A variety of stalls lined the three streets dedicated to the night market.

The spicy scent of meat mixed with a seasoning I couldn’t identify filled my nose as we stood waiting at a stall Darius insisted we visit, claiming it to sell the best meat skewers in the market.

Noctus was at a nearby stall, bartering with a merchant over the price of a ten-inch slab of pink stone that the vampire had beelined towards the moment we passed the stall.

Skewers in hand, we made our way back over to Noctus, who was putting away the slab with a triumphant smile.

The merchant displayed several unique gem stones. Several I was familiar with, and dozens more I’d never heard of.

A yellow-tinged crystalline stone stacked in a crate towards the back of the stall caught my eye, as did the placard affixed to the front of the crate.

“How much is the brimstone?” I enquired after catching the attention of the stall-holder.

“Five silver’s a kilo,” the dwarf grunted, glancing at the crate.

“Two silver,” Noctus chimed in, causing the dwarf to glare at him in annoyance.

“Four silver, three copper.”

“Two silver, five copper.”

This carried on several times before the dwarf agreed on a price of three silver and two copper.

Using a pair of gloves which the dwarf let me borrow, I picked out three pieces of brimstone, and was about to pay when Darius placed a hand on my shoulder.

“What do you need the brimstone for?”

“Brimstone, otherwise known as sulfur, is one of the twenty-two key elements used in alchemy.” I told him, and he nodded, removing his hand from my shoulder to pull out his own pouch.

“The guild will cover purchases for alchemic research.” The guild leader said. “However, you will need to keep records of what you purchase, and notes on the purpose of the purchase. During the next council meeting, we will discuss a budget and provide a book for you to record your purchases, but for now I’ll cover the items you require within reason.”

“I can pay for it myself. I have gold.” I argued, reaching for my own pouch.

“I told you we would allocate resources towards helping you train. This is part of it. However, I would ask that you source items you need from within the guild, as it will lower costs and help our guild members further their own crafts.”

I sighed, watching as Darius paid for the brimstone, which the dwarf put into a linen sack before handing it over. “If you’re buying my supplies then I also need protective equipment and some tools. Do we have a leather worker who can make gloves and an apron? I also need eye protection and a mask, as breathing in fumes can be dangerous.”

Darius nodded. “We have crafters who work with leather, so they can make those items. As for the eye protection, would goggle's suffice? The saddle maker sells goggles for those who have flying mounts. They also sell masks so we can get both there, and the seamstress can make you more later.”

“I need a mask with filtration,” I told him as we walked further down the street.

“Would an air purification enchantment work?” Noctus asked, and I shrugged.

“I don’t know, as I’m not familiar with the magical side of alchemy, just the scientific.”

“Well, it worked well on strips of cloth to keep out the stench of that bog Darius got our team lost last month.” The vampire jested, looking over at the guild leader, who was feigning interest in a stall that was selling fruits and vegetables.

Next to the fresh food stall was one selling spices and, seeing the bundle of cinnamon sticks in a jar, I dashed over the two stalls waving over the seller who’d just finished serving another customer.

“Good eve to you lass, what can I be getting ya?”

“All the cinnamon, please.” I said, glancing at the price which was scrawled on the jar's label.

“All of it, lass? Do ya mean just what’s in the jar or what’s in stock? I can do ye a good price for bulk purchases,” the woman said, giving me a bright smile.

“How much do you have in stock?” I asked, glancing at the other spices she sold.

“Thrice this amount on hand, more if I send the boy over to the warehouse” She gestured to a young boy stacking crates behind the stall.

“I’ll take all you have here, and a kilo of salt, sugar, mint leaves, and,” I trailed off eyes scanning the mixture of dried herbs and spices, many were ones I knew such as fennel, ginger and even garlic.

Things like elven root, blood grass and fey blossom were mentioned in the common plants book, but the properties of each were not, so I wasn’t sure how to use them.

