As the light of dawn broke across the horizon, turning the sky shades of pink. A wooden doll no bigger than twenty centimeters tall surged to its feet to begin running around in circles on the wooden desk. Glancing down at my timepiece, I made note of the time before returning my attention to the construct which was beating its fists against the glass dome I’d placed over it.
Two minutes, and forty two seconds after consuming the potion ‘Berserker’s Last Stand’, the alchemic construct slumped to the ground, its form completely motionless. Lifting the dome, I picked up the construct to examine the magic array at the center of its chest. The lack of blue glow within the array signified the construct was portraying a death.
Setting the construct back down, I leaned back in my chair, pondering why anyone would even consider taking such a potion. The Berserker’s Last Stand provided the consumer two minutes of increased strength, and the inability to feel pain for that duration, but it came at the cost of their life. Berserker's Sacrifice would have been a more fitting name for the potion, for the only instance I could see someone using it would be one where the consumer sought to buy time for their companions to escape from a fight.
Berserker’s Last Stand, was one of the few potion recipes I possessed which used the Arcanium fungi, and the only one which used it to increase the rate at which a person's mana core absorbed mana. However, this process ultimately killed the consumer, as the mana core was not able to handle the strain. But, what if there was a way to strengthen the core, or even lessen the rage caused by the blood leaf, and wyrmtongue petals? Would that prevent the fatal effect of the potion?
With a yawn, I stretched my arms over my head trying to relieve the ache that came with spending most of the night hunched over a workbench. While Berserker’s Last Stand wasn’t an overly complex potion to brew, it was rather time consuming.
“I could use a coffee right about now,” I mused, walking towards the door which led out of the lab. “Hopefully, the others bring some with them, revitalizing tinctures might be more effective, but it’s not the same.”
There I go, talking to myself again… I grumbled, rubbing at the back of my neck with a sigh as I headed down the stairs, passing through the library room, and out into the hall of origin. I can’t even play it off as though I’m talking to Zosimos, because he’s gone to guide the others up the mountain.
There was no one in the hall when I entered, not that I expected there to be, as I’d already checked the temple map to confirm the locations of the other occupants. Meissa, and her disciples were all gathered in the sleeping quarters of the hall of astrology, while Noctus was still in the room I’d allowed him to stay in.
As I left the temple, and entered the courtyard next to the hall of alchemy, I cursed under my breath as the chilly air caused my skin to prickle. Recalling that I’d left Pyr, and my fur cloak in the lab, I contemplated going back, before deciding to continue on without either.
A short walk in the snow without a cloak wouldn’t kill me, and if need be, I could shift into my vulpine form with its natural fur coat. I also didn't want to take Pyr away from his task of acting as a heat source for the furnace, where I had a pelican flask decanting some of the spark moss sent to me by the laboratory in Sēkrit.
Lucas, who’d joined the lab at the desert encampment, was proving to be an excellent addition to the guild. He’d even known the use of the plants we’d discovered left behind by the Primordial brotherhood in the fire drake caves.
According to Lucas, burning dried Mint, Halrdan, Quare and Sarasar together would create a poisonous smoke that was effective on small creatures.
The smoke had almost no effect on people, or larger creatures, and was sold by an alchemist residing in Valonia. It was first sold as means to deal with the swarms of giant bees, which guarded the massive honey filled hives. Honey collectors had attempted using normal smoke, as was used for harvesting honey in the physical world, but it had proven ineffective. When the poisonous smoke was soon to be effective on bees, people had begun using it to ward off other small critters, and it became increasingly popular over the past month.
Having been in Sēkrit, cut off from most means of communication, I hadn't previously known any of this, and it was a little disappointing to learn the Scorchers were so easily dealt with, despite the weeks of work I’d put in to discovering a method of treating the effects of their venom.
Lucas said, the alchemist who’d discovered the smoke was a player known by the name Moraf. Well known for his ability in creating various poisons, he was highly sought after by many guilds, but a member of none. Disappointingly, it appeared that Moraf was also not a disciple, as Trismegistus stated he’d not received any prayer from the alchemist, and neither was he among my direct disciples. Perhaps, in time, he would pray to Tris, or journey to the temple seeking knowledge, and I’d be able to speak with him about his discoveries.
