Theo woke the next morning to the delightful smell of moss tea and wolf steaks. He lingered in bed for a while, blinking away the sleep and preparing for the day. Sometimes he had to brace for Tresk’s level of excitement. She elevated his mood every time he saw her. He departed the bedroom, dawn still not showing itself outside, and found her in the lab. She was humming something to herself, prodding at her pan with a wooden spoon.
“Morning,” Theo said, stretching.
“Theo! I had a dream that I killed a dragon,” Tresk said, casting a devious glance at the alchemist.
Theo couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t even know if dragons were a real thing in this world, or if the excited Marshling was making things up. “Are Assassins good at killing dragons?”
“Nope,” Tresk said. “No one kills dragons—not really. They’re giant, intelligent monsters that can level whole towns.”
Theo laughed, taking his spot at the table and pouring two cups of the brewing tea. The citrus smell flooded his nose, sending a wave of energizing warmth through his body. Their morning ritual had a way of calming him like nothing else.
“What’s your plan for the day?” Tresk asked, serving him a wolf steak on a plate. She didn’t even bother putting hers on a plate, simply grabbing it with both hands and tearing large chunks out of the still-hot thing.
Theo thought for a moment, cupping his chin in his hand and shrugging. “I need to take stock of our materials and potions. I have a feeling that I need to make a run for level 10.”
“Good idea,” Tresk said, nodding and chomping. “Luras is gonna be busy with his new project, so I’m going solo for the first time.”
“Can you handle it?” Theo asked, feeling a flash of concern ripple through his mind.
“With my new core? Yeah,” Tresk said, spitting a little steak out onto the table when she snorted. “It basically doubled my damage. If I get the drop on the monsters, anyway.”
“Good,” Theo said. “It helps that I can see your health bar.”
Theo cast his eyes out the window, idly taking bites of his food. Dawn broke over the eastern horizon, painting the area behind the Newt and Demon in a brilliant orange-purple light. The pair talked about idle things while the sun rose, Tresk finally deciding to head off for the dungeon. She promised to take it easy, but the alchemist was still worried. He understood so little about the way dungeons worked. Even her class was a bit of a mystery to him, but he made her promise to take extra healing potions.
“You worry too much,” Tresk said, pressing her forehead against his before departing.
Theo watched her go, wincing at the sight of it. She couldn’t have been better prepared, but it was still hard. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for gear for her. That made him realize that his experience with adventurer gear was lacking. He checked the dimensional crate upstairs, finding a healthy supply of essences related to the tannery process. He also had a small amount of [Moss Nettle], [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], and a few [Widow Lilies]. Downstairs in the shop, there were a few potions but nothing in bulk. 15 [Lesser Healing Potions], 7 [Lesser Barkskin Potions], 50 [Cleansing Scrub], 100 [Lesser Stamina Potions], and a handful of [Lesser Potions of Purification].
He stayed there for some time, planning a route through the town to collect more ingredients. The longer he stayed, the more he felt like something was missing. The alchemist poked his head out of the door, peering up and down the street, before finally putting his finger on what was wrong. Azrug hadn’t shown up, even though he’d been arriving at the store early lately. Theo locked the shop up, ensuring the sign was set to “Closed”, and walked down to Perg’s tannery. He couldn’t help but marvel at how nice the new road was, grinning to himself as he arrived.
Perg’s tannery changed considerably. It was no longer a roving workshop, open to the air and falling apart. It was now a squat stone building with a wooden roof, displaying several chimney stacks on top. Theo whistled his approval, approaching the thick oaken door and knocking twice. He realized it was the first time he didn’t find the Half-Ogre woman simply standing outside, as though she were waiting for him.
“Theo!” Perg said, arriving at the door with a grin on her face. “Get in here.”
Theo was dragged inside by the arm, stumbling over himself as the woman gestured broadly. The interior of the new tannery was clean and organized. Shallow recesses in the floorboards sat under the things he thought were chimneys. They were vents to whisk away the foul air, sending it skyward. A small bed sat in the corner, as well as a modest eating area.
“This is great,” Theo said, taking in the place. “This is really streamlined.”
“Just wait until I get some upgrades,” Perg said, beaming. “Well, I’m sure people in town are going to be happy.”
“Why’s that?” Theo asked.
“Well, have you ever noticed how the southern section of Broken Tusk doesn’t have any houses?” Perg asked. “That’s because the tannery stunk so bad. People are going to buy property here, now.”
“I guess it’s my job to sell that property to them,” Theo said with a laugh. “Yeah, I don’t know anyone who wants the scent of death in their house all day.”
“That’s a thing of the past,” Perg said, waving a dismissive hand. “Not that I have to tell you. But this is a proper tannery, now.”
Theo walked around the interior. It was bare, but then again it was a level 1 core building. It would only grow as she fed it monster cores, and if the alchemist’s intuition was right, their business would boom in the coming months.
“Did Luras plant his building, yet?” Theo asked.
“Yeah, it’s taking time,” Perg said. “I talked to Ziz yesterday. He’s excited about the quarry. Says he’s gonna be rich.”
“By Broken Tusk standards, yeah,” Theo said, laughing. “He lucked out. The place we picked for the quarry has some rare stone. Fenian is sending a merchant to check it out.”
“Trade routes,” Perg said, nodding. “That Fenian Elf bought all my hides last time he was here.”
“He’s a nice guy,” Theo said, shrugging. He almost forgot the reason he came down this way to begin with. “Hey, have you heard anything about Azrug?”
