Chapter: Alchemist Tommins

Erik and Rugrat looked around the store that they had entered, there were different viewing cases that held faintly glowing potions and powders contained in jade boxes. Placards were written out with the effects of each of the things on display.

Erik looked into one of the boxes, taking in a sharp breath.

Name: Unbridled strength

Concoctions type: Powder

Effects: Increase your overall strength stat by 3 points for 2 minutes. Go into stamina fatigue for 10 minutes.

Cost: 12 silvers 45 coppers

That was more money than Erik had seen since coming to the ten realms, it was also one of the strongest effects he had ever seen. Increasing someone's stats by 3 points was incredible. That kind of power would allow someone to turn the tables or their opponent or win against an enemy at a higher level.

He looked over the shop, there were tens of different powders and potions in the room.

A simple looking man was sitting at the counter with a bored expression on his face as he tapped the cauldron that was beside him.

"Recovery powders are on the right wall, the healing powders and potions are on the left wall," he said in a bored tone. While there were many people outside there wasn't anyone inside. Erik understood why, the goods were too expensive for many to buy.

"Those formations, I don't know what they are, but they're damn powerful," Rugrat said, he had learned a bit of formations and smithing so his eyes picked up on the engraved runes and forms on the viewing cases.

"Sir, I saw your requests on the poster board, I was wondering if I might be able to get more information on these ingredients so that I won't bring you the wrong thing or damage them," Erik said in a respectful voice.

The man showed a note of surprise as he stopped tapping on the cauldron and looked up at Erik.

"A level eight fighter, but seems that you've got some brains as well," the man shrugged. "Well, if you can get me the ingredients it doesn't matter much to me, which items are you looking for?" There was a glint in the ordinary looking man's eyes.

Erik and Rugrat could tell that he was anything but ordinary as he tried to mask his strength. His question was casual, but the man's eyes were locked onto Erik.

Erik knew that this was a test.

"Wilderness Bane, Drakar Root, Holispun Feather, Moon Water and Three Colored Spirit Rose were the ones that I saw," Erik said.

"Seems that you’re not just one of those people looking for a handout," the man said with a smile.

"My name is Tommins, I hope you don't disappoint me," he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down a list of different items before he pulled out an old book and put the list inside and threw it to Erik.

"If you learn this book and find at least five ingredients then you might have some future as an alchemist," Tommins said before he yawned.

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Quest : Gathering ingredients

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Alchemist Tommins is looking for a number of ingredients for his various concoctions, the more you bring back the greater the reward. Possible locations for the ingredients have been added to your map.

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Requirements:

Find Five ingredients Alchemist Tommins is looking for and deliver them to him.

Pass his test on the 'basic alchemical ingredients' book he has given you.

Rewards:

Based on your results

4,500 EXP

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"Thanks you, alchemist Tommins," Erik said, cupping his hands to the man.

Tommins nodded and went back to tapping on his cauldron.

Erik and Rugrat left the store. Erik looked at his map, there were a total of twenty three locations marked on his map. They varied from large to small areas, some being just a few square meters, the largest being an area five hundred meters in diameter.

Still it gave them places to go and look without wandering around the Beast Mountain for days lost.

They quickly headed out of the city, they didn't want anyone to learn too much about them, they'd killed at least one person in Chonglu City, the City Lord and his people might be after them, and they didn't know who was behind the poisoner.

Erik and Rugrat wanted to look at armor, but there simply wasn't anyway for them to purchase it, now they just had to try and make as much money as possible to upgrade their gear.

Exiting Wild Reaches Trading City was as if they had entered another world.

The forests that they had walked through before had been large and seemed to stretch forever. Here there was a wildness to the forest. People seemed to hunch their shoulders as they moved forward, powerful roars and animal calls could be heard in the distance, the sound of fighting could be faintly heard.

This wasn't a forest, it was a warzone with the inhabitants clashing with one another to survive.

Erik and Rugrat looked at one another, it was similar to the pressure one would find themselves under when they entered a hostile country.

Everything was out to kill them and take their shit.

Here there were no allies, only prey and predator.

There was no knowing what powerful beasts and entities were to be found in the Beast Mountain.

They pulled out their bows and their quivers, moving into the forest toward one of the closest regions that Tommins' Quest had marked.

Erik wanted to read the book but they didn't have time as they moved through the undergrowth.

