Sik wasn't able to provide any advice when it came to crafting uncommon potions, but before Don could commit himself to random experimentation, Cel piped up.

"I never paid much attention to crafters but I know some of the basics. When making an item above the Common tier, you need an advanced ingredient and a basic ingredient. Like when you added my [fairy dust] to prepared common ingredients to make magical tiered potions."

"Just like that?" Don asked, not ready to believe that it could be so easy.

"I'll admit that I never really learned a lot about crafting. Judging by the sheer size of some of the discussions and forums there's plenty that I don't know. I'm certain of this one point though. Common ingredients are the foundation that legendary artifacts are built upon."

Don shrugged and got to work. Even if she didn't know everything, there was no telling how long it would have taken for him to figure that out on his own.

Don used Moon-Lillies for his experiments. He had a decent stock of Moon-Grass and it was a pretty safe bet that the two ingredients were related. It was easy enough to grind up some moon grass and put it to the side but he ruined the milky white Lillies one after another without any signs that he was getting closer to success. While Don couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing something wrong, he couldn't think of anything to try differently besides mixing in a clockwise grind here or an extra push grind there. His fourth attempt was apparently close enough for his boosted success rate to make up the difference.

You have crafted: Feeble Potion of Clarity (Uncommon) MP Regeneration / Second: 0.29

Duration: 10 minutes

Effect: +175 Mana

Side Effects: +0.75 Tired rank +1 Concoction Tier

+1 Alchemist Tier Quest Complete!

Alchemist's Apprentice You have surpassed Sik as an Alchemist!

+10 EXP Bonus skill available for selection: [Curious Tastes]

His potion benefitted from the potency of each ingredient for a total base potency of 4.6 even before his Alchemist skills and profession bonuses factored in. It even had reduced side effects but Don was spoiled by his access to [fairy dust] and the uncommon item wasn't all that impressive to him. His apprenticeship quest gave pretty lame rewards too but when he focused on the bonus he was treated to a new screen.

Congratulations!

You have ranked up a profession and can choose from the following skills! Distillation: decreases volume of potions Filtering: Decreases side effects of potions Batching: Allows for the simultaneous production of multiple potions Curious Tastes: Can learn about ingredients by eating them raw

"Woah, I can pick a new skill?" Don exclaimed

"Sure," Cel said distractedly while reading over his shoulder "every tier after initiate comes with a few standard options. If you're lucky you can unlock hidden skills to choose instead. The only drawback is that each skill will only be offered once. If you pass it up now, you lose the option to gain it forever."

Don took his time to think over his options.

[Distillation] would let me drink potions faster, that was a bigger problem than I expected when those centurions were chasing me. I might even be able to drink them during combat if I can get them down to just a few ounces.

[Filtering], on the other hand, would make my normal potions more useful. I don't really mind the side effects with relentless cutting them in half but it would let his tribe use more potions. But he would need the potions first.

[Batching] could help there. With the tribe pulling in so many resources he could pump out tons of potions so they would always be stocked up! This was the front-runner for sure. It would probably let him progress his profession faster too!

[Curious Tastes] is interesting, but not directly useful.

Don didn't realize he had been projecting his thoughts to Cel and was surprised when she responded.

It sure is a good thing you have me around. She informed Don haughtily.

You have it completely backward. [Curious Tastes] is the one you want for sure.

And why, all-knowing-fairy, is that? Don played along, stroking her ego

Because [Distillation] and [Filtering] require specialized equipment, something you absolutely won't have access to anytime soon. Not only would you waste a valuable skill slot, but you would also halt any growth of your Alchemist profession. Professions only level up when their lowest associated skill surpasses the overall profession level. If you choose [Distillation] but can't train it, You'll be stuck at Apprentice level 1 forever.

Don gulped and dismissed the screen so he wouldn't accidentally choose one of those options.