If they are sold at a stall that sells spices, then those must be safe for consumption.

“A kilo of everything you have here, and an extra two gold if you can deliver it to the Eternia guild hall in the morning.” Darius cut in, and I glanced at him, then back to the spices before nodding.

“Yes, a kilo of each please, uh, how much cinnamon is in your warehouse? You said you had more?” I asked the delighted looking woman who was writing on a piece of paper with a stick of charcoal.

“Ay, lass, we have more. Got a full crate this week, I’ll take twenty gold for the lot, and let's see, I’ll do you fine folks a deal with the other spices as well, leaving your total at an even hundred gold.”

“Here, please deliver the spices to the guild hall in the morning, let the guards at the doors know it is for Kadia.” Darius instructed, placing the payment for the spices into a wooden box that looked similar to the one used in the bank.

“We’ll be doing that, sir, thank ye for your patronage,” the woman said, waving at us as we left the stall.

“What are the spices for? I thought you were studying alchemy, not cooking.” Noctus questioned as soon as we were away from the stall.

“Some spices have medicinal properties. Many common herbs, and plants are still used on Earth to create herbal remedies, even now,” I lectured as we continued through the market heading, the food stalls decreasing in number to be replaced by those selling fabrics, pottery, and other crafted goods.

“Why so much cinnamon? You bought more of it than the other spices,” Darius asked.

Looking away from a stall selling wooden figurines, I turned to face him with a grin. “Do you know about Hennig Brandt? He was one of the many alchemists who sought to create the fabled philosopher's stone.”

“Ah, no sorry, I wasn’t much for history when I was in school,” Darius admitted, and I turned to look at Noctus, who shook his head with a light shrug.

“Hennig Brandt is the alchemist who invented Phosphorus by boiling thousands of liters of urine. He believed that by distilling the urine to remove any impurities, he would discover the philosopher's stone. Instead, he found Phosphorus. These days there are much better methods to create Phosphorus, but those are not likely to be viable here, so the method I want to try is an adaptation of the original method Hennig discovered. Using ground charcoal, I can lessen the boiling time needed, as charcoal binds with the impure elements. Adding cinnamon while boiling the urine also helps to—oh, sorry.” Seeing the look of concealed disgust on Noctus’s face, I broke off my explanation.

“You want to make potions with pee?” Darius asked, looking equal parts horrified and intrigued.

“No, not consumable potions. Alchemy isn’t just about creating medicine.” I assured him. “I’ve always wanted to try more experiments with Phosphorus. Pure Phosphorus is flammable when exposed to air, it was historically used to create alchemical fire. Later it was used to make matches, explosives, fertilizer and cleaning products. Marcus and I once burned down part of the pool house trying to make our own homemade Phosphorus.”

The memory of Danica’s enraged face when she saw the damage brought a smile to my lips.

Marcus may not have been interested in pharmacology, but he was always keen to help me with some of the more interesting chemistry experiments I’d attempted.

“Explosives? Wait, can you make gunpowder?” Noctus asked, looking excited.

“That depends, gunpowder in its modern form might not be possible. But blackpowder, which was first created in,” I began, only to be cut off by a hand clamping itself over my mouth.

“Noctus, save your questions for later. No more talking about any of this in public,” Darius cautioned, pulling his hand away from my mouth.

“Right, you’re right, we shouldn’t be talking here,” Noctus said.

I nodded in agreement, staying silent while my cheeks felt like they would burst into flame, just like the Phosphorus I wanted to make.

Wait, where am I going to find urine? We don’t pee!

“We don’t pee,” I mumbled, staring ahead as my mind raced with the different methods I could use to create Phosphorus.

I can make Calcium Phosphorus from animal bone, and, if there is brimstone in Kaledon, then is it possible there are phosphorite and apatite rocks?

“No, we don’t pee.” Darius agreed, rubbing a hand over his chin. “The farm animals do, I think. I know they create manure, as Calidus uses it to fertilize the fields.”

