It was strange returning to the Marsh Wolf Tavern after spending so many nights eating dinner in the lab. The crowds inside were more boisterous than Theo had ever seen them. They raised toasts to everyone involved and sucked down the slop that Xam served. The alchemist had to agree that the soup was better today, but his good spirits were likely the cause. He sat with Tresk, Luras, Aarok, and Perg near the window.

Theo sat with his friends, taking in the sights and sounds of an over-excited group of townspeople. He was too tired to join with them, his stamina bar almost depleted, and just sat. Broken Tusk had walls now. Thick walls that would give a small army a hard time, with ever-strengthening adventurers standing ready behind. The fortune that they poured into the project was only possible because of the adventurers themselves.

“Interesting time to live in the southlands,” Aarok said, smiling. “What’s next for our people, alchemist?”

“You’re as much a leader as I am,” Theo said, shrugging. “I want you to decide the fate of the adventurers. I don’t know a thing about adventuring or monsters.”

“I think Perg is onto something,” Luras said, his regular somber self. “We need to replace these crummy wood buildings with strong core buildings.”

Perg flushed, busying herself with her soup.

“Even Miana’s place, the mayor’s house, isn’t a core building,” Tresk scoffed. “Imagine coming here and seeing all the rotting wood. It’s an awful sight, if you’re used to the grandeur of the capital.”

“That will be expensive,” Perg said, not looking up for her soup. “Fenian gave me a deal on the seed core. 80 silver.”

“An amount you’ll make back in a week with Theo’s help,” Tresk said.

“Yeah. He’s a bit too sweet, that Elf,” Perg said, staring off into the middle-distance.

Theo held out a calming hand. The Marshling was too excitable at the best of times, and doubly so when she was tired. “We’ll work on production buildings first. Then, we can replace all the rickety houses. But that’s a long-term plan.”

“What’s happening in the short-term?” Aarok asked, tilting his head.

Theo had been thinking about his finances. The job for Fenian would earn him three gold coins, minimum. If he shifted into high gear, he could have the special stat potions ready for him as well. Those stat potions would earn him [Monster Cores], and lots of them. He was considering a plan that would see less profit in the short-term, but more expansion of the town and an export. The alchemist summoned his administration map of the town and traced his eyes along the northern section near the farms. The town ended where the farms did, leaving the stretch of rocky lowlands unincorporated.

An option popped up when he focused on the parcel to the north, which included most of the hills.

[Broken Tusk] can be expanded to the Northern Parcel for one gold. Funds will be removed directly from your inventory, or nearest dimensional container in your possession.

You do not possess the required funds.

The plan was simple. He’d expand the town north, establish a quarry and a stonecutter with seed cores. Theo would hire the laborers, especially the one with a [Stonecutter Core], to work the quarry and hew the stone. It was an expensive operation that might cost him all his gold coins, but it would be worth it. He was tired of using [Cleansing Scrub] every time he entered a building after trudging through the muck of the roads. The idea was to get his stonecutter good enough to export blocks, inviting bulk traders to come and whisk the heavy goods away.

“I’m going to fund a stonecutter,” Theo said. “I’ll purchase the land to the north, and seed a few core buildings.”

“Wow. That’s bold,” Tresk said.

“Expanding Broken Tusk?” Luras said, laughing. “By the gods. This place has been the same old core town since my grandfather was here.”

“Theo has a habit of transforming everything he touches,” Perg said. “The guy just can’t sit still.”

Tresk giggled, finishing her soup with a loud burp.

“How are the adventurers liking their wage for patrol duty?” Theo asked, nodding at Aarok.

“They’re fighting for the spots,” Aarok said, grunting. “Five copper a day… How did you manage that?”

Theo averted his gaze for a moment, rolling the situation over in his head. It was incredibly easy to convince Lauris for the funds. He expected to fight for a single copper a day, but the woman offered five without hesitation. While he knew little about how kingdoms operated, the alchemist knew that when war was on the horizon, fists got tight. Qavell was swimming in coin, or he was missing something.

“Keen negotiation skills,” Theo said. “If the system had charisma, I’d be sitting at 50 points.”

