Chapter 3.22: A Poison for Every Occasion

Chapter 3.22: A Poison for Every Occasion

Theo enjoyed his soak in the pool for as long as he could. He wasnt as eager to get into the Dreamwalk as he was in the past, owing to his ever-growing cores. [Drogramath Herbalism Core] was at level 15, [Drogramath Alchemy Core] at level 16, with his [Tarahek Core] at 17. His [Governance Core] hit 12 during the day, but it wasnt enough to tip his personal level over to 15. It was on the edge, but not there yet. During his soak, he took time to inspect his cores, making a mental note of his progression.

[Drogramath Alchemy Core]

Legendary

Alchemy Core

Bound

3 Slots

Level 16 (10%)

[Alchemy Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.

Effect:

Increases the synergy of [Alchemy] abilities.

+5 Wisdom

[Unstable Material Handling]

[Drogramath Herbalist Core]

RareThe roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

Herbalist Core

Bound

3 Slots

Level 15 (12%)

[Herbalist Core] given to the descendants of Drogramath.

Effects:

+5 Vigor

[Tarahek Core]

Legendary

Tarahek Core

Bound

3 Slots

Level 17 (45%)

[Tarahek] cores are given to those who accept a Marshling life-partner. You cannot change the skills inside the core, or remove it at any time.

Effect:

+6 Strength

+2 Vigor

[Governance Core]

Legendary

Administration Core

Unbound

3 Slots

Level 12 (2%)

Advanced [Administrator] core, reserved for leaders.

Innate Skills:

[Command Structure]

Yeah, plus Fenian is acting all weird with the mushrooms, Tresk said, rubbing her wet head. We should expect an undead invasion tomorrow.

That was good advice when dealing with Fenians plans. They came together like a hurricane, appearing just off the horizon before Theo could prepare. But there was nothing he could have done about it then. His truffles were cultivating, and theyd soon have enough to start large-scale production. Until then, the alchemist wanted Tresk to run other combat drills.

What happens when you lose your daggers, Theo said, snatching them away from her. She looked offended, grabbing them back.

I get em back! she shouted.

Theo withdrew a potion from his inventory, gaining a sudden boost of [Dexterity]. He grabbed the daggers away again and threw them far into the distance. Tresk looked even more offended by that, but without warning he struck her in the face. The Marshling stumbled backward, a look of sheer horror on her face.

You hit me! she shouted.

No daggers, Theo said, dropping into a combat stance and raising his hands. It had been a long time since hed done this. What do you do?

Im gonna smack you is what Ill do, Tresk said, coming at him with no sense for what suitable form was. He planted a kick straight in her chest, sending her tumbling back.

Tresk wouldnt learn a lesson if Theo told it to her. She was too hard-headed. The only way hed get through to her was for her to channel her anger into something useful. His lesson here was that she couldnt always rely on her daggers, not when she could be disarmed. She needed to learn how to fight with her fists and her feet when the time came. Only when the little Marshling came in, biting him on the leg, did he realize teeth were an option.

Good, Theo said, shoving her away. The damage they inflicted to each other here wasnt like actual pain, more like an echo. Again.

Theo was almost as quick as Tresk by now. Her cores gave her a massive boost to her stats, but her gear was centered on enhancing poison effects. When she suggested she would just load their shared inventory with extra daggers, he denied her the escape and they fought. Old memories of hand-to-hand combat drills came back to the alchemist in those hours. Wonderful memories and terrible memories mingling together to create a tapestry to his old life. It was a catharsis he couldnt have known hed needed.

By the end of an hours-long training session, Tresk had the idea in her head. She combined her classs skills with basic pugilism to bring the best out of both. Her hit-and-run tactics were on full display, and Theo was begging her to stop by the end. The point was made, and the Marshling learned.

Now, Theo said, coughing and hacking. He was out of breath, even in the Dreamwalk. I like the idea of backup daggers.

Tresk punched him in the face, bit his leg, and cackled. Me too, she said through a mouthful of flesh. We should fight more.