“Farm animals? Fields?”

“Yes, Calidus and Bell didn’t want to live in the guild hall, so they ended up using Bell’s land token to build a farm near the city. They live there along with some other guild members who’ve taken up farming and animal husbandry. The farm supplies meat and fresh vegetables to the cooks at the guild hall, which saves on food costs. It is also where most of the guild keeps their mounts to save on stabling costs.”

“What happens to the bones of the animals used for meat? Is it already being rendered down for use? Can I have some? Is it possible to collect urine from the animals there? Oh, and manure too.” I asked, my previous enthusiasm returning in a rush.

“We can talk to Calidus about getting what you need from the farm, but for now let's focus on getting what we came here for,” Darius said, pointing to a row of stalls selling clothing. “We have seamstresses and tailors at the guild, so just get a few basic outfits for now until you can have some made.”

“Here, here, I sell clothing for those with tails, wings and more!” A girl called out when she spotted our group looking at the clothing at a nearby stall.

I had been just about to concede defeat to the fact that I’d be stuck wearing dresses in order to allow room for my tail, as none of the trousers I found accommodated extra appendages, when I heard the girl’s shouting and made my way over to her stall.

Smiling the girl introduced herself as Delainy. She was a tabby cat Bakeneko with long hair that was a mixture of gray and black, just like her striped ears and tail.

An hour later, I’d changed from my knee length kimono and wore a pair of soft, black cotton trousers with a maroon blouse worn beneath a leather vest.

I also purchased six blouses, three with a long-tapered sleeves, three with a shorter cap-style sleeve, along with two leather vests, and six pairs of cotton trousers. I also needed to buy undergarments, which had been more than a little embarrassing, but it was better to suffer the momentary embarrassment now than be stuck with only one set of underwear.

We ended up skipping the stalls selling weapons and armor, because I was sure Marcus would have a stroke if I used a weapon he didn’t make himself and because Darius said it would be better to have a set of leather armor custom made in order to ensure it was comfortable.

As we reached the end of the second street of the night market, Noctus pointed to another street to our right where pressed in-between two larger stores, was a narrow shop with a metal sign shaped like a feather quill with the words, Inked and Bound written in gold lettering

“That is the scrivener supply store,” the vampire said as he led the way out of the market.

The soft ding of a bell sounded as Noctus pushed open the door, holding it for Darius and myself to precede him.

As we walked further into the store, I breathed in the familiar scents of paper and ink. It was a scent that could only be found in a bookstore, library, or historical archive.

Bottles of ink filled the shelves along the left-hand wall and below them was a glass-covered display case containing rows of writing implements.

Quills of all shapes and sizes filled the first case, displayed in small boxes.

The second case held glass dip pens, while the third contained metal dip pens which looked like the one used by the dwarf in the bank.

Though the pen that stood out the most was placed on a velvet cushion in the center of the third case with a price tag of two hundred gold.

Steel fountain pen.

“So much for a fountain pen?” I said, glancing at the vampire, who was admiring the basic dip pens.

“They are made by an Artificer, so that’s why they are more expensive than the dip pens which are made from a casting mold.” He responded, tapping his finger on the case containing the metal dip pens.

“These are easier to use than feather quills and cheaper than glass. I will buy you a set of three metal dip pens, and ink, if you want a fountain pen that’s coming out of your own coin.”

“Dip pens are fine,” I told Noctus, who nodded, and pointed out a leather case containing a set of silver dip pens along with a matching inkwell and a pen holder.

“This pen set, two bottles of standard black ink, drying powder, a cleaning kit, ten leather bound journals and three vellum bound journals,” Noctus said to the shopkeeper and glanced over at me as he continued speaking.

“Each vellum journal contains two hundred and fifty pages, which can be for your research and translation notes. For the final translations, I would like them done in the leather journals. Is there anything else here you think you might need?”