And what about [batching]? Don asked

That's an option, but not a great one. Until you level it up enough, batching will decrease the potency of your potions and that's not really a disadvantage we need to take right now. Your best bet is this [Curious Tastes] skill. It will help fill in the knowledge you lack and cut down on wasteful experimentation. If you had trouble making an uncommon potion, you're not going to stand a chance at making the jump to the journeyman rank without some way to learn about the more potent ingredients.

Don looked over the different skills again. The [batching] skill was very tempting. If he wasn't rushing to prepare for the looming confrontation with the apes he would have chosen it for sure. He couldn't let his already weak healing potions become any more useless though.

With a wistful look at the [distillation] and [filtering] skills, he chose [Curious Tastes]. It was painful knowing that he was passing up the opportunities forever. He could only hope that the skill he earned from his apprenticeship quest wasn't entirely useless.

Alchemist: Initiate 10 --> Apprentice 1

+23% to the strength of alchemical products

+11% success rate

Concoction: Initiate 10 --> Apprentice 1

+11 Potency of concocted potions Curious Tastes: Initiate 1

Gain basic knowledge of common alchemy ingredients by eating them raw Casting Time: 50 seconds

Cost: 5 MP

He took a bit of moon-grass out of his inventory and popped it into his mouth. Don chewed apart the fibrous grass and swished the bitter juices around, pulling faces until the required 50 seconds elapsed. He spat out the grass but the taste lingered as he checked the resulting notification.

Moon Grass Rarity: Common

Potency: 1.16

Primary Effect: Clarifying (MP regeneration)

+10% Curious-Tastes EXP

The information was practically useless. The only new detail he wouldn't normally get from his [harvest] skill was the effect and he could find that out by just turning the grass into a potion! He chewed up another clump of moon grass hoping for more information. The only difference was a 9% increase in his skill exp rather than 10. It looked like he couldn't just keep learning about the same ingredient to grind the skill up.

With his mouth already filled with the bitter flavor, Don kept munching on his stock of Moon-Grass. He had no use for the mana potions so he had no issue with eating all his supplies. Even with the diminishing returns, he would be able to get 55% of the way to level 2 of the new skill. He didn't just sit there either, he began to prepare more healing and energizing potions for his clan and several more exhausting potions for himself.

His stamina potions were powerful enough on their own now so he used his daily charge of [fairy dust] on a healing potion this time. Even after preparing a magical potion, his [concoction] skill barely made it 60% of the way to its next level. The progress was much slower when compared to his leveling speed in the initiate ranks.

You have crafted: Effective Potion of Healing (Magical) HP regeneration / minute: 3

Duration: 1 hour

Effect: +179 HP

Side Effect: N/A +28% Concoction EXP

It provided more than enough healing but it was still too slow to be really useful during a fight. Don called it quits after a couple of hours and went to sleep.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes when something woke him. He nearly rolled over and went back to sleep but froze when he heard it again. Voices were arguing about something. They were muffled, but unmistakable. It wasn't squeaking, or hissing, or even the roaring of the apes. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the roof of the alchemy workshop, and human voices trickled down with it.

Cel, get up! Don shouted through their mental link, tearing the fairy out of a pleasant dream where she was eating a blue fruit larger than her entire body.

"What is it?" She complained groggily. Don pointed up.

Listen. He said. When the next round of voices filtered down past the hanging ingredients, her eyes grew wide.

Can you go and check it out? Don asked.

"Okay, but you need to get closer to the entrance."

Don squeezed down the crowded passageway. Cel rocketed ahead, waking ColoColo. She ordered them to collect their packs and fill them with all the prepared potions they could carry. The first few ColoColo to wake darted into the branching tunnels, spreading the word.

When he got close enough, Cel zipped up and out through the ruins that used to be the meeting hall. She came back a few seconds later with a grim expression on her face.

"They found us!" She reported

Who? Don asked

"The centurions! There's at least fifty of them milling around outside. A couple are arguing about how to storm the refuge right now!" Cel was wringing her hands nervously. Don felt his muscles tense all at once.

