Yesterday's chapter is ready to be read.
Enjoy!
The next chapter is ready I just need to finish editing it, but I will make a stop of a few hours so you are welcome to do something else before it is released, or even sleep...
See you later!
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/THUD!/
In the blink of an eye, several boxes fell onto the table out of thin air.
Testros and Misgurd were immediately surprised, but Testros understood it soon after.
Misgurd, on the other hand, opened one of the boxes and noticed a series of materials he had never seen before, only heard of.
At the end of the day, he was the leader of this Mercenary branch, and there were many papers and documents left behind from a more prosperous time.
And over the years, he felt as if he went over everything a few times over...
"This! What is all of this?…" Asked Misgurd with a confused expression as he opened another box, seeing several red potions laying inside of it
[Lowest healing potion
Regenerates health overtime/heals minor injuries when applied
Disclaimer: There is a consumption time of 10 minutes, consuming another one before the time goes off may result in an upset stomach.
Description...
]
Of course, Misgurd couldn't read the potion description...
But his many years of experience told him what those were, the conical red color was impossible to not recognize.
"This is the solution." Replied Dale with a confident expression
"... Boy…"
But before he could continue, Testros just patted Misgurd's shoulder, saying:
"Leave the kid alone… As for you Dale… Thank you once again."
"I won't ask if you are sure about this or anything of the sort. Your decisions are yours to make, and your past is yours to share."
"This isn't the end though, it's only a temporary solution, lets's go talk with this alchemist and see what he is on about." Said Dale
'I need to take the lead from time to time, the quests won't come to me all the time, I need to seek the quests!'
'Besides, many of these materials have expiration dates, and I need them to be put onto something else. Else, it will be money thrown out of the window…'
'I really hate this concept… Expiration dates in an MMO… Fucking hell. Even if they last for several weeks… Man…'
"... You two… It seems there are some things I missed… But you're right Testros, thank you young Dale." Said Misgurd with a rare full smile
His face soon grew serious.
"But these materials are useless if they remain in these boxes… Looks like it's time to visit that young man and see how he is doing."
"You're right… But still, knowing how he acts, even if we deliver so many materials at once, he won't change just like that." Replied Testros
"But this is something we need to fix, right?" Asked Misgurd
The two looked at each other with understanding smiles, before they looked at Dale.
"I'm sure he will want to meet with you, what do you think of going there with us?" Asked Testros
[Quest activated, Herb Chain part 1]
[The village of Resko is located close to one of the richest areas of the continent in terms of herb diversity and quality.
But the same can be said for the dangers of collecting such materials…
Without materials, not only does making potions become impossible.
But the process of gathering materials becomes harder and more complicated, creating an unending cycle that has almost completely stopped the flow of herbs in the village.
Not only that, but it also makes simpler things such as gathering firewood and hunting games turn into matters of life and death.
Convince the kind and pessimistic alchemist in distributing his potions so the villagers of Resko may once again step into the forest without fear!]
[Requirements
Convince the alchemist that his potions are worth sharing 0/?
Gather enough materials to quickstart the operation /Unlimited/
(You have offered 2 boxes of Green grass, 1 box of…)
*Your rewards shall vary depending on the quantity and quality of herbs offered + the mental and physical state of the alchemist after your interactions.
]
"Of course, I will go, I was the one that is pushing this forward."
Dale didn't hesitate nor did he read the quest before he replied, he knew that he had to see this to the end, regardless of what quest he received.
But as he made his way to the alchemist's house, he read through his quest and smiled.
He had hit the bullseye!
…
/2 minutes later…/
"Is this it?" Asked Dale as he looked at a pretty old house
It was clearly from the time when Resko was a better place.
The house was made purely out of stone, but it also had some wooden decorations and details on its exterior.
"Yes, this is Dudencell's old house… Or better put, shop." Said Testros
"Dudencell was the son of one of Resko's apothecaries. While many left, Dudencell's father stayed behind since Resko was where everything he had built was located."
"And this is the very shop where they worked before their death, now only a husk of its former self…"
"Many tools are usually left from generation to generation, but since alchemy is a pretty dangerous work, the quantity of tools has been reduced to a pathetic amount of its former self since we can't replenish them."
"From his grandfather to father, the number of tools reduced drastically together with Resko's fall from grace, and now I can only imagine how little 'he' has left."
/Clap!/
Misgurd clapped his hands and said:
"Enough talk, time for action."
/Knock knock knock!/
"..."
/Silence…/
But after a minute of silence…
/Clonk!/
As if a heavy chain had been dropped onto the ground, the door was unlocked and opened slowly…
"M-My Apologies… It takes quite a while to get down from the stairs…" Said someone with a sickly voice from behind the door
But it looked oddly feminine...
As it opened, Dale kept his eyes open to take a glimpse into this alchemist.
How did he look like, how was his demeanor, how was his current physical condition… Things that would be relevant towards his quest completion rate.
But Dale was rather surprised!
With rather simple clothes and a rather thin body, this person is clearly malnourished.
'A… Girl? Didn't they say, son? Or am I missing something here?'
Her eyes had clear dark circles and the tip of her fingers was clearly dirty from messing around with something, but still, there was some beauty in there that couldn't be hidden by her condition.
Her skin was overly white displaying that it might've been a while since she stepped into the sunlight…
If she wasn't in such a bad physical state…
'Perhaps… It's a trap!'
Diving deep into his useless thoughts, Dale remained still, making both Testros and Misgurd smile.