“I would like a set of drawing charcoal, and can I get more vellum journals? It will make it easier if I split my notes on different subjects into separate books,” I said, pointing to a case containing a metal pen with a dozen slender charcoal sticks that could be inserted into the hollowed center of the pen.

Then again, did I need so many things if I was leaving soon? I guess it won’t hurt, I’ll likely be coming back to visit Marcus here when he ends up going digital.

“Add the charcoal set, and make it thirty vellum journals,” Noctus said to the shopkeeper after a moment's consideration.

As we left the store, Darius indicated a cobbler further down the street and suggested we see if they had any pre-made shoes which would fit me, as I was still wearing the slippers that were a part of my starting outfit.

Ten minutes later, I had on a pair of ankle length leather boots, which were a little tight, but the cobbler assured me the leather would stretch in time.

“Where to next?” I asked, looking back towards the far end of the street where I could still see a glimpse of the colorful market stalls.

“We can head back to check out the last street of the market, or find the saddle maker's store.” Darius said.

“Well, I need to get started on processing the mushrooms right away, so I’ll need protective equipment. You said before there was a herbalist store near the eastern gate, right? I would like to see what they have in terms of equipment.”

Shoving my hand into my satchel, I pulled out one of the vellum bound books and the charcoal pen kit.

After inserting a stick of charcoal into the pen, I shoved the kit back into the satchel and flipped open the book, writing a list of the things I needed for processing the mushrooms as we walked.

Mortar and pestle, knives, bowls for sorting, jars, alcohol, sieve, ladle, funnel, gloves, eye protection, apron, mask.

Once I finished the basic list for items I needed to get started, I began a second list of other tools and equipment I would need; such as different sized caldrons, additional retorts, beakers, storage containers.

“You need all this stuff?” Darius asked, glancing down at my lists as we walked.

“Yes, and more, this is just the basics.” I said as I sketched out a rough drawing of a pelican distilling flask.

The pelican flask was made of two round sections called chambers, stacked on top of each other, with the bottom one being larger than the top.

When I was younger, I’d once likened the pelican flask to the image of a snow man standing with its hands on its hips.

“Most of these Markion can make out of copper, as that has better heat dispersion than bronze, iron or pewter. Though, I would prefer them to be glass,” I told Darius, who sighed, shaking his head.

“Glass is expensive. It is why so few buildings have glass windows and, use wooden shutters instead. Here it is called Arcanium glass, which is made using a mixture of crushed Arcanium crystal and sand,” Darius said, pointing to the surrounding buildings.

I furrowed my brows, glancing at the buildings. “Is that why the alchemy kit with its glass retort was so expensive? Why was it Arcanium glass and not normal glass? Noctus said Arcanium the prefix given to materials that absorb mana, so does that mean glass here also absorbs mana?”

“It can, though to a lesser extent.” Noctus chimed in. “Arcanium glass can withstand moderate amounts of damage. It is used because it won’t shatter if a spell is cast at it and can also withstand some physical damage. Think of it like magical bulletproof glass. It can be destroyed if you try hard enough, but it isn’t easy.”

“We’ve a craftsman who is learning to work with glass, but-” Darius began, only for Noctus to cut him off.

“He is shit at it and refuses to admit it,” the vampire grumbled, looking annoyed. “Ivan is my cousin and an utter pain in the ass. If he wasn’t family, I’d have never let him join the guild. Ivan is a player, so has this sense of superiority with digital’s like us, but he hasn't done anything serious enough to be given the boot aside from being annoying. If I kick him out just for that, it would set a bad precedent.”

“Oh.” Looking down at the book I held, I flipped it shut and put away my charcoal pen, feeling a little lost for words. I forgot they are both digital, but then again, most of the guild is aren’t they?

The scent of horses, and more notably the scent of manure, wafted across my senses, as did the faint sound of horses.

Rounding a corner, I saw a large, elongated building with a yard beside it where dozens of horses and other animals were corralled.

