MMA: Chapter #9 (Patreon)

Opening up [Potion Crafting (Apprentice)], Alph scanned over the description of the ability.

Potion Crafting (Apprentice)

As an alchemist, you know how to combine natural materials to create potions with a variety of effects. Studying and practicing various recipes will allow you to increase your crafting proficiency, unlocking sections of your [PPS]. Each section you unlock will allow you to craft potions of that rank through your [PPS].

There are many different techniques that an alchemist can use to combine materials into potions, and each must be learned individually and practiced until mastered. As you learn each one, your proficiency with this ability will rise, unlocking more options in your [PPS].

A slight frown drifted across Alph’s face as he finished reading the ability, since it seemed to indicate that he should have already unlocked the first level of his [PPS]. Unsure what was going on, he opened up the last of his abilities to check it out.

Impromptu Mixture

While most potions require careful processing, you have learned to make an impromptu potion, using what you have readily at hand. You do not need a workstation to create a potion, but any potion created this way will be half as effective as normal. This ability will work with any potion recipe that you have memorized.

[Impromptu Mixture] was straightforward, and he imagined that it would offset much of the downsides of being tied to a specific location in the game. Currently, he had no access to a workstation, so without this ability, his class would have been next to useless. The only other ability on the class window was the mastery ability, [Horticulturist], but it was currently locked, preventing him from opening it up.

“Status.”

Name: [Alph]
Race: [Human]
Health: [100%]
Mana: [100%]
Titles: [None]
Class: [Alchemist]
Mastery: [None]
Allegiance: [None]

Abilities: [Tireless Focus], [Improved Studying], [Improved Memory], [Basic Potion Crafting], [Impromptu Mixture]

“Ahem, as I was saying, alchemy is, without question, the most powerful ability in the world.”

Snapping back to the present, Alph realized that Master Nordem was staring at him with clear annoyance. Alph had just missed the master alchemist’s entire spiel, and it was clear that the old elf could tell. Embarrassed, Alph ducked his head and hurried to agree.

“I couldn’t agree more, Master Nordem. Since we don’t handle mana directly, we can create incredibly powerful effects without needing to be able to withstand the forces involved. And, the ability to bottle those powerful effects for use at the perfect time is something that most mages could never hope to compete with.”

Snorting and rolling his eyes, it was obvious that the master alchemist recognized Alph’s words. It only made sense that he would be familiar with them, of course, since they were words that he had written in the preface to the [Herbalist’s Compendium]. Pushing himself back from the table, he gestured for Alph to follow him.

“You are clearly someone who is more interested in the practical applications of knowledge over the theoretical. That is fine. Come, there is no reason not to get started right away. I’ll show you how to make your first potion.”

“Haven’t I already made a potion?” Alph asked, shaking one of the poison filled vials at his waist.

“There is nothing magical about that poison,” the master alchemist said, shaking his head. “That is simply a terrifying mixture of toxic plants. If I’m honest, I have no idea how you made it.”

“Oh, that’s easy--”

“Hold on,” Master Nordem said, “that wasn’t an invitation for you to tell me. Let’s focus on making this potion.”

Leading Alph to a well used workbench, Master Nordem sat on the tall stool and gestured for Alph to stand next to him. There were materials that could be used for potion making scattered around the table, along with a collection of vials and beakers. Selecting two plants, the master alchemist ground them up, his hands moving with a smoothness that could only be achieved by decades of practice.

“The first recipe that you should learn is a basic health potion. This is an apprentice level potion, but don’t underestimate it. Not only is the healing effect fairly strong, but the ingredients you need to make it are simple as well. Any flower with a red petal and at least three leaves per stem will work. I prefer red trillium, as they can be found just about everywhere. As you can see, I’ve crushed the red petals and separated out the stems. We’ll mix that with a single dandelion, which you can also find everywhere.”

Scraping the mash into a bowl, Master Nordem added some water and swirled it around.

“This is called washing the mixture, and really, we’re just transferring the effect of the two materials into the water. Let’s strain it, and then we’ll pour it into its container.”