The group laughed, shaking their heads in disbelief.

“I can’t agree less,” Luras said.

They stayed for some time, chatting about nonsense until dusk threatened outside. Theo was ready for bed hours ago, the excitement of the past few days getting to him. Perg pulled him aside as he went to leave, informing him that her laborers stored the day’s worth of reagents at her place. With the town’s upgrade, he completely forgot about them and promised to pay them tomorrow and give them instructions. She agreed to send them by in the morning for instructions.

Tresk and Theo found their way back to the shop, locking it up before retreating upstairs. They pressed their foreheads together and gained another level in their [Tara’hek] cores, hitting level 3. They both fell asleep as night settled in outside, trying and failing to keep their eyes open for even a moment longer.

Breakfast the next morning was a pleasant reprieve. Despite Theo’s high spirits at dinner last night, he understood with hindsight that it was awful soup. Tresk had plans to delve back into the dungeon today, driven by her desire to get more gear. The adventurers didn’t need instruction anymore and would be fine to run off on their own.

Slurping the last of his tea, Theo went downstairs to wait for Perg’s laborers. As he sat in the shop, twiddling his thumbs, he couldn’t help but think he was stealing them from her. The only comfort he took was that she was an assertive person, and would complain if he overstepped his bounds. The laborers showed up and he invited them into the lab to deposit what they’d collected yesterday. They brought approximately 200 of each reagent, which was more than he needed for this current run.

Theo led them to a table where he produced a parchment. “I’ll sketch these reagents out for you, but they’re easy to spot. [Stone Flowers] and [Water Lilies] are what you’re looking for. They’re the only stat-based reagents I found so far.”

“What are the other ones?” Ziz asked. He seemed to become their default leader.

“Not sure. They should be related to fire, wind, and lightning,” Theo said. “The [Stone Flowers] are for [Vigor], and the [Water Lilies] are for [Wisdom].”

The alchemist sketched out the flowers, providing a written description of their appearances and location. He paid them for the work they did yesterday and sent them on their way. Azrug showed up as they left, holding his hand out and scowling. “Didn’t pay me yesterday.”

Theo fished two copper coins out of his inventory and handed it to the boy. A smile spread across his face as he sauntered over to his chair, plopping down and pulling out his book. Tresk left for her adventures soon after, leaving the alchemist to his work.

Theo hatched a plan to run exact quantities for his batches today. He had 400 of each essence and only needed 100 more of each to fulfill the minimum order for Fenian. The plan to send the laborers off to collect the rare flowers would sweeten the deal, allowing him to get [Monster Cores] instead of cash, although he rethought that strategy. The alchemist pushed his doubts away, cleaning his stills and preparing for the first run. He created a mash using the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], lamenting the arduous process of cutting the roots up, and started the [Flame Artifice]. With the 100 unit [Healing Essence] distillation running, he set his sights on the next batch.

The shop was out of both [Lesser Stamina Potions], and [Lesser Mana Potions]. Theo mashed 200 units of [Moss Nettle], which was significantly easier to prepare than the roots, and clicked the second [Flame Artifice] into life. He watched as the flasks filled with essence, and wondered whether he should buy another still, or not. Proper equipment was something that paid for itself, and he made a mental note to talk to Throk.

The bell rang downstairs, Azrug’s voice revealing that it was a local. After a few minutes, he made a sale, and the bell rang again. Theo waited for the customer to leave before heading out for more herbs. Once again, he set a timer in his mind and headed out. The Half-Ogre laborers passed him near the river, giving their greetings before moving on. That group was all business. He finally saw a level in his herbalism core, bringing it up to match his alchemy core at level 7. It also tipped him over the edge in his character level, bringing it to match at 7. He dumped his point into [Wisdom] without a second thought.

[Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (2%).

[Drogramath Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 7.

[Theo Spencer] received experience (2%).

[Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 7.

[Theo Spencer] received one free point.

Theo felt something twinge in his mind, signaling that he needed to swap a flask back at the lab. He rushed through back with a few new [Water Lilies] in his inventory. Azrug grunted as he rushed upstairs in time to swap the almost-overflowing flasks out. The first still, the one containing the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root] was done running. The alchemist cleaned it with [Cleansing Scrub] and set up for the next run.