“This is the saddle maker's workshop and over there is the eastern stable.” Darius said, pointing to a smaller building to our right and then towards the larger elongated building with the pens.

“Does the stable sell horses?” I asked, looking at all the horses as we passed.

“No, horses are sold at the stock auctions or bought from breeders.” Darius suggested as we entered the saddler's store. “You might find a wild one, and can tame it, but because of the dense population on the continent, most wild horses have already been domesticated. If you are looking to get a horse, then I suggest you ask Yuki to go with you to buy one. She is a tamer and can help you pick out a good one.”

“How much do horses’ cost?”

“You’ll be lucky to find one under a thousand gold. Most are upwards of five thousand.”

“You can get a donkey for three hundred gold, it would be about the right size for you.” Noctus suggested with a sly smile, and I contemplated whacking him over the head my book.

“Ah, customers, what brings you to my store this evening? Looking to fit your mount for a new saddle?” A burly older man with balding gray hair entered the store from a door at the rear of the room.

“Hello, sir, I am looking for some protective equipment, eye protection and a mask,” I said, approaching the man, who smiled warmly at our group and gestured to a small display past a rack of bridles.

“Got yourself a flying mount, do ya? Well, these goggles are made with the finest leather, and clear quartz with no impurities to disrupt your vision. I’ve these here which are just standard eyewear with no enchanting, and then these over here which come with anti-fogging and a night seeing enchantment. As for masks, these are all I have. If you are looking for something prettier, then Mavis’s Marvelous Masks should be where you’ll find what yer looking for. You can also find a larger variety of eyewear at Elmer’s eyewear, as they both be the ones who own these items here. I sell these few on their behalf.”

“Hmm, well, I’ll just take a pair of standard goggles for now and these two black cloth masks. If I need something more than these, I will certainly visit those stores. Thank you, sir,”

Smiling, I followed the older man back to the counter with the items, where Darius paid a total of two gold and four copper.

“Onward, to the herbalist shop,” I exclaimed as soon as we exited the saddler’s store, much to the amusement of the two men accompanying me.

The herbalist shop was easy to identify.

Surrounded by lush gardens was a two-story cottage-style building with bundles of drying plants hanging from the roof of the front facing upper balcony.

Plants hung in bundles from the roof of the store, leaving not a single inch of the ceiling bare, and glass jars lined floor to ceiling shelves along each wall.

The overwhelming scent of dirt and plant-life filled the store, causing my nose to twitch as I fought the urge to sneeze.

“Kadia.” Placing a hand on my shoulder, Darius leaned down to murmur in my ear.

“Many of the plants here can be found locally, and they are rumored to overcharge. You can put up a request for any plants you need in the guild hall so you don’t need to buy them from here.”

Ears drooping, I nodded, pulling away from the guild leader to head towards the corner of the room where various tools were displayed.

The first thing I picked up was a basic stone mortar and pestle, which I handed to Darius to carry towards the counter as the shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen.

Next, I moved to the knives that were laid out on a roll of leather. Where I chose a set of three iron knives for three gold.

There was no point in wasting gold on more expensive sets when my brother could make them cheaper. I also found a nice pair of leather gloves and an apron with pockets sewn onto the front, which I carried to the counter.

“My apologies for the delay, good customers. I was detangling some viper vines downstairs and got a little tangled up myself.” A tall, slender elven man said as he appeared behind the counter. “I am Bo, of Bo’s Botanical. What can I help you with this evening?”

Bo? His name is Bo? That doesn’t sound very elf like. Shaking my head to refocus my thoughts, I greeted the shop owner with a smile.

“I am Kadia of the Eternia guild. I would like to purchase these items,” I said, mimicking the man's introduction and gesturing at the items on the counter.

