Chapter 2

Alchemical Control

Brewer’s Reputation: 600,729.

Forester axe. Bedroll. Food. Water. Sweater. A few other necessities.

I was ready for a nice long hike around the base. Around my woods. During my favorite time of the year. Early autumn.

“All set?” Abigail said.

“All set,” I said.

After a brief goodbye to Thrush and Barnacle-eyes, Abigail and I began our trek down to the sea. It was warm out, and sunlight dappled the forest floor through the broadleaf canopy.

“This will be your first Brewer’s Portal attribute beer?” Abigail said.

“That’s right, and I did as you asked. I used Brewer’s Harvest in the clearing by the cabin. I got barley and hops from that. I used Brewer’s Bubble to draw water from the atmosphere. Then I used Kiss of Yeast to isolate some yeast.”

“Perfect,” she said. “All your ingredients came from the same location. That’s all you need. Whenever you want to stop to pick portal locations, you’ll do the same there.”

“Where’s our second one going to be?”

“Down by the port. Who made this trail by the way? Did you? It doesn’t go straight to the sea. It meanders.”

“I picked the trail path myself, yes. I wanted it to go by some of my favorite sights along the way. Just an unimportant pleasure of mine.”

There was a moment of pause in our conversation. Without looking at me, Abigail said, “I like it.”

There was much to like about the trail. The stretch of pines. The cluster of boulders. The copse of sumac. The smell of the sea that hung in the wet autumn woods. I put a hand to my favorite parts of the trail. The massive oaks that were old and gnarled. Feeling the bark of a tree was a great pleasure of mine.

When we passed through the towering staghorn sumac, Abigail said, “My that smell! Reminds me of Salindune.”

“I love the sea,” I said. “I used to fish a lot.”

“What happened to fishing?”

“Thrush showed up. He does all the fishing now. I wouldn’t mind coming down here before the sea freezes over and throwing a line. The port wasn’t always here, so I’d have a comfortable seat while I fish.”

We came upon the sea. The port extended across the water. It was made of thick raw wood. The pilings were as big around as a 15.5 gallon barrel. The pilings were deeply anchored, but still rose above the dock to a towering height.

Abigail stopped our trek where the forest met the bronze sand of the coast. I engaged Brewer’s Harvest, Brewer’s Bubble, and Kiss of Yeast to collect ingredients from the location.

Once I’d completed the task, it was time to brew my very first Brewer’s Portal beers.

“They’re simple,” Abigail said. “As long as all the ingredients are from the same location, simply employ the Alchemical Control skill. Your system will recognize that there is no other adjunct. It will prompt you to choose the option to use the skill on imbuing the beer with the Brewer’s Portal attribute.

I decided to brew a simple crisp style ale like I’d been brewing with the Lesser Planes Cutter shards. After using Alchemical Control, the prompt came up.

[Alchemical Control used.]

[No Adjuncts detected.]

[Imbue Crisp ale with Brewer’s Portal?]

[Y/N?]

Yes, I thought.

Brewer’s Bubble contained the alchemical explosion.

I poured a drop onto my collector's journal.

[By Hawkin’s Port. Crisp ale.]

[Silver rank. 02/100 Respectable.]

[Special attribute: Brewer’s Portal. One sip will transport the user to the location where the ingredients were cultivated.]

“Now brew one more Brewer’s Portal for this location,” Abigail said. “Then brew two more Brewer’s Portals for the location by your cabin.”

I brewed those beers. The second pair of Brewer’s Portal attribute beers were in the crisp lager style, since the yeast I had isolated was a bottom fermenting yeast.

“Feels good to be a silver rank Brewer,” Abigail said. “Doesn’t it?”

“I’ve never portaled with one of these before,” I said. “Shall we?”

“I’ll wait here. Try it yourself.”

I brought the lager to my lips and drank a sip.

The beer was freshly chilled. The carbonation was soft and easy. The lager held a slight aroma of the gardens by my cabin. I swore I could have tasted the summer vegetables that I’d been harvesting. But those aromas were distant beside the pale and biscuit malts.

I finished my sip and gazed at the world before me. At my cabin. At the aging gardens beside it. At a pile of leaves that Barnacle-eyes was amassing by the firepit.

The goblin dropped fresh leaves onto the pile and looked up at me.

“Hawkin?” She said. “I thought you went hiking.”

“I am. I’m trying out Brewer’s Portal beers for the first time.”

I took a sip of the first Brewer’s Portal beer. After a single blink, I found myself back on the coast beside Abigail.

“Absolutely incredible,” I said.

“I’ve amassed quite a bit since traveling up the coast to find you,” she said. “The further the location, the more mana it draws from you.”

“I’m going to need all the mana I can get. I’ve got a few quests lined up that take an extraordinary amount of time to complete.”

“Your forging quests?”

“Yes. I’ve been leveling up my Forge Ethereal Grain skill, but I haven’t even touched Forge Ethereal Water, hops, or yeast yet.”

“There will be plenty of chances for you to work on that on our hike,” Abigail said.

From the port, we headed north. Our journey would serve several purposes. First, I wanted to maintain the trail, as well as create more trails. Secondly, I wanted to cultivate ingredients from the most beautiful places so I could portal to them whenever I wanted. Thirdly, with Brewer’s Portal attribute beers, I could portal to the corners of the Mist Hidden wall to maintain them every year. Last but not least, it was the only sort of adventure I wanted in my life.

There was much to explore. Much to revisit since every season changed the land.

“Autumn is by far my favorite season,” Abigail said. “The turning of the foliage… the coolness of the world… the smells…”

“You're taking the words right out of my mouth,” I said. “Foraging is probably one of my favorite things in life.

“I can understand that. I really miss my garden. I’m missing out on it this year.”

“The season is still young. Winter is months away. You could plant a few things.”

“The season may be young, but the frost will steal into this season.”

There’s gotta be some attribute beers that can help ward away the frost. I’ll have to do some reading and see what the Brewer’s Guide To Magic Ingredients has to offer.

“I’ll help you start a garden,” I said. “And have you thought about shelter?”

“I have,” she said.

We talked until dusk. Abigail asked about Barnacle-eyes when we passed the cove which the goblin had used to build her previous boats in. I told Abigail all I knew, and she told me she liked the little goblin.

“Does she always get a burst of energy late in the day?”

“And early in the morning,” I said.

We laughed about that, and when dusk lit the sky, we found ourselves a flat piece of earth to camp on.

Abigail went about pouring libations for several shelter attributes to protect us from being seen or even bothered by insects. I made fire for us and laid my bedroll beside it. Abigail laid hers out across the fire from me.

I spent two hours focusing on forging one ethereal hop. When I was exhausted, after drinking through 5 mana beers, I’d only reached 15% of a whole hop. But the meditation was peaceful and I learned another lesson in focus and attention.

Abigail read while I forged. When I’d forged all that I could and put the task to rest, she opened journal and began writing in it. It was night at that point and the sound of lacewings and crickets sawed the air. In the peripheral of my mind, I was surprised to find that Abigail didn’t seem to mind the racket.

The droning sound was what put her to sleep, and I think it was what put me to sleep as well.