The softly glowing, ensorcelled gemstones lighted his workshop as he worked, putting the last touches to the last piece of his latest order, an amulet inlaid in silver, with runes set in upon its face, softly glimmering in the magic contained within. There it was: the final touch to a long line of commissions that had flowed ceaselessly through his door over the past weeks.
All too familiar, the system bell rang inside his head, cutting through the otherwise silent workshop.
[Quest Completed: Making and Selling Accessories – 20/20]
He paused a moment, savoring the fact. Twenty accessories made and sold—the first leg of the System's Main Quest finally complete. Of course, that was a long way with so much doubt and setbacks at the very beginning, but hard work paid off. His name as one of the makers of magical accessories spread, and more than ever did adventurers, knights, and mages come his way.
The full quest details of the System floated in his view:
Main Quest: Becoming a Pro
Conditions of Success:
[Write and sell 10 skill books]: 0/10
Design and sell 20 accessories - 20/20 [Create and vend 10 potions – 0/10] [Reward: 50 System Points] Rivyn slowly blew his breath out and wiped the sweat from his brow. He had come a long way, but was far from a master craftsman. The accessory area was up, but now he faced the task of crafting and selling potions and skill books-tw' areas he was unfamiliar with, especially in finding a market for them.
His thoughts went to the potion ingredients, kept at the back of the store.
He'd been dabbling in alchemy the last couple of days, nothing too serious. Potions were a class of crafting that was pretty different from the magical accessories that gave him his success. The System had definitely given him the basics of alchemy with the Basic Crafter Skill, but the strength of his concoctions was way off from where it should be.
The concoction he had made was only strong enough to heal small scratches or bruises, nothing that might be especially useful to adventurers in battle.
He strode toward the back of the shop, the shelf there lined with neat rows of glass vials. Some contained the faintly glowing green liquid of basic health potions; others contained the dull blue of mana potions. But none of them had ever left the shop.
His trinkets, that any passing adventurer or mage would buy, found no takers for these weak potions. The adventurers seemed to grow trusting of his enchanted items, being able to sell those anyway, but he needed to make them believe in his alchemy too.
Quest Progress: Brew and Sell Potions - 0/10
The progress bar in his vision hadn't budged since the moment he started concocting his potions. Crafting itself wasn't enough to complete the quest; he needed to sell them.
Rivyn settled into his workbench, eyes cast down upon a collection of newly brewed healing potions. While they were not completely meritless-the concoctions would certainly mend any number of cuts, scratches, or minor injuries-they fell woefully short when put to the test under the rigors of serious combat. This presented quite a conundrum. No adventurer would risk life and limb relying on such weak potions, and if they doubted his brew, they would refuse to do business with him.
He rubbed his temples in frustration, feeling totally stuck. Basic alchemy could only take him that far. The catch had not been with his ability but within the strength of the potions: they were too weak.
At the very least, he had managed to display the forms with accessories: rings and amulets giving a light, in his window for adventurers to see. The appeal brought them in. But potions? Potions didn't show their power until they were used. One could not just put them in the window and have people come rushing in like they had for the accessories.
No, he needed a plan.
Rivyn stood from his seat and wandered to the front window of his shop, watching the bustle of Velira's busy streets. Always a cavalcade of adventurers, traders, and townsfolk—some of the regulars he'd identified: rank D and E adventurers who came in to find decent prices on equipment. That might be the perfect starting point: Offering them potions, likely at a better price, just to get his name going in the potion market. In the morning, he set up a small display at the front of his shop. He brought forward the potions he had prepared, healing potions and mana potions, each far less impressive in effect, and set them upon the counter. There was no need for much of a fanfare; indeed a simple sign would do:
"Potions Available: Healing and Mana. Special Rates for Adventurers."
It was a gamble. He knew his potions were never the best, but, well, if adventurers needed something cheap yet decent to patch minor cuts or to replenish a smidgeon of mana in battle, then these potions would at least be good enough. He just needed someone to take that first step. Time ticked by, and Rivyn was pleased with himself pacing back and forth behind the counter, glancing at the display every few minutes. It was just about that time that Rivyn had given up all hope when the door to his shop opened. The first two adventurers entered; scratched and dented armor, those two looked tired as hell. One of them, a lad with a bandage wrapped around his arm, suddenly saw the potions on display.
"Healing potions?" The adventurer cocked an ear, bent over and examined the vials.
"That's it," Rivyn said in a flat voice, even as the excitement bubbled in him. "They ain't the mightiest, but can tend to cuts and small wounds. Special rates for adventurers."
The adventurer shared a knowing glance with his companion before nodding in agreement. "We'll take a few. It never hurts to have some backups, even if they're merely for minor wounds."
Rivyn carefully passed over the potions, each one carefully wrapped. The adventurer carefully counted coins out before laying them on the counter.
[Quest Progress: Create and Sell Potions – 2/10]
Rivyn breathed a soft wave of relief as the System finished its update. Two potions sold. Small, the amount was, but he had started something.
The two adventurers nodded their thanks and left, shutting the door behind themselves quietly. His eyes glanced over the rest of the brews sitting on the counter, filled with hopeful caution. There was potential in this, even if his potions weren't the best quality. He already made two sales from people willing to give his alchemy a chance.
It only meant that if he could get the potency of these brews up over time, there would be more. As the day wore on, Rivyn's thoughts turned to a new phase of his journey: skill books. The System had termed it part of the Main Quest, but the mechanics for making the skill books were an ordeal in and of themselves. He had no experience writing or other mechanisms to set in stone magical knowledge, but the System had given him enough for him to understand the process. It was merely a question of execution—locating the appropriate materials and achieving the perfect balance of the magical ink needed for the books.
Rivyn pushed that thought to the back of his mind for the moment. He presently focused on potions, and until he made more progress in that area, he wouldn't waste his meager resources on experimentations with skill books. One thing at a time.
As night came and the streets of Velira settled down, Rivyn was closing his store, satisfied with his small achievement. Two sold potions didn't seem to be much, but it was a start, and Rivyn could feel that in his bones.