amount of blood he had on his hands, but if he could get his hands on Artesia, right now, then woman or not, he¡¯d choke the life out of her with a smile on his face.


    The ride to the castle took longer than he would have thought, and he was shivering by the time they reached the gate. Not even the cold could mute the anger that blossomed inside him as the drugs faded. He¡¯d gotten himself all ready for a fight as soon as they loosened the ropes that were binding him, but all that changed the moment the guard said, ¡°You sure we¡¯re bringing this guy to the drawing room and not the dungeon? I coulda sworn he was a criminal, fancy clothes notwithstanding.¡±


    ¡°Half the men that come in and out of this castle are criminals. You know the captain decides who goes where.¡± the second guard said with a laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t mean that the Prince plans on treating them all the same, now does it?¡±


    ¡°Suppose not,¡± the first one mused as they dragged him from the wagon.


    After that, they weren¡¯t too rough with him, though. Though Lucas wouldn¡¯t say they treated him with deference, they treated him with something akin to respect. It would seem that when your fate was uncertain, even the cretins they hired to make up the city guard had no desire to make enemies they didn¡¯t have to. That surprised him, but the surprise was doubled when he realized that these two knuckleheads were the same ones he¡¯d dealt with the last time he was here. The tall guard and short guard just kept popping up like a pair of bad pennies. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    While they escorted him into the castle proper and used the servants'' hallways to navigate the labyrinthine interior, Lucas spent that time wondering if he should have them offed the next time he got the chance or if he should put them on the payroll. After all, if they were going to be turning up this often, they could be useful. Of course, all that was predicated on the idea that he was going to get through this and have that option.


    There was no guarantee that torture, the gibbet, or any other number of grisly endings wasn¡¯t still on the table, but things were looking better. He¡¯d much rather be guided to an overstuffed armchair and left under the watchful eyes of these two bozos than shoved back into a crowded cell.


    The guards offered him no answers, and he didn¡¯t ask for any because he decided a person as important as he seemed to be to someone probably wouldn¡¯t do that. Instead, he sat in silence, feigning patience while they chatted amongst themselves, and waited for whoever wanted him.


    His paranoia told him it was Lord Torvin who was behind this and that Lucas had fallen into the man¡¯s trap somehow, but that was not the person who came striding into the room almost half an hour later. Instead, it was the Prince himself.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time that the two of them had met, so Lucas recognized Prince Raston instantly. He was surprised by that. The man hadn¡¯t had a look of a fiend at the party he¡¯d gone to, and he didn¡¯t know either. Clearly, he was missing some piece of the puzzle.


    As the Prince strode over to Lucas, he looked at him with distaste. For a moment, Lucas thought he was about to catch a beating, but instead, the man said, ¡°What is the meaning of this? Why haven¡¯t you untied him? This man is my guest, not some common criminal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness,¡± the tall guard said, stepping forward and drawing his dagger to cut Lucas free. ¡°He came in the wagon, so we weren¡¯t sure what to do with him. We thought¡ª¡±


    ¡°No one pays you to think,¡± the Prince said with a dismissive gesture as he sat down on the couch across from Lucas. ¡°You bind men that are going downstairs; you make the ones you bring inside comfortable. How complicated is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your lords¡ª highness, err, Majesty,¡± the guard stammered, obviously flustered. It was a detail that only made the Prince¡¯s smile wider as he looked at Lucas and studied him like a predator.


    Lucas sat there quietly while the guard sawed at the ropes and considered everything that was happening as his situation gyrated wildly. Up until now, Lucas had just assumed that the man was a playboy who left the running of the kingdom to his father¡¯s advisors while the King himself lay on his deathbed. That clearly wasn¡¯t the case. In fact, that so clearly wasn¡¯t the case right now that Lucas was suddenly those rumors were planted on purpose, which made the man he was sitting with even more dangerous.


    ¡°Not even any refreshments for the man? No tea or wine?¡± the Prince scoffed, making the tall guard stiffen before he turned and yelled to the short guard, ¡°Go on, fetch a servant or three. This man looks like he¡¯s been through hell today and is in no fit state for the important discussions that are about to happen.¡±


    The Prince¡¯s critiques made the short guard bow and scrape before he rushed from the room, while the tall guard cut all the faster in a bid to do the same. Less than two minutes later, he and the Prince were alone, sitting in what Lucas assumed to be one of the smaller rooms somewhere in the heart of the palace.


    Despite the fact that there were no obvious indicators that he couldn¡¯t try to make a break for it, a little voice in his head whispered that such an action would be extremely unwise. A man of this power in a world of magic must have a dozen ways to protect himself or slay his enemies in ways that weren¡¯t much more complicated than the ring that Lucas wore on his finger.


    So, he didn¡¯t try anything. Instead, he said, ¡°Thank you for the hospitality,¡± as he rubbed his numb wrists. ¡°That¡¯s very kind.¡±


    ¡°You should always bait the hook with kindness,¡± the Prince said, with an expression that suddenly became serious without any warning. ¡°It makes it harder for the fish to get away, and you, Mister Blue, are one slippery fish. It took half a year an unconscionable amount of gold to get hold of you, so you aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Well, if I¡¯d known that I would be invited to the palace rather than sent to the dungeon for a second time, then maybe I would have stopped by sooner,¡± Lucas lied.


    ¡°Yes, well, that was regrettable,¡± The Prince said, a shadow passing across his expression. ¡°Truthfully, I¡¯m glad you escaped and survived. It would have made things quite awkward to bring you in only to kill you by accident.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°I assumed you just wanted to politely ask me for my recipe before you tortured me to death for it. If we¡¯re being honest here.¡±


    That seemed to amuse the Prince, and his eyes glittered darkly, but before he could answer, the doors flew open, and a smartly dressed maid came into the room pushing a cart with a silver tea service on it. She poured both of them a cup of tea and laid out a platter of pastries on the coffee table between the two of them while they regarded each other silently, and then she was gone again.


    The Prince started speaking again almost as soon as the door closed. ¡°Kill you? Torture you? I could certainly do that, the Prince agreed. I don¡¯t want your recipe, though, Mister Blue. Well, not precisely, and I don¡¯t think that forcing you to help me rather than paying you to help me would get me what I want exactly.¡±


    ¡°And what do you want?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°I want what you have¡­ only better,¡± the Prince answered cryptically, leaving Lucas to wonder what in the hell he could possibly mean by that.

 Ch. 78 - Starting Over

    Lucas reached for his cup of tea. Despite the fact that it was still scalding, he took a sip to give him a moment to think. The idea that it might be poisoned meant nothing compared to everything else that was going on. Honestly, coughing up blood and choking to death here in this dim, over-decorated room might be the best thing that could happen to him because he felt like everything was spinning out of his control.


    Was the Prince about to strong-arm him and take over his business exactly the way he¡¯d prevented the Whispers from doing so recently?


    That has to be it, he thought to himself.


    What else was left? Geopolitics? War between kingdoms? It beggared belief that a man that was this on the ball would need a street rat like Lucas for any of that. Still, even after all this reflection, he knew nothing, so he decided to deflect as much as he could to learn more.


    ¡°Better, huh?¡± Lucas said, setting the saucer and cup back down. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the word on the street is, but if my stuff gets any purer, people will start dying.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± the prince agreed, not seemingly particularly disturbed by the idea. ¡°Though most of the deaths seem to be from the low-grade stuff, according to the guard. By all accounts, the upper crust is quite happy with your product. Indeed, they¡¯re eager for more.¡±


    ¡°You want me to¡­ poison the nobles I¡¯m supplying to?¡± Lucas asked, trying not to sound as confused as he felt. ¡°Is there just like¡­ one family in particular, or are you looking for more of a clean sweep here?¡±


    The Prince¡¯s response to that was to laugh long and hard. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that will be necessary,¡± he said finally, pretending to wipe away a nonexistent tear from his eye. ¡°When you wipe out enemies, new ones only appear to take their place, and I have all mine categorized and monitored quite nicely at this point. I don¡¯t need to replace them with anyone new.¡±


    Lucas opened up his mouth to ask a follow-up question, but the Prince continued. ¡°Though, you seem to have gotten your claws into even the stodgy old lord Torvin. I can¡¯t say I saw that coming. Sometimes, people really do surprise you. Take you, for instance. I¡¯ve seen you at what, three, four parties now?¡±


    ¡°Three,¡± Lucas answered, surprised that the man remembered his face in a crowd at all.


    ¡°Just so,¡± the Prince agreed. ¡°You never struck me as an alchemist or really a man with any learning. I thought you were a card sharp, or perhaps you were there looking for a rich widow. I¡¯m not one to judge, so you can imagine my surprise when Mister Blue was hiding in plain sight this whole time!¡±


    Lucas was even more creeped out now. The man wasn¡¯t just being fed information by some kind of Whisperer-like spy network. He was clearly smart and remembered even minor exchanges at random parties. Lucas was definitely out of his league here. This was not someone to be fucked with.


    ¡°So then, what¡¯s it for, your highness?¡± Lucas asked finally, deciding there was no way to play the information out of the man. ¡°I mean, I need some idea of what you want if I¡¯m going to be able to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say¡­ we¡¯re after bigger game than any Duke or Count in the land, and leave it at that, for now, shall we?¡± the Prince answered dismissively.


    ¡°I mean, you were hunting me for so long I kinda figured this was personal for you,¡± Lucas said, trying to see what might slip out if he tried to agitate the man.


    ¡°Me? No, I never touch the stuff.¡± the Prince said. ¡°I prefer other drugs. Yours cloud the mind, though in this case that¡¯s exactly what we want.¡°Heizenburgle will fill you in on what you need to know when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Heizenburgle?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Who¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make one thing perfectly clear,¡± the Prince said finally. ¡°I¡¯m asking because it''s easier than telling, but your only real play here is Yes? Are we clear? There¡¯s no other way out of this for you. My purser has paid an entire sack of dragons to that conniving bitch that brought you in, which will make this year¡¯s tithe that much harder to put together, so I am going to get my money¡¯s worth out of you. Are we understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness, I would be happy to help you if that¡¯s what¡¯s required of me,¡± Lucas said, trying not to grit his teeth, ¡°But I have some questions if I uhhh... If it''s not too rude.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Please,¡± the man said dismissively. He seemed perfectly happy to toy with Lucas as long as Lucas knew his place.


    ¡°I help you with this,¡± Lucas said, ¡°and when it¡¯s done, what happens to me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I imagine that you¡¯ve racked up quite a sum in profits during your time in Lordanin,¡± The Prince answered, ¡°So if you¡¯re still palling around with Kar¡¯gandin, he can open his books¡­ the real ones, mind you, not the fake ones I know he keeps too, and if not, well then I¡¯ll have one of my loyal tax collectors conduct an audit, and issue a fine. As long as you pay that and you ensure your fair share ends up in the treasury going forward¡­ well, I¡¯d consider you a valuable asset to the city. If not, well¡­ the gallows don¡¯t take long to put up.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lucas said, not sure that he believed him. ¡°So you want me to make you a special batch of blue for a specific customer, then you¡¯re just going to let me pay my taxes and continue on my way?¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason I shouldn¡¯t?¡± The Prince asked. ¡°No doubt the Alchemists'' guild will throw a fit if you become any more prominent, but perhaps we can buy you a guild license as well. Training or no, you surely make enough to afford one.¡±


    Lucas must have still had some trace of a skeptical look on his face because the Prince continued. ¡°You really don¡¯t get it, do you? You think I¡¯m out to cut off your head because of some imagined slight. I appreciate people like you, Mister Blue. My nobles are so stuck in a rut that they spend half their day scheming and the other half relaxing. The family I always see you with¡­ the Parins, right? Adin is a perfect example of what I mean. The man is a leach. Did you know he once tried to sell his sister¡¯s virtue to me for a tax debt that was almost sixty dragons?¡±


    ¡°No shit?¡± Lucas asked. Forcing himself to laugh at that so that his anger wouldn¡¯t show on his face.


    Inside, he was raging. It wasn''t because of the accusation or even the terrible things it implied. He was pissed because it was almost certainly true.


    For a very long time, Lucas tried to square the man who went to the dungeons for his sister with the man he worked with every day. He¡¯d never been able to. However, if you reversed that one little detail, suddenly, everything snapped into place.


    ¡°She¡¯s a pretty thing, I grant you,¡± the Prince said, ¡°But there¡¯s not a woman in the kingdom worth that much.¡±


    Lucas nodded along as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but he believed just the opposite. He wouldn¡¯t trade Danaria for every perfectly painted whore in the Red Lantern District.


    ¡°The point is, Lordanin needs people like you,¡± the Prince continued. ¡°You have no idea what our peace and prosperity costs, but it''s a bill that has to be paid. If anything, you¡¯re thinking too small. We should be brewing and exporting your potions to other cities. Think of the returns. We could¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s for later,¡± The Prince said, reigning himself in. ¡°After you¡¯ve had a chance to recover from your ordeal, I¡¯ll send you, along with some men. You can stop by wherever it is you lay your head to collect some clean clothes, and then you can spend some time with my own pet alchemist for the next week or month, or however long it takes to put together something truly special.¡±


    Weeks?! Lucas thought to himself, letting the impossibility of that word weigh in. Yeah, maybe if we can just, you know, distill it down for another couple of points of euphoria. If he wants more than that, though¡­ well, it might well take a lifetime.


    Lucas couldn¡¯t imagine how hard it was going to be to find a new ingredient that he could add to the mix that wouldn¡¯t have a negative interaction with one of the existing ones. He didn¡¯t bother the Prince with any of that, though.


    It was clear the man didn¡¯t want to talk details. He was a big-picture guy. He sat there talking with Lucas about his vision for the city and, more than anything, struck him as an amoral, Machiavellian type. He literally didn¡¯t seem to care if something was right or wrong as long as it worked, and the castle got its cut, and honestly, Lucas could work with that.


    If any of it was true. Even by the time the Prince had lost interest in Lucas and left him to munch on cookies while he awaited whatever was going to happen next, Liam had very little certainty about exactly what was and wasn¡¯t true in what the man had said. The dude was a high-functioning sociopath, which meant that lying and maybe even murdering wasn¡¯t going to be enough to make him twitch.


    Unfortunately, the Prince¡¯s keen eye made escape impossible. Oh, Lucas could run. He would probably be able to get away, but the man had seen him with Danaria on more than one occasion.


    If Lucas were to split now, the man would come down on everyone associated with the Parin manor like a ton of bricks. While he could try to escape with Danaria, and there was a chance he wouldn¡¯t find the lab, it would hurt everyone else, including all the good people of Meadowin.


    ¡°Nope,¡± he sighed to himself. ¡°You¡¯re going soft. That¡¯s where you fucked up. You coulda taken the money and run, but you had to go and make friends instead.¡±


    It was okay. Well, it was going to be okay, probably. He wasn¡¯t in a dungeon, the Prince was a piece of work, and the man wanted him to do what he was best at. When the guards came for him a little while after that, he didn¡¯t put up a fight or try any tricks. Instead, he was escorted to a carriage, and then they departed the castle on their way through Lordanin toward the east gate.


    It was night now, but something told him that a carriage bearing the royal crest would have no trouble going through a gate no matter what time it was. Now, he just needed to figure out how to explain this to everyone else in whatever window he was going to have to do that.

 Ch. 79 - Starting Over (part 2)

    The carriage made no stops. It proceeded through the gate, over the roads, and straight toward the Parin¡¯s house. A normal man might presume this whole gesture of sending Lucas home for fresh clothes and kidnapping him in a well-padded carriage were all signs of weakness, or at least kindness.


    Lucas knew the truth. ¡®We know exactly where you live,¡¯ is what it was telling him. ¡®We know exactly who you work with and more than a little about how your operation works. Fail or betray me, and it will all end up in ruins.¡¯ It was exactly what they did in mobster movies when they told the businessman or the juror just how much they had to lose.


    That¡¯s a nice house you got there, he thought to himself as Parin Manor came into view. It would be a real shame if something were to happen to it.


    While at this moment he¡¯d be happy to burn down the whole damn building if Adin was inside, he definitely didn¡¯t want to hurt Danaria, and really, there was no reason that the servants had to die just because of one asshole. Even Jeeves was a decent sort these days; he always had a little too much sarcasm for Lucas, but that was fine. He preferred that sense of judgment and superiority to the alternatives of stiff formality or obsequiousness.


    Still, that was exactly what he received when his carriage pulled into the gravel of the front drive. Despite the fact that the visitor was unexpected, there were two well-dressed guards and two footmen, along with both old man Gerwin and Adin. It was clear that neither of them had the first idea why a carriage with royal livery would be showing up at such an hour, but they tried to be as ready as they could be.


    Whatever they prepared for or expected, no one was ready for was for Lucas to step out of the thing, especially not in a half-ruined outfit.


    ¡°Is everything okay, sir?¡± Gerwin asked, ¡°You¡¯re a bit late in joining us for supper.¡±


    Terribly sorry about that, old boy,¡± Lucas said, walking past him and patting him on the back, ¡°I was having tea with the Prince, but if there¡¯s anything warm, you can have the cook make me a plate. For now, I need your help. It¡¯s time to do some packing.¡±


    ¡°The Prince,¡± Adin gasped. ¡°Did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I had a good time,¡± Lucas said, nodding at the two guards that were trailing behind him, ¡°and for now, we¡¯ll leave it at that.¡±


    Adin got the hint and said nothing more on the subject, which was good because Lucas wanted nothing more than to punch him in his lying mouth. Instead, he walked trailing Gerwin and then everyone else behind him as the footmen opened the large double doors before him, and he entered the house.


    There, he saw Danaria standing at the top of the stairs. She was a vision of beauty, even in the simple lilac dress she wore, and he would have very happily stared at her all day under other circumstances.


    Her face lit up as soon as she saw him, but before she could start talking he said, ¡°Run along, Miss Parin, the men of the house have some official business to discuss, nothing to worry your pretty little head over.¡±


    A storm passed across her features for a moment, but she got the message and walked off as soon as she saw the guards trailing behind him. It was kind of hard to miss the burnished armor of the city watch, after all.


    After that, Lucas beckoned to the two footmen. He told the first one to start hauling cold water upstairs to get the bath started and the second to go to the kitchen and start boiling some in a cauldron and add just enough hot water to make it bearable. He needed to make a little time, and the elaborate ritual of drawing a bath before the invention of hot and cold running water was the perfect excuse.


    Lucas continued as if everything was normal until the two guards tried to follow him up the stairs. That was where he drew the line. ¡°Gentlemen, please,¡± Lucas said, acting offended. ¡°I have accepted his majesty¡¯s command and did not bring you here simply to try to escape. I need to wash, change, and pack for this adventure. So please kindly wait here, or better yet, wait in the dining room. I¡¯m sure one of the kitchen boys can get you some pie or something.¡±


    As an afterthought, he followed that up with, ¡°Adin, please entertain our guests until I¡¯m quite finished.¡± The Viscount looked more than displeased to be excluded from whatever was happening, but he was smart enough not to make a fuss since his tax debts had not been officially cleared yet. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Lucas had no idea if the offer of pastries sealed the deal, but the two men stopped following him, and he and Gerwin went upstairs alone. Once they were there, Lucas stole Adin¡¯s largest steamer trunk, dumped out the contents on his bed, then went to his own room to start packing.


    ¡°Alright, man, we gotta make this fast,¡± he said, speaking quietly as he moved to the closet and started to pull out shirts and jackets, folding them haphazardly and stuffing them in the trunk.


    ¡°Sir, please, you¡¯re wrinkling everything,¡± Gerwin said, distressed to see how poorly he was treating his fine wardrobe. Lucas ignored that, too.


    ¡°Talk less and listen more,¡± Lucas said. ¡°You can chastise me when I get back, I promise. If I get back, I mean, if not, well, take care of Danaria for me. Find her a nice man far from that brother of hers because¡ª¡±


    ¡°A nice man?!¡± Danaria said, bursting from the door to the washroom, where she¡¯d obviously been eavesdropping. ¡°Lucas Sharpe, if you think that I¡ª¡±


    ¡°All of you, stop, just stop,¡± he sighed. ¡°Look, any minute, those assholes are going to come upstairs and drag me off to who knows where, so I don''t have time to explain what¡¯s happened or why. This is what I need from you.¡±


    He waited a moment, and this time, when no one interrupted, he continued. ¡°I want Hura¡¯gh to send a man after me, on a fast horse, far enough behind us that he won¡¯t be spotted because I have no idea where they are taking me. That¡¯s the first thing. Once he finds out where this party is happening, he should come back and tell you guys. You got that? No heroics. If I want to escape, I¡¯ll escape, but that''s a terrible idea just now for any number of reasons.¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± he continued, ¡°wherever it is, I''ll find a way to leave little notes by my window so that someone¡­¡± he looked meaningfully at Danaria, ¡°Can fetch them for updates. If there''s a plan, you¡¯ll know it so that Kar¡¯gandin can decide how best to proceed. He¡¯s in charge while I¡¯m gone, you understand? Not Adin. Fuck Adin.¡±


    ¡°But why does it have to be like this,¡± Danaria pouted. ¡°You were only supposed to be selling perfume, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And that leads to number three,¡± Lucas said with a touch of anger. ¡°That bitch sold me out, so you tell Kar¡¯gandin to handle it. Pay the Knights of Brass, or whatever. I want the Fallen Orchid in ashes. She thought she could sell me to the Prince for the reward, and I¡¯d just disappear? Fuck that.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness?¡± Danaria gasped, approaching him like he was a wounded bird. ¡°Did she do anything to you? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lucas letting her hug him for a moment before he brushed her off because she obviously needed it more than he did. ¡°But I really need to finish this.¡±


    ¡°Item three: burn her down,¡± Gerwin spoke up from where he now stood at the writing desk. ¡°What else, sir?¡±


    ¡°Four: let everyone know this is only supposed to take a few days or a few weeks. I¡¯ll be back, and we have more than enough of, well¡­ you know what, stocked to maintain normal distribution. Let Adin hand out the blue to the nobles, but tell Kar¡¯gandin to count that shit, or he¡¯ll rob us blind.¡±


    Lucas moved back to stuffing his trunk with a few pairs of pants, and when that was done and he had a chance to breathe, he finally said, ¡°Five, business as usual, okay? This is not a fucking crisis. This is just another curveball, and we¡¯re going to get through it. With a little luck, I might even be able to turn it into a good thing.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure he believed that last part, but it was important that he seemed like he did. This was the sort of event that could easily cause everyone to panic and start skipping town. Lucas wasn¡¯t about to go through whatever fresh hell the Prince had planned for him, just come back to an empty¡­ well, whatever this life was becoming.


    ¡°Will there be anything else then?¡± Gerwin asked.


    ¡°Check on that bath,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°I want to feel clean before whatever happens next.¡± feeling vaguely like a condemned man.


    Gerwin nodded and left the room, leaving him alone with Danaria. It was only when they were alone that she sat down on the bed next to him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like this. Not one little bit.¡±


    ¡°Me neither,¡± he answered with a shrug, putting his arm over her shoulder. ¡°But they got me by the¡­ well, they got me, at least for this job, and there ain¡¯t shit I can do about it for the moment.¡±


    ¡°What is the job, anyway?¡± she asked. ¡°Is the Prince really addicted to drugs like they say?¡±


    ¡°Well, if he is, it ain¡¯t the shit we¡¯re selling,¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°Listen, that man is dangerous. He remembered seeing me at a party months ago. Just another face in the crowd. He just wants me to help his pet alchemist with a project. It should be fine. I¡¯ll spend a few weeks brewing potions, and then I¡¯ll be right back. I promise.¡±


    The two of them sat there for a few minutes in a comfortable silence that was only ended when one of the footmen informed him that his bath had been prepared.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± Danaria said, unwilling to get up just yet once the young man had shut the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too,¡± he said, smiling sadly before he kissed her on the forehead. This time, he was less surprised to find that he meant it. Danaria looked at him then with eyes where smolder warred with sadness. Then she got up and left before she started crying.


    Lucas almost got up and followed her. Instead, he sighed and started to unbutton his shirt as he made his way to the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m getting too old for this shit,¡± he sighed.

 Ch. 80 - Meet the New Boss

    Lucas left the manor, clean, well-dressed, and as prepared as he could be less than an hour after he arrived. Just like that, everything he¡¯d spent so long was getting smaller and smaller behind him in the review mirror as he set out into the unknown. The rearview mirror was metaphorical, of course. The last thing he did was look behind him. Even if he was being followed, there should be nothing back there to see if they were doing their job right.


    Instead, he adopted an expression of patient boredom and tried not to worry too much. There were too many things to worry about, and quite frankly at this moment he wasn¡¯t particularly interested as to whether the bigger danger was that his little empire was about to get devoured by a large player, or that when this project was done he¡¯d wind up with nothing but a knife in the back and a shallow grave to show for it.


    Those were later problems, and later was a long ways away right now. In fact, it was almost four hours away, and well outside the city proper. Lucas had not been expecting that. He¡¯d been thinking that wherever this was would be in the Princes back pocket, but instead they rode until almost dawn, to a structure nestled in the foothills of the mountains that started just beyond the Greenwood.


    In the thin light of false dawn it looked like it might be a larger country manor, or perhaps a small palace, but as they got closer it looked a little more brutalist than that. This is more like a prison, he thought less than optimistically.


    That was somewhere closer to the truth. The outer curtain wall surrounded an ample courtyard which contained a few buildings as large as Parin Manor, but those were dominated by a large, five- or six-story tower.


    It was less than welcoming, but when the carriage finally came to stop, it pulled in front of one of the smaller buildings, where he was greeted by the same sort of staff he might have expected at any other mansion in the region, instead of the prison warden and guards that he¡¯d feared. Those were obviously manning the wall that surrounded whatever this little bubble of privilege was.


    ¡°Welcome to Blackgate Mister uhh¡­ Blue is it?¡± the sleepy looking headman said as he gestured toward the other two men to retrieve his luggage. ¡°Do you have any idea how long you¡¯ll be staying with us?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Lucas answered, suppressing a yawn. ¡°Weeks, not months, if I had to guess. What is it you do here? Is it¡ª¡±


    ¡°And is this all of your luggage?¡± he said, gesturing to the single trunk that the men removed from the wagon.


    ¡°Yeah, just some clothes. Why? What were you expecting?¡± Lucas asked confused.


    ¡°Men such as yourself rarely visit Heisenburgle without certain basics¡­¡± the man said with a disappointed look. Typically, that includes, reference books, rare reagents, apparatuses¡­ etcetera.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lucas said with a shrug, ¡°I wasn¡¯t told to bring any of that. His Majesty told me to show up, I showed up. Now if you¡¯ll just show me to wherever it is I¡¯m staying in the morning I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, our resident genius only works by the light of the moon,¡± the head man said with a shake of his head. ¡°Your things will be sent to your room, but I¡¯ll take you to see him now.¡±


    Lucas shrugged at that. He¡¯d already stayed up half the night. If he was going to be working with some kind of eccentric alchemist, he might as well stay up for the other half and start getting used to working the graveyard shift all over again.


    The man showed him into the house, and then lead him down a hallway that was longer than it had any right to be. Truthfully, it was longer than was possible, and it was only when they reached the stairs that wound up for story after story he realized these people had built passages to connect all of the buildings he¡¯d seen on the ride in without ever once going outside. It was something he¡¯d rarely seen outside of Las Vegas, and struck him as more than a little eccentric, but then, if this was nothing but a glorified prison, that made sense too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you here then,¡± the man that was escorting him said. ¡°Mister Heisenburgle is in the upper laboratory this evening, just at the top of the steps. You can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    Lucas sighed. He thought about complaining, but instead he just started up the stairs. There was no point in dragging his feet. The sooner he got this done and over with, the sooner he figured out what was going to happen next.


    That was easy to think for the first two flights of stairs, but it became somewhat harder after that. It was only once he slowed down because he was wheezing bad enough that he was tempted to take a sip from his boosting flask that he noticed there was something weird about the stairs. He¡¯d noticed the ropes that lead to some kind of dumbwaiter or bell in the center, other than wishing they¡¯d installed an elevator, that wasn¡¯t it.


    The stairs were built in such a way that taking the stairs one at a time was way too little, but taking them two at a time was a little too much, throwing his cadence off. It was an interesting fact, but he didn¡¯t give it any more than surface thought until he reached the top and saw a dwarf working diligently at a very low table.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    No, not a dwarf, he realized as he got closer. Something else. A different race. He¡¯d seen a few of them a few times around Lordanin, but it wasn¡¯t until the man finally turned in profile, and he could see the bulbous nose and outlandishly sized ears that he finally remembered.


    ¡°A gnome,¡± he breathed.


    ¡°What, dud you expect that the finest Alchemist in the region to be a man like you?¡± Heisenburgle asked, not bothering to meet his eye as he continued whatever it was he was working on. ¡°Hmmppphhh, typical.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t trying to get us off on the wrong foot or anything,¡± Lucas said, trying not to piss this guy off from the word go. He was clearly an ego maniac. Most academics were, in his experience. ¡°My name is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhhhhh, I know very well who you are Mister Blue, and we can discuss your little¡­ product later, my research is at a very delicate stage.¡± the gnome answered in a dismissive whisper.


    Lucas didn¡¯t respond to that. Instead, he took in the room as he very quietly walked closer to the gnome. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dim light, and he had a better idea of where he was standing, he had a lot less interested in picking a fight with the man.


    The place was a laboratory, a real one. It wasn¡¯t like his cut rate basement lab where they brewed bathtub meth for the locals. This was a place where someone could do some real research, and suddenly he was in love.


    Lucas had never wanted a peek inside the Alchemists¡¯ guild before now. He¡¯d turned his nose up at the very idea, but now he thought that might have been a mistake. The place was cluttered, but only in the sense that it was completely overloaded with all things alchemical. One some walls there were elaborate diagrams that laid out ingredients in something resembling an elementally flavored periodic table, while others were more like a series of overlapping alchemical Venn Diagrams separating similar yet slightly different ingredients. Ground Slyph wings were apparently very similar to, yet slightly more air charged than blue idriss petals, and nightingale pin feathers.


    He¡¯d never studied any of the ingredients before, but he probabl.ly could here. He could probably study half of everything here. The benches and the walls behind them were stacked with shelves that were full of an endless array of ingredients. At first he thought that maybe they were sorted by color, or by type, but based on the small brass placards affixed to each shelf, it quickly became clear that the answer was much more annoying. They were all ordered alphabetically by elemental balance. This section was for strong water, weak air, while that section was for strong water, weak earth.


    God, elementalism isn¡¯t an obsession for these guys, it¡¯s a fucking religion, he thought, careful not to utter such a blasphemy aloud to piss off the little guy even more.


    Still, just glancing around the room and seeing all the little pop-ups was more than amazing, and he hadn¡¯t even cracked open any of the thick tomes that were lying around, or studied the complex hardware that this Hiesenburgle guy was using in his separation and distillation.


    Lucas had felt like a king when his new ingredients had come in, but this¡­ this was a whole new level, and even though the sun was threatening to rise, and his bed was calling to him, he kind of wanted to stay up here forever.


    Red Dragon Scales (Pulverized): Endurance 4, poison 3. Grants a partial resistance to fire and extreme heat for up to three hours.


    Deep Water Slime (Pickled): Water 3, Poison 2, intelligence -1. This is a powerful emulsifier.


    However, no matter how many bizarre components caught his eye, eventually he was forced to return his gaze to what it was the gnome was doing. The short, gray haired alchemist was studying a vial of what looked to be almost pure light, which was surrounded on three sides by small mirrors. Nearby there were a few ingredients that were obviously part of what he was working on, like powdered limestone, elf tears, and crushed fireflies.


    That was interesting enough. All of those were interesting, but none of them were as interesting as what he saw on the vial, when a small menu popped up there.


    Distilled Starlight (minor): Poison -5, amplifies the effect of most potions when added in moderation.


    For a second he saw the minor flicker to nothing, but that was when the sun rose, and as soon as the first rays topped the horizon and reflected through the vial, the interesting properties vanished. Instead, there was a faint acrid odor from the smoke it started to produce which was just strong enough to smell over the other hundred exotic smells in the lab, and it crystal clear liquid was replaced with something cloudy and gray.


    Polluted Water: Poison -3


    ¡°Tarnfabulation!¡± the gnome yelled, clenching his hands into fists before turning and pointing an accusing finger at Lucas. ¡°This is all your fault!¡±


    ¡°Me? What did I do?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t say shit.¡±


    ¡°You mere presence was enough to throw off the delicate distillation process!¡± the gnome raged in a somewhat high-pitched voice that made it hard to take him in any way seriously. ¡°You might have had a dinner too rich in iron, or brought in dust from the road with a hint of lead in it! You-you-you¡­ I doubt you even know what it is I was attempting to do, do you, human.¡±


    ¡°Distilling starlight?¡± Lucas asked, trying hard to keep his cool.


    ¡°You-you¡­ how did you know that? Did the butler tell you? The guards?¡± the gnome demanded, trying hard not to act surprised, but he had a shitty poker face.


    ¡°Why would they know,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug. ¡°I know starlight when I see it, and until the sunlight touched it¡­ that¡¯s what I was looking at.¡±


    ¡°You saw it you say?¡± the gnome asked, stroking his wispy chin whiskers as if he was lost in thought. ¡°Well, then perhaps there¡¯s some hope for you after all. Let us start again, human. I am Heisenburgle the Wise and Clever, but you have doubtlessly heard of me by another name thanks to those imperious busy bodies in the guild, Heisenburgle, the Black¡­¡±

 Ch. 81 - All Nighter

    Lucas tried hard not to laugh as the three-foot gnome in front of him struck a pose and delivered his last statement like it was supposed to be intimidating. In the end, he was unable to keep the smirk entirely off his face. So, instead, he bowed low enough to hide it as he introduced himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too,¡± Lucas said, ¡°I¡¯m Lucas Parin.¡±


    ¡°Hmmph - never heard of you,¡± Heizenburgle answered haughtily. ¡°You should stick with Mister Blue. It suits you better. You are a one-trick pony, after all.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lucas responded, biting his tongue to avoid snapping at the little guy. The sooner I make nice, the sooner I can be done with this project and go home. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because if you had any achievements of note beyond stumbling on a very profitable recipe, I would have heard of you,¡± the gnome said smugly, ¡°And it¡¯s very clear you haven¡¯t been to any of the proper skills. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you have no guild ties at all, though I¡¯d hardly be the one to hold that particular detail against you.¡±


    Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve heard of you either, Lucas thought, quickly deciding that was exactly the wrong response.


    ¡°Oh, have some kind of falling out with them?¡± Lucas asked blandly, suppressing a yawn. He was happy to change the topic. He didn¡¯t exactly enjoy being talked down to by someone half his height.


    ¡°A falling out? A falling out?!¡± Heisenburgle had started turning around to take care of other things, but as soon as Lucas asked that question, he whirled around. ¡°How could you have heard of Heisenburgle the Black but not the ways that I was so woefully mistreated by those ingrates?!¡±


    For a second, Lucas thought he was supposed to get a three-hour backstory about the man, but instead, just before the gnome could start what looked to be a long tirade, he yawned. Then, his expression softened, and he said, ¡°You will be disappointed to hear this, but that story will have to wait for another night. The hour grows late, and I must put this experiment behind me.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, man,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug, following the gnome down the stairs at the very slow pace that Heisenburgle walked.


    The gnome talked the whole way down, though he kept jumping topics so often that he was hard to follow. Sometimes he was bragging about nebulous achievements that didn¡¯t sound like much to Lucas, and other times, he was bemoaning the failure of his most recent experiment. ¡°Starlight is very subtle stuff. It¡¯s very hard to gather,¡± the gnome complained, making defensive statements that would have made a whole lot more sense if Lucas had been needling him.


    He hadn¡¯t, though. Other than the occasional ¡°Yeah,¡± or ¡°That¡¯s rough,¡± whenever the gnome finished talking for a bit, making him feel the need to say something appropriate, he hadn¡¯t said shit.


    It was only when they reached the bottom of the tower and were once more in the long, carpeted hallways that he asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? What time are we meeting tomorrow to do this thing?¡±


    ¡°Well, I had been seeking to use the air laboratory at night to replicate your formula at the Prince¡¯s request, but that was based purely on my own guesswork,¡± Heisenburgle said. ¡°Depending on your elemental formulation, we may prefer to use the earth or the water laboratory instead.¡±


    ¡°You have more than one laboratory like that?¡± Lucas asked.


    That stunned him for two reasons. The first was that he couldn¡¯t imagine how many dragons it would cost to build just one of those monstrosities, let alone two or three, because of some outdated superstitions. The second was that he¡¯d had to climb all those stairs for nothing. If the gnome had another laboratory in a more convenient location, then they should obviously be using that one instead.


    Before he could ask about that, though, Heisenburgle scoffed, ¡°There is not a single laboratory in creation that is optimal for each sort of formulation. Tell me what the major and minor elemental aspects of your narcotics are, and we can decide where best to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be straight with you, man,¡± Lucas said, bracing himself for the response he knew this statement was going to get him. ¡°I have fucking clue what the elements in any of my ingredients are. I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°What?! WHAT?!¡± the gnome squeezed so loudly it echoed down the long corridor. ¡°You just mix things together without taking the elemental balances under consideration? But if you¡­ then how can you¡­ I¡­¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Lucas had braced for exactly this sort of reaction, but this was worse than he¡¯d expected. He thought that the little guy was going to stroke out.


    Finally, before steam could start coming out of his ears, he said, ¡°I cannot begin to fathom what it is you are up to, Mister Blue, but I am much too tired to deal with it just now. Meet me here tonight, on this very spot at sunset, and we will review your ingredients and make those determinations then.¡±


    Lucas followed the peevish little alchemist down the hallway as he muttered to himself about the importance of elements, but as soon as they came across the first servant, Heisenburgle quickly fobbed Lucas off on them. ¡°Show my¡­ ahrm¡­ assistant here, to his quarters. I am tired of his presence.¡±


    Lucas glared at the gnome for that but said nothing. Instead, he went with the servant and was escorted to a room on the second floor, fuming the whole way about what the gnome had said. Not the being tired of him part. That feeling was pretty mutual. It was the other bit that got under his skin.


    Assistant. Lucas thought in annoyance. Motherfucker, if you were so smart, you would have already figured this shit out. Maybe I just need to assist you in pulling your head out of your ass.


    Those angry thoughts swirled in his mind until the young man opened a door partway down the hallway, and Lucas saw his luggage opened and his clothing hanging in the wardrobe. He hadn¡¯t been sure what he¡¯d been expecting, but it wasn¡¯t this. Certainly, he thought there would be a guard or maybe bars on the windows. There wasn¡¯t, though. Instead, it was a well-appointed room with curtains and a bedspread. There was even a writing desk with pen and ink, which made the whole place seem a lot more like a guest room than the prison cell he¡¯d feared.


    ¡°Will there be anything else, sir?¡± the young servant asked.


    ¡°Yeah, where do I go to get lunch later?¡± Lucas asked.


    The footman explained the way to the dining room and was so polite as he did so that Lucas almost tipped him like he was some kind of bellhop. Instead, he thanked the lad, then went into his room and promptly passed out.


    Lucas didn¡¯t even bother to strip before climbing into bed. He just kicked off his boots and climbed into bed. He was too exhausted to do anything else. Not even his aggravation at the gnome or worries about what it was that might happen next were enough to keep him awake, and Lucas drifted off into a deep and largely dreamless sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.


    He probably would have slept until sunset if he could have, but the sun disagreed with that plan. Despite the thick curtains, a single stubborn ray of light managed to sneak between them and find Lucas¡¯s left eye, though, forcing the issue.


    For a moment, he didn¡¯t remember where he was, and it was only when he noticed that the sheets were much too white that he remembered he wasn¡¯t in Parin Manor anymore. After that came the memories of the conversations he¡¯d had with the gnome last night, which left him far too aggravated to drift off to sleep once more. So, reluctantly, he changed into something that was less rumpled and went off in search of something to eat.


    The dining room of this place, whatever it was, had a number of small tables in it rather than one large one that seemed more typical for the rich, making it seem more like a cafe than anything. Lucas noted that there were many people eating at various tables scattered around the place. Most seemed to be guards, but there were a few other research types like Heisenburgle, though Lucas didn¡¯t see the gnome anywhere.


    A few minutes after he sat down, a maid approached him and asked if he¡¯d like the soup or a sandwich. ¡°Both, please,¡± he responded, not trying to hide his exhaustion, not that he could. The way that his eyeballs felt like sandpaper, they were almost certainly bloodshot and loaded down by heavy bags under them. ¡°And a pot of tea, as strong as you can make it.¡±


    The maid left with a tiny courtesy and walked away, and instead of checking out her ass Lucas just rubbed his tired eyes. Some of the other men in this room looked pretty tired, too, but some of them were wide awake. It was a strange place, and it left him wondering what was really going on here.


    The Prince sent me here to make a better blue, and Heisenburgle was trying to distill starlight, which apparently is a thing that¡¯s possible, Lucas thought as he tried to make sense of things. So what in the hell is everyone else up to.


    His mind chewed on that until the maid returned with a little serving cart that contained everything he¡¯d asked for. That gave him something else to chew on, at least. The food wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn¡¯t half so good as the food he¡¯d gotten used to in the Manor house. It was hard to screw up a BLT and some tomato soup, though, or whatever the equivalent of those things were here.


    He thought about that for a long time. Even after the meal was over, and he found a balcony on the third floor that he could stand on and appreciate the almost warm weather before things started to cool off again, in spite of the constant hammering from some smithy somewhere.


    He¡¯d stayed with the Parin¡¯s less than a year, but already he was completely spoiled by the experience. It was better than he¡¯d eaten as a reincarnated orphan in this world, and except for missing Mexican food, it was a hell of a lot better than the fried, grease-ridden existence he¡¯d enjoyed in his last life.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need to get back there as soon as I can,¡± he said to himself as he stood there looking at Lordanin near the horizon.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure it would be a simple thing, but he was going to do it as fast as possible anyway.


    Well, unless they¡¯re planning to use it to poison the water supply or something, he thought to himself. At this point, Lucas wasn¡¯t particularly proud of letting this genie out of the bottle, but if it turned out the Prince was going to do something truly evil with it, he would probably have to do something about that.

 Ch. 82 - Elemental Nature

    Lucas spent the rest of the day wandering the expansive building. No one stopped him if he tried to do that. If he went down the hallways to the other buildings, though, the guards asked his business and politely turned him away. It was a strange place, and the closest he could get to wrapping his mind around it was to think of the whole Black Gate Fortress as some kind of research site.


    Or one of those black sites where they dissect UFOs out in Nevada, he thought glumly, wondering if this was the sort of place people disappeared from after their King no longer needed them.


    Lucas had an early dinner of bland pasta before sunset, and then he waited for the gnome at the bottom of the stairs. Heisenburgle showed up exactly at sunset and seemed disappointed that Lucas was already there.


    He was probably looking forward to chastising me for being late, he thought to himself. He seemed like the type.


    ¡°Hey man,¡± Lucas said, trying to smooth things over, ¡°how¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea how things are going to go,¡± the gnome said, utterly misinterpreting him. ¡°We won¡¯t know until we take apart your recipe and we see what it is we are working with.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, like, how are you doing?¡± Lucas asked as the two of them started to climb the tower very slowly. If Heisenburgle had been slow on the way down, he was glacial on the way up.


    ¡°I am doing as well as can be expected for a man of my stature when he has been saddled with inferior minds and insufficiently challenging tasks,¡± the gnome complained.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I wanted to be here either,¡± Lucas said after a deep breath or two, so he didn¡¯t bite the gloomy little bastard¡¯s head off.


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± the gnome said, disagreeing with even that. ¡°An alchemist of your caliber would quite literally kill to learn my secrets. I should know. There have been several attempts on my life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that¡ª¡± Lucas started.


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised, of course,¡± the gnome continued. ¡°Here at Black Gate, we push the limits of understanding in so many ways, magically and alchemically.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lucas said, happy to let the man talk for once if he was going to stick to this topic. ¡°I thought this was just some kinda fancy lab.¡±


    ¡°Well, whoever told you that was entirely incorrect,¡± Heisenburgle laughed. ¡°A proper alchemical laboratory requires craftsmen, true, but those forges out there? They are doing more than that, but I¡¯ve said too much already¡­¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Lucas answered, trying to pivot to something more relevant now that they were almost at the top of the stairs. ¡°But about the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, if you insist, I can give you one little hint¡­¡± the gnome said, obviously dying to tell someone. ¡°What if I told you that we''re attempting to tame elemental fire to make a tireless means of transportation that would take no grain and produce no manure?¡±


    ¡°I would say it sounds like you¡¯re working on an internal combustion engine,¡± Lucas answered dismissively without thinking about it.


    That stopped the gnome in his tracks, and he whirls around at the top of the stairs. For once, the difference in elevation made it possible that he could almost look Lucas straight in the eyes. ¡°Who told you?!¡± he hissed with a look of shock on his face. ¡°Was it the dwarves? The Prince? Did someone steal my plans to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Listen, H-man,¡± Lucas started, ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°That is not my name,¡± the gnome said, ¡°Say it right!¡±


    ¡°Heisenburgle¡­¡± Lucas sighed, refraining from rolling his eyes with pure force of will. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about engines or automobiles or whatever it is you are working on in there. I just want to know who it is we¡¯re working for on this project. On your project, okay?¡±


    ¡°Automo-what?¡± the gnome laughed, suddenly relieved. ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing automatic about the hyperquadabulator you have to¡­ actually, you know what. Forget I said anything. What was your question?¡±


    Lucas shrugged. ¡°I just want to know what the prince wants the super blue for,¡± he answered as he walked into the lab and looked around the cluttered workspaces. ¡°You can keep all the secrets you want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Heisenburgle smiled, obviously relieved to be switching topics. ¡°You mean you haven¡¯t put it together yet?¡±


    ¡°Put what together?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°We are being commanded by his highness to make a drug so potent that it would stop the heart of even the strongest men, so who could it be for?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked him if he was going to assassinate someone with it?¡± You actually asked the Prince that, Heisenburgle scoffed, his eyes widening. ¡°He¡¯s much too smart to put together such a paltry plan, especially with the elixirs I create for him.¡±


    ¡°Elixers?¡± Lucas murmured to himself, suddenly wondering if some alchemical flask was what made the Prince so much smarter than a man like that had any right to be. After all, Lucas had his own endurance flasks; it was entirely possible that¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you think on it for a day or two before I give you the answer,¡± Heisenburgle smiled with a smug grin. ¡°The question is not who is it for, but who could withstand the bliss that it provides. For now, though, I must insist we start looking through your ingredients.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Who''s to say that if I give you my recipe, you aren¡¯t just going to kill me or take over my business,¡± Lucas asked. He¡¯d written the ingredients down earlier, knowing that he had no choice but to go along with this. Now that the moment had arrived, though, the idea of giving up his trump card felt like a bridge too far.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never killed anyone,¡± Heisenburgle said, moving to a bench and sitting down in the chair next to it. ¡°If by you, you mean the Prince, then I really can¡¯t say, but I can tell you this. If you don¡¯t do what he wants you to, then he''ll find a way to motivate you, and no one wants that sort of motivation. Take it from me.¡±


    That¡¯s a nice girl you got there; it would be a shame if something happened to her. For some reason, the old gangster line ran through his mind, and at that moment, all he could think of was that they might hurt Danaria to get to him. There were worse things than waking up in bed with a horse¡¯s head.


    That was what finally made him pull the note he¡¯d made from his pocket and hand it over. Lucas could come up with a new drug, but if these guys decided to hurt those closest to him, well, there was no replacing her.


    ¡°A lot of these ingredients are out of season, so we might have to send¡ª¡± Lucas started to say, letting his worry gnaw at him. He was sure that once they got all the elemental bullshit out of the way, he could learn enough here to make this trade worthwhile, but even so, it killed him to let go of that paper.


    ¡°If you have anything that we don¡¯t already have in storage on this list, I will eat my hat,¡± Heisenburgle answered as he snatched away the paper. Lucas noted that he was not wearing a hat to cover up his frizzy gray hair and large bald spot, which made that a pretty easy bet to make.


    Before the gnome unfolded the list, though, he said, ¡°I thought that it was a titration of rarefied blue esper sap, powdered azulite, and either dimonium blossoms or perhaps some concentrated jellyfish venom. I couldn¡¯t quite make all of the mixtures stable, but the addicts we test the best results on claimed to feel a high that was similar but utterly inferior¡ª¡±


    ¡°You just test random mixtures on addicts?¡± Lucas asked, vaguely horrified. ¡°What if you poison them to death.¡±


    ¡°Well, they were bound for the noose regardless, so their lives are already forfeit.¡± Heisenburgle shrugged. ¡°This way, at least they get to die doing what they loved.¡±


    Lucas rubbed his eyes, completely blown away by that revelation. The alchemist might be smart enough to collect all these ingredients and try to distill starlight, but he didn¡¯t seem to have any ability to see the strange pop-ups that Lucas saw, so it was entirely possible that he had no idea how toxic so of the ingredients he had might be.


    While Lucas wrestled with the new facts, Heisenburgle asked, ¡°How close did I get?¡±


    ¡°One for five, chief,¡± Lucas answered as he looked around for a stool built for humans and moved it so he could sit next to the tiny gnome.


    ¡°One for¡­ there are five ingredients in this? How?¡± the gnome asked as he tore open the paper. ¡°Sour dwarf berries? witch grass blossoms? blue esper willow vine sap? wizened gnome caps? ¡­ goblin bile?!¡± with each new item on the list, the gnome¡¯s disbelief grew, and when he reached the last item on the list, he threw it up in the air in disbelief.


    ¡°You cannot be serious,¡± he said, obviously shocked. ¡°These are¡­ these are common herbs¡­ and their elemental affinities are all over the map. You¡¯ve got lesser fire mixing with greater and lesser water? That can¡¯t be right!¡±


    Lucas opened his mouth to explain, but the gnome wouldn¡¯t let him get a word in edgewise. ¡°Is this a joke? Am I a joke to you? Did the Prince send you here to test me? Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Listen, Mister Heisenburgle, I¡¯m going to need you to calm down because you¡¯re getting on my last fucking nerve,¡± Lucas said in a tight voice, with hard eyes that started so hard into the gnome¡¯s that the alchemist eventually had to look away. ¡°We gotta work on this shit or else, right? Well, you¡¯re making that pretty fucking hard on me right now, and I¡¯m getting a little sick of it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sick of it?¡± the gnome answered defensively. How do you think I feel? To be stuck with a man that only knows about herbs from the Greenwood and doesn¡¯t even know the difference between ground-up earth shards and pulverized root rot?¡±


    Earth Shards (Ground): Endurance 5, poison -1. Strongly earth-aspected.


    Root Rot (Pulverized, Unsterilized): Poison 5, intelligence 3, endurance -3.  Use without sterilizing runs the risk of spreading the disease to the imbiber.


    Neither of the two were ingredients that Lucas had ever seen before, but he could see immediately why the gnome had chosen them. They were sitting close together in unlabeled jars, and they looked nearly identical. The earth shards were a touch grainer, and the root rot was just a little darker. Without his annoying little pop-ups, Lucas would have said that they were just dirt, but they clearly weren¡¯t. They were powerful reagents, and the earth shards especially tempted him to want to learn more.


    ¡°I¡¯d be careful with this root rot,¡± Lucas said as he reached for the correct vial and slid it before the gnome. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s been treated properly. Putting that in a potion might give whoever drinks it a real bad day.¡±


    At first, Heisenburgle merely gaped at him, but after Lucas started talking about the root rot, he got very defensive. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± the gnome said. It¡¯s very clearly been¡­ as he opened the jar and sniffed it, his expression soured, ¡°Well, perhaps we will put it in boiling water a few minutes more, just to be sure. How did you do that? Is there a label somewhere that I missed?¡±


    Lucas just shrugged. ¡°Maybe I know more than you think I do. I might have a fancy background like you, but I¡¯ve¡ª¡±


    ¡°Prove it!¡± the gnome said, standing up and leading Lucas around the room by his hand like he was a child, and demanding him to identify this substance and that one. Lucas did as bidden for a while. He pointed out which watery fluid was deepwater brine on a shelf of other distilled waters. He correctly picked out the pixie dust from between two viles of fairy dust, too. Finally, when the man asked him which sort of dragon¡¯s tooth a fine white powder came from, Lucas delivered the bad news. ¡°This ain¡¯t dragon, Mister H,¡± Lucas said, suppressing a smile. ¡°These are pulverized kobold teeth. A lot less potent.¡± He had no idea if that last statement was true, of course, but it sounded true, and that was close enough.


    Watching the man¡¯s frustration and denial rise into pure apoplexy was the best, though. By the time it was done, the high and mighty Hiesenburg was a defeated man. Lucas thought about quizzing the gnome with a few unlabeled vials on a high shelf but decided against it. He¡¯d already been humbled. He didn¡¯t need to be broken.


    Instead, Lucas finally said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then why don''t you just try making some yourself and see what happens?¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± the gnome sighed, ¡°But we don¡¯t have any goblin bile.¡±


    Lucas smiled at that but said nothing. ¡°Why would we,¡± Heisenburgle snapped defensively. ¡°It has no legitimate value as a reagent. It is nothing but a highly toxic substance! All of this stuff is, but that one is strong enough by itself to kill the average man.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m still going to need it, and you¡¯re going to need a hat.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Heisenburgle asked, as he tried to understand what it was Lucas was referring to. When he did, he narrowed his eyes in anger at the other man.

 Ch. 83 - The Waiting Game

    That strained interaction got Lucas and Heisenburgle¡¯s new adversarial relationship off on the right foot. Normally, Lucas would have hated to be around someone who constantly needled him with tests like this, but in this case, it was kind of funny, and it was much better than the dismissive elitism that gnome had shown him to date.


    The gnome still didn¡¯t believe that Lucas¡¯s recipe for Blue was real, but while they waited for some goblin bile to test it, they passed the time in other ways. Lucas did it mostly by talking shit and telling stories that alternated between somewhat true and completely false as the gnome tried to pry into his background. When Heisenburgle insisted that Lucas had to have attended some Alchemist school for at least a year or two, he made one up in Esterbrock.


    ¡°But Esterbrock doesn¡¯t even have an Alchemists Guild!¡± the gnome complained loudly.


    ¡°Yeah, none that you would have heard of, I agree,¡± Lucas said before he proceeded to spin an elaborate yarn about the black market Alchemists Guild that was wholly owned by the thieves guild of the city. It was an easy enough lie given the dark reputation of the faraway port, and though Heisenburgle still claimed to believe none of it by the end, Lucas could see in his eyes that he was definitely a believer in the Shadow Court of Poisons and Poxies. He would have laughed long and hard if that wouldn¡¯t have ruined the joke.


    He also made some time to make notes about which ingredients he most wanted to try for his own experiments when he had the chance since the laboratory was literally a reagent supermarket of sorts. He made a note of anything that didn¡¯t look too expensive but had good stats. He also kept his eye out for any properties that lengthened the effect of a potion, and honestly, there were more than he would have imagined.