People that were leaving the Willd Reaches Trading City shot off in different directions, some having hunting grounds that they had scouted before, or looking for new ones.

Everyone here was looking to get that one score that they could make it big on and never have to enter the Beast Mountain ever again.

Erik and Rugrat looked out for them as they went off of the path, making sure that no one was following them as people raced through the forest.

People showed off their agility, no longer needing to use the ground to move as they ran through the treetops with ease, or passed over the ground as if there wasn't any obstacles in their path.

Erik and Rugrat continued on for an hour, their bows ready with an arrow notched before they came across their first problem.

A shadow dropped from above as a burly creature dropped out of the tree, aiming to hit Rugrat.

"Rugrat!" Erik yelled out, Rugrat threw himself to the side. He had the presence of mind ot draw back his arrow and fire as he moved. The arrow slammed into the bear, throwing off it's landing, letting out a pained howl.

Erik held his shot, moving to clear his line of sight. The creature let out a roar as it started to get up.

Erik released his arrow, the stun effect cut off it's howl abruptly as it twitched and missed its footing.

Rugrat's arrow had unerring accuracy as it pierced the creatures neck, sinking in halfway down the shaft.

Their attacks weren't strong to just kill the creature outright so they had to rack up continual wounds to bleed it out and wear it down.

Erik used a regular arrow, sticking it in the creature's back.

The creature howled, as it was bleeding out of multiple spots, but nothing had been deep enough to kill it.

Erik used a piercing arrow, it went in through the creature's stomach and up into its chest.

The creature stiffened before it dropped, a tombstone appeared above its head.

"Sneaky fucker," Rugrat said.

Erik let out a sigh as Rugrat looted the creature, a white light appearing over his ring, showing that it had all gone into his storage ring automatically.

"Called a Drop Bear. Apparently, doesn't have a mana core, but the meat and fur should be worth something, I got your regular arrow back," Rugrat waved his hand and passed it back to Erik, as long as they weren't broken, then it was possible to get one's arrows back.

Most of the enchanted arrows would be destroyed once they had been used up.

"Well, looks like things aren't going to be easy," Erik said, checking on his gains.

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Skill: Marksman

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Level: 19 (Novice)

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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.

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8,240/48,000 EXP till you reach level 9

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“You are fucking kidding me,” Erik complained.

“What’s up?” Rugrat asked.

“The amount of experience I just got from that, it was less than five hundred,” Erik complained.

“Well, it was a level six drop bear, dude, it was weaker than us, so the experience just starts dropping,” Rugrat reminded him.

“Oh, the sweet days of gloriously ascending levels,” Erik lamented.

“Fuck, next thing you know you’ll be one of them weird poet types,” Rugrat muttered.

They quickly set off again, they came across three more drop bears, one of them gave them a lower mortal grade monster core. The others had only yielded meat and fur.

They checked their experience and skill gains.

Rugrat with his prior experience allowed him to increase his marksman steadily, he had actually advanced into the Apprentice level and was heading towards Journeyman.

“So, what bonus and item did you get?” Erik asked.

“When I aim with my weapon my eyes zoom I guess?” Rugrat shrugged as he checked his storage ring. “I got a spell scroll, it allows me to buff the arrows I’m firing with an electric effect.”

“Nice!” Erik said, neither of these gains were small, with Rugrat’s abilities it would only increase his combat power. Erik was interested to see if he could use the same spell on the rifles and firearms they had.

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Skill: Marksman

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Level: 20 (Novice)

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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.

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Erik’s progress with the marksman skill was much slower. He had messed around with bows but hadn’t taken it on something serious. He was better than average but if he wanted to increase his power he would need to spend a lot more time with it.

It was a little better than his experience increase which had slowed to a crawl as most of the things that they came across were a lower level than them.

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9,650/48,000 EXP till you reach level 9

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Erik looked at the distance to the first location, they would reach it by the time night came around, there wasn't much room in their storage rings and they were realizing how weak their weapons were now.

If they used their rifles then they would be able to easily deal with everything that they had come across sos far.

"Let's find somewhere we can sleep and then go to the location that Timmons gave us tomorrow," Rugrat said.

They headed off, finding a cliff, Rugrat noticed something odd about it and they climbed up it a bit.

"Well that's pretty grim," Rugrat said.

Erik was just going to ask what he meant as he made it into the cave, there was a skeleton facing the entrance into the cave.