Chapter 3.8: Quality Goes a Long Way

Chapter 3.8: Quality Goes a Long Way

Theo woke the next morning with one thing on his mind. During his time in the Dreamwalk, with Tresks constant interruptions, he realized this was a chance to understand which potions would be most useful for adventurers. He could simply take a poll to figure out which worked best for them, but people rarely knew what they wanted. In the dreaming realm, he could experiment forever without getting tired. As he walked with Tresk to eat their breakfast, his mind rolled over the possibilities.

Bombs were obvious. They came in as many flavors as he could think of and took modifiers well. For drinkable potions, there were too many to count. His plan was to root attackers with the Freezebomb, then pop a few potions to let him escape. [Lesser Barksin Potions] would have been useful, but they diminished the imbibers speed. [Lesser Sprinting Potions] were obvious, as were the potions that increased stats. Theo wanted to put his mind to the problem, brewing the most potent of these potions to ease Tresks worries. If she saw him put genuine effort into the problem, shed go back to doing dungeons.

[Roc Berries] have a [Retreat] property, Theo said as they sat down in the tavern.

The Marsh Wolf Tavern was busier than normal. Most citizens of Broken Tusk didnt eat breakfast at the tavern, but since it was paid for they seemed more likely to do so. Alise caught their attention, coming to have a seat with them and breaking Theos train of thought for a moment. Only then did he realize how obsessed he was over the issue, mentally kicking himself as to not do the town a disservice. The woman seemed bubbly today, sitting down and settling in with a smile on her face.

I made a deal with a trader, Alise said, setting something down on the table. Theo recognized it as a [House Seed Core]. No, I didnt overpay.

Why do we need more houses? Tresk asked, tapping her foot impatiently. Theo could tell she was hungry. Hed be lying if he said he wasnt.

We had an influx of people joining the town, Alise said with a curt nod. Almost 70 citizens.

The last time Theo checked, it was somewhere around 50. A sudden flash of concern spread through his body. Those assassins Tresk exposed him to werent doing him any favors.

Think they would mind signing a basic contract? Theo asked.

A few of your powers extend to me, Alise said, her grin growing broader. Theyve already signed something to the effect of I shall not destroy Broken Tusk, her interests, blah blah.

Alise was his subordinate in the administration structure of Broken Tusk. The advantage of his [Governance Core] was the sharing of abilities. His combat-related abilities went directly to the military structure, such as his tactical map, and his administration-related abilities went to his helpers. Alise was for more than just a helper, he knew that. If the laborers and craftspeople of Broken Tusk were the muscle and bones, she was the blood. She was the person who kept everything running, leaving high-level decisions to Theo but managing the day-to-day things that would burden him quickly.

Perfect, Theo said, leaning back as a server came with his food and tea. How are we distributing them?

No business at breakfast, Tresk said, glowering.

If we dont do business at meals, business wont get done, Theo said. Tresk bristled, but he felt her concede to his words.

Theyre being distributed based on skill and experience, Alise said, smiling as her food was delivered as well. She took a bite, swallowing the delicious, cheesy food before continuing. More concerns about childcare are springing up.

Thats understandable, Theo said. Can we fund something like that?

With our current deals, yes, Alise said. Ive secured a contract with that gentleman from Qavell, but it was a pittance. He wasnt as illustrious as he claimed. We can claim the adventurers tax, but I think thats a mistake.

Agreed. That should stay with them, Theo said. Last time I was in a pinch, Aarok was more than happy to help fund the defense of the city.

Why dont people just pay for childcare? Tresk asked, snorting a laugh. If you got 10 kids, charge the people 1 copper a head.

Theo had never thought of it like that. Even if it was something as insignificant as a single copper per child, per day, the town could supplement that. He spotted Zansal, a resident adventurer and member of the Khahari race. They were desert cat-people, as far as he knew, hailing from a continent to the east. He knew little about the continent, only what his cores wanted to whisper to him, but she was an honest person. She also had a child, something that often impeded her adventuring. He waved her over.

The first thing he noticed about Zansal was that she acted rather sheepish. It was as though shed wronged him, although he couldnt remember if shed done anything recently. Both she and her husband, Zankir, kept to themselves in the adventurers district of town. She averted her gaze, staring at the floor and performing a rigid bow.

How much would you pay for daily childcare? Theo asked, sweeping his suspicions under the rug.

Zansal seemed surprised about the question, searching the faces of Alise and Tresk before meeting his gaze. Theo narrowed his eyes. His intuition went wild when she looked into his eyes, a kind of guilt burning hard. He made a mental note but wouldnt act.

10 copper. At least that much, Zansal said after a long moment. If Kir and I could hit the dungeon, we could afford to pay a lot more.