    Heisenburgle alternated between peevish testing of Lucas¡¯s ¡®supposed¡¯ knowledge and long-winded stories of his past. The latter might lead anywhere, and though they always portrayed Heisenburgle as a genius, sometimes they could be interesting enough. The former, though, were pretty predictable.


    If the gnome asked Lucas a question about an ingredient or its properties, he was always going to know the answer. It was pretty impossible not to. If the gnome asked him about something in chemistry, like how to distill a concentrate from a dilute solution, he was usually pretty spot on. It was the weirder, magical, and elemental stuff that he always got wrong, not that he really cared about it.


    ¡°Listen, I know you guys swear by that stuff, but as far as I¡¯m concerned, it¡¯s just a superstition,¡± Lucas said finally, exploding at the man as they sat in the lab for the third night in a row doing nothing but talking when he wanted to get to work.


    ¡°Superstition?¡± Heisenburgle said with a laugh. ¡°You know nothing, Lucas Parin, nothing at all. You might be a fair hand at collecting and processing ingredients, but real alchemy, well¡­ let me show you¡­¡±


    Once the gnome was worked up, he got to work, quickly setting aside a number of ingredients as he lectured Lucas once more on the importance of elemental alignment. ¡°Today, we will illustrate this once and for all by creating a flight potion,¡± he said after he¡¯d finished running around the room and snatching jars and vials off of the shelves. ¡°Well, two flight potions, really. It is the most dramatic example I can think to properly educate a truculent, negligent ignoramus like yourself!¡±


    Lucas ignored the hilarious insult and instead focused on the ingredients the man had gathered. He¡¯d never heard of a flying potion, but he was more than interested to see if such a thing really existed.


    Plucked Peregrine Pinions (powdered): Agility 3, speed 1, poison 1, endurance -3. Strongly air-aligned.


    Concentrated Storm Shards (minor): Poison 3, speed 2, strength -1. Strongly air-aligned and electrically charged.


    Gust of Wind (south): Speed 4, endurance -1, strength -1, poison -1. Strongly air-aligned.


    The results were somewhat disappointing. Not only was each ingredient more ridiculous than the last but there was nothing at all about flight listed on any of them.


    Lucas crossed his arms and stood there as the gnome assembled the apparatus he planned to use to mix this, never once asking for Lucas¡¯s help, which was good because Lucas had no intention of helping the gnome make something that he thought was going to be a complete bust.


    Still, he watched with interest as the gnome lit the flames of objects that looked like nothing more than a trio of ornate silver candlesticks but behaved suspiciously like bunsen burners. Then, he used those and began to distill each of the ingredients into their own solutions. The gust of wind actually made the water it was dumped into effervesce, which Lucas found silly, because it was literally just air. Seeing was believing, though, and as soon as each flask was bubbling, he opened a dog-eared recipe book and began to mix the three compounds in precise ratios with a glass pipette.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the book, of course,¡± Heisenburgle said dismissively. ¡°That¡¯s for your benefit. I just thought you¡¯d like to see what the recipe calls for since you obviously have no experience with this sort of advanced alchemy.¡±


    Lucas had had about enough of the gnome and was about to give the little guy a piece of his mind when something strange happened. As his eyes went down. The page, glancing across the detailed instructions about how intense the bubbles should be and what the temperature the liquids should be before they were mixed. None of that particularly mattered to him, though. Not until he saw the pop-up. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    You have learned the recipe for Potion of Lesser Flight.


    ¡°What in the fuck¡­¡± Lucas said, not quite sure what to make of that screen. He was used to the ingredient pop-ups, but from his personal notes or from the low-rent alchemist he¡¯d apprenticed for when he¡¯d actually fallen into this world, he¡¯d never seen a display like that. Not even mixing a perfect batch of Blue gave him that sort of message.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Heisenburgle chuckled to himself. ¡°You¡¯ll all see one day.¡±


    Lucas stood there completely baffled, but eventually, he tore his eyes away from the book and back toward the experiment. He had no plans to reveal any of his secrets to the gnomish alchemist, but at the same time, he was sure his poker face was for shit at the moment, so he was glad that Heisenburgle was obsessed with dripping his bird feather tincture into the bubbling leaden mix of storm and wind water.


    For a moment, it seemed like nothing would happen, and then, with the eighth drop, the liquid went clear, and the display changed from Alchemical Mixture (elemental) to Minor Potion of Flight. That wasn¡¯t the most impressive part, though. The most impressive part to Lucas was that the liquid instantly turned so clear he almost couldn¡¯t see it, and then it started to drip up out of the vial as if it was weightless.


    Minor Potion of Flight (1 dose): Poison 3, agility 2, speed 2, strength -1. Very short-acting. Strongly air-aligned. Allows the imbiber the power of limited flight for up to a minute.


    Heisenburgle had obviously been expecting this and slammed the cork on the thing before any of it could escape. Then, when that was done, he looked at Lucas with a smug expression and said, ¡°And you didn¡¯t think it would work.¡±


    ¡°Well, who says it did?¡± Lucas asked, instantly regretting it when Heisenburgle released the vial, and it floated there in midair.


    ¡°Okay, I give,¡± Lucas sighed, reaching for the vial. ¡°You can make a potion of flight. I agree, but how does that have anything to do with¡ª¡±


    ¡°That, my young apprentice, can only be answered with a second experiment,¡± the gnome gloated, snatching it out of the air and tucking it away in his robes. ¡°Come on then, much to do, much to do.¡±


    Lucas was still more distracted by the pop-up than the potion, but he was lost in his thoughts and stayed quiet the whole way down the tower. Even after they reached the ground and the gnome took him to another set of stairs that went down into the earth, he said nothing. Not until they reached a second lab that was almost the twin of the first.


    ¡°Wait, you really built two of these?¡± Lucas asked, more than a little confused, as he looked around. ¡°And you restocked them with¡­ everything? That must have cost a fortune!¡±


    ¡°Ah, but it wasn¡¯t my fortune,¡± the gnome quipped, ¡°So what does it matter? Besides, I didn¡¯t build two. I built three. We have a water lab, too, and as soon as we make progress on the Prince¡¯s latest assignment, he has sworn to build me a fourth so I can have a fully functional lab of every element.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to build a lab that you can light on fire?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°That¡¯s nuts.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but then again, maybe you won¡¯t feel that way after you see what comes next,¡± the gnome said with a broad grin.


    He quickly got to work, repeating the same experiment with the same setup. Lucas checked his pop-ups and verified to his satisfaction that the ingredients used were identical. They were the same reagents in the same quality and quantity. That wasn¡¯t good enough for Heisenburgle. The whole time he was performing the experiment, he asked Lucas questions.


    ¡°Please verify that the recipe says¡­¡±


    ¡°Notice I am putting in the quantity specified, no more or less.¡±


    ¡°The ingredients are from the same batch, so there is no difference in quality.¡±


    Each time he finished a step, the gnome made a statement like that. It made him sound like a magician, promising the crowd there was nothing up his sleeve before he pulled something out from his sleeve. Lucas¡¯s suspicions mounted, but it was only when they got to the end, when the mixture clarified into a potion, that he understood.


    Lesser Potion of Flight (1 dose): Poison 3, agility 2, speed 2, strength -1. Very short-acting. Strongly air-aligned. Allows the imbiber the power of limited flight for up to half a minute.


    Lesser, he thought, narrowing his gaze as he studied the thing. I¡¯m pretty sure the other one was minor.


    ¡°What''s the matter,¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°Don¡¯t see a difference?¡±


    ¡°No, I do¡­¡± Lucas answered hesitantly as the gnome produced both vials with a flourish. ¡°This one is clearly weaker than the other one. I just don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Lucas¡¯s words trailed off as the short alchemist released both potions, letting them float weightlessly in the air next to each other. The Lesser Potion of Flight merely hung there, but the minor one started to very slowly float above the other like a balloon.


    It blew Lucas¡¯s mind. Even after Heisenburgle grabbed them both and put them away, his mind still boggled at what it was he¡¯d witnessed.


    ¡°So let me get this straight, Mister H,¡± Lucas said. ¡°You¡¯re saying that the elemental affinity of a potion matters, but the elemental affinity of the place it¡¯s created matters too? That¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°The only thing crazy about that is that no one ever taught it to you,¡± the gnome said with a shake of his head. ¡°This is not just a matter of mixing up a few berries with a few mushrooms. Now you see why I take your supposed recipe with a huge grain of salt. Alchemy is a very precise form of magic. Everything matters. The type of reagents, the quality of the materials, the temperature of the liquids, and even the phase of the moon can all have an effect on the quality of the product!¡±


    ¡°The phase of the moon, huh?¡± Lucas asked. He might be skeptical, but after what he¡¯d witnessed, he wasn¡¯t sure he was willing to doubt it.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Heisenburgle answered, looking very pleased with himself. Now, come along, and I will find you a book or two on the subject.


    Lucas rolled his eyes at that, but he said nothing. Instead, he followed the gnome back up the two flights of stairs to the surface. It was going to be a long night.

 Ch. 84 - A Long Night

    Lucas spent several more hours with Heisenburgle, who was positively insufferable until Lucas pointed out that he was about to add dried treant blood to the potion he was working on instead of the pulverized rust caps as he¡¯d intended. He calmed down a little after that.


    Lucas¡¯s mind didn¡¯t, though. Instead, he spent the rest of the evening leafing through the damn recipe book, and once Heisenburgle decided to call it a night, he took several other books back to his room with him to read in the morning.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d come around to my superior worldview eventually,¡± Heisenburgle gloated. ¡°Elements, if properly applied, can explain everything around us. They can even¡­¡±


    Lucas turned the gnome after that, but only so he didn¡¯t kick him down the stairs. The truth was that on some level, he was grateful to the egotistical runt; he¡¯d learned more about alchemy today than he ever suspected existed before now, and now he wanted to dig deeper.


    Now, every time he did a quick read of a page, he was getting another pop-up. Well, most of the time. Some of the recipes didn¡¯t trigger it, making Lucas wonder if they were faulty or otherwise non-optimized, but for now, that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that according to the system in his head, there was a right way and a wrong way to do things, and Lucas was absolutely shocked that it had taken him years in this world to find that shit out.


    You have learned the recipe for Potion of Greater Breath-Holding.


    You have learned the recipe for Potion of Lesser Mana Regeneration.


    You have learned the recipe for Potion of Greater Mana Regeneration.


    You have learned the recipe for the Elixir of Clear Thoughts.


    You have learned the recipe for Salve of Healing.


    You have learned the recipe for Potion of Greater Health Restoration.


    You have learned the recipe for Potion of Nighttime Stealth.


    You have learned the recipe for Potion of Elemental Endurance - Fire.


    For page after page, there were recipes, and most of them triggered a screen as if this was the proper way to make the potion. Up until now, Lucas would have said there was no such thing and that one should do whatever worked, but then he would have said that elemental balance was a myth too, and he¡¯d very clearly seen that was wrong too.


    Telling him, he¡¯d learned the recipe didn¡¯t seem to impart him any special knowledge or memory about it. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯d learned anything, but if he concentrated on a specific recipe, he could bring up a screen that detailed how to make it. That was cool, but the fact that he couldn¡¯t do the same for the random recipes he¡¯d perfected over the last few years. If he tried concentrating on his healing salve, nothing about bear grease or any of the other ingredients appeared before his eyes; instead, the recipe from this book that he¡¯d never once tried appeared. It used twice rendered pig fat, crushed freshwater seashells, and ground mustard seed. It was so stupid and arbitrary, but he didn¡¯t have time to get worked up about that. Instead, he got completely distracted when he looked up one more recipe before bed. This one was followed by a second screen that he hadn¡¯t anticipated either.


    You have learned the recipe for Elixir of Swift Striding.


    You have discovered 10 recipes! You have gained additional insight into the art of Alchemy. +10% will be added to the effect of all alchemical mixtures brewed by you.


    ¡°What?¡± Lucas shouted, almost throwing the book in annoyance. ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make any sense!¡±


    ¡°A fucking potion is going to do whatever its ingredients do,¡± he grumbled to himself. ¡°That¡¯s how science works!¡±


    But it isn¡¯t science, is it, he reminded himself. You might have been using it to cook up crack, but this shit is more than that.


    Lucas went to bed more than a little frustrated that night, vowing that he was going to get to the bottom of this first thing in the morning. However, unlike most nights, everything that happened stirred up all sorts of dreams of times he¡¯d rather forget.


    . . .


    The days immediately after he fell into this world were hazy to him, just like always, and this wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d dreamed about them. Tonight, though they were more vivid and urgent, even if they didn¡¯t always make sense, much like a fever dream as he was assaulted with out-of-order images. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Why was it so bad tonight? Was it from the overstimulation the magic behind those annoying blue pop-ups had caused? He had no idea. He was just along for the ride.


    He could only dimly remember the priest who had tried to exorcise him twice. The man had nearly drowned him in the holy font before Lucas had finally had enough of it and given the holy man a black eye for his trouble.


    Events weren¡¯t much clearer in the dream version, either. However, the mixed and swirling events that happened after that all confirmed one thing, falling into the body of a recently dead man was not a good way to make friends.


    Lucas¡¯s life was a mystery in those first weeks in a new world, but they were a joy, too. After all, he¡¯d managed to stay himself and told those angels to fuck off. Still, he probably would have died in the gutter or taken up banditry to keep body and soul together if not for his apprenticeship to crazy old Mister Markesh.


    Unlike Lucas, his family had survived the spring fevers, but they disowned him immediately. That was fair enough because the last thing that Lucas wanted was to pretend to be someone else¡¯s dead son. That would be creepy as hell.


    Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t exactly get a job slinging cheeseburgers and asking if someone would like fries with that, and none of the more reputable places wanted anything more to do with a recently dead man than his parents had. Fortunately, Mister Markesh was the local apothecary for the little town of Evenspring that Lucas found himself living in, and once Lucas had shown that he knew a thing or two about potions and reagents, thanks to his convenient little pop-ups, the man had let Lucas stay on as an Apprentice.


    That temporary arrangement was supposed to last through the summer because the old drunk hated going into the woods to find herbs and didn¡¯t mind too much if one of his apprentices just never came home.


    In the dreams, those trips blended into one long, horrid affair. He¡¯d never run into more than a single goblin at a time out there, and other than the time he was almost run down by the wild boar, Lucas¡¯s life had never really been in danger. He¡¯d just waited up a tree until the thing had lost interest; in the dream, he fought them all, though, in a never-ending congo line of danger.


    He didn¡¯t even have to go digging through the bushes to find what he needed. He just killed the baddies that were attacking him, and they popped like herb pi?atas. Need a night root? Attack a goblin. How about some olden seeds? Bears are full of them. It was a ridiculous halt, and Lucas was carrying hundreds of pounds worth of bags by the time he got back to Mister Markesh¡¯s shop.


    That still wasn¡¯t enough to save the old bastard, though. In reality, he¡¯d come back one day with an armful of mushrooms and boots covered in mud to find the old man dead, and the dream version wasn¡¯t much different. As Lucas set down the bags from his impossible haul, the only difference he noticed was that his skin wasn¡¯t the light blue of a fresh corpse. It was the dark blue of someone who¡¯d been mainlining potions.


    Mister Markesh had died doing what he loved, at least, and overdosed on the dregs of the formula that would one day become blue. Lucas hadn¡¯t done anything to him, but he still fled just the same with a book full of bootleg recipes and as many expensive reagents as he could carry to make his own fortune. He was smart enough to know that no one in Evenspring had an ounce of goodwill toward the ¡®dead boy,¡¯ as they often called him.


    In the dream, he didn¡¯t flee, though. He just kept looking through the book, trying to find a true recipe and not all these fakes. He wanted something that would make the little ding sound so he could level up, but that didn¡¯t happen, and by the time he reached the end of the book, he was angry enough to toss it aside and strangle the corpse.


    ¡°Tell me where the real recipes are, asshat!¡± Lucas roared as he shook the man like a rag doll, but that still wasn¡¯t enough to elicit a confession. The most it did was make the dead man smile.


    That¡¯s what Lucas woke up to. He woke up way before noon because of that dead man¡¯s fucking smile, and it fucking killed him. It is too fucking early for this bullshit, he thought to himself.


    Not even that gripe could detract him from his annoyance, though. Mister Markesh¡¯s face haunted him; it was like the stingy old bastard was on team Heisenburgle, and they were making fun of him. ¡°All this time, I¡¯ve been grinding, and the whole fucking world has been keeping secrets, huh?¡± Lucas grumbled to himself, still trying to get the image of the old man¡¯s corpse out of his head.


    Mister Markesh had lots of ways to get high or drunk, but using the dregs of poison he¡¯d leached off the recipes of the potions he¡¯d made for paying customers had been his go-to trick, and it was one that had served Lucas well until now.


    Still, suddenly, he¡¯d been dropped into the deep end of the pool, and he didn¡¯t like that at all. Stubbornly, Lucas tried to go back to sleep and tossed and turned until almost noon. That was when he finally gave up. He pulled the bell cord to send a servant his way and then got dressed. He was going to drink tea until he was so caffeinated he couldn¡¯t stand it, and he was going to get to the bottom of them.


    He cracked the first book, and then enthusiasm drained from him almost immediately. This time, instead of trying to dig through the recipe book, he¡¯d cracked open Porentheo¡¯s Guide to Elemental Alignment, which turned out to be among the densest things he¡¯d ever had the misfortune to read.


    ¡°Seriously, I¡¯ve read dictionary entries that are more lively than this shit,¡± he mumbled to himself.


    Lucas didn¡¯t stop, though, and he didn¡¯t skip ahead to look for some pictures. Instead, he poured himself another cup with extra sugar and knuckled down. He wasn¡¯t going to let that gnome get one over on him anymore, and the experiment with the flying potions had shown Lucas all he needed to know. There was something of value in here, and he wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find out that it had something to do with the little blue screens he¡¯d seen so much of in the last 24 hours.

 Ch. 85 - Worlds in Collision

    Lucas spent the next few days immersed in mind-numbing books. Porentheo¡¯s Guide to Elemental Alignment was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to reading. He¡¯d also tried The Nature of Light, Balance in all things, and most recently, he was attempting to suffer through Lessons in What not to Do by Mortemel Baraba. Lucas had yet to make it halfway through any of them.


    Not only did he disagree with them on the most basic levels, but sometimes they seemed flat-out wrong. Several times he had to remind himself of that damn experiment that the gnome had done, though, and force himself back to the table.


    ¡°Magic doesn¡¯t have to make sense, Lucas,¡± he reminded himself. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s magic.¡±


    Lucas never fancied himself as a scientist. He knew that if you added A to B and kept it at the right temperature, you¡¯d get C. He also knew that if you used some ghetto shit, you¡¯d get some pretty crappy C, and if you let the temperature get too high, the whole thing would burst into flames. It all made sense. Garbage in, garbage out. Actions leading to consequence.


    None of that was affected by whether he made his drugs in a cave or up a tower, yet here he was, reading one of the defining texts of modern alchemists. It was about a gnome, Mortemel, who spent his whole life expanding the nature of alchemy one botched experiment at a time. The failures made for interesting reading, at least.


    He was happy to have the blooper reel as the gnome discovered which ingredients could not be mixed together because they resulted in poison, acid, or sometimes even explosions. Those parts made the author seem like a real person, and Lucas could certainly sympathize with some of the mistakes. Those parts are what kept him reading.


    It was only as the book went further along and devolved into the man¡¯s epiphanies he made in his hermitage by the sea that Lucas began to lose his patience. Not only did he not believe that the sea would contribute nothing but relative humidity to the whole arrangement, but reading about a grown man naval gazing was positively insufferable.


    To hear Heisenburgle talk this gnome was like Issac Newton of Alchemy, but Lucas didn¡¯t see it. Especially not after reading page after page of Mortemel wondering if his own thoughts at the moment of catalyzation or the clothes he was wearing that day might also have an effect on the nature of alchemical transformation.


    So, Lucas was more than relieved when the next night, Heisenburgle declared that they had all the reagents to make blue and they were ready to cook. Lucas could have had them sent overnight from his own supplies, of course, but he had no intention of tipping his hand anymore than he had to.


    Besides, as long as they weren¡¯t making Blue, he was learning other shit. So far, at least, between the weird achievement he¡¯d unlocked and the interesting questions that the gnome had unlocked between insults, that was a hundred times more interesting.


    Now was the time to put the gnome in his place, though, and Lucas relished that as much as he had anything in days. Well, anything besides sending notes home, of course. He¡¯d been leaving folded-up pieces of paper shaped like little cranes on his window sill every other night, wedged in a crack in the wood where they wouldn¡¯t blow away.


    He had yet to see one of Danaria¡¯s birds take them away; he was certain that was what was happening. They were always gone in the morning. The notes were intentionally vague. They were just letting everyone know that he was okay.


    ¡®I honestly had no idea this many reagents existed in the whole world. Might stay here a while.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about me. Making new friends.¡¯


    ¡®Learned a new trick today. Tell you about it when I come home.¡¯


    The messages were basic, but he knew that the situation at Parin Manor was fragile. It had to be. Power vacuums in drug organizations got messy pretty fast, and regular reassurances that he was fine and he¡¯d be home soon were at the top of his to-do list most days. Of course, the fact that I¡¯m starting to miss Danaria has nothing to do with that, he thought to himself with a smirk.


    ¡°Alright, Mister H, you ready to cook?¡± Lucas said when the gnome arrived at the appointed hour, sometime after dinner.


    ¡°Heisenburgle,¡± the gnome grumbled, ¡°and we are here to perform alchemy, not any common cookery. We¡­¡±


    Lucas rolled his eyes but said nothing. He¡¯d set the poor guy off on purpose that time, and he knew it. It was hard to take an egomaniac very seriously when you knew exactly what to do to spin him up.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve shown me your high-brow alchemy already,¡± Lucas said with a smile once the gnome stopped rambling almost halfway up the stairs, ¡°now it¡¯s time to show you my low-brow cooking.¡±


    ¡°Hurumph,¡± Heisenburgle snorted. ¡°You said it, not me.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°I did,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°As much as I love this shit, not all of us have dragon scales to play with, you know? Some of us have to play with the hands we¡¯re dealt.¡±


    ¡°Hence, the reason why alchemy is so expensive, Mister Blue,¡± Heisenburgle answered dismissively. ¡°It would be a poor alchemist that could not turn a dragon''s worth of reagents into ten dragons worth of potions.¡±


    Lucas thought about explaining that most people would never have ten dragons to buy those potions but decided against it. Instead, he continued up the stairs in silence, waiting for his chance to start giving the orders.


    Once they were in the laboratory, Lucas started setting up everything he would need to work his own magic under Heisenburgle¡¯s watchful eye. First, he gathered 4 different flasks, almost with his five different ingredients. Then, he processed the witch grass blossoms in a mortar and pestle before adding them to a flask with a solid dose of alcohol.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the gnome asked testily. ¡°You didn¡¯t specify alcohol at any point in your recipe. You said five ingredients, not six!¡±


    ¡°Well, I kinda thought it was standard practice to purify the ingredients before you used them, you know?¡± Lucas answered with a shrug as he started to do the same thing with his wizened gnome caps. ¡°So, it¡¯s not really an ingredient to Blue, it¡¯s more like a¡­ catalyst, you know?¡±


    ¡°What?! Don¡¯t you know that alcohol destroys most of the more delicate reagents?! ¡± the gnome asked, bordered on apoplexy. ¡°Eastern mungwort root, Gnoll Marrow, Trent Sap¡­ I could list a hundred ingredients that would be destroyed by such an addition!¡±


    ¡°You mean the lesser properties?¡± Lucas answered, only half paying attention as he focused on doing his job right before he switched to his blue esper willow vine sap. ¡°You have to; there¡¯s no other way to get the poison out.¡±


    ¡°Poison, what poison?¡± the gnome demanded. ¡°We are making alchemical potions, not poisons!¡±


    ¡°Look, all I¡¯m saying is that alchemical ingredients can be some pretty toxic shit, and if you don¡¯t take care of that¡­ well, you¡¯re going to get someone killed, you know?¡± Lucas answered, playing it off as he realized he¡¯d almost said too much.


    ¡°Some potions can be hard on the digestive systems of those who are not prepared for them, it¡¯s true,¡± Heisenburgle agreed with obvious hesitation. ¡°But that is all the more reason for us to strictly follow tried and true recipes. Not mixing together random scraps that might be found in a woodland ditch. Is that understood?¡±


    Lucas ignored the gnome and focused on making sure his flask of bubbling sap was at just the right temperature before he added alcohol and moved on to the bile. It was clear that he had no idea what Lucas was talking about. He might be hot to trot on elements, but on poison or any of the other stats that Lucas saw so clearly, he was completely in the dark. Lucas would wonder about that later. For now, he was busy.


    ¡°Listen, we¡¯re going to try it your way once this is done,¡± Lucas said with a barely suppressed sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it. But you wanted to see me do it my way - this is my way. So get me some cheesecloth and watch.¡±


    Lucas waited until the goblin bile was boiling away because the viscous fluid had to be stirred so frequently before he started filtering out the rest. When Lucas got to that step, though, and finally started tossing the reagents and instead kept the colored alcohol, the gnome really lost his shit.


    ¡°Wha-what you are doing¡­ why it flies in the face of every right-thinking alchemist. Not even a rogue school could dream of such a thing!¡± Heisenburgle declared.


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not,¡± Lucas said with a shrug, ¡°But if it looks stupid, and it works, then it ain¡¯t stupid.¡±


    The gnome didn¡¯t say anything after that. He just stared on, waiting for Lucas to fail as he mixed one flask together with the next and the next. After they were mixed and the midnight blue fluid was boiling together in a largish flask so it could get thoroughly mixed, he started crushing the dwarf berries.


    When that was done, but before he added them, Lucas said, ¡°Alright, now pay attention because this is the cool part.¡±


    Only then did he drizzle the final ingredient in. He didn¡¯t stir it immediately. Instead, he let the reaction take place as slowly and as visually as possible. He let the gnome watch as a tendril of glowing aqua swirled ever lower in the flask, making the whole thing glow for a moment with blue light.


    Heisenburgle was slack jawed. ¡°What is that,¡± the gnome asked finally as Lucas dismissed the little pop-up he always got from this step.


    Catalyzed: Poison -> Euphoria.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (pure) (48 doses): Euphoria 9, poison 2, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 180% for 1 hour.


    ¡°It¡¯s just how the reaction works,¡± Lucas said, deciding not to mention the catalyst. ¡°You¡¯re the famous alchemist. You tell me.¡±


    Lucas noted that the mixture was a little stronger than he usually made it, even though he hadn¡¯t started boiling it down to get a condensed reaction. He wondered if that was because he was 50 feet in the air, then decided it was probably the same mysterious message he¡¯d gotten the other night about his increasing skill. For now, he filed that thought away under no freaking clue and focused on his baffled partner.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a reaction. Not without much more expensive ingredients anyway¡­¡± the gnome said, adjusting his spectacles and peering more closely at the liquid that had now lost its glow and taken on a royal blue color. ¡°It certainly looks like the real thing, at any rate.¡±


    ¡°What else would it be?¡± Lucas asked with a laugh before he realized the gnome¡¯s paranoia was actually serious.


    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t know that until we have someone take a taste, now will we?¡± the gnome said, looking at him.


    For the briefest of moments, Lucas thought the runt was going to make him try his own potion, but instead, he poured some into a smaller vial, then corked it, turned off the burners with a muttered word, and started downstairs. ¡°Come along. There¡¯s nothing left to be done up here for now.¡±


    When Lucas realized he was going to feed the potion to some prisoner, his heart sank. Saddling someone with a terrible addiction just to make sure the product was pure was a pretty shitty thing to do. Still, he made no move to stop the gnome. He just picked another book he hadn¡¯t started yet and made his way down the tower with Heisenburgle.

 Ch. 86 - The Big Secret

    Lucas¡¯s consciousness was salved when he found out the prisoners that Heisenburgle kept were all junkies of a sort already. Not that anyone deserved to have a euphoria monkey on their back, of course, but at least he wasn¡¯t going to try it out on the servants at random or anything.


    ¡°Criminals and junkies of the worst sort,¡± the gnome cursed as the guard unlocked the door that led them into a basement dungeon in an entirely different part of the compound. ¡°This a kinder fate than any of them deserve. If I didn¡¯t need them for my experiments, I¡¯d gladly watch them dangle.¡±


    Lucas said nothing. He just watched as Heisenburgle dosed all three of them and then checked to make sure they were still breathing after each of them passed out into a fog of irresistible bliss. Lucas was sure it was a good time, but he was equally sure it was a bad trade, and it would get worse as they made the drug stronger.


    ¡°Well, it would seem you put on more than a show,¡± Heisenburgle said, ¡°I would have bet dragons to kings you¡¯d made the whole thing up, but well¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell me what this is all about then, huh?¡± Lucas asked, gesturing to the junkies on the ground. ¡°They might be able to take a dose that¡¯s thirty or even fifty percent as strong as that one, but double? You¡¯ll kill ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°And more besides them if we have to. Many more, if necessary, our project is¡­¡± Heisenburgle¡¯s voice traveled off as he looked around the room furtively. ¡°Not here, though. Too many eyes. Too many ears¡­¡±


    Lucas suppressed a smile as the gnome¡¯s paranoia emerged, and he went back up the human-sized stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him. Once they were back in the opulent, sprawling complex, he led Lucas to somewhere he¡¯d never led him before: his office.


    Whether that was a mark of new esteem or simply one of paranoia, Lucas couldn¡¯t say. On the way there, he spoke at length about the way the soundproofed room was warded against scrying and other pesky magics, and once they were inside the place and the door was barred, he threw around sparkling dust everywhere to check for his ¡®minders¡¯ as he called them.


    ¡°The Prince is certainly not above using such stealthy agents,¡± the gnome said, waggling a finger. ¡°I tell you, I¡¯ve seen their footprints before. I¡¯ve noted their presence in the way it has affected sensitive experiments even!¡±


    Lucas let the man rant. Being watched by invisible people was pure craziness, of course. Well, it would be if not for the ring I¡¯m wearing¡­ he thought to himself. Certainly, he hadn¡¯t considered the fact that he might be watched to that degree. It was unlikely, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. Locking a pet alchemist or two in a cage was monitoring enough as far as Lucas was concerned, but what did he know.


    When that was done, and the cloak-and-dagger bullshit was at an end, Heisenburgle poured himself a snifter of fine brandy and then sat in a worn, padded, easy chair that was easily older than Lucas. ¡°Who gives a fig if a junkie dies in the pursuit of this project?¡± the gnome asked rhetorically. ¡°Can¡¯t you see how much bigger than that this is?¡±


    ¡°I mean, maybe I would if you and everyone else weren¡¯t treating me like a mushroom,¡± Lucas said, eyeing the crystal decanter.


    ¡°A mushroom?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Feeding me shit and leaving me in the dark,¡± Lucas said, blurting out the punchline. He expected the gnome to scowl at him in annoyance. Instead, after a quizzical look, he did just the opposite.


    ¡°Feeding shit? In the dark¡­¡± The gnome pursed his lips, and then, once everything clicked, he proceeded to laugh long and loud. He just kept going, and by the end of it, there were tears in his eyes.


    When the moment passed, and he finally stopped to catch his breath, he said, ¡°That¡¯s very good, I¡¯ll have to remember that one. Now, where were we?¡±


    ¡°You were about to tell me what you¡¯ve been hinting around at for days,¡± Lucas answered with only mild annoyance as he finally sat down in the only human-sized chair in the room. ¡°That¡¯s what all the cloak and dagger shit is for, right? The big secret?¡±


    ¡°Ah, quite,¡± Heisenburgle nodded, ¡°And it is a big secret, too. A pity you still haven¡¯t made a single good guess.¡±


    ¡°By big, I assume you mean castle,¡± Lucas said with a sigh. ¡°Or maybe Lordanin as a whole. You might¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s bigger than a King, Lucas? Ten times bigger, in fact?¡± the gnome asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, a gang of Kings?¡± he answered, wishing that the gnome would just get to the point. ¡°An emperor.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Cold. Cold. Cold!¡± the gnome said, ¡°Cold as the winter snows! This is the problem with humans, besides their excessive size and strange body odors. They have no sense of cleverness about them.¡±


    As he proceeded to insult Lucas in the most random of ways, he drew a silver coin from his purse and flipped it across the room to Lucas. ¡°Does this clarify my last question, just a touch?¡±


    ¡°Oh, a silver king¡­¡± he answered, getting tired of this game as he looked at the coin. ¡°If that¡¯s what you meant, then the solution is¡­¡±


    As Lucas¡¯s mind finally grasped the thread the gnome had finally been starting to string him along with, he balked at the thought. A Fucking Dragon? He practically shouted as he tried hard to keep his poker face in place. He hoped that this was a joke about the almighty dollar, or in this case, gold piece, and how all they were ever doing was trying to make the Prince more money. However, something about the way the gnome looked at him said that simply wasn¡¯t the case. Heisenburgle¡¯s sneaky smile implied a terrible shared secret.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that we¡¯re making drugs for a dragon,¡± Lucas said finally. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bite. Why?¡±


    ¡°Now that is the first good question you¡¯ve asked in days,¡± Heisenburgle paused to sip his drink before he continued. ¡°The answer to that one is tragically simple - because it¡¯s the first thing she¡¯s shown even the vaguest interest in besides gold in all the time that the royal family had been paying her tribute.¡±


    ¡°Tribute?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Are you saying the dragon is running an extortion racket?¡±


    ¡°In a way, I suppose,¡± the gnome agreed, ¡°though I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ever actually threatened to burn down the city. It¡¯s more like she¡¯s a patron saint of Lorderan for a price.¡±


    ¡°What does a city need a dragon on retainer for?¡± Lucas said, forgetting the Blue for a moment as he delved more deeply into this mystery. It was simply too surreal not to. He¡¯d long known that the Prince was the real power and that the king only clung to life from his illness. Everyone knew that.


    Additionally, he suspected the Prince was hopped up on a different sort of drug that the gnome was making for him that turned the man into some kind of Machiavellian genius type. Lucas hadn¡¯t even suspected that there was a power behind him, though, or that the Prince wanted to get the hardest, purest drugs that could be had for his gigantic, draconic boss.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± Heisenburgle said, a moment before he snapped at Lucas instead. ¡°You aren¡¯t from around here. You don¡¯t know the troubled history that this region has had. Pirates. Orcish invasions. Regional wars. Civil wars¡­ If you want all the details, I could recommend VonDarken¡¯s Histories. It¡¯s only twelve volumes, but it sums up the¡ª¡±


    ¡°The short version is just fine,¡± Lucas snapped, trying to get back to the dragon.


    ¡°Yes, well, sufficed to say, when the current King¡¯s father struck that deal with Skylara, things improved markedly, but in recent decades, the terms for peace have been getting rather onerous, and well¡­ that¡¯s where you come in,¡± Heisenburgle said, gesturing to Lucas.


    Lucas was sure he¡¯d heard that name before, but it slipped from his mind almost immediately as he moved on to other topics. ¡°So you want to pay her with 10 gold worth of potions instead of 10 gold worth of ingredients, right?¡±


    ¡°So you do actually listen to the things I say,¡± Heisenburgle chortled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it exactly. This particular dragon has a taste for something very like your Blue. She describes it as ¡®a weaker vintage of an old elven favorite.¡¯ Apparently, the forest folk make something quite like it.¡±


    ¡°And if we can boost the potency, she¡¯ll take that instead of gold?¡± Lucas asked as more pieces started to fall together for him.


    ¡°Well, not instead of, at least I don¡¯t think so,¡± Heisenburgle answered with a shake of his head. ¡°but if we could pay even a portion of her tithe with kegs of your ditch herbs¡­ well, thirty, twenty, or even ten percent less would allow the Prince to drastically lower the tax burden of the city and stop trying to squeeze blood from a stone.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lucas said as he realized he did. He¡¯d heard all about the ever-increasing taxes thanks to Kar¡¯gandin. The dwarf would talk your ear off about import tariffs if you let him. It made sense, of course, since that was the reason he was nearly hanged. What hadn¡¯t made sense, especially after he¡¯d met the Prince, was why the man was hoovering up money like it was going out of style. It was obviously short-sighted, and now, he knew why. Because the first person who got paid every month was the loanshark.


    ¡°Well, then, I suppose we can safely test a new, improved Blue on her, no matter how strong it gets. So if we¡ª¡± Lucas started as he put his mind into gear. Until now, he¡¯d had a lot of reservations about this, but with this new information, well, he didn¡¯t see too much of a downside unless the dragon was unhappy with the product, of course.


    ¡°Before we get back to alchemy, or its lack thereof in your product, we have other things we have to discuss,¡± Heisenburgle said, cutting Lucas off. ¡°You must understand that this is a very serious secret. There are few that are likely to get you killed as quickly if you were to repeat them. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Lucas said, ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Even this facility¡­ Blackgate Manor¡­¡± the gnome said, ¡°It might be a place dedicated solely to creating certain contingencies for Skylara, but it does not exist, not officially anyway.¡±


    Lucas suppressed a smirk. It was a delicious irony that Heisenburgle was lecturing him about secrets when the gnome was the one that was constantly letting them slip. If not for his smugness of lording secrets over the heads of others, Lucas doubted very much that Heisenburgle would be able to keep one to save his life.


    ¡°Sure, dragon contingencies, I get it,¡± Lucas said. ¡°What the hell is a dragon contingency?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know,¡± Heisenburgle said with a bit of trepidation. ¡°Your drug was not foreseen in the Prince¡¯s calculations, but he definitely foresaw a day when Lordanin would no longer be able to pay her high price, so we had to be ready for that, should the worst happen.¡±


    ¡°The worst?¡± Lucas asked, shifting in his seat.


    ¡°In case we should have to kill her,¡± the gnome said curtly. It was the first time the gnome had fear in his eyes that Lucas had seen, and it showed very clearly that he did not like that proposition at all.

 Ch. 87 - What the Actual Fuck

    The silence of the gnome''s words settled over them for several seconds before Lucas finally spoke. ¡°I didn¡¯t sign up to kill a fucking dragon.¡±


    ¡°Nor will you have to,¡± Heisenburgle said. ¡°Probably. If we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Probably? Probably?¡± Lucas said, suddenly on his feet. ¡°I¡¯m a fucking alchemist¡­ a god damned drug dealer. This isn¡¯t a rival gang or the city guard¡­ it¡¯s a fucking dragon.¡±


    Lucas had never personally seen a dragon, nor did he want to. He¡¯d heard stories, though, and the fact that a dwarf had been telling him about them didn¡¯t make them any less of a fairy tale to him.


    ¡°Big as castles,¡± Kar¡¯gandin had told him. ¡°Or warehouses, at least, if they¡¯re young. They could eat a whole army without much trouble, and they have, too. More often than you¡¯d think.¡±


    At the time, Lucas thought that the dwarf had to be shitting him, but now that his new client was a dragon, well, that put it all into a little more perspective.


    ¡°Would you let me finish?¡± the gnome asked peevishly. He was always annoyed when he was interrupted, but he¡¯d obviously had some grand speech in mind that Lucas had stepped on. ¡°If your ¡®Blue¡¯ is as simple as you say to synthesize, then it should be no mean feat to simply enhance it with another ingredient or two and get it to the proper potency or somewhat less than benevolent guardian requires.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that every new ingredient we add could have negative interactions with every other ingredient that¡¯s already there,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°That shit is a nightmare.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m forgetting nothing of the sort,¡± Heisenburgle shot back. ¡°You are using ditch weeds and garbage to make poison and then converting that poison into a narcotic. It will be a simple enough formulation to simply mix other, stronger poisons together and achieve stronger results. And if not¡­ well, perhaps we can mix up some draconic poison instead and¡ª¡±


    ¡°You want to give a dragon a hot shot?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°There is no way that ends well.¡±


    The two bickered about the thing for hours before they finally went their separate ways. The gnome swore him to secrecy about the whole thing, but Lucas wasn¡¯t a moron. The less people who knew anything about the dragon, the better. He had zero intention of sending anything back home about that. There was no way he was getting any of them involved in any of this madness.


    In fact, in the aftermath of that conversation was, the first time that Lucas considered trying to escape. He didn¡¯t think it would be hard. A quick jaunt through the gates while invisible, and he¡¯d be free. From there, he could go back to Parin Manor, and they could load up a couple of wagons with gold and supplies. After that, they could head out and start over somewhere far from here. It didn''t even have to involve Blue next time. He could just make healing potions and lead a nice, normal life somewhere quiet and peaceful.


    He would have done it, too, if the images of Lordanin burned to the ground hadn¡¯t filled his mind as he considered the problem. If the Prince ran out of gold to pay the monster, then it would likely burn down the town in retribution. If they tried to kill it before that happened and failed, then it would definitely raze the town to the ground.


    So Blue¡¯s the only way out, huh? He thought to himself as he stared up at the ceiling that was slowly being revealed by dawn¡¯s light. That was almost enough to make him laugh. The idea that drugs were the solution to any problem was always the first sign that you¡¯d fucked up somewhere along the way.


    After lying around for hours trying to decide what the right move was, the sleep that eventually took him was fitful and unsatisfying. The day that followed was no better, either, though. As much as he tried to tell himself to read when he woke up sometime in the afternoon, the dull words swam on the page whenever he tried. He simply couldn¡¯t absorb the material. It was impenetrable. He could read the same page a dozen times without remembering any of them.


    Eventually, for lack of anything better to do, he went outside and walked around in the cold. In this place, one never really needed to go outside, so it was easy to forget how cold it was getting, but Lucas embraced the chill, and he strolled around the edge of the compound, receiving strange looks from the guards until he started to shiver as the short day came to an end.


    That was when he finally went back inside and went upstairs to get started on this shit. He was in no mood to wait for the gnome today. If he didn¡¯t work on something productive, he¡¯d go crazy. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who it¡¯s for,¡± he told himself as he gathered books and ingredients in the tower library. ¡°We¡¯ve got a job to do, and the sooner we do it, the sooner I can go home and pretend there¡¯s not a flaming doom hanging above us all.¡±


    That was easier said than done, of course, but at least up here, now that his hands were busy, he could concentrate to some degree. Lucas quickly got all of the ingredients that he needed and then proceeded to look them up in Heisenburgle¡¯s reference books, making notes about each of their elemental alignments. He normally didn¡¯t give a shit about those things, but if they had to make a stronger blue, then maybe there was a pattern there.


    Maybe the complications are less likely when they¡¯re all the same element or some shit, he told himself. Such a pattern was not immediately apparent, though.


    Blue esper willow - Strong water, weak fire.


    Goblin bile - Unknown


    Sour dwarf berries - Weak fireYou could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Witch grass blossoms - Strong Earth, weak water


    Wizened gnome caps - Weak earth.


    The results were all over the map. Worse, since the books with all of this information offered no way to test unknown compounds, he had no way to see what the goblin bile would be since alchemists didn¡¯t consider it a real reagent.


    Lucas gave Heisenburgle an especially hard time about that when he saw them a few hours later. ¡°Of course, there are ways to test the elemental nature of components, but you just weren¡¯t looking at the right book!¡± the gnome answered, moving over to the bookshelf and picking out an entirely separate book. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t need to do this, though, if you would just stick to actual reagents that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, it''s worked pretty well so far, and my first master, well, he was a waste not want not sort of guy, you know?¡± Lucas shot back as he took the offered book and started looking for the answer himself.


    ¡°So this master was the one to teach you this recipe?¡± the gnome asked, suddenly curious. ¡°Maybe we should hear a bit more about him. Where did he study? What books has he written?¡±


    Lucas smirked at that but avoided actually laughing out loud. Mister Markesh was hardly the writing type and had scarcely done more than scrawl a few notes on the pages of his ledger about the best combinations of herbs he found.


    Lucas didn¡¯t say that, though. Instead, he said, ¡°The man was self-taught, and he didn¡¯t give me the recipe per se¡­ it¡¯s more like something I invited with some of his leftovers.¡± Heisenburgle scowled at that.


    Invented was a bit too strong of a word, honestly. Combining the leftovers from his master¡¯s benders out of curiosity wasn¡¯t invention. It was an accident. It just happened to have been a very profitable one. If he¡¯d been a little less curious as a person, then he might very well have ended up shilling the same slop that the Blind had been selling from out of their chop shop to make ends meet.


    ¡°My master¡­ well, you wouldn¡¯t have liked him,¡± Lucas continued. ¡°He mostly just used what was at hand, like I did. Figured out how to make old elven remedies stronger. Shit like that, you know.¡±


    ¡°Bah, elves!¡± Heisenburgle said, throwing up his hands as he started to retrieve other ingredients from the shelves. ¡°They live a thousand years, and yet, in that time, they still stick to herbal remedies and magic. What is the point of a long life if it is not spent in pursuit of advancing the alchemical arts?¡±


    ¡°I mean, dwarves live a long time too, don¡¯t they?¡± Lucas asked, smirking at the idea that everything had to come down to alchemy for it to be important. ¡°I don¡¯t think they do much in the way of alchemy.¡±


    ¡°The things they do with alcohol are surprisingly close, honestly,¡± the gnome answered as he returned with an arm full of jars. ¡°But there have been a few notable dwarven alchemists¡­ I can think of Bar¡¯gora the¡ª¡±


    ¡°My reading list is already full,¡± Lucas said glumly. ¡°I don¡¯t need any more suggestions, and as much as I like cooking, even I think there¡¯s more to life than this.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Like what?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°I¡¯m one hundred and forty-two years old, and for at least the last century, Alchemy has been my sole passion, and I find that I¡¯m not missing out on anything at all.¡±


    Lucas immediately thought of Danaria when Heisenburgle asked his question, but he said nothing. Instead, he felt his cheeks flush slightly at the realization that she was the first thing to come to mind and turned to focus on the ingredients that the gnome had brought him.


    They were as toxic as anything he¡¯d ever seen. Goblin bile was a 9 on the poison scale, but every one of these was worse. He didn¡¯t even think the numbers went that high until now.


    Wyvern Venom: Poison 16, agility 2, strength -3. Weakly air-aligned.


    Vampire Blood (elder): Poison 10, endurance 8. Strongly undeath aligned. Potions crafted with this ingredient have a small chance of causing vampirism.


    Gelatinous Slime (green): Poison 12, speed 1, strength -6. Toxic.


    Hydra Saliva (preserved): Poison 14, endurance -6. Highly acidic to metal and organic containers.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to see his plan, but Lucas let him explain it anyway so as not to give away the little descriptions he was reading. ¡°You might not be familiar with all of these,¡± Heisenburgle began, self importantly, ¡°But each of these four ingredients represents some of the most toxic substances we have at our disposal. So, we will mix a new batch of your Blue, then we''ll add one of these to each, and observe its effects on our testers. We might be able to resolve this problem by the end of the day.¡±


    Lucas thought that was incredibly optimistic, but he wasn¡¯t above playing with some new toys. It''s not like it was his money that was going to waste.


    This time, as Lucas went through the steps of distilling Blue as a first step, Heisenburgle watched closely and asked many questions. How hot do you allow this one to get? What color should it be before you filter out the initial reagent? How long should this distillation take?


    They were good questions, and Lucas did his best to answer him, but he couldn¡¯t give him the real answer. Oh, I take this out when the number gets to 4, and this one gets boiled until its poison is only 2, which was the real answer, but he couldn¡¯t tell that to anyone. Instead, he just explained what he saw when the time was right, and the gnome made careful notes.


    This batch of Blue came out at euphoria 9, just like the last one, which pleased him, but those numbers quickly changed. They parceled out some of the drug into 4 different vials, and then after Heisenburgle insisted that they not run any of those through an alcohol wash to compare apples to apples, he added a drop to each. The results were, well... They were worse than Lucas had expected.


    The Blue with the hydra saliva began to froth and smoke before turning an ugly gray color, the green slime started to bubble and overflow, spilling toxic drugs across the workbench, and the wyvern venom turned black and started to coagulate. Only the vampire blood mixed with it to any degree, and the result was something he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d want to drink, even if he was an addict. It wasn¡¯t even blue anymore. Instead, it was a deep, malevolent purple, and the


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (corrupted) (3 doses): Euphoria 6, poison 4, endurance 2, intelligence -1, mana regeneration decreased by 125% for 1 hour.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure what corrupted meant exactly in this context, but he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to. ¡°See, I told you this wasn¡¯t going to work,¡± Lucas said finally. ¡°I was thinking that maybe we could¡ª¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t work? Nonsense,¡± Heisenburgle interrupted as he grabbed the purple potion. ¡°One in four are fine odds when trialing new recipes. This thing might just be the answer we need right here.¡±


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure anyone should be taking that, and he said as much as they cleaned up the mess, but Heisenburgle knew better. So, once the lab was as it should be and the toxic compounds were put back away, he followed the gnome downstairs so they could see the results of their experiment on an unwitting subject.

 Ch. 88 - Over and Over

    The prisoner took the potion greedily enough and drank the does he was given deeply. He seemed to enjoy the high, too and was out in seconds with a faint smile on his lips. It wasn¡¯t until the following day that Lucas found out the man died.


    ¡°Dead?¡± he asked when Hisenburgle revealed the news in a tone that was so bland he might have been talking about the weather. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°He went berserk, according to the guards,¡± the gnome answered with a shrug, ¡°Tried to kill the other two men in his cell and then beat himself bloody against the bars until men with swords put him down.¡±


    ¡°Tried to kill his cellmates, or tried to eat them?¡± Lucas asked, remembering the side effect he¡¯d seen on the vampire blood. ¡°Because it sounds like¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know what it sounds like, and that¡¯s a well-known side effect of that ingredient, which is why it¡¯s used so rarely in reputable potions, but it had to be tried,¡± Heisenburgle answered, cutting Lucas off. ¡°Suffice to say, the corpse was not reactive to sunlight but will be burned instead of buried, just in case.¡±


    Lucas regarded the man like an alien as they got started with their business. He¡¯d alternated between prideful and unfeeling over the entirety for the short time that Lucas had known him, but this was a new low. The gnome had just killed someone and¡­


    No, we killed someone, he corrected himself. I was standing there the whole time, and I didn¡¯t exactly try to stop it. He had, actually. He¡¯d told Heisenburgle not to do it, but he could certainly have done more. He would have done more if it had been someone he cared about. Just a junkie on death row? Well, he didn¡¯t exactly get worked up about that sort of thing. The miserable bastard had died doing what he loved, and that was that.


    Lucas did stop going down into the basement to see the results after that, though. In the week that followed, they mixed another 87 varieties of Blue, but most of the time, it was anything but blue. In that time, he saw more black and gray potions than he could count, along with a number of greens and purples. There was even a red one that caught fire, and Lucas had to toss it outside in the snowy courtyard before it burst into flames.


    Some of the toxic mixtures had hilarious side effects. A few caused paranoia, and others caused excessive flatulence. Loss of taste was another common note to read on the pop-ups, along with temporary blindness; one even said it would cause hair loss. However, most of them just used words that were synonyms for dead. Poisonous. Toxic. Corrupted. Extremely hazardous. Maybe Hura¡¯gh could survive one or two of those, but a human? Good fucking luck.


    The longer they tried it Heisenburgle¡¯s way, the worse it got. In the end, only 6 of the potions were tested on live subjects. Two died, 2 were crippled, and two seemed to be fine. That was cold comfort for Lucas, and it was only when Heisenburgle had tried adding all of his favorite poisons to the mix that he finally said, ¡°Okay, Mister Blue, you seem to think you know better. What should we do next?¡±


    ¡°I say we start with the easy stuff. Distillation. Concentration and a dash of perfectionism,¡± he said, noting that even if this was the first time that Heisenburgle was willing to listen, it was hardly the first time that Lucas had shared these ideas with the gnome. ¡°We do enough of the easy shit, and maybe we won¡¯t have to do any of the hard shit.¡±


    Heiseburgle grumbled about that, but he didn¡¯t argue too much, and together, the two of them started making small batches with slightly different ratios of the various ingredients and recording the results. Up until now, Lucas had always just mixed everything in equal parts. Usually, that resulted in something with a euphoria of 8 that could be boiled down to a 12. Now he was getting euphoria 9 Blue without trying, and after carefully adjusting the proportions with a number of experiments, they were able to get that to 10 without any additional ingredients.


    That was done mostly by reducing the amount of goblin bile by half and increasing the witch grass blossoms by a similar proportion. It turned out it wasn''t just poison he needed to get this reaction; it was very specific poison.


    That was good news. Not good enough to get them where they wanted to go, of course, but good enough on its own to justify this little side quest he was stuck on. Assuming the Prince didn¡¯t decide to off Lucas when he was done with him, they¡¯d be able to dilute the product going forward by 20%, and no one would be the wiser.


    It wasn¡¯t good enough to send him home, though. Even Heisenburgle knew that. So they started boiling things down to see what kinds of gains could be made that way. That caused its own problems, though. Normally, Lucas would just open a window, but here they were shooting for purities above what he would normally be looking for, so they had to stop after a certain point and build a primitive fume hood to allow the vapors to disperse outside.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered such an arrangement before,¡± Heisenburgle said, admiring the finished product as he gave Lucas his first and only complement to date, ¡°But this is excellent work. I will have it implemented in both of my other laboratories as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Lucas said with a smile. It was only fitting that he help the little gray-haired bastard in some way. After all, despite his unhelpful attitude, Heisenburgle had been a great help to Lucas whether he knew it or not. He¡¯d managed to level up his strange system, he was learning a lot about alchemy both theoretically and practically, and he was going to make a whole lot more money doing the same thing as he always did when he finally went back home. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Eventually, after several weeks of tedious work, they finally pushed the refinements as far as they could go. At this point, the Blue was so pure that it scintillated with little flecks of light long after the aqua-colored swirls had faded into the royal blue background of the potion. Somehow, he doubted this was good enough, though. Heisenburgle didn¡¯t seem to think so either.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (pure, concentrated) (10 doses): Euphoria 15, poison 2, mana regeneration decreased by 250% for 1 hour.


    ¡°This will be enough to show the Prince we¡¯ve made progress, at least,¡± the gnome grumbled as he eyed the small flask of fluid skeptically. ¡°Maybe it will be enough to get in Skylara¡¯s good graces again.¡±


    Lucas tried and failed to remember where he¡¯d heard that name, so instead, he said, ¡°It''s better. That shit is twice the strength of anything she got from me before now.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Twice? How would you quantify that exactly?¡± Heisenburgle asked, looking at Lucas curiously. ¡°The color? The smell? What makes you think that¡­¡±


    ¡°It''s the clarity,¡± Lucas lied smoothly. The real answer was that she¡¯d probably gotten a taste of euphoria 8 stuff that he sold to the nobles, and this was 15, which made it pretty close to double, but he couldn¡¯t say that. Instead, he answered. ¡°I think that the clearer and the cleaner we get the ratios, the more transparent it becomes.¡±


    ¡°To what end?¡± Heisenburgle asked.


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ll find out when we get to the end of the road.¡±


    The next few days, they worked on other things. Heisenburgle returned to his work on capturing starlight on moonless nights, and after a few botched attempts, he accepted Lucas¡¯s advice about the need for more mirrors and lenses. ¡°You¡¯re getting close, man,¡± Lucas explained. ¡°You just need like¡­ more light in one spot, you know? Surface area. And then you have to cover it up before sunrise or moonrise or whatever else.¡±


    ¡°All good ideas,¡± the gnome agreed.


