Celi, mine sulfur from here..." Astra commanded with short breath. They arrived at the volcano side, standing over the volcanic rock that held the materials they needed.
[Understood! Unique skill 'Master Gatherer' activated!]
Astra watched as the sulfur rose from the cracks in the rocks and disappeared into her inventory one by one, quickly moving to the next step without wasting any more time.
"They'll be here soon, so I need to hurry..." she muttered to herself. Making a mortar and pestle appear out of nowhere, she set it on a high bit of stone and started to get to work.
"Start out by separately grinding each ingredient…" Her voice was barely audible over the scraping of the pestle against the mortar, her eyes narrowing with focus. "Careful not to let even a drop mix—"
When she was done, she moved onto the next step without skipping a beat.
"I don't have any basins—so maybe a crater will do," she reasoned with herself, creating a portal halfway through the earth, which soon took a considerable chunk when it vanished. "There."
"Now, with water, you mix them all in proportion: 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, 10% sulfur," she called out one by one as they all went into the mixture, stirring carefully as the paste pushed back against her guiding hand. Her lips pursed together tighter as she continued, her slender hands flexing under each turn of her arms.
"Finally…" she murmured, wiping her brow and breaking into a soft smile. Looking on fondly at the product of her fine work "Now we let it dry..."
'They probably know I'm gone by now… If I'm thinking right, they probably went back to the village. Since I know they're here—' She thought to herself as she waited, her finger tapping against her arm in an impatient stim. 'That means my time is really limited now!'
[Gunpowder acquired!]
The words flashed in front of her worried face, snapping her back to reality with a now hopeful look in her eyes.
[New class acquired: Alchemist!]
"Alchemist…?" She looked up as she tried to remember, letting out a soft gasp as she realized. "Is this my adaptability skill?!"
[Affirmative!]
[You now have a 20% bonus proficiency on all chemical works!]
'That's going to be useful—really useful. Actually, I wonder if I can upgrade that,' Astra thought, her finger crossing her lips as she mentally paced in place. Her mind started to wander, almost forgetting the task at hand.
"Oh right! Celi, can you track the location of that Neo Wolf?" At her request, it responded in a timely manner, marking a specific part on the map just for her to see.
[Affirmative, it's currently residing within its den in a deep sleep!]
"Perfect." Astra took a deep breath, readying herself for what was to come.
The sun slowly started to rise, peeking light throughout the horizon. Astra stood above the terrain with two great pillars holding a tiny patch of earth above them, watching down as she awaited the perfect moment.
[It is done!]
Astra nodded, taking one last deep breath. With a smooth motion, she slid down the rocky terrain, coming to a stop in front of the wolf's den. The creature lay within, undisturbed. Its scent, a mix of blood and decay, filled the air.
She picked up a nearby rock and threw it at the beast. The impact made the wolf stir, its massive form rising from the shadows, its eyes locking onto hers.
"Took you long enough," Astra said, her voice calm but laced with challenge. "I was starting to think you were afraid of little old me…"
The wolf growled, baring its teeth. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it took a few steps forward.
Her voice dropped to a teasing whisper; her face smug in the eyes of the threat. "Not that you won't be soon…"
With a growl, the wolf lunged, its claws cutting through the air. Astra barely dodged, the claws grazing her arm as she sprinted forward, the beast hot on her heels.
'Perfect. Just a little more…' Astra thought, her legs pumping beneath her as she sprinted ahead desperate to see the plan through to the end.
She couldn't keep this pace for much longer, but she just needed to get the wolf to the right spot. Once we reach the pillars, Celi will drop the stones on the gunpowder, and its game over.
But before she could reach the pillars, the wolf cut her off, its massive body blocking her path. Astra skidded to a stop, her heart pounding.
It was close—too close.
The wolf's eyes gleamed with hunger, and it charged again, faster than Astra could react. She barely managed to avoid the wolf's claws, a shallow cut along her arm serving as a reminder of how close she was to being caught.
"That was close," she muttered, her breath coming in gasps as she kept running.
With the wolf closing in, Astra's legs were shaking, her stamina waning. She was almost at her limit. No. I can't afford to falter now.
The wolf lunged for her, and Astra braced herself, but instead of meeting the beast's claws, she found herself surrounded by darkness. A gigantic portal erupted from the ground beneath her feet, swallowing everything in its path.
The wolf yelped, startled, as it was sucked into the portal, only to emerge at the base of the pillars.
Astra's lips curled into a smile as she collapsed onto the ground, exhausted but victorious.
"Celi, now," she whispered, feeling the ground shake beneath her as the rocks fell onto the gunpowder, a big explosion following soon after that rang across the battlefield.
"And that's step one," she said, breathing heavily. Wiping the sweat from her forehead as the adrenaline slowly left her body
She took a deep breath, surveying the area. Subconsciously reaching for her back pocket, her hand fell flat along with her heart as she realized it wasn't there.
"What the…"