Exhausted, Liam enters Fengfang Square again, the sky is lit up in a warm orange from the sun setting to the west. He rushes over to Peter’s Potions and pushes the door open. The short green haired man is tidying up inside, preparing to close for the day. “I got back as fast as I could, sorry it took so long!” Liam quickly calls out as he approaches the counter. The aging alchemist seems surprised that he returned, a happy expression crosses his face. “Not to worry, not to worry, were you able to procure the roots?” Peter eagerly asks. “It wasn’t safe at all, that cave is infested with fire breathing lizards, but yes I was able to fill the pouch” Liam exclaimed. He takes out the container and hands it over to Peter.

The alchemist inspects the contents and seems delighted with what he finds inside. He spends a moment muttering to himself before taking out an expensive metal container and transfers everything to it. “So, what about the cure for my friend, will you be able to make it tonight with some of those?” Liam questions. The short green haired man looks up “As it happens, I was able to locate something that should get her back on her feet.” He takes a dusty red vial from a low hanging shelf. The seal seems to be partially broken and the dull red contents inside brighten slightly as he gives it a swirl. He hands the vial over to Liam who secures it in a small section of his travel pack. “Thanks a lot Peter, I’m going to get this straight to Ignissa!”. The alchemist merely nods in reply and heads into the back room, taking the fancy container with him.

After taking a moment to quench his thirst and finish the last of his rations. Liam heads over to Templeview Lane, ignoring the pain in his feet. Too tired to move faster than a walk, the sun has long since set by the time he arrives. After knocking on the door, he is once again greeted by Danielle, his friend’s younger sister. She greets him, her small hand grabs onto his larger one, pulling him inside. “You were able to get it right? This is going to fix her?” she asks hopefully. “I wasn’t meant to see but she has been coughing up blood” He nods in reply and enters the bedroom. Ignissa looks much of the same as the previous day, perhaps a tiny bit less swelling around her eye. “Well, you look like shit. And that’s coming from me.” She says as a greeting while gesturing down at her beaten body with her one free hand. “Were you made run errands all day to get it or what?”

Liam explains his day to her and at the end produces the potion with a flourish. Her smile fades as she sees what he is holding. “I needed the root for my spirit, once I have that my body will recover by itself, all you have there is a shitty looking healing potion, you got scammed” she says with a sigh.

Liam quickly examines the potion.

Healing Potion

Poor storage and low quality glass have sapped this potions strength. It will only mend cuts and bruises.

“It’s not going to do me much good, but I suppose it will help with the pain, give it here” she continues in a weary voice, stopping occasionally to take a breath. He hands her the red vial and downs it in one gulp. The swelling around her eye fades a bit and some of the bruising lightens, but she still looks awful. “Yep, as I thought, old healing potion, probably expired. How can you possibly be this naïve?” she sighs. “All I needed was just one of those roots, I can’t believe you risked your life for this”. She weakly flings the vial to the floor. Her weak voice raising a little in anger feels worse than being screamed at by merchants for taking scraps of thrown out food.

With his head hanging low while looking down at his hands he replies “I don’t know, I’ve always had a hard time because I had no spirit. I just thought things would be different, now that I’m not a forgotten looser.” He wipes a tear from his eye and finishes “Look I’m sorry, I’ll make this right. I promise.” Ignissa raises her hand, motioning him to stop. “Leave it, don’t do anything stupid, I don’t want you putting yourself in more danger. Danielle can get me some Firemist Tea tomorrow, it’s not as good but will help a lot.” She pauses to take a sip of water from a nearby cup. “I’m going to rest up, stop by in a few days and we can catch up.” She lays back down and closes her one good eye.

Liam turns to leave, whispering sorry as he closes the door behind him. In the hallway her finds Danielle waiting for him. “So she is going to feel better, right?” she looks up to him with shining eyes. “Sorry Danielle not just yet, but soon.” He replies with steel entering his voice.

Back at the Boarelk’s Tusk, Liam wolfs down his beef stew and returns up to his room. His foul mood warded off any patrons from striking up conversation with him.

Liam felt very foolish at how easily he was taken advantage of and also quite upset because he was unable to help his new friend. He paces around the room and thinks about how he can set things right.

After stripping down to his under clothes he sits down on his bed. The moon looks down at him from the open windows. More focused than he has ever been, Liam enters his standard meditation, while thinking about the lunar cycles.

After a few hours he hopes out of bed and stretches his stiff joints. He puts on the usual equipment and checks his status.

Body

4++

Mana

18/27

Spirit

Light (Foundling Stage)

Condition

Healthy

Liam hears a group of four stumble out onto the street, while butchering a popular bard’s song. He waits several minutes longer to confirm that they were the last of the late-night drinkers. After hiding his valuables as best as he could, Liam unlocks his door leaving the key on the inside. He checks the street below from his window. Not seeing anybody around he exits through the second story window, heading out into the night. Liam does have some experience in climbing, mostly form horsing around with his friend Oak.