Theo wouldnt deny her excitement about the friendly spar, even if she took it too seriously. He could feel the experience roll into their shared core. Besides that, these were valuable skills. They didnt need to practice withdrawing daggers from the shared inventory. That was a very simple action. They just needed to get their hands on as many daggers as they could, eliminating two problems. Tresk would hold several daggers in reserve with no poison, and several that had the specialized poisons yet to be brewed. The Marshling could call on whatever she needed at a moments notice, never having to stop to coat her weapons.

It took a while to keep Tresk from attacking him. He convinced her to dedicate a few hours every night to her training, which would grow more intense as they went on. Theo was allowed free use of all his potions, while Tresk was limited to her daggers and nothing else. They would alternate between armed and unarmed combat, just to make sure the information stuck. She took to this plan well, as though she only just realized this was a safe place for her to pummel her companion.

Theo spent the rest of their time in the Dreamwalk tending reagents, but brewing no potions. He even spotted Tresk drilling her unarmed combat with Goblins in the distance, hiding among the trees and the snow. She was modest enough to admit it was a good idea, but then the alchemist considered the weight that was placed on her. When he met her, she was trying to get out from under her fathers yoke. Throk didnt want her to be an adventurer, but it was her dream. Now she was the best adventurer in a growing town, and that gap between her and others was closing. Perfection often came at a cost, but then again, the others didnt have access to this amazing training tool.

When the night ended, the morning sun was already shining through the window. Tresk ordered Theo to get to work on her new poisons, running off to grab breakfast from Xam. He didnt have the heart to tell her the poisons wouldnt be as potent as they could be. Without a stock of cultivated [Widow Lily], or [Anti-Mage] modifier essence, it would be weaker than a perfected version. Still, he humored her.

Theo had a fair amount of un-refined [Anti-Mage] modifier essence lying around and several unmodified [Poisons]. As he laced the poison with the modifier, he watched the reaction. It glowed with a soft, blue light, only bubbling slightly under his expert hand. He inspected the result before Tresk was even back with breakfast.

[Poison]

[Anti-Mage]

[Poison] [Modified Poison]

Epic

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy.

Chance to inflict 2 stacks per hit.

Effect:

Cripples an enemy, reducing their Dexterity by 5.

Applies a stacking DOT effect based on poison quality. Maximum 15 stacks. Poison inflicts DOT damage. Targets inflicted with this poison take 1 point of damage for every mana spent, multiplied by the amount of stacks. This applies to ongoing spells cast before the poison was applied.

Stacks of poison take twice as long to fade.

Removing a stack of poison through any means other than the natural expiration of the effect causes the remaining stacks of poison to explode, dealing their remaining damage to the target.

Now there was a poison built for killing mages. The active casting description was bad enough, but if the [Anti-Mage] effect also inflicted damage for ongoing spells, that was devastating. This was all combined with the nightmarish DOT damage that was already devastating to any target. Tresk arrived shortly after the poison was done, withdrawing food and tea from the shared inventory.

Youre done? Already? Tresk asked.

I had this stuff on hand, Theo said, sliding the potion across the table for her to see. She let out a low whistle, then stuffed it in her personal dimensional storage sack. This isnt even as strong as it can get.

Tresk was already impressed with what he produced. The promise for more devastation was enough to make her giddy with excitement. They ate breakfast, discussing the progress they had made in the Dreamwalk. The [Tarahek Core] got more experience than normal while they were asleep, marking the usefulness of spending more time together in there. The Marshling declared she would spend the entire day away from Theo, delving dungeons and killing monsters.

Theo had plans to perform more town-related tasks today, but his gardens needed tending. He made an offering at his shrine, then ran the tasks for the day through his mind. The Elven Guardian out front should have been taken care of by now, but if it wasnt hed need to shuffle people around. His new administration staff needed direction, he knew that out of instinct, but it wasnt anything Alise couldnt handle. He mostly wanted to check in on that front. Azrug might need encouragement for his new position, and prodding to get a new person to man the store at the Newt and Demon. All of this hung in his mind, even as Tresk pressed her forehead against his.

Theo was eager to spend more time with his people, as the people of Broken Tusk had truly become his. They were building a new culture, something not seen before on the continent. It was a place where anyone with a strong back and determination could make a life for themselves. Away from the horrid guilds with their archaic mindsets. Above all else, it was a place to be free.