Completing the actions as he mentioned them, Master Nordem held up the red liquid that was left, showing it to Alph.

“There you go, a simple healing potion done. Easy enough, right? Want to give it a go?”

Under the alchemist’s instruction, Alph took the two plants and began to process them. First was crushing them into paste and picking out the big chunks of stem that were left. After the paste had a smooth consistency, he transferred the mixture to a bowl and poured the water in, using a swirling motion to dissolve the paste. Thin fiber threads rose to the surface of the water and he used a strainer to filter them out. Pouring the red liquid that remained into a vial, Alph put a cork in it and heard a now familiar sound.

*ding*

Potion Succeeded. Your Potion Mastery has Increased. The creation of Apprentice level potions in your Potion Production System has been unlocked.

With a shimmer, the [PPS] window appeared in front of Alph and the Apprentice level symbol glowed. The grayed out slots next to the symbol grew clear and on the other side of the window the Mash and Wash buttons lit up.

To create a potion, select the recipe you would like to use, and place the appropriate materials in the slots.

The material can be processed using the buttons on the right side of the window.

“What do you think?” Master Nordem asked, taking the potion from Alph. “Pretty simple, but don’t let the ease of this potion fool you. This barely qualifies as a healing potion. The more advanced you get, the more intricate the recipes will become, and by the time you’re a master alchemist, you’ll be using eight or more ingredients. Think you are up for it?”

Eyes shining bright, Alph nodded. He had started Nova Terra as a distraction, but somehow, had stumbled into a way of playing that was right up his alley. Alchemy was a fascinating subject, and he was excited to learn all there was to learn about it. Pleased with his response, the old alchemist patted his arm.

“Good, good. Then there is no time to waste. Your first task is to become familiar with this process and master the basics of potion creation. I’ve got three basic potions here. Health, which you’ve already made, mana, and stamina. The recipes are simple enough, but there is a third ingredient that will double the strength of the mixtures, however, it's a bit tricky to add. You have to get the timing right or it will be ruined. This is blood from a lopsy that has been treated with elderflower. If we add a drop to the recipe at the right moment, you’ll see what happens.”

Skillfully recreating the basic healing potion, Master Nordem watched the reaction carefully, waiting for just the right moment. When it came, he added the drop of blood to the mixture and stirred it vigorously. At first, Alph couldn’t see any change in the liquid but soon thick crimson threads began to spread, as if the blood had multiplied. The result was a ruby red liquid that glimmered in the light.

“Now this, this is a true apprentice level potion,” the old elf said, shaking the vial that he poured the potion into. “But if you add the blood drop too late or two early, it won’t turn out like this. Here, you try it.”

Taking the two plants, Alph added them to his mortar and used the pestle to grind them up, creating the same sort of slurry that he had made before. This time, however, after adding the water, he looked at Master Nordem.

“You’ll want to add the blood drop as soon as the two ingredients bind. You can tell when they bind by the way the fibers shift. Look, there they went. Go ahead and add the drop now.”

Dripping a single drop of crimson blood into the bowl, Alph quickly mixed it like he had seen Master Nordem do, but instead of thick, crimson lines, the entire mixture took on an ugly, brown hue.

*ding*

Potion failed.

Holding up the mixture, Master Nordem sniffed it and made a face.

“As you can see, that drop of blood was added too late. When that happens the potion will fail to come together, leaving you with this vile mixture. Learning the timing of ingredients is as important as learning the recipes themselves, but most recipes don’t have any instructions on timing and combinations, so it comes down to the individual alchemists to develop the instinct and understanding needed to properly create the recipes. I think this is enough information for you to practice with, so I’ll leave you to it. Follow me.”

Taking Alph outside, Master Nordem led the way behind his cottage to a small shed that was barely big enough for the small workbench and bed that had been crammed into it. A layer of dust covered everything, but the old elf didn’t seem to notice as he pointed at the workstation.

“This is where you’ll work. You can use this workstation, and you can sleep on the bed. Once you have five of each potion, come find me again. Oh, and you’ll be responsible for collecting all of your own materials. Here, you can look through this guide in your spare time.”