    Beyond that, Lucas didn¡¯t spend much time with him. Instead, he studied in the lower lab, making different potions that he had ¡°learned¡± according to the little blue boxes that kept popping up from time to time.


    These were not the way he would have made a potion to get the same effects, of course. All of them had a bit too much poison for his tastes, but there were definitely some novel effects that he¡¯d never seen before. Potion of Satiation. Lesser Potion of Armor. Potion of Greater Regeneration. Right now, he didn¡¯t care what he was making, though, as long as he was making it perfectly according to the recipe. He had a feeling like that was going to lead somewhere.


    Sadly, when he made his first Potion of Greater Sleeplessness, nothing happened. Nothing should happen of course. Until now, he had no reason to believe that anything should happen, but what he¡¯d learned so far was that it was possible that something could happen, even if he didn¡¯t know what.


    So, he kept going. He followed the instructions to the letter, even when they were dumb, and made another half a dozen potions. Elixir or Water Breathing. Potion of greater claws. Glitter dust.


    Somewhere along the way, he found a book on makeup, and while he didn¡¯t make any of that just now, he set it aside so he could learn what actually went into lipstick and rouge later. For now, he was focused on something more important. He could feel it.


    Lucas spent the next few days making potion after potion, certain that he was getting somewhere. Nothing happened for a long time, though, until suddenly it did. He had just finished making a potion of night sight when he felt a tingle pass through him. After that, the messages came in quick succession.


    Congratulations! You have made your 10th perfect lesser potion! Bonus experience has been awarded!


    Congratulations: You have achieved Alchemist Level 1! You can examine your character sheet to see what advantages that confers you!


    ¡°Bonus experience? What is this, a video game? What in the world do I need a character sheet for?¡± Lucas asked, confused. His confusion didn¡¯t last for very long, though. Suddenly, just like that, as he said those words, a larger blue box popped up with all sorts of information.


    Name: Lucas Sharpe   Class: Alchemist   Level: 1


    Strength: 11   Agility: 13   Appearance¡­


    Lucas was still in the midst of understanding these new interface options when he heard a knock on the door to the lab. That disrupted his concentration, sending the whole thing top to the floor in twinkles of light before he could really take it all in. Instead, he sighed loudly.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Lucas yelled. Heisenburgle waddled in after that with a long look on his face. Something was definitely up.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, man?¡± Lucas asked with a smirk. ¡°Break another mirror? You know that¡¯s seven years of bad luck.¡±


    When Heisenburgle didn¡¯t snap back and instead stared at Lucas with tight lips, he continued, ¡°Ohh, I get it. The Prince got back to us. The shit¡¯s no good, right? He wants us to boost it more?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s much worse than that,¡± he said, looking pale. ¡°Skylara, she wants to meet you.¡±


    A chill went through Lucas then. A dragon wanted to meet him. This is not what he¡¯d signed up for.

 Ch. 89 - A Great Admirer

    Lucas had no idea why a dragon would want to meet him, but it wasn¡¯t like he had much of a choice in the matter. He didn¡¯t have long to prepare either because the words dragon, meet, and you were followed up with another terrifying word: tomorrow. Heisenburgle might as well have said now. That would have been better.


    Instead, Lucas had to do his best to snatch at least a little shut-eye at exactly the wrong time of day. Then he had to force himself out of bed bleary-eyed first thing in the morning and try to look like he was a human being instead of the zombie that he felt he most resembled.


    Still, he got dressed in the best clothes he had available and then ate mechanically in the hope that would make him feel better. He brought nothing that even resembled a weapon with him. There was no point. He might have smuggled a bazooka with him, but he doubted that would do much to a dragon. So, since he didn¡¯t have one of those bitchin¡¯ wands, he didn¡¯t bother. Instead, the provocative with him besides a silver hip flask full of healing potion and his ring.


    That¡¯s my secret trump card, he told himself. If things looked ugly, then I can always bail out of the coach before we get where we¡¯re going.


    So, he was doubly surprised when, after he got ready, they didn¡¯t head north to where he¡¯d been told the dragon¡¯s lair was, somewhere in the Carvagian Mountains. Instead, they headed south, back toward Lordanin. Given the state of things that seemed to be able to last place, he¡¯d find a three-story-tall red dragon, but perhaps the Prince wanted to offer him some last-minute advice on what to say or how to avoid being eaten.


    All he could do was guess because no one else was any help. Neither Heisenburgle nor any of the men that escorted would say much of anything to him on that or any other subject, lending him the feeling of a condemned man. Lucas made the best of it, and at first, he tried to snatch a cat nap, but the rocking and rumbling of the carriage made that all but impossible. Sleeping on airplanes was hard enough, but they didn¡¯t have to contend with potholes.


    So, instead, he explored the little blue screens that it seemed only he could see in an attempt to find something else that might give him an edge. Honestly, as interesting as Black Gate was, he was glad to finally be out of that cage for a little while. He felt like he could finally breathe again, despite the armed guards that he was sure were there to make sure he didn¡¯t wander off more than protect him.


    As they got close enough to the city to pick out details, he looked to the warrens that were the Red Lantern District and tried to pick out the Fallen Orchid, but he couldn¡¯t. Whether that was because the place had been burned down, per his instructions, or because all the roofs had enough snow on them that it made it difficult to tell one building from the next.


    He didn¡¯t really have any doubt that his men had followed his orders, of course, but it would have put a smile on his face to see the smoking crater of that place. They¡¯d thought they were sending him to the noose, of course, and maybe they¡¯d sent him somewhere worse, but as of right now, if his meeting with the dragon went well, he was pretty sure he¡¯d make it out of this situation better off than when he¡¯d been roped into it, which would give him all the time in the world to track down any of his enemies that might still be breathing.


    That wasn¡¯t the focus of today, though. The last thing he wanted was to seem pissed off when he was talking to the Prince or the fire-breathing power behind the throne. So, he forced himself to stop thinking about vengeance and start thinking about blue.


    In the hard leather case that resembled a doctor¡¯s bag more than a briefcase, he held 40 doses of some of the purest stuff he¡¯d ever made in thick glass jars, waiting to be handed off to the dragon. It was so pure now that it was faintly bioluminescent, and the little flecks of azure that floated in the blue liquid glowed faintly in the dark. Lucas would have thought that was cool as hell if the stuff wasn¡¯t so toxic now that it would kill a racehorse.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (pure, concentrated) (10 doses): Euphoria 15, poison 2, mana regeneration decreased by 250% for 1 hour.


    No, toxic is the wrong word, he corrected himself. Blue wouldn¡¯t kill you with poison. It would stop your heart as the overwhelming pleasure made the real world seem like a distant and ultimately pointless memory. It would be like upgrading from heroin to fentanyl; you¡¯d chase that dragon right off the cliff.


    Given how old the phrase chasing the dragon was, it was ironic that, in the end, that¡¯s exactly what this was coming down to, but what was he supposed to do about that? Lucas didn¡¯t even know how many human doses it took to get a dragon high. Did it need ten, or was it closer to fifty? Honestly, trying to figure out the dosage requirements of mythical creatures seemed pretty stupid, but that was his life now. He made magic potions and sold them to wizards and shit.


    While he considered this, the coach wound its way up the hill to the castle. When it reached the top, the door to the carriage was opened, and he was let out to be greeted by the chamberlain. ¡°Ah, Mister Parin, of course; I was told to expect your arrival for luncheon, please, right this way.¡±


    Lucas was the opposite of hungry, but he thanked the man and followed him just the same. Just because he was tired and confused didn¡¯t mean he needed to take it out on the servants. That was a bitch move, and it always angered him when he saw his customers engaging in that sort of behavior.


    Besides, he reassured himself as soon as the Prince explains what the hell is going on, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll calm down.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    That was cold comfort as he walked these halls, though. He¡¯d been in this palace twice before, and both times it was as a prisoner. This time, he was still closer to prisoner than guest; there just weren¡¯t any manacles involved.


    The chamberlain took him past all the large rooms and then handed Lucas off to a stern-faced footman who brought him to the small parlor where the Prince was seated on an overstuffed couch across from a noblewoman. For a moment, he thought he¡¯d have to wait for whatever business the man was currently conducting to be concluded, but instead, the Prince beckoned him over.


    The woman looked like she was pushing forty and seemed a little old for a man in the Prince¡¯s position, but she was still pretty hot, so it wasn¡¯t his place to judge. He¡¯d certainly done worse when alcohol was involved.


    Lucas thought that perhaps he might have seen her at one or two of the parties he¡¯d been to look for customers before shit got crazy, but he didn¡¯t remember selling her anything. Beyond that, he really couldn¡¯t say.


    After a while, noblewomen with scarlet dresses and corsets that were strung just a little too tight all sort of blended together. On Earth, he would have called her a MILF or a cougar, but here she had the look of just another ladder climber. At least, that¡¯s what he thought until she looked at him and met his gaze directly.


    Her eyes were piercing and almost predatory. For a second, he was sure that there was more than meets the eye, then suddenly she smiled and asked, ¡°Is this the young man you¡¯ve been telling me so much about? He hardly seems like a prodigy, does he.¡±


    Lucas suppressed his frown. He didn¡¯t know who this woman was, but he hated when people talked out of turn, and that was especially true about people he had no hold over, like the Prince. He didn¡¯t know who this woman was, but unless she was buying in serious quantity, she had no reason to know his face or his name.


    ¡°Looks can be deceiving,¡± the Prince agreed, ¡°I didn¡¯t think much of him at our first meeting either, but I have been shown the error of my ways.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too,¡± Lucas said, shrugging off the casual insults. The gnome hadn¡¯t taught him much about alchemy yet, but Lucas had learned more about brushing off contempt in the last few weeks than he had in the last few years combined.


    The Prince gave him a sharp look then like he¡¯d done something wrong, but the woman ignored him and instead reached for her glass of red wine, practically ignoring Lucas. ¡°Now Lucas, where are your manners?¡± the Prince chided him gently. ¡°You¡¯ve come all this way at an inconvenient hour. Why don¡¯t you show the lady what you¡¯ve been working on.¡±


    Lucas suppressed a sigh and set his bag down on the table. He wanted to talk dragons, not show off for some side piece. I¡¯m in no mood for this shit, he griped inwardly, but he said none of that. Instead, he smiled and opened up his satchel, pulled out one of the glowing blue mason jars, and handed it to the woman.


    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± he asked as she took it.


    ¡°Well, it certainly looks like Lwynthenll,¡± she answered, not even bothering to look at him, ¡°It¡¯s even got that slight glow, though I do remember it being brighter. I suppose I won¡¯t know until I taste it now, will I?¡±


    Lucas was only just sitting down when she unscrewed the top and poured herself three or four doses worth into her wine glass. His jaw opened in disbelief. She isn¡¯t really about to do what I think she is, is she? He wondered in disbelief.


    Then, before he could stop her, she raised the glass to her mouth and took a nice long drink. Lucas felt like he was in the twilight zone. Some woman he didn¡¯t even know had just drunk ten dragons of premium shit, and now she was going to curl up and die, and somehow, it was going to be all his fault.


    That isn¡¯t what happened, though. Instead of seizing and collapsing face-first on the coffee table, she smiled lightly and closed her eyes but somehow kept holding on to her glass. ¡°Oh yes,¡± she sighed. ¡°That¡¯s quite good. You¡¯ve come a long way, Mister Blue¡­ It¡¯s not Lwynthenll yet¡­ but it¡¯s¡­ well, it¡¯s very enjoyable.¡±


    Lucas looked in shock from her to the Prince and back. That was when the Prince finally figured out what was going on and said, ¡°Ah, I see we are under a misapprehension here,¡± he said. ¡°Lucas Parin, may I introduce to you the Countess Skylara. You may have heard her by another name. Skylara the Veridian, Skylara the Baleful, or perhaps most notably, Skylara the undefeated.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you flatterer,¡± the woman said with a smile, leaning back into the couch and basking in the glow over her overdose. ¡°Introductions can wait until I¡¯ve properly enjoyed this moment¡­¡±


    While Lucas finally put the pieces together, and his eyes widened in shock, the Lady Skylara opened her eyes again briefly as she raised the glass to her lips and downed the second half of her very expensive beverage. Lucas couldn¡¯t remember what color her eyes were the last time she¡¯d looked at him, but they most certainly hadn¡¯t been the golden eyes of a serpent.


    She¡¯s the fucking dragon? His mind screamed as the Prince bowed to the room, then rather forcefully escorted Lucas out of the room by his elbow.


    ¡°I can now see you weren¡¯t properly briefed about this whole arrangement,¡± the Prince growled once they were safely in another room and the doors were closed. ¡°But if you are ever anything less than perfectly polite to that woman again, I will have you flayed alive, is that understood?¡±


    ¡°Dude, chill,¡± Lucas said, shaking free of the man¡¯s grip. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, alright. I thought I was going to meet like a dragon, dragon, not a woman that¡¯s¡­ well, you know.¡±


    ¡°The Lady Skylara is a dragon,¡± the Prince answered with a shake of his head as he started to calm down, ¡°And I assure you that even in her human form, she is quite formidable. Magic is the lifeblood of dragons, and she would not need to turn back to her true form to level this castle and murder everyone in it.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°Dragons are top of the food chain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t get it,¡± the Prince sighed, studying Lucas¡¯s face. He obviously didn¡¯t like what he saw. ¡°But we don¡¯t have time to discuss what she¡¯s done to the envoys that have displeased her in the past just now. She will be up and around in a few minutes, and then we will have luncheon together. I trust this will go smoother than your first encounter with her.¡±


    ¡°A few minutes?¡± Lucas scoffed. ¡°Dude - she¡¯ll be out for hours after the hit she just took.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± the Prince said, starting down the hall without him.

 Ch. 90 - More Than He Can Chew

    Despite every instinct, it turned out that the Prince was right, and less than fifteen minutes later, Lady Skylara joined them in the blue room, where a small feast had been prepared. Lucas wasn¡¯t hungry but wasn¡¯t about to let lobster go to waste. Still, his motions were mechanical and automatic, as he was lost in the fog of his mind and struggled to process everything that had just happened.


    Lucas noted almost instantly that the Prince didn¡¯t refer to Lady Skylara or to him as a drug dealer. Here, where the servants could hear, she was just a lady, and he was just a lord or a sir. Neither Blackgate nor Heizenburgle were referred to by name either. Instead, they were just ¡®the project.¡¯


    Are you satisfied with the pace of your project? Do you have adequate resources for your project? Are the project facilities acceptable?


    Lucas offered no complaints about anything. It wasn''t just because he was distracted by everything that had just happened, either. Even though he felt like he was reaching the limits of what he could accomplish, he didn¡¯t think this moment was the right time to voice that concern. Instead, he listened more than he spoke and did his utmost to engage as soon as Lady Skylara was seated.


    As hard as that was, it was still easier than avoiding staring. It wasn¡¯t her cleavage that was drawing his eye either; it was just her. He was sitting at a table having a polite conversation with a dragon between the salad course and the finger sandwiches.


    Lady Skylara¡¯s eyes had turned back to their original shade of green, and there was no hint that she was anything but a powerful matron or an important family. Well, almost nothing, he corrected himself. Her stiff demeanor had been loosened up quite a bit by the overdose of Blue she¡¯d consumed, and her manner with both him and the Prince was so casual as to be almost flirtatious.


    ¡°Where did you get your recipe,¡± she asked Lucas at one point after the main course had been served. ¡°I¡¯m dying to know. No matter how many elves I¡­ questioned, over the years, they would never tell me how they made the stuff.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t even know it was elvish,¡± Lucas said, noting the concerned look in the Prince¡¯s eyes. He obviously didn¡¯t want Lucas to say too much, but unlike everyone else at this table, he knew how to keep his mouth fucking shut. ¡°It was just a recipe I¡¯ve been experimenting with for a few years, and well, as you can see, things are really coming along lately.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± she mused, ¡°They really are.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, do you know what the elves use their little potion for?¡± she asked coyly. ¡°You don¡¯t just think they brew Lwynthenll for getting high, do you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know it was elvish until today, soo¡­¡± he said, flashing back to the outburst from the slant that had almost blown up his first deal, ¡°I¡¯m going to say to commune with their Goddess or something?¡±


    ¡°That too,¡± she mused, ¡°But there¡¯s another, more important use for it¡­¡±


    ¡°Skylara, please, let¡¯s not have any vulgarity while we¡¯re eating¡­¡± the Prince sighed. His protest was respectful enough, but he was clearly doing it because she enjoyed the banter and not because he cared one way or the other what she did. Whatever it was that Heisenburgle was giving him made him one insightful motherfucker, but when it came to acting, he was still as wooden as a puppet.


    ¡°They consider it quite the aphrodisiac,¡± she said, actually blushing slightly as she did. ¡°Apparently, a race that lives for centuries doesn¡¯t get in the mood very often, so they need a little help.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lucas said, not sure what else to say.


    From what she was saying, he would have guessed that she was describing elvish Viagra, but from the way she was acting, it was quite clear that it worked on the woman instead of the man, or at least in addition to, he couldn¡¯t say for sure. All he knew for a fact at this point was why the elves he¡¯d tried to sell to had been pissed. If someone was selling his sacrad baby-making sacrament, he¡¯d be pretty pissed off too.


    ¡°Have you tried it?¡± she asked, looking at him with an intensity that bordered on desire. ¡°It can be quite¡­ stimulating.¡±


    ¡°I think if I took as much as you did just now, I¡¯d be dead on the floor,¡± Lucas answered with a shake of his head. ¡°Besides, it''s against the rules.¡±


    Her question raised a good point. Suddenly, he had no idea how an elf would take something purer than this and hope to live. Maybe its effects on them are fundamentally different, he mused. Or maybe they just take a tiny drop of the stuff. Those thoughts raised other questions as he realized that up until now, all of his repeat customers had been human. In Lordanin, that wasn¡¯t so unlikely, but it did beg the question, did it even get other races high? If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Before he could think about that any further, Sklara asked the Prince, ¡°Rules? You¡¯ve got your little genius bound by rules now?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re my rules, actually,¡± Lucas said before the Prince could interject. ¡°Rule number one: never get high on your own supply. It¡¯s an ironclad law of alchemy.¡±


    ¡°Is it now?¡± she asked, apparently amused by all of this. She probably wasn¡¯t the type to have many rules on what she could and couldn''t do. ¡°I suppose that is to my benefit. If you were just enjoying your blue every night, you¡¯d have no opportunity to improve it for me. I¡¯m very grateful for your sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m happy to help,¡± he said, smiling coldly. ¡°After all you do for Lordanin, it¡¯s only fair you relax now and then.¡±


    This made her smile, and she turned to the Prince again. ¡°At last, finally someone who appreciates all my hard work instead of putting a price tag on it.¡±


    While the two of them engaged in their verbal fencing match, Lucas tuned them out and focused on everything else. He was sitting here, in the palace, at the center of the Lordanin, having lunch with the city¡¯s ruler and the dragon that safeguarded it. It was a surreal moment for a nobody like him. It was like he was that one dealer that was invited to all the right parties.


    Only it isn¡¯t, he clarified, forcing himself to focus. I still don''t have what she needs. I have something that''s pretty close, but I¡¯m still missing an ingredient or two.


    Lunch for the three of them lasted for over an hour, and when it was done, he gave Skylara the case he¡¯d brought with him as a gift and vowed to bring her more and better soon, even though he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure that he could deliver, not that it mattered. Either he¡¯d make what she wanted and be a hero, or he¡¯d fail to deliver, and she or the Prince would kill him. The only difference in the two outcomes was that if he stayed upbeat and told them he was getting close, he¡¯d be able to string them along a lot longer than if he was pessimistic about his chances.


    He was fairly certain that if he told Lady Skylara about just how big the haystack was that his needle was hiding in, she would bite his head off, figuratively or literally. If he told her about Heisenburgle¡¯s experiments with vampire blood¡­ Well, then it would almost certainly be a literal bite, and he wasn¡¯t in the mood for that. He still had too much to live for to go back to heaven and explain himself to those assholes.


    The dragoness departed before he did, and he did so in a carriage that was piled high with gold and Blue. It amused him that she rode in a flimsy wooden vehicle that was much the same as his own, rather than sprouting wings and soaring into the sky. If she was flying around with any regularity, though, I think I would have heard about it, he reminded himself. Everyone was pretending this was just normal, so he was too.


    When she was gone, the Prince said, ¡°Other than the beginning there, where she almost ripped out your throat, you did well,¡± he said with a nod as Lucas¡¯s carriage moved forward and approached them. ¡°I think she likes you.¡±


    ¡°I hope she does,¡± Lucas said with a sigh. ¡°I just want to make her little drug and go the hell home. I don¡¯t want to be on the menu.¡±


    ¡°Well, according to Heisenburgle¡¯s updates, no one is going to be killing you anytime soon,¡± the Prince nodded. ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve impressed that old curmudgeon is quite impressive in its own right.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the bastard was capable of saying anything nice about someone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he didn¡¯t say anything nice,¡± the Prince smiled, ¡°It¡¯s like you said. He can¡¯t. What he can do, though, is admit when he¡¯s wrong, and he¡¯s certain he can¡¯t make Blue half as well as you can. He thinks you¡¯re using some hidden sorcery.¡±


    ¡°Give it time,¡± Lucas said with a shrug, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing it a lot longer than he has.¡±


    The Prince regarded Lucas for a long moment, searching for something. Lucas had no idea whether he had found it or not, but in the end, the Prince wished him good luck, and he set off once more for Blackgate to keep.


    Despite the time of day, Lucas passed the hell out on the road this time, potholes or no. The meal, the exhaustion, and the moments of stark terror he¡¯d experienced as he tried not to think about how very easily Lady Skylara could obliterate him had left him completely tapped out.


    That same combination, combined with the poor state of the roads, also contributed to terrible nightmares, and he woke several times on the way back. By the time Lucas arrived at Blackgate, he was even more tired than he was before he left. Heisenburgle didn¡¯t see that as an acceptable excuse, though, and instead pressed a red potion into his hand. ¡°Sleep is not an option,¡± he answered, blowing Lucas off. ¡°We need the details while they¡¯re still fresh in your mind. I want to know every last thing that monster said. It might be important to our future.¡±


    Potion of Greater Wakefulness (1 dose): Poison 3, agility 1, health regeneration decreased by 20% for 8 hours, wakefulness increased by 200% for 4 hours.


    Lucas yawned and regarded the potion. He didn¡¯t know how important any of their idle conversations over lunch might be to their future, but he really didn¡¯t want to screw up his sleeping schedule just to have to fix it again later. So, with a shrug, he popped the cork, downed the potion, and then followed Heisenburgle into the building.

 Ch. 91 - Aqua Vitalis

    After he popped that potion, every point that Lucas made was repeated at least once over the next few hours as Heisenburgle peppered him with questions. What was her expression? What was her tone? How long was the pause? The gnome seemed to be obsessed with every detail.


    Lucas had been in the box with detectives who were less thorough than Heisenburgle, but he didn¡¯t complain. Truthfully, he was still a little freaked out by the whole situation, and he was glad for any insight the gnome might be able to offer him. Heisenburgle had clearly been dealing with this for a lot longer than Lucas had. That was evident merely from the size of the tome he was taking his notes in.


    During all of this, the alchemist remained fairly calm. The only time he really freaked out was when Lucas mentioned the word Lwynthenll. That sent Heisenburgle into a flurry of activity.


    ¡°Lwynthenll,¡± he repeated. ¡°You¡¯re sure she said that. That word exactly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t know what it is,¡± Lucas said. ¡°She just said it''s a lot like some elvish potion and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not some Elvish potion,¡± the gnome yelled out. ¡°The elvish potion. The waters of life. Aqua Vitalis. It''s supposed to be capable of doing all manner of miracles. It can heal the sick and even turn lead into gold.¡±


    ¡°Well, Skylara said it was some kind of party drug, so I¡¯m not sure you two are talking about the same thing,¡±


    Lucas said. He was only halfway serious, though, and he mostly set it because he knew that such a comment would get under the alchemist''s skin in the state the gnome was in. Lucas had no idea how right he was, though as Heisenburgle jumped out of his chair and scampered across the room, he could see his barb had struck deep. The tiny alchemist was so irritated he muttered- to himself as he made his way to the ladder for his bookshelf and moved it to retrieve a large red tome.


    Once he¡¯d retried it, he brought it back to the desk and then slammed it down, flipping through the pages until he found the appropriate page. The book was obviously old, and the handwriting was crabbed and difficult to read, but there was no mistaking the illustration in the center of the page. There, illuminated quite fancifully in blue inks and silver foil as a picture of his Blue. It was an uncanny resemblance. It looked a little lighter and glowed a bit more, but otherwise, it was the same thing.


    ¡°Could be,¡± he said noncommittal before he asked the next question, which was sure to send the gnome through the roof. ¡°But can¡¯t we just compare the formulas and know for sure?¡±


    ¡°Compare the formulas? Compare the Formulas?!¡± Heisenburgle yelled, briefly going apoplectic. ¡°No one has this formula, and if the elves thought you did, they would stop at nothing to end you before you could spread that knowledge. Why would you even¡­ Gahhh¡­ just read the damn book!¡±


    Lucas did with a shrug, suppressing his smile as best he could. He was enjoying this far too much.


    The book itself was interesting, too, once he got past the handwriting. It claimed some crazy shit, like the ability to bring the dead to life and grant superhuman powers. That seemed like a bit of a stretch for the potion of mana intoxication he¡¯d been pedaling, but he wasn¡¯t exactly an expert, and his old master had mentioned more than once about using what the elves used because ¡®they know what¡¯s right. It''s their forest. You just see what they pick, and you do the same, and it will turn out okay.¡¯


    Lucas had ignored that advice as soon as he¡¯d figured out that not everyone could see the same pop-up windows he could, but now, well, now maybe the old man was on to something. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be that easy, could it? It couldn¡¯t just be a matter of finding some elvish herb he¡¯d overlooked and adding it to the mix, could it?


    Well, actually, he thought, zoning out as he pretended to read the book. We already have these four ingredients. What if we don¡¯t need another ingredient? What if we just need a different catalyst? Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    After all, he realized, the other three plants were all native to the region. They were practically common; Heisenburgle said so himself, on a regular basis, comparing them to ditch weeds. Sour dwarf berries, though, were imported. The odds that the elves would use three completely local ingredients and then one completely unrelated ingredient¡­ seemed far-fetched.


    For now, he decided not to say anything to Heisenburgle about this theory. Instead, he just said, ¡°So the dragon wants this elf potion, and we might have it. So what¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    Heisenburgle put his face in his hands and shook his head. ¡°I will just assume that you are too tired to see the significance¡­ yes, yes,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯d have to have you tied to a post a beaten with this book until its knowledge managed to make its way into your thick skull!¡±


    Lucas finally broke and started laughing. The image was simply too ridiculous for him to resist any further. ¡°You think this is funny?¡± the gnome countered, pointing an accusing finger at Lucas. ¡°We¡¯re damned if we do now and damned if we don¡¯t. Either we fail to make an impossible potion and incur the wrath of Skylara, or we succeed and incur the wrath of the elves. This is a catastrophe!¡±


    ¡°One,¡± Lucas said, enumerating each point by extending a finger as he counted them off one at a time. This was both to be dramatic and because even with Heisenburgle¡¯s boost potion, his head was still more than a little fuzzy. ¡°Will you please calm the FUCK down? Everything is going to be okay. Two, I really think you¡¯re overreacting. The dragon lady just wants to get high. You should have seen her. We could give her the shit we got for a long time to come, and she would be fine. As long as we make a little progress now and then and give her stronger shit, she¡¯ll be just fine. She just¡ª¡±


    ¡°You really think that¡ª¡± Heisenburgle tried to interrupt, but Lucas kept talking.


    ¡°Three¡­¡± Lucas continued loudly, ¡°How in the hell are the elves going to find out. We could make fifty gallons of the stuff. We could ship it to the Dragoness¡¯s mansion or cave or wherever the hell she lives, and they would never know.¡±


    ¡°Did you even read this?¡± Heisenburgle asked, gesturing violently at the book with both hands before he whirled it around to his side of the desk and started reading it out loud. ¡°The waters of life, when consumed, link the mind of the imbiber directly with the Goddess Lwyn to grant the heart''s desire of the mortal. On the rare occasions that a human has managed to complete such an act in the past, it has rippled through the entirety of the elven collective unconscious and has almost always led to war.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the elves had a collective unconscious,¡± Lucas mused, wondering how he missed that. He definitely needed to sleep.


    ¡°What you don¡¯t know could fill my library were it not already filled with that which you lack most: knowledge,¡± Heisenburgle answered with a shake of his head. ¡°So, you see, the shape of the problem now? We are undone!¡±


    ¡°But like¡­ How is that our problem?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Let¡¯s say that Skylara gets this potion, and it does exactly what it says on the bottle¡­ Why would the elves be pissed off at you or me or Lordanin? It¡¯s not like the Goddess is going to say, ¡®Oh, this is the fault of Lucas Parin and Heisenburgle the black. Go kill them.¡¯ They¡¯re going to get pissed off at a certain menace to society, and maybe, just maybe, they¡¯ll do something about her instead, right?¡±


    Heisenburgle opened his mouth with an expression that said he was about to explain how stupid Lucas was in some new and clever way. Only, he never got that far. Instead, he froze with his mouth open and then, after reconsidering it, said, ¡°Yes¡­ that might indeed be an outcome that could work in our favor¡­¡±


    The gnome quickly moved back to his journal and began to scribble away. Lucas thought about asking what the plan was but decided that he didn¡¯t care. Instead, he said, ¡°So, if that¡¯s everything, I think I¡¯m going to crash out now if that¡¯s cool with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ we shall get back to work in a day or two,¡± the gnome answered, not bothering to look up as he gestured peevishly toward the door. ¡°Do consider taking the time to do a bit more reading once you are fully recovered.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t even dignify that comment with a response. Instead, he left the office and walked the short distance to his room, where he took off his boots and then lay down in bed, fully dressed.


    He¡¯d thought that when he finally made it here, he¡¯d be out like a light. That isn¡¯t what happened, though, because the potion that Heisenburgle had given him wasn¡¯t quite through with him, and his stomach was cramping slightly as he struggled with Nausea. So, instead of being frustrated, he turned his thoughts over in his head.


    Thank goodness we killed those fucking slants at least, Lucas thought with a sigh as he stared at the slowly brightening ceiling. Dealing with the whisperers was bad enough. If those assholes had walked out and told all of their friends instead of going berserk, everything would have gone to shit ten times worse.


    Lucas felt pretty lucky about that, and he had time to consider what else a better catalyst might be, but somewhere between his plan to dig through Heisenburgle¡¯s stash for a likely candidate and plan to search the woods one plant at a time in the spring if it came to it, he passed out into a deep and dreamless sleep that his body desperately needed.

 Christmas Bonus Chapter: Ch. 92 - Wake-up Call

    Lucas slept the night and the day away and woke up sometime after lunch the following day after an 18-hour coma. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of how bad he¡¯d screwed up his sleep schedule, Heisenburgle¡¯s pick-me-up, or both.


    He didn¡¯t give that much thought, though, because the reason he¡¯d finally woken up was a pounding headache. Lucas groaned as he braved the sunlight long enough to get to his bag and pull out a lesser tincture of healing, which solved the problem almost immediately. After that, he just lay there feeling like he was recovering from the aftereffects of a hangover, with dry eyes and a stiff neck.


    It was only when that started to ease, and he could feel himself relax as the potion worked its magic, that he realized he finally had the privacy and the energy to try bringing up that screen he hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to explore before.


    ¡°Bonus experience,¡± he whispered, trying to make it appear, but nothing happened. He lay there another few seconds in frustration as he tried to figure out what he¡¯d said last time, but the moment he reviewed the statement from before in his mind, the glowing blue screen burst to life once more. Bonus experience? What is this, a video game? What in the world do I need a character sheet for?


    Ohhh¡­ Character sheet, He thought as he figured out what the real trigger was.


    Name: Lucas Sharpe  Class: Alchemist   Level: 1


    Agility: 13    Endurance: 9   Appearance 7


    Intelligence: 14  Strength: 11   Soul: 9


    Health: 100%      Mana: 100%


    Status Effect:  Minor healing: Ongoing


    Wakefulness withdrawal: Ongoing


    Fatigued: Moderate


    Imbued Equipment: Ring of Vanishing (Fine Quality)


    You have unspent points. Please use them to increase your ability scores or gain feats/perks.


    Lucas sighed. There was a lot to unpack there, and he had zero frame of reference for it.


    There was no number for the experience, but there was a little bar next to where it listed his level that was mostly empty, so he assumed that was where the experience bar was. Likewise, if this was a video game, he would have expected to see a health bar or a mana bar or something, but it just said 100%, which was less than helpful. He didn¡¯t, though. Instead, there were just the status effects, and when he focused on them, more information expanded from each of them, making whatever this was fairly intuitive, if nothing else.


    Minor healing: ongoing - You have recently imbibed a minor healing tincture. Its effects will continue for the next 2 minutes or until its injury threshold is exceeded.


    Fatigued: moderate - You have had irregular and insufficient sleep for more than 24 hours. Your performance in all activities will be lower until this is rectified.


    Wakefulness withdrawal: ongoing - You are suffering minor withdrawal from the use of a wakefulness potion. This can be cured immediately by consuming another wakefulness potion. Caution, repeated use of wakefulness potions can lead to addiction. If no further potions of this variety are consumed within the next 48 hours, this withdrawal will abate.


    Addiction? What the fuck did that asshole give me? Lucas wondered. He made a note to stay away from the alchemist''s potions without a little more careful review.


    ¡°Man, I would have thought there would have been more here,¡± Lucas sighed to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about these stats; I want to see alchemy shit. Where are the recipes that I learned? That achievement mentioned¡­¡±


    His words trailed off. As he spoke the magic words, an achievement panel opened up. Only a few of the options were lit up, though.


    Murderer: 1/1 - You have committed your first murder. +2% to all damage


    Killer: 1/10 - in Progress.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Alchemical Scholar: 10/10 - An excellent start! +10% to the effectiveness of all created alchemical mixtures.


    Alchemical Scholar: 23/50 - in Progress.


    Perfectionist: 10/10 - You have perfected several easy recipes. Additional levels of quality have been unlocked.


    Serious Perfectionist: 10/100 - in Progress.


    ¡°What in the actual fuck?¡± Lucas said out loud. This was the last thing he expected to see.


    Killer? Perfectionist? That was crazy. There were a ton of partially started achievements below those, along with an apparently endless amount that he hadn¡¯t started that he couldn¡¯t read.


    Accomplished forager: 87% reagents gathered.


    Careful Dosages: 28% use solvents to purify toxic reagents.


    Exceptional Etiquette: 33% learn all of Lordanin¡¯s cultural rules.


    Fancy Footwork: 40% complete - learn one style of sword fighting.


    Happily Ever After: Fall in love with a partner who reciprocates.


    Naturalist extraordinaire: 44% You have discovered many reagents, solvents, and catalysts, but there are always more to find!


    Practice makes perfect: 91% Different failed potions created will help you learn what you did wrong that much faster!


    There were dozens of these stupid things without apparent rhyme or reason, and his eyes glazed over as he flipped through them. Why should it matter to anyone how many herbs I¡¯ve picked or how many times I¡¯ve failed to brew a potion? He wondered.


    Lucas felt like he was losing his mind. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to march downstairs, find Heisenburgle, and explain everything to him in the hope that the gnome might have some understanding of what this was. He couldn¡¯t do that, though. Tipping his hand about something like this? He had a feeling that would be a big deal. For now, he would just have to go through the gnome¡¯s library and see if any of the books he kept mentioned it.


    For now, though. Lucas didn¡¯t get up. He kept digging. He found a screen for both recipes and ingredients when he finally stumbled on the Alchemist class interface. It was like a wiki in his head for all the potion stuff he¡¯d discovered until now, and out of everything he¡¯d found in this jank-ass interface so far, it was by far the most useful.


    With a thought, he could search through every herb and root he¡¯d ever seen and look for every one of them that had an effect on intelligence or even a positive effect on intelligence. He could then sort that list from highest to lowest or most to least common. He could even sort them alphabetically. It was very impressive.


    Certainly, it was more impressive than the list of potion recipes he had. Those he disagreed with almost entirely. As far as he was concerned, there was no one right way to make a potion, but if there was, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be to make a boost potion with a poison value of four.


    Lucas almost gave up on that interface completely until he checked out one of the potions that he¡¯d made ¡®perfectly¡¯ according to the logic governing this thing. That at least showed some promise.


    Potion of Lesser Mana Regeneration: Ground distilled vessin root, leached sardic blossoms, kobold marrow.


    Variation 1 of 13 perfected. Additional options are available.


    Considering the additional options brought up another menu with two more recipes. Neither of these was completely filled out, though, and some of the ingredients were simply listed as ????.


    What he didn¡¯t see anywhere on any of these lists were potions of mana intoxication, which is what the pop-ups had called Blue for the longest time. That was one mystery, but maybe not the most important one. The real question, beyond what the hell did all this shit mean, was why now?


    He¡¯d been in this world for years now. It had been nearly half a decade since he was chased by angels and fell from heaven into a stranger¡¯s corpse, and now, all of the sudden, he was level 1? Why? Who determined that? It didn¡¯t make any sense, and he rubbed his eyes in frustration. He was not sure what he was supposed to do about any of this.


    He was about to put the whole thing away when he suddenly remembered the damn points the thing had mentioned. Lucas reluctantly shrugged mentally and decided to check that out, too. Might as fuckin¡¯ well, he thought with ever-increasing frustration.


    It turned out that he had 3 points to spend. He had no idea if that was good or bad or what the stats did, but apparently, he could raise one three times if he wanted to. There were other things, too. The list of those was nearly endless. Sneak attack, effortless upkeep: invisibility, endure blood loss, endure pain, poison toleration, advanced appraisal, and many were listed in row after mind-numbing row.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to deal with this nerd shit,¡± Lucas sighed. He hadn¡¯t played D&D since high school, and he¡¯d long ago pawned his play station for other, more important needs. Video games and all that were alien to him, and now some aspect of his survival was dependent on them. It was more than a little frustrating.


    On a whim, Lucas picked out Superior Forager and gave it a look. It was straightforward enough. This feat will let you detect all reagents within a quarter mile to make your task of finding them that much easier. This feat uses mana for the duration you upkeep it.


    Would you like to select this ability? Y/N


    Lucas declined and picked another one. This time, he chose Superior Scavenger, curious about the difference. This feat will reveal the closest source of a chosen reagent within one mile so you can find exactly what you are looking for. This feat uses mana for the duration you upkeep it.


    Would you like to select this ability? Y/N


    ¡°They¡¯re basically the same thing,¡± he said in annoyance.


    They weren¡¯t, of course. They were different enough, but really, he didn¡¯t need either. He knew where the shit he needed grew by now. He wasn¡¯t fucking Adin, after all. He was actually competent.


    Adin. Just the thought of that man-made Lucas wonder what it was that he was out there fucking up, and the interface dropped away as he realized he needed to send another note to let Danaria know that he was still doing okay. If she was rising all the way over here every few nights, the last thing he wanted was to worry her.


    He quickly sketched out a quick note, folded it up, stuck it in the window, and then went downstairs to find something to eat. ¡®Doing great, making progress. Things got a little more complicated, and this could take longer than I thought.¡¯


    ¡°Complicated,¡± he chuckled darkly. ¡°That¡¯s an understatement. I have to deal with a dragon, find the recipe for a mythological potion, and who knows what sort of fresh hell that will unleash.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter. He wasn¡¯t exactly just a long for the ride this time. He was pretty sure that Heisenburgle could labor at this for fifty years and never crack it, but Lucas already had a few good ideas. He was pretty sure this was a solvable problem, and then, well, then, some pretty powerful people were going to owe him some pretty big favors.

 Ch. 93 - The Basics

    Lucas spent the next few days learning the ins and outs of his system. Whenever he wasn¡¯t mixing potions and searching through reagents with Heisenburgle, he researched this strange topic. Every afternoon, he would haunt the libraries, looking through books for so much as a mention, and every morning after he finished in the lab, he would lay awake in bed, paging through the interface as he looked for some sort of answer.


    He found a few things. He figured out that almost anything could be zoomed in on, just by focusing on it hard enough. He found a list skill list that seemed to focus almost exclusively on alchemical skills, but there were a few weapon skills in there, too, for no reason in particular.


    No matter how much he learned, though, he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to spend the points on anything. He knew he should, of course, but it wasn¡¯t like he needed anything just now, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel like he might need them for something later. Hell, for all he knew, some new menu might pop up at random with a list of superpowers for three points.


    One of the main reasons he couldn¡¯t make himself use the things, though, was that he had no idea how to get more.


    Well, that wasn''t exactly right. If he leveled up, he''d get more, but there wasn''t a really easy way to do that, exactly. There was very little information on leveling up so far. He had no idea how to generate experience points, not reliably, anyway. He could make it go up sometimes when he did alchemical stuff, but it was erratic. He needed something that was more of a sure thing, but he was pretty sure he wasn¡¯t going to get that by going out and killing goblins and giant spiders, even if they¡¯d let him out of the compound.


    None of that was the most frustrating part, though. He could accept that it would give him a few experience points for properly pulverizing this herb but not that one and that he¡¯d get a little pop-up letting him know he¡¯d received a bonus for reading this tome, but not that one. What he couldn¡¯t accept was that every time he made Blue or any other off-brand potion of his own design, he received a condescending error message. It just sucked the joy right out of brewing shit now that a second Heisenburgle had set up shop in his head, and the two of them were taking turns telling Lucas just how much he sucked.


    I¡¯m sorry. This isn¡¯t a proper recipe. +10 exp.


    You tried hard, but this effort was wasted. +10 exp.


    Maybe you should check your formula again. +10 exp.


    Each time, the potion he made was undoubtedly correct, but each time, his system let him know he was a failure anyway. Oh, if he used one of the recipes in Heisenburgle¡¯s books, it would reward him with a pat on the head and a bump of experience, but if he did something himself, even something that worked out, the system told him what a naughty boy he was.


    ¡°Damnit,¡± he grumbled under his breath as he made another batch of Blue only to get another too bad, so sad pop-up. ¡°It says mana intoxication right there!¡±


    ¡°Mana intoxication?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um, in the book I was reading earlier,¡± Lucas lied quickly as he realized he¡¯d gotten aggravated enough to speak in a tone where the gnome could hear him.


    ¡°What is it, anyway,¡± Lucas asked as the gnome eyed him suspiciously. ¡°Mana intoxication, I mean.¡±


    He held his breath as Heisenburgle regarded him coolly; the gnome could obviously sense that something wasn¡¯t adding up. However, the one thing he couldn¡¯t resist was explaining a concept in his smug and superior way. Suspicion warred with pride for a moment before the gnome finally said. ¡°It''s a dangerous condition that mages can suffer from for a variety of reasons. Most often, it happens if they drink too many mana potions or similar elixirs.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lucas asked, pretending to be more interested in the wizened gnome caps than he was in the gnome that was standing next to him. ¡°And what¡¯s so dangerous about it? Heartburn? Indigestion? Should they call their doctor if it lasts longer than four hours?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± Heisenburgle scowled. ¡°If you are exposed to too much magic, your essence inverts, and it starts to burn away instead of regenerate.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Sounds painful,¡± Lucas said, wondering how any of that tied in with the high euphoria value of his most popular potion.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the opposite, actually,¡± Heisenburgle answered smugly. ¡°In the same way that someone dying of hypothermia in a blizzard suddenly feels so hot that they remove their cloak. The mage is burning his soul too hot, and while they kill themselves, I¡¯m told it feels quite pleasant.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Lucas said. ¡°I guess I¡¯m glad I can¡¯t use any magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nonsense,¡± Heisenburgle answered with a wave of his hand. ¡°Everyone can do magic with some practice. It''s not as if It''s anywhere near as complex as alchemy, after all. Anyway, a few hours of rest, and they¡¯re just fine. Mana intoxication is a problem, but it¡¯s rarely a life-threatening one.¡±


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that information. It finally put a missing piece into his puzzle, but that missing piece informed him that Blue was even more evil than he thought it was. Up until now, he¡¯d thought that he was just making some bullshit potion that happened to also get you high. Now he found out he was making something that burned your mana to actually make you high. It was a revelation that somehow made him feel even more slimy.


    As they tried a series of new formulas that ultimately ended in failure, Lucas wished, not for the first time, that he¡¯d never stumbled across the recipe. He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d be doing with his life, of course, but he doubted it would be worse than what he was doing now.


    Once they were done, just before sunrise, Lucas went back to his room and hit the books once more. This time, he added another term to his list of things to keep an eye out for: mana intoxication.


    A couple of hours later, just before he planned to go to bed, he was scared half out of his skin by a knock on the window. For a moment, he thought it was an assassin or that the Whisperers had tracked him down again. Instead, it was just a little bird. He almost shooed it away until he saw a little message tied to its leg. That''s when he realized it was from Danaria.


    He hastily opened the window, and the thing came in. It was a wild songbird, but even so, it acted like a tame bird as it hopped up onto his hand. When he felt how cold the bird was, he felt bad for it, but as he stroked it, he realized how much colder the person sending it here must be, and he looked out the window at the walls and the snowy woods beyond them. Somewhere, she was out there, and she¡¯d been waiting for god knew how long to make sure he got this. It made him feel more than a little bad.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry this is taking so long,¡± he whispered to the tiny creature before taking the message. ¡°I¡¯d speed it up if I could; maybe we should stop with the notes for a while. With the weather, we¡ª¡±


    The bird squealed angrily at him, but it made no move to fly out the window. That told him that it wasn¡¯t that the little thing had broken free of Danaria¡¯s grip and that, instead, she was making it clear that she had no intentions of abandoning him. That was cute in its own way, and he smiled.


    ¡°Alright. But only once a week then, until it warms up,¡± he said finally, stroking the bird. ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting sick, alright?¡±


    At this, the bird chirped more sweetly, and it lingered for another minute or two before it flew out the window. It was only when it was gone that Lucas wondered if he should have stroked the bird¡¯s feathers. After all, if Danaira could see through its eyes and hear through its ears, then she could probably feel through its skin, which meant that he¡¯d been stroking her hair and¡­ well, that didn¡¯t bear too much thinking about. He¡¯d try to be more circumspect on her next visit.


    The note was a tiny little ribbon-wrapped cylinder that had been tied to the bird¡¯s leg, and Lucas wondered if that was how he should send messages from now on. He¡¯d tried to make the paper big enough that the thing could grab it in its beak, but maybe that was a wrong move. Danrira¡¯s message was just big enough for one line of text, which was written in a single long sentence in a flowing, feminine hand.


    ¡®Come home soon, Lucas. Adin is up to something, and Kar¡¯gandin says we¡¯re running low on you-know-what. And I miss you. Danaraia.¡¯


    Lucas sighed and rolled his eyes as he read the names she¡¯d listed, but he was smiling, too. If this was a tapped cell line, she would have just gotten all of them thrown away for a long time. That wasn¡¯t really a danger just now, but it was a reminder that she didn¡¯t really have a criminal bone in her body.


    ¡°What in the hell is his problem now,¡± Lucas grumbled. The last thing he needed was Adin fucking shit up while he was stuck in here. ¡°No, the better question is, how am I going to get out of here on parole to handle it.¡±


    Parole. He lay back in bed and chuckled at that. If Blackgate was a prison, then it was the nicest prison he¡¯d probably ever be in. It was certainly nicer than the Prince¡¯s dungeon and the county lock-up, where he¡¯d spent a few weeks on and off over the years.


    ¡°So it¡¯s not a prison, then,¡± he told himself. ¡°And if it¡¯s not a prison, then that means I don¡¯t have to stay.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t so sure about that, of course, but the logic certainly followed. The guards wouldn¡¯t let him out with Heisenburgle¡¯s say so, of course, but if that¡¯s all it took, well, then he was sure he could find a way to sweet talk the gnome. After all, he was pretty sure that despite the Alchemist¡¯s trepidation, he would be willing to do anything to make that magical elven potion. It was some sort of holy grail to the man, and Lucas could see the way his eyes sparkled every time he mentioned it.

 Ch. 94 - Shrinking the Haystack

    In the end, it wasn¡¯t difficult to get the warden to release him; it just took one conversation, but Lucas didn¡¯t expect it to take longer than that. After all, he had a trump card.


    ¡°The Prince will want to know why you¡¯re going,¡± he said blandly when Lucas brought up the idea of taking some time off. ¡°And you can¡¯t get up to anything dangerous. No gang wars or anything of the sort. You¡¯re too valuable until all this is done. He¡¯ll probably want me to assign you a bodyguard or two and¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have my own guards at the manor. I¡¯ll be perfectly safe there,¡± Lucas said, not entirely sure that it was true. ¡°As to the Prince, just send him a letter explaining that the Lwynthenll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhh! Shhh! Shhhh!¡± the gnome said, looking around with paranoia, even though it was only the two of them in the laboratory. ¡°That is not the sort of thing that one consigns to a letter! Anyone might read it!¡±


    ¡°Even better,¡± Lucas answered. ¡°Then you can go there directly and explain why I¡¯m going to take a little time off to take care of business at home.¡±


    ¡°Why should I do that?¡± Heisenburgle asked, setting down the vial he¡¯d been examining and looking at Lucas, ¡°We¡¯ve tried sixty-four different poisonous reagents this week, and not one of them has come close to the desired effect. How could I possibly justify a little vacation for you when we are making no progress?¡±


    ¡°First of all, I¡¯ve been here for over a month. Half the winter is gone, and I¡¯ve got a lot of things going on,¡± he saw Heisenburgle open his mouth, but Lucas was sure he was just going to explain that the needs of the kingdom came first, so he kept talking, ¡°And second of all I have an idea, and I can¡¯t exactly do it from here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, an idea?¡± the gnome asked, perking up. ¡°What does this idea got to do with you, going home? Surely, any proper alchemy can be done here, can¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just it,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°This elvish bullshit isn¡¯t proper alchemy by your reckoning¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lwynthenll is without a doubt¡ª¡± Heisenburgle started, but Lucas cut him off.


    ¡°It''s made from ditch weed and other things you just don¡¯t have here,¡± Lucas said, ¡°But back in my crappy lab, I have a little of everything, so if I go back and poke around, I might find something that¡¯s useful.¡±


    ¡°You might just happen to have the secret ingredient we¡¯ve been looking for?¡± the gnome snorted before gesturing broadly around the room. ¡°Look around; we have rare ingredients from all over the world. We¡¯ve got everything from polar blood straight from the Arctic to djinn dust all the way from Zyrathin! What could you have that we don¡¯t already have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem,¡± Lucas answered, trying not to be rude to this guy right now. ¡°You¡¯ve built one hell of a haystack, and we¡¯re looking for a single needle within it. Potentially, we might have to make ten thousand batches of Blue just to rule all of them out.¡±


    ¡°So what if we do,¡± Heisenburgle responded acidly.


    ¡°So what if there¡¯s a shorter way?¡± Lucas got up and opened up a book he¡¯d brought with him for just this moment and showed the gnome a map. ¡°All the ingredients in this except for one are native to the forests of the region except the dwarf berries, so I¡¯m thinking, what if that¡¯s the wrong ingredient, and we need something different to catalyze the whole thing. Something local, you know?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Heisenburgle answered after a long pause, stroking his wispy white whiskers. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re on to something after all. I can have my assistants begin an audit of reagents and determine which of them might also fit within the area¡­¡±


    ¡°And I can go home and see if I might have something,¡± Lucas said quickly.


    What he didn¡¯t mention was the alternative. If neither of them had what he was looking for, then he was fairly sure that they¡¯d have to wait until spring at the earliest, then he¡¯d have to go searching the forests to find some especially rare flower or something.


    Still, that was a later problem because right now, the only problem he had was packing for the carriage ride back to Parin Manor. Once Lucas explained his plan, Heisenburgle easily agreed to let him go home for a week and search for an ingredient that might work. Lucas didn¡¯t bother to tell the gnome that he was really going back to do a bunch of cooking and decide whether or not he needed to beat Adin¡¯s ass, but then, those weren¡¯t his business.


    Neither was how nice it would be to see Danaria. He was genuinely surprised that he was missing her so much, and on the ride back home, it was her presence that he found himself looking forward to most. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He left the following day, and given the current hours he kept, he surprised everyone with a visit just after breakfast, while Adin was still asleep, and Danaria was in the dining room, alone, except for the servants. She looked like she¡¯d seen a ghost.


    ¡°Lucas¡­ You¡¯re-you¡¯re¡­¡± she stammered, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you for so long, not after your last message, I¡ª¡±


    She rose as he approached her, but when he swept her up into his arms and twirled her around before dipping her and kissing her hard on the mouth, all she could do was melt into his arms. People were watching, and he could feel Gerwin¡¯s frown of disapproval on his back. He¡¯d missed Danaria too much to take no for an answer, and anyone willing to brave regular snowy rides to exchange messages with him obviously missed him too.


    As long as the moment lingered, though, it wasn¡¯t long enough, and as he helped her slide back into her seat before moving into the seat beside her, he told her everything. Well, he told her the part of everything that he thought she could handle, which was only the tip of the iceberg. Really, he just talked until she regained her composure, and then he asked, ¡°So what¡¯s this about your brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± she asked, still looking a bit flustered. ¡°Oh, Adin, well, he¡¯s still sleeping but¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, what¡¯s going on with him,¡± Lucas asked. ¡°You mentioned him in your message, so I¡ª¡±


    ¡°But I thought you came to see me,¡± she said, almost whining.


    ¡°I did,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°I absolutely did, but I have to head back in a few days, so I thought I¡¯d set the house in order while I¡¯m here.¡±


    That mollified her, and he had one of the footmen bring him some of whatever was still warm. So, he had some bread and oatmeal while they caught up, and he basked in her smile. Then, once that was taken care of, and before Parin woke up, Lucas went out to the cider house to hear the real story.


    He did this, of course, by activating his ring. This made him vanish off the back porch to anyone who might have been watching, but of course, if he had a tail, he couldn¡¯t see he wanted to make their job at least a little harder.


    Lucas made himself visible again as he walked around behind the building, and before he walked through the back door, he checked his mana bar and noted that he¡¯d spent 12% of it on that little walk. That was new information, and he filed it away. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if he reached zero, but it was nice to know that he could check it now. In the cider house, he found Mort, Kar¡¯gandin, and Hura''gh sitting around drinking beer. It was a little early, but they didn¡¯t expect the boss home for weeks or maybe ever, so he supposed he couldn¡¯t fault them for that.


    ¡°I leave for one month and¡­ Look at you, you¡¯ve become a terrible influence on young Mort here!¡± Lucas said with a smirk that made it obvious he was joking.