The [Manashrooms] smashed easily enough, even without his enhanced strength, and he had the mash prepared quickly. Theo leveled off the water, fed the [Flame Artifice] a new mote, and placed a fresh flask under the condenser. He propped a window and wiped the sweat from his brow, noticing his dwindling surplus of stamina. With 500 units of [Stamina Essence] in reserve, he decided it was time to abuse his supply of potions.

Theo’s supply of [Copper Shavings] wasn’t even dented after he set up 10 50 unit reactions on a table. He poured [Purified Water] in each, going down the line of flasks and kicking off 10 reactions in a row. The lab filled with a pleasant-smelling smoke that choked him‌. He frantically waved it out the window, inspecting the resulting stamina potions and nodding to himself. They were all “excellent” quality, which he expected. The alchemist began the tedious process of distributing the potions into individual flat-bottomed vials, finding that he’d need more motes if he wanted to finish this entire run.

The table was an endless crowd of vials that were slowly filled with the yellow potion. The only potion Theo had drank in recent memory was a [Lesser Health Potion], one tipped into his mouth after the inquisitor branded him. As he downed a [Lesser Stamina Potion], he remembered the strange citrus flavor from before, a rush of energy flooding through his body. His stamina bar restored to full, and he went back to work with reinvigorated muscles. The still containing the [Moss Nettle] finished, and he set off a reaction for the 100 units of essence it produced, quickly bottling those as well.

600 [Lesser Stamina Potions] could apparently fit in a single slot in his inventory. Theo approached his [Large Dimensional Crate] and split the stack, mentally taking 500 when a message popped up.

[Inventory Transfer] Do you want to transfer 500 [Lesser Stamina Potions] into [Large Dimensional Crate]?

[YES/NO]

Theo gave his mental confirmation, and the potions vanished from his inventory. This was a welcome feature, but one he wasn’t aware of. Azrug came upstairs during his frenzied crafting, holding his hand out expectantly. The alchemist furrowed his brow, moving to the window to see the sun hanging at its midday position. He scoffed, not noticing that time flew so fast, and handed the boy his two copper coins for the day.

Before he could leave, Theo stopped him. “How are you liking the job?”

“Are you kidding? This is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I made a few sales today, by the way. Coppers under the counter. More local adventurers looking for potions.”

“Did they ask about any other potions?” Theo asked. He wanted to know if people were interested in the things he was currently working on, namely [Lesser Stamina Potions].

“Not really. They just buy what they see,” Azrug said, shrugging. “Can I go?”

“Of course,” Theo said, waving him off.

The boy left, and Theo went downstairs to inspect what he sold today. Azrug sold 10 [Lesser Healing Potions], netting the shop 50 copper coins. It would hardly pay the bills, but the money would keep the laborers working for another 2 days. The Newt and Demon would live and die by the big jobs for people like Fenian. The alchemist needed more people like him to come into the shop to make massive purchases.

Theo updated Tresk, learning that she had more than enough motes stashed away in her dimensional bag to finish the job. She promised to return with something she was certain was alchemical‌, but he had his doubts. His herbalism core granted him the ability to see what was useful for alchemy, a trait others lacked. With everything cooked down for the day, and the stills completely cleaned, Theo found himself with nothing to do. He wrote as much as he wanted about the process of distillation the other day and had no desire to work on his book.

The alchemist was doubting any book he could create, and its usefulness to other alchemists. It was possible that the way he made potions was unique to the descendents of Drogramath. He pulled his shirt down to look at the brand on his chest. The webwork of lines was impossible to understand with symbols even the translation function of the system couldn’t resolve. After pacing back and forth in the lab for a while, he threw his hands up in exasperation and left the shop. The moment his feet hit the muddy road, the laborers he hired arrived.

“Got some good stuff for you, boss,” Ziz said, grinning.

“To the lab,” Theo said, unlocking the door and leading them upstairs.

The group unloaded their satchels into the dimensional storage crate, and Theo assessed their findings. He was immediately shocked with what they found. 115 [Stone Flowers], 100 [Water Lilies], and 122 [Flames Roses]. He’d never seen the roses before and inspected one from the crate.