A light layer of snow coated the ground of the courtyard, and walking down the icy path, I pondered the merits of building greenhouses for any plants that needed warmer temperatures. Before the temple was moved away from Airus, the courtyards were overgrown with fungi, moss, and a few bushes which had been harvested during my week of confinement inside the temple, as I hadn’t known whether the plants would move with the temple.
During my initial exploration of the temple after it was rebuilt, I’d noticed that the few trees which had been growing on the plateau were now occupying the new courtyards. Of particular interest was a tree with pale blue fruit inside the courtyard that separated the hall of alchemy from the hall of astrology.
The tree wasn’t overly large, with its branches covered in a smattering of leaves, their coloring a deeper blue than the tree's wood. Round fruits grew in clusters, each no larger than a plum, which wasn’t surprising considering the fruits were called snow plums.
The snow plum tree was something I’d been searching for during our journey through the mountain. Whilst I’d managed to acquire a handful of the tree’s blossoms to experiment with thanks to Zosimos, it was only enough to produce a tiny amount of snow blossom quintessence. Looking at the tree, it would seem there were no blossoms left to harvest as it had passed the stage of blooming, and now bore fruit.
Reaching into my pouch, I pulled out a leather sack and a pair of gloves, before setting to work plucking the snow plums from the tree. As I worked to remove the plums, the sun rose higher over the horizon, turning the surrounding snow into slush with its warmth.
A soft chittering sounded from somewhere above me, and I tilted my head back to look for the animal who’d made the sounds, just in time to see a half eaten snow plum flying towards my face.
With a yelp, I dropped the bag I was holding, stumbling back as I wiped the remnants of the fruit off my cheek. The chittering sounded again, and I was sure it held an undertone of mockery. Ears pinned back, and flames bursting to life around my body, I scanned the branches for the offending creature.
Bright blue eyes peered at me from a branch high in the snow plum tree, appearing to hover in mid air. Narrowing my eyes at the strange floating ones staring at me, I sent a ball of fire up into the tree, watching as the eyes disappeared before it reached them.
More chittering filled the air, this time louder, and two plums launched themselves off the tree, flying towards me as though thrown by an invisible hand. Leaping back, I retaliated against the fruit attack with fire, and the chittering became an ear splitting shriek. Branches shook as a fast, unseen creature moved across the branches, and I struggled to catch it with my fire.
The creature grew suddenly quiet, and I moved further away from the tree, stopping my barrage of fireballs. I didn’t want to do too much damage to the tree. I needed to harvest snow blossoms from it, and if I burnt the tree down, Rainy might not be able to restore it.
A brief check of the temple in my mind showed no one located within the courtyard, but my ears did not lie as they picked up the sound of panting from high in the tree. The temple must only show people, and not animals. I theorized, as I scanned the branches for any indication of the creature's location.
My ears swiveled as I tried to pinpoint where the sound of the harsh breathing was coming from, but I was only able to determine that the creature was somewhere in the tree.
Dropping to one knee, I tore off the glove covering my left hand, before burying it beneath the snow. Gritting my teeth against the cold. I sent a wave of mana into the earth hidden beneath the snow, and dozens of slender pillars rose around the tree, before merging together over top of it. A second pulse of mana through the transmutation amulet fused to my palm caused the pillars to connect horizontally to form a tight mesh. The third, and final pulse of mana, fused the hardened dirt into stone, further entrapping the creature within.
Fearful shrieking filled the air as the cage took shape, and I bared my teeth in a triumphant smile.
“Show yourself,” I shouted over the sounds the creature was making. “Or I’ll burn down the tree, and identify what you are from your charred remains.”
The shrieking grew louder, causing my ears to ring, and I was tempted to follow through with my threat. Instead, I turned away from the stone cage, leaving the courtyard. I’d let the creature settle, and return once it had quietened.
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As I reentered the hall of origin, I mentally ordered the temple to seal all entrances to the courtyard, ensuring no one would potentially release my prey. With the door to the courtyard sealed behind me, and the shrieking grew muffled.
Turning away from the door, I saw a slender, blue skinned figure rushing towards me from across the hall. The woman’s silvery hair was mussed as it fell over her shoulders, and her robes were crinkled as though she’d rushed to dress.
“High Priestess! Is all well?”
Recognizing the woman as Meissa, my newly appointed priestess of astrology, I smiled, waving off her concern.
“All is well,” I assured her. “Just a little pest who thought it was free to feast on my snow plums.”