Theo turned to Alise and nodded. Zansal seemed to take that as a dismissal, slinking away but not unnoticed by the alchemist.

Take the temperature of that price, Theo said. See if everyone else with kids will pay for it. Plan for a school, anyway. Use a [Seed Core House], or a specialized building if you can find it. Find the perfect nursemaid for our kids.

Alise nodded. Theo sensed a swell of pride in her chest. She was always so absurdly good at her job, he often found himself to be useless for the day-to-day things. But thats where the alchemist shined. Taking care of the large decisions that were hard to make. It was more a matter of taking suggestions from the townsfolk and applying their ideas for the betterment of the town, but it could be difficult. Only after the thought had lingered in the air enough did Theo notice Zansal slipping away, his intuition and cores singing that something was fishy.

What have Zansal and Zankir been up to? Theo asked Tresk through their private communication.

He never suspected them of anything nefarious, because bringing a child to the town meant they had something to lose.

Running the dungeons, Tresk said, narrowing her eyes on the Khahari woman slinking away. Your suspicions are flooding through the core, buddy. Anything you want to share.

Just a feeling, Theo said, knowing that his feel for things was often accurate. Tail her for the day, if you can.

I changed nothing, Theo said, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Theo withdrew one of Zizs stones from his inventory, a clean empty open-topped flask, and a beaker of his [Reveal Essence]. He placed the stone inside, drawing the Elfs attention again through the clanging of stone against glass.

Uninvited, the wizard came to sit on the hard stone and observe the reaction. Theo could tell the essence liked the marble better than the garden rock he used the last time. He could also tell the effect was far less potent outside of his lab, and he made a mental note.

Whats that? Xolsa asked.

I wanted to ask you that, Theo said. He explained how alchemy constructs worked, to the best of his knowledge. Wizards were often a trove of knowledge.

Yes, wizards have access to a similar skill, Xolsa said. My senses say youre not doing it right, but I suppose you know that.

Theo nodded to the Elf, smiling. Naturally.

The personality trait the pair shared was the excitement of experimentation. Xolsa was the foremost expert on all matters related to extra-planar energy interaction, even at level 20. The Elfs claim was that he was the most knowledgeable about the subject on the planet, but Theo doubted it. There were places neither of them had seen in the world, opening up infinite possibilities for powerful [Planar Mages].

I understand this in concept, no further. Magic-users can place a spell in an object, activating it later. Constructs can become devilishly complex. Artifices, for example, are a cousin to constructs, Xolsa said, watching as the stone stopped bubbling in the essence. I think its done.

Theo withdrew a pair of treated tongs from his inventory, withdrew the stone and put everything else back into his inventory. Before carrying on, he inspected the new construct to confirm his theory about stone quality influencing the end product.

[Reveal Construct]

[Alchemy Construct]

Common

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Emits a constant field of [Reveal] as long as the construct is powered.

Material:

Stone (Perfect Quality)

Effect:

Creates a 20 halm bubble around the construct that removes stealth from any target.

Much better, Theo said. Can you drip some mana into it? I dont have that much control over mine, yet.

I can help you with that, Xolsa said, smiling. The Elf rarely smiled. If youd like to do some training.

I would, Theo said, gesturing to the stone.

Xolsa smiled and held his hand out, palm down. Mana built up on the mans hand, dripping onto the construct. Unlike Theos mana, the [Planar Mages] mana resembled the seams of blue on his skin, shifting as the drops fell on the device. After only a moment, the field sprung to life. It consumed them in a bubble, tingling over their skin.

Ah, I can already sense the weakness, Xolsa said, pointing at the construct. Small cracks were forming in the center of the hewn marble, tracing a spider-web throughout its structure. The pair observed for minutes until the stone finally shattered.

That lasted a while, compared to my last one, Theo said, explaining his last setup.

Quality goes a long way, but theres something else, Xolsa said. A few flaws in the design. First, it targets everyone. Second, theres no power regulation method. Third, the magical instructions in the stone are incomplete.

Theo understood the first two problems with no explanation. How are the instructions incomplete?

I dont think youre meant to use the essence that way, Xolsa said. Gambling is for fools who wish to dispose of their coin, but Id bet a gold that you missed a step.

Theo nodded. That made enough sense to him, he was improvising with this essence as it was. Essences rarely interacted with something without first going through a transformation process. The detergent-style potions needed to be mixed with water in precise quantities, bridging the gap of their power with another essence. Potion-style reactions were performed in a one-to-one reaction between [Purified Water] and an essence combined with a catalyst. The alchemist was amazed this even worked, in hindsight.

I suspect you might need a live medium to make this work, Xolsa said. But thats just a guess. Now, would you care to practice summoning your mana?