"So what is it, kid? Lost for words? Isn't she pretty?" Asked Misgurd with a smile
"I thought it was a guy!" Dale said as he turned his head to face Misgurd
"Heh, your face is priceless..."
But this only made the girl a bit embarrassed as she asked:
"H-How can I help you three? Uncle Misgurd and Mr. Testros… And the kind outsider?"
Before Dale could reply, Misgurd said:
"Little Yumi… It's time."
This had the girl confused.
"Yumi, you can't continue going on like this…" Said Testros
But she interrupted him.
"Thank you for caring, but we had this conversation many times before… This is my choice and…"
"We won't listen to you this time… Even if you want to help us, then you first need to understand your condition." Said Misrgurd with a frown as he pushed her back lightly
With this gesture, Testros entered her house and Dale awkwardly followed…
…
"Cough cough!..."
"This place is in dire need of cleaning..." Said Misgurd
The 4 sat around a very dusty table, Misgurd passed his fingers in it before he said:
"Look at this place Yumi, this isn't a place for someone to live… We are very thankful for your efforts, but you need to face reality now." Said Misgurd bluntly
Being honest, Misgurd didn't really like talking with her like this.
He saw her grow up and he doted on her very much, but it was because of this that he was acting like this.
He couldn't pamper her anymore, he couldn't let her continue destroying herself…
So he took it onto himself to be the bad cop and show her reality…
"So everyone… How can I help you all?" She said as she ignored Misgurd
"..."
Misgurd stayed in silence while Testros said:
"We have found the answer… The answer to your and our problems. And a solution to one of Resko's many problems… Even if it is a short-term one."
This caught her attention.
"Shouldn't this be discussed with Edimund? I don't know how I can be of any help…"
"No, this is something that has to be discussed with you." He said with a serious tone
He turned his attention to Dale, making him a bit awkward.
"Well… It's a bit late but… Dale Houston, a traveler from far away."
She smiled at him to the best of her ability and said:
"Yukamia Dudencell, nice to make you… COUGH!... Acquainted." She said as she coughed
"..."
'She is truly in a pitiful state. She can be related to the classic shut-in, but in her case, she is actually doing a lot every day with the best of her ability.'
(Not saying that a shut-in doesn't do that already)
"I heard about you… From Grandma Tina this morning… I thank you for what you did, really. From the bottom of my heart." She said in a low tone
"Things have always been hard, for as long as I can remember, it can be considered sacrilege… But to be honest, a religious tool does little to help us, but every bit counts."
"Mental health is also something we need to keep high all the time, no?..."
"So thank you for risking yourself in that dangerous place to recover something like that." She said as she looked at him with her violet eyes
"Hah? How much do you know?"
"A bit more than you think." She said as she chuckled slightly
Dale felt a bit awkward, but he eventually replied with a smile.
"I had to do something for the hospitality I got… But I am not stopping just there."
Dale moved his hands and dropped many boxes full of materials on the table, greatly surprising the young girl.
"This is my solution to your problem." Dale proclaimed as he opened one of the boxes, revealing its contents
"!"
'These… Are all materials?!'
"W-Where did the… COUGH COUGH!..."
She started to have a cough attack, prompting Dale to take out a bottle of clear water from his inventory.
"You really have everything in there." Joked Testros as he watched Yumi drink the water
After letting her calm down, Dale said:
"As I said, I came from very far away, and I would prefer to keep it for myself for now… These materials and potions are part of the few objects I brought with me to my journey."
"And it just so happened that you are here. And since I am not a very good alchemist, I thought it would be better to give them to someone else."
'This isn't all that I have, but I'll first see her reaction before showing all of my cards.'
"This…"
/Gulp!/
She took one last sip of the water before getting into deep thought.
"Is this perhaps not enough for you? If so I can perhaps…"
"No no! These are… Much more than enough… I should be able to at the very least do one single good potion…"
"Only one?" He asked suspiciously
"Ah… Yes… It's very hard to make a good potion and…"
But Dale interrupted her again by getting up.
He walked to a shelf nearby and grabbed a few flasks.
[Heavily diluted infection treatment potion
Effects:
+5% healing efficacy.
Heals minor infections and the time of healing depends on the condition of the injury.
Causes the skin to dry up upon heavy usage.
Description:
A potion created to combat simple infections, heavily diluted but somehow, most of its effects remain as strong as the original.
A modification of the original recipe made with the maximum efficiency of the materials in mind.
Apply it on the skin to help combat infections on open injuries. Excess use can make the skin dry up and look older than it should, but moderate use can negate these effects.
]
[Heavily diluted ointment
Effects:
+5% healing efficacy.
Heals minor burns and helps moisturize the skin.
Can also be used to treat simple wounds.
…
]
[Weak antidote
Effects:
+15% efficacy
Simple antidote for a variety of poisons.
…
]
…
It was a shelf full of potions of many kinds, some were clearly older than others, but they were all similar.
They showed the efforts and the desperation of an alchemist trying to improve his abilities to a point where can draw every single bit of medicinal effect of every single material they use.
While keeping the process as simple as possible with the minimal tools they have.
A miracle in itself, that such alchemy can be done in such a remote and rundown place as Resko.
And it was at this point Dale realized the gravity of this quest and how important it truly was.
It was a Quest about potential, a quest that could very well impact the entirety of what remained of Resko.
So after making his choice and thinking about his next few moves, he turned around and opened his mouth to ask:
"What about these?"
…
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Notes