36. Departure at dusk (Patreon)

"Let me get this straight, the potion puts you, in this instance me, into a coma of sorts. Then for almost five days, I will experience constant nightmares featuring the things I fear the most." Tercius said.

"That is correct. Why did you have to repeat what I just said? " Seliana asked.

"…And even if you did not develop a new skill in quite some time, it's not guaranteed for the one who took the potion to get a skill," Tercius repeated, more for himself, than for Seliana. For me the chances could even be worse, considering my predicament. he complained internally.

"Again correct. The currently accepted success rate is one in four." Seliana said. "Although I know of one woman who drank the potion eight times in a row before she succeeded in gaining the skill, and she told that her last skill was over three years old."

Tercius looked at her in disbelief. "Do you know of any other method?" Just imagining that he would have to spend five days in God knows what nightmare his potion-addled, internet-fueled mind might conjure made his whole body shiver. And if I have to do it more than once…

Seliana seemed to give it some thought. "Maybe try to find a Psionic Serpent. Those can be found on some islands to the east. It's a creature that has some kind of Mind magic, although they are a bit rare nowadays. It attacks from ambush with a blast of its magic, and from the rare survivor, we know that these attacks manifest as screams in the victim's head. Then once you finally fall unconscious, it swallows you whole. Every single one of these documented survivors had a skill, like the one you desire, developed within the following year."

Maybe the potion is not so bad, after all… he thought.

"I don't know, I will have to think about this," he said slowly.

"But that is if you go for a skill. There are charms, a kind of a trinket with a spell on it, that serve the same purpose, but those are not nearly as effective as a skill would be." Seliana finished.

The woman was resting on her bed as they talked, and Tercius had to observe how much of an improvement Seliana made since her surgery five days ago. The pale and pasty skin she had when he saw her for the first time was gone, her eyes regaining the speed of movement they lacked. No more coughs or pain of any kind tormented her, and only the healer's orders still kept her in bed. But even that was soon to change.

Everyone was there when Seliana awoke, right around the same time as Zephyr set sail for Lissea. Thirsty, hungry, disoriented, and most of all in an utter state of disbelief.

Since then Tercius and Lux had stayed at their place, while Seliana recuperated. Servants of noble families of Tripatis and even some nobles themselves came in the meantime, seeking Seliana to come and work for them. Some of them came in a friendly manner, offering money and protection, and with those Seliana herself dealt with. She kept trying to convince them that she had done nothing to prompt such a reaction from the potion, and to no one's surprise, not one did actually believe her. Others came in a more aggressive approach, which his uncle handled. Nothing major so far, but Tercius expected that to change soon.

After all, what those healers and his uncle have seen, was something that should not have happened. And now everyone thought that Seliana’s potions were able to raise the dead. The tongues were wagging, the healer who took care of Seliana told them, in the small healer community.

Right now, as Tercius and Seliana spoke, and Penelope prepared for the journey, Lux was out and arranging a way out of the city for all of them.

"Right now, even if I reveal who I am, it would be of no help." his uncle told him the previous day after the fourth unannounced visitor graced the humble abode and was promptly