    Mort didn¡¯t get the joke and started to stand at attention as he stammered some sort of explanation, but Lucas pushed him back in his seat with a laugh. ¡°At ease, soldier.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll look who¡¯s still breathin¡¯,¡± Kar¡¯gandin said, toasting to Lucas before he took another sip from his wooden tankard. ¡°Me and the boys were just like, strategerizin¡¯, and as soon as we speak yer¡¯ name, ye appear!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m funny like that,¡± Lucas agreed, flipping his chair around before sitting so he could rest his chin on his arms, which he crossed across the top of the backrest. ¡°Now tell me all about our favorite Viscount.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Hura¡¯gh laughed, ¡°Here we go.¡±


    Alternating between the dwarf and the half-orc, the story slowly but surely came out in very predictable patterns. Adin was probably skimming from the payments because revenues were down. Adin was almost certainly drinking more blue than before because the vials kept going missing. There were complaints from some of the customers that the purity had gone down, which led Kar¡¯gandin to believe that the man was diluting what he was selling.


    That wasn¡¯t the best part, though. According to Mort, some of the noble customers were unhappy that the price had gone up while the quality had gone down. Everyone but Lucas laughed at that little detail.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying he¡¯s doing his best to cheat everyone, all the time, no matter what,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°That sounds like our Adin.¡±


    ¡°Hey, You¡¯re the one that put him in charge,¡± Hura¡¯gh answered, roaring with laughter.


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t like I had a choice,¡± Lucas answered with a shake of his head. ¡°But I¡¯ll fix it. I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°So what are ye don¡¯ back anyway?¡± Kar¡¯gandin interrupted. ¡°Weren¡¯t ye a prisoner of the Prince er some blasted nonsense like that?¡±


    ¡°Prisoner?¡± Lucas asked, pasting on his best shit-eating grin, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m an honored guest helping him with a very important project. I¡¯d tell you about it, but it''s a secret. I¡¯d have to kill you.¡±


    Hura¡¯gh laughed even louder at that, which was enough to make Lucas¡¯s smile just a little more genuine. He missed this. He¡¯d grown so used to dealing with Heisenburgle that he¡¯d forgotten how much hanging with the guys could improve his mood.


    The three of them caught him up on recent events. Hura¡¯gh confirmed that he had personally put the Fallen Orchid to the torch and that whole section of the slums was nothing but a crater. Apparently, it had almost caused a gang war, but a couple judicious payments to the Knights of Brass and the Red Lantern Gang had decided that it might be best to cut their losses.


    All of that good news cheered Lucas up even more. He doubted that truce would hold once those poisonous women found out he was still breathing, of course, but it was a fine start. Still, however much the idea of getting his vengeance cheered him up, it didn¡¯t make him so delirious or overjoyed enough to decide he wasn¡¯t going to kick Adin¡¯s ass. So, after a few minutes of shooting the shit and playing catch up, he got up, and after he told his friends he¡¯d be back to do some cooking later, he made his way back to the main house.


    He needed to teach his resident junkie a lesson in what happened to those that fucked with the count.

 Ch. 95 - Setting Things Right

    Lucas was fuming at the thought of whatever it was Adin was up to. That wasn¡¯t the real reason, though, and he knew it. It was just an excuse. The words of the Prince rang in his ear as he took the stairs two at a time once he got back inside the house.


    The man is a leach. Did you know he once tried to sell his sister¡¯s virtue to me for a tax debt that was almost sixty dragons?


    Those terrible words were something that he¡¯d always meant to handle, eventually. However, if he was here, and if the asshole was stealing from them, then he might as well handle everything at once.


    Lucas barged into Adin¡¯s room without knocking and found him standing there with his arms out while his manservant dressed him. Both of them turned in surprise, but even as Lord Parin¡¯s smile widened and he started to greet Lucas, Lucas barked, ¡°You, take a hike. Your master and I have something to discuss.¡±


    The manservant backed away uncertainly, and that uncertainty only grew when Adin grabbed for the man¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Now Lucas, I¡¯m sure that what you have to say has some urgency, but surely it can wait until after I''m decent, and I¡¯ve eaten breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Decency isn¡¯t something I really something I associate with you, man,¡± Lucas answered as he cracked his knuckles menacingly. ¡°Your manservant is welcome to stay if he wants to show loyalty. I can respect that, but I¡¯ll still kick his ass too.¡±


    Truthfully, Lucas wasn¡¯t much of a fighter. Without a sword in his hand, he was mid at best, but against a limp-wristed sop like Adin, he was practically a heavyweight champion. His manservant wasn¡¯t a lot better than that, but still, Lucas was confident he could take them both if it came to that.


    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t. Instead, the well-dressed young man took one look at the situation, pulled his hand free from his master¡¯s grip, and quickly exited the room.


    ¡°Now Lucas, you know that this place is crawling with guards these days,¡± Adin said, backing away toward the wall that held the pull cord for the call bell. ¡°One ring from me and¡­¡±


    ¡°Adin, you wear fancy clothes, attend all the best parties, and live in a house that has your name on it, but don¡¯t think for a minute that means this place belongs to you anymore,¡± Lucas answered, slowly walking closer. ¡°Anyone you call is getting paid by me and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you haven¡¯t heard,¡± the noble shot back. ¡°While you were gone, my debts were settled, and I¡¯ve gotten my titles back. Do you know what the penalty is for striking a hereditary noble?¡±


    Lucas paused and let the man look smug for a moment. With his puffed-out chest and his unbuttoned shirt, he obviously thought he was untouchable. Lucas waited for a second like he¡¯d let the reality of the situation sink in. Then, just as the lordling started to relax, he punched him hard in the stomach.


    Adin doubled over, and then, after another second, he dropped to his knees. ¡°How dare you,¡± he hissed as he gasped for breath.


    ¡°How dare I?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°How dare you be so fucking stupid? Do you have any idea what they do to people like you where I come from? They break your fingers. They put you in a coma. They throw you off the overpass into the expressway.¡±


    The unfamiliar words obviously confused Adin more than they put the fear into him, but he ignored that. ¡°I¡¯m getting married next week, and when the Torvins hear about how you¡¯ve treated their son-in-law, they¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll know you''re weak and easy to put in your place,¡± Lucas interrupted. He¡¯d thought about hitting the man again, but unless he was going to really fuck him up, he¡¯d probably sent enough of a message for now. So, instead of kicking the man while he was down, he sat down on Adin¡¯s bed and decided to beat him verbally instead now that he¡¯d made his point. ¡°As to your marriage, my present will be not to punch you in the face, so you have to show up to the chapel with a black eye.¡±


    ¡°You might think that you¡¯re important, but the Prince will not stand for this sort of behavior; he¡¯ll¡ª¡± Adin said, with more confidence this time now that he¡¯d slowly straightened back up.


    ¡°Hey, asshat,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°I¡¯m working for the Prince right now, but if you think running to mommy and crying is going to do shit, well, I won¡¯t even feel bad about what happens next. The fact is you¡¯ve already fucked up, and the fact that you¡¯re threatening consequences and retribution instead of asking me what in the fuck is going on tells me everything I need to know.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t¡ª¡± Adin started to say.


    ¡°Where we go,¡± Lucas answered, ignoring him. ¡°Too little, too late. You fucked up, and you thought I wouldn¡¯t be around to notice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d believe the word of that dwarf over me?¡± Adin asked.


    ¡°Every day of the week,¡± Lucas answered. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s my fault, I knew you¡¯d steal a little, but I didn¡¯t have a better answer. This, though - it''s too much.¡±


    ¡°A Parin would never steal!¡± the noble shot back. ¡°I may have repurposed some funds, but then a third of all of this is mine. It''s hardly theft when I¡¯m simply securing my fair share.¡±


    ¡°Fair share, huh? That¡¯s what we¡¯re going with?¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have Kar¡¯gandin note that in his books and¡ª¡±


    ¡°The man is a twice damned thief,¡± Adin cursed. ¡°You know that. A smuggler and a thief!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Lucas agreed. ¡°But since you want to talk about the good old days, then remind me, what was it you were in that dungeon for?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Adin¡¯s mouth moved up and down, but no words came out as the gears in his head started to spin. He might be a weasel, but when it came to things like this, he was clever enough.


    ¡°Listen,¡± he started again. ¡°I can imagine what it is that the Prince might have told you, but I can assure you that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Offering your sister up to a man like that just because you enjoy spending money more than you enjoy making it?¡± Lucas said, not bothering to hide his disgust. ¡°I don¡¯t want you near her. Honestly, I don¡¯t want you living under the same roof as her.¡±


    That threat wasn¡¯t nearly enough for his boiling blood. Lucas wanted to thrash the man. He wanted to bounce him off the walls until he was begging and bleeding. He didn¡¯t, though. He kept his rage on ice while he tried to work out what the smart thing to do was.


    ¡°You think you can kick me out of my own house?¡± Adin answered. ¡°This manor is mine by title and deed. I mean to move my wife here in a few weeks time, after a short honeymoon, of course. Not even the Prince would step in to remove a Viscount from his own abode.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Lucas said, agreeing with that assessment for once. ¡°Then we¡¯ll move her out. And when all of this is said and done, you can stand on your own two feet like the proud Viscount you are.¡±


    Honestly, Lucas wanted to strangle the man, but given the relationship with the Whisperers, that was not wise. Moving Danaria away from him, though, that was a fine plan. After all, if they could move Danaria away, they could move the lab too, and once they did that, there was no reason not to cut Adin off completely or at least be able to if necessary. It made for a fine threat.


    ¡°What do you mean, my own two feet?¡± Adin said, his eyes narrowing as his racing mind seemed to reach a similar conclusion to Lucas¡¯s.


    ¡°I mean what I said,¡± Lucas smiled, standing once more. He hadn¡¯t kicked the man¡¯s ass as he¡¯d planned, but he certainly felt better about the whole thing. ¡°I didn¡¯t have to help you after you got shot. I didn¡¯t have to ride out here and save your life, and I certainly don¡¯t have to keep carrying you. Do you want to be a part of this thing? Then, be useful. You want to sit around and spend money you don''t have and didn''t do much to earn? Well, that''s an option, too, but not for a hell of a lot longer.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Adin responded, looking a little angry. That was pretty typical. Addicts usually got pissed when you told them the gravy train was over.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you what happens next,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug as he turned to the door. ¡°A threat would be reminding you that every man guarding your home is being paid by me. A threat would be explaining how Hura¡¯gh would probably make sure you disappear forever for free. A threat would be reminding you that the only reason you¡¯re still breathing is because of a political alliance of questionable value now that I¡¯m on a first-name basis with the ruler of the kingdom.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t all true, of course. The Prince might do him a solid, but the price would certainly be high, and Hura¡¯gh would happily rip Adin to pieces, though he¡¯d certainly charge for the service. It didn¡¯t need to be true, though. It just needed to be frightening, and Lucas didn¡¯t have to turn around to see that he¡¯d hit his mark.


    Outside, Lucas found the manservant he¡¯d dismissed so roughly standing there along with Gerwin and one of the aforementioned guards. ¡°I trust that Master Parin is still fit to be dressed and resume his duties?¡± Gerwin asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Lucas said, flashing the three of them his best shit-eating grin. ¡°He and I just had a lot of catching up to do, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Gerwin agreed dubiously.


    Lucas left them there, noting the confusion about what it was they were supposed to do in a situation like that. Adin might not like it, but they reflected the truth. Whether he was a Parin or not, Lucas was the real master of this house. At least he was for now. If that snake Arissa was going to be living here, though, well, maybe it would be for the best if his operation started moving out to somewhere a little more secure.


    Given all the money they¡¯d invested in repairing the old place, it seemed like a terrible waste. That said, it was going to be nigh impossible to keep any secrets from her watchful eyes once she had a run of the place, and she¡¯d figure out the trick to the cider house in no time with all the traffic coming and going from there even if Adin didn¡¯t spill the beans first.


    The whole idea gave him a headache. This wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d come home to discuss and was a waste of his valuable time. Still, it needed to be done and was better done now than six months from now when the Torvins had already made their move, whatever that was going to be.


    Lucas tried to look on the bright side. Now, he had the perfect excuse to sit down with Danaria and chat for a while. The fact that he had to figure out how to suggest that she consider moving out of her ancestral home¡­ well, that was something he¡¯d figure out along the way.

 Ch. 96 - Future Plans

    ¡°You want me to move in with you?¡± Danaria asked, almost spitting out her tea in surprise as the two of them sat in the second-story drawing room, chatting.


    She looked at him with such shock that he might as well have asked her to come back to his place, which, in a way, he did, he realized belatedly. Even if it was by accident, the idea of cohabitating was pretty alien to the idea of the upper crust of this world.


    She and Lucas had spent a couple hours there, and though the maid was there just often enough that he wasn¡¯t tempted to do more than talk, which was fine. Danaria was a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else in his life, and especially after spending so much time with a grumpy gnome, he¡¯d be perfectly happy to listen to her talk at length about whatever she wanted.


    When he¡¯d apologized for making her go out night after night in the cold to retrieve messages, she¡¯d just smiled and told him about the way it felt to fly using different sets of wings. She was just always so positive and more interested in discussing the challenge that some bird had working the scraps of paper out of the crack in his window where he¡¯d left them and carrying them off in their tiny beaks without dropping them than discussing any discomfort on her part.


    Well, usually she was positive, at least. She¡¯d blushed and switched that topic quickly enough when he mentioned stroking the one bird that he¡¯d brought in from the cold. She immediately started telling him about how Meadowin was doing. She went on and on about the tailor¡¯s daughter and the cobbler¡¯s new apprentice. After that, she talked about the new greengrocer and how well the market was doing.


    She would have gone on forever about the clinic that his favorite red-headed herbalist opened if Lucas had eventually stopped her and said, ¡°I was thinking that maybe we move there sometime soon. Or, if Meadowin isn¡¯t fancy enough, we could look at Lordanin, of course.¡±


    That¡¯s what caused the outburst, and she looked at him in shock for a moment before she finally managed to sputter, ¡°Is that what you call a proposal?¡±


    ¡°I mean, that can come later¡­¡± he started to say before she blushed a shade darker.


    ¡°You know what? Let me try again,¡± he said finally because he didn¡¯t like where this was going.


    ¡°This is not a conversation about marriage. Not today,¡± he said, speaking slowly and trying to get her to calm down. The idea that you couldn¡¯t date someone and see if you were really compatible in this world and instead had to just marry them and see how it went was crazy to him, but this wasn¡¯t the time for that discussion. ¡°This isn¡¯t about me, or even you, really. It¡¯s about your brother. He¡¯s getting married soon and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you¡¯ll be there for the wedding, won¡¯t you?¡± she asked, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m told it will be very festive despite the winter gloom. They even hired a mage to grow flowers and grass at the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sadly, the timing will not allow me to be there,¡± Lucas lied, ¡°But I hope it''s a wonderful day and you have a great time. But after the wedding, they¡¯ll be moving here, and it''s probably better for the newlyweds if we give them as much space as possible, at least starting out, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°So then you¡¯d move your¡ª¡± Guilelessly, she''d started to talk about things she shouldn¡¯t in front of the maid, and Lucas quickly cut her off.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about moving everything off the estate,¡± he quickly clarified. ¡°You, me, Hura¡¯gh and Kar¡¯gandin¡­ everything. We don¡¯t have to live together. Not at first, but I was just thinking that we should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Meadowin,¡± she said finally. ¡°If I get a say, I¡¯d much prefer to live among the people than in the city proper. It¡¯s so crowded there.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you get a say?¡± Lucas asked, taken aback by her choice of words.


    ¡°Well, Adin, and even you tend to just tell me what¡¯s going to happen next,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°What I want doesn¡¯t always seem to matter.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t said it to be mean, but even so, it slipped between Lucas¡¯s ribs like a knife. He hadn¡¯t told her what to do specifically or anything, but he had gotten into the habit of bossing around pretty much everyone these days, and she was part of everyone.


    I¡¯m going to have to work on that, he thought to himself. He could save beating himself up for later, though. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to talk it through with Kar¡¯gandin, but I figured we¡¯d just build something from scratch, so if you want a big picture window or whatever, just let him know, and he¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re building a house¡­ for me?¡± she asked, taken aback. ¡°You can¡¯t, Lucas. That¡¯s really too much.¡±


    ¡°Well, for us, and it will have some¡­ business purposes to it as well, but you shouldn¡¯t have to deal with that aspect too much,¡± he said, smiling as he reached across the coffee table to take her hand. ¡°This will take a long time, and I don¡¯t think they can even start until the spring, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a cottage or a townhome we can rent for you until everything is ready.¡±


    Danaria quickly moved past the shock and disbelief, and once she finished peppering him with questions about the whole thing, she was somewhat on board. She didn¡¯t even seem to mind the idea of an alchemical laboratory in the basement so long as he continued to work on healing potions and cosmetic products, which he promised to do.


    He wondered if the glowing screens in his head would count any of those as real potions or not. The answer to that probably lay in how closely he followed the approved alchemist guild recipes, but that made no sense at all.


    When their conversation was at an end, and the teapot was completely empty, he finally left her to return to the cider house, but he only left the parlor after a very long hug. It was funny because he was supposed to be discussing an escape plan to get her away from her brother, but what he¡¯d really ended up talking about was building a life together.


    It wasn¡¯t like that on the surface, of course, but as the conversation wound through, the minimum amount of servants a household could really get by on and how many place settings a proper dining room must have. Hidden in the sweeps of those details was a life that might easily become their life if he didn¡¯t get himself killed dealing with the Prince, the Torvins, or whoever else might have a grudge against him.


    When he told the dwarf and the half-orc about his plan that afternoon, they were fairly positive. ¡°Makes sense to me,¡± Kar¡¯gandin nodded as he scribbled some calculations down in his ledger. ¡°We¡¯d spend a lot of coin on the facilities you describe, but they¡¯re doable enough, and if we paid that back by cutting our Viscount out of the loop, we¡¯d be in a profit inside the year, and if we built a larger lab and hired more people then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, that would be hard to hide,¡± Lucas said with a frown. ¡°We pretty much own that village, but we don¡¯t want to hang up a shingle that says drug lab here.¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Kar¡¯gandin agreed, stroking his beard. ¡°I was thinking, more like we pay for a writ from the guilds to open up a small shop that¡¯s officially allowed to make potions and the like. Cassara could run it, and make it seem like it''s all above board.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d be paying a lot of taxes for that kind of camouflage,¡± Lucas mused. ¡°Maybe even more than we pay the Knights of Brass for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, we paid them plenty when we burned down that brothel,¡± Hura¡¯gh chuckled. ¡°Fighting in the streets for days after that, but as long as we keep the whole thing away from the nice parts of town, no one cares too much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sort of the way things are,¡± Lucas agreed, remembering the Prince and the cold lens he saw the world through. He probably wouldn¡¯t care if a whole district erupted into open warfare as long as he got his cut. ¡°Just the same, we sent a message, and now we can try to keep a lower profile. I don¡¯t want to be fighting every gang in the whole damn city; I just want people to know that we are not to be fucked with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get that,¡± Hura¡¯gh agreed, ¡°The only thing I don¡¯t get is why you don¡¯t just kill the man. Adin, I mean. Just put him out of his misery already and be done with it. We have fourteen-year-old runners working for us with more balls than that guy.¡±


    ¡°Aye, our misery too, eh?¡± Kar¡¯gandin blurted out after that. They both laughed at that, and Lucas nodded.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be sorry to see him go, but who knows what that would do to our relationship with the Whisperers,¡± Lucas answered. ¡°That¡¯s why I think we should start to diversify our shit. I¡¯m not saying we should go legit or anything. I¡¯m just saying we should have other backup plans and products in case, you know, the worst should happen.¡±


    ¡°You mean with the Prince,¡± Kar¡¯gandin answered.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°Who else.¡±


    He¡¯d told them both about some of the things that were at play with this new complication, both when he¡¯d come back the first time and this morning, but he told them both a little more now. Mostly, that was in terms of how the Prince was going to want them to start paying a lot of cash under the table. Neither of them were too happy about that.


    ¡°So we won¡¯t be making more if we cut Adin out,¡± Hura¡¯gh said finally, ¡°We¡¯re just giving the cut of one asshole who ain¡¯t doin¡¯ shit to another asshole who gonna ain¡¯t do shit.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°but at least when we pay the Prince he makes the guards look the other way, so at least there¡¯s that.¡±


    Lucas had come out here to get started cooking up a new batch. He¡¯d been eager to see how his new skills translated to his old equipment. He wanted to know what part of the improvement was due to his increased skill and what percentage was due to the gnome¡¯s gear and the laboratory''s location dangling in midair like that.


    He never quite got to it, though. Instead, he spent the afternoon shooting the shit with Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh about every topic under the sun. It was a conversation that needed to happen, of course. Hell, they were all conversations that needed to happen, and by the end of the day, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like time slipped through his fingers.


    Tomorrow, I¡¯m going to have to do something about that, he decided. There''s only a few more days before I have to head back, and I¡¯ve got lots of shit to do between now and then.

 Ch. 97 - The Grind

    For the next two days, Lucas did very little which didn¡¯t involve cooking up blue. He went upstairs every few hours for more barrels or vials at first, but eventually, Hura¡¯gh figured out the intervals and just brought them downstairs into the laboratory without being asked. That sped things up a little. After the first day, Lucas stopped eating upstairs with them, too.


    It wasn¡¯t that he feared that he might not be able to make enough to cover his absence for the foreseeable future or anything, though. He¡¯d already bottled enough blue in the first eighteen hours, and he¡¯d already made sure that they¡¯d had enough until summer started, thanks to the amount he could water the stuff down at this point. No, he was in the zone.


    Lucas might have been a junkie and a criminal for half his life. He was certainly still a piece of shit on some level, but now that he had a real lab and a little theory, he was somewhere between a perfectionist and an experimenter, too. Not in the stuffy way that Heisenburgle was, either.


    Every batch he made over the next two days was a little different. Sometimes, he heated up the reagents a little more before he mixed them together. Sometimes, he cooled them to near freezing instead, just to try to tweak the recipes a little further toward perfection. It was a process that was almost as addictive as the drug itself, to him at least.


    Most of the time, nine times out of ten, in fact, according to the journal he was keeping, his changes would do nothing, and half the time, the changes would be bad. They would introduce more poison, or decrease the euphoria at the expense of adding other attributes or effects that weren¡¯t particularly desirable.


    This was usually in the form of intelligence or endurance, and none of them was so drastic that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sell the stuff. It wasn¡¯t like the crazy batches that the gnome had made that were downright lethal. Still, on his 24th batch, he succeeded in lowering the poison from 2 to 1, and on his 37th, he was finally able to get the euphoria up to 16.


    In the former case, he managed to isolate the portion of goblin bile that was paradoxically the most toxic and apparently reactive by leaving it outside for a couple of hours and letting frost distillation do its work. In the latter case, he drifted off to sleep for a few minutes and let the fire beneath the final solution burn down far lower than he meant to. This let the potion boil down longer without losing so many volatiles and gave him ideas about how he could further develop the recipe if only he had access to a vacuum chamber or pressurization.


    Through all of this was only a single distraction: the damn system.


    I don¡¯t think this is what you meant to make. +10 exp.


    This isn¡¯t a recipe, you know. +10 exp.


    One of your reagents might have gone bad. +10 exp.


    It was the words in his head that mocked him every step of the way. He shouldn¡¯t have let it get to him, but now and then, he did. Especially when he succeeded at making the recipe better, and all it did was mock him again. At this point, he was pretty sure that if he took the time to improve one of the potions from the gnome¡¯s books, he¡¯d get the same results, which made no sense in a sane world.


    ¡°This world isn¡¯t necessarily sane, though,¡± he reminded himself regularly.


    Still, even if the little pop-ups didn¡¯t care for what he was doing, the results spoke for themselves. The potion no longer practically glowed when he made it; now it actually did. If he extinguished all the lanterns in the room, it fluoresced brightly for several minutes before it slowly dimmed to something like the blue potion with cyan glints he¡¯d made so many times before.


    He even brought Kar¡¯gandin and Hura¡¯gh down to take a look at one point just to show off the improvements he¡¯d made.


    ¡°Ye figure out how to add magic to your herbalism, laddie?¡± the dwarf asked with a little concern.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Lucas said with a shrug, ¡°the gnome just taught me a couple tricks to making this shit even purer.¡±


    ¡°So then we can dilute it a bit more now?¡± the dwarf asked, regaining the glint of greed in his eyes.


    ¡°We have to; something this potent would kill someone if they tried to drink it,¡± Lucas answered. ¡°This way though¡ª¡±


    ¡°An orc would be strong enough,¡± Hura¡¯gh chimed in, predictably. ¡°Nothing is too poisonous for us.¡±


    Lucas thought about refuting that statement but decided it wasn¡¯t worth the trouble. Instead, he said, ¡°Yeah, but orcs would be smart enough not to drink intensely addictive substances, now wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    That at least got a smug nod from the man, but Lucas continued before Hura¡¯gh could pontificate about how smart orcs were for the hundredth time. ¡°The point is, it¡¯s basically twice as strong now as it was when we started. Which means every time I brew, I can make two kegs of the cheap stuff for the Knights of Brass or one of the good stuff for our more exclusive clientele.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t bother to explain that it was slightly less toxic now, too, because they wouldn¡¯t care. He only cared for more esoteric reasons, really. If a junkie got sick, then as far as he was concerned, that was pretty much what they deserved. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    He appreciated it more for a sense of perfectionism in general and, more specifically, as a clue that he was on the right trail toward the ¡°perfect¡± recipe. He didn¡¯t know if such a thing existed, of course, but that didn¡¯t stop him from trying.


    It was only after he¡¯d completely exhausted their stores of goblin bile and they were running low on wizened gnome caps that he finally stopped his brewing rampage. He let Kar¡¯gandin know exactly what they needed to prioritize once the weather improved, but on the plus side, they had close to two thousand doses of the good stuff, which was enough to get them through the summer at the current pace. It was a literal fortune, and he looked forward to turning it into cash.


    If stocks held out, he might brew a few barrels in the summer and work with the Prince to sell them abroad. Lucas didn¡¯t really like the idea of expanding his hold on the market any more than he had already, but if he was hooking people far away, then that wouldn¡¯t be so bad.


    What Danaria doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt her, he decided, and he finally took a real break and had dinner in the main house again with her.


    He¡¯d been looking forward to seeing her, but Adin¡¯s mere presence soured Lucas¡¯s mood and, eventually, his stomach. Eventually, he excused himself and went to bed early, feigning exhaustion, but the truth was he couldn¡¯t even look at the man anymore and could only barely tolerate his existence. Danaria looked worried by that, but he assured her, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with me that sleep can¡¯t fix.¡±


    Even there, in a soft bed, though, sleep didn¡¯t come. As a result, Lucas ended up staying awake for half the night studying his system interface.


    First, he looked at the achievements interface, desperately wishing he could drill down further into some of the options. Wishing didn¡¯t make it a reality, though, and the thing stone-walled him. Still, he found himself returning to the same option again and again as he went through the thing: Practice makes perfect.


    Practice makes perfect: 91% Different failed potions created will help you learn what you did wrong that much faster!


    It, frustratingly, had not moved at all since he¡¯d last looked at it at Blackgate, which didn¡¯t make much sense, given how many times he¡¯d failed to make a correct potion between now and then, according to his system.


    ¡°Maybe I need to fail to make a bunch of different potions,¡± he whispered to himself as he stared up at the dark ceiling.


    It certainly seemed useful. Given how often the thing said he failed, he would love some insight into exactly why he failed or what he needed to do to not fail, even though he had no idea how exactly that would work.


    Eventually, he raised his intelligence by one point, just to see what that would do, but he regretted it almost immediately because it seemed pointless. Lucas certainly didn¡¯t feel smarter with an intelligence of 15 than he had with 14.


    ¡°What are these numbers even supposed to mean?¡± he sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that there was a help file. Eventually, he was able to pull up additional details on the intelligence attribute, but it did little to enlighten him.


    Intelligence: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. The amount of mental ability you are able to bring to bear to solve problems. Current rating is above average, with a slight bonus to certain related skills.


    What was a related skill, on the other hand, was an open question. Lucas found a similar screen for each other attribute, and read them. Eventually, that was enough to figure out that the average was around 10 somewhere. They were about what he expected. Only the description on appearance made him laugh when it noted that he was ¡®significantly below average, and likely to repulse strangers.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, like women haven¡¯t been telling me that my whole life,¡± he chuckled to himself.


    Eventually, all other options explored, and sleep nowhere in sight, he turned his attention back to the perks and advantages, which were things he could actually buy. There was something he actually needed to buy before he went out with Danaria tomorrow, but he didn¡¯t remember exactly what it was called.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly in a hurry looking for it. So, he took his time looking through any option that sounded good to him. Tough as Nails, Superior Scavenger, Extraordinarily Perceptive All sounded interesting to him. Inured to Hardship seemed interesting at first, but he realized it would make good food and comfortable beds just as bland and endurable as starving. He didn¡¯t see why anyone would want it.


    Tough as Nails - This feat makes all pain feel half as strong as it otherwise would. This is a passive effect. Taken multiple times, it will assist in blood loss and recovery against illness.


    Superior Scavenger - This feat will reveal the closest source of a chosen reagent within one mile so you can find exactly what you are looking for. This feat uses mana for the duration you upkeep it.


    Extraordinarily Perceptive - With this perk, one can see what others miss. Details will stand out more than ever before.


    Inured to Hardship - With this ability, discomfort no longer bothers you. You may sleep on the floor or a feather bed, and you will be just as satisfied as you would be as if you¡¯d experience the bare minimum for these requirements. Additionally, with food and water, one can¡­


    Recalling the comment that Kar¡¯gandin made about adding magic to the vials, Lucas eventually found one that would let him learn limited magic, but the price seemed much too high. Most of these cost one or two points, but the cost of using magic seemed to be five or ten points, depending on which version he chose. There were even some divine variants related to worshiping gods, but he wasn¡¯t especially interested in those and skipped them.


    Lesser Elementalism - This feat will allow you to learn and use lower-tier spells of a single elemental sphere.


    Low Magic - This feat allows you to learn and use lower-tier spells.


    Eventually, shortly before he fell asleep, as false dawn was coloring the sky, he found and selected Superior Forager. Though Lucas already had a small collection of miscellaneous herbs collected for Heisenburgle, he was sure that there were more strange winter reagents he could collect to add to that collection before he headed back in a couple of days.


    Superior Forager - This feat will let you detect all reagents within a quarter mile to make your task of finding them that much easier. This feat uses mana for the duration that you upkeep it.

 Ch. 98 - A Walk to Remember

    When he sprung the idea of a wintry walk on Danaria over breakfast, she was just as excited as he hoped she would be. ¡°Of course, I want to go on a walk with you. What¡¯s the occasion?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just got herbs to gather,¡± he said vaguely, as he decided not to mention the new power he wanted to try.


    Lucas had turned it on briefly this morning to test it, and it had created a map in his head, for lack of a better word. It wasn¡¯t visual so much as it was a feeling, but there had definitely been clusters of interest nearby. He¡¯d selected several but quickly met with disappointment as he realized he was picking up the ingredients in his lab under the cider house and the spices in the cook¡¯s spice rack in the kitchen.


    He should have expected that, of course, but there were other dots further away, indicating that there were things that might yet be found, even amidst the orchard. Flicking through them, he saw a number of weak reagents he already recognized, so there was no need to hunt them down. These included sharp burr seeds, poison holly berries, and aged owl pellets. He might yet find things of greater interest further abroad, though.


    ¡°But there¡¯s snow on the ground,¡± she laughed. ¡°What is it you hope to find?¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are rare herbs that only grow in the winter,¡± he said with a wolfish grin, ¡°Or maybe I need rare icicles to prepare my latest potion¡­¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± she asked, more than a little amused.


    Lucas would have paid good money then for a great punchline, but he didn¡¯t have one. Instead, he said, ¡°I dunno. We¡¯ll know when we find the right ingredients.¡±


    This made her laugh anyway. It was clear to Lucas that she thought the whole affair was an excuse to get her alone, just as it was equally obvious that she was down for it.


    After that, the discussion devolved into what they should pack for the picnic lunch that Danaria insisted they have. Lucas was fine with some taking some food, but given the temperatures outside, he didn¡¯t think that the atmosphere would be romantic enough for them to lounge around on a blanket even in the afternoon when it was a little warmer.


    He was still trying to find the right way to tell her this when Gerwin said, ¡°And will the two of you be requiring a chaperone?¡±


    ¡°During the day, Gerwin?¡± Danaria asked while Lucas suppressed a laugh at the very idea. ¡°I should think not.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡± the man started to say.


    ¡°Lighten up, Jeeves; the worst we might do is hold hands,¡± Lucas said, noting that even that scandalous activity was enough to make Danaria blush visibly for a moment.


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± she agreed. ¡°We¡¯re adults, and we can behave ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Very good, mistress,¡± he answered stiffly after a moment. He clearly wasn¡¯t happy about it, but ultimately, it wasn¡¯t his decision.


    The two of them took their time, talking and eating, but about the time that Adin got out of bed, they both spontaneously decided it was time to get ready. So, Danaria changed out of her dress to something more weather-appropriate, and Lucas gathered the knives and baskets he thought he would need for the short expedition.


    ¡°You want me to come with you, Boss?¡± Mort asked.


    Lucas was about to tell him not to bother, but the Hura¡¯gh chimed in instead. ¡°The man was going into the woods with his lady. Clearly, the last thing he wants is more company.¡±


    Lucas would have phrased the same idea a little more delicately, but he still laughed along with them. The truth was that he was looking forward to spending time alone with Danaria. He just didn¡¯t expect anything untoward to happen. This was just a cute little outing for the two of them to spend some time together without the chance that her brother would join the mix.


    Nevertheless, he still left the cider house under a withering barrage of good-natured jokes and lewd innuendo from the three of them. When he returned to the house, Danaria was in the kitchen cheerfully gathering the sandwiches they¡¯d take with them from the chef.


    After that, it didn¡¯t take them long to get started. Alone, Lucas would have just walked, but with Danaria, he opted to go on horseback at least part of the way. It wasn¡¯t a long walk to the Greenwood, after all, but with the best part of a foot of snow on the ground, it would have been exhausting to walk through.


    For the first half hour, they rode across the orchard to the main road and then down it a ways as they headed toward the tower where Lucas had almost died last year. Along the way, she talked about the kind of home she¡¯d like to have built. Apparently, She¡¯d given it a lot of thought since they¡¯d spoken of it the other day.


    Given her wardrobe, he would have expected that her requests would have been mostly frivolous, but other than a desire to have some stained glass put in her bedroom windows with a songbird motif, they were mostly reasonable and utilitarian.


    ¡°I liked what you said about the storefront, but I was thinking, especially if I¡¯m in the village, we¡¯ll be receiving petitioners all the time, so I think we¡¯ll need a dedicated parlor for just such I thing,¡± she argued. She spent more time stressing how she didn¡¯t want the thing to stand out too much, though not in the way that Lucas had in mind when he was talking about making a surreptitious base of operations. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to feel like we¡¯re lording over the other people of the village, you know?¡± she explained. ¡°That would be incredibly rude, and subjects or not, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d take kindly to it.¡±


    Lucas nodded and commented occasionally, but he was more focused on his ability now. It took some concentration to keep on, the same way that his ring did, and he found it difficult to do other things while he focused on the reagents it was detecting.


    As it turned out, the pickings were slim. There were plenty of roots and barks of various types and more than a few seeds. Amusingly, the nuts and acorns were in clusters that almost certainly marked the lairs of hibernating rodents. As funny as he thought that would be to check, the last thing he planned to do was wake up a squirrel to steal its dinner.


    They kept riding for a while after that while he figured out how to slowly filter the undesirable results from his list. He finally stopped when he finally found some lamspur moss. It almost certainly had nothing to do with blue, but it was an excellent healing compound.


    Lampsur Moss: Endurance 2, healing 2, strength -1. Can be used raw on an open wound if necessary. 50% more effective against bleeding damage and other blood diseases in potion form.


    ¡°Did you finally find just the right icicle?¡± Danaria teased.


    She was only slightly more impressed when he cleared away the snow around a fallen log and came up with chunks of deep red moss. ¡°The perfect icicle remains elusive,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°But this will be pretty useful.¡±


    ¡°Really? What¡¯s it for?¡± she asked.


    Lucas spent the next few minutes explaining the moss to her. Eventually, that led to other healing herbs. He spent at least an hour explaining all the different sorts of healing potions he knew of and how they were good for different things.


    ¡°I had no idea you knew so much about this,¡± she said, brightening. ¡°I thought you mostly just made¡­ you know.¡±


    ¡°Well, I learned some stuff from Cassara,¡± he nodded, sidestepping the issue, ¡°But the first potion I ever learned how to make was a healing potion. I¡¯ve been doing it for a long time. There¡¯s just not a lot of money in it. Well, not enough anyway.¡±


    Truthfully, there was a lot of money in it. That was the reason they functioned as such an effective bribe to the population as a whole. Even more than gold, his bootleg red potions were doing a good job of cementing his control of the region. Medicine was expensive, but he could make it cheap, and everyone knew someone with a condition or ailment.


    Sometime after that, they had their lunch. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s so meager,¡± Danaria said several times since it was only rolls with cold meat and cheese, but Lucas had no problem with that. It was more than he would have brought if he¡¯d come out here by himself. They even had some wine to go with it, which was almost enough to make him laugh out loud.


    ¡°Any meal that¡¯s served with wine isn¡¯t something you can complain about,¡± he assured her. ¡°I think that¡¯s a rule.¡±


    ¡°A rule, is it?¡± she asked, looking at him sternly.


    ¡°Yeah, a rule,¡± he insisted. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s written down somewhere, and if it isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll do it when I get back.¡±


    He almost kissed her when she laughed then, but a gust of wind came through, making her pull away as she sought protection from it behind a tree. Had he been smoother, he would have¡­


    But I¡¯m not, Lucas thought to himself. Smooth isn¡¯t on my list of skills.


    After they¡¯d packed up lunch, they continued looking for new ingredients. He found some verdant pond scum but decided that he didn¡¯t want to carry around melting ice with him, so he left it behind. He did take arrow root with him, which was a common enough anti-poison and a couple rarer components he¡¯d only seen a few times before. The only one that was actually new to him, though, was the Moonflower.


    Arrow Root: poison - 3, makes any potion containing it twice as bitter.


    Fae Toadstools: mana 3, poison 2, 10% chance of vivid hallucinations. Side effects are more likely to occur on the night of a full moon.


    Motes of True Ice: +3 endurance, -2 agility, strongly water aspected. Strongly air-aspected. Dissipates in above-freezing conditions.


    Lucas had been forced to walk out onto thin ice to grab that one. It was a lilly in a pond, and though the cold should have long since withered it to nothing, it hadn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t know how to explain that. He didn¡¯t even try. Instead, when Danaria asked about it, he just said, ¡°And you didn¡¯t think that flowers bloomed in the winter,¡± in a sarcastic tone.


    Moonflower: -1 poison, catalyst. Damaged by direct sunlight.


    Truthfully, he didn¡¯t know when it bloomed, but he was tempted to look for more. That was doubly true when he noticed that it was a catalyst. It wasn¡¯t the only catalyst he¡¯d ever found the Greenwood, but that was a pretty short list.


    He was almost so completely distracted by the engrossed in studying it that he only vaguely registered a new reagent popping up not so far from him on his mental map. Lucas should have checked it immediately because it was strange for something to just appear like that now that he¡¯d eliminated so much from his map, but the sunlight had come out through the clouds in the leaden sky just then, and the rays of the setting sun framed Danaria so perfectly while she spoke that he almost interrupted her with a kiss.


    It was only an afterthought that he saw that the new component was listed as horse blood. That took him a moment to parse, but as soon as he realized there was only one nearby source of horses, that he and Danaria had tethered to a tree not so far away a few hours ago, he instantly understood. Something was hungry, and it was coming for them.


    Lucas whirled and interposed himself between his woman and danger just as the first of the goblins crept out from behind the tree they¡¯d been hiding behind as it prepared to ambush them. No, not goblins, he realized. Hobgoblins. He swallowed at that. Hobs were the bigger, uglier cousins of gobs, and while they weren¡¯t the size of men or orcs, they were more than worth their weight in gobs.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Lucas growled, drawing his sword, even as the thing drew up to its full height and one of its friends started to appear behind it. ¡°Danaria. We got company. Keep a lookout for more of them.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ what should I¡­¡± she started to stammer as he took up a defensive stance and sized up his opponents as they started to spread out. ¡°No! We should run. We should make our way to the horses.¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her that the horses were already dead. No, the only way they were getting out of this was a fight.

 Bonus Chapter: Ch. 99 - A Walk to Remember (part 2)

    Lucas backed slowly away from the ugly pair, dragging Danaria with him. The two hobgoblins followed him, snarling and spreading out as they went. One only had its claws, and the other had a blade that was rusted and broken. Neither had half the reach of his sword.


    Each time one would get closer, he would swing his blade to ward them off. He had no doubt that he could beat them, but fighting them while he defended someone else was going to be a lot harder.


    He cursed himself for not bringing along anyone else with him. Even with the Greenwood largely purged of goblins, there were still spiders, owlbears, and whatever else rattling around here. You know that, he berated himself as he tried to figure out the best move. You send guards with your foraging parties to make sure people don¡¯t disappear. His dumb ass had decided that all the monsters would just hibernate like bears when there was snow on the ground.


    Lucas looked left and right, trying to make sure there weren¡¯t any more sneaking up on them. He couldn¡¯t see anymore, but he could hear the sounds of crunching snow moving through the shadows when he finally decided the best way to handle this.


    ¡°There,¡± he shouted, nodding his head to the side. ¡°Climb that tree until this is done.¡±


    ¡°You want me to what?¡± Danaria gasped, scandalized. ¡°Climb a tree?¡±


    ¡°It beats getting stabbed, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Lucas shot back.


    A look of panic crossed her innocent face at that moment, and she turned and started climbing immediately. He was glad he¡¯d chosen that word instead of other, more likely ones.


    These things had no interest in killing them. They didn¡¯t want to rob them. They wanted to rip them to pieces and devour their still-steaming entrails. Those weren¡¯t images that belonged in Danaria¡¯s pretty little head, though. Let her worry about ruining her dress, he told himself as he fumbled with his pouch to pull out one of the boost potions he always carried with him. That can be the worst of it as far as she¡¯s concerned.


    Long Lasting Combat Flask (2 doses): Agility 2, strength 1, poison 1, lasts for four hours. Unable to sleep for the duration of the effect.


    No sooner had he drunk that and tossed the metal flask aside than a second group of two more joined the first, all but surrounding him. One of the newcomers carried a crude stone-tipped spear that he was sure it would hurt like hell to get stabbed with.


    The smart thing to do was run. He knew that. He was a foot or two taller than these things, and if they didn¡¯t catch him with a surprise pounce at the very start, he¡¯d leave them in the dust. With Danaria, though, there was no chance. Her skirts would drag in the snow, and they¡¯d be on them in no time.


    So, he had to fight, but at least with her temporarily out of reach, he was free to move to the fullest, and he did. Lucas took a moment to stumble back, acting like he was afraid of the reinforcements; then, as soon as the closest two charged him, he whirled, gutting one as he felt the strength from his elixir start to flow through him.


    Lucas had made a lot of progress toward mastering the blade in the last two seasons. Against a trained opponent, he still had a long way to go, as Sir Milen proved with regularity. Against these things, though, well, all they had on him was raw brutality.


    The first one staggered back when Lucas all but disemboweled it as it struggled to understand what just happened. The second tried to take advantage of Lucas¡¯s distraction and attack his exposed right side under his guard.


    There was no way to bring his blade back around in time, so he brought his elbow down hard on its face. Then, while it was stunned, he kicked it as he retreated a step back.


    It charged a second time, with the other newcomers in pursuit, but this time, he was ready, and he brought his sword down, letting the thing impale itself on his blade as it charged, screaming a second time.


    Lucas smiled viciously, feeling pretty smart about that maneuver. The feeling only lasted as long as it took for him to realize he¡¯d never get the blade free before the other two were on him. Cursing, he released it and drew the short four-inch knife that he carried for harvesting.


    This is exactly the wrong weapon to be fighting these animals with, he told himself, but there was nothing for it. He¡¯d come back for the sword when they gave him an opening to.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    They didn¡¯t, though. For the next few minutes, all he could do was exhaust himself, with feint after wild slash after dodge as the one without weapons ran him ragged, and the one with the spear kept him hemmed in.


    Twice, they might have done more than shred his cloak or force him to retreat, though. Both times, he was saved as his foes were forced to retreat when an angry hawk dove at their faces. It was no mystery to Lucas that those bouts of luck were almost certainly Danaria¡¯s doing, and he thanked her silently as he pressed the attack and looked to take advantage of those openings.


    He got a few stray hits in, but on the whole, he felt like he wasn¡¯t doing much with just his knife. It was a nightmare situation. Eventually, he had to pop his flask of endurance, too, after a bit, just so he could keep this up. Lucas had no idea that he¡¯d relied so much on reach up until this point, but apparently, he did. His long arms and his long sword let him dictate the conditions of the battle, but without it, he was just down to potions, or was he.


    During a vicious exchange with the panting hobgoblin, Lucas chose to take a series of gashes on his off arm instead of his face while he delivered a vicious stab to the thing''s chest. Not even that was enough to stop it, but it did make it retreat for a moment. As his eyes looked past the blood, he noticed something he hadn¡¯t thought about in a long time: the ring.


    ¡°You mother bitch,¡± Lucas yelled, wondering how long he could wait to take a healing potion before that shit got infected.


    There¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t use this in a fight, right? He wondered, looking at it. The concentration would be a bitch, of course, but¡­


    Lucas tensed up as if he was about to go right, then he willed the Ring of Vanishing to life. He flickered out of existence, but only for a moment. As soon as he juked left and his blade made contact with his enemy, he reappeared, but the instant was all he needed. Green blood sprayed across the snow as the hobgoblin¡¯s head almost came off, and it collapsed in a heap.


    That was enough to make the last one growl warily as it tried to figure out what happened. ¡°You like that, asshole?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°You¡¯re next.¡±


    With those words, Lucas concentrated again and winked out of existence. For a moment, he just stood there, trying to catch his breath while he watched his enemy spaz out. It started dodging, weaving, and, more than anything else, stabbing at midair. The thing whirled viciously, sure that Lucas was about to spring from nowhere, but all he was doing was catching his breath.


    He waited until the thing started to slow down and show signs of its own exhaustion. Then, he took two quick steps forward. Then he faded into view as he embedded the full length of his knife in the thing¡¯s eye with one hand as he seized its spear with the other. Against a man, impaling its brain should have been a fatal blow, but apparently, hobgoblins didn¡¯t need those.


    The hobgoblin turned around to run, but Lucas ran it through and pinned it to the ground with its own weapon. Then, he pulled out a lesser healing tincture to stop the bleeding and decided that it was time to retrieve his sword before there were any more surprises.


    ¡°Is it safe to come down?¡± Danaria called out finally when the clearing was quiet.


    ¡°Let me make sure no one is still breathing,¡± he called back, yanking his sword free from the hobgoblin body impaled on it. After that, he took his time to finish off each mutilated corpse just in case.


    It was only when he walked around the clearing that he saw just how bloody the fight had been. When they had started, the whole area had been pure white. Now, though, it was splattered in green. Here were light green flecks, and over there were dark green puddles. Here and there were a few drops of red where the critters had taken chunks out of him. Mostly, though, it was a slaughterhouse bathed in goblin blood, and the only thing he felt bad about was that Danaria had to see it.


    As he circled around and then helped her climb down the tree, though. She didn¡¯t seem to be angry with him. He¡¯d been planning to apologize for not being more prepared for what had happened, but when she clung to him, shaking like a leaf, all of his words fled him.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked, looking into Lucas¡¯s eyes then. He¡¯d never seen her more vulnerable than in that moment, and it pulled at his heart as he realized he¡¯d do anything to protect her.


    There, amongst the scattered bodies, was hardly the most romantic place he¡¯d ever been, but he kissed Danaria anyway. He couldn¡¯t help it.


    She kissed him back immediately, without hesitation, as he pinned her hard against the tree that had saved her. This wasn¡¯t their first kiss, but it might have been the first time that he really meant it. For just a moment, he¡¯d thought he was going to lose her, and that moment, hand kindled something in him that wasn¡¯t there before.


    That moment lingered longer than it should before he broke it. That obviously left Danaria wanting more. Lucas did, too, but they couldn¡¯t stay out here. More critters would be drawn to the smell of blood, and the last thing he wanted to fight off was wolves or whatever else came next.


    ¡°We should head back,¡± he said, and reluctantly, taking her hand in his before he bent to pick up the baskets they¡¯d already filled with herbs and such.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± she insisted. ¡°First, we have to check on your¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lucas answered. His tone was harsher than he meant, but she was not dissuaded, and even as he tried to insist that he was fine, she was forcing back his cloak and his shirt to look at his wounds.


    When they were still oozing blood, Lucas said, ¡°I can take another healing potion,¡± but she only shook her head at that.


    ¡°These shouldn¡¯t be healed until Cassara can look at them,¡± Danaria answered with a shake of her head. ¡°We¡¯ll bandage them until then.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have the strength left to oppose her after all of this, so he let her tear strips off her beautiful dress and do her best to take care of him. After that, she insisted on carrying the baskets while they made their way back to the horses.


    He wanted to skip that part because he was sure it wasn¡¯t a pretty picture, but there were things they needed to take back with them, even if the mounts themselves would almost certainly need to be replaced.

 Ch. 100 - The Last Day

    The only positive part of their day was when they found their horses just after nightfall, not far from where they¡¯d tied them up in the first place. They were even still breathing. Danaria¡¯s mare was completely unharmed, but Lucas¡¯s gelding had grizzly claw marks on one of its flanks. Still, he''d been sure that they would both be dead, so this was a real improvement.


    The two of them walked their mounts back, even though Danaria offered to let him ride her horse. Lucas wasn''t about to show that sort of weakness in front of her, though. Instead, they walked home, causing an immediate uproar as soon as they walked into the yard.


    Lucas had planned to keep the whole thing kind of low-key, but as soon as the watch on the rear yard saw him returning injured, he sounded the alarm. Lucas couldn¡¯t really blame the kid for that, he supposed. That was what they¡¯d taught him to do. Just the same, he was more than a little annoyed as everyone sprang into action.


    Kar¡¯gandin immediately sent someone to the village for the herbalist and the veterinarian. Hura¡¯gh wanted to send parties down to track the hobgoblins back to their source. Danaria insisted that he do nothing but change out of his bloody clothes and allow himself to be tended to. Worst of all of them, though, was Gerwin and the look that he gave Lucas when he saw the state of Danaria¡¯s dress.


    He immediately started to read Lucas the riot act for putting her life in danger, and honestly, Lucas didn¡¯t even try to stop him. The old man was only saying exactly what he was feeling, and Lucas endured it with all the dignity he could muster.


    Eventually, it was Danaria who stopped him. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Gerwin; I promise I am,¡± she explained. ¡°Lucas was very valiant in his behavior; I wish you could have seen him.¡±


    The servant sputtered but said nothing, which was enough to make Lucas laugh. That, in turn, opened up several of the shallower wounds on his chest again, causing Danaria herself to take a turn at chiding him.


    His favorite red-headed herbalist came within an hour, and after applying several very painful poultices to the worst of his wounds, she pronounced that he would be fine, ¡°though he should spend the week in bed, just to be safe,¡± she clarified.


    ¡°No, can do,¡± Lucas said, not bothering to sit up since he knew that one woman or the other would push him back down. ¡°My carriage is coming the day after tomorrow to take me back, and before I do, we have to go out to look for more¡ª¡±


    ¡°Out of the question,¡± Cassara said as Danaria almost yelled, ¡°No way!¡± This time, it was Gerwin¡¯s turn to smile before he left the room.


    Lucas tried to negotiate, but neither woman seemed especially interested in hearing it. Eventually, they agreed that he would probably still have to take the carriage back, but other people would have to gather any herbs that still needed to be gathered.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Lucas sighed heavily.


    He didn¡¯t like to be ordered around like this, but he remembered well how badly the healing process had set him back last time with the owlbear. So, he reluctantly went along with it this time, even if it was a waste.


    All he wanted to do was use his strange power to locate interesting ingredients, and now he was stuck describing the plants that he was most interested into his best gatherers. No one had a problem with that when he gathered them together later that evening, even if they thought it was pretty strange to be going out this time of year.


    ¡°How¡¯d you even find all this stuff under the snow anyway?¡± someone asked as Lucas went through his haul, instructing them.


    That gave him pause, but only for a moment. ¡°Man, you think the only way to find these things is by looking at them?¡± he lied. ¡°With an attitude like that, I might as well promote you to guard duty. You should know the appropriate growing conditions for most of these plants by now. You should be looking there, at the right spot for them to exist, and most of the time, you¡¯ll be right.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t true, of course, and now that it had been brought up, it made Lucas lower his expectations for the day¡¯s haul even further. Everyone believed it, though, and that was the point. Still, as he lay there once everyone else had left, he reflected on the lost opportunity.


    By morning, Lucas felt a lot better and thought that the concern was entirely overrated. At least that was the case until Mort helped him change his bandages, and he saw how much puss came out of the wounds overnight.


    ¡°Those things are disgusting,¡± Lucas said with a shake of his head.


    ¡°Yeah, but better out than in, right?¡± Mort volunteered.


    ¡°No, not the bandages,¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°The hobgoblins. I can¡¯t believe how filthy they are!¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Mort laughed at that, not sure what else to say. Lucas thought he was a fine kid, but he was a bit shy, and the whole encounter had thrown him off of his game.


    After that, he left to assist in the wild goose chase that Lucas had assigned all of them. Then, once Gerwin helped make Lucas decent and presentable, breakfast was brought to him, and eventually, Danaria joined him.


    Really, almost everyone joined him at one point or another that morning, except Adin. His absence was notable. That was not to say that was unwelcome or unexpected, but it was notable. Lucas could hear the man several times throughout the day from some other part of the house as he made the final preparations for his wedding.


    As far as Lucas was concerned, it was worth going back to Blackgate just to get out of that ceremony. The man was bad already, but the deeper his wife-to-be got her hooks into him, the worse he got.


    Lucas didn¡¯t let himself be troubled by that too much, though. Instead, he took it easy, spent time with Danaria, and made arrangements with his other lieutenants. The dwarf suggested he start carrying more weapons just in case. ¡°Ye seem to be one for attracting trouble, laddie. You might need to bring something with a bit more oomph next time. Like that potion, ye made for Hura¡¯gh to bust us out.¡±


    Lucas stifled a laugh at that and decided not to explain to him that the potion in question would have killed Lucas dead. Still, he restocked his boost and healing potions and replaced his discarded knife. He would practice enough to be formidable, but he was never going to be a legendary warrior or anything. He paid people for that. Hell, his system hadn¡¯t even awarded him experience for killing the hobgoblins, though strangely enough, it did seem to have awarded him a little for drinking them.


    He tested that further, and by the end of the day, after two more healing potions, not only did he feel fine, but he did indeed confirm that the thing rewarded him for drinking potions. The only evidence that he¡¯d ever been wounded were the bright red scars and some lingering stiffness.