Which I left on the ground, I recalled with a sigh, remembering the dropped bag.
“A pest? Surely no thief is foolish enough to steal from the temple!” She exclaimed, looking in awe at the closed door behind me. “Our patrons' wrath must be fierce to produce such sounds from those who dared intrude on his domain.”
“Not a thief, but a creature who is unseen to the eye, and moves quickly through the trees. Perhaps you may know of such a beast?” I questioned, and the woman's face became thoughtful, as she ran her fingers through her hair, gathering it into a bun.
“Unseen to the eye, moving quickly through the trees.” Meissa murmured, as she did her best to straighten the purple robes she wore.
Looking at the dress, I noticed it was of a similar design to the cloak she’d worn the night before, with golden stars decorating the hems, and long draped sleeves. From her appearance, I suspected the noise must have woken her, and she’d rushed here straight from her bed after hastily dressing.
“Was it merely hiding, or was the form invisible? There is a creature that comes to mind,” Meissa said, eyes drifting back to the door.
“It was invisible, aside from a brief moment when I saw its eyes which appeared to float in midair. They were a bright blue, a shade close to that of a mana crystal.” I informed her, getting a nod in response.
“And you said it was eating snow plums?” She asked, a light smile forming on her lips.
“Yes,” I confirmed, eyeing the dark elf impatiently as I waited for her to identify the creature.
“I believe you have encountered a Shimosaru,” Meissa stated, bowing her head. “Tis a blessing to be sure, for the Shimosaru are rarely seen. They were once hunted in great numbers, and overtime evolved the ability to hide themselves from those who sought their fur. Sadly, this ability only garnered a stronger interest in harvesting their fur for clothing.”
Gesturing to the stairs at the far end of the hall, I began walking towards them. Meissa followed half a step behind me as we made our way to my library, or perhaps I should start calling it my office, as I suspected that was the purpose it was intended to serve.
Once inside the office, I glanced around the room before deciding to forgo the desk, in favor of the plush armchairs which sat around a low table.
As we took our seats, I half expected a maid to appear, and began serving coffee, but I shook that thought away with a grimace. I hadn’t entirely depended on the household staff growing up, and was more than capable of caring for myself, but they’d always been there.
While the faces had changed over the years, it was a expected part of my daily life that meals were served by maids. Danica had disliked the idea of having robotic maids, so we’d only employed human attendants in our home, with a few electronic appliances used to aid them in daily tasks. I’d suspected her preference was because she liked the power it gave her over them. Humans would respond, and show emotions when tormented, while an artificial worker would not unless programmed to do so.
“I apologize that I have no refreshments to offer, the temple is newly built, and supplies have not yet arrived.” I explained, while mentally scolding myself.
One should always have refreshments for their guests, and by not doing so, I certainly appeared ill mannered.
“You need not concern yourself with such things, High Priestess,” Meissa began, and I raised a hand to interrupt her.
“Call me Kadia, you need not be so formal while we are alone. You are a priestess of this temple, just as I am.” I said, doing my best to keep my face showing nothing, but a polite smile.
“You honor me,” the dark elven priestess murmured, lowering her head.
Waving a hand to dismiss her gesture, I sat back in the chair, folding my hands in my lap, and squishing my tails against the chair in order to subtly prevent them from giving away my emotions.
I’d learned over the years how to use my expressions to conceal my emotions, or show what was expected of me in various situations, but since gaining my extra appendages it became more difficult to hide what I felt.
If it wasn’t my tails wagging, or curling around my legs, it was my ears twitching, or drooping. I was slowly learning to control, and manipulate their movements to reflect what I wished to portray, but they still often betrayed me by showing things I’d prefer to be unseen.
“Tell me more about the Shimosaru,” I requested, wishing to know more about the creature I’d caged in the courtyard. The elf’s words about its high value, along with the evolution of the species ability to hide intrigued me, and I pondered what alchemic properties it possessed.
As this thought came to the forefront of my mind, I silently swore, cursing my own stupidity. If I’d searched for the creature with alchemic sight, it surely would have appeared as a golden glow to my eyes, for how could something with its ability not?
How could I be so foolish? My thoughts have been so messy as of late, it isn’t like me to overlook something so simple. Filing that thought away for further evaluation once I was alone, I refocused on the woman sitting opposite me, listening intently as she spoke of the creature whose shrieks could still be faintly heard from the courtyard below.
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