Sunrise Alchemist, Ch 3: Unexpected Company (Patreon)

The trip out of the tunnel was much easier than the one in. All he had to do was walk straight through. On the way, he spent a few moments studying the Emerald Dragon Soul Space as he put some herbs inside. They disappeared from his hand in a swirl of subtle green energy.

The interior of the space was a swirling mist filled with loose and harmonious natural energy. Emerald dragons were known for their affinity to wood and stone, and this space was attuned to both elements. There was no need to give the herbs a garden bed to grow in. The energy inside was the best soil to nourish them.

With each herb he added, he could feel a drain on his energy, and he eventually reached his limit with two dozen herbs. There was more space left, but it had reached the maximum amount of energy he could provide. He would have to increase his cultivation before he could add more.

If he used lesser herbs, it would take more, but the quality of the ones he added was high, including some that were meant for the Aligned realm. He probably wouldn’t be able to increase the quality of those, but it would be a good test.

All of the herbs were well preserved and looked like they had just been harvested, but none of them were still alive. Spatial devices generally weren’t capable of storing living things. If an herb was placed inside one, its vitality would be frozen at the moment it entered. There were some special ones that could keep living herbs, but they were far beyond his current realm. He would have to find some fresh herbs if he wanted to see the difference in how they improved.

When he arrived at the end of the tunnel, the outer door was still open, and he heard the sound of quiet voices drifting toward him.

“Mom, look!” It was a young girl’s voice. From the tone, she was perhaps five or six years old. “The dragon cave is open! You told me the dragons left a long time ago! Should we go inside and see?”

“Don’t disturb the dragons by speaking too loudly, Esya,” a woman’s voice replied softly. Her voice was calm and gentle. “They have watched over our village for generations. Praying to them for rain and good harvests has brought us safety and prosperity. If the door is open, then one of the dragon spirits must have flown out to visit the fields. Now, help me place the flowers here as an offering. It’s the spring festival tomorrow, and we need to ask for good rain this season.”

Verse’s steps paused as he listened to their conversation. A faint smile crossed his lips. He could sense that neither the girl nor her mother was a cultivator, but everyone had some natural qi that they gathered just by living. The mother was at the third level of Qi Gathering and the girl was at the first.

With a flicker of jade essence, he surrounded himself in an illusion that blended into the world, making himself invisible. Then he walked out of the tunnel.

Outside, on the slope where he’d opened the door, a slender woman with dark hair flowing down her back and a little girl that looked very similar to her were standing with armloads of red and yellow flowers. One by one, they were placing them on the grass in a design that looked like flowing rain clouds.

It was surprising that a village remembered the dragons who used to visit here after all this time, and more surprising that they worshiped them for good luck. The old presence of the Emerald Hall must have turned into a local legend.

There was no need to show himself here, since it would only disrupt their lives. But he’d left the entrance open and  now he needed to close it. The only way to do that was by calling on his bloodline energy. He didn’t want to do that while they were here, so he sat down on a rock to the side to meditate.

Once they left, he could close the door. If they heard the roar from that, it would probably give rise to a new legend about the day the dragon cave opened, but hopefully, no one would pay too much attention to the rumors from a small village.

As he waited, he let his spiritual sense roam around the area, stretching it out to his maximum range of half a kilometer. The sun on the slope was warm and the scent of grass and flowers carried on the wind. Time flowed past as he sat there, and when he opened his eyes again, it was to see the woman and her daughter heading back down the slope of the mountain.

What he didn’t expect was to see a small green creature with emerald eyes staring at him from a rock in front of him. It was about the size of a cat and it looked like a tiny dragon with a slender scaled body in rippling shades of green that made it blend into the grass behind it.

Its features were finely sculpted and proud, and its eyes held a fierce intelligence as they focused on him. It had triangular ears with serrated edges like leaves, two translucent wings that were tucked back along its sides, four legs that ended in clever-looking little claws, and a long tail with a leaf-shaped tip that was also serrated.