“I’ve been too busy with this,” Perg said, gesturing vaguely at the tannery. “His house is up by the farm.”
“Yeah, I think I remember,” Theo said, knitting his brow. “Hold on—what was his surname?”
“Slug,” Perg said.
Theo shook his head, summoning his administrator map and locating a parcel labeled “The Slug Family”.
“There it is,” Theo said. “I’m going to check on him… make sure everything is okay.”
“Are you worried?” Perg asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I’m always worried,” Theo said, scoffing.
“You’re like everyone’s mother,” Perg said.
Theo waved her off, shaking his head. “See ya.”
Theo made his way north, to the town square. He wondered if Miana had a core that let her know every time he was near, because she popped her head out of her house and scowled at him. “Theo! A word,” she said.
The alchemist went over and sighed. “What is it, Miana?”
“Good work,” she said, giving him an approving nod. “I need to have a word with you later, but you look busy.”
“Okay,” Theo said. “Hopefully it’s nothing bad.”
“Of course not,” Miana said, scowling. She snapped the door shut before he could get another word in.
“Rude,” Theo said, departing.
He found his way up to the base of the farmer’s hill, ducking east into the tangle of rotting homes. He spotted Xam, the proprietor of the Marsh Wolf Tavern, standing outside of a home. Theo double-checked his administrator map, confirming that she was standing outside of the Slug residence. The moment she spotted him, she had a pained look on her face. As he approached, she managed a weak smile that dropped Theo’s heart into the pit of his stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Theo asked. His mind reeled with possibilities. If Azrug was sick, he could distill a potion to help him. The [Purifying Essence] could have a lot of uses he hadn’t explored yet. But the soft smile that spread across Xam’s face dismissed all the panic. She placed her hand on his shoulder and laughed.
“You’re funny,” she said. “He’s not sick or hurt. I was going to send someone to tell you, but… well, here you are.”
“What happened?”
“He’s getting his cores,” Xam said, smiling. “It’s a painful process, but it usually happens when someone comes of age. Azrug is still too young, but… well, we think working in your shop pushed him along.”
A pang of guilt spread through Theo’s gut. “I’m so sorry,” he said, grimacing. “I thought giving him a job would help—”
Xam held out a silencing hand, shaking her head. “No, it’s a good thing. It was going to happen, eventually. When a transformation happens early, it usually means he found what he wants to do.”
Theo breathed a sigh of relief. The moment Azrug didn’t show up to the shop, he had a horrible feeling in his stomach that the boy was injured. The alchemist didn’t even consider that people would get their cores in adolescence—there was just too much about this world that he didn’t know. As long as Azrug was safe, he was happy.
“Can I see him?” Theo asked.
“No,” Xam said, shaking her head. A pained smile played across her face. “If he sees you, he’s going to want to run the shop. I already lied and told him that Tresk was working the shop today.”
Theo nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. Listen, if he needs anything, just let me know.”
“I will,” Xam said. “He should be fine tomorrow… Well, he’s going to be insufferable. Bragging about whatever special cores he gets.”
Theo opened his inventory, withdrawing a single silver coin. He didn’t know what kind of celebration people in Broken Tusk would have for a kid getting their cores, but he knew the best present. Money. He handed the coin over to Xam, which she refused to take.
“For his ascension into a core user,” Theo said. “I’ll hand it to him personally if you don’t take it.”
Xam snatched the coin out of his hand and grinned. “You’re too nice to this kid.”
“I know,” Theo said, turning on the spot. “See you, Xam.”
Theo made his way north from the farmer’s hill, tracking a path through the forest. He couldn’t get his mind off the excitement of Azrug getting his cores, but did his best to focus on his herbalism. His [Drogramath Alchemy Knife] increased the rate he could harvest reagents significantly. The gentle ping of energy that washed over the ground revealed things he would have missed before. Those things growing deep underground were tempting to dig up, but they were too deep to access easily.
The alchemist focused on reagents that he could sell in his shop and bolster his Tara’hek’s prowess. He spent the morning collecting [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], [Widow Lily], and [Water Lily]. The effort earned him a sizeable chunk of experience in his [Drogramath Herbalism Core], but it still lagged behind his alchemy core. The advantage the new knife gave him was in volume. Compared to life before the new tool, he was collecting double the ingredients in the same amount of time.
Theo noticed Tresk’s health bar shoot down by a quarter, hover there for a while, then rocket back up to full. He breathed a sigh of relief, finding it hard not to send her a panic message into her mind. Any break in her concentration might spell disaster, and he didn’t want to interrupt her.
I’m fine, Tresk said after a moment. In case you’re freaking out back in town.
I was, Theo said, laughing. What happened?
That Troll got the drop on me—well, he’s dead now, Tresk said, giggling. They’re just so big and stupid!
The early morning gave way to the blistering sun, burning away the low-hanging fog of the swamp. Theo made his way back to the shop, intent on brewing potions and tending to any customers. He rounded the corner, dripping some [Cleansing Scrub] on himself before stepping foot on the stone path. He spotted someone standing patiently outside of the store, his arms folded and tail swishing. After a moment he recognized the man as Zan’kir, the Khahari adventurer who inquired about a house earlier.
“Zan’kir,” Theo said, waving at the man. He relied on his high [Wisdom] skill to remember the name, a feat he could never have done on Earth. “What brings you back to Broken Tusk?”
Zan’kir grinned, gesturing toward the shop. “I have a tale to tell.”