    Despite that, his very pretty warden would not let him escape from his bed for very long, and truthfully, he really didn¡¯t want to. At this moment, being in his lab wasn¡¯t nearly as interesting as laying there, playing some simple board game with her, or even holding her hand.


    Don¡¯t go soft on me now, he chided himself that night. This isn¡¯t like you.


    It wasn¡¯t, but he still had no intentions of stopping all the same. He¡¯d been single for a long time. Since long before coming to this world, and while he couldn¡¯t exactly ask the pretty young noblewoman out on a date or start a friends-with-benefits sort of thing with her like he would have in his old life, she seemed like a perfectly reasonable match to settle down with. Except for the whole, you¡¯re an awful drug dealer thing, he reminded himself.


    ¡°I can work on that,¡± he told himself. ¡°A little longer, and I won¡¯t be a dealer; I¡¯ll be an illicit alchemist working at the direction of the crown. I think it has a nice ring to it.¡±


    It was a thin fig leaf, but it was the one he fell asleep thinking about. In the morning, all of his things were packed, and they were waiting in the grand hallway just as he¡¯d requested when the carriage arrived. His goodbyes then were necessarily brief, but only because he didn¡¯t want to give Danaria the chance to get emotional where others could see.


    ¡°Remember,¡± he told her as they hugged one last time. ¡°No letters for a while. Not until it gets warmer. Now that I know they aren¡¯t abducting me, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll let me send mail the normal way.¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± she agreed. ¡°No more cold nights out there. I¡¯ll just have to practice my flying around here instead.¡±


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said with a smile. Then he kissed her on the forehead and left before Gerwin could scold him for it.


    The ride back was just as it had been every other time that Lucas had ridden in this carriage. He was still guarded, the men were still quiet, and the road was still bumpy. This time, there wasn¡¯t any fear or anticipation, though. He knew that he was in no danger.


    Really, these guys are more like Secret Service at this point, he decided after contemplating the issue. They just want to make sure that their golden goose doesn¡¯t get got.


    That suited Lucas fine, of course. He didn¡¯t want to get taken out either, though he didn¡¯t think that there were many people interested in hurting him these days. The Blind and the Red Lantern gang were both pretty much toast and other than Adin¡¯s new in-laws, he really didn¡¯t have anyone that might be pissed at him.


    Well, except Adin, of course, he thought to himself, but he doesn¡¯t have the balls to do anything like¡ª


    At the exact moment, somewhere deep in the woods, most of the way to Blackgate, while Lucas was sitting there, pondering how unnecessary these security precautions were, an explosion rocked the carriage. It was a powerful blast that sent him, along with everyone else who had been in the thing, flying in different directions. The screams of horses and men as parts of the carriage went in all directions.


    Lucas was spared the brunt of the blast by his seat, or maybe whatever piece of luggage was behind it. That wasn¡¯t immediately clear. All he knew was that whatever had happened had occurred behind him or perhaps beneath him.


    Some motherfucker invented a car bomb before they invented a car? He thought to himself as he lay there, trying to tune out the ringing in his ears.


    Lucas¡¯s first impulse was to rise and see if everyone else was okay, but his second was to lay there and play dead. He did just that for a moment while he slowly returned to his senses, and then he did one better and focused, fading from view as he heard the sound of footsteps crouching through the snow getting closer.


    Then, mindful not to lose his tenuous grip on that magic, he slowly rose to his feet and stumbled out of the flaming wreckage to try to determine what had just happened.

 Ch. 101 - Dead or Alive

    As Lucas staggered from the wreckage and through the smokey haze, he almost ruined his whole escape plan by running into someone. He¡¯d been so busy using his very limited level of focus to watch where he stepped so he didn¡¯t leave behind footprints that he almost ran right into the first person on the scene, an elf in war paint.


    Wait, that¡¯s not an elf, he realized after a moment. It''s a man dressed up to look like one. What in the¡­


    The near miss and the strange observation stunned him just enough that, for a moment, he lost concentration and faded into view. Lucas cursed silently as he fixed the mistake instantly. It was enough to make the man whirl around. He¡¯d obviously caught a glimpse of Lucas out of the corner of his eye. Still, when he saw no one standing there, he was confused for just long enough to worry before he headed toward the carriage.


    That stressful moment did nothing for the pounding in his head, and even as someone else came toward the burning wreckage, Lucas watched the second man for a moment and was sure that he looked familiar. Before he could decide where he¡¯d seen him before, the need to get further away overpowered him, and he staggered toward the treeline on the opposite side of the road.


    He wanted to linger to get more information about what had happened. He wanted to know who these people were and why they were trying to kill him. He wanted to know a lot of things, but more than any of that, he wanted to keep breathing more.


    ¡°What the hell was that,¡± one of the men yelled at the other. ¡°I told you a small explosion! We don¡¯t want to kill the bastard. We need him alive!¡±


    ¡°Relax, man, just relax, he ain¡¯t here!¡± the other one said. The sound of wood being shifted or kicked rang out loudly after that, but Lucas was more worried about staying upright and invisible to turn around and see what they were doing. His adrenalin was fading, and his consciousness was going out right along with it.


    Fuckers must have given me a concussion, he decided, as his center of balance started to lean hard to his right.


    As soon as he got behind a thick fur tree, he let go of the spell, which helped a little, but that was only so he could pull out a healing potion. What he found in his bag was mostly just broken glass, though. He cut his hand and cursed but ignored it as he pulled out one remaining potion at a time while his would-be kidnappers continued to talk in the background.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if this is a decoy, then they know,¡± one of the voices insisted. ¡°They already know, and they¡¯re just testing us!¡±


    ¡°The Boss ain¡¯t gonna be happy about this,¡± the other answered.


    ¡°We should get out of here,¡± the first one said.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go until we lay out the bodies like we planned,¡± the second one insisted. ¡°We can¡¯t have none of this pointing back to us!¡±


    There were the sounds of other people, too, but Lucas couldn¡¯t quite make them out.


    While they argued, Lucas tossed aside his strength flask his agility flask, and he was about to toss away his stink bomb before he thought better of it and very gingerly set that down. If it went off, it would give him away for sure. The last intact potion in the bag was a healing tincture, and he drank both doses of that greedily. It made him feel better immediately, but not so much better that he thought standing was a good idea.


    Lucas stayed right where he was, burying his legs with pine needles to hide himself a little more while he listened to the sound of whatever it was these bozos were doing. At first, he was pretty sure they were dragging bodies around. After that, they fired a few arrows off at random into trees. One of them hit a tree not twenty feet from him, allowing him to see that it did in fact look like elven fletching, even if it was hard to get them in focus.


    After that, they fled into the forest from wherever they¡¯d come, leaving him to lay there. What Lucas wanted to do more than anything them beat the shit out of them and get some answers. There were only half a dozen of them, and he thought he could probably take them.


    ¡°They don¡¯t look so tough,¡± he told himself as he willed himself to stand. ¡°Especially not that second guy. He looked a little soft and¡­¡±


    That was when Lucas remembered where he¡¯d seen him. When he¡¯d desperately been holding back a heart-seeking dagger with a book.


    ¡°That was the fucking mage!¡± he said, louder than he meant to, as he realized what happened. ¡°Mother bitch!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    That invigorated him for a moment, but it also took all the wind out of his sails. As bad as he wanted that man dead, there was no way he was hunting a mage that could tear down whole buildings. Not when he felt like this.


    That was his last coherent thought before exhaustion took him. He was still bleeding from somewhere. He could see it in the bloody snow around him, but he wasn¡¯t sure where, and at this moment, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care.


    Lucas didn¡¯t wake up until it was almost dark. That was when someone in proper armor and the Prince''s livery nudged him with his toe.


    ¡°I found one over here,¡± the man yelled. ¡°He¡¯s still breathing, too!¡±


    Lucas wanted to ask him which side he was on, but his mouth was too dry, and no words would come out. Instead, he looked past him, noting that snowflakes were falling from the sky now. They had been for a while, he supposed. The blood was gone now, and he was half buried in a blanket of freshly fallen snow.


    Lucas stayed conscious long enough to be loaded onto a stretcher and into a wagon, though he faded in and out the whole time. After that, things were more sporadic. Another healing potion was shoved in his mouth at some point, and he woke whenever the wagon hit a bad rut. After that, he only remembered looking out the window and seeing Blackgate rising up ahead of them at a turn in the road.


    It wasn¡¯t until he was in his bed that he finally awoke with a start and full clarity as a priestess stood above him, mumbling a prayer that was too quiet to hear. Even if he couldn¡¯t hear it, though, he could certainly feel it. His skin was glowing as magic swirled around him.


    The healing potions he¡¯d drunk had done him some good, but compared to this, they might as well have been shots of tequila. This was something else, and when it was over, she bowed and left the room, leaving Lucas with only a glowering gnome sitting on the side of his bed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it,¡± Lucas said, yawning as he slumped back into bed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t do what?¡± Heisenburgle asked.


    ¡°Whatever it was. Why ever they wanted this. I didn¡¯t do it,¡± he answered. He didn¡¯t know what had just happened, but he was lucky to have survived it without ending up in some new hellhole.


    ¡°Annoying as you can be, I doubt very much that you did anything to upset the elves,¡± the gnome said, ¡°But this only underscores the point that they know we¡¯re getting close and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Elves didn¡¯t do this,¡± Lucas interrupted. ¡°They were playing cowboys and indians, that¡¯s all. It was men that did this.¡±


    ¡°You took a pretty bad blow to the head, Lucas, so I¡¯m not surprised that you don¡¯t remember, but the scene of the attack is very clear,¡± Heisenburgle explained. ¡°There were arrows, bodies, and what looks to have been at least one fireball spell; you¡¯re lucky to be alive.¡±


    ¡°How bad was I hurt, exactly?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°Three broken ribs, what was probably a broken arm, a mild case of frostbite,¡± the gnome said in a remarkably clinical manner, ¡°and, of course, the skull fracture.¡±


    ¡°Skull fracture?¡± he asked, reaching up to the side of his head, where he found only dried blood.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the gnome agreed. ¡°You got off light compared to the other men in the carriage. The two guards in the back with you died in the explosion, and the driver and his guard were both killed by the elves. Truthfully, I¡¯m surprised you survived at all. How did you manage to get away in your current condition?¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t elves,¡± Lucas repeated again. ¡°I saw them. Two of them, at least, from my hiding place. One of them was dressed like an elf and wearing warpaint, but the other one¡­ he was a mage that almost hunted me down once before. Back before I got tangled up with the Whisperers.¡±


    ¡°A mage? Dressed up as an elf? Why?¡± Heisenburgle blurted out. Lucas could tell that the gnome didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°The mage guild doesn¡¯t seem a likely choice to cross the Prince. Elves, on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you drop the elf shit already?¡± Lucas sighed, too tired to fight. ¡°This is politics. Whisperers probably, or maybe the Prince, or¡ª¡±


    He felt whole but utterly exhausted by whatever the priestess had done to fix him. As much as he enjoyed the experience, he preferred to stick to potions. At least he understood those or thought he did.


    ¡°The Prince has not ordered your removal,¡± Heisenburgle said with enough conviction that it put Lucas¡¯s mind at ease. ¡°If he had, I would know. No, you are vital to his plans regarding Skylara for the foreseeable future. He will be greatly disturbed to hear about this unfortunate incident.¡±


    ¡°Well, you let me know what he says,¡± Lucas nodded. ¡°For now, I feel like maybe I should nap.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have the chance to tell him yourself,¡± Heisenburgle retorted. ¡°Skylara is coming to a ball this weekend, and she¡¯s requested your presence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m up to dancing right about now,¡± Lucas answered with a shake of his head.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not sure you understand your place in all of this yet,¡± the gnome responded. ¡°When I request that you do something, that¡¯s one thing; I might have you beaten for your insolence or imprisoned. I lack the authority to execute you. When the Prince makes a request of you, it''s only your life on the line, but when it¡¯s Skylara¡­ well, as long as she holds the kingdom hostage, you will do whatever she asks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Lucas said, ¡°We¡¯ll see how I feel tomorrow. For now, I¡¯d have your men search the wreckage of that carriage again and see what they can find about who really did this.¡±


    The gnome looked like he wanted to continue arguing, but instead, he just nodded and left. That made Lucas more concerned about the state he¡¯d been brought here in than the man¡¯s description of his injuries. He wasn¡¯t the type to leave an argument without the last word, so he must really believe that Lucas needed his rest.


    That night, his dreams were troubled and stormy. He dreamed that he was searching for herbs in the snow, but every time he found one, it burst into flames. Still, he kept trying, and when he came home with only a basket full of ashes, he sought out Danaria to explain what had happened, only to find her corpse shredded by hobgoblins.


    It was terrifying, and he woke with a start to find morning light streaming in through the window.

 Ch. 102 - One Step Closer

    The horror of the dream woke him, but that wasn¡¯t the message he came away with. ¡°The Moonflower,¡± he said to himself as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was probably toast, along with everything else he¡¯d packed. He didn¡¯t need dreams to tell him that, but if there was more to it, he wasn¡¯t sure.


    Lucas got out of bed and dressed with some difficulty. He was whole, and nothing hurt, but he was still clumsy and lethargic. Still, he made his way downstairs to the dining room, where he shoveled the remains of breakfast down his throat in such a hurry that he barely tasted it.


    Then, pocketing a few sandwiches wrapped in napkins as they started serving lunch to a few of the guards who were coming off watch, he made his way to Heisenburgle¡¯s water laboratory.


    While it wasn¡¯t the closest of the man¡¯s labs, there was no way that Lucas was taking the stairs up to the air lab or the way down to the earth lab. In his current condition, he felt like the water lab would do just fine.


    They all have the same shit anyway; it doesn¡¯t matter, he told himself as he made his way down the hallway.


    Guards watched him, as they always did, but no one tried to stop him. So, he didn¡¯t run into any snags until he actually got to the lab and found that it wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Mother bitch,¡± Lucas cursed. ¡°Molars (beastman), Molars (orc), Moondust, Mountain soil, but no damn moon flower.¡±


    In the end, he tried every shelf in case it was tucked away somewhere because of some bullshit elemental polarity. He spent the better part of an hour looking but had no luck finding what he was looking for. Eventually, he was to decide whether he wanted to go downstairs and try his luck there, but he decided against it. It was easier to believe that the gnome just hadn¡¯t gathered any.


    ¡°The bastard probably thinks it''s a weed, not a reagent,¡± he told himself as he made his way back to his room to get a warmer cloak.


    Once he was dressed for it, Lucas went to the stables and had the boy in charge of him prepare a horse. ¡°Y-yes, sir,¡± the lad said, hopping to it. Lucas wasn¡¯t looking forward to riding, but he definitely wasn¡¯t up for walking. While he waited, a pair of guards eventually approached him.


    ¡°Are you planning on going somewhere, sir?¡± one of them asked. ¡°Alone, after what just happened?¡±


    ¡°Do I look stupid to you?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯m never going anywhere alone ever again. I was going to grab some guards at the gate, but you¡¯re welcome to come with me instead. The more, the merrier.¡±


    They looked at each other and then back to him. The second guard then said, ¡°Master Heisenburgle didn¡¯t tell us that you could leave the grounds.¡±


    ¡°Well did he say I couldn¡¯t leave the grounds,¡± Lucas asked with only a moderate amount of irritation.


    ¡°No, but¡ª¡± the first one started to answer.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯m glad that¡¯s settled. Come on, you¡¯re both going with me on a little herb-hunting expedition.¡±


    The two of them didn¡¯t argue with him after that, but that was mostly because the stable boy brought him a saddled horse, and he immediately hopped on and acted like he was going to ride off at any moment. That got both of them into gear, giving him a moment to try out his magical herb-hunting power again.


    Part of him wanted to buy the other one with his last point because it had a longer range and let him seek out something specific. He didn¡¯t do that, though, because he had no idea when he¡¯d get another point. So, Lucas saved it and instead started eliminating extraneous dots from the map that had formed in his mind.


    He ignored the giant cluster of dots that existed inside the fortress, and instead, he eliminated every common herb, root, and mineral, one at a time, from the surrounding forest. By the time he was done and his escorts were ready to depart, the forest was completely blank once more, and he¡¯d be able to see if anything less common popped up immediately.


    The three of them rode to the gate, and though Lucas got another strange look, no one tried to stop him. Once they were outside, he asked his babysitters, ¡°Which way would have the marshiest, swampiest ground when all of this thaws out?¡±


    The two conferred for a bit, and after a short debate, they agreed that the answer was left. So, they went left, immediately off the trail, and into the hill. There weren¡¯t many trees directly around the walls of Blackgate, but less than half a mile outside of it, they started to pick up. Before they¡¯d gone a mile, the thick pine trees and skeletal, dormant deciduous trees made it nearly impossible for the three of them to ride abreast as they wove their way deeper. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Along the way, Lucas gathered a few things he hadn¡¯t seen before, like black acorns, duskweaver web, and motes of true ice. The last one he¡¯d gathered before, but he hadn¡¯t had the chance to actually experiment with it before all of this.


    Black Acorns: +1 endurance, -1 poison. Makes any potion brewed with this ingredient bitter.


    Duskweaver Web: +2 agility, +2 poison. Potions brewed with this ingredient make the imbiber significantly more stealthy for the duration.


    The only warning sign he found in that time was troll shit, but he didn¡¯t decide to take any of that with him. He just made a note not to stay out in these woods after dark. Still, after more than an hour, he didn¡¯t find what he was looking for.


    An icy white flower in the middle of a frozen pond in the middle of winter was an awfully long shot to find again. He knew that. That didn¡¯t change his determination to do it. It might be the answer he was looking for, but it was a question he wanted to dig deeper into. Plus, it pissed him off that whoever had tried to kill him had destroyed it in the crossfire.


    No, not kill me, he corrected himself. Kidnap me and take me God knew where to do, God knew what to.


    Lucas¡¯s gut said that it was a plan of the Whisperers and that Lord Parin had finally made his move, but he was trying not to make a final judgment on that until they had more evidence. That wasn¡¯t just because it would make him want to kill the man who might one day be his brother-in-law, either. It was because if he focused on the obvious, he might miss the real enemy. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t made a few in the last year.


    They stayed out there for two hours and then four, without any real results. As his stops got more infrequent, they began asking more and more often if they asked if this was where they turned around. It got to the point where Lucas almost said yes just so they would stop asking. That was when he saw it.


    ¡°I found you, you little bitch,¡± he said to himself as he wheeled his horse around and headed toward the dot.


    At first, it was just a little dot at the very edge of his map, but as soon as he highlighted it and saw that it was what he was looking for, Lucas kicked his mount into a faster canter and made his way deeper into the woods while the two guards that were with him struggled to keep up.


    In the spring or summer, he was sure this forest would have been claustrophobic enough that he wouldn¡¯t have come this far without a machete. This time of year, though, he could see well enough that ambushes seemed unlikely, even after the hobgoblin attack he¡¯d endured so recently, so he went straight there and was soon rewarded with the sight of a frozen-over pond.


    This, at least, he rode all the way around, not trusting any ice to the weight of his horse. When he got to the narrowest part of the thing, he dismounted and carefully walked across the ice. When he reached the blossom, he plucked it at the ground level since the ground was frozen and then walked back to his horse to secure it in his saddlebags.


    ¡°Alright, now we can go back,¡± he said to the guards who were waiting for him.


    ¡°Finally,¡± one muttered.


    The other one stayed silent a while longer while they headed back, but eventually, he said, ¡°I gotta ask, how did you know that flower was out here? We were told you didn¡¯t know any magic.¡±


    Lucas stiffened, but that didn¡¯t stop him from lying smoothly. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I¡¯m just glad it was.¡±


    ¡°But you said¡ª¡± the other man started to say.


    ¡°Ohhhh,¡± Lucas said, pretending to finally put it all together. ¡°When I said little bitch, I wasn¡¯t talking about the flower, I was talking about the streambed. Once I found it, I knew a pond wouldn¡¯t be too far away. That¡¯s all. Just lucked out.¡±


    The guard nodded and seemed to believe him, but Lucas was still on edge all the way back. They reached the gate well before sunset with no harm done, and Lucas took a short name before dinner, but as soon as he was done eating and met up with Heisenburgle, there was hell to pay.


    ¡°By the gods, you will be the death of me,¡± the gnome muttered. ¡°Less than 24 hours, elves tried to kill you, and then, just like that, you went into the woods alone for what? Weeds and rubbish? What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I told you they weren¡¯t elves,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°Anyway¡ª¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you want to be a pincushion?¡± Heisenburgle mused. ¡°Perhaps you want those savages to peel your skin off slowly as punishment for stepping on their goddess¡¯s toes?¡±


    Lucas shook his head. ¡°Okay, mom. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future, but I found what I was looking for, and that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    ¡°And what is this supposed to be?¡± the gnome asked, straightening his glasses. ¡°A water lily? Am I supposed to be impressed? I have no need for a potion of water breathing or¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to cook tonight, and we''re going to use this instead of the sour dwarf berries,¡± Lucas said confidently. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure that this is going to do what I need it to do, but it¡¯s the first ingredient I found in a while that might yet work.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± the gnome answered with a shrug. ¡°I thought you¡¯d need a few more days to start, but preparing a few more batches of strong Blue for our patron is a fine present to bring to the ball.¡±


    ¡°Oh, about that,¡± Lucas said. ¡°That little ambush? Wrecked my clothes. If you want me going anywhere fancy, we¡¯re going to have to send a letter to my tailor like ASAP.¡±


    Heisenburgle sighed. ¡°You. Always problems with you.¡±


    The gnome continued to rant about what a pain in the ass Lucas was for a long while after that, but he ignored it. If anything, listening to Heisenburgle complain was almost comforting after everything else he¡¯d been through lately. Instead of talking back or getting annoyed, Lucas just started setting everything up. He had a pretty good feeling about tonight. One way or another, he was going to learn something and answer a few questions.

 Ch. 103 - Breakthrough

    One ingredient at a time, Lucas prepared the latest batch of Blue. He moved a little slower than usual because of his recent brush with death, but he was resolved not to let a little stiffness hamper or delay this experiment. Truthfully, he¡¯d probably overdone it with that little ride earlier, but he wasn¡¯t about to show any weakness and let the gnome be proven right.


    Even though he worked just as he always did, though, there would be one key difference in the final step. Heisenburgle watched him work, but the man had seen this enough times that he asked no questions. Instead, he simply waited for an excuse to chew Lucas out when he inevitably did something below the gnome''s exacting standards, but Lucas was determined not to give him that opportunity.


    He kept the heat low and shifted regularly between the different ingredients, mixing them all together a little at a time. Everything went exactly as he planned it, which was about right because he¡¯d recently spent a whole day doing nothing but repeating this process over and over again.


    He felt certain that if he made this just like usual, it would have been his strongest batch so far, but then, it wasn¡¯t going to be made like usual. Instead, he was going to replace the key catalyst ingredient with a completely untried alternative. That might be dumb, but he had a good feeling about it.


    Even if it''s not this catalyst, I know that it¡¯s the problem, he told himself as he ground the pale white flower down with his mortar and pestle.


    He was certain. Just because his first try had been compatible because his old master liked to snack on them didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t another better catalyst, in the same way, that all cheap cold medicines didn¡¯t cook up the same back on Earth. Alchemy, much like cooking meth, was tricky, like that.


    Still, when everything was mixed and swirly darkly together, that didn¡¯t stop him from adding the thin milky fluid to the beaker and silently crossing his fingers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to work,¡± the gnome said, offering the first of what would almost certainly be many different I told you so¡¯s. ¡°The consistency is way off.¡±


    Lucas nodded. He didn¡¯t disagree, but even so, he finished pouring the pulp of the reagent in, and then, he took a steel rod and slowly began to stir, letting the white mix and spiral against the darker background like a faint tornado. It dissipated in seconds, and then, just as he was about to give up, the whole thing flared brightly.


    As this was happening, Heisenburgle was pontificating. ¡°I recommend we go back to the poisonous approach we were trying before. A methodical approach is the only way to¡­¡± but his words trailed off even as the liquid brightened.


    For a moment, the flask was full of tiny stars. It was no longer the murky depths. Instead, it had become the night sky. It was hypnotic. Then, after a few seconds, it faded back into a dark, uneven blue color. It didn¡¯t look like his Blue. Really, it looked like Blue that had gone bad, and was a few weeks past its best by date.


    ¡°Well, something happened there,¡± the gnome said, quickly recovering, ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°Who knows,¡± Lucas said, shrugging theatrically. ¡°It¡¯s nothing but garbage now.¡±


    That was a lie, though, and deep down, his poker face was struggling. While he¡¯d seed the same disappointing burnout that his gnomish companion had seen, he saw something else, too.


    You have created a new potion +104 experience.


    You have created an imperfect potion of Lesser Communion.


    Imperfect Potion of Lesser Communion (1 dose): Poison 3, strength -3, toughness -2, euphoria -2, intelligence 1, allows one to communicate briefly with the elvish Goddess Lwyn.


    That series of messages made it hard not to whoop with delight, but somehow Lucas suppressed it. Giving away this much information to the gnomish alchemist would almost certainly see Lucas put under his thumb forever.


    Instead, while the gnome laid out a new comprehensive testing protocol, Lucas carefully poured himself a dose of the stuff into a vial and set it aside. While he did so, he wondered how a container that large could only be one dose.


    Would someone have to drink all of that? He wondered. He quickly got his answer. As soon as the vial was full of the darkest liquid, he noted that it still read one dose, but now the large container had started to break down and merely read Poisoned Water. Indeed, it was no longer even that deep, ugly blue. It was now a murky brown with chunks of precipitate.


    Fucking magic, he sighed, pocketing the vial. Then he very theatrically dumped the rest of it down the drain.


    ¡°Wait, aren''t we going to test it on someone?¡± the gnome shrieked.


    ¡°Why? Lucas asked, showing him the dregs of the bottle. ¡°This is pretty much the opposite of Blue.¡±


    The gnome grudgingly agreed and returned to his lecture on likely poisonous forest ingredients that might work. Lucas let him continue on with that for just long enough to make sure that the man was fully distracted by his own greatness. Then he asked, ¡°Sure, this was a dead end, but what about that reaction. Have you seen anything like that before?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Myself? No,¡± the gnome admitted. ¡°But in a technical sense, it would be referred to as an energetic catalyst reaction, and those are generally regarded as short-lived. Still, it was interesting.¡±


    ¡°So what about the dwarf berries? Why does that glow linger?¡± Lucas asked, trying to ignore the potion that was burning a hole in his pocket.


    ¡°Well, clearly, it''s a slow to medium catalyst,¡± Heisenburgle answered triumphantly. ¡°This is a more common, and dare I say a more desirable, reaction in a number of common potions.¡±


    Now that Lucas had wound him up, he watched him spin like a top. He spent the next twenty minutes explaining catalytic reactions to his human prot¨¦g¨¦ and recommending several books on the subject. There were moments when he could have burst in to make jokes, but on the whole, Lucas ignored him.


    That set the tone for the rest of their night together. Heisenburgle showed off how smart he was, and Lucas pretended to care. Really, if the gnome had been less self-absorbed, he would have noticed that Lucas wasn¡¯t smarting off to him every chance he had. That was more than unusual.


    His heart just wasn¡¯t in it. All he could think about was that not only had he achieved a serious breakthrough, but he¡¯d also managed to do so under the eyes of his collaborator and warden, with the gnome noticing. It wasn¡¯t how he¡¯d expected the night to go, but after that, keeping the dumb grin off of his face was a full-time job.


    Their night together ended with no incidents or progress. Heisenburgle had worked out a testing plan for the next few days and promised to send a man for Lucas¡¯s tailor.


    ¡°I want guards for him, though,¡± Lucas insisted. ¡°More than there were for me, at least.¡±


    ¡°For a tailor?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because if they didn¡¯t get me the first time, they could very well think he¡¯s me the second time, and I don¡¯t need to be a rocket scientist to know what¡¯s going to happen next in that scenario,¡± Lucas said. ¡°The guy has kids.¡±


    ¡°Rocket surgeon?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°What is a rocket?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s uhhhh¡­ a type of monster. It''s a local expression where I come from. It means that it doesn¡¯t take a genius to butcher something,¡± Lucas lied quickly. ¡°But let¡¯s not get distracted. I don¡¯t want anyone killing my tailor thinking that he¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± the gnome sighed, ¡°Waste of resources though it is.¡±


    The only productive thing that he accomplished was to make a new batch of Blue that he could bring to Lady Skylara as a present. If he was going to have to meet with her again, then he was certainly going to do it with a nice gift to stay on her good side, and if he could somehow make her overdose on it, so much the better.


    Brew of Mana Intoxication (pure, concentrated) (10 doses): Euphoria 15, poison 2, mana regeneration decreased by 250% for 1 hour.


    After that, normally, they would go their separate ways, but for some reason, Heisenburgle insisted on having breakfast with him that morning. Does he suspect? Lucas wondered, all throughout the meal of toast and poached eggs. He said nothing and did nothing suspicious. That was the first rule of holding anything, stay cool, don¡¯t get paranoid.


    Tired of talking alchemy, Lucas asked him about the assault. ¡°Any luck with the wreckage?¡± he asked halfway through the breakfast, making the gnome practically choke on his biscuit.


    ¡°Keep your voice down,¡± he insisted. ¡°Officially, nothing happened. That wreck was caused by driver error, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I get you,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°Don¡¯t want to show weakness.¡±


    The gnome nodded before continuing, ¡°That said, the footsteps that came from the north side of the road certainly seem to indicate that it was, in fact, humans were there rather than elves.¡±


    ¡°I told you,¡± Lucas said, a little too loudly for Heisenburgle¡¯s liking.


    The gnome shushed him before continuing. ¡°Divination magic has given us some leads, but if it was truly a mage that you saw, then those are likely dead ends or even false plants.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do next?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°You get your suit made and recover,¡± the gnome said, ¡°and leave the rest to me. This weekend, we will both go to the ball and while we are there, I will ask the Prince to bring the registry from the guild of mages. It has portraits of each registered mage. You can pick out your attacker from among those.¡±


    Huh, fantasy mug shots, Lucas thought. Makes sense when these guys are all the living equivalent of a machine gun or a bazooka.


    ¡°So we find the guy, and then we take him out?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°Take him out? Take him out?!¡± the gnome hissed. ¡°Do I look like a mage hunter to you? That is an exceptionally dangerous job. No, we do absolutely nothing. The Prince will communicate with the head of the mage guild, and they will handle it for us. It is their job to police their own, and they will have no wish to stand on the kingdom¡¯s toes in this matter.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Lucas started to protest. He was far more interested in trying to figure out who was behind this. He had a sinking feeling that a certain junkie was in the mix, and if that was the case, then Lucas desperately wanted an excuse to choke the life out of him.


    The gnome shook his head violently at that. ¡°No, no more talking about this. Not until the ball. I grow weary of the discussion, and I have no doubt half of the serving maids probably know everything they need to know about our dilemma.¡±


    Heisnburgle left Lucas sitting there as he stormed off in a fit of pique. Fortunately, he took his paranoia with him. After that performance, Lucas was finally sure that the alchemist had no idea what he¡¯d done in the lab. So, he got up and went to his room to play his own private game of potion roulette.


    ¡°Am I really doing this?¡± he asked himself when he got there and locked the door. ¡°This thing could fry my brains.¡±


    While he considered those words, he took out a lesser antidote and a healing tincture and set them on the nightstand just in case. There was no magical equivalent of Narcan, but it still paid to be safe rather than sorry.


    Yeah, like that hasn¡¯t already been done more than once, his mind whispered to him. He nodded at that, then studied the evil-looking blue liquid for several seconds before he undid the cork and swallowed the foul draught in one go as he sat down on his bed.


    ¡°Here goes nothing¡­¡± he said to no one in particular.

 Ch. 104 - Insight

    The first sign that anything was happening wasn¡¯t a vision from the heavens or a bolt from the blue. Instead, it was a loud gurgle in Lucas¡¯ stomach accompanied by a sudden jolt of queasiness. That wasn¡¯t so unusual in his experience. Lots of drugs were accompanied by nausea, and he wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised that the foul, oily brew he¡¯d just had inspired a similar effect.


    The dread that overcame him in the moments that followed was less expected. It started as a feeling that wasn¡¯t so different, but as he sat there, he felt a crushing weight upon him. It was like he¡¯d caught the gaze of something huge and terrible, and as his heart raced, his fear only grew. It wasn¡¯t like he could run from it, though. His muscles were starting to stiffen, and he could feel his hands distantly clenching into fists as his eyelids drifted shut. With effort, Lucas forced them open again, trying to resist the effects of what he¡¯d just taken, even though he knew that was useless.


    You buy the ticket, you ride the ride, he told himself, noticing the tracers caused by moving his head ever so slightly.


    His eyes tried to close again, even as his pupils started to dilate, and the room grew brighter. He resisted, though, and instead of being consumed by darkness, the world slowly dissolved into light. Lucas would have fought that if he could, but instead, he sort of fell into it as his brain slowly turned to mush in his skull.


    Even then, he didn¡¯t feel afraid. Whatever this trip was, he¡¯d had worse. He believed that even as he slowly came to in a vivid hallucination. He¡¯d left behind the real world, But that wasn¡¯t where he found himself when his brain started to work fitfully once more. Now, he was sitting in the impressionistic watercolor version of a world. Stranger still, he was sitting at a small table with a pot of tea and two cups. There was no one in the seat across from him, though.


    There was someone walking toward him, he realized belatedly. It was a tall, slender woman, but at first, he had trouble picking her out of the forest background behind her. That is a background, isn¡¯t it? He wondered as he squinted.


    In the end, by the time she reached the table, he couldn¡¯t decide. Part of him was sure it was just a forest with some kind of heat shimmer effect, and other times, the whole thing seemed attached to her like the tail of a particularly outlandish peacock. It was hard to say. It might have been both or neither, and as she stood there smiling at him, he staggered to his feet.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a surprise,¡± she said cooly. ¡°The first human to reach out to me in a thousand years, and he doesn¡¯t even have basic manners.¡±


    It took Lucas¡¯s addled brain only a few moments to realize she was expecting him to pull her chair out for her. For anyone else, he would have told them to do it themselves, but the effects on the vial had said Goddess, with a capital G, so he was even less inclined to test her than he was to test Skylara.


    He hurriedly moved to her side of the table and pulled it out. Then, when she sat, he helped her push it back in. He was halfway back to his own chair before he realized he probably should have poured them both tea first.


    ¡°It is alright,¡± she said. ¡°You aren¡¯t really from around here, are you? I shall be lenient with you on account of our differences.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Lucas blurted out.


    That made the woman laugh. ¡°I am a Goddess, Lucas. I see through you the way you might browse through a book, and if I might say so, so far, you make for a thrilling adventure, I wonder how the ending will turn out.¡±


    ¡°So then you know that I¡¯ve been trying to make¡ª¡± he asked, feeling a rising dread.


    ¡°An elixir of power meant only for my own high priests, and that you use a bastardized form of it to make money?¡± she asked. ¡°Or that you are doing so in ever stronger varieties so that you can appease a particularly mean-spirited dragoness?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± he admitted lamely, wondering if she was about to smite him for his insolence.


    ¡°Did you know that the reason she seeks the sacred spirit of Lwynthenll is so that she can challenge me to single combat and become a Goddess herself as she devours my still beating heart?¡± The Goddess answered entirely too cheerfully. ¡°She¡¯s been at it for, well, centuries so far, and you are by far the closest she¡¯s come in a long time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± he said, not sure what else to say as he shook his head to try to clear it of the fog it was encased in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she said, picking up the teapot and pouring both of them a glass of tea. ¡°She¡¯s only ever had the fake stuff anyway, so if you just keep making what you''re making, that should satisfy her for a long, long time to come.¡±


    ¡°Fake stuff?¡± he asked, ¡°If the elves know how to make the real shit, then why would they ever make something like Blue.¡±


    ¡°Real shit,¡± she smirked. ¡°I love that. I think I will keep it. It is real shit.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°None of that is important,¡± she answered. ¡°I do not think you have put your soul at risk to have a conversation about elven mating customs and mortal weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°My soul?¡± he asked dumbly.


    ¡°Yes, I could snuff it out, even by accident. Mortal souls are fragile things, and a human soul is far weaker than an elven one,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°But I will try to behave. Now, drink your tea before you get cold.¡±


    Before you get cold, not before the tea gets cold? He wondered, but he said nothing. He¡¯d already resolved to ask no more stupid questions. The problem was he hadn¡¯t come here with any good questions in mind. He hadn¡¯t even believed that it would work, and how he was here looking like an asshole.


    He gazed around the area, observing the indistinct and ever-shifting natural forms that surrounded them, and finally, he asked as he reached for his teacup, ¡°What about the system¡­ the pop-up windows I keep getting. Can you explain to me why alchemy is so broken?¡±


    ¡°System? Windows?¡± she asked, ¡°Ah, your talent. I see. Elves handle this somewhat differently than humans, but to me, it is clear that you handle it even more differently than most of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± she said to herself as she looked at him with unfocused eyes. ¡°This is all very clumsy. I can see why you have had such hardship.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°I mean, your soul is connected improperly with your body and, therefore, your mind,¡± she answered. ¡°They are compatible, but only barely. As to the alchemy, well, I am not the Goddess of alchemists.¡±


    ¡°Well, elves use alchemy, right? Can you tell me¡ª¡± he started to ask.


    ¡°This is what a talent might look like to another human. Here is the interface for your friend, the tailor,¡± She handed him a scroll, which struck Lucas as odd, but when he unrolled it, he found much the same information as his windows generally showed. Attributes. Abilities. Skills. It was all the same thing, his just had more illumination.


    It also has a lot more killing, he thought, as he noticed the man had a long list of violent achievements. As soon as Lucas realized his tailor was basically a retired assassin, he rolled the scroll back up and decided he didn¡¯t want to see anymore. Getting on the wrong side of a level nine murderer was clearly a bad idea.


    ¡°Okay, so he sees the same things I do, but when he kills people or whatever, his experience goes up, right?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°It does,¡± she agreed. ¡°But when he makes you a shirt, he gets nothing for that because he is not a tailor. In the same way, you get nothing for killing someone, only for making potions and learning about alchemy.¡±


    ¡°But only those that are on the approved list,¡± he agreed sullenly, putting the pieces together.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she agreed. ¡°I can see the problem. It''s because of this fallacious concept that you have in your mind that you call chemistry.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with chemistry,¡± he shot back, feeling that little jolt of anger as it brought him back to life even more than the tea he was sipping.


    ¡°Dare you to tell a Goddess she is incorrect?¡± There was still a smile on the elf woman¡¯s lips, but it was an icy one. She definitely did not enjoy that.


    ¡°Chemistry was good enough to get me here, wasn¡¯t it?¡± he asked. ¡°Magic is all fun and games, but science is what let me get here with some trial and error.¡±


    ¡°It has, I suppose,¡± she sighed, relaxing a hair. ¡°It is something that has never been accomplished before. I will grant you that. Perhaps it is a technique of some use, but what does your chemistry have to do with alchemy?¡±


    ¡°Well, according to my, uhmmm¡­ talent, it says that only certain recipes work and the rest of them are all junk, even if they work,¡± he said, trying not to step on her toes again.


    ¡°There are exactly 8,002 recognized listed alchemy recipes that a mortal such as yourself might craft,¡± she agreed, ¡°From a lowly healing potion all the way to Lwynthenll and the Transcendental Elixir of Immortality.¡±


    ¡°So there¡¯s only one way to make a healing potion?¡± he asked, noting that his cup was starting to reach the bottom. Though he wasn¡¯t sure quite why, that instilled a sense of urgency in him. He was sure that it was a signal his time was running out.


    ¡°There are eight recipes to make a healing potion,¡± she corrected him.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve made like thirty already, and I¡¯ve only been at this for a couple of years. They¡¯ve all worked. They¡¯ve all healed people,¡± he declared, with a little more defiance than was probably healthy. ¡°So that¡¯s pretty much bullshit if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Real shit, bull shit¡­ it¡¯s all shit to you, isn¡¯t it, Mister Human,¡± she smiled as she set her cup down. ¡°Still, I have heard your plea, and though it is inappropriate, I think it would be fun to see what you can come up with. Sadly, the potion you have made is not strong enough for me to grant you a boon. Our connection is incomplete.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what boon?¡± he asked, trying to resist the rising feeling of dizziness that was making it hard to focus on her.


    ¡°Your strange chemistry,¡± she said, acting like she was repeating herself to a child. ¡°A Potion of Lesser Communion is simply for advice. An elder may craft one once and come to me with a question. To drink it a second time would be a deadly poison, so those elves that do often meditate for years or decades before they come to me.¡±


    ¡°That would have been helpful to know,¡± Lucas grumbled.


    ¡°But to actually do something? To touch you without snuffing you out and fix the thing inside you that¡¯s broken?¡± She hadn¡¯t moved or changed expressions, but even so, Lucas found it difficult to follow what she was saying. ¡°To do that, you will require a Potion of Greater Communion¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeahhh, but how do I do thattt?¡± he asked, slurring his words.


    ¡°You¡¯re so close,¡± she answered with another laugh,l pulling a strand of hair out of her face as she slowly dissolved into a watercolor mess. ¡°One ingredient is just a bit off and¡­ well, you¡¯ll probably figure it out on your own. No hints! For a human, you are very clever¡­¡±


    Lucas didn¡¯t have time to consider her words. Instead, as he fell from that strange dream sequence, he plunged back into the greasy, sickened body; all he could do was stagger onto the floor and crawl to the chamber pot before he wretched his guts out.

 Ch. 105 - A Tight Fitting

    Lucas had two full days to recover from the ordeal he¡¯d put his body through, but it didn¡¯t feel like enough time. While his body was still dealing with the fatigue caused by his near assassination, his mind was now equally ravaged by his brush with the divine.


    She probably could snuff my soul out without trying, he told himself as he worked his way through a bowl of chicken broth the evening after it happened. The nausea faded quickly, but his hand still shook whenever he thought about that moment, and he was always thinking about it.


    He couldn¡¯t stop. The worst part to him, beyond even the tantalizing glimpse that he was almost there, was that he couldn¡¯t prove any of it was true.


    It might have just been the ramblings of a deranged mind, he thought. Lord knows I¡¯ve seen crazier shit before when I was high.


    Still, it made sense, in principle. He¡¯d come from a different world. His soul and even his ideas might be incompatible with the magic here. Well, partially compatible, he corrected himself. Compatible enough to glitch out and give me crazy ass dreams.


    If chemistry was so incompatible with making magical potions, then why was it working so well? He didn¡¯t have the answer, and as he assisted Heisenburgle on autopilot that evening, he was sure the gnome didn¡¯t either. There was nothing in his alchemy tomes about any of this. If there was, he would have already told Lucas about it twice.


    Really, it was plain to see that the gnome wouldn¡¯t have given him the time of day if not for the fact that Lucas was obviously on to something. Tonight, though, nothing was working. No matter which toxic ingredients Heisenburgle tried to add to the Blue to make it that much more potent, nothing special showed up.


    Oh, Lucas showed him that if they catalyzed only a single toxic substance, it produced something vaguely shimmering and opalescent in most cases. He did, however, neglect to mention that all of those potions that didn¡¯t become toxic waste had one of two labels in his system. All of them became some flavor of Potions of Mana Intoxication, or in a few cases, like with troll blood, they became Potions of Health Intoxication.


    None of them were getting them any closer to their goal, though, and according to Heisenburgle¡¯s rantings, they were becoming quite costly. Still, Lucas tuned all that out as he considered the Goddess¡¯s words and tried to figure out what ingredient was almost there. Am I using the wrong kind of Blue Esper Willow Sap? He wondered. That seemed to be the most likely option. There were dozens of tree varieties that the parasitic vine fed off of, and Lucas knew for a fact that the properties varied from variety to variety. Still, the kind he used he¡¯d chosen specifically because it was the bluest and the most poisonous, which seemed about right for what he was making. Would the purplish sap of a Blue Esper Beach Sap or the blackish sap of a Blue Esper Oak Sap be a better choice?


    Blue Esper Beach Sap: Agility 1, poison 1, endurance 1


    Blue Esper Oak Sap: Strength 2, poison 1, endurance -1, perception -2


    When he suggested that to Heisenburgle, the gnome practically jumped at the idea. ¡°These are not all things we stock,¡± the gnome explained, ¡°So that trial run will have to begin after our upcoming party, but I¡¯ll send for them at once.¡±


    The fact that Heisenburgle seemed so enthusiastic about it counted against the idea as far as Lucas was concerned, and his excitement faded even as Heisenburgle¡¯s enthusiasm increased. He was fairly sure the gnome liked the idea solely because it was cheaper than using Chimera Blood and Troll Bile.


    I suppose that I can¡¯t really fault him for that, Lucas decided. He¡¯d certainly used enough cheap filler to cut shit when he was out of the right stuff. What they had now was good enough to keep Skylara happy anyway, so that was all that mattered.


    So, by the time Mr. Twee arrived for him with a new suit and all the materials he needed to tailor it to Lucas¡¯s exact measurements, the gnome was once again lost in the apparatus that he was using to try to distill starlight, and Lucas was happy to let him waste all the time in the world on that. It beat feeding poison to condemned addicts to see how they died.


    Still, it was only after Mr. Twee arrived, and Lucas saw how agitated he seemed in the presence of guards, that he finally realized something. It turned out that he might have a way to find out if what had happened was real or not. However, he wasn¡¯t sure exactly how to broach that subject with his tailor.


    ¡°Hey man, good to see you again,¡± Lucas said, walking up to the bespeckled milk toast man and shaking his hand as the guards finished inspecting his cases. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry you had to come all this way, but there was a¡­ an accident, and my wardrobe didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my pleasure, Mr. Parrin, My pleasure.¡± Mr. Twee answered, shaking his hand with a grip that was just a bit too tight for the rest of his mannerisms.


    Lucas said nothing at that. He just escorted the man to his room, making idle chit-chat the whole way. When they arrived, the tailor spent a moment laying out his cases on the bed and getting out everything he needed while Lucas asked about his daughter¡¯s health.


    ¡°Oh, she hasn¡¯t had a single complaint since she got better,¡± the older man smiled. ¡°Really, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single sick child in all of Meadowin. We¡¯ve got you to thank for that, I think.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me,¡± Lucas smiled. ¡°Thank my repeat customers. They¡¯re the unsung heroes in all this.¡±


    The tailor laughed nervously, which was typical for him in Lucas¡¯ limited experience but not so much what his vision would lead him to believe about the man¡¯s true nature. I¡¯m going to have to dig a whole lot deeper than small talk to figure this out, Lucas told himself. But how do I do that without scaring him for life if he¡¯s not the man I think he is.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I only had time to make the one,¡± he said, showing off the fine dark suit he¡¯d brought with him. ¡°I made it from my notes regarding your previous order. ¡±


    ¡°It looks great,¡± Lucas said, pretending to admire the sharp lines of the suit. He didn¡¯t really care, though, as long as it was presentable. ¡°exactly what I was looking for.¡±


    During the fitting, Lucas never really found the right way to bring the subject up. He had know idea how one was supposed to ask, ¡®Hey man, is it true you¡¯re a retired killer for hire?¡¯ It was only when Mr. Twee was putting in the last few stitches to hem the pants that he said, ¡°You know, those movements of yours are so sharp that you look like a dualist sometimes more than a tailor.¡±


    The old man chuckled at that, but there was a hardness in his eyes when he looked up that hadn¡¯t been there before. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Mr. Twee asked. ¡°I come from a long line of tailors, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Well, I just hear stories that maybe you weren¡¯t always a tailor, you know?¡± Lucas said. ¡°At first, I paid them no mind, but now I could see it, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Could you now? How is that exactly?¡± The tailor asked as he straightened, folded up his spectacles, and put them in his breast pocket. ¡°When I look at you, I see a crime lord trying and failing to blend in as a fop. I wonder what you see in me?¡±


    The soft blue eyes of Mr. Twee were gone. In their place were the hard, icy eyes of a stranger who looked just like him. Lucas felt the overwhelming urge to draw his sword at that look. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t wearing it. It was hung over the chair not far from him. Still, he was certain if he drew on this man, he would die for it.


    So, he didn¡¯t. Instead, he stood there calmly and said, ¡°I see a man with blood on his hands who¡¯s not looking for any more, a man who¡¯s trying to put his particular talents to better use. That¡¯s all.¡±


    The man barely moved, but suddenly, there was a knife in his hand. Lucas recognized that the handle of the blade had been the handle to his small tailoring case a moment ago. That was enough to make him wonder just how many weapons the tailor had gotten by a fortress full of guards, but he said nothing. The only armor he had now was pride and self-assurance.


    Mr. Twee doesn¡¯t want to blow his own cover any more than he wants me to blow it for him, Lucas told himself. He¡¯s just trying to put on a show to scare me. That¡¯s all.


    ¡°The difference between not wanting more blood on my hands and not needing to is as slender as this blade,¡± the tailor said, turning the knife slightly so that it all but disappeared from Lucas¡¯ view to demonstrate how slender it really was.


    ¡°Well, even though you are a killer, I¡¯m the last person you¡¯d kill, well, the last person besides Danaria,¡± Lucas answered confidently. ¡°Plus, if you aren¡¯t willing to kill a couple people to buy your daughter extra healing potions, I would say that the odds are slim that you¡¯re willing to kill at all anymore.¡±


    ¡°I promised my wife before she passed that no blood money would ever touch our little girl,¡± the Tailor countered. ¡°So if I¡¯m not getting paid for this, maybe that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it is,¡± Lucas answered, spreading his arms a little wider in an inadvisable dare. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get to know my people. That''s all.¡±


    ¡°You still didn¡¯t tell me who you heard those rumors from,¡± the tailor spat, holding his stiletto with the grace of a viper.


    ¡°I made it up,¡± Lucas said quickly, certain that the man in front of him would kill anyone he had to, to cover his tracks.


    For just a moment he thought about throwing his least favorite junkie under the bus there. It would be a convenient way to make the man disappear, but Lucas decided against it. If Adin needed to die, Lucas would do it himself, letting other people do it was the coward¡¯s way out.


    ¡°Made it up?¡± the man asked, confused by the answer.


    ¡°I¡­ there was something off about you, and I was testing a theory,¡± Lucas answered quickly, trying to decide what he would do if the man in front of him really went in for the kill.


    ¡°Sharp instincts,¡± the man mused, sheathing his weapon back into the handle of the case, making it disappear completely. ¡°I shall have to be more careful. What gave me away?¡±


    ¡°The look in your eyes when you¡¯re pretending to believe my lies,¡± Lucas answered quickly. It was complete bullshit, of course, but it was bullshit that he would have believed himself.


    ¡°I shall work more on my patience then,¡± Mr. Twee said with a small mocking bow. ¡°Allow me to make myself clear. Those days are far behind me. I want no part in your organization, nor will I be drawn back into my old line of work again. All I wish to do is make clothing and raise my daughter. If you attempt to change that or draw too much attention down upon my new home, I will see to it that you suffer more than me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a killer,¡± Lucas answered with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m actually slowly easing out of the drug business. I''m working on perfumes and cosmetics these days.¡±


    ¡°You came to Blackgate to work on cosmetics?¡± the tailor asked with a smirk. ¡°I find that unlikely.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is a side trip. All of this is politics,¡± Lucas responded quickly. ¡°You can tell from the suit and all the dancing. Trust me, the sooner I get this behind me, the better. Back in Parin Manor, though, trust me, we¡¯re trying to go straight.¡±


    ¡°We shall see¡­¡± the man said, acting as if he could stare right through him now that his spectacles were off. ¡°For now, though¡­¡±


    Mr. Twee waved his hand, and a small swarm of needles flew through the air, going right in front of Lucas¡¯s face before embedding in the door he was standing next to. ¡°You will never speak of this to anyone. Not even your lieutenants, and certainly not to Miss Parin, is that understood?¡± he said as he picked up his glasses and started to polish them on his shirt. ¡°This has been a significant enough interruption to my privacy. You are the first person to discover my secret in a long time and remain breathing, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Lucas said, unable to keep his eyes away from the cluster of needles embedded into the door frame not so far from his eye. It went unsaid, but if any or all of those had been poisoned, he¡¯d be in a world of hurt. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone on my life.¡±


    The man nodded, seemingly satisfied by that answer, and then once that was done, he made a gesture and the needles flew back to him. They appeared in the palm of his hand once more before he tucked them back into an envelope. Then he finished putting that away along with all of his other tapes and thread.


    When he was done, and the glasses were back on his face, Mr. Twee was like a different man. The killer was gone, and the tailor was back. He shook Lucas¡¯s hand with a wide smile. It was like the assassin that Lucas had glimpsed had never really been there. There was no trace of him. All that lingered was a fresh new suit lying on the bed.

 Ch. 106 - A Gala Event

    Even after Lucas walked Mr. Twee out and watched his carriage depart the fortress that afternoon, the adrenaline flowed through him. It was only when that was gone, and his heart rate had come back down to normal that he decided the gambit had been worth it.


    He was satisfied that the voice of that Goddess wasn¡¯t just nonsense in his head now, and Lucas¡¯s mind whirled with the possibilities of that insight. Sadly, there wasn¡¯t time to come up with new experiments, though, because only a few hours after Mr. Twee left, they were all being bundled into carriages to attend the festivities in Lordanin.


    Since there were several carriages in the convoy, Lucas had hoped he¡¯d at least get the pleasure of sitting apart from the gnome, but sadly, he was denied that peace. Instead, the other two carriages were decoys, like this was some kind of shell game.


    ¡°All of the important passengers are in a single place, so any preemptive strike is less likely to target us!¡± Heisenburgle explained as if Lucas couldn¡¯t figure that out himself. It wasn¡¯t the worst odds, but he wasn¡¯t the sort to be his life on a one-in-three chance.


    Nothing happened, but still, after the first hour of listening to the gnome explain the intricacies of distilling starlight into a usable reagent, Lucas wished that they¡¯d be attacked so he could be put out of his misery. In the end, it probably had more to do with the thirty men on horseback that accompanied them in a long, slender formation that kept any trouble at bay.


    Still, between the tromping of hooves and lectures on Ether-luminescence, he managed to get a few cat naps. The gnome offered him another potion of wakefulness, but Lucas rejected that outright. ¡°I¡¯m not getting hooked on that or anything else,¡± he shot back.


    His mind wasn¡¯t on the offered potion, though. It was on the other potions that the gnome had in his case. While Lucas knew that they were making another delivery to Skylara, he didn¡¯t know that the gnome was doing likewise with the Prince¡¯s particular elixir, and he studied the pop-up that appeared in detail since he¡¯d never seen it before.


    Extended Elixir of Superior Insight - Intelligence 6, essence -4, endurance -3, poison 3, euphoria -2, strength -2, Agility -1. Highly addictive, effects last for up to a week, decreasing over time.


    The thing struck him immediately as both powerful and dangerous and certainly explained the cold Machiavellian intelligence he¡¯d seen in the Prince¡¯s eyes on their previous encounters. The man was a chess master, but he was playing with other people¡¯s lives instead of pieces on the board.