“Of course. Are you planning to follow the path of an herbalist or potioneer? Might I recommend my Bo’s herbalist kit? It contains a set of shears, a hoe, spade, fork, pruning knife, linen collection bags and five storage jars. The cost is ten gold, but if you fulfill a few gathering requests for me, I shall offer you a discount of three gold,” Bo said, pulling out a canvas satchel.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I glanced up to see Darius shake his head.

“No thank you, just these items for now.” I said with a polite smile.

“For the mortar and pestle, knives, gloves and apron it will be eleven gold.” Bo said, his smile losing some of its brightness.

As Darius paid, I put the items away in my satchel and, after giving the rows of herbs a mournful glance, I followed the two men out of the herbalist shop.

“What a fucking rip off!” Noctus hissed the moment we reached the street. “Ten gold for those shoddy tools and bag? That shit isn’t worth even two gold. I know people said he was expensive, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

Startled by the vampire's sudden outburst, I jerked to the side and almost crashed into Darius, who reached out a hand to steady me.

“From what I’ve heard, all three of the herbalist shops in the city are just as bad.” Darius sighed with a shake of his head. “I think I remember seeing a potter's stall near the end of the second street. We can order the jars you wanted from there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed, as we continued down the brightly lit street back toward the market.

* * *

After finding a potter at the market who sold the style of jars I wanted, along with vials of varying sizes, I placed an order for three hundred vials, a hundred medium-sized storage jars, and twenty bowls of varying size.

The potter only had the bowls, jars and fifty vials with him at the stall, but he assured me he would deliver the rest of the vials within two days.

The potter also directed me to a stall on the next street over which sold wax candles and pure beeswax that I could use to form an air-tight seal on the clay lids of the jars.

Next to the stall selling wax, I found a weaver who sold baskets and ordered a dozen of them to be delivered to the guild hall the following morning.

“Kadia, over here,” Noctus called, waving me over to a stall farther down the street.

Leaving the weaver’s stall, I moved through the crowd, hissing in annoyance as yet another person accidentally touched my tail.

Reaching the stall Noctus stood at, I saw a variety of items laid out in a disorganized fashion.

Glowing stones, scraps of paper and cloth, chunks of metal, a rusted sword, tattered books, and more. It was the definition of a junk stall.

Flicking my eyes to the vampire, I saw him staring down at the stall with interest and followed his gaze to a basket that was filled with small, blue glowing stones that looked like the one he’d shown me.

“Mana crystals?” I queried, not sure why the vampire wanted me to see them.

“Next to them,” he hissed in my ear, glancing at the stall’s owner, who was bartering over the price of a silver dagger with a rather large chip in the blade.

Next to the basket was a pair of dented, round copper pots and a ladle that was also made from copper. It looked like a normal set of cooking pots for me, and I didn’t need some dented pots when I could have new ones made.

“Hello, hello,” The short scruffy looking man in dirty leather armor said, moving to stand behind the basket of mana crystals. “I see you’ve noticed my mana crystals, these were mined from a cluster in the Almer mountains and are fifteen gold pieces.”

“How much for the copper scrap?” Noctus drawled, looking at all the items sold at the stall.

“The copper cooking utensils are twenty silver.” The stall holder said with a smile.

Twenty silver? Isn’t that just two golds? Why not just say it is two gold?

“Twenty silver for some scrap? Bah, it isn’t worth that. Three silver per kilo is the current price of copper, and that’s already melted into ingots. I’ll give you eight for the lot,” Noctus spat, scowling at the man who smiled wider.

“Ah, my good friend, these items need not be melted down. A smith can bang out these dents for a few copper, and then you will have a usable set of cookery. Eighteen silver.” He countered.

“Ten silver, for the copper scrap.”

“My dear vampire, you seem to be a pleasant fellow, so for you I shall sell these for thirteen silver.”

“Twelve,” Noctus said, tossing a gold and two silver coins onto the counter.

In a flash the coins were swept off the table with a swipe of the scruffy man's hand. Noctus picked up the pots, handing them to me.

