I go on to explain the results of my search and my theories on what the issue might be. Lauren isn’t big on the idea of not getting more Power for a while, but she tacitly agrees to try and use all she has as quickly as possible. I really wish I’d had this idea before we went and hunted a bunch of monsters...

-”Ok, here’s the deal. I’m going to teach you alchemy, and you’re going to teach me Energy.”

“Yeah su- what?”

-”Don’t even pretend, I know how high your Perception is.”

“Fine, I heard you, but… I don’t… know if I can.”

-”You’ll try.” Not leaving much room for choice here…

“Energy is… very dangerous. If you try to use your Energy on anyone or anything outside your body, you might die-

-”I only need it for me.”

“...Why do you want to know about Energy?”

-”Because…” She looks directly into my eyes. “I don’t want to have to rely on you.”

I open my mouth to retort, but actually, she makes a valid point. Whatever’s wrong with her requires her to rely on Energy to fix it for now. As the only resident Energy user, that’s me. I may want her to rely on me because it means I can count on her to stick around, but… I can’t reasonably say no. That would be willfully controlling her. That’s something I could never let myself do.

I’m pretty sure Energy isn’t something you can learn, more of… something you just have and know? But I’m willing to try. Who know, maybe she’ll figure out how to fix herself.

“Ok hold on. That isn’t a fair trade though. Energy is my thing, so if I teach you, you have to teach me alchemy and fighting.”

-”And why would I agree to that?”

“Because: you need to use up Power, and learning some non-stealth combat skills will do that in a hurry. Plus, you need me to not die until you’re fixed or can fix yourself.”

She’s quiet for a few seconds, staring intently at me. -”Yeah, ok.”

----

He didn’t see her smile as he started working with her alchemy kit, mixing whatever potions she didn’t care about.

He might be a dick, a dolt, and overall full of himself, but he hadn’t tried to lie or gaslight her, and that meant more to her than she thought was reasonable. She didn’t know why. She had asked to learn Energy not because she cared overmuch to learn it, but because he had openly admitted to it being a manipulative power and still been willing to share it.

He was right, his Energy caused her to… want. It had definitely made it easier to relax around him in the first place… and maybe something more...

But, she didn’t believe for a moment that it was all because of Energy.

---

The ‘Bottled Light’, as it’s called, is really easy to make and lasts for an entire day/night cycle as long as it’s been prepared correctly. Granted, I fucked up the first two attempts because this is nothing like cooking. I had thought that, because it involves fire and essentially cooking ingredients, I’d have something of a knack for it. The opposite is true. I ended up overcooking them and destroying whatever property makes the light last for a while… so the first bottle will only glow for about two hours, and the second I got up to six. The third and fourth were actually done correctly (once Lauren gave me some pointers on timing and the amount of heat to use).

[Congratulations! You have successfully crafted a Bottled Light (II)] [Congratulations! Your actions have led to the creation of a basic Secondary Skill: Alchemy. Learn? (Y/N) Cost: 150]

Ok ouch. That’s a hefty fucking cost.

But I guess the game knows the price of utility…

Maybe I should have Lauren learn some crafting skills. That’d drop her Power to nothing in no time.

I mentally tap ‘yes’ and cringe slightly as my Power drops to 177. Those large Power drops don’t feel good at all, like a slight nausea and weakness for an hour or so afterwards.

Ugh.

I shake myself slightly and dump out the failed bottles into the lake, swishing them around for reuse. The shaking activates the potions, causing a phosphorescent orange light to seep into the lake as the potions spread. The thin, snaking tendrils slowly dim as the potion is spread too thin to be of substance, but it almost feels like a sunrise over a lake… something I will never see again.

-”It’s beautiful.”

I nod, taking in the glistening walls and deep, dark water that may well have never felt light before.

The lake is… really deep. Deeper than I thought. Even as the potion fades, it still hasn’t spread to the bottom. I’m now very glad that I didn’t fall in.

The light vanishes entirely, save for the tiny illumination from the alchemy set’s fire.

Back to work. I go about using one of the remaining bottles to craft a Fire Potion (II) and a Healing Potion (II). That’ll give me some utility. I call forth my own alchemists set and give the four generated bottles to Lauren. After all, she gave me hers.

-”You can keep them. I have enough.”

“Use them to make some healing or something. You can’t die until you’re fixed either.”

Her expression is strange in the flickering light, like a small smile that you can’t quite guarantee is really there.

I return my set to a stone and pocket it.

“One more thing. There’s…” I look around, making sure no one is nearby before lowering my voice to the lowest whisper I can manage. “There’s something up with Nate. I feel like every time he tells me to do something, I get a headache. There might be some kind of mental compulsion attached to his words. Watch out for that.”

Her gaze darkens significantly as she eyes me.

-”I haven’t noticed anything like that.” her words are curt, with a bit of edge to them.

“You’re susceptible to the mental effects of Energy, and it might extend on to other mind altering effects. All I’m saying is ‘be careful’, alright?”

The dark gaze lingers for a moment longer before fading with a sigh. When she looks up again, the small smile is back. -”And who will warn me about you?”

“Hah, Rav. He’s a better guy than any of us. Speaking of, I’m going to go put up these lights so Rav doesn’t have to worry about it. Not that they’ll do much… but I can at least illuminate the dangerous areas. You ready for tonight?”

-”They aren’t getting me this time.” The flicker of a smile is gone, leaving only determination.

“Be sure of it.”