As the grass around it wavered in the wind, its scales rippled through shades of green to match, giving it a nearly perfect natural camouflage. In his spiritual sense, it was like it wasn’t even there. It was no surprise it had been able to sneak up on him.

Overall, it reminded him of nothing so much as a cat who was trying to decide if he’d be a good toy.

“Oh, it’s a wood elemental,” the shrine laughed in Verse’s mind as he noticed the creature. He identified it before Verse could, and the humor in his voice was obvious. “I’m glad those little fellows are still around. They always liked finding dragons. They’re Wood-aligned creatures, so your elemental affinities are appealing. It probably sensed your bloodline and came to investigate. Be nice to it. They’re incredibly clever, but very shy. Some people think of them as good luck.”

“A wood elemental?” Verse asked curiously as he held himself still. “I’ve never seen that type of creature before. It looks like a small dragon. Or maybe a dragon mixed with a cat.”

“They’re one of the oldest races in the world,” the shrine explained, “created from the natural daos themselves as the world gave birth to life. They’ve been around at least as long as the Elder Races. They’re hard to find, but they were never very strong. That little fellow looks cute, but he could be several thousand years old. It’s hard to tell with them.

“My old master used to say they had good sense in copying dragons, since dragons have the best of all bodies, but he might have been biased. Wood elementals are different from other nature spirits. They tend to live in small groups and they’re pretty social when they aren’t threatened. If this one shows up from time to time, it might be why the villagers remember the dragons.”

“You think it’s drawn to the bloodline energy that’s in the Emerald Hall?” Verse asked as he studied the little creature.

It was cute, and the more he looked at it, the more he could see how its body mimicked a leaf, especially its ears and the tip of its tail. Even looking straight at it, he still couldn’t sense it. It blended perfectly into the world. It was a great natural defense.

“Probably,” the shrine agreed. “They’re nearly impossible to discover unless they want to be seen, but they’ve always been drawn to dragons who share their affinities. It’s no surprise that it turned up when it sensed you. It’s harmless. Try giving it some food. They like herbs with spiritual energy, so they can be expensive to feed, which is why some alchemists used to think they were pests, but maybe it’ll bring you good luck.”

Verse held eye contact with the wood elemental as he held out his hand. Instead of reaching into his spatial bracelet or the ring he wore on that hand, he summoned an herb from his new soul space.

It was a Pineheart Grass, a fairly common but useful herb for a pill that would help Essence Condensation cultivators restore their qi. It had five green heart-shaped leaves with bright blue tips that extended from a central stem.

Before he could fully extend his hand, however, the wood elemental was simply gone. The Pineheart Grass sat untouched on his palm. A sense of loss made him frown as he looked around, but the elemental was nowhere to be seen.

“It must have been too shy,” he said regretfully. He wouldn’t have minded some company.

“Don’t speak too soon,” the shrine said with a chuckle. “Look to your right. Slowly.”

Verse held his body still as he turned his head to the right. He was expecting to see the wood elemental on the other side of the slope, perhaps on a rock, but much to his surprise he saw two bright ears staring back at him from his own shoulder. The elemental was only a few inches away from his face.

Before he could raise his hand, the elemental flowed away like the wind, twisting around his wrist as it moved to the herb. It was so light that it barely felt like anything was there. The only sign was a current of air and the slight prick of its tiny claws as it held onto his arm. It paused and tilted its head as it studied the Pineheart Grass.

It reached out with a small claw and picked the grass up. It scrunched its nose and sniffed at it, and then both it and the herb were gone. The only sign of its departure was a breeze that hadn’t been there before.

“Behind you,” the shrine offered helpfully as Verse looked around.

When he turned, he saw the elemental stuffing the last of the herb into its mouth, which was full of tiny leaf-shaped fangs. It saw him watching and let out a pleased sound that was part hiss and part trill. Then it turned into a streak of green as it appeared on his shoulder again.