Patting Alph on the shoulder once more, Master Nordem headed back to the cottage, leaving Alph to clean up the dirty shed. There was a large water barrel next to the cottage so Alph grabbed a bucket and borrowed a cloth to begin cleaning. Wiping down the tables and chairs, he did his best to clean off the sheets on the bed and then swept the shed out. Once everything wasn’t covered in dust, he took a break to eat a bit of bread and think about his plan. So far, he had just been going along with things as they had shown up, but now he had the opportunity to apply himself to learning alchemy and he wanted to make the most of it.

His first order of business was looking through the book that Master Nordem had left with him and adding all the new information to his database. That took nearly an hour since the book was packed with notes in every margin and it took some time to organize them in a clear way. After that was organizing and washing all of the tools he would need. Alph suspected that with his [PPS] he wouldn’t actually need the equipment, but until he got the chance to test it out, he figured he might as well be prepared. Once he was satisfied with how everything was laid out, Alph left the shack and began to explore the forest nearby.

According to his map, he was currently in the Old Woods, a giant forest that stretched across the top of Rasyn. The trees were old and tall, and as he walked through mottled patterns of light, Alph could hear the hums and chirps of insects and small birds. It was quite an idyllic scene, but he knew from his earlier encounter with the wolf that the peace could be shattered in an instant. Holding his sharpened shovel in one hand and one of his poisons in the other, Alph scanned the forest floor, looking for the plants he needed. There were plants everywhere, and it didn’t take him long to build up a decent sized stock of the ingredients he needed for the three potions.

The only thing he was missing was the lopsy blood, so he stopped by the shed he was calling home to drop off the plants he had collected, and then headed south. According to one of the notes in Master Nordem’s guide, there was a large meadow to the south west, where lopsy could be found. With no idea what he was looking for, Alph stepped into the meadow as the sun was just starting to drop toward the horizon. There he found a wide open field with a dozen large, beige rabbits with huge ears and small horns on their heads.

One of the lopsy happened to look up when Alph appeared and for a moment the two of them just stared at each other. Apart from being the size of a small dog, the lopsy looked like a giant, cuddly, bunny. Surprised by how cute the creature was, Alph fidgeted with his shovel as he watched the curious creature come closer. The lopsy spread out in the meadow were nibbling on the clover, creating a heart-warming picture.

All that changed in a flash, however, as Alph stepped forward and the lopsy nearest him suddenly screeched. Heads rose and beady eyes flashed with red light as they fixed themselves on Alph. Before he could react, the closest lopsy leapt toward him, its horn glinting with light as mana flooded from it. Before he could react, the rabbit slammed into him, its horn punching a hole in his side and its skull cracking his ribs. Sent tumbling backward, Alph was barely able to keep hold of his shovel as the other monsters arrived, their mana clad horns stabbing him to death. White flashed across his vision as he appeared in the world between, unsure what had just happened.

“Did… did I just die to rabbits? Oh, no. No, no, no. I just died to a bunch of bunnies.”

Unable to accept what had just happened, Alph turned and headed for his makeshift lab. As he walked by the mirror that hung in the air he caught sight of his own face and the wild expression it carried. Alph knew that fighting wasn’t his strong point, but to have been killed by rabbits without being able to put up a fight was beyond embarrassing. It was infuriating. There was absolutely no excuse, no matter how big the rabbits might have been.

Nova Terra was not a peaceful world, and if he wanted to explore it, he was going to have to learn how to defend himself. He had tried to defend himself against the wolf, and while he had ultimately been successful, it had taken him numerous deaths to achieve it. He needed a way to defend himself in a fight so that he could avoid death. Close combat was out since his reaction time and coordination was so poor, which left fighting at range. Anger burning in his heart, Alph opened up the marketplace and began to look for a ranged weapon, eventually settling on a small crossbow. After buying the crossbow and a few bundles of bolts, he began to comb through the available materials, another idea for a ranged weapon brewing in his mind.