Fifty? he asked caught between shock and awe. How are we supposed to take on fifty at once! I had a hard enough time with 5, and that was with help, in the open, and at night!

"We don't." Cel answered quickly, "This is one of those cases when discretion is the better part of valor."

What? Don asked

"We should run and hide, like now!" Cel clarified helpfully just before a thin stream of some viscous liquid began running into his tunnel from the direction of the meeting hall. Don backed up as fast as he could.

When he got back to the alchemy workshop Don was greeted by a frenzy of activity. ColoColo were stripping the ceiling of ingredients and stuffing them into packs. Don was sure the ingredients were getting damaged if not completely destroyed.

Tell them to leave the ingredients, we can come back for them later. The potions are more important now. Don was using his mental link with Cel to keep from making too much noise. The fairy couldn't be heard by the nearby centurions and loudly relayed his instructions, cutting through the frantic squeaking.

Despite his orders, Don took the time to stuff the less common ingredients into his inventory before following his tribe to the entrance chamber.

They were panicking but Don's original combat squad had managed to get them to fill any extra space in their packs with food. Don addressed them, confident that they were deep enough in the refuge that his voice wouldn't carry outside.

"A new enemy has found us" He started. Probably not the most reassuring line but it got their attention.

"They can fit inside our tunnels. The refuge is no longer safe. We have to evacuate. Cel just confirmed that they are focusing on the ruined meeting hall. They shouldn't even know this entrance exists." I want each of you to jump into the river carrying as many nuts as you can. If you keep still and hide under your packs, they shouldn't pay you any mind even if they spot you. They're looking for a big red demon, not random plants floating down the river."

Don was interrupted by squeaking near the tunnel entrance. The smelly liquid had reached all the way down here. Don ordered them to start leaving in pairs.

The evacuation went smoothly until there were less than a dozen ColoColo left. An ominous whoosh filled the tunnels and Don gave the ColoColo a final order.

"Get out now!" He shouted just before flames raced into the deepest part of the ColoColo refuge.

The blast from the rapidly burning oil rocked Don back and scattered the remaining ColoColo and nuts. Don began throwing his singed tribesmen through the entrance, not waiting for them to recover. He tossed the last one in before looking back at the burning pile of nuts only to notice that he was on fire!

Tongues of flame licked at his ankle, but it felt pleasant, like a soft, warm massage. Don assumed shock was just keeping him from feeling the burning and dove into the water before he could asphyxiate in the enclosed space. He didn't have much experience with grease fires and therefore didn't know that water is not a very good solution.

The playful fire clinging to his ankle exploded as soon as it contacted the water. The flash of super-heated steam cooked Don's leg where the fire didn't do much damage. It continued to burn and boil even underwater. Don swatted at the burning oil until it ran its course. He could only hope the vapor wasn't noticed above the surface.

Don began pulling himself along the bottom of the riverbed, going with the current in the hopes of getting as far away from the refuge and centurions as he could before surfacing. Holding his breath wasn't much of a problem. His 20 endurance points let him go for an unexpectedly long time without breathing.

The problem was that the water was clean and clear. Don could see so easily in the full light of day, even when under the denser canopy near the river. The riverbed was alive with slivers of light darting every which way as the uneven surface refracted it crazily. He could see strands of underwater plants waving in the current, he could see some small aquatic animals hiding in them too. If he could see such small and well-hidden creatures, what chance did he have of slipping by the centurions?

A pretty good chance as it turned out. When the burning vice squeezing his lungs finally forced Don to surface, he was surrounded by the chattering, squawking, and clicking of the jungle's more skittish creatures. He didn't see the ColoColo around and panicked before Kat dropped out of a tree. His bulging pack dripped slowly and he looked at Don with a grave expression.

"The tribe survives," He said and was echoed from above by dozens of squeaking voices.

Sure, but what can we do now? Don wondered. That was when he realized, he left Cel behind in the burning entrance chamber.

A quick check of his character sheet confirmed that she wouldn't respawn for another 24 hours.