“Here, let me take those. They won’t fit in your bag,” Darius said, appearing from within the crowd and taking the pots.

“Where’d you disappear to?” I asked, not having seen him leave.

“I was talking to David the potter.” He replied. “I’ve offered him an employment contract and membership in the guild. David and his wife recently retired, so they’re in medi-pods at an age facility. I suspect you will need a steady supply of vials and other ceramics. I felt it would be in our best interest to gain the services of a potter.”

“Not common to see oldies in a fantasy-based world,” Noctus commented, glancing over at Darius. “Normally they prefer the earth clones.”

“He said they wanted to see what all their grandkids’ were raving about, apparently they are players here. Being in Kaledon lets them spend time with them I suppose.” Darius replied with a shrug.

“That’s nice,” I murmured. Both sets of my own grandparents died before I was born, so I’d never gotten the chance to meet them.

“David’s wife is an avid gardener who has been growing herbs and other plants, which she sells to a herbalist store in the city.” Darius added. “David said he’ll bring her up to the guild hall when he delivers your order to meet you, and to talk about the plants she grows. They have a little cottage in Hilea, a farming village about twenty minutes west of the city by horse, or an hour by foot. It’s the same village as our guild farm.”

“That sounds great. If she can grow them, I won’t need to buy them from the herbalist stores.” I exclaimed, the tiredness I’d been feeling washing away under a wave of excitement.

I’d been mulling over the idea of using my land token to build my workshop and building a garden to grow the plants I would need, but I’d never been good at gardening.

The few plants I’d attempted to grow in the past would die slow, horrible deaths, as I often forgot to water them.

“I was going to ask Calidus to grow some of the more common plants and herbs, but if we can work out an agreement with Mary, it will be better since her garden is already established.” Darius said, the pots in his arms clanging against each other as he shifted them under one arm.

“It would likely be safer as well. The farm has animals that may damage the plants.” Noctus commented, arms folded behind his head as he strolled along in front of me.

“I thought you were going to ask Markion to make you pots.” Darius said, raising a brow in question.

In response, I shrugged, waving a hand at Noctus. “Ask him, he is the one who bought them.”

“Can’t you see the magic imbued into the metal? They are enchanted,” Noctus retorted, giving us an irritated look.

“We aren’t enchanters, we can’t see enchantments like you can.” Darius defended, as I quickened my steps to match his stride in order to peer more closely at the dented copper pots.

“What enchantments are on them?” I wondered aloud as Darius moved the pots to allow me to see them better.

“I suspect it will be the same heat control enchantment Cook has on his caldron.” Noctus explained. “Those kinds of enchantments require a decent bit of mana to empower, at least a mid-grade mana crystal for each pot. I used three mid-grade stones on Cook’s cauldron, and that was ten times the size of those pots.”

“So, they heat on their own without a fire?” I asked, and Noctus laughed, shaking his head.

“No, you still need a heat source. The enchantment just allows you to control how hot the contents get. You could have it over a raging fire and it wouldn’t get any hotter than what you’ve set it at.” The vampire explained, pointing to the pots Darius carried.

“Banging out those dents will be easy for Markion, so for the mere price of one gold and two silver, I’ve saved myself hours of inscribing.” Noctus concluded, brushing a speck of invisible dirt off his shoulder.

“That will be useful,” I mused, staring at the pots. Very useful. “Keeping an open fire at a steady temperature is quite difficult and time consuming.”

I should get Marcus to create a tight-fitting lid for the pots. If he can make one with a copper tube curving down from the lid at an angle, I can use the pots as a modified still to distill larger amounts. Using the retort in the kit would take weeks to distill all the mushrooms. Thankfully, the guild has a contract with a brewery for alcohol, and Darius will order me some barrels of Vodka.

“That's why a fire stone is used.” Darius said. “From what I recall, the alchemy case Sara bought came with one, as it is a high-grade set. A fire stone burns without needing wood and is sought after by most professions that use fire.”

