The older figure beside him, his presence commanding respect, let out a raspy chuckle. His voice, rough like scraping rusted iron, carried a weight that demanded attention. "Good," he said slowly. "Bait him out. We need him alive. Those are the mistress's orders."
"Yes, sir." The shorter figure bowed slightly, his movements sharp and deliberate. Without another word, he disappeared into the dense shadows of the forest. The older man lingered a moment longer, his cold gaze fixed on the distant town. A sinister grin crept across his face, his eyes glinting with malice. "Let's see if the boy is as troublesome as the mistress claims," he muttered under his breath before vanishing like a ghost into the night.
…
Inside the inn, Emperal sat cross-legged on the mat, the dim light casting sharp shadows on the walls of his room. Before him lay the Aetryn booster pills he had bought earlier, their faint luminescence reflecting in his heterochromatic eyes. Holding the small bottle, Emperal felt fragments of knowledge rise within his mind. The Manuscript, an artifact bound to his very thoughts, stirred once again, offering him insight without words or voice—just the quiet flow of understanding.
Aetryn, as the Manuscript conveyed, was integral to alchemy, used to refine and stabilize mixtures. Yet Emperal lacked raw Aetryn, and the use of Solustasis, his intangible force of control, was notoriously difficult to balance. If applied improperly, it would undoubtedly tear the delicate materials apart. He sighed, his fingers drumming lightly on the cauldron sitting before him.
"Let's start with something simple," he muttered, pulling out the cauldron given to him by Rahuel. The polished surface of the artifact gleamed faintly, as though it anticipated the work ahead. Carefully, Emperal arranged the ingredients—a mix of herbs, powders, and crystalline shards. Their subtle auras intermingled, forming a faint shimmer in the air.
Just as he began to focus, a loud thud echoed from outside the door, followed by a comical, exaggerated yelp. Emperal's shoulders sagged slightly, already knowing the culprit. The door creaked open, and Grimblaze poked his golden head inside. His wide nostrils flared comically as they sniffed the air, his face smeared with what appeared to be sticky syrup.
"B-boss!" Grimblaze wailed, his voice dramatic. "The dessert stall outside the inn? It was a scam! A rip-off! That pie was way too small for its price!"
Emperal glanced at him, his lips twitching in amusement. "Grimblaze, how many times have I told you to stop trusting every vendor you see?"
"But boss, I had to try it for research!" Grimblaze protested, waddling fully into the room and leaving sticky hoofprints on the floor. "How else will I know if their desserts are worthy of our greatness?"
"Sit down, and don't touch anything," Emperal said, shaking his head. "This isn't a feast."
Grimblaze plopped onto the floor, huffing dramatically. "Pfft. Fine. But if those weird glowing leaves you're mixing are snacks, I call dibs."
Ignoring him, Emperal straightened his posture, his mind sharpening. With a gesture, he activated Solustasis. The air around him shifted subtly as an invisible, intangible force began to weave through the room, responding to his will. The ingredients lifted from the mat and hovered over the cauldron, swirling in a graceful, controlled motion.
He carefully adjusted the Solustasis, guiding the materials into the cauldron. The herbs began to shred into fine particles as they combined with the powders. The crystalline shards dissolved into shimmering droplets, all merging into a smooth, rotating sphere of energy-infused mixture. His heterochromatic eyes glinted with focus as he added the final ingredient—a fine, flour-like powder.
The mixture spun faster, the sphere glowing faintly as the energies harmonized. For a moment, it seemed perfect. Then, without warning, the rotation faltered.
Emperal's brows furrowed. "Not good—"
BOOM!
An explosion erupted with a deafening noise, a puff of black smoke filling the room. Ash and soot flew everywhere, leaving Emperal's face comically blackened. His expression froze in disbelief as he processed the failure. Grimblaze, meanwhile, burst into hysterics, rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Pff-BOSS! You look like a burned dumpling!" Grimblaze howled, tears streaming from his eyes. "Who knew you were secretly a master of making charcoal?"
Emperal's eye twitched. With a deep sigh, he wiped the soot from his face. "Grimblaze, if you don't shut up, I'll mix you into the next batch."
Still chuckling, Grimblaze sat up, licking stray syrup off his hoof. "Fine, fine. Don't get mad. But seriously, maybe you should stick to fighting instead of cooking."
Emperal ignored the jab, focusing back on the cauldron. He muttered under his breath, "I followed the process exactly. The problem is Solustasis... it's too unstable for this level of refinement."
Then a thought struck him. His lips curled into a faint smirk. "Wait... maybe I can use that."
Raising his right hand, he allowed his natural abilities to surface. Black veins crawled up his arm, snaking toward his fingertips. His nails elongated slightly, becoming sharper. A faint, pulsing energy—black with streaks of red—gathered at his fingertips.It wasn't overwhelming in force, but its properties were sharp and focused—ideal for precise applications.
"This energy... it's not strong in force, but its properties might be perfect for this." His voice was low, thoughtful.
Grimblaze, watching from the corner, squinted suspiciously. "Are you sure this is a good idea, boss? You're not gonna blow us up again, right?"
"Stay quiet, or I'll use you as a stabilizer," Emperal shot back with a smirk, his confidence returning.
Grimblaze huffed and crossed his stubby legs. "Fine, fine. But if you make another mess, I will laugh first."
Emperal's smirk deepened as he refocused on the task. The materials hovered once more, his newfound strategy giving him renewed hope. This time, he was determined to succeed.
…
After countless hours of trial and error, filled with fleeting moments of frustration and determination, Emperal finally succeeded. As the swirling materials within the cauldron stilled, a single pill emerged, resting at the center of the cooled vessel. Its surface was smooth and gleaming, but its appearance was anything but ordinary—it radiated an ominous aura.
The pill was a deep crimson streaked with veins of black that pulsed faintly, as if alive with malevolent intent. A faint, bitter scent hung in the air, sharp enough to sting his senses. Emperal reached out and held it delicately between his fingers, his heterochromatic eyes narrowing as he examined the sinister creation.
"This…" he murmured, his voice trailing off as his gaze lingered on the pill. For a moment, his usually calm demeanor faltered, his eyes widening ever so slightly in realization. He could sense it—this wasn't an enhancement pill, nor did it carry even a trace of life energy or restorative properties.
It was something entirely different.
"It's pure poison," he said quietly, his tone carrying a mix of awe and caution. The pill seemed to hum faintly in his hand, exuding an oppressive aura that hinted at its lethal potential. Its creation had been unintended, but it was a testament to the chaotic precision of his methods.
Emperal smirked, the corner of his lips curling upward. "Not what I planned," he muttered, turning the pill between his fingers, "But, we can make use of this" He thought.