48 Negotiations

Arched Doorways, ancient furniture, and a torch-illuminated stairway. Even though the walls were plastered with tapestries and the furnishings were quite decadent — or precisely for this reason — the atmosphere in the gloomy tower was slightly unsettling and made Teo feel like if he stuck weirdly out of place.

The hesitative boy weaseled forward with an increasingly uncomfortable sensation creeping down his back; his small steps had already regressed so much as to resemble tip-toeing. All the while, the mysterious gatekeeper leading the way had not said a single word, making Teo oddly uneasy.

They made their way up the winding staircase, floor after floor. They must be on one of the highest levels of the building right now, or maybe not — it was hard to tell how large exactly the tower was from outside, and walking in tight circles along the central stairway completely ruined his spatial awareness.

"Wait here," the gatekeeper said in his usual, gritty voice.

They stood in front of another wooden door, the real entrance to the floor which they had just climbed to. It was visibly fortified with metal, but in an ornamental way, making it less conspicuous.

Contrary to Teo's expectations, this was not the highest level. To the side, the winding path of steps continued onwards to higher ground, but the way further up was blocked by a heavy iron gate. The upper levels seemed to be even more restricted than the rest of the building.

Without waiting for questions or giving any instructions, the grumpy gatekeeper turned around and headed down the flight of stairs from where they had made their way up here, leaving Teo to himself.

The boy did not have to wait long, however. With a loud creaking noise, the door in front of him swung open, an overwhelming herb-like smell wafting from the interior of the room. Instinctively Teo stepped through the thick frame in large strides; this was his chance.

The room was furnished with carpets of varying colors, and aged furniture that seemed elegant, old-fashioned, and also a bit tacky. The recurrent motive of excessive curls and wavy patterns gave them a synthetic, impractical feeling that did not resonate well with the younger generations.

At the opposite end of the room, on top of a pompously cushioned armchair, sat a wrinkled, old man. He was around the same age as Uncle Thoralv, yet much much leaner, giving the impression of a thin twig that could break under the slightest gust of wind. He pointed one of his bony fingers at a comparatively unimpressive chair while he looked at Teo emotionlessly. 

"Teodor Grassdown, heir to the Grassdown lineage. A full-fledged Enchanter at such a tender age; impressive. To what do I owe the honor of your visit today?" the man said imposingly. His voice like old paper, like pages of an ancient tome, gently rubbing against each other.

"Oh, I was—" Teo tried to explain his intentions and the reason for his visit, but was promptly interrupted after but a few words.

"Yes, yes, I know. You're young, ambitious, zealous. Full of vigor and drive... You don't need to say anything. I know ex—actly what you want. Your family may underestimate your talent, but we both know that you are destined for something much greater! You desire power. Power to slay your foes and banish your enemies. Power, to take revenge on those who held you back in the past! Am I right?" the quirky Alchemist continued with his monologue. Words fluttered about like loose pages grasped by a howling tornado, and an inconspicuous twinkling glimmered in his eyes.

"Am... Uh... I wanted to ask for a healing Elixir actually, Sir Trismegistus..." Teo replied meekly. Apparently, he had been intimidated quite a bit by the stormy speech of his host.

An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room for a second, neither of them sure of how to proceed.

The Alchemist contemplated the situation for a second, trying to figure out what had gone wrong with his preparation. This short speech had served him well for the past dozens of years, and everything in the young man's background profile pointed towards him being this type of customer as well, but it was alright, mistakes happen. He was a professional and knew how to handle all kinds of situations. 

"Yes, of course. Of course. Please excuse my peculiar type of humor. I do have dozens of Elixirs in my catalog, may I inquire which type would you be looking for exactly?" he improvised with practiced confidence. 

Teo had already heard about the quirky nature of this senior beforehand and was not too surprised by the bumpy course the conversation had taken, yet he was still at a loss for words. 'This is what you call humor?'

He quickly decided not to bother with the details, though, as he did not have any alternatives anyway and needed to make the best of the situation. It was probably a good idea to get straight to the point.

"A friend of mine has been wounded. I have already tried conventional medicines and herbs, but he is only getting worse. I have heard that a powerful healing Elixir could resolve his affliction and hoped to find one here since none of the potion shops seem to have any," Teo explained honestly. He had tried to dodge the topic with the doctors of the clinic, but there was no point in trying to deceive this Alchemist. He was not associated with any public position and had no reason to ask any unnecessary questions. Not to forget, that this was his last chance, messing up here due to his dishonesty would mean losing Beast to his cruel fate once and for all.

"A wounded friend? Why don't you bring him to this new clinic then? I thought this 'medicine' humbug had made so many advancements that almost anything but death is curable nowadays. Isn't it supposed to make healing type Elixirs completely redundant?" the tottery man retorted surprised, as he elevated himself into a more upright position on his luxurious armchair.

"It... It is complicated. He can't go there right now, and I don't think anyone else can help him," Teo said, trying to search for the right words. He could not exactly reveal the whole truth, could he?

"No, no. It is quite alright. It is none of my business anyway. I would be more than happy to supply you with a potent healing type Elixir right now, young Grassdown. I did not have the pleasure of making one for ages now. It's just that..." he made a dramatic pause, and all of a sudden, a regretful look appeared on his puckered face.

"With all these new techniques and medicines, there is hardly any demand for my Elixirs anymore, and that obviously affected the most important ingredients for them as well. As it stands now, most can't even be found on the market anymore and have become quite a rare sight. Not to mention that they always have been rather costly. I could prepare a potion or two with the ingredients from my private warehouse, just that... it would have its price." The words flowed from his mouth like oil, trying to wrap the child in his façade of sympathy. It did not come as a surprise though, Teo had expected to pay a high price for his services to begin with.

"It doesn't matter! I have saved quite a bit of money over the years and I am more than willing to work for whatever I cannot afford!" the boy stated firmly. He had already made up his mind before coming here. Teo hated people who did things half-assed and stood behind whatever decision he had previously decided on. No one would be able to outrun the consequences of his actions and decisions anyway, so he might as well start dealing with them as they came.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.