This time, it was holding out a small claw to him.

Verse chuckled as he pulled another herb out of his spatial bracelet and offered it to the elemental. This one was a Red Nettle Leaf, a useful herb to stop blood loss. As soon as it appeared, it was gone again, snatched away by the elemental who had darted down his arm faster than he could see.

Then it was back on his shoulder with the leaf held between its claws as it munched on it. It looked happy enough there. It only watched him out of the corner of its eye as it kept most of its attention on his hand where the herbs had appeared.

“Good luck getting rid of it now,” the shrine laughed. “It likes you or it wouldn’t be sitting on your shoulder. No surprise, since it probably hasn’t seen anyone with your affinities before.”
Verse chuckled as he studied the elemental. He wouldn’t mind the company if it wanted to follow him around. Feeding it herbs all of the time might be expensive, but he had quite a few and he’d just gained an ability to grow more.

Not to mention, it could clearly fend for itself if it needed to. He wasn’t sure what realm it was in, but he doubted there was anyone in the province capable of catching it. Its ability to hide its presence and its speed were strong natural defenses.

He offered it another herb as he turned his attention to the door into the Emerald Hall. If the fellow wanted to follow him, it could, but he had work to do now. While he was playing with it, the woman and her daughter had disappeared down the slope. They were far enough away now that he could close it without too much trouble.

With a deep breath, he gathered energy into his lungs. Then he focused on the door as he let out a low roar. The sound rolled across the slope like thunder as the door into the cave slowly closed. A pleased chirp came from the elemental on his shoulder as it reached out and tugged on his ear with a tiny claw.

On the ground in front of the cave, the flowers left behind by the woman and her daughter fluttered in the wind, forming abstract patterns that aligned with the energy radiating from the stone. When they settled again, they were all placed in straight lines at the same slight angle, like they’d been arranged by a magnet.

There was a mystery of natural energy there and Verse’s brow furrowed as he stared at the design. When he looked over, the elemental’s head was tilted and there was a curious glint in its eyes as it also stared at the design. Then it turned its head toward his hand and chirped again, expectantly.

He spent a moment memorizing the pattern, and then he offered the elemental another herb, which disappeared just as quickly as the previous ones. After finishing off the herb, the elemental twined around the back of his neck. He felt its claws pricking at his skin as it shifted around on his shoulders.

Its body shrank until it was hidden in his hair, all except for its tail that curled around his left ear to keep its place, and its nose that poked out beneath his right ear. Its weight was unnoticeable. The only trace of its presence was the grip of its tail and the slight prick of its claws as it held on. Then it closed its eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He reached up to scratch between its ears, which it allowed for a moment, but then it nipped at his finger. Its teeth were like tiny needles as it chewed on his hand, but it didn’t leave its spot. It seemed like it planned to come along. He chuckled as he pulled his hand free. Its teeth hadn’t broken his skin.

He wasn’t sure how intelligent the wood elemental was, but he had the feeling it was far from simple. He’d just been thinking earlier that he wished his friends were around. Perhaps this fellow would keep things interesting. It was free to hang out for as long as it liked.

After he made sure the door was closed, he walked off the cliff and into the air. Far below, he could see the woman and her daughter staring at the peak of the mountain. Their eyes were wide as they looked for dragons in the sky, but his presence was still invisible to them.

It took him a moment to get around to the far side of the hall, but before long he turned east toward Boreas. It was time to find the Azurewind Guard outpost.

*****

A week of steady flight later, a large city built of emerald-hued stones came into sight on the horizon. He caught sight of the massive gate that marked the entrance and adjusted his path to head toward it.

Boreas was the capital city of a middle province and it was much larger than his old home at Whitestone. It should have plenty of shops and resources to browse through. He was looking forward to finding an inn with good food and wine. After that, he could find out where the Azurewind Guard outpost was located.