Fire stone? Didn’t Marcus say something about that? Right, he said the alchemy kit was missing the fire stone. Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, Noctus spoke, his voice sounding weary.

“Unless Markion got a new one, there won’t be a fire stone in the kit he gave her. The smiths who moved into the alchemy workspace were whining about Markion not allowing them to take any of the fire stones in the main forge, so the guild purchased the fire stone from Sara’s kit for the new forge and Markion bought the rest.”

“It doesn’t have one,” I confirmed. “Markion said he would hunt a fire drake to get one and have someone enchant it.”

“Right, of course, he’ll hunt one, hah, I’d pay money to see that,” Noctus snickered.

“What do you mean?” I frowned at the vampire, feeling I was missing something.

Darius snorted, his black furred ears twitching. “It takes a full team to bring down a drake. Even then, it isn’t easy. Then again, we were already planning a trip to Valonia through the portal in two weeks, and it's only two days from there to reach the volcano where the drakes nest. We planned to ride back to Caruan after we spent a week running the new dungeon, but if we stayed the extra few weeks until the portal reopens, we can stockpile fire stones.'' Darius said, looking thoughtful as he glanced at me. “You should come as well. I know for a fact that there is an alchemist in Valonia who buys fire drake corpses.”

I hesitated, memories of a massive black dragon tearing me in two playing out in my mind.

“Last time you and Marcus took me dragon hunting, I got eaten.” I said, biting my lip as I mulled over how to voice one of the many concerns I’d had since arriving. “Does, um, does Kaledon have pain limiting features?”

“No, it doesn’t. We can take more damage before dying than a normal human would in reality and, as you grow stronger, you get hurt less easily.” Darius said, a grimace curling over his lips. “Death is not something we take lightly, it is painful, and something we try to avoid where we can. Ah, Noctus, while I think of it, see about collecting any potions and alchemic creations that are for sale. Pay a visit to the Whispers guild if need be.”

“Already planned on it. I will compile what we already know and provide Kadia with anything we can find.” Noctus replied.

As we reached the guild hall, the vampire turned towards me with a smile.

“I will collect the Muroosa wood and look through my bags for anything I think you might find useful,” he said before he sunk into his own shadow and disappeared from sight.

Staring at the spot where Noctus had been only seconds ago, I had the strangest urge to fling salt on the ground. It’s too bad my salt won’t be arriving until tomorrow. Hmm, then again, isn’t salt for demons, and not vampires? I need to work out if there is a way to guard my workspace against thieving vampires.

“Are you tired? We can wait until tomorrow to set up the workshop if you prefer.” Darius said as we walked past the guards, the goatman and his friend having been replaced by a red-haired dwarf and a blond elf.

“I’m not tired, but I can just read in my room if you want to go to bed,” I told him, feeling a little guilty about keeping him up.

“Nah, I slept last night. You’ll notice you don’t need as much sleep anymore. We only need to sleep for a few hours every two to three days. Though, some choose to sleep every night for the sake of normalcy. Sleeping is also a way to allow your body to heal itself from minor injuries. Not everything can heal on its own though,” he explained, then gestured towards the stairs.

“Go grab your alchemy kit while I get a bag from my room. Noctus had the right idea to go through our old bags. I’ve got some potions and I think some herbs. They’ve been there since Sara was trying to learn alchemy about two months ago, so they might be rotten or beyond use. Meet back here in a few minutes?” Darius suggested, putting the pots he was carrying down on a nearby table.

Nodding in agreement, I headed upstairs while he walked down the hallway that was next to the stairs towards Marcus’s room, I guessed his room must be down there as well.

Reaching my room, I pulled the alchemy kit out of the wardrobe and let out an annoyed sigh when the hardened leather case wouldn’t fit into the satchel because of its width.

Leaving the room, I headed back towards the main hall while mentally cataloging all the information I’d learned over the last few hours.