With fingers carefully holding on to the stone window still, Liam lowers himself slowly, searching for a secure foot hold. After a few moments it is clear that there is nothing in reach, he forces mana into his legs, from his toes to just up past the knee. With his grip starting to fail Liam lets go and drops to the street. Surprisingly, he is able to absorb the impact without injury. Perhaps a combination of his mana and the boots, Liam thinks to himself.

Before moving onward, Liam surrounds himself in his Mirror Coat. The gas-powered streetlights seem to bend around him, leaving almost no trace of his existence. Like a shadow in the night, he stalks through the city, easily avoiding any patrolling guards. There is one close call when a skinny guard with silver hair stops abruptly and starts sniffing the air. Noticing the sudden alertness in the guard’s eyes, Liam backed away slowly and took an alternative route.

It takes a while to reach the square, now in the dead of night, Liam slowly approaches Peter’s Potions. With anger in his heart, he walks around to the back of the two-story building. All of the windows are closed except one which is barely cracked open, allowing the cool night breeze inside. Peering through the glass gives Liam a view of a small storeroom. It is filled with boxes, wooden chests, some dusty books, stacks of parchment and a handful of small plants.

Liam draws his Luxoria Crystal Dagger and carefully slides it up the gap in the window, popping the latch open. He catches the closing window with his free hand, preventing it from making nose. Silently as he can, Liam props the window open and edges inside. Liam turns around and closes the window. Hearing light footsteps run down a wooden staircase, Liam searches for a place to hide. Spotting a couple of sacks of something pungent he crouches down behind them. Light fills the room as the door opens, tucked into his hiding hole, Liam sees Peter enter while holding a gas lamp. He looks around in alert and takes several sharp sniffs with his nose. After a moment he relaxes and wanders past him and stands up on his toes to inspect it. “Must have been the wind, damn enchantment, I’ll need to reset it in the morning” he mutters to himself. A bright green fungus extends from under his fingernails, weaving itself into a strong pattern. The new appendage reaches up and closes the window before withdrawing back into Peter. He exits the room, light fading as he closes the door behind him. Liam hears him return upstairs.

Liam shifts away from the smelly sack of reagents but stays in the room. After a few minutes he starts to hear high pitched snoring from above. Quietly, he pushes the door open and enters the next room. A larger room filled with glassware, low hanging shelves stocked with jars and containers of many sies. There are several empty small cauldrons sitting on a work bench. A much larger cauldron sits over a flame producing metal drum in the centre of the room. Liam sees a glowing red liquid bubbling happily inside. Liam inspects the contents.

Incomplete Potion of Fire Resistance

An almost finished potion of fire resistance. This potion has been made using potent ingredients, once completed it will provide a high level of protection.

On a work surface next to the large cauldron sits the fancy metal container Peter was fussing with earlier. Nervously, Liam unlatches it to reveal the contents. The insides are almost empty, except for the largest root which Liam procured, it has the darkest skin and fastest moving veins. Perhaps Peter had something special in mind for you he thinks to himself.

After searching around the shelves Liam spots a gleaming pair of hide gloves.

Dawnfox Hide Gloves

A high-quality pair of protective gloves ideal for the handling of plants and alchemy reagents. They will protect the wearer’s hands from heat, cold and many types of liquid poison.

Next to the pair of gloves is a green pouch leather pouch which has a shining blue gem in the latch.

Emerald Badger Pouch

A pouch intended for the safe storage of plants. It has a strong stasis enchantment and minor weight reduction enchantment. Contents placed inside will be safe and secure from decay for extended periods.

After equipping the gloves, Liam grabs the remaining lava root and puts it into the pouch, which he secures to his belt using a clip. He scans the room once more and notices a heavy iron chest, it is etched with rune script and the lock seems to glow. Not wanting to push his luck, Liam makes his way toward the storeroom. Before leaving he glances back to the cauldron once more. Fuck that, he thinks to himself.

Heart beating wildly in his chest, Liam walks up to the bubbling cauldron, it is very low to the floor, allowing easy access for the short alchemist. Several moments pass while he works up the courage to do something idiotic. Liam drops his pants and relieves himself directly into the cauldron. There is a lot of it too after all the water he was drinking that day. There is no obvious reaction in the mixture and Liam frowns to himself while pulling his pants back up. He glances over at the shelves full of ingredients and reagents, most of which are secured in sealed containers. Hell bent on revenge after being taken advantage of, he starts unsealing containers and chucking anything he can get his hands on into the cauldron. After tossing in the fifth ingredient, a tiny purple flower which was sealed in very heavy glass box. The cauldron started to shake and bubble violently, its contents attempting to escape onto the floor.

Liam quickly exits the room and leaves through the same window that he entered. At the square he hears a girly sounding scream. Smoke starts to billow out from under the doorway of Peter’s Potions.

Happy with his revenge, he starts to walk back to the Inn. The soft supple leather of his new gloves feel like icing on a very tasty cake.