Unlike most cities in the empire, Boreas was run by a council of both humans and non-humans, mostly a mix of humans, dwarves, giantkin, and fire sylphs. As a result, it was a very free city as long as you didn’t disturb the peace. People came here from across the empire to trade and look for opportunities. They also worked to harvest the valuable resources that were abundant here.

The geography of the city was unique. It was situated between a volcanic plain on one side and a jungle on the other. The plain was marked by volcanic vents and mines that held many different types of spirit stones and rare ores; while the jungle sprawled for hundreds of miles in a tangle of enormous, obsidian-barked trees until it reached the far side of the province.

With such a good environment, the city was rich in earth, wood, and fire energy, which made it an ideal place for alchemy and herbalism.

As he approached the towering gates, there was a line of other cultivators waiting to enter. He studied them for a moment before he flew down and took his own place in line. It looked like it wouldn’t take too long to get through the gates.

The line moved along at a good clip, so while he was waiting he turned his attention to the wood elemental that was still hiding under his hair. It had barely changed its position over the last week except to wake up and demand more food once a day, which it did by tugging on his ear with a claw. From the way it was snoozing there, it seemed to be enjoying the trip. Now and then, there was a tiny rustling sound from it like forest leaves.

The elemental was an interesting creature. The more he studied it, the more he could see traces of a deeper meaning to the lines of its scales and leaf-shaped ears. The shrine had said the elementals were born directly from the natural dao of the world, so it was a pure representation of the meaning of Wood.

It especially seemed to like his emerald flames. The only time it was really awake was when he was practicing with them. It watched in fascination as the streams of fire flowed around him as he worked on his control.

Once, it tried to mimic him when he breathed out flames. Its chest swelled up and it let out a rumbling burp ten times larger than its body. Its breath smelled like cut grass and loam. He patted it on the head now as he waited in line. It lazily opened one eye as it studied his hand. Then it closed it again, apparently in approval, which was progress.

“You could form a spirit contract with it,” the shrine suggested. It wasn’t the first time this week. It had become more annoyed with the elemental every day that it didn’t do anything and this was its latest suggestion for how to put it to good use. “It would help you advance in the Dao of Wood. It’s a pure expression of nature. That’s one reason some dragons kept them around.”

“There’s no need for that,” Verse replied as he shook his head. “It would limit its future. If it wants to stick around, that’s up to it. I should give it a name though. What do you think about Leaf?”

“Elementals have their own names,” the shrine said with a grumble. “Don’t believe its act. It’s as smart as most humans. If it wants to tell you its name, it will. The only reason it hasn’t spoken yet is because it’s the laziest elemental I’ve ever seen. I think the only reason it decided to visit was that it smelled all the herbs on you and wanted a free lunch. Good luck getting it to leave your shoulder.”

“It doesn’t have to do anything,” Verse said with a laugh as he rubbed the elemental’s head again. This time it got a quiet hiss of approval. “It’s like a pet cat. This is the best life. What else do you expect from it?”

“Ungrateful herb thief,” the shrine complained. “You’re supposed to save those herbs for training. At the very least, it should pay for its upkeep.”

“It’s only eating the lesser ones,” Verse replied. “I should be able to get some more here.”

He wasn’t rich in cultivator terms, but he wasn’t poor either. He had thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones and just over a thousand medium-grade ones. Each of those held as much energy as ten low grade ones, but the energy was purer. They were more useful for cultivation and for formations, so the actual price was higher, sometimes up to double or triple. No one traded them that easily.

He also had 90 high-grade spirit stones, which were even rarer and in high demand. They had a hundred times the energy of a low-grade stone and the cost was even more extreme, between 5,000 to 10,000 low-grade stones each. They were a great supplement to cultivation with extremely pure spiritual energy and any formation that used them was more stable as a result.

They’d come from where the shrine was buried. He used to have more, but he’d used up over half of them with his last breakthrough. He needed to save the rest for special circumstances, so he didn’t include them in his funds.

Dragons took a lot of energy for their breakthroughs.