[Flame Rose]

[Alchemy Ingredient]

Common

Rose enchanted with elemental fire. Grows near sources of flame, or fire-creating material.

Properties:

[Increase Strength] ???? ????

“[Flame Rose… Where did you find this?” Theo asked. “It says it needs to be near a source of fire.”

“There’s a peat bog in the swamp. With the wolves under control, it’s pretty easy to get to now,” Ziz said, grinning. “Did we do good, boss?”

“Beyond good. This is an absurd amount of material,” Theo said. He went to tell them how much money it was worth, but stopped himself. He didn’t know if flaunting his potential wealth would anger people, and he wouldn’t test it. “Stop by the shop tomorrow morning, I need to decide if I have a new task for you.”

“Well,” Ziz said, shuffling his feet. “Miss Grott—Perg Grott—told us to poke you in the butt about the tannery materials.”

“Right,” Theo said, nodding. He accessed his memory, instantly remembering the requirements for his potions. He had plenty of [Ogre Cypress Bark] for the [Stripping Solution], but needed a lot of [Marsh Tubers] and [Swamplight Spider Silk] for the [Alchemic Tannin]. “Do you remember the tubers and the spider silk?”

“I do,” Ziz said, nodding.

“I’ll need as much of that as you can get tomorrow. And you’re on Perg’s dime for that job,” Theo said, withdrawing 25 copper coins from his inventory and handing them over.

“Sounds like you’re trying to steal us away,” Ziz said, grinning.

“I am,” Theo said. “I doubt Perg really needs you guys anymore—no offense meant.”

“Nah, it’s true. She takes pity on us because we’re just laborers,” Ziz said, shrugging. “You replaced our jobs with alchemy. Not that I blame you.”

“Well, there’s a few things alchemy can’t solve,” Theo said, chuckling. “We’re going to go ahead with the quarry when Fenian comes to collect his potions. You do know how to quarry and shape stone, right?”

Ziz shrugged, his companions joining with him. “Well enough. Give us a few weeks and we’ll be very good at it.”

“Good enough for me,” Theo said. “I’ll employ you full time when that happens. It might be at a lower rate, or a higher rate. I won’t know until we get rolling.”

“Well, I’d like to negotiate my part in that,” Ziz said. “Seeing as I’m somehow the leader of this group of idiots.”

One laborer voiced his objections to being called “idiot”, his complaints silenced with a stare from Ziz. “Anything in mind?”

“Ownership of the quarry and the stonecutter’s shop,” Ziz said.

Theo wouldn’t give up full ownership of his investments so easily. He’d be lucky if the seeds for the two core buildings cost anything less than a gold coin. The alchemist had a mind for charity with the people of Broken Tusk, but this was asking too much. He pushed his anger at the outrageous request down, his mind snapping back to his negotiating tactic. Aim high, and settle for the middle-ground.

“You get the land on a lease, paid for with your work,” Theo said. “You start at zero percent, and work your way up to full ownership.”

Ziz’s eyes brightened, and Theo knew that the man was aiming for far less. “They’re going to be core buildings, aren’t they?”

A grin spread across Theo’s face. “With any luck.”

Ziz reached his hand out, shaking Theo’s with a broad smile on his face. “We live and die by our success. I like it.”

“I’ll figure out a way to make the arrangement official,” Theo said.

The laborers departed in better spirits than they arrived. Theo inspected the storage crate again. The reagents they brought him were worth a gold coin, according to Fenian’s deal. A half day’s work for years worth of wages, by Broken Tusk standards. The entire situation seemed too absurd for him to understand. Tresk arrived shortly after they departed with Aarok and Luras close behind.

“Aarok has invited us over for dinner,” Tresk said, pressing her forehead against Theo’s. “I accepted for you.”

“Well, I took a [Lesser Stamina Potion] earlier. Drop your motes off in the lab before we go—and use a [Cleansing Scrub]. You smell like the swamp,” Theo said.

Tresk giggled, running upstairs to deposit her haul before returning.

“Let’s go!”