    You know, if I could get a sip of that, I¡¯d probably be able to say what it was the Goddess was hinting at, he mused to himself before discounting it. Lucas was in no hurry to try that brew, even without the highly addictive tag. He¡¯d seen the monstrous choices its user was willing to make, and he had no interest in knowing what kind of awful shit that version of himself would be willing to do.


    Still, he¡¯d love a chance to check out the ingredient list. A toned-down version of it might be just the thing to help him unravel this riddle. Lucas never found the chance to ask on the ride there, but if Heisenburgle was appropriately liquored up, he¡¯d make it a point to ask about it on the way back in the morning when they were both bleary-eyed.


    The ball, as he expected, was a grand affair held at the palace, with all of the pains in the ass that such a thing entailed. Lucas worried he was going to have to endure pat downs and stern gazes for the next twenty minutes when they stepped out of the carriage, but instead, the gnome did the only useful thing that Lucas had ever seen him do. He lifted a medallion that he wore around his neck, and instantly, everyone left him and his entourage, along with their baggage, alone.


    Impressive, Lucas thought with a smile. Instead of parting the Red Sea, he parted the Red Tape. I¡¯m going to have to learn that trick.


    Rather than join the general flow and proceed to the main ballroom, the two of them, along with a pair of men who were carrying their cases, went up to the third floor, where the Prince was apparently waiting for them.


    Honestly, Lucas had expected to find Skylara there too, but after waiting for a few minutes in an antechamber, he found the sharp-eyed man sitting alone. ¡°Heisenburgle tells me that you make both progress and enemies; which one would you like to discuss first?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know who my enemies are exactly, but¡ª¡± then find out, the Prince said, handing him a thick book. ¡°While you look, Heisenburgle can tell me about your progress.¡±


    Lucas nodded and sat down. Then, he began paging through the book. It was basically a mug shot book for the entire mage guild, just like the gnome had explained it, which struck Lucas as rather smart for the second time. While the two of them discussed the various roads, they¡¯d tried to further increase the potency of Lucas¡¯s Blue. The Prince seemed much less bothered by the failures than Heisenburgle did, especially after he explained the increases in potency they¡¯d been able to obtain so far.


    ¡°Well, it all sounds like it''s going ahead of schedule to me,¡± Prince Raston mused. ¡°Do you think it would be possible to adulterate this mixture should the worst happen?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°That is unlikely, my Lord,¡± the gnome answered, explaining just how volatile and finicky Lucas¡¯ mixture was.


    While they did that, Lucas went through page after page of mugshots. At first, he started at the front, but he quickly realized the thing was chronological, and the man he¡¯d seen had been very young. So, instead, he started from the back and found the man in question 34 pages from where the blank pages started.


    He studied the young man¡¯s expression for a few seconds as he tried to remember both times the mage had come close to killing him before he finally said, ¡°Elard Waroven is the man you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Both of the other men stopped and looked at each other. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± the Prince asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of the man.¡±


    Lucas handed the book back to Prince Raston and said, ¡°This is the second time he tried to kill me. The first was after I first started dealing city-wide. I think he was working with the Whisperers then, so it''s a safe bet to say he¡¯s doing so now.¡±


    The Prince¡¯s knuckles tightened slightly as he gripped the edge of the book. ¡°I will speak with Lord Torvin and the Leader of the mage guild about this personally this evening, in fact.¡± the man said in a slightly strained voice. ¡°A third-year journeyman is not making these decisions on his own. I will have my answers promptly; you can be assured of that.¡±


    Lucas nodded as Heisenburgle asked, ¡°Perhaps it would be better if my assistant didn¡¯t show his face publicly until all of this is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Believe me, I would love nothing more than to leave both of you to do your work until it is done,¡± the Prince sighed, ¡°But she has asked for him, and there will be no denying her our chef or anything else for that matter.¡±


    The gnome knew better than to respond to that, so Lucas kept his mouth shut, too. Instead, he waited for the Prince to finish elaborating on his short-term plans before dismissing them both and promising to join them both at the ball shortly.


    ¡°Tell me you brought an antidote potion with you, just in case,¡± the gnome whispered as they descended the stairs.


    Lucas nodded. ¡°Never leave home without it.¡± Truthfully, he had three vials hidden in his jacket. There was a vial of Blue for Skylara to sample, just in case she asked for one, along with a healing potion and an antidote. It was nice to see that they were worrying about the same things for once, at least. That made Lucas smile as he strode into the hall.


    Neither of them was important enough to be announced, which was good. The bad news was that now he was at the very heart of the kingdom, and everyone, who was anyone, was whirling around on the floor in a riot of frills and colors.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t afraid that his jacket might be out of style. On the contrary, he hoped it was. He¡¯d hate to look like any of these assholes. It was the speed at which the outermost ring was whirling that annoyed him. It was like the social scene of the nobility had been made manifest and transformed into a gaudy whirlpool that was threatening to suck him in.


    Heisenburgle ignored all of that and made his way over to the refreshment table while Lucas struggled to identify even half of the people in the room. He¡¯d met many of them before, mostly as customers, though for the life of him he couldn¡¯t put many names to those faces. Still, he received more than a few smiles and nods, and he nodded back where appropriate, at least until he picked out Adin and his new wife.


    While the Parins were not important enough to be invited to such occasions on their own merits, the Torvins were, and he had no doubt that now, that new strata of privilege applied to Adin as well. When then whirled by, Adin did not smile at Lucas, but his wife did, in a rather venomous sort of way. He wondered which of the two expressions was more disturbing, but he didn¡¯t worry too much about either. When he decided that Lady Skylara wasn¡¯t on the dancefloor, he thanked his lucky stars that he didn¡¯t need to be there either.


    Instead, he got a glass of wine and set about looking for her. The tall, dark-haired woman didn¡¯t take long to track down one of the several balconies that overlooked the city. She was surrounded by a crowd of hangers-on, and even if they didn¡¯t know who or what she really was, they knew she was rich and powerful.


    She was also beautiful, of course, in an Amazonian, man-eater sort of way. Her dark curly hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her red sequined dress showed off more than most. That wasn¡¯t hard; of course, when her tits were nearly the size of his head, that wasn¡¯t hard. Normally, those things might have been enough to make him hot in her eyes, but between the whole dragon thing and the fact that she was used to getting absolutely everything she wanted, there was nothing there for him to desire.


    For some people, power and tits are all it takes, he thought as he approached her. Usually, one or the other is entirely optional, too, depending on the audience. If mages invent TV, maybe we can get a new hit show, Keeping Up With the Skylaras.


    The dragoness in sheep''s clothing spotted him well before he reached her. She even smiled a little more brightly, but it took her some time to brush off some of the most persistent conversationalists who were so intent on trying to prove their cleverness that his wine glass was drained by the time he reached her.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t my dear friend Lucas Parin,¡± she said, kissing him politely on the cheek before she introduced him to some of the people who were still present in her dissolving social circle.


    ¡°How have you been?¡± she asked, sniffing him slightly before she let go of him. ¡°Something tells me you¡¯ve been making progress.¡±


    Lucas worried for a moment that she could smell the Potion of Lesser Communion that he¡¯d drunk several days ago but quickly decided she could probably smell the potion in his jacket pocket instead.


    ¡°Never better,¡± he said with a smile, ¡°And as to progress, the only answer I can give is always. That gnome is a slave driver!¡±


    She smiled at that before she ushered him away from everyone else by the elbow. ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± she agreed. ¡°I¡¯m simply famished for gossip; you must tell me absolutely everything you¡¯ve been up to since we last spoke.¡±


    While everything was out of the question, he decided he had to tell her something, so as they walked away to obtain at least the illusion of privacy, he racked his brain as to what it was he might be able to tell her that would get him out of this.

 Ch. 107 - Slow Dance with the Devil

    Normally, Lucas would have just told her that it was none of her business what he did with his time as long as she got her shit. Barring that, he would have lied his ass off and just made up something plausible. In this moment, the way she was looking at him with her intense, gold-flecked eyes, though, he didn¡¯t think that was possible. The way that she was staring at him right now made him quite sure she could stare right into his soul if she wanted to.


    She might appear to be nothing but an aging beauty, but past all that, she was a predator, and now that he saw it, her very presence raised the same hackles on his neck as the time his buddy had tried to wear a wire on him, a decade back.


    Whatever I say next, I have to be very fucking careful, he reminded himself.


    So, he told her the truth, just very selectively. ¡°I hooked up with this old school alchemist,¡± he explained, ¡°Annoying guy, but he knows his shit, and I¡¯ve been using that to¡­ refine my techniques, I guess you could say.¡±


    He went on to explain some of the elemental techniques he was using to refine his Blue, just long enough for boredom to start to show in her eyes. Then he changed topics, glossing over everything else, and said, ¡°Anyway, the point is, we¡¯re making great progress. The other day, with one of my most recent batches, we got closer than we''d ever gotten before, actually. I can feel it like we''re on the verge of a breakthrough.¡±


    He left out the fact that the batch he was talking about wasn¡¯t this one and instead flourished the tiny bottle of blue he¡¯d been carrying for just this moment. Her eyes were unable to study both him and his drug at the same time at that moment, so they flicked to the faintly glowing vial instead.


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t disappoint me,¡± she sighed, pressing her body against him hard enough that he could feel her nipples through her dress. ¡°I can smell it - the faintest hint of the divine on you. You might really have finally done it¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯d have to try to find out,¡± he said, faking a smile as he tried to ignore how this was exactly the opposite of the woman he wanted to be pressed against.


    ¡°In time, my dear, in time,¡± she whispered, taking it from my fingers before she very slowly and deliberately slipped it into her cleavage. She was obviously putting on a show and was a touch disappointed when she looked up to find that my eyes had never drifted down. She was hardly the first cougar I¡¯d known, and I was onto her tricks. ¡°First, we must go dancing. The night is young. Intoxication and inebriation are best saved for later and indulged in private.¡±


    Dancing. That was the word he dreaded the most out of all possible fates. Lucas would rather be flung into the moat a second time than go out and twirl in the ballroom with all of the fancy people. He fought in vain to delay that fate. He tried to ask questions about Skylara, to run out the clock, and barring that, he tried to flirt with her, however distasteful he found it, but she had set her heart on dancing with him, and she could not be dissuaded.


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do,¡± she explained as they strolled. ¡°You¡¯ve worked so hard for me. The least I can do is show you off a little. The people will talk, of course, but then, that¡¯s the point. You deserve some recognition, even if we can¡¯t recognize you publicly for your fine product.¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Lucas said half-heartedly. ¡°I do my best work from the shadows.¡±


    ¡°You live in my shadow now,¡± she said, a bit too possessively for his taste as she clung to his arm a little tighter.


    He might have asked her about that, but by then, they were in the thick of the crowd and surrounded by people, and he could no longer say anything that might give away secrets. Instead he walked forward like a man condemned.


    Truthfully, though, it wasn¡¯t so bad. He¡¯d dreaded the whole thing, but this was why he¡¯d taken all those damn lessons, after all, and fortunately, the song that everyone was currently waltzing to was rather sedate. If it had been one of those songs where everyone was constantly switching partners, he was certain he would have embarrassed himself in a grand fashion, but this he could probably handle.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this lovely?¡± she asked, obviously enjoying the attention as much as the dancing. ¡°I so rarely get to show my treasures off, and you are very much a treasure, Mister Blue.¡±


    ¡°You probably have a whole mountain of gold all to yourself,¡± he joked. ¡°I can hardly compare to all of that.¡±


    ¡°Discussing my mountains, and in public no less,¡± she teased. ¡°How utterly inappropriate.¡±


    Lucas cursed his words and tried to apologize, but she wouldn¡¯t let him get a word in edgewise. ¡°Now, now. All the treasure in the world can¡¯t make me feel the way you do,¡± she said with a smile that was far too eager to be coquettish in the way she¡¯d intended. ¡°And all your labors get me ever closer to my true goal.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°True goal?¡± he asked, perking up. He¡¯d already validated what the Goddess told him during his uncomfortable conversation with his tailor, but if she was going to give away information, he was happy to listen.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± she teased. ¡°That¡¯s a secret, for now anyway, maybe after I get to know you a little better¡­¡±


    Lucas nodded at that. He¡¯d expected as much and had no wish to bait her further down this road. It was obvious enough that she was already trying to lead him down it, and he wouldn''t make her job any easier. Her intentions had been clear for a while now, of course. He just needed to figure out how to get out of this.


    It wasn¡¯t that Skylara wasn¡¯t a beautiful woman, of course. She was, but she was a monster underneath that thin veneer and only a century or ten too old for him.


    ¡°You¡¯re moving a little stiffly,¡± she commented after a minute or two of slow twirling. ¡°Did you have an accident in the lab?¡±


    ¡°More like a disagreement with a rival gang,¡± he said, surprised that she could tell that he still wasn¡¯t quite one hundred percent. I gotta stay focused, at least around her. He reminded himself. If I don¡¯t keep my head in the game, I¡¯m liable to lose it.


    That, in turn, caused her to stiffen, and for a moment, they were half a step off the tempo until she recovered her focus. ¡°You were hurt? Fighting?¡± she demanded. ¡°Tell me who did this, and I will murder all of them.¡±


    ¡°Well, I appreciate the offer,¡± he said, trying to play off the moment and ignore the way her full fury made him feel like a mouse playing with a cat. ¡°But we already took care of that part. You know? Blood and fire and all that. There¡¯s no one left to take vengeance on.¡±


    ¡°Fire, huh?¡± she purred, melting slightly at his reassurance. She pulled Lucas a bit closer before she said, ¡°Tell me more about this fire.¡±


    The last thing he¡¯d expected was for Skylara to want the gory details. Still, he did his best to give them to her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there for all of it, you understand. I have more important things to do than smash heads,¡± he explained. ¡°But the way my lieutenants tell it¡­¡±


    Lucas proceeded to spin a story for her that was pretty much the truth of what had happened when the Red Lantern Gang gals had crossed him. He told her how he¡¯d fallen into their clutches in a business deal gone wrong, and after the Madam in charge had tried to sell him to the wrong person, his people had burned her little empire to the ground.


    ¡°For a human, you are quite intelligent, Mister Blue,¡± she purred. ¡°This is exactly the correct response. When people think they have subtle forms of power over you, you must remind them of how easily their puppet strings can be severed with raw, brutal force. There is no other way.¡±


    In the context of the conversation, her words were sensible enough. However, when they were viewed in the context of her arrangements with the Prince and before him, his father, the King, they were a bit more chilling. This was a woman who would burn the city down with everyone in it just to make a point.


    Fortunately, the next dance was a little faster, giving him time to process all of this without giving her too much of a chance to study him. After that, he tried to beg off to get some wine, but Skylara wouldn¡¯t hear of it.


    ¡°One more song, at least,¡± she insisted.


    She got her way, of course, as she did in all things. He was in no mood to test her after she revealed that, in her mind, the correct answer to express dominance was to burn everything down. So, he suffered through one more slow song while she spent most of the time resting her head on his chest, and he tried to figure out if there was something more he could do.


    It was only after that that they finally strolled off the dance floor. He had two glasses of wine in quick succession. One was for refreshment, and the second was for his nerves. While he indulged, she introduced him to all sorts of people, some of whom he¡¯d already met.


    All of them cared about Skylara and her opinions. That much was easy to see. She was supposed to be a very wealthy dowager duchess, of course, had she was hardly ugly. Any interest in Lucas was feigned, though, at least until she mentioned that he was a young Viscount visiting from abroad to assist the Prince in some important projects. That always perked up their interest rather quickly, but to Lucas¡¯s annoyance.


    ¡°I told you,¡± he hissed after they left the company of the Lady Markim and her very eligible niece Bernadette, ¡°The fewer people that know who I am, the better.¡±


    ¡°But if they don¡¯t have even a hint, how can they spread all sorts of scandalous rumors about the two of us?¡± she asked.


    Lucas smiled at that, but only to suppress the sigh on his lips. That was the very last thing he wanted.


    The only silver lining to the whole thing was that he was able to avoid Adin and his new wife, though he had Adin to thank for that more than Skylara. There were several times she seemed to be leading them right toward the other couple, but each time, the newlyweds slipped away.


    All of that came to an end rather abruptly when she said, ¡°We¡¯ve danced enough. I think we should go back to my rooms to continue this party in private.¡±


    Lucas swallowed hard at that. The way her eyes sparkled told him exactly what she wanted, and while once upon a time he might have done her just to find out how dragon pussy was, these days he only had eyes for Danaria, and sleeping with anyone else was a line he definitely wasn¡¯t willing to cross.


    Still, he wasn¡¯t sure how he was going to get out of it. The Prince¡¯s words from earlier still rang in his ears. No wasn¡¯t a word Skylara was used to hearing, and it was usually fatal for anyone who tried.

 Ch. 108 - Alone with the Dragoness

    Note: This is an R rated chapter in an R rated story, though not explicit enough that I think it''s necessary for the sexual content warning given RR''s current policy. That said, it''s certainly the closest thing to explicit in any of my stories to date. Reader discretion is advised. Spoiler summary is included below for those who want to be forewarned/skip it. Summary spoils the chapter.


    The Dragoness Skylara practically forces Lucas to fuck her. However, in a last-ditch effort to be faithful to the woman he actually cares for, he drugs Skylara into unconsciousness and attempts to make her believe they had sex before he leaves the room.


    ¡°Actually, before we go back to your room for a drink, I need to stop by the Prince¡¯s study,¡± Lucas said, grasping at straws.


    ¡°A drink?¡± she laughed. ¡°My dear boy, we¡¯ll be doing a lot more than drinking¡­¡±


    She might have protested in a way that almost made him blush, but she didn¡¯t actually stop him. Instead of going back to her chambers immediately, they stopped by the corner where the Prince was currently holding court. He gave Skylara a heartfelt and cordial goodbye but barely even gave Lucas a second glance.


    After that, they stopped by the man¡¯s study. It had guards placed on it, but they didn¡¯t even challenge the Duchess. They might not know who she really was, but it was clear that they¡¯d been given orders that she was not to be fucked with, and Lucas retrieved his things without issue.


    She could probably kill me right here, and both of these guys would pretend they hadn¡¯t seen a thing, he thought to himself. That¡¯s real power right there.


    Soon enough, though, he was walking down the nearly deserted halls on the noblewoman¡¯s arm, desperately trying to find a way out of this. There wasn¡¯t, though, one step at a time; he was being dragged to his fate, and the fact that he had to do it while wearing a smile was all the crueler.


    Skylara¡¯s guestroom was much grander than any room he¡¯d ever slept in, but he didn¡¯t have the chance to admire it. As soon as the door closed, she was onto him, pressing him against the now-closed door with a strength that was barely human and definitely not ladylike. It took a force of will not to push her off him or to wrinkle his face in disgust as her unnaturally long tongue forced its way into his mouth.


    After waiting a few seconds so he didn¡¯t seem like he was rejecting her, he pushed back against her, broke the kiss, and said, ¡°Easy there, my lady, don¡¯t you like it when a man takes charge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve waited all night to taste you,¡± she smiled, completely ignoring the way he pushed against her as she withdrew his vial from where she¡¯d tucked it away earlier. ¡°Perhaps when I have tasted your fine potion, that will calm me down and make me more¡­ biddable.¡±


    She sat down on the bed and did exactly that. In a single motion, she downed ten doses of the strongest Blue that Lucas had ever made. He flinched at the very sight of it, but all she did was lay back on the bed and arch her back as she squirmed in pleasure.


    ¡°Mmmmhhh¡­¡± she moaned theatrically. ¡°You truly are a master of alchemy. Why not show me what other skills you have.¡±


    Thinking fast, he said, ¡°Actually, if you kiss me with that much Blue on your lips, I¡¯m liable to end up in a coma. I think before you get laid, you need a chaser.¡±


    ¡°A what? Oh. Very well,¡± she sighed, waving absentmindedly at the liquor cabinet. ¡°But add a few drops more of your potion to the stuff. I wish to experience true bliss this evening, and I am only part way to where I would like to be¡­ Heaven is so close, but yet, so far away¡­¡±


    As he found a nice dark bottle of red and uncorked it, she leaned forward theatrically, making it impossible not to look down at her cleavage. ¡°You are not very handsome for a man,¡± she said bluntly, ¡°But there¡¯s something wonderfully twisted about you, Mister Blue. I certainly hope you don¡¯t disappoint me tonight.¡±


    ¡°Disappoint? Me? Never.¡± he joked as he filled two goblets of wine, and then retrieved two more vials of blue from his case. ¡°I barely know the meaning of the word.¡±


    How can I disappoint you when I¡¯m not even going to fuck you, he added silently.


    He made a big show about making it look like he was adding a single drop of the stuff to his own glass, but really, that fell on the lacquered wood just behind the metal chalice. The rest of both vials ended up in her cup, though, and even after she took a sip to cleanse her pallet, he waited for as long as he could to kiss her.


    What he¡¯d said before hadn¡¯t been a lie. He was basically trying to dose her with elephant tranquilizers at this point, which meant that even the smallest exposure would fuck him up bad.


    So, he did everything to delay that he could. When she reached for him to kiss him, he skillfully slipped behind her and kissed her neck instead, ¡°growling, sorry, I¡¯m not going to be able to do anything else until I see these big beautiful tits of yours. They¡¯ve been driving me crazy all night.¡±


    To make his point, he reached around and mauled them with both hands. She was a large woman, and each one of her massive breasts was bigger than his hands, though, so the effect was limited. Still, she groaned at that, and he busily got to work undoing her corset one lace at a time. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    While he wanted to take his time with this, appearing to go slow would give the dragoness the initiative once more, which was the last thing he wanted. She could very easily pin him down and take whatever she wanted from him. So, while he waited to see if he¡¯d dosed her hard enough to make her pass out, all he could do was appear eager.


    He pulled her hair, complimented her figure, and, most importantly, helped her out of her dress one layer at a time. She kept trying to kiss him, but time and again he refused. Sometimes, he did this by pulling away just long enough to have a drink from his own chalice, and other times, he simply found another part of her body to kiss. That part wasn¡¯t hard. She was a voluptuous woman, and one could very easily drown in all the tits and ass she was packing. Most men he knew would have traded places with him in an instant.


    For Lucas, though, any enthusiasm he had about slowly stripping the beauty and making her feel like the center of the world was fake and forced, at least at first. She would have seen right through him in an instant if she¡¯d been sober. The dragoness was far from that now, though. She was lost in her own drug-addled ecstasy, and the only thing she wanted now was sex.


    After a while, though, it was hard not to give in. Was it the booze? Was it a contact high, or was he just horny as hell? Lucas didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t even remember the last time he¡¯d gotten laid on Earth, let alone on this new world.


    ¡°Ssso, what comes next, now that a big, ssstrong man like you isss in charge,¡± she whispered, almost managing to sound submissive for once.


    ¡°Well, you got a taste of Blue. How about a taste of something else you rarely get to try?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Mmmmm, and what¡¯sss that?¡± she sighed as he stood up.


    She¡¯d expected him to take off his pants then, and he could see the disappointment in her eyes. If she was sober, she might have pounced on him then and had her way with him, but as it was, she just lay there puzzled as he went to the window and retrieved a sash.


    Once he had that, he pushed her down on the bed and started to tie her hands to the headboard. ¡°You know I could tear right through thisss¡­¡± she murmured playfully. ¡°I could tear right through you¡­¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be more fun to pretend that you couldn¡¯t,¡± he teased, ¡°A woman like you is always in charge. I¡¯ll bet sometimes you just want to let go.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡± she moaned. ¡°What a delightful idea, Lucasss. Now take me¡­ overpower me and take me¡­¡±


    He would have been lying if he¡¯d said that some part of him wasn¡¯t tempted to do exactly that in that moment. Skylara was a monster, but he¡¯d long since drunk enough for her to be pretty, and in this moment, when she was almost vulnerable, part of him wanted to give it a try.


    Still, he forced her down ruthlessly and continued to seduce her with words and touches while he continued to feed her drug-tainted wine. While the kisses no longer disgusted him like they had at the beginning of the night, each one was still a betrayal that he felt in his soul.


    ¡°Pity you humansss live for sssuch a ssshort time,¡± she slurred, ¡°Or elssse I¡¯d keep you forever and ever my darling Missster Blue¡­¡±


    As they went, her words became more and more slurred and less and less sensible. Toward the end, she was begging him to fuck her, but he resisted, telling her soon half a dozen ways. It was only when she¡¯d finished her cup of wine that contained nearly twenty doses of blue, combined with the ten doses she¡¯d had at the start that she finally slipped into unconsciousness.


    In that quiet moment, he mentally did the math. Thirty doses of Blue would have been enough to get fifty or sixty men as high as a kite and enough to kill half that many stone dead, and the number was only that small for existing addicts. It would be triple that for people like him that didn¡¯t touch the stuff.


    Really, it was probably enough to stop my heart almost a hundred times over, Lucas realized. That poison could kill me a hundred times over, but it was only just enough to make her pass out¡­


    As the seconds ticked by, he wondered if he should try to make her OD for real. He had another 20 vials in the case he¡¯d brought. That certainly would be enough. It might even be the right thing to do, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t make himself do it.


    Maybe if he¡¯d been ordered to, or if she was an imminent danger to the kingdom, he would have considered it. Right now, though, her only danger was inspiring the faintest desire to cheat on his girl, and he cursed himself for that more than he blamed the woman who had been doing her very best to tempt him.


    Lucas didn¡¯t say a word as his thoughts churned. Instead, he watched the chest of the half-naked woman rise and fall peacefully and considered everything. He didn¡¯t even dare to sigh in relief that she had finally passed out.


    Skylara¡¯s allowed to be a horny maneater if that¡¯s her thing, he reminded himself. It was her nature. She was literally a monster.


    He held himself to a much higher standard, and the idea that he¡¯d wanted to fuck her, even a little by the end of all of this, was unacceptable. Danaria deserves better, he told himself.


    He just waited a few minutes to make sure she was sleeping soundly, then he loosened her bonds, messed up the bedding a little more, and covered her nudity with a sheet.


    She was not likely to remember very much from the moment her high started. She¡¯d only remember that they were going to have sex, not if they¡¯d actually had it or not. So, the room would have to tell the tale and make her believe that they had. The more she believed that she¡¯d had her way with him, the more likely she was not to kill him in the morning.


    After that, he took a little extra time to hang her panties from one bedpost and her bra and corset from another to make the scene that much wilder. Once all that was done, he silently gathered his things and dressed, determined to make it seem like he¡¯d never been here at all.


    It was only when that was done that he realized the place looked too sterile now. So, just before he blew out the remaining candles, he spilled the remains of their bottle of wine across the other side of the very expensive bedding before fleeing the bedroom with nothing but guilt and a serious case of blue balls.


    ¡°Maybe if I marry Danaria, this bitch will keep her claws to herself,¡± he whispered to himself as he walked down the deserted halls in search of a servant who could tell him where he could steal a few hours of sleep until dawn.


    No, better not, he decided. You tell Skylara there¡¯s another woman in your life, and she¡¯ll rip her to pieces in front of you just to make a point.

 Ch. 109 - The Morning After

    The morning that followed was an ugly one for Lucas. Not only could he hardly bear to look at himself in the mirror even after a bath, but part way through brunch, Skylara showed up in the crowded dining room. Worse, after looking at the Prince¡¯s high table, she actually chose to sit at the smaller round one in a nearby corner where he and Heisenburgle were dining.


    From the determined way she strode toward him, Lucas feared that she¡¯d figured out his ruse and come to rip his head off. It was only after she sat down and started playing footsie with him under the table that he realized the truth was far worse than that. She¡¯d completely fallen for it and seemed to be in the mood to go another round or six.


    Though she only made polite conversation during the meal, those fears were confirmed as the assembled member of the aristocracy slowly made their way to court for the morning audiences. That was when she pulled him into a corner and pinned him to the wall with a kiss so forceful that escape was impossible.


    ¡°I must confess my memories of last night are less than clear, Mister Blue,¡± she murmured.¡±But the things you did to me¡­ the way I feel today¡­ We simply must do this again sometime.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m glad you enjoyed your evening,¡± he said, resisting the urge to slap her, but only because he wanted to live. ¡°Right now isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a horny one,¡± she teased, misreading what he was trying to say completely as she all but shoved his face into her cleavage. ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t skip court to fuck like little bunny rabbits. People would talk!¡±


    Still, she seemed taken with the idea, and Lucas quickly interjected before she could decide that was what she wanted. ¡°Well, sadly, I will be leaving soon. I have vital, time-sensitive experiments I must get back to if you want me to continue to make breakthroughs in¡ª¡±


    ¡°Time-sensitive?¡± she asked skeptically. ¡°What could possibly be time-sensitive about what you¡¯re working on?¡±


    ¡°How familiar are you with Alchemy?¡± he asked, suddenly unsure of himself. She hadn¡¯t spoken from arrogance there but from indignation, which meant that she¡¯d probably seen his bald-faced lie for exactly what it was.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read scores of those dusty old tomes,¡± she said, ¡°But they got me no closer to my goals, so I abandoned them an age ago.¡±


    ¡°Well, then you know about the elemental balances required in Alchemy,¡± he continued, desperately trying to figure out how he could turn his earlier lie into a truth.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± she answered confidently.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve gone as far down the elemental road as I can to optimize this recipe,¡± he lied, ¡°So I¡¯m trying to recreate it during different phases of the moon and times of the year to see if that has any effect. Certain constellations seem to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course,¡± she said, brightening immediately. ¡°How wonderfully inventive. The elves love the moon. I have no doubt that such heavenly bodies play some part in the mysterious recipe we both seek. ¡±


    After that, she released him from her iron grip and treated him more like a colleague than a plaything. Skylara might be infatuated with Lucas, but she was utterly in love with the drugs he made for her. While she seemed to have no issues with forcing herself on him whenever she was in the mood, the idea that it might slow down his research was enough to make her pull well away.


    After that, they went to the court together, and she promised that she would call on him next time rather than demand his presence. She even assured him that it was okay to decline her invitations if his experiments were at some crucial moment. ¡°As much as I will be¡­ disappointed, I will allow you the chance to make it up to me another day¡­¡± she purred, taking him by the arm as they walked down the richly appointed hallways.


    Heisenburgle did believe him, of course. They didn¡¯t have a chance to chat until lunch, but even then, he found the claims outlandish. ¡°That¡¯s preposterous!¡± the gnome exclaimed, drawing a few looks before he toned his voice back down. ¡°The Red Lady does not take no for an answer. Everyone knows this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lucas agreed, thinking about last night. ¡°Trust me. I know that much, but she really did say it. On my life, she did.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s something I¡¯ll let you explain to the Prince before we depart,¡± Heisenburgle continued. ¡°I think he is pleased, so it should be nothing more than a conversation, but you never can tell¡­¡±


    Lucas thanked his lucky stars. Even the idea of an unhappy Prince wasn¡¯t enough to phase him. Even an outraged Prince would be better than spending another three hours standing around listening to men of good breeding argue about ancient land rights and crown-granted monopolies like they had this morning. Lucas never wanted to attend court again, not in another dozen lifetimes. If those angels really wanted to punish me for everything I¡¯ve done, they could just make me king for a life, he thought with a smirk. Being a drug kingpin is nearly as bad already!


    He didn¡¯t really feel like a drug lord, but he supposed that was still what he was. He¡¯d wiped out two rival gangs, held the toughest gang in the city on retainer, and made allegiances with the crown to secure his revenues. Those were all gangland things. Still, these days, he felt like a researcher more than anything, and truthfully, that was all he wanted to get back to. That and making his hot sauce. He was sick of meetings with the Prince and dragon booty calls, but he hardly had a say in either outcome. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    When they arrived at the Prince¡¯s study, he was already finished eating, and he had a number of books and notes strewn across his desk. He didn¡¯t even look up at them as they approached before he said, ¡°I trust you enjoyed your evening with our guest of honor? She certainly seems taken with you.¡±


    ¡°I, uh, yeah, something like that,¡± Lucas agreed, not really sure what to say. He started to explain what he¡¯d told Heisenburgle earlier, but Prince stopped him with a single raised finger.


    ¡°I am not here to discuss your romantic interludes with the kingdom¡¯s biggest threat and benefactor,¡± the Prince answered dismissively. ¡°Keep her happy, and you may do whatever you like. I am here to discuss the assassination attempt that nearly claimed your life.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did you catch the guy?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°Catch the guy?¡± The Prince looked up at him, baffled. ¡°One does not have to catch a mage in this kingdom. I sent a letter to the archmage of his guild. Then Archmage Dolizsol summoned his junior, who gave a full accounting of the facts and apologized for taking work outside the guild''s remit. That is what happened.¡±


    ¡°So he just apologized, and everything is okay now?¡± Lucas asked skeptically, quickly adding a ¡°Your Highness¡± when he saw the gnome shift uncomfortably.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes mages take jobs without letting the guild know. This is strictly against their charter and a terrible idea for a variety of reasons, yet sometimes young mages do it anyway. If it was a simple case, like making an illicit wand or scroll, the apology would cost him less, but an unsanctioned hit against an asset of the crown¡­¡± the Prince let the word linger, making it clear where he saw Lucas if he didn¡¯t have any doubts. ¡°In this case, his apology will cost him the entirety of his fee, substantial recompense, and the little finger of his left hand. Neither he nor any of his peers are likely to make a similar mistake again, for a long time.¡±


    ¡°What about the men that hired him?¡± Lucas asked, mollified. It wasn¡¯t quite the death penalty the guy probably deserved, but it was certainly in the realm of reasonable, and he imagined that the crown was loath to give up a valuable mage for something as petty as his life.


    ¡°That is what we are here to discuss,¡± the Prince answered. ¡°I¡¯d like your input before I render that judgment since the man is someone close to you.¡±


    ¡°What? The fucking Whisperers did this?¡± Lucas exploded. The outburst drew a sharp look from Heisenburgle, but he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Those motherfuckers¡­¡±


    ¡°Closer,¡± the Prince said, watching Lucas¡¯ reaction. He seemed to get some satisfaction as his face showed the pieces clicking into place, one at a time. ¡°He actually planted a volatile mixture in your luggage. That was part of the reason that the mage guild let their young journeyman off so easily. He only cast a simple ignite spell on an alchemical bomb that was supposed to disable your carriage, not destroy it.¡±


    Lucas wanted to make a joke about letting off easy, but he couldn''t; he was still coping with the fact that fucking Aden had tried to get him killed. Before he could respond to that, though, Heisenburgle piped up and said, ¡°Do we know who created the potions of volatility? Does the mage? When I find out who made such a thing to damage my research, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    The gnome seemed about ready to explode, but even so, the Prince calmed him down with a dismissive gesture. ¡°That angle is still being researched and not pertinent at the moment. I wish to decide what we should do to Adin for now. He should be punished, but not too publicly. I have no wish to draw the ire of Lord Torvin for publicly shaming his son-in-law. Not when other things that you need not be privy to are at a delicate stage.¡±


    So mages can be publicly shamed and tortured, but nobility gets off easy, huh? Lucas thought to himself. Even shitty little viscounts like Adin.


    Truthfully, he wanted to kill the man himself, like right now, himself. He hadn¡¯t felt like this since the time he¡¯d slit someone¡¯s throat last year, and the idea of being told he couldn¡¯t when Adin was probably still somewhere in the palace was infuriating.


    The Prince seemed to read a good portion of this from his expression and said, ¡°To be clear, You cannot kill, maim, or shame him, but you are still very much the wronged party here, Lucas, and it is important to me and your productivity that this matter is resolved in a manner that satisfies you. So, I¡¯m asking you, what is the worst thing we could do to him, to make him pay for his crimes.¡±


    ¡°Sending him back to the dungeon where I found his ass is out, huh?¡± he asked as his mind raced through answers. Lucas had already been pissed at the man for the revelations about the way he¡¯d tried to pimp Danaria and the way he was skimming from the operation, but trying to murder him really only had one possible response, and that was something he wasn¡¯t allowed to do.


    ¡°Cold turkey,¡± Lucas said finally after thinking about it for a moment.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± the Prince asked. ¡°Does the man have a food allergy? I should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Make him quit cold turkey. It¡¯s an expression from where I¡¯m from,¡± Lucas continued. ¡°Send him out in the country for his own good. Tell him he has to rehabilitate from his crippling habit, and then let him spend a few weeks suffering as the blue comes out of his system one drop at a time.¡±


    If I¡¯m lucky, that will kill him all on its own, he thought to himself. Though his peers in this world understood the concept of drugs and addiction, he doubted they understood the concept of physical dependency or the idea that simply quitting something like heroin could kill you. He didn¡¯t know if that was the way Blue worked, but right now, he certainly hoped it did.


    ¡°A fine punishment,¡± the Prince said, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that release your hold on him and allow him to get up to other mischief in the future?¡±


    ¡°It would,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°But it would increase your hold on the Torvins by equal amounts. After they see how much the Viscount suffers while going through withdrawal, I very much doubt they will disobey you again in anything that might affect their access to Blue.¡±


    The Prince considered that and then nodded. ¡°A fine choice,¡± he agreed.


    ¡°But I want to be the one to tell him,¡± Lucas said before the Prince could drift on to another topic. ¡°And I have one other, uhmmm, request, if I might, Your Highness.¡±

 Ch. 110 - The Morning After (Part 2)

    ¡°Oh?¡± the Prince said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your request, but I can¡¯t promise you anything. I consider justice in this matter to be quite a gift already.¡±


    A backhanded, self-centered one, certainly, Lucas agreed, mentally. The Prince was doing this because his interests were being threatened, not Lucas had almost lost his life. That was plain to everyone, but backtalk would not help with what he was going to ask for next.


    ¡°When I do this to Adin, he¡¯s not likely to do me any favors ever again,¡± Lucas started, ¡°Which is fine, but there is one favor I do need from him, and the only person besides him that can give it to me is you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? After Danaria¡¯s hand already?¡± the Prince asked, with a smile that was more amusement than predatory, for the first time since Lucas had made his acquaintance. ¡°Straight from the Dragoness¡¯ bed chambers, and you¡¯re already looking for a young, pretty thing of your own. I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Lucas flushed in annoyance at that. He considered explaining just how little there was between him and Lady Skylara, but he knew that such answers would only get him in trouble. So, instead, he said, ¡°There¡¯s business, and then there¡¯s pleasure. I¡¯ve been working a lot for you lately, and I¡¯d like something nice to come home to when all this is done.¡±


    ¡°No doubt,¡± The Prince agreed, ¡°And I¡¯m sure her family name doesn¡¯t weigh into things at all?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± Lucas answered truthfully. ¡°She¡¯s a sweet girl, and she deserves a good life. Her brother can keep the title for all I care. Even if he kicks the habit, I expect he¡¯ll still be broke in the next few years anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll grant you this,¡± the Prince said, ¡°But not yet. Not until your work is done and Skylara has grown tired of you and found a new toy to warm her bed. I do not wish to create a love triangle with such dire consequences. Your current lover can be very¡­ possessive.¡±


    Lucas wasn¡¯t about to argue that point. He was still too busy wrestling with the awkwardness of having to ask another man permission to marry his woman in the first place. While all that brewed inside his skull, the Prince continued. ¡°Propose to her if you like, but it will be another year at least before anything official happens.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think it''s going to take that long to solve the dragon problem?¡± Lucas asked, not particularly pleased by the answer.


    ¡°Solve?¡± the Prince laughed. ¡°This isn¡¯t a solvable problem. A year is how long it will take to lose interest in you. Fortunately, she will need you to keep making her drug of choice, so she¡¯s unlikely to kill you when she tosses you aside like so many of her other lovers, but she is a problem that will be with us for the foreseeable future. With any luck, my grandchildren¡¯s grandchildren will still be wrestling with these issues centuries from now.¡±


    ¡°But I thought the point of Blackgate was to¡ª¡± Lucas started to protest.


    ¡°The point of Blackgate is to create contingencies and possibilities,¡± the Prince interrupted. ¡°It is to give brilliant minds like Heisenburgle¡¯s the resources they need should the worst befall us. Make no mistake here. The dragon is costly but much less costly than the army, which would need to be paid for in the event she withdraws her protection. Should she ever fall, the Orc tribes on the east and the Northmen would certainly test us with regularity to see what treasure might be lying around for the taking.¡±


    ¡°So the best case is that she sticks around, but she takes the lion''s share of her payment in Blue, forever?¡± he asked, slightly confused by that answer.


    ¡°Just so,¡± the Prince agreed. ¡°Gods willing, she would be happy with that arrangement until the day of judgment arrives.¡±


    Lucas wanted to ask more questions on the topic, not entirely certain he understood the Prince¡¯s stance. Surely, he can¡¯t think that staying in the clutches of such a capricious woman is a good idea in perpetuity, he wondered. The Prince wouldn¡¯t allow him to revisit the topic, though, as he moved on to other things, and when the topic of Adin came back up, Lucas lost interest in what they''d been discussing before entirely.


    ¡°As to your future brother-in-law, I believe he¡¯s on the south balcony this time of day, soaking up the sun,¡± the Prince explained. ¡°Deliver the bad news and order him to meet me here so I may express my displeasure personally, then meet Heisenburgle at the stables. Our business here is concluded.¡±


    Even as the Prince finished speaking to him, he turned away from Lucas and went back to looking at the ledgers in front of him. Something about the potion the gnome had him turned him into a completely cold-blooded autist, and at times, the man lost even basic civility. When he got like that, he was just rushing from agenda item to agenda item.


    Lucas didn¡¯t complain. Disinterest was better than malice, especially when the man was deep into some Machiavellian bullshit.


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    Instead of saying anything at all, he bowed and left the office. Outside, he conferred briefly with Heisenburgle, though in such a public place, the gnome wouldn¡¯t say anything substantive about anything. ¡°I¡¯ll expect you in twenty minutes,¡± he said disapprovingly to Lucas. ¡°No more. So go and handle your petty personal business, and then we can be off to other, more important things!¡±


    Lucas watched him waddle off and found Adin preciously where the Prince had said he would be. How he¡¯d accomplished such a neat trick, Lucas had no idea, but the man clearly had things going on in his head that Lucas only barely understood. That just made him want to get that recipe out of Heisenburgle that much more, but that was an issue to work on later.


    For now, Lucas just walked up to Adin, where he was chatting with a few of his peers, and said, ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m going to need to borrow the Viscount for a moment, gentlemen. My apologies.¡±


    Adin tried to introduce him, but before he could, Lucas was already dragging him away to the far side of the balcony for the modicum of privacy it provided.


    ¡°Easy now, friend,¡± Adin laughed, struggling weakly in his grip. ¡°If you whisk me away like a lover, people will talk.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not concerned about what people say about me,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug. ¡°I came here to deliver a message to you. One that I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to want anyone else to hear.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what¡¯s that?¡± the man said, smiling just a little too widely for it to be genuine.


    ¡°I know what you did to me. Well, what you tried to do,¡± Lucas said.


    ¡°Do you know?¡± Adin answered with a forced laugh, ¡°And what¡¯s it I¡¯m meant to have done this time?¡±


    ¡°You tried to murder me,¡± Lucas answered dismissively. ¡°Personally, I think the people that organized the thing only wanted to kidnap me, but you decided to up the ante a little bit. Those details don''t matter at this point. The Prince will sort all of that out.¡±


    ¡°T-the Prince?¡± Adin stammered. ¡°There¡¯s no need to get a man like him involved in such baseless rumors. You have no evidence that I¡ª¡±


    ¡°The mage involved already rolled on the whole operation,¡± Lucas interrupted, practically gloating. ¡°He gave up everyone and told us about the bomb. The Prince is the one who found him. All it took was a couple of messengers, and it was done. Easy to do when I actually saw the guy that tried to do me like that, you know.¡±


    Adin paled visibly then. ¡°The Prince knows? Well, even if that is true, there¡¯s no evidence that I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is your argument going to be that your butler put the bomb in my luggage, or perhaps your sister?¡± Lucas laughed. ¡°Because no one is going to buy a story like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, you hire a lot of unsavory people,¡± Adin said, grasping at straws, perhaps one of them¡ª¡±


    Hura¡¯gh would certainly murder me for enough money. The man is shady as shit, but the difference between you and him is that he¡¯d do it with an axe in my chest, not a knife in the back,¡± Lucas countered. ¡°The other hireling, maybe, but they aren¡¯t allowed inside the main house, and I doubt any of the maids were in on it. No. It was all you, and there¡¯s no way out of it. All you can do now is accept your punishment like a man.¡±


    ¡°Punishment?¡± Adin squeaked before clearing his throat and trying again. ¡°Punishment. What does his Majesty have in mind?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s decided to be generous,¡± Lucas said, allowing the scrawny noble in front of him to breathe a visible sigh of relief before he hit him with the knockout blow. ¡°He¡¯s going to let you cool your heels in the country at some villa for as long as it takes for you to get clean.¡±


    ¡°Clean?! Is that all?¡± the man answered, trying to play it off even as his forehead broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Lucas agreed, turning to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got this.¡±


    ¡°W-wait,¡± Adin stammered, making Lucas pause. ¡°Is there anything I could do to make you intercede on my behalf? You¡¯re very important to the Prince¡¯s plans. Anyone can see that. Perhaps if I were to grant you Danaria¡¯s hand or help you get a title in your own right, you could help him find a more conventional slap on the wrist to help me see the error of my ways.¡±


    Lucas knew that he should leave here, but part of him was enjoying this moment too much. There was no way he could just walk away from this moment without twisting the knife a little more. That urge doubled at Adin¡¯s last words, though.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very kind offer,¡± Lucas said, pretending to weigh it. ¡°You really will trade her for just about anything, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°W-well, it''s clear that you like her, and she certainly fancies you. So I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Two things,¡± Lucas said, angrily shoving two raised fingers in the Viscount¡¯s face. ¡°The first is that I don¡¯t need your permission to marry Denaria. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Our father is dead,¡± Adin interrupted, ¡°So the law requires that her guardian arrange¡ª¡±


    Lucas resisted the urge to slap the man, but only barely. ¡°The Prince has given me her hand already, dumbshit. The second is that the only reason you get to keep breathing is that the Prince wouldn¡¯t allow me to murder you. Apparently, such a move would upset your wife¡¯s family. So, I picked the worst possible punishment I could think of: rehab. A week or two from now, you¡¯ll be begging for death, though, so this is pretty much the opposite of mercy. ¡±


    For once, Adin had nothing to say. So, with a look of horror, Lucas turned and left the man to his fate. As soon as Lucas started to walk away, Adin¡¯s wife brushed past him and hissed, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I just told him what his punishment will be for his botched assassination attempt,¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°You should watch out. You try that shit again, it might be you in the box next time.¡±


    She looked like she was about to say something else, but Lucas ignored her and kept walking. Though normally he would have been happy to leave her as deflated as he¡¯d left her husband, getting in a public pissing match with Arissa Torvin would go very much against what the Prince wanted, in spirit, if not in letter, and Lucas had no desire to get on the man¡¯s bad side. He just wanted to help him solve his dragon problem and then retire to Meadowin and raise a family or something peaceful like that.

 Ch. 111 - A Revelation

    The ride back to Blackgate was as dull as the ride to it, and Lucas spent much of the time staring out the window and wishing someone would attack him with a bomb for a second time. He didn¡¯t actually want to get blown up, of course, though it might have been preferable to Heisenburgle¡¯s preening.


    The gnome went on at length about how grateful the Prince was for their service and how well things were proceeding. Lucas largely tuned all of that out, answering with nonanswers now and then as appropriate. It wasn¡¯t until Heisenburgle complimented Lucas on his tact and the way he handled the situation with Lady Skylara that he had to fake a cough to cover his snort of derision.


    ¡°I mean it,¡± the gnome insisted. ¡°Three meetings, and she hasn¡¯t grown bored with you or murdered you for some slight. That¡¯s longer than her last two pets.¡±


    While Heisenburgle was the very last person to compliment him on tact or diplomacy, those words still sent a chill down Lucas¡¯ spine.


    ¡°What, seriously?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°I feel like maybe I haven¡¯t been getting the whole picture here.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you knew the whole picture at the beginning, you would have been too timid and bored her, I think,¡± the gnome answered, stroking his beard. ¡°As things are now, though, I thought a sprinkle of danger and a dash or two of caution might well keep you breathing. It''s one thing to catch her attention, but another thing to keep it.¡±


    Lucas had been ready to explain that it wasn¡¯t even him she wanted and that she only wanted him for his drugs, like half the women he¡¯d banged on Earth. However, suddenly he was overcome by Heisenburgle¡¯s shitty attitude instead.


    ¡°A sprinkle? A dash?¡± Lucas shot back, growing more annoyed. ¡°This is my life here, not another potion recipe, man.¡±


    ¡°All things in life are alchemy when it comes down to it,¡± Heisenburgle said with a self-assured nod. ¡°Social interaction behaves as regularly and reliably as any potion recipe. They also happen to be nearly as volatile. I find the metaphor to be quite apt, and hope to write a chapter about it in my memoirs.¡±


    Lucas rolled his eyes at that. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then why can¡¯t the Prince keep scaly britches happy? Why are people dying to try to keep her entertained?¡±


    ¡°Who says those deaths are just the sort of reagent that¡¯s required in a potion that¡¯s been simmering this long,¡± the gnome answered with a creepy smile. ¡°Why, many potions, and most healing potions, have the vital fluids of at least one creature in them¡­¡±


    Not the way I make them, Lucas thought with a sigh. He could see Heisenburgle¡¯s point. On some level, he might have even agreed with it if he wasn¡¯t the one with skin in the game.


    ¡°A sprinkle and a dash aren¡¯t even precise measurements!¡± Lucas complained finally. ¡°Would it kill you to use drams or grams or whatever?¡±


    ¡°Imprecise?¡± the gnome answered. ¡°Excuse me? A sprinkle is exactly half a dash, and a dash is one-third of a pinch. These are very precise measurements. If you don''t understand that, then I may well have discovered the problem with your alchemy.¡±


    The man seemed entirely resistant to the idea of using ingredients by weight, though Lucas could hardly blame him on some level. In a world without precision instruments, a weight was barely a step or two above a guess. Still, he argued with the alchemist enough to get him riled up about it.


    Then, after that, Lucas let Heisenburgle rant about the sanctity of the current measuring system and rhapsodize philosophically about healing potions and how they were a metaphor for all life or some shit. However, his mind was elsewhere for the rest of the ride.


    Mostly, he still felt dirty for kissing Skylara, and that weighed on him even though he¡¯d done everything in his power to avoid finding out what dragon pussy was like. Everyone else seemed to assume he¡¯d fucked her. Hell, she¡¯d probably hinted as much just to feast on the gossip she so enjoyed, but even so, Lucas felt like he¡¯d gone too far, even if he did what he had to do.


    He tried not to dwell on it, but the thought nipped at his heels the rest of the day, and no amount of studying the system or trying to read one of the books Heisenburgle had recommended to deepen his knowledge. None of that was really helpful. So, instead, he eventually sat down and wrote Danaria a letter. There was nothing in it that mattered.


    He didn¡¯t mention his near-death experience or the fact that Prince had given him permission to marry her eventually. He certainly didn¡¯t confess that he¡¯d been unfaithful in even the smallest way.


    He didn¡¯t talk about anything negative. Instead, he just told her that he missed her and how nice their visit had been. He even drew up a little sketch of the garden he¡¯d been planning for the home he¡¯d suggested on his last visit.


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    They were little things, and after he¡¯d finished it, sealed it, and dropped it off to Heisenburgle, he felt much more grounded. He knew what he had to do. He had to do whatever it took to make her happy and healthy.


    That almost certainly meant that the Potion of Greater Communion was at the top of his list if it wasn¡¯t already. He had a Goddess and a Dragon of incredible power waiting on him to make breakthroughs there, which meant he had a gnome and a prince looking over his shoulder until he did, and there was no way that Danaria would ever be truly happy until he was out of the Blue business.


    And that ain¡¯t happening until I get the product they want and teach Heisenburgle how to make it, he thought wearily.


    When he dropped off the letter with the gnome, he gave him a few more books to read and told Lucas, ¡°We¡¯ll start again tomorrow night. Too many of my other projects are behind. So, I must attend to them, and you are not yet on a proper sleep schedule.¡±


    The gnome offered him another potion of wakefulness, but Lucas hastily declined. He wasn¡¯t getting hooked on uppers or downers in this life. Just the contact high he¡¯d gotten from smelling too much secondhand Blue was enough to smell weird. He wasn¡¯t going down that road. Certainly not after the fate he¡¯d inflicted on Adin.


    Lucas made some attempts to get back on the night schedule that the gnome preferred. Lucas even watched him from the windows on the second story as the gnome trudged between a few of the outbuildings that were mostly blacksmiths and glassblowers and other messy endeavors that weren¡¯t fit to be connected to the main building.


    He still had no idea what Heisenburgle was working on out there, but no matter how often he tried to hint only to follow up with the fact that he really couldn¡¯t talk about it, Lucas didn¡¯t take the bait. There were apparently some advanced armor projects and the hyperquadsomething-or-other. Lucas didn¡¯t really care. If they weren¡¯t going to help him make his blue any faster and get him back home where he belonged, he wasn¡¯t interested.


    Lucas woke up a little before noon the following day. He spent the time between then and when Heisenburgle would expect him in his air laboratory racking his brain for what could be, almost like a Moon Blossom that wasn¡¯t a Moon Blossom. He read books looking for plants with similar properties and elemental balances, and he examined the reagents on the shelf, looking for catalysts that looked similar. He even asked Heisenbugle about it while the man was setting up his own apparatus.


    ¡°Other catalysts native to the Greenwood?¡± the gnome repeated the question as he rubbed his chin. ¡°Yes, I suppose I could think of a few, but first, I¡¯ve got to get this set up. Moon set is in thirty minutes, you see.¡±


    Lucas set up his own workstation to make some Blue. Then, when that was done, he pretended to wait patiently, but eventually, after he got tired of watching the gnome fuck it up, he started to help him. His rig to capture starlight was growing ever more elaborate but ultimately boiled down to ever more curved mirrors, all pointing to a specific point in the nearly clear liquid at its focal point.


    As they did so, the fluid began to glow noticeably, but just like before, Lucas knew that when it was covered or the sun rose, the reaction would cease. There was a criticality involved that the gnome simply wasn¡¯t reaching.


    Lucas¡¯s eyes drifted down to the man¡¯s tome and saw the ingredients for the Distilled Starlight he was working on. Then he looked a bit further down and looked at the recipe for distilled sunlight.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t capturing sunlight be easier?¡± he asked, idly turning the page. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more of it, you know. Just get a magnifying glass and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡± the gnome said, throwing up his hands. ¡°You can be so aggravating, young man! Not only is sunlight completely antithetical to the research I''m doing, but there are heat problems to consider in such a brew. These things are not interchangeable!¡±


    As he spoke, Lucas wasn¡¯t really listening. On the next page was a brief discussion about Distilled Moonlight, and one specific word caught his attention. Catalyst. Starlight was an enhancer, and sunlight was a purifier, but moonlight, apparently, was a catalyst, which just so happened to be what he was looking for.


    Suddenly, everything clicked into place. That one word was enough to make him realize what it was the Goddess had been hinting at.


    ¡°You¡¯re so close,¡± she whispered in his memory. ¡°One ingredient is just a bit off¡­¡±


    Lucas looked from Heisenburgle¡¯s starlight apparatus to his blue setup and back again as he finally put it all together, only distantly aware that the gnome was still talking. The man hadn¡¯t managed to manage to distill starlight in any permanent way, but on moonless nights, he¡¯d succeeded for a time. He just hadn¡¯t managed to quite achieve critical mass.


    Distilled Starlight (minor): Poison -5, amplifies the effect of most potions when added in moderation.


    Distilled Moonlight, he decided finally. That¡¯s what I fucking need.


    The gnome apparently agreed, if for entirely different reasons. When Lucas started paying attention to his long-winded speech about how it was the easiest of the three celestial solvents to create. ¡°That¡¯s only by comparison to the others, though. Making the tinctures necessary for the initial stages would be a challenge to even an experienced alchemist. And you, my friend,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Are no serious¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± Lucas said, using the taunt to pivot to what he wanted. ¡°You wanna see me make your moon juice. No problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± the gnome answered, his eyes flashing with mischief. ¡°How interesting. Well, I will do you the favor of getting you a manual with an easier formulation and placing the relevant workshops at your disposal. Perhaps Hobskin¡¯s treatise would suffice, but I warn you, I¡¯ll offer you no assistance beyond that. Not until you admit defeat.¡±


    The gnome looked at him evilly then, and Lucas wondered what exactly it was he¡¯d gotten himself into. Still, he wasn¡¯t about to show any weakness in front of the egomaniac. ¡°No problem, one batch of lunar catalyst coming right up!¡± he boasted.

 Ch. 112 - Making Magic

    Though he¡¯d taken the challenge to cover up for his own goals, Lucas thought that it would be an easy win to shove in Heisenburgle¡¯s smug face. He was sorely mistaken. Though he made a few batches of Blue that night, that was just because he¡¯d already started preparing reagents. Once that was done, he tore into the texts that the gnome recommended on the subject, and though he would never admit it to Heisenburgle, he had a hard time making heads or tales of them.


    Hobskin¡¯s Treatise on The Distillation of Celestial Solvents was supposed to be the easiest of all of Hessienburgle¡¯s texts on the subject, but it was denser than any instruction manual he¡¯d ever read. The tome was two inches thick and characterized by passages like ¡°Some works of alchemical excellence are too dense and reinforced to ever be separated and enhanced without energies from the heaves themselves¡± and ¡°Our goal is not to use liquid sunlight to purge the poisons of this mixture, but to annihilate them as if they¡¯d never existed at all. ¡±


    That flowery language toned down a bit as he got to the particulars of the recipe, but as Lucas started to skip ahead, Heisenburgle called out, ¡°Careful, if you skip to the recipe itself, you¡¯ll find it is quite impossible to make without the requisite grounding in philosophy¡­¡±


    Lucas ignored him, though he did worry for a moment that the gnome might be right.


    If this is like the elemental shit he was on about before, I might be fucked, he realized.


    Still, he pushed those doubts down and reviewed the potion recipe, which didn¡¯t seem to be that hard at all. Besides condensed moonlight, it required the purest of water, the essence of firefly, refined phosphorus, and ground teeth of a nocturnal prowling carnivore. Lucas hadn¡¯t checked, but if the book considered them to be reagents, then alchemists almost certainly felt the same way, which means Heisenburgle considered them to be worth stocking.


    Harvesting the moonlight, though, was another matter. There was no diagram of what the machine to do that should look like, only that, ¡°Even on the night of a full moon, mirrors should be about the size of three average drawing-room windows. Too much more than that will boil the mixture into uselessness, and too little will fail to catalyze properly, resulting in a failed batch.¡±


    To Lucas, it seemed like they could have just said that you wanted so many square feet of exposure per dose per hour, but the author was as immune to sense as Heisenburgle was. ¡°It''s fine,¡± Lucas said finally. ¡°It all looks pretty straightforward to me. I¡¯ll talk to the craftsmen tomorrow, and they can get started. We should have some moon goo in a week or two, no problem.¡±


    The gnome answered, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Oh, will we now? I can hardly wait,¡± he cackled. ¡°I think this is a show I shall savor!¡±


    Lucas let those words roll off his back as he started sketching ideas for how he was going to make his mirror. The size, he decided, wasn¡¯t the issue. It was how the ability to throttle the amount of moonlight that he needed. He cast a look at Heisenburgle¡¯s harebrained contraption and quickly decided. There¡¯s no way I''m making any Rube Goldberg device like that.


    The man had almost two dozen mirrors, many of which were on poles, so he could independently adjust them, one at a time. Lucas had an entirely different plan, and in the morning, he went to talk to the blacksmith about making an oculus and the glassblower about making a couple of lenses.


    Both of the workshops were staffed much better than he¡¯d expected. The blacksmith, in particular, was a world away from the others he''d seen in Meadowin and Lordanin. It was practically a machine shop, with different people working on different things at the same time. Looking around, Lucas saw a peddle-powered drill press, a lathe, along with several forges and drop hammers. It was pretty fancy, and he could see why the gnome kept it secret. One of the smiths near the back of the shop even seemed to be working on making a horse leg.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you guys usually make just the horseshoes?¡± Lucas laughed as he pointed it out to the head smith.


    The man crossed his arms in annoyance and said, ¡°And ain¡¯t you supposed to mind your own business?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, man, sure, whatever,¡± Lucas agreed. He quickly changed the topic, brought out his sketch of the aperture he wanted, and showed the man how it worked. It looked just like a camera shutter with five leaves that opened and closed smoothly, but of course, he couldn¡¯t use those words.


    Things went back and forth for a while, but it wasn¡¯t until he laid several pieces of paper atop one another and then showed the way they would fan out and create an opening that the man finally got it. Then, after a few questions, the guy seemed to get what he wanted, and as he scratched his neck he said, ¡°Yeah, I could see it. This will actually work pretty well on something else I¡¯m working on, too. I should be able to get it to you in a week or so, alright?¡±


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    Lucas shook on it and went off to the glassblowers. He¡¯d expected this to be much easier than explaining a complicated moving part. He just wanted a couple of bent mirrors and a couple of focusing lenses to go with them. The lens, at least, they had no problem with. Heisenburgle already had a whole setup for that, and Lucas didn¡¯t even want to know how much it cost. The curved mirrors, though, threw the old man running the place for a loop.


    ¡°You want any old mirror, but you want it bent?¡± the man asked, not quite believing what Lucas was requesting.


    ¡°I mean, ideally, I¡¯d want something parabolic,¡± Lucas said, ¡°But that¡¯s probably asking a bit much.¡±


    ¡°Para-what now?¡± the chief glassblower asked.


    ¡°I want a mirror that¡¯s curved, like a kite shield, you know?¡± Lucas said, pointing at his drawing. ¡°The angle lets you create sort of a focal point.¡±


    Focal points at least, they understood, even if Lucas probably didn¡¯t. Curving glass to create what he was asking for was an entirely different story. He tried to explain to them that they could just beat it out of metal and polish that, but the man was pretty skeptical of that, too, and Lucas wasn¡¯t about to explain to him how a solar thermal power plant worked.


    So, in the end, they met halfway. They used steam to bend wood and make a frame, and then a few days later, they attached three-inch strips of mirror to it, creating a curved-ish mirror with flat spots. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but after some thought, he decided that it would probably do.


    After a little over a week, Lucas was setting up the whole thing on the roof of the main building, and after a week and a half, when his oculus was ready, he was finally cunning some tests. Heisenbugle watched all of this proceed, of course, tut-tutting away as he went. Still, he held off on the criticism until things were starting to take shape, and he could see well enough what Lucas was doing to mock it.


    ¡°What in the name of the stars above do you think you¡¯re making here exactly?¡± the gnome said, openly mocking him. ¡°These lenses in front of these mirrors will only block what little light you¡¯re gathering!¡±


    Lucas only smiled. The gnome might know a lot about alchemy, but it was clear he didn¡¯t know shit about science or how light worked, and Lucas was happy to teach him a thing or two.


    At least, that¡¯s what he thought at first. Every time Lucas tried to explain to him how something worked, the gnome would respond reasonably enough before giving a ridiculous explanation for why he shouldn¡¯t do it that way.


    For starters, your mirrors are much too small and crooked. It¡¯s like you didn¡¯t read a single word of Hobskin¡¯s wisdom! Separated mirrors will lead to uneven heating and an iron window?!¡± Heisenburgle threw up his hands in frustration. Don¡¯t you understand how much you¡¯ll taint the light with such heavy things?¡±


    Lucas had expected objections, but these were entirely based on strange Alchemical philosophies that he¡¯d need to study for a decade to understand. The gnome stayed up there for a while with him, drawing what he was supposed to get out of his reading, which was apparently three large rectangular mirrors to surround his vial with, but Lucas saw way too many problems with that. Those were mostly related to how inefficient and non-adjustable it was.


    ¡°If I set my apparatus up like that,¡± he explained, ¡°Then all I can do is start it and pray the reaction works. This way, I can adjust¡ª¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± the gnome interrupted. ¡°Celestial solvents are a way to beseech the Gods and grant you favor. If your mind is right and your philosophy is sound, then the Lord of Potions himself, the might Thrzaelwick, blessed be his name, will make up for any of your shortcomings.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why your starlight potions still aren¡¯t working quite right?¡± Lucas thought. He considered saying that out loud but decided against it.


    Instead, he said, ¡°Well, we will see. I plan to try in two more days, so we¡¯ll see what we see.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not even the night of the full moon!¡± the gnome declared. ¡°Did you really learn nothing?¡±


    ¡°I learned that the moon is up for a good chunk of the day when it¡¯s full, and I¡¯d rather have all night to work on something finicky like this.¡± Lucas shot back defensively.


    ¡°Multiple attempts?!¡± Heisenbergle shouted in a way that made his squeaky voice that much more ridiculous. ¡°With mirrors like this, you¡¯ll be lucky to gather enough light throughout the entire night!¡±


    Lucas shrugged that off, and eventually, the gnome left. He might not know what he was doing, but he was fairly certain none of the other alchemists did either. They were all just copying recipes off of each other and claiming divine insight for various changes and techniques. Given what he¡¯d seen with the elemental alignment bullshit, he couldn¡¯t dismiss all of that out of hand, of course.


    ¡°But I can sure as hell test it,¡± he growled to himself as he stood up there alone in the cold.


    Two nights later, everything was in readiness. Lucas spent a few hours before moon rise creating half a dozen of the substrate potions he¡¯d need for the experiment. He¡¯d used water from distilled steam with Heisenburgle had also balked at, but otherwise, he¡¯d stuck to the recipe for Concentrated Moonlight.


    He¡¯d arranged his work area like a triangle. In the center, there was the clamp to hold the potion. In front of it, between the moon and the vial, there was an armature to hold the front focusing lens so that he could adjust it throughout the night., and behind it were the two curved mirrors, which aimed at their own focusing lenses before those beams of light went through his adjustable aperture.


    It was the maximum exposure he could give without using yards and yards of glass. ¡°Alright bitch,¡± he told himself, ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Ch. 113 - Moonlight

    Lucas started before Heisenburgle arrived. That wasn¡¯t in an attempt to snub the gnome, even though he knew that was how the illustrious alchemist would take it. That wasn¡¯t even because he wanted to use every last second of time after moonrise to get this new technique down. It was just that he knew he was going to fuck it up the first time, and he didn¡¯t want Heisenburgle to see that.


    Lucas rarely got new techniques right on the first attempt, and there were too many unknowns with some crazy stuff like this. This wasn¡¯t a case of heat X chemical to Y degrees for Z minutes. This was more like let magical potion A absorb amount of moonlight B, for time C until it started to sparkle just right. It was the closest thing he¡¯d ever done to being crazy, and yet, for some reason, he believed it was likely to work.


    It didn¡¯t on that first attempt, though. On his first try, Lucas had made the mistake of actually believing that the gnome had some idea what he was talking about when he said that with the amount of reflective surface he was using, it would take all night. As a result, he had the throttle wide open, and though the vial started to glow brightly immediately, it still erupted into smoke. Before he could even get to his shutter to throttle it down, the vial shattered, sending glass everywhere in a bright flash of light.


    You have failed to make Concentrated Moonlight but deserve acclaim merely for the attempt. +15 exp.


    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± he cursed, kicking himself for his mistake as he ignored the taunting message.


    Of course, he doesn¡¯t know what the fuck he¡¯s talking about. Lucas sighed inwardly as he threw away the bottom of the vial and reinserted the next one into the clamp. Lucas did that with all of the focusing lenses turned away, and he was just turning those back into place when Heisenburgle arrived.


    ¡°Good!¡± he grumbled. ¡°If you¡¯d started this abomination without me and denied me my entertainment, I would have been extremely offended!¡±


    ¡°Me? I wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± Lucas lied. ¡°Just getting everything all set up.¡±


    Working under the gnome¡¯s gaze was like being put under a literal microscope, and he criticized everything Lucas did, noting immediately that he wasn¡¯t providing the potion enough light. ¡°It will never reach fulminating incandescence like that!¡± Heisenburgle insisted.


    Lucas ignored him. He¡¯d just seen his first vial fulminate pretty incandescently and knew that starting slow was definitely the right thing to do. So after he oriented his front focusing lens and verified the thing wasn¡¯t about to explode, he started to open the aperture that the light of the rear focusing lenses was throttled by a little at a time.


    The results were pretty instantaneous. Once the potion clamped at the center of the whole assembly received enough light, it started to glow, almost like a lightbulb. It was definitely putting out more light than it was receiving, and it glowed almost as brightly as the moon.


    That shut Heisenburgle up. For the first time all evening, he was quiet when Lucas reached that threshold, and instead of engaging in his favorite sports of shit-talking and second-guessing, he merely polished his spectacles and got as close as he dared as he examined the reaction.


    Lucas would have loved to have gotten it right on the first try as far as his gnomish taskmaster was concerned. Nothing would have made Heisenburgle more bewildered than that. Sadly, after a few minutes, Lucas learned just how finicky the whole process was when the vial¡¯s liquid started to boil. He toned down the light right away, but it was too late for that. After he¡¯d fucked it up and let it get too hot, it glowed a dull gray smokey color instead of the pleasing amber color it had before.


    Despite your best efforts, you have failed to create Concentrated Moonlight. Maybe you should check the recipe again. +12 experience.


    ¡°See!¡± Heisenburgle crowed. ¡°I told you. This equipment is entirely insufficient for the forces you seek to master!¡±


    Lucas ignored them and noted the vial was so hot that he couldn¡¯t touch it, and instead, he had to release the clamp and let it fall into the snow. That made him frown. There¡¯s no way that a little moonlight is generating all this heat, he thought. It¡¯s gotta be some kind of exothermic reaction.


    In theory, that made the problem easy. He just needed to use an ice bath or something similar. However, the fact that he was already doing the experiment in a place where it was cold as shit didn¡¯t bode well for that solution.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said before running down to the kitchen to borrow a small glass of the right size.


    When he returned, he packed that with snow and put the bottom of the vial in it. He wanted to submerge it, but he expected the light-based properties of the experiment wouldn¡¯t allow for it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°You¡¯ll contaminate the experiment!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just making adjustments,¡± Lucas answered, double-checking everything. ¡°That¡¯s the whole purpose of the scientific method. You try something, you check the results, then you switch it up until you get what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


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    ¡°Scientific? Is that an alchemist? Should I have heard of him? I don¡¯t recall such a name in my library.¡± the gnome complained.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Lucas agreed as he stepped back and started the process again.


    This time, things went better. He had to refresh his glass with more water regularly. The potion¡¯s heat wasn¡¯t quite enough to make it boil, but it did make it steam in the chill night air. Heat wasn¡¯t the problem this time, though. It was the clouds.


    After thirty minutes of cooking, the potion was steadily brightening, but as soon as the first cloud started to cross the moon, it began to dim. Lucas responded by opening his throttle wider. But that created additional complications as the light shifted from moment to moment.


    ¡°There, you see!¡± the gnome complained. ¡°This is clearly a sign of the God¡¯s displeasure. There is no way a Celestial Solvent can be viable after a disruption like this.¡±


    ¡°If they want to be displeased with me, they¡¯re going to have to try a hell of a lot harder than this,¡± Lucas growled as he white-knuckled his way through the constant changes.


    Up until now, he¡¯d just left on about half strength, but now he was having to swing the thing all the way open to back to the halfway point, over and over again. He should have just started over. He knew that. This was a pain in the dick that would end in tears. Still, he wasn¡¯t about to give Heisenburgle anything else to smile about, and he forced his way through. Honestly, in the end, when he saw the pop-up that his efforts had succeeded, no one was more surprised than Lucas.


    You have created a new potion +58 experience.


    You have created Concentrated Moonlight.


    You have created one of the four Celestial Solvents and unlocked a new achievement!


    Lucas cut the light to what he¡¯d been making then, even as Heisenburgle sputtered, ¡°No, it¡¯s too soon. You¡¯ll ruin it!¡±


    The gnome didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. He couldn¡¯t see the little pop-ups Lucas could, or if he could, it was in some completely different fashion.


    Even as he did, though, the thing kept glowing, maintaining its faintly amber hue. It was like a liquid incandescent lightbulb, and as Lucas picked it up and held it, he decided it was certainly the most magical thing he¡¯d done in his time here. He¡¯d blow off that Owlbear¡¯s head, and he could turn invisible at will, but he¡¯d accomplished those tools by using magical tools other people had made. This, though, was a magical tool he¡¯d made by himself, and it was gorgeous.


    Concentrated Moonlight: Catalyst Strongly purifies up to five other reagents. Reacts badly with any evil aspected ingredients.


    Lucas was surprised to find that the part of him that was excited to show Danaria was even bigger than the part of him that realized he could probably now make the Potion of Greater Communion. He tried to tell himself that it was because he was still worried about what actually making that thing might inadvertently trigger, but that didn¡¯t feel right. He was just getting more and more hung up on the other woman as time went on, and he was going to have to come to grips with that somehow.


    As he tried to process that, though, Heisenburgle interrupted. ¡°It can¡¯t be. Let me see!¡± the gnome snarled, waddling over to him through the half a foot of snow that covered the rooftop. ¡°There''s no way that an uneducated human like you with a half-baked contraption could distill moonlight in a single evening!¡±


    Lucas tried not to do more than smirk as he handed the gnome the bottle, but he failed. ¡°What can I say?¡± he answered with a chuckle. ¡°Call it beginners luck.¡±


    The gnome gave him a murderous look before he turned his full attention to the bottle. He shook it more than once like he expected it to dim or go out, but instead, it continued to glow with its own calm inner light.


    ¡°Well, then, you are very lucky,¡± the diminutive alchemist agreed, handing the vial back to Lucas. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call this best I¡¯ve ever seen or the brightest, but I think that it will¡­ Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it look like?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°I¡¯m making another one. We¡¯ve still got plenty of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Another one?!¡± the gnome erupted. ¡°You can¡¯t just make another one! To make multiple celestial solvents at once is to spit in the face of the gods themselves!¡±


    Despite his big words, the gnome didn¡¯t actually stop Lucas. He was too eager to experiment for that, even if he knew the experiment was wrong. Instead, he just stood back so that if the Gods decided to smite Lucas for his insolence, he wouldn¡¯t be in the crossfire.


    If anything, round four went even better than round three. There was less cloud cover, and Lucas was able to track the bright, gibbous moon across the sky with his mirrors, adjusting them every few minutes for optimal light gathering. The second potion took just under an hour to make, and by the time it was done, Heisenburgle was sputtering. ¡°Inconceivable!¡±


    You have created Concentrated Moonlight and gained +42 experience.


    Lucas tried to make a joke about it, but the gnome just slammed the door and left him to his own devices, which made Lucas laugh. ¡°Inconceivable!¡± he joked, doing his best Heisenburgle impression as he tried to decide if he wanted to make a third or even a fourth potion.


    There was still plenty of time to do it that night, of course, but he decided that two was enough. He only needed one for the recipe and one to show Danaria, after all. ¡°Anything past that is just showing off,¡± he told himself as he started to back things up.


    It was only when he¡¯d folded the mirrors and brought them inside so that wind wouldn¡¯t damage them that he turned to leave and noticed the footprints edging around the periphery of his work area. They were much too small to be his and much too large to be the gnome¡¯s. Suddenly, Lucas thought about Heisenburgle¡¯s bouts of paranoia and his habit of throwing glitter dust around to make sure that invisible minders weren¡¯t watching him.


    Son of a bitch, Lucas thought, quickly turning his head and pretending he hadn¡¯t seen anything. So the Prince really is watching us, huh? Wheels within wheels within wheels.


    Lucas tried not to let that revelation. He told himself that it wasn¡¯t a problem and that he hadn¡¯t revealed any of his own plans, but still, he worried, and before he locked his door and went to bed that night, he paced every inch of his room to make sure that he was really alone before he dared to close his eyes.

 Ch. 114 - The Real Test

    As tempted as Lucas was to try to make a batch of Blue with his brand-new catalyst right now. He decided to wait. He was exhausted, and he was going to have to figure out what to tell Heisenburgle if it actually worked. ¡°If I actually succeed, there might be fireworks or holy light descending from above, and I¡¯m not sure if I want to explain any of that to Heisenburgle,¡± he told himself.


    Lucas considered just making the stuff on his own during the day while his lab partner slash prison warden slept but decided that would certainly trigger the gnome¡¯s paranoia, along with anyone else that might be lurking. Privacy was pretty much impossible here, so, in the end, he decided that all he could do was act like it was just another day at the office, and if shit spun out of control, well, he¡¯d baffle them with some bullshit.


    It¡¯s not like Heisenburgle can make blue without me, he reminded himself. His efforts have been lackluster at best.


    The question of why exactly that was still made Lucas wonder. It seemed like the gnomish alchemist could make anything but the Celestial Solvents on the first try. It wasn¡¯t like Adin, where the man couldn¡¯t follow simple instructions. Heisenburgle had the skills, the experience, and the methodology, but something else seemed to be lacking, and he couldn¡¯t begin to guess what that was.


    ¡°Charming attitude, probably,¡± Lucas decided eventually.


    Still, despite doing his best to play it off, he spent the whole day on pins and needles. When it finally came time to set up the batch of blue to test his new glowing catalyst on, he was dreading it and dragged his feet at every stage of the preparation.


    Heisenburgle, on the other hand, barely noticed. Instead, he was still fuming about Lucas¡¯ success the previous night. Instead of helping, he kept bringing out new books to explain why what Lucas had done shouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even offer up a prayer to the God of Alchemy or the Goddess of the Moon!¡± he exploded as Lucas was beginning to boil the goblin bile.


    ¡°Was I supposed to?¡± Lucas asked, genuinely shocked by the idea that prayers would affect the outcome of any chemistry project. He supposed that he probably shouldn¡¯t be. I am trying to make a potion that allows me to communicate with a Goddess, after all.


    ¡°Of course you¡¯re supposed to!¡± the gnome yelled. ¡°Next, you¡¯ll tell me you don¡¯t even offer up prayers or sacrifices when you gather¡­ By the great cauldron, you don¡¯t do you?!¡±


    The gnome seemed genuinely shocked at that one, so Lucas lied and said, ¡°Of course I do. Most of the time, anyway.¡±


    Even that answer infuriated Heisenburgle, and for a moment, Lucas thought he might actually leave the room and let Lucas conduct the experiment alone. That would have been the optimal outcome, of course, but it was not to be. As much as the gnome might hate his amateurish ways, he was simply incapable of watching a new alchemy experiment.


    Rather than depart, he simply stood near Lucas¡¯s left elbow and complained about his lack of piety while he went through every step the same as always. He mixed the reagents, heated them appropriately, and made sure that everything was done exactly as always. It was utterly routine.


    The only suspense finally came when he took out the bottle of Concentrated Moonlight. When he popped that, a brief shower of sparkles came out, surprising him. ¡°Man, I was joking about fireworks,¡± he said to himself as he tilted it up and poured it into the mixture.


    For a moment, nothing happened. It was just a swirl of white that was quickly lost in the midnight blue fluid and quickly disappeared. It took longer than any of the catalysts he¡¯d used so far to see a reaction, but eventually, there were little sparks of lighter, glowing blue. They weren¡¯t floating up to the top, though. They were sinking down to the bottom.


    Over the next few seconds, the potion started to split apart into two completely different layers. One was a viscous black tar, but increasingly, the bottom one was looking more and more like what he would expect from a high-quality batch of Blue. Lucas smiled tentatively at that. He saved his real feelings of triumph for the moment he got the message that told him he¡¯d done it.


    You have created a new potion +104 experience.


    You have created a Potion of Greater Communion.


    You have created one of the Seven Forbidden Potions. You have unlocked an achievement.


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Lucas exclaimed without thinking. He quickly realized his mistake and followed that up with, ¡°This is progress. I think we might have actually done it.¡± Lucas¡¯s enthusiasm waned when he read what the potion actually did.


    Potion of Greater Communion (fatal) (1 dose): Poison 30. This potion will kill the imbiber. He will come back to life only by the grace of the Goddess herself if she judges them worthy.


    ¡°It is promising,¡± Heisenburgle agreed, leaning in to watch the potion as it continued to break down. ¡°I think that once the separation is complete, and we remove the layer of waste, we should proceed to test the remainder on live subjects, assuming it doesn¡¯t break down like last time.¡±


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    Lucas nodded, trying to appreciate the colors, but he wasn¡¯t really listening. His mind was a world away. Fatal? He balked silently. Fatal, and she wants me to drink that shit? He supposed that he could simply pass, of course, but that would defeat the entire point of the thing. Somehow he¡¯d finally made the potion that he¡¯d been working on for years, and the product would fucking kill him.


    The top of the Potion of Greater Communion was an inky black that was only getting dark, but beneath it, the blue was more vibrant than ever. It wasn¡¯t just small bits of it that were glowing. The whole thing was a swirling oil sheen, like a lava lamp made of liquified peacock feathers, and it glimmered in its own light whenever he moved or blinked. As magical as the shit he¡¯d made up until now, this was another level.


    After staring at it for too long, while his thoughts raced, he finally separated the mixture by pouring the black residue into a small flask and setting it aside. He¡¯d thought that the Potion of Greater Communion label would follow the blue flask, but instead, it followed the flask of black goo, which made Lucas a little nervous. In its place, a new label appeared to cover


    Water of Life (pure) (30 doses): Euphoria 20, poison 1, mana regeneration decreased by 300% for one hour. Increases fertility by 100%. It is not addictive if used less than once a month.


    Holy shit, it really is a fertility party drug, Lucas thought. It¡¯s just like Heisenburgle said. I thought it was making that part up.


    Lucas was silent as he studied the contrast. He¡¯d started with the different herbs that an old alchemist had used to get high. He¡¯d mixed them together to make something that could get you really high, but the whole time, he¡¯d been using the wrong catalyst. Now that he was using the right one, well, it separated the mixture completely into its two purest forms: life and death. The results were staggering, but he couldn¡¯t tell that to Heisenburgle.


    Instead, he just poured the liquid death into a vial while he tried to figure out what to do with it, and he poured a few doses of the larger, sparkling blue into a few other vials so that they could use them on their test subjects in the basement. Heisenburgle was as happy as Lucas had ever seen him, but after they got downstairs and none of their pet addicts perished, he was positively jubilant.


    ¡°We must celebrate!¡± he insisted as they went to breakfast.


    Heisenburgle insisted on flutes of champagne to toast their success. Lucas drank but ate sparingly. Instead, conscious of just how much the next step in his plan would cost and how nauseous the lesser potion had made him, he stuck to dry toast and tea while Heisenburgle lavished rare praise on him.


    ¡°With this breakthrough, we might be able to secure the piece for decades!¡± the gnome said. ¡°I¡¯ll write to the Prince immediately and let him know what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should wait a little longer,¡± Lucas suggested. ¡°You know, to make sure it''s repeatable? I¡¯m just concerned that the final product will separate and decay like the last batch, you know? We could send a letter today and go back upstairs tomorrow to find nothing but an oily mess. Who¡¯s going to explain that to him then?¡±


    The gnome gave that some thought before he finally replied. ¡°Very well. That would be prudent, but only a single batch more, then we tell him.¡±


    Lucas realized only belatedly that the schedule he¡¯d proposed would use up the other Concentrated Moonlight he¡¯d made, which annoyed him. He¡¯d meant to give that to Danaria, not using it to make more drugs. The thought made him clench his fists under the table, but he pushed his annoyance down. That¡¯s okay, he told himself. I¡¯ll just make more when the full moon is up. If I¡¯m still breathing.


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Lucas said, still worrying about everything that was about to happen.


    In theory, if the gnome reported to the Prince he was done, then the Prince would release him from his enforced captivity and let him go home faster than anyone expected. That would, however, mean that he would have no way to fend off Skylara any longer, and he was fairly sure that she would send for him to celebrate the minute he made it known that the good shit was finally done.


    The very thought of spending the weekend with her in some chateau turned his stomach. He didn¡¯t say any of that, though. Instead, he agreed with whatever Heisenburgle said, and when the man called him out on his listlessness, he just shrugged and said, ¡°Sorry man, I¡¯m tired. That¡¯s all. I just can¡¯t do the night owl thing as well as you.¡±


    ¡°For the first few years, I had difficulty adjusting as well,¡± the gnome agreed, ¡°But after a few decades, it becomes second nature. It¡¯s so much more productive for alchemy, I find.¡±


    Lucas let him blather on for a while about the dynamic polarities of potions. Then, eventually, he excused himself and went to his room.


    ¡°Am I really doing this?¡± Lucas asked himself. ¡°It could be suicide. Well it is suicide, but it could be like for real, suicide.¡±


    That Goddess did seem awfully interested in me, though, he reminded himself. She even told me that I could ask her for a boon, so I don¡¯t think she means to kill me permanently, just for a minute or two. Even so, it was a hell of a risk.


    He¡¯d closed and barred the door to his room. He¡¯d considered leaving it unlocked in case he needed help, but that was stupid, though, whatever happened next he was pretty sure that he was going to live or die on his own. So, he¡¯d prefer to do that undisturbed.


    He¡¯d also checked the place for invisible spies and found none. Now, he was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at the dark potion in his hand. All he had to do was pop the cork and chug it, but even so, something about the situation made him hesitate.


    It felt like a weighty decision, even more so than last time, which made sense since it said fatal right there in the description. Even without that, the darkness of the liquid seemed to make it very clear this was dangerous. Lucas sat there for more than a minute, considering his options before deciding that he really didn¡¯t have any other choice.


    ¡°Well, you only live once, or I guess, in my case, twice. Let¡¯s see if the third time is the charm.¡± he said softly, ¡°Bottoms up.¡± Then, without any more delays, he chugged the bitter fluid.

 Ch. 115 - Second Death

    The stuff tasted like liquid tar, and even as Lucas¡¯ stomach gurgled in protest, he tried not to contemplate how much poison was in all the different reagents he¡¯d boiled to make this stuff. It¡¯s probably enough to kill Hura¡¯gh dead, he decided, not that that bit of knowledge would do much good.


    Slowly, that discomfort transformed into muscle spasms and then a general numbness. When he started to have trouble sitting up, he let himself lay down, trying to keep his shit together as the cold fire in his stomach slowly made its way up his spine, turning off various organs as it went.


    He¡¯d expected this to be a gentle or even pleasant death, given the nature of Blue, but that was not at all the case. It hurt more than Lucas thought it would. He¡¯d died before, but that had involved fire and a taser, so of course, it had hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but this wasn¡¯t what he thought it would be.


    Stay calm, he told himself as he started having trouble breathing, or even keeping his eyes open. This is all part of the plan.


    Lucas hoped that was true. Still, he was reassured when, just like he took the Potion of Lesser Communion, something seemed to resolve out of the darkness. This time it was no garden tea party. He was somewhere far stranger. It seemed to be an arboreal city of sorts.


    It had that same imprecise, impressionistic feel that it had the last time, but otherwise, everything was different. There were trees as far as he could see, above and around him in every direction. There were elves, too. In fact, there were more elves milling about around him than he¡¯d probably seen altogether in his whole life, slowly fading into view as the darkness retreated and his vision cleared.


    These weren¡¯t the elves he¡¯d seen in Lordanin or in his first master¡¯s apothecary shop, though. Those had been dregs and junkies that weren¡¯t welcome into elven society. These, though, were important people. It was easy to tell both by their robes and the way they carried themselves. They were also dead people, as it turned out, and he continued to see right through them.


    Still, despite their growing anger at his presence, he spun slowly in place, taking it all in. This place, whether it was elvish heaven or not, was the most beautiful place he¡¯d ever been, hands down. The structures seemed to be grown into the trees, and the organic flow of things like stairs and arches matched seamlessly. Even the stones on the plaza he was standing on fit together so tightly they looked as if they¡¯d been grown together.


    Still, none of that compared to the giant structure that could only be a palace. It had been just behind him when he showed up, but now that he¡¯d seen it, and the wide stairs made of pure, pink-veined marble, he couldn¡¯t help but climb them. Some of the elves seemed very irate at this decision, but they were screaming things at him in a tongue that he did not understand.


    ¡°Sorry, no hablo Elf-o,¡± he said back, the first couple of times, but as the protests grew louder, the amount of fucks he had to give started to wane.


    ¡°Yeah, same to you, buddy,¡± he called back. Still, he did manage to resist giving them the finger, but only because he was trying to be polite.


    The stairs seemed to be interminably long, but he didn¡¯t get tired. Instead, the farther up he went, the faster he walked. When he approached the palace door, which was a gilded monstrosity at least twenty feet tall, the guards brandished their wide tower shields and fancy spears with strange blades on the end but did not attempt to stop him.


    ¡°Seems like no one is happy to see me,¡± he said to himself. He recalled the Heisenburgle saying something about that at one point, but now it was lost to him. In fact, now that he noticed, his whole memory was about as fuzzy as the painterly details of this place, but he didn¡¯t stress out about it because there wasn¡¯t shit he could do to change it.


    Lucas walked through the palace like he was a fish on a line. He had no real choice in the direction he was going. Instead, at every turn, he knew with certainty which way he needed to go, and no matter what he might see in other directions, there was no way he could divert and go explore it more.


    When he finally found the throne room of the elven Goddess he¡¯d met before. She was still impossibly beautiful, but the last time he¡¯d seen her, she must have been in her business casual outfit because now, she was every inch a Goddess. Her clothes were made of silver thread, and the crown on her head barely contained any metal at all. Instead, it was a constellation of jewels that orbited just above her head without quite touching it. It was a shocking sight, and it made it almost impossible for him to look around and take in the rest of the throne room in any detail.


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    All he could do was stare and approach the throne. There, there were a handful of guards in even shiner armor than the ones outside, and as soon as he got close enough, they thumped the butts of their hafts against the stone floor, sending out a single dull note. The message was clear in any language. Close enough, buddy, stop right there.


    So, Lucas did just that, standing twenty feet from the throne. He gave the Goddess a low bow and said, ¡°Your Majesty, you asked me to come, and here I am.¡±


    ¡°So you are,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°You may rise, Sir Sharpe, I am most impressed. I cannot remember the last time someone who was not of at least half-elvish descent stood in these hallowed halls. I hope it was worth it. You have made history, as well as many enemies. I hope that it was worth it.¡±


    ¡°Enemies?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Certainly, you don¡¯t mean yourself?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± the Goddess smiled. ¡°I find you and your ¡®real shit¡¯ to be quite charming. I am even prepared to grant you the boon you seek, but my children are a prideful people, and when the high priests learn that a human has trod in their hallowed halls, some may go to great efforts to seek you out.¡±


    ¡°I thank you for that,¡± Lucas said with a pause, ¡°But I haven¡¯t even asked for anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but you will. I heard it in your soul as you entered my palace, and so, since it is not my boon to bestow, I have sent for Thrzaelwick to hear your plea,¡± she explained.


    ¡°But if you already know what I¡¯m going to say or do, then what¡¯s the point of all this¡­ Your Highness?¡± he tacked that last bit on at the end more because of the way the guards were looking at him than she was.


    The Goddess herself seemed largely amused by how all of this was playing out. She¡­ it suddenly occurred to Lucas that he didn¡¯t know her name. Had he known it before? Had she told him? He couldn¡¯t say, but he wasn¡¯t about to point that out and decided to just keep winging it for now.


    ¡°What is the point, indeed,¡± she smiled, offering no answers. ¡°What is the point of drinking a potion that you know will kill you just to go to a place you don¡¯t belong?¡±


    ¡°Because a Goddess dared me to,¡± Lucas said with a smile.


    ¡°I suppose I did, in a way, didn¡¯t I?¡± she smiled. ¡°But before we can talk of sending you home, there are a few things we must discuss. The¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish what she was saying, a storm of sparks and smoke began to form not far from where Lucas stood. The guards pointed their weapons at it. He took two steps back, but the goddess on her throne seemed utterly unperturbed by the mysterious development. Lucas quickly figured out why.


    A well-dressed gnome stepped out of the rapidly dissipating smoke, and coughing once, he turned to briefly regard Lucas before he turned to the elven Goddess. ¡°My lady Lwyn, it¡¯s been too long!¡± he said effusively. ¡°You need no wait for such oddities to invite me to visit. I¡¯ve missed your company.¡±


    ¡°And I yours,¡± the Goddess said with notably less warmth. ¡°But we are both so busy, and it wasn¡¯t until a human managed to replicate your fine potion that I had cause to seek you out.¡±


    ¡°Any alchemist might make any potion if they are skilled enough,¡± the gnome answered, reminding Lucas of Heisenburgle in both the tone of his voice and the way he spoke. He supposed that Heisenburgle would find that to be quite a high compliment, so Lucas resolved never to tell him. ¡°Do you know how this man came by Lwynthenll? Was it stolen, perhaps? I find it unlikely one of your high priests would give up such a thing for any reason whatsoever!¡±


    ¡°It was not,¡± Lwyn answered with a shake of her head. ¡°If you could believe it, he created the recipe through repeated experimentation and an exploitation of first principles. He was trying to make stronger drugs for an old enemy of mine.¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± the gnome hissed, whirling on Lucas as he lowered one of the extra lenses on his spectacles into place. ¡°That¡¯s a five-reagent potion, and some of them aren¡¯t even official reagents! How could you guess what I purposely hid on behalf of my dear, dear Lwyn¡±


    ¡°I, uhm, looked at their properties and just kept mixing it until I got what I wanted, I guess,¡± Lucas said, reminding himself that this was not Heisenburgle, and he needed to be respectful. ¡°Are you going to tell me that there are only eight ways to make a healing potion next?¡±


    ¡°There are only eight recipes for a healing potion,¡± the God of Alchemy agreed. ¡°I am considering a ninth, but it¡¯s not quite ready yet. In another few decades perhaps¡­¡±


    The gnome kept rambling, but once Lucas saw the goddess roll her eyes behind the gnome¡¯s back, it was hard to focus. At least that was the case until Thrzaelwick said, ¡°Now let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on here.¡±


    Lucas turned to face the gnome, but almost as soon as he did so, he ceased to exist. As his consciousness began to dim, he felt himself being split not into shards but into layers. Instead of being a book, he became a number of slim pages that were each about one very specific topic, instantly becoming less than the sum of his parts.


    He had a chance to briefly read over the shoulder of the gnomish God, observing all the events he¡¯d recently endured, which were listed out very neatly like a journal. Harvested Moonblossom. Created Potion of Lesser Communion. Resisted the Dragon Skylara¡¯s Ardent Seduction. Considered proposing to Danaria Parin. Distilled Starlight. Created Potion of Greater Communion. Perished. It was a horrifying way to be laid bare, but even as his consciousness faded to nothing, he heard the Goddess cry out, ¡°Gently Thrzaelwick! Mister Sharpe is a supplicant in my domain, and I plan on sending him back to the world of the living when this is done. You may not sunder him!¡±

 Ch. 116 - Science?!

    Slowly, a page at a time came back together. The thousand individual people he knew slowly reformed chapters called friends and enemies, respectively, though there were some people that were in both. After that, food became meals, and places became cities and maps that connected other villages and cities together. Slowly, he remembered that he was an alchemist who also happened to be a drug dealer and the false cousin of the beautiful Danaria Parin. He also happened to be in love with her, as it turned out, which was something he hadn''t even suspected before now.


    It was like coming out of anesthesia, and he was as surprised as anyone as each piece fell into place. He was dead, but that wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d died. He¡¯d been poisoned, but it wasn¡¯t the first time for that, either. Lucas, which turned out to be his name, had led a very interesting life, and the twists and turns kept him on the edge of his seat as he slowly recongealed from a cloud of related facts to the outline of a character to something resembling himself again.


    ¡°A thousand pardons, my lady,¡± the God of Alchemy said as he hastily pulled Lucas back together. ¡°I was just too excited by the sequence of events you described, and I simply sought to find the relevant information. No harm has been done. Once I¡¯ve finished my examination, he¡¯ll be as good as new!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d better be,¡± the woman answered with an imperious note. ¡°He¡¯s going to go on to discover great things. I can feel it.¡± Part of him knew that she was saying it that way to provoke the God of Alchemy, but he was still too blurry to understand what she hoped to achieve with that.


    Lucas wasn¡¯t sure that was true. He was close enough to himself again to be pissed off at the way he¡¯d almost been dispersed into nothingness by accident, but even if all the parts that made him who he was had been reincorporated, he still felt pretty off his game. Well, most of him had been put back together, he corrected himself.


    As his body became solid enough that he could move again, he saw that a few literal pages that were meant to be pieces of him were still missing because they were floating in front of Thrzaelwick while he browsed pieces of Lucas¡¯s mind at his leisure.


    ¡°Hmmm, I see,¡± the gnome said to himself, lost in thought, as he reviewed a large scroll that seemed to make up the sum total of Luca¡¯s knowledge of alchemy. He was pretty fuzzy on what that was until the gnome finally released it, and it vanished, refilling Lucas¡¯s mind with all the information that he¡¯d lost.


    ¡°I have found the problem,¡± the gnome explained triumphantly. ¡°His talent is broken. It turns out that your Mister Sharpe¡¯s soul isn¡¯t even from our world, so it is the wrong shape to fit the alchemy talent that his body was born with.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Lwyn answered. ¡°So I was rather hoping that¡ª¡±


    ¡°So all we need to do is take out this science stuff and bend a few things and¡­¡± as the gnome talked, Lucas could feel himself starting to bend out of shape. Without any warning, whole sections of knowledge about the world he¡¯d lived in before and the way he was used to thinking about things started to wink out.


    ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing? I¡ª¡± Lucas protested, but weakly. It was hard to do more than that when his mind was being turned inside out.


    Both of them were stopped cold when Lwyn yelled, ¡°Thrzaelwick! Put his soul back just the way you found it right this instant!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not trouble at all,¡± the Alchemy God insisted. ¡°Just a few little changes and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± Her voice was raised, but she was not screaming. Still, it sounded like the peel of thunder more than any human voice he¡¯d ever heard.


    ¡°As you wish, my darling,¡± the gnome said, not entirely able to keep his annoyance out of his voice this time. Thrzaelwick snapped his fingers, and suddenly, just like that, Lucas was himself again, and he was pissed.


    ¡°What in the fuck is the big idea, buddy?¡± Lucas snarled. At that moment, he didn¡¯t care if he got turned into a toad or lobotomized. He was still going to kill this tiny wire-haired bastard. ¡°That¡¯s my brain, and those are my memories. You can¡¯t just¡ª¡±


    ¡°The lovely Lwyn asked me to make sure her recipe was not stolen by any cretin that could guess what to mix together enough times,¡± the Gnomish God shot back defensively. ¡°It would be a simple thing to turn you into a proper alchemist, and your life would be better off for it!¡±


    ¡°She said no such thing!¡± Lucas spat, giving real thought to drop-kicking the little bastard. ¡°She told you that I had done the impossible, so you¡­¡±


    ¡°Sought to undo it, that¡¯s correct,¡± the gnome agreed. ¡°Impossible things are impossible for a reason. It should be impossible to guess the ingredients of forbidden recipes, to distill multiple batches of Celestial Solvent in a single night, and to make more than eight different kinds of healing potions!¡±


    The gnome seemed ready to throw down and would almost certainly have smote Lucas to nothing were it not for Lwyn¡¯s timely intervention. ¡°Actually,¡± the goddess told the gnome, ¡°I want just the opposite. I want to create a¡­ a lab rat, you might say.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°A lab rat?!¡± Lucas and Thrzaelwick both of them said together as they turned to face her.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± she smiled, winsomely. ¡°If you think about it, Thrzaelwick, it would be doing you a favor. All those recipes you always want to try, but never have the time to perfect? Mister Sharpe here could provide you endless inspiration, giving you more time to focus on refinement¡­¡±


    ¡°He could,¡± the gnome agreed grudgingly. ¡°But this science and chemistry of his is nothing but an inferior form of alchemy. He¡¯d be diluting the very meaning of the word!¡±


    Now I see what she meant when she said that the boon wasn¡¯t hers to give, Lucas thought to himself as he watched the conversation unwind before him.


    Lucas saw what it was she was doing, and decided to stay well out of this. The Gnomish God and the Elvish Goddess clearly had a Hephaestus-Aphrodite thing going on here, and if she wanted to leverage that to help him get what he wanted, then more power to her.


    ¡°It is, I agree wholeheartedly,¡± she said with a very serious expression. ¡°But it¡¯s also the opportunity for a unique experiment. When is the next time we are likely to get another science user in our world? I¡¯m not suggesting that you adopt his inferior, what did you call it? Chemistry? Wholeheartedly, but if you optimized his talent so it worked with the soul he had, then he might lead your endless research in new directions.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the gnome answered bitterly. ¡°It is an experiment that could be easily done, true, but what if it causes more harm than good? It certainly seems to have so far.¡±


    ¡°Uhmmm, if I may, Your, aaah, Illustriousness,¡± Lucas finally interjected. ¡°I think if you look at the numbers, you¡¯ll see my off-brand healing potions have saved far more lives than my Blue has taken. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s actually¡ª¡±


    ¡°There have been seventeen overdoses as a result of your unauthorized and poisonous concoctions,¡± the gnome proclaimed. ¡°That doesn¡¯t include all the other deaths related to crime, vendetta, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°How many lives have his potions saved?¡± Lwyn asked. ¡°I¡¯m curious.¡±


    ¡°178,¡± the gnome said sourly.


    ¡°On balance, that seems quite positive to me,¡± she responded with a smile, making the gnome¡¯s frown deepen further until it seemed like it was carved into his cheeks.


    ¡°You, or at least the body you inhabit, have been given a talent by the Gods themselves,¡± he said, turning to face Lucas. ¡°You understand that, don¡¯t you? Do have any evidence whatsoever that if I gave into my dear Lwyn, sincere, selfless request, that you would do more than make more powerful drugs with it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually trying to get out of the drug business,¡± Lucas said. ¡°It¡¯s a long story with the Prince and a Dragon, but if you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I will not accept protestations of innocence!¡± Thrzaelwick. ¡°I require real tangible proof that doing this thing has a chance of making the world a better place.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Lucas responded after a moment. ¡°What about the healing potions I¡¯ve distributed to the poor and the cosmetics I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cosmetics?!¡± the gnome interrupted. ¡°Pah! I¡ª¡±


    For a moment, Lucas thought he was cooked. God reacted almost exactly as Heisenburgle might have. Fortunately, the elven Goddess intervened again. ¡°Now, Thrzaelwick, are you saying that beauty does no good in the world? The right dress or the right perfume can do just as much as a fertility potion in many cases. Is it really your place to judge how he uses his gifts to help others, so long as he helps them?¡±


    Thrzaelwick was obviously conflicted as he stood there, hopelessly at odds with himself. On the one hand, it was clear he didn¡¯t want to help Lucas. On the other, though, it was obvious that he felt a desperate need to say yes to everything that the beautiful Goddess asked of him.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said finally. ¡°We will consider this an experiment in the merits of your chaotic science magic and my alchemy.¡±


    Lucas felt his soul starting to twist again as the God of Alchemy waggled a few of his fingers. This time, though, Lucas didn¡¯t feel like parts of himself were slipping away. He felt like his world was expanding. It was like this whole time. He¡¯d been wearing an outfit that was a bit too tight. He didn¡¯t realize how uncomfortable he was in his own skin until the gnome let it out a few inches. Suddenly, he could breathe, and more than that, the damn system he¡¯d been having such trouble with suddenly made sense on an almost intuitive level.


    He still had questions, of course. He had loads of questions. He¡¯d probably have to spend days looking through all the damn screens to find what he was looking for, but this was a start. Now, he knew why the alchemy of the world was so backward: it had been designed that way by a single person with very particular tastes. Now that his Alchemy setup resembled Chemistry more than anything he¡¯d been forced to deal with up to this point as his knowledge was wired up directly to his magic as it always should have been.


    ¡°Wow,¡± was all he could manage to say.


    Lucas wanted to thank the gnome. He really was grateful for this, but he was too stunned by how different everything felt now that his soul fit into the world the right way.


    The gnome started to lecture him about the changes he should expect, and Lwyn descended from her throne to thank the gnome. As she did so, the tension in the room changed. Guards that had been standing still this whole time were suddenly moving, and Lucas wasn¡¯t sure why.


    That was when the angels strolled into the room. Lucas immediately recognized one of them as that asshole, Darius, and for the first time, he saw a look of surprise and concern flit across Lwyn¡¯s lovely features. They were gone in an instant, though, as she turned toward her guests.


    ¡°Gentlemen, I¡¯m right in the midst of something,¡± she declared as the guards around her throne suddenly dropped into a guarded stance at some unspoken signal and moved to surround the three of them. ¡°SO I am afraid you will have to wait until I¡¯ve finished returning Mister Sharpe to his own body. Once that¡¯s done, we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± The second angel yelled, spreading his wings wider as he spoke. ¡°That soul does not belong to your world. He must return to us at once!¡±

 Ch. 117 - Jurisdictional Matters

    ¡°Can we all just please calm down,¡± Darius said, infuriatingly calm as always. ¡°There are rules in place for exactly these sorts of jurisdictional matters.¡±


    ¡°There are, but I do not recognize your authority,¡± Lwyn said coolly. ¡°This man is not a valid death that you can collect on. He is a unique supplicant and a person of significant interest. You will have to return when he dies a natural, final death.¡±


    Lucas was amused by her sudden change. She was obviously no great fan of Thrzaelwick, but she¡¯d humored him for the better part of an hour. That sort of treatment had left Lucas with the belief that she could endure nearly anything with pleasant passivity, but apparently, that was not the case.


    ¡°Your radiance, you might find it interesting to split hairs, but Lucas Sharpe belongs to us, as does his rehabilitation,¡± as the angels approached Lucas to the extent that the armored cordon would allow it, they appeared to look right through him the way Thrzaelwick had several times already. Although Lucas did not feel himself unravel under their gaze, he knew that they were reading more into him than he would ever want them to.


    ¡°From what I can see, it¡¯s clear he¡¯s made absolutely no attempt to change,¡± Darius said with a shake of his head. ¡°Even with all that time we spent together discussing the root of his problems, he¡¯s still poisoning the lives of others with narcotics.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t see any other changes in that soul since he¡¯s arrived in our world, then perhaps he should never be returned to your care,¡± the elven Goddess snapped, emphasizing that last word acidly. ¡°Return to your realm, and leave us to ours.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± the other angel agreed, ¡°As soon as we have our charge. Though you might think we¡¯d consider a single soul to be worth the notice of the entire host, we will not hesitate to call them should we need to do so.¡±


    At those words, the line of armed and armored elven spirits leveled their weapons at the angels and snapped their shields together. As they did that, the angels¡¯ clothing started to shimmer, transforming from business casual into silvery breastplates.


    A moment ago, Darius had been holding a pen and a clipboard, but as Lucas watched, those mundane implements transformed into a sword and shield. An epic knockdown, drag-out fight was getting ready to happen right here, and for some reason, he felt pretty bad about that.


    ¡°Woah, woah, woah!¡± he yelled, raising his hands. To him, it looked like the angles would get slaughtered, but he didn¡¯t even want those assholes¡¯ blood on his hands at this point. ¡°Can we all just calm the fuck down, please?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Darius said, his face now hidden behind a full helm that had come from nowhere. ¡°Simply surrender yourself to us, and we will not have to summon the thousands of angels necessary to reduce this tree to a stump.¡±


    Lwyn stood then, and her eyes crackled with fury. ¡°You think to threaten me in my home! What would ten thousand angels be against a million elves with bows, let alone ten thousand archmages? I will annihilate any force you send. I could send my armies to your heaven and burn¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yo! Thraz!¡± Lucas said, ¡°They mentioned rules before. What are the rules to handle this situation before it becomes a bloodbath?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, rules!¡± the gnome cried out. He was apparently so eager to avoid what was about to happen next that he was suddenly holding a thick, leather-bound tome that was titled Interworld Conflict Protocols that he''d conjured from nothing. ¡°Let¡¯s see, translocated soul disputes and jurisdictional conflicts, where is that again¡­¡±


    As the gnome looked up the rules, everyone else stood there frozen, two seconds from conflict. While they did that, Lucas hazarded a glance at Lwyn. She stared murder at him for a moment but quickly regained her composure and offered him the smallest of smiles.


    I hope that means she¡¯s not going to murder me for talking over her, he thought with only a little desperation.


    She¡¯d been pretty patient with him so far, but in their last encounter, she¡¯d mentioned how easy it would be to snuff out a mortal soul, and Thrzaelwick had almost killed him once with sheer overeagerness to understand how he¡¯d unraveled so many alchemical secrets so quickly. He was definitely out of his depth here, but there wasn¡¯t really shit he could do about it.


    When the Gnomish God finally got to the correct section, he began to read it aloud. ¡°Transubstantiated souls shall belong to the world that they have migrated to for the length of their lives, natural or unnatural, at which time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which he has,¡± the second angel interrupted.


    The God of Alchemy gave him an annoyed look but continued reading. ¡°At which time their lives shall be evaluated, and they may be returned two criteria: they are not likely to be resurrected in cases where such magic exists and¡ª¡±


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    ¡°But he is about to be resurrected,¡± Lwyn protested. ¡°He¡ª¡±


    ¡°My lady,¡± Thrzealwick said with the utmost deference. ¡°This next bit will explain it if you would just allow me a moment to finish.¡±


    Through all of this, Lucas and Darius stood there facing each other calmly, waiting to get to the bottom of this riddle. Lucas didn¡¯t believe the angel was a bad guy or anything. He was just a prick that didn¡¯t know how to live and let live. His companion seemed far more bloodthirsty, and Lwyn, well, Lucas was pretty sure she just didn¡¯t like having her toes stepped on, though with this anger, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was more to whatever this was in her eyes.


    ¡°At which time their lives shall be evaluated, and they may be returned two criteria: they are not likely to be resurrected in cases where such magic exists, and that they have made substantial contributions to the world they are currently located in, such that it would irrevocably change events if they were withdrawn,¡± the Gnomish God continued. ¡°If the soul in question is deemed unlikely to be returned to life, they may be returned to their realm of origin. If they are likely to be returned to life, then that opportunity may only be overlooked if they are deemed unimportant.¡±


    The words were humbling to Lucas but not as humbling as everything that followed. Though the two sides backed away from bloodshed by a matter of inches, they spent the next twenty minutes arguing how important or unimportant Lucas was.


    Lwyn argued that he was of paramount importance both because he was currently the fulcrum by which the fate of an entire human nation would be decided, and because of his achievements in coming here at all. ¡°No human has ever arrived at my court before in this manner,¡± she insisted. ¡°That¡¯s historic. Only a handful of non-elves has ever made it this far, and most of those were half-elves.¡±


    Wait, the Goddess of Elves doesn¡¯t consider half-elves to be elves? He thought. That¡¯s fucked up!


    While Lucas had not been the kindest to the elves of his new world, it was because they¡¯d been pricks to him, not because he was racist or a specialist or whatever the fuck this was. Still, she was on his side, so he said nothing.


    ¡°While that may well be the case,¡± Darius argued, ¡°Your world uses levels for these things, does it not?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Lwyn conceded grudgingly, obviously aware of where this was going, even if Lucas was groping in the dark a few steps behind her.


    His angel minder nodded and said, ¡°Alright. So then it should be easy enough to solve. If Lucas is a high enough level to be important, then we should be able to check that and solve this right away. Exactly what level is our escaped soul?¡±


    Lwyn didn¡¯t answer. She just glared for a long moment before she said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we can quantify all of one man¡¯s achievements, not even someone as simple as a human with a single number.¡±


    She then proceeded to explain to everyone how the numbers only applied to a very narrow range of their experience and measured specific traits and destinies. She explained how any number of heroic figures were low-level when they saved the world. It was then that the God of Alchemy betrayed Lucas.


    ¡°Lwyn, my dearest Goddess, you know I would do anything for you, but in this, I disagree,¡± Thrzaelwick said with a shake of his head. ¡°This soul is only level one. ¡°While it is fair to say that low-level souls can be important, it¡¯s impossible to say a soul at level one can ever be important. It''s an indication that he¡¯s utterly failed to embrace his destiny in any meaningful way.¡±


    Apparently, the angels agreed with that argument because they sheathed their flaming sword, which disappeared as soon as they were placed in their scabbards. Then Darius said, ¡°I think that is well put. Perhaps if he were a few levels higher, then we could find our way to agreeing with your point of view, but as it stands, it¡¯s an open-and-shut case, even according to your own allies.¡±


    The angel¡¯s armor melted away as he started to walk toward the enemy soldiers, who had relaxed their posture only slightly. ¡°You would never have agreed with the rules should they have turned against you,¡± Lwyn proclaimed as her guards stood aside and let the angels approach Lucas.


    ¡°That¡¯s hurtful,¡± the second angel said, ¡°We are bound to uphold the laws of the universe in all ways and in all things.¡±


    Lucas stood there for a long moment, paralyzed. Is she really going to give me up? He wondered. Is this how I go out? He was still asking himself that question when he noticed that she was giving him a meaningful look. Her face still looked frustrated, but her eyes twinkled with mischief.


    Me? He asked himself. What is it I¡¯m supposed to do about all of this? Until now, he¡¯d stayed out of it. He¡¯d thought that these two gods had his back, but now, what was he supposed to do, run? He didn¡¯t exactly see another corpse to take a swan dive into.


    As Darius reached for him, he tried hard to think about this. His level was the question at hand. Is there something I can do about that? He asked himself. It didn¡¯t seem very likely, but he couldn¡¯t figure out any other reason why she was giving him that look.


    When Darius reached for him, he said, ¡°Wait, there¡¯s one thing that none of you pricks are considering.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what that was, but he was stalling for time and grasping at straws here.


    ¡°Oh? And what¡¯s that?¡± Darius asked with a look of mild amusement. He probably expected Lucas to run again, but he already knew that there was no point.


    Why was he even level one? Well, that was easy. It was because he didn¡¯t experience from anything but doing alchemy, and his talent or system or whatever the fuck it was didn¡¯t recognize what he was doing as real alchemy because it deviated too far from the sensibilities of Heisenburgle, Thrzealwick, and every other stuck up alchemist that thought there was only one way to do something.


    If they¡¯d counted all the actual alchemy I did instead of the handful of the recipes I read and the handful of orthodox potions I happened to make, then there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be¡­ His thoughts trailed off as he figured out what it was she was apparently hinting at.


    ¡°All of you have based your decision on something that I¡¯ve been short-changed by,¡± Lucas explained, ¡°and I demand a recount.¡±

 Ch. 118 - A Recount

    Both angels looked at him skeptically before the second one said, ¡°A recount? That¡¯s impossible. The decision has already been made.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the decision to screw me over has been made based on bad information, and you know if I was allowed to investigate this one small aspect, then you know your whole case would fall apart,¡± Lucas said with as much bravado as he could muster.


    It wasn¡¯t just about the point, he realized. It was about the way that the elven Goddess made them accept the terms before she made it. That was definitely the right way to deal with these angels as far as he was concerned. The only people in the whole universe who loved pointless rules as much as Thrzealwick were these guys, as far as he was concerned.


    ¡°We are bound by the law,¡± Darius said simply, retracting his hand. ¡°If you have a case to make, then make it.¡±


    ¡°Well, for starters, I shouldn¡¯t be level one, but then Thrzealwick, over here, already knows that don¡¯t you, Thraz,¡± Lucas said, pointing at the Gnomish God.


    ¡°Why, I haven¡¯t the faintest idea of what you are talking about!¡± the gnome declared. ¡°I realigned your soul exactly as I promised my dear Lwyn I would.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s like moving the headstones of a cemetery but leaving the bodies behind and declaring that you moved the whole thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have the faintest idea of what that¡¯s supposed to mean,¡± Thrzealwick shot back, crossing his arms and turning away from Lucas.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t quite understand either, Mister Sharpe. Perhaps you could try again?¡± Lwyn suggested.


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that he did a half-assed job,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m level one is because your damn talent system thing didn''t count any of the potions I actually made! I¡¯ve made hundreds of healing potions and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And not a single one according to the sacred recipes!¡± the Alchemical God interrupted.


    ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Lucas shot back. ¡°You agreed to let me try my chemistry on for size, so all of my chemistry efforts should count, especially since they¡¯re about to drag me back to Earth and wipe my memory clean.¡±


    Before the Gnomish God could answer, Lwyn asked, ¡°Is this true, Thrzealwick? That hardly seems like a fair way to interpret a boon that you agreed to give. It¡¯s not as if you don¡¯t have all the records of what he¡¯s done. Just run them again and see how his new talent reinterprets his old experiences.¡±


    ¡°Must I?¡± Thrzealwick asked wearily, but even as he asked the question and looked at the Elven Goddess'' face, he was already surrendering.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he grumbled, ¡°but processing years'' worth of experience in a single instant¡­ It might hurt a bit.¡±


    Yeah, but only because your bitch ass is going to make sure that it¡¯s painful, as F¡ª Lucas thought, only barely managing to hide his annoyance from the petty God. He never finished the thought because as soon as his life started replaying before his eyes, thinking was impossible.


    Instead of thinking he was on a high-speed highlight, real, absorbing years worth of experience from the moment he¡¯d fallen into his grave all the way to now. He was too busy reliving every last moment, both good and bad, to process anything else.


    He relived his apprenticeship to a drunken apothecary and all the shunning that came with residing in a body that everyone rightly believed belonged to a dead man. He was forced to recall his miserable trip to Lordanin and the way he¡¯d been betrayed not once but twice. Then, he was hit by the high-speed hustling of the last year. That happened so fast that he had trouble keeping track, and every near-death experience he had wracked his body with phantom pain.


    Amidst all that noise, though, was a constant, steady toll of chimes as little pop-up boxes flashed and faded away. Every time he made a potion, gathered an herb, or prepared a reagent, another one appeared, and his experience bar slowly filled up. Well, slow was relative.


    Even doing his old boss¡¯s bitch work, he was still level two and halfway to level three by the time the old man kicked the bucket. After he got to the big city, though, and joined up with the Blind, he started cranking out batches of his first real version of Blue, it only sped up.


    By the time he and the boys had the cider house up and running and were cranking out Blue for the Knights and the Nobles and healing potions to bribe the masses, it was moving up continuously. Level three, level four, and level five all passed within a couple of months of each other, and he was right on the verge of level six when the owlbear laid him on death''s door for half a season.


    His life paused then, and he was forced to deal with his recovery, which wasn¡¯t a picnic either, but it had its bright spots. Once he was back at the house, he was reminded of all the little kindnesses Danaria had done for him in that dark time, which made him surprised he hadn¡¯t fallen in love with her sooner.


    After that, everything else that happened at Blackgate happened in the blink of an eye. Though that period of his life only had a couple of major injuries, he was bombarded with boxes from all the potions he made, techniques he perfected, and books he read. It was like a tiny fireworks show, and when the ride stopped suddenly at the moment of the potion of greater communion, he staggered and almost fell from the sudden bout of vertigo, but Lucas stayed standing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± he muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve had a bit too much to think.¡±


    ¡°Did you get the result you wanted?¡± the angel asked blandly enough that Lucas was pretty sure he already knew the answer.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°I did,¡± Lucas agreed, ¡°And all eight of my levels say you can¡¯t have me yet.¡± As he spoke, he gave them the middle finger and willed his character sheet into existence. He had no idea if he could do that when he was alive again, but up here, it was a pretty fair bet, and he was unsurprised to see it when it faded into view beside him.


    Name: Lucas Sharpe  Class: Magical Chemist    Level: 8


    Agility: 13    Endurance: 9   Appearance 7


    Intelligence: 14  Strength: 11   Soul: 9


    Health: 100%      Mana: 100%


    Status Effect:  Dead


    Imbued Equipment: None


    You have unspent points. Please use them to increase your ability scores or gain feats/perks.


    Neither of them said or did anything for several seconds as they studied it. Then, after some silent agreement, they turned and they started walking out of Lwyn¡¯s throne room.


    The guards finally relaxed then, moving back to their previous spots as if nothing had happened, and Lucas turned around to face the other Gods with a grin a mile wide. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ve been living in accordance with my talent for my whole life after all,¡± he said to the Gnomish God.


    Thrzealwick didn¡¯t respond. If anything, he seemed unhappier than the angels had. He ignored Lucas entirely and turned to face Lwyn. ¡°If that is all, my lady, I will take my leave and return to my laboratory. I have done all that you asked.¡±


    As soon as she nodded, he was already fizzling into smoke, and he waited until the last moment of existence to toss Lucas a sour look. I¡¯m not sure that I like the God of Alchemy being pissed off at me since I am, in fact, an alchemist now, for real, Lucas told himself. Well, a chemist, at least, but I think that¡¯s pretty much an inferior version of the same thing in this Asshole¡¯s Head.


    There was nothing he could do about it, though, and the feeling was pretty mutual. So, instead, he turned to face Lwyn, where he bowed deeply and sincerely. Her smile widened slightly at that.


    ¡°I knew you were a clever one,¡± she said. ¡°You didn¡¯t even need a hint.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that¡ª¡± He started to ask.


    ¡°Because they paid me a visit after you and I had tea,¡± she interrupted. ¡°They made their intentions very clear, and I decided that they couldn¡¯t have you just yet, so I decided this was the best way to prevent it.¡±


    ¡°And Thrzealwick was part of the whole setup?¡± Lucas asked, confused.


    ¡°He had no idea what my aim was, and if he had, he would not have assisted you, or even me, for that matter,¡± she clarified, grinning wickedly. ¡°You saw him. He tried to sabotage you until the last and needed to be shamed to do the right thing.¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± Lucas agreed, growing increasingly concerned about the Machiavellian nature of this Goddess. She was not to be fucked with.


    ¡°So then, why did you help me?¡± he asked, as he slowly put the pieces together. This clearly wasn¡¯t a woman who did things out of the Goodness of her own heart.


    ¡°Because after this, you will be in a position to help me,¡± she said, a bit too kindly for him to truly believe her.


    ¡°Look, I wasn¡¯t planning to give the dragon what she wants anyway,¡± Lucas said, ¡°I was just going to string her along like the Prince wanted and get back to my own business.¡±


    ¡°Of that, I am well aware. I rummaged around in your soul for a bit before Thrzealwick got here,¡± she agreed. ¡°And using the Water of Life to ween addicts off your Blue is a fine notion. Really, I find no fault with your plans whatsoever. I am just suggesting that things will not always go according to plan.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is that some prophecy?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, heavens no,¡± she laughed. ¡°It is simply the truth. The best way to ensure that something never happens is to plan for it to and then watch the universe disappoint you.¡±


    It was a bit of a jaded viewpoint, but Lucas couldn¡¯t say he necessarily disagreed. Before he could formulate a response, though, she continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that there will be a time when your plan falls apart, and when that happens, one of my handmaidens will come to you with a request,¡± she said, her smile growing colder.


    ¡°But it won¡¯t be a request,¡± Lucas guessed.


    She nodded at that but didn¡¯t answer directly. Instead, she asked. ¡°I am the Goddess of many things, Mr. Sharpe. Tell me, did you look up what any of those things might be before you put yourself so completely under my power?¡±


    ¡°I, uhm,¡± Lucas answered. ¡°Elves, and I don¡¯t know, beauty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s very sweet,¡± she purred with a smile that bordered on embarrassment, but he was willing to bet it was as fake as every smile she¡¯d given that Gnomish prick earlier in the day. ¡°But that is one of the Human Goddesses, Nyphara. I am the Goddess of Elves, Nature, Magic, and Intrigue. Fortunately for people like you, I only want to make the world a better place.¡±


    Lucas wasn¡¯t entirely sure he believed that, but he made a note to do a little more research on her and all the other Gods and Goddesses as soon as he got back to his body.


    ¡°So, what is it I have to do to help you make the world a better place?¡± he asked, trying to hide his growing unease.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s the fun part. There are a thousand ways that a ship can go off course, and someday, you will help me right it. You have to. You owe me.


    She hesitated just long enough for those words to sink in before she added, "But, if I had to guess, though, I would say that it¡¯s going to be sometime after Skylara finally passes.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going to die?¡± Lucas asked.


    ¡°She has to,¡± Lwyn answered, ¡°or eventually the world is doomed.¡±

 Ch. 119 - A Bumpy Ride

    Lucas looked at her for a long moment in confusion before he asked, ¡°Ummm¡­ Excuse me? Is that some sort of prophecy or something?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort,¡± the Goddess said, ¡°And hardly a problem you need to worry about. It''s simple ecology. Dragons are a part of nature, but they rarely grow so old and powerful as to displace nature.¡±


    ¡°Displace nature?¡± he asked, momentarily imagining the dragon as some kind of high-pressure front on a weather map, swirling just off the coast like some tropical storm. ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡±


    ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t,¡± she agreed. ¡°Not unless I spent a lot of time explaining it to you. Now is not the time for such things, though. Your soul will need to return to your body soon or not at all.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just throw something out there like that and then say never mind. That¡¯s fucked up,¡± Lucas said. As much as the Goddess¡¯ words scared him, Skylara scared him more. She was at least on his side to some small degree. The dragoness, on the other hand, was on no one¡¯s side but her own, and the more time Lucas spent with her, the more that weighed on him.


    ¡°Well, then I shall give you one final thought to consider, and then you must be away,¡± she answered with an inscrutable smile. ¡°You King¡¯s son, just like his father before him, and his father before him, uses the dragoness as a very expensive shield¡­ no, an umbrella, to keep away the downpour of other forces that they would otherwise have to do their part to purge and keep under control. Lordanin grows fat and rich while the rest of the world suffers. What is it you think happens to all of those orcs and goblins that grow and churn in the hinterlands? Do you think they just fade away?¡±


    Lucas wanted to answer, but before he could, she made a dismissive gesture, and he felt himself being almost dragged back to the door he¡¯d entered from. He tried to resist it, but it was a painful sensation, and as he looked down, he could see a silver thread extending from his solar plexus and back to the door.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that, Lucas,¡± the Goddess called after him as he began to ungracefully take his leave. ¡°Remember, those potions only work once for each person. If you ever try one again, I¡¯ll keep your soul forever!¡±


    The eagerness in her voice then made Lucas wonder if she really had ever been on his side. He didn¡¯t think about that long, though, as he followed the thread back out of the palace. If he kept up the pace, there was no pain, but no matter how fast he moved, there was never any slack or elasticity. The thing just kept reeling up inside him.


    That was weird, but it didn¡¯t bother him, at least until he got to the broad stairs he¡¯d climbed up to gain entry. By then, the pace the thread demanded of him bordered on punishing, but he didn¡¯t exactly have a choice in the matter. Instead, he just pushed past the people who were moving up it even as he jogged down the things at a breakneck pace.


    ¡°Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through!¡± he yelled, basking in their scowls of disapproval. The elves clearly didn¡¯t like a non-elf here, but acting like a bull in a china shop added extra venom to those looks. He didn¡¯t take that part personally. That wasn¡¯t his fault. It was Lwyn¡¯s fault. He hadn¡¯t triggered whatever this was. He couldn¡¯t even do anything to stop it.


    Instead, he was being drawn like a fish on a hook toward the plaza he¡¯d first started in. Specifically, he was being drawn toward a faintly glowing archway. It was only when he was almost there and running at a breakneck pace that he noticed the two angels were still standing there.


    ¡°Enjoy your limited reprieve,¡± Darius said as Lucas ran past him, ¡°Whether it takes a year or a century, you will die, and when you do, I¡¯ll be back to retrieve you.¡±


    ¡°I enjoy these little chats!¡± Lucas called out breathlessly, giving them both the finger as he ran past the two of them, hoping this wasn¡¯t a trap. ¡°Let¡¯s make sure to do this again soon. How¡¯s Nevuary work for you?¡±


    Before either of them could answer, though, he was already taking a running leap into the glowing rift that awaited him. It looked a little intimidating, but he couldn¡¯t exactly slow down to investigate it first, and there was no way he was chilling while his parole officer was loitering around, looking for an excuse to grab him. He¡¯d played that game before.


    Instead, he went in head first, and it was only as the darkness began to dissolve him he felt that might have been a mistake. He immediately started feeling cold and slow. Then, the aching started. It felt a little like an overdose or what he imagined death might feel like. There was a sense of weight and a dull, full-body ache, along with the certainty that there was nothing he could do about it.


    It was only with that revelation that he realized that was exactly what this was. He was dead. No, he was in his body, and it was dead. That was a hell of a thing to figure out, and Lucas shuddered in revulsion. Still, he forced himself to breathe. At least, he tried to. It was harder than he thought it would be. His flesh was cold, and his heart was still, so it refused to respond to him.


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    Don¡¯t let me go out like a bitch, man, he thought to himself, imagining the hard time that angel asshole would give him if he died again right after he flipped them off. That gave him the strength to try again, and this time, his dead flesh offered up a gasping, shuddering breath that wracked his whole body with painful coughing.


    That coughing was the best thing that ever happened to him, though, and Lucas embraced it, it wracked his body, and his heart grudgingly began to beat once more. The vomiting followed almost right after that, but Lucas had prepared for that and spewed up the thick, vicious poison that he¡¯d willingly drunk earlier into the bronze chamber pot. When it was all done, several minutes later, he felt positively horrible, but even more than that, he was happy to be alive.


    When there was nothing left in his stomach, he wiped his face and then flopped down on his bed. ¡°I am never, ever, dying again,¡± he told himself. ¡°Never. That shit sucks.¡±


    Part of him knew now was the time he should investigate his system and see just what had changed, but he couldn¡¯t be fucked. As far as he could tell, almost no time at all had passed during whatever all that was. He would have called it a dream if he didn¡¯t have the empty bottle and the full chamber pot.


    The dreams that followed after, though, had much the same character as his out-of-body experience, or whatever it was.


    Lucas didn¡¯t even try to get out of bed for lunch or dinner, and when the servants found him passed out and half dead to the world, they sent for the healers immediately. Lucas didn¡¯t remember much of that. Remembering anything when you were running a fever was hard. He recalled the taste of a very expensive healing potion and something about bed rest, though he couldn¡¯t recall if the doctor had told Heisenburgle that he must let Lucas sleep for a week or for the rest of his life. It was a coin flip.


    Lucas didn¡¯t care. When he was asked questions, he simply nodded and told everyone he¡¯d be fine or that he was feeling better, even though he wasn¡¯t. He lacked the processing power or the strength for any more than that. Being dead, even for a few minutes, is pretty hard on the body, he decided. I guess that¡¯s why Lwyn sent me away so forcefully.


    He had plenty of time to wonder if he would have managed to recover if he¡¯d been away for one more minute, though. It haunted his dreams for days as he worked his way up from broth to solid food once more.


    On day five, he was sitting up and feeding himself for the first time since he¡¯d done all of this when Heisenburgle paid him an uncharacteristic daytime visit. The gnome didn¡¯t beat around the bush even a little. He just said, ¡°I find the timing of all of this highly suspect. I don¡¯t believe you are sick.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Lucas asked, taken aback. The very last thing he wanted to do was to admit any part of what he¡¯d done, but he might be forced to do just that.


    ¡°No,¡± the gnome explained, ¡°The timing, right after you finally triumph in your project, is just too suspect. I believe you were poisoned. By saboteurs working in league with the elves.¡±


    Lucas opened his mouth to discount that, but the alchemist talked right over him. ¡°I know that you said that when you were attacked, elves were not involved, but surely now that you¡¯ve created Lwynthenll, you can see that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why is it always elves with you?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°Why is it never the dwarves or the Prince or¡ª¡±


    ¡°If the Prince wanted you dead, he would simply have to ask me to do it. There is no need to go around me and my authority over this facility,¡± Heisenburgle said coolly. ¡°As to the dwarves, they have no interest in alchemy. They occasionally try to spy on some of the advanced metallurgical techniques I am pursuing for the Hyperquadabulator, but that has nothing to do with the Lwynthenll. Now that we have a narcotic leash for our dragoness, it will very likely be mothballed. ¡±


    Lucas ignored all of that nonsense and refocused on the gnome''s main point. He definitely had been poisoned, and he needed to come up with a good excuse for that, but he could do without the paranoia. Indeed, as the gnome talked about his plans to round up the kitchen staff and begin a very forceful questioning routine to find the source, he noped right out of there.


    ¡°What if,¡± Lucas said, interrupting Heisenburgle¡¯s deranged rant with as much strength as he could muster. ¡°What if I was poisoned, and it was¡­ and this will blow your mind... It was no one''s fault?¡±


    ¡°No, you aren¡¯t making any sense at all!¡± the gnome complained.


    ¡°You¡¯re the master alchemist,¡± Lucas said, "figure it out."


    ¡°This puzzle is not a job for an alchemist but a spymaster. Fortunately, I also happen to be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Heisenburgle, seriously, stop,¡± Lucas sighed. ¡°I¡¯m too weak for this shit. I don¡¯t believe, for a second, someone poisoned my eggs. I think that maybe I underestimated this potion of yours and might have dosed myself by accident. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°How?¡±


    Lucas had no idea how, but in that moment, he did what he did best and lied his ass off. He explained how they really didn¡¯t have enough ventilation for that kind of catalytic reaction. When the gnome seemed skeptical of that, Lucas suggested that he might have dripped some on his hands or touched some residue while cleaning the glassware. The gnome had less trouble accepting those options.


    ¡°What if there really is a traitor in the kitchens, though?¡± Heisenburgle repeated. Surely, you don¡¯t just expect me to ignore that possibility.


    ¡°Please do not start any witch hunts until I¡¯m feeling good enough to check out of this dump,¡± Lucas answered with a shake of his head. ¡°If you do anything like what you suggested earlier, there will be a lot more than one poisoner on the loose. You can¡¯t treat people that way.¡±

 Ch. 120 - Status

    The two of them debated both options for a while longer, without coming to any clear consensus, before Lucas was too exhausted to continue arguing with him. The most he could get the alchemist to agree to was that he would keep his investigations ¡°surreptitious¡± until Lucas had recovered, whatever that meant. He also agreed to more rigorous laboratory safety practices and the immediate incineration of the toxic byproduct of the water of life.


    That last part was Lucas¡¯s favorite part, considering he hadn¡¯t even asked for it. It would make sure no one else thought to try a Potion of Greater Communion in an attempt to follow in his footsteps. That was a battle he expected to fight in a few days or a few weeks when he made his next batch, but now that he¡¯d planted the seed in Heisenburgle¡¯s mind that the stuff was beyond toxic, the problem had already solved itself.


    So, rather than deal with paranoia or politics, he spent the rest of the week in bed, flipping through his retuned system and learning exactly what it was he¡¯d gotten for all of his pain and suffering. The answer turned out to be quite a lot.


    Name: Lucas Sharpe  Class: Magical Chemist    Level: 8


    Agility: 13    Endurance: 11   Appearance 7


    Intelligence: 14  Strength: 11   Soul: 8


    Health: 100%      Mana: 100%


    Status Effect: Recovering (Death¡¯s Door, 3 days remaining at the current level of care.)


    Imbued Equipment: Ring of Vanishing (Fine Quality)


    You have unspent points. Please use them to increase your ability scores or gain feats/perks.


    Some of his stats had changed, but he didn¡¯t remember exactly how. He was as ugly as he¡¯d been before, but he seemed to remember that his soul was a little higher. What was a lot higher were his advancement points. He now had 35 to spend. That worked out to something like three a level and then some. He wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the rules governing its increase were and made a note to try to figure that out later before he moved on to other portions of his status that he¡¯d already figured out how to access.


    His list of abilities was still fairly short, but he¡¯d only had one before, so any new additions were surprising. Still, past the few he had, there were still hundreds of new options for spending those points on additional options. That list seemed bigger and more complicated than ever.


    ¡°Acolyte of Lwyn,¡± he noted wryly as he browsed through the list of abilities he might pick. He had no intention of taking it, of course, but it still made him chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s funny. I wonder if she ever gave Thrzaelwick the option to pick that.¡±


    Aberrant Chemist (by special dispensation from Thrzaelwick the Great and Industrious!) - Aberrant Chemistry will allow you (and only you!) to use magic-fueled talents to create potions that are not on the approved list, as governed by natural laws.


    Deathless - It is much harder to kill you than normal. When your health falls below 10%, it increases temporarily by 300%.


    Evaluate Purity - This ability allows you to gauge the purity of any reagent at a glance for a small amount of mana.


    Superior Forager - This feat will let you detect all reagents within a quarter mile to make your task of finding them that much easier. This feat uses mana for the duration that you upkeep it.


    Unshakable - Those loyal to you are twice as hard to be bought off or blackmailed by others as they would normally be.


    He supposed that he could get magic now. Even high magic only cost 10 points, so he could easily afford it. The question was whether he wanted to learn it. He expected that it would be a pain in the ass, not so different from Thrzaelwick¡¯s interpretation of alchemy, and really, he wasn¡¯t sure it would add any value to his other pursuits.


    It was his achievements, though, that had been redone the most. Before, he recalled having half a dozen completed and another half a dozen in progress. There were a lot more than that, now, to the point where he had trouble figuring out exactly which ones had been affected by whatever the Gnomish God had done to his soul.


    Alchemical (Chemical):


    A Refined Gentleman: Refine 50/50 reagents into at least semipure forms! You gain the ability to [Evaluate purity]!


    A (very) refined Gentleman:  67/250 reagents. In progress!


    Accomplished forager (common): 112% of common reagents from your region gathered! +10% in all yield of reagents gathered.


    Accomplished forager (common)(extended, unconventional): 112%/150% of common reagents from your region gathered. In progress!


    Accomplished forager (rare): 87% reagents gathered. In progress!


    Alchemical Scholar: 10/10 potions successfully created - An excellent start! +10% to the effectiveness of all created alchemical mixtures.


    Alchemical Scholar, Greater: 50/50 potions successfully created - A true maestro! +10% to the amount of all created alchemical mixtures due to exceptional potencies.


    Alchemical Scholar, Master: 84/100 potions successfully created - in progress.


    Careful Dosages: 37% use solvents to purify toxic reagents.


    Celestial Solvents: You have created 1/4 Celestial Solvents. +1 advancement point.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Forbidden Knowledge: You have created 1/7 forbidden potions. +1 advancement point.


    Master Alchemist: You have accomplished 3/13 requirements to become a Master Alchemist. In progress.


    Naturalist extraordinaire: 32% You have discovered many reagents, solvents, and catalysts, but there are always more to find! In progress!


    Perfectionist: 10/10 recipes perfected - You have perfected several easy recipes. Additional levels of quality have been unlocked.


    Perfectionist, Serious: 89/100 recipes perfected. In Progress.


    Practice makes perfect: 13% Different failed potions created will help you learn what you did wrong that much faster!


    Combat:


    Dead Man: Die 1/0 times. You have died and lived to tell about it. +2 Endurance, -1 soul. You have gained the ability Deathless.


    Fancy Footwork: 44% complete - learn one style of sword fighting.


    Murderer: Kill 1/1 humans or demihumans. - You have committed your first murder. +2% to all damage.


    Murderer, Killer: Kill 1/10 humans or demihumans. - in progress.


    Social:


    Cheater: 1/0 - Be intimate with someone besides the woman you love. -10% willpower to resist cheating in the future.


    Exceptional Etiquette: 77% learn all of Lordanin¡¯s cultural rules.


    Friends in High Places: Speak with 2/0 gods directly. +2 advancement points.


    Happily Ever After: Fall in love with a partner who reciprocates your feelings! +1 to the attribute of your choice.


    Nemesis: Gain 3/0 serious enemies that want to see you dead. Increase luck by 3%.


    Lifesaver: Save the lives of at least 1/1 person with the use of medicine, magic, or alchemical potions and elixirs made by you. +1 advancement point.


    Lifesaver, Greater: Save the lives of at least 10/10 people with the use of medicine, magic, or alchemical potions and elixirs made by you. +3 advancement point.


    Lifesaver Legendary: Save the lives of at least 27/100 people with the use of medicine, magic, or alchemical potions and elixirs made by you. In Progress.


    Popular: Gain 10/10 allies that are loyal or very loyal to you. Gain Unshakable!


    Popular, very: Gain 56/100 allies that are loyal or very loyal to you. In progress.


    Rich: Gain at least 100/100 dragons worth of wealth and property. +1 advancement point.


    Rich, Very: Gain at least 1,000/1,000 dragons worth of wealth and property. +3 advancement point.


    Rich, Extremely: Gain at least 1,247/10,000 dragons worth of wealth and property. In progress!


    Smooth Talker: Convince the King, or other people of similar importance, to help you, 7/10. In progress.


    All in all, the list was dizzying. Lucas thought it was pretty unfair for the thing to tell him he was a cheater, given how hard he¡¯d tried not to be unfaithful to Danaria, but there was little he could do. That hadn¡¯t been there before either, as he recalled, so it was entirely possible that it was just Thrzaelwick fucking with him.


    In the end, only one choice was particularly easy. He used the points granted by his Happily Ever After achievement to increase his soul by 1. That made him feel a bit stronger almost immediately, and it was a balm to his soul to know that some of the damage this experienced had been done was healed by her.


    After that, decisions were harder. After reviewing the information on the soul attribute and noting that it was responsible for mental and magical resistances as well as mana and a variety of other effects, he spent another point bringing it to ten. He could certainly justify having at least an average soul.


    I feel like I have a pretty great soul! He thought with a smile, though I doubt that Darius and his friends see it that way.


    Lucas might have bumped it up even more, just to stick it to them, but he noticed that now that it was at ten, it cost two points to increase instead of one. He looked around at his other attributes and found that they were pretty much the same.


    ¡°So if it¡¯s below average, it costs one to raise, but if it¡¯s average or above, it costs two points to raise,¡± he said to himself. ¡°I guess that makes sense. I wonder if I can increase attributes with more than just magical bullshit and potions. Like - does exercise matter?¡±


    Lucas would have had the answer to that if he¡¯d had access to all of this information back when he was recovering from his owl bear attack. He was weak as shit then. Now, though, there was really no way to say for sure without working out. He still couldn¡¯t see exactly how much health, mana, or experience he had. There were plenty of abilities to increase all of them, though, if he wanted.


    Fast Learner would increase the amount of experience he gained from all alchemical activities going forward by 10% for 2 points, Sage¡¯s Blood would increase his mana by 30% for 3 points, and Heroic Toughness or Infatigable would increase his hit points. The first seemed to be able to increase them by 100% for 5 points, while the second option would increase them by 33% for 1 point.


    It didn¡¯t seem entirely consistent to him, but then, he¡¯d never played these sorts of games before. He was a shooter sort of guy as a kid, and after that, well, he was too busy getting laid and getting in trouble to worry about what level a fireball was or whatever.


    Still, even with no knowledge of these subjects, what stood out to him most was that he needed to have a plan. There were a million directions he could go, so he needed to choose one and stick with it. It¡¯s like a major in college, he told himself. He¡¯d never been, of course, but his guidance counselor had talked about them a lot before he¡¯d dropped out, in between the speeches on wasting his potential.


    Well, in this case, his goal was obvious, at least. He wanted to be a badass alchemist. Compared to that, Skylara¡¯s dangers, the Prince¡¯s machinations, and Heisenburgle¡¯s obsessions meant nothing. So, Lucas spent the better part of the day just reviewing the list with that thought in mind. What would make me a better alchemist, he thought as he reviewed the list.


    He completely dismissed anything that was unrelated, skipping right by anything that was related to combat, socializing, or anything like that. He looked at things that were related to magic or gathering only a little longer before moving past them.


    It took him all day, but when he was done, those that remained fell into only a few separate categories. There were only a few that were directly related to his goal in a way that made it hard to argue there were any other options.


    There were some that were helpful but nonspecific that he might get in the future, like Sage Blood. There were others he really wanted, like Preternatural Grace, which increased his speed by +25% for short bursts of time for two points, along with others like Luck of the Damned, which increased his luck by 5% for a point, even though it came at the cost of making unlucky breaks for him much, much worse.


    For now, though, he stuck with Empowered Alchemy, Industrial Brewing, Enduring High, and Toxicity Tolerance. Each of them was very specific to what he needed, and at seven points in total, they were an absolute bargain as far as he was concerned. Those choices left him with 27 points to spend in the future once he got a handle on all of this.


    Empowered Alchemy - For two points, you can use your mana to imbue potions with essence. This can be used to increase the potency, decrease the side effects, or cause other novel effects.


    Enduring High - For one point, potions last twice as long as usual to you, at the cost of slightly increased toxicity (all potions count as having a poison value of 1 higher than they actually are when imbibed by you).


    Industrial Brewing - For two points, you may make batches twice as large as usual with no difficulty. Additionally, bonus yields increase proportionally to the size of the batch brewed.


    Precision Indicators - For one point you can see temperatures, viscosities, and other key indicators at a glance when brewing potions. This requires a small amount of ongoing mana as long as it is in use.


    Toxicity Tolerance - For one point, all potions you imbibe are treated as having half their normal poison content.

 Ch. 121 - Back to the Lab

    Three nights later, Lucas finally rejoined Heisenburgle in the lab. They did not immediately try to make another batch of Lwynthenll because the gnome did not wish to squander their only other celestial solvent should Lucas prove to be ¡°off his game.¡± The truth was just the opposite.


    He might still feel a little lethargic, but that was the sort of effect that death had on someone. Otherwise, he¡¯d never been better. Before now, he¡¯d always seen pop-ups on various potions and reagents, but now there was more information than ever.


    Blue Esper Willow Vine (sap): Perception 4 (ethereal), poison 3 (fire contaminants), endurance -2 (fatigued), 20% chance to hear voices and/or experience paranoia for 3 hours. These whispers are a result of peering through the veils between worlds and are liable to provide real insight as much as madness.


    Concentrated Storm Shards (minor): Electrical 6, poison 3 (air contaminants), speed 2, strength -1 (ephemeral). Strongly air-aligned and electrically charged. Twice as powerful in highly polarized charged reactions.


    Goblin Bile: Poison 9 (taint), strength 3 (primal), endurance -1 (sickly), violent diarrhea. Imbibing any taint is dangerous and likely to build up over time. It should be avoided whenever possible. Only half as strong upon purification with any normal solvents.


    Though he¡¯d seen all the ingredients before, he¡¯d never seen them like this before. Is this because my shit got retuned, or is it because I leveled up? He wondered. No, it has to be because of precision indicators. I thought that only applied to brewing, though.


    When Lucas realized he didn¡¯t even have that power turned on yet, he was even more confused, but then he supposed that it didn¡¯t matter. He was confused half the time anyway. He¡¯d figure it out.


    Now, more than anything, he wondered what Heisenburgle saw when he looked at the world during potion crafting because he was pretty sure the gnome saw precisely none of this shit. That was interesting to Lucas. In many ways, it meant that the gnome was probably better than him at a lot of this shit, but then, he was like five times as old, and he was pretty sure he could lap the bastard in a year or three if he kept at it.


    Hopefully, I won¡¯t even have to talk to him in a year, he thought as he set about preparing some reagents.


    Still, as much as he thought he was on his game, his focus definitely wasn¡¯t what it needed to be. Every time he looked at some new ingredient and thought about a piece of information, another small pop-up appeared like a god-damned hyperlink, explaining the thing to him.


    This is the way it should have worked all along! He thought testily. Still, it was better late than never.


    Goblin Bile led to poison types, which in turn led to taint and all sorts of interesting concepts. He¡¯d seen some of them mentioned in passing in Heisenburgle¡¯s dull-ass books, but as distracting as new information was, the ingredient cross-referencing he stumbled across by accident while he was talking to Heisenburgle blew his mind.


    One second, the gnome had been arguing with him for the hundredth time about how his ¡°ditch weeds¡± were not true reagents. The next, his world changed forever as he finally understood the true value of his new system.


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Lucas said, understanding very well how he could say it. If it wasn¡¯t on the list his god had made, it wasn¡¯t a reagent. Still, it annoyed Lucas enough that he felt the need to try to change his mind even if he knew that was impossible. ¡°elderberry seeds and Inner rosewood bark absolutely heal the sick. It might not be as strong as some of the shit in your book, but we don¡¯t need to import tropical ingredients and charge people an arm and a leg to make that happen!¡±


    Elderberry Seeds (processed): Healing 2 (Purification), mana 1 (revivifying), poison 1 (inflammatory), intelligence -1 (slow-witted)


    Rosewood inner tree bark (leached): Healing 2 (fortification), poison 1 (acid), endurance 1 (hale), intelligence -1 (hazy memory).


    Neither of those ingredients was going to set the world on fire, of course. They were valuable because they were common, not because they were powerful. The fact that most potions failed as more ingredients were added meant that they¡¯d never be strong without a ton of experimentation. What they would do, though, was get the elderly through a bad flu or help a child with a broken arm mend faster, which was precisely what they used them for in Meadowin.


    The fact that any little injury could pretty much be handled for free by his people not only made them profoundly loyal to Lucas. It also made them the healthiest village in the region. It was prospering even while other parts of the city weren¡¯t, and there was no way that anyone could tell Lucas that those weren¡¯t good things.


    ¡°How can I say that?¡± the gnome demanded. ¡°How can you say that. Even if those herbal remedies have some small utility, for peasants, the mere fact that you can¡¯t mix them with any true reagents makes the point nil.¡±


    ¡°Who says I can¡¯t?¡± Lucas demanded as he lifted his bowl of crushed elderberry seeds and pointed at the wall of potions behind Heisenburgle. ¡°I don¡¯t even need the whole lab. I¡¯ll bet I can make something strong from at least one, and maybe even two of the ingredients on that shelf right there.¡±


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    The gnome laughed and pulled a single golden dragon out of his purse before sliding it halfway across the table with his finger. ¡°I do believe we have a bet. It will doubtlessly waste more resources and time, but more fortunately, in light of our successes, we have plenty of both at this moment.¡±


    Lucas wasn¡¯t one to back down, but heaven, as he dug out his own matching coin, he was the slightest bit unsure of himself. What in the world am I going to mix these seeds with? He thought to himself as he studied the rack.


    He was more surprised than anything when most of the floating pop-ups with their names and properties extinguished themselves at that moment. ¡°Hold the fuck up,¡± he mumbled as he tried to take in what he¡¯d just seen.


    ¡°Oh? Changing your mind already?¡± the gnome gloated.


    Lucas shook his head, unwilling to say anything that might break his concentration, as he counted the number of remaining glowing boxes. Out of over a hundred reagents on that shelf, only twelve were still lit up. Nothing said that made them compatible, but he was pretty sure that was the case.


    He put the elderberry seeds down and then retrieved the rest of them, moving them over to the table, one at a time. Then he started experimenting.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just going to start mixing together things at random, huh? In a completely slipshod manner, too! This is exactly the opposite of alchemy!¡± the gnome howled.


    ¡°This is chemistry, bitch,¡± Lucas said, regretting the momentary slip but unwilling to take it back. ¡°Or maybe alchemistry or Magic chemistry. I don¡¯t know what to call it, but it¡¯s something else.¡±


    Heisenburgle sputtered then, seemingly more affronted by the idea that what Lucas was doing wasn¡¯t Alchemy than that he¡¯d just called him a bitch. ¡°What do you mean!? Everything is alchemy at its most basic level. Even combat and magic are, in a sense¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, they aren¡¯t,¡± Lucas said flatly, turning away from what he was doing. ¡°You¡¯ve said so yourself plenty of times. Alchemy is taking specific reagents and mixing them in specific ways to make specific potions. It¡¯s pretty much the opposite of experimental.¡±


    ¡°That is just not so!¡± the gnome shot back. ¡°Experimentation, within tightly proscribed bounds, is an important part of alchemy. Recipes are refined! New concentrations and better yields are achieved!¡±


    ¡°When is the last time you made a wholly new potion, then?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°How did you find it? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Well, aside from the Lwynthenl that we created the other night¡­¡± Heisenburgle started to answer. ¡°Regardless. It¡¯s a silly question. Thrzealwick the Divine has already created a complete list of every potion the world needs. It is up to us to use those and discover ways to improve them. Not to stray from the path in our own pursuits, thinking we know what is best. What is chemistry compared to the path of enlightenment?¡±


    ¡°Chemistry is where you take any ingredient and figure out how to make it work for you. If you don¡¯t know what it does, you figure it out. If you do know what it does, then you figure out how to make it work with other ingredients to make the shit you need,¡± Lucas said. ¡°That¡¯s how you go from firecrackers and shit to gunpowder.¡±


    ¡°Firecrackers?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what gunpowder is, but they use volatile pyronite, not whatever gunpowder is.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lucas agreed sarcastically as he gestured broadly. ¡°Which is why you¡¯ve got all of this and no real gunpowder. Now, how about you let me focus on winning your dragon? After that, we can talk about whatever you want.¡±


    Heisenburgle sulked after that, but Lucas was not dissuaded. Instead, he got to work as he tried to continue his incompatibility testing as he, tried to figure out how all of this worked. First, he tried with the seeds again and verified that all twelve bottles he¡¯d gotten from the shelf displayed their details a second time. Then he tried the same thing with inner rosewood bark. That time, only one of them lit up. Deer antler velvet was the only ingredient that was compatible with both.


    Deer Antler Velvet (aged): Healing 3 (Regeneration), poison 1 (numbing), agility -2 (clumsy)


    More interestingly, though, it wasn¡¯t compatible with both at once. Lucas wasn¡¯t quite sure how to square that circle, but for now, it didn¡¯t matter. He set it aside and, methodically, one ingredient at a time, searched for a combination where three ingredients were simultaneously compatible with each other. He eventually found that in the form of elderberry seeds, ground mussel shell lining, and red wine vinegar.


    Elderberry Seeds (processed): Healing 2 (Purification), mana 1 (revivifying), poison 1 (inflammatory), intelligence -1 (slow-witted)


    Ground Mussel Shell Lining (powdered): Healing 2 (Fortified), poison -1 (reactive), endurance 1 (steady)


    Red Wine Vinegar (poor quality): Healing 1 (revitalizing), poison 1 (irritating), agility 1 (twitchy)


    None of them were particularly strong ingredients, but the idea that red wine vinegar was a healing ingredient at all opened up options for him when he got back home. That was something they could make in bulk, and when he left here, he made a note to try it. The fact that this stuff was poor quality gave him high hopes on that front, but he ignored those and focused on the now.


    He chose those three ingredients and put the rest back on the shelf while Heisenburgle raised one of his white, bushy eyebrows in judgment. Then, he fetched some alcohol to purify the elderberry seeds. It was only then, when the burners were lit that he got to work and finally tried one of his new powers for the first time.


    Unlike this latest wrinkle, Precision Indicators worked just as he¡¯d expected it to. Honestly, it worked better than that. He could always see the values of the mixture changing over time, but now, as the poison decreased and the healing potency of the elderberry seeds increased, he could see little arrows next to each value, indicating the rate of change. There were even little temperature bands that seemed to be the optimal points for each chemical, and he adjusted the burners to match them as closely as possible.


    Then, when all was in readiness, he combined the three solutions into a single mixture and gauged the results.


    Alchemical Mixture (8 doses): Healing 6 (Deep Healing), mana 1 (revivifying), intelligence -1 (slow-witted), agility 1 (twitchy), endurance 1 (steady).


    The information was interesting and, at times, contradictory, but still, if he let it cool, it should make for a perfectly serviceable healing potion. He should have left it alone, but he wasn¡¯t that sort of guy, and instead, he decided to try his Empowered Alchemy while Heisenburgle watched the red, vinegary potions boil angrily.

 Ch. 122 - Interesting Results

    As Lucas reached out to it, he felt that he could affect several different things. It was hard to put his finger on precisely, but he got the general impression he could probably tune almost anything with a bit of effort. He looked to the intelligence -1 effect first, visualizing it as a slightly brown oily residue on an otherwise vibrant potion. A number of options popped up.


    Remove: 5% mana


    Cancel Out: 1% mana and loss of Mana 1 attribute.


    Enhance to -2 Intelligence: 7% mana.


    All of those options were interesting, and Lucas considered the first two briefly before going with the second one. The moment he selected it, both of the attributes vanished. Lucas felt a brief surge of power leave him as that happened. The visual effect on the potion, though, was more interesting.


    The red fluid frothed briefly and changed colors ever so slightly, becoming less of a cherry red and more of a pure, deep red. It was still translucent, but it looked closer to what he expected a healing potion to look like.


    Alchemical Mixture (8 doses): Healing 6 (Deep Healing), agility 1 (twitchy), endurance 1 (steady).


    Lucas briefly inspected each of the remaining elements of the now simplified potion and smiled. Man, this shit is sick! Where have you been all my life, baby? He thought as he flipped through each option briefly.


    Empower: 10% mana - Increase healing to 7


    Greater Empower: 25% mana - Increase healing to 8


    Purify: 4% mana and Agility 1 - Increase healing to 7


    Alternative Purify: 3% mana and Endurance 1 - Increase healing to 7


    Stabilize: 5% mana and Endurance 1 or Agility 1 - Increase the remaining attribute enhancement to 2.


    Imbued specificity: 8% mana reduction to healing 5 - Increase effectiveness against cancers, digestive ailments, or blood diseases by 100%.


    Bonus Yield: 10% mana to increase the yield by 33%


    Lucas¡¯s mind balked at the options. For the longest time, he¡¯d had to scrape together whatever he could get and boil down some pretty weak shit to make something that was worthwhile. Now, he could use mana to do the heavy lifting.


    Suddenly, he became even less interested in using magic. He really only used the stuff for his ring when he was about to die. On pretty much any other day, he had no problem using it to make potions. The real trick was going to be to limit his enthusiasm and trim a little here and a little there instead of trying to make every brew the most badass thing he¡¯d ever created.


    It¡¯s not a bonsai tree, he reminded himself. It''s a freaking science experiment. Of course, we need to see how far we can push things.


    Unfortunately, before he could decide on one of his other options, Heisenbugle adjusted his glasses and cried out, ¡°What did you do! The color shifted after the mixture had already matured!¡±


    ¡°Uhhmmm, delayed reaction?¡± Lucas answered as he suddenly realized just how closely the other man was paying attention. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve never used these ingredients before.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± The gnome said, peering at the mixture closely. ¡°I can¡¯t recall a shift like that after such a delay without catalysts unless it was being done by a talented Alchemist.¡±


    It took Lucas a moment to figure out that talented wasn¡¯t an insult this time. He was discussing the magical talents that some people had, which was uncomfortably close to the truth since that was just what Lucas had used.


    Lucas stood there quietly for a moment while the gnome studied the mixture, and just when he was expecting Heisenburgle to turn around and guess the truth. Instead, he just lost interest and turned back to Lucas before he said, ¡°Well, it certainly looks like a healing potion. I was certain that layer of rust-colored oil was going to spread and corrupt the whole batch, but this might be drinkable.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than drinkable!¡± Lucas countered, removing it from the heat. As much as he wanted to tweak it further, it probably wasn¡¯t best to tempt fate under Heisenburgle¡¯s watchful eye. ¡°This right here is the good shit.¡±


    The gnome might accept that he was a poor, misguided human who had gotten lucky a time or two, but asking him to believe that he had a deviant talent that had been altered by his own god, well, Heisenburgle would probably burn him at the stake for that.


    ¡°And who¡¯s going to have to suffer for your folly this time?¡± Heisenburgle asked. ¡°Are you going to test it, or shall we have one of the condemned drink it, just in case you¡¯re wrong?¡±


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    He thought about it for a moment and considered drinking it just to call the gnome¡¯s bluff. If he really thought that it was that questionable, there was no way he¡¯d let Lucas do something that might get himself killed. As fun as that would be, though, after studying it for a few seconds, he decided that would be a waste of the strongest healing potion he¡¯d ever made.


    Potion of Major Healing (8 doses): Moderate healing, immediate, lesser healing ongoing, endurance +1, agility +1.


    You have created a Major healing Potion and gained 88 experience!


    You have developed a new healing potion recipe and gained 54 experience!


    You have created your tenth type of healing potion and unlocked a new achievement.


    A Thousand Roads to Health - 10/100 - In progress.


    He raised an eyebrow at all of those popups but said nothing. He could examine them later. Instead, he answered, ¡°Nah, that would be a waste. Let¡¯s have Betsen try it and settle the bet.¡±


    Betsen was one of the cooks he¡¯d gotten to know in his time in this place that wasn¡¯t quite a prison. She was getting on in years, and her arthritis was obvious now, but she made the best pastries in the place, so getting on her good side was never a bad idea.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Heisenburgle answered skeptically. ¡°But if you kill one of the staff, I take no responsibility for it.¡±


    They chatted about other things the rest of the night, but mostly Lucas just agonized over not being able to try out his new powers. Instead, he eventually shifted the conversation to elemental impurities, which interested him since he¡¯d seen them in the raw reagents before he¡¯d purified them.


    ¡°It''s as I¡¯ve tried to teach you from the very beginning,¡± Heisenburgle insisted. ¡°The elements are at the very root of what it is we do! Too much is just as bad as too little, but worst of all are clashes and other disconcordances!¡±


    The conversation earned Lucas three more books to read, but he found it much faster to find what the gnome was talking about and search for an example in one of the ingredients that cluttered the lab. He had no way of searching terms directly in his system, but if he found something that had the term, then he could use that to drill down for more information.


    Still, after a while, even his interest in that faded, and instead of listening to Heisenburgle pontificate further, he picked reagents at random and then used his newfound powers to search for compatible ingredients. That was a fun game and one he could play without Heisenburgle ever catching on.


    Still, as he played it, he was less and less surprised to find that there were elemental threads that ran through. Those choices. Though a water element and a fire element might sometimes mix, most earth-elemented reagents would match with other earth-elemented reagents, and the more strongly something was aspected, the more true that was. It was ditch weeds and things like that that tended to cross over the most often, which interested Lucas even more.


    I wonder if that would be the case if I had the facilities to really isolate and concentrate certain aspects of these chemicals, he wondered as dawn arrived, and they started to pack things up. If Victorian motherfuckers could isolate actual elements on Earth, then surely I can figure out how to isolate and extract elementals, right?


    Normally, Heisenburgle was slow to call an end to his nightly experiments. Lucas was sure that he would have been doubly so today after Lucas had been away for so long. Still, this morning, he was so eager to prove his human companion wrong that he practically ran down the stairs.


    That made Lucas smile when he yawned as he kept pace with the gnome''s tiny legs with his long, slow strides. The dining room was mostly empty save for a few guards coming off shift. Lucas thought they would sit down to a nice breakfast first. He could smell the sausage and the greasy ham steaks they were cooking back there.


    That was not to be. Instead, the Heisenburgle made a big show of calling the elderly chef out from the kitchens and discussing a new remedy that had been prepared that night in the course of their experimentation. ¡°You are under no obligation to try this, of course. This is the work of a novice and entirely experimental. The possible side effects are legion and might play havoc on your delicate constitution! I can offer you no guarantees as to its efficacy because I had no part whatsoever in its formulation.¡±


    She looked from Lucas to the flask sitting on the table doubtfully after all that. Still, despite Heisenburgle¡¯s strenuous warnings, she looked tempted, which spoke to the level of pain she was enduring.


    ¡°Go on,¡± he said, pouring a small dose of the cranberry red liquid into an empty glass. ¡°I promise you, it¡¯s perfectly safe.¡±


    Heisenburgle looked at him with a mixture of outrage and glee but said nothing. It was obvious he thought that Lucus was about to fall on his face. Still, the old woman took the glass and said, ¡°Well, if you think it might help these old hands of mine,¡± before she hesitantly drank it.


    She made a sour face, but he couldn¡¯t blame her for that. Medicine tasted like shit in any world.


    For a brief moment, everyone, including a couple of maids who had gathered to see what the commotion was all about, stood still. The tension was thick. At least, it was for everyone but Lucas. He stood there perfectly calm as he waited for the magical drug to take hold, and in a few seconds, she started to smile.


    ¡°By the Gods above, it works, it actually works!¡± she said, taking his hands in hers and growing more excited by the second. ¡°Am I¡ª Will this work forever?¡±


    ¡°Who can say,¡± Lucas answered with a shrug as he gave Heisenburgle a look. ¡°New formulation. You can help us test it. You just let me know when it wears off, and I¡¯ll give you another dose.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bless your heart,¡± she said with a smile before returning to the kitchens.


    ¡°See, I told you,¡± Lucas answered, swiping both coins from where they were sitting on the table once the two of them were mostly alone again. ¡°Ditch weed one, time-honored alchemical recipes, zero.¡±


    Heisenburgle glared at him for that one, but since there were so many other people around, he managed to suppress his usual outbursts. Instead, he fumed silently for a time. However, halfway through the meal, when the now-healed cook came out with a large sweet roll just for Lucas, the gnome abruptly left without a word.


    Lucas didn¡¯t let that bother him. In fact, he lingered and cleaned his plate, and when the footman inquired about his foot, which was bothering him later, Lucas was happy to pour him a shot, too. He was under no illusions that even a moderately strong potion would heal their ailments forever, of course. Medicine needed to be taken regularly. Still, it was nice to do some good now, and then, he decided as he walked back to his room humming a little song.


    He lay in bed that morning before he drifted off to sleep with a dumb smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to be able to do some crazy shit now,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Once I get this monkey off my back, we¡¯re going to do some crazy shit!¡±