One of the reasons he wanted to pursue alchemy was so he could make his own pills and prepare for each step of the way. He needed ten times the spiritual energy a regular cultivator did to feed the black hole of his body.

While he had enough money that most cultivators would have felt comfortable, it was a drop in the bucket of what he expected to use in the future. Alchemy was a demanding profession that ate spirit stones like water, but it was one that could make it even faster.

If you were good.

It all boiled down to your failure rate. Sometimes, materials for a single pill recipe could bankrupt you, but if it made even two or three pills, you could make back thirty times as much as you’d spent. It depended on how badly people wanted it.

And if you had the ability to make them pay for it instead of just stealing it. The world wasn’t the safest place for rare items. Plans for how to get started in alchemy ran through Verse’s mind as he approached the gate.

It was the first of the shrine’s arts that he planned to tap into. Ironically, the second one the shrine wanted to teach him, formations, was even more expensive. At least the Dao of the Stars might be cheap, even if it took a while to learn.

The guard at the gate was a stocky dwarf who was indifferent to the line of cultivators coming through. When Verse’s turn came, he just grunted and silently pointed at a stone stele to one side of the gate that had a detection formation inscribed onto it.

Verse placed his palm at the center of the formation, and the stone hummed as energy flowed through it. It was like a cool stream flowing over his skin, and it was a lot weaker than he’d expected. With this level of detection, anyone at the middle of Essence Condensation could probably hide their secrets.

The reason for that was easy to understand, however. It cost spirit stones to run a formation. One at this level was cheap. A stronger one would be expensive. The city was taking a pragmatic approach to visitors. If there was someone strong who was trying to sneak in, they probably had other ways of finding them.

As the stele continued to scan him, the formation reached the seal of the Imperial Knights on his right shoulder. Immediately, a golden beam flared to life above the stele and shot into the air like a beacon. It hummed with a pleasant energy.

The dwarf’s eyes widened as he turned toward the stele to check the result, and then he quickly bowed to Verse.

“Welcome to Boreas, Imperial Knight,” he said. His voice was gruff, but polite. “Do you mind telling me your title, so I can record your arrival? And how long you‘ll be staying?”

“Verse, Knight of the Crimson Sunset, originally from Whitestone,” Verse replied easily. “And I don’t know yet. I plan to do some alchemy work here.”

“Got it,” the dwarf rumbled as he marked something onto a smaller formation plate in his hand. “I’ve notified the city of your arrival, and alerted the magistrates to your presence. Take this medallion. You might get a request for assistance while you’re here. If so, it would be nice if you’d answer it.” He held out a polished black jade disk that was strung on a simple cord. “That has a map of the city and a bit of useful information in it, and it marks you as an honored guest, with the full protection of the city laws, just like a citizen. Try not to lose it.

“As for alchemy, you’ll want one of the guild inns, a private residence, or to rent a cultivation chamber. Guild probably has the best rates.” With that, the dwarf gave him a nod and stopped speaking.

“Thank you,” Verse replied. As soon as he took the medallion, the guard waved him into the city. His manner was polite, but brusque, and his eyes were already fixed on the next one in line. It was probably more than he’d said all day.

The elemental on his shoulder was effectively invisible and hadn’t gotten the guard’s attention, nor triggered the formation. Verse scratched the scales on the top of its head before he looked down the street in front of him.

The gate opened onto a massive courtyard that was full of shops, stalls, and people passing by. It was so densely populated that it was hard to make out everything inside, but it was full of the smell of roasted meats, fresh bread, fruit, and scented things.

A surge of excitement went through him as he took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling. Then he checked the map inside the jade medallion and made a decision.

“It looks like the alchemists are this way,” he said as he headed through the crowd toward the guild section of the city. As he passed through the courtyard, the scent of roasted meat came to him again, this time enough to make him stop in his tracks as he searched for the origin of the tantalizing smell. A rumble went through his stomach, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in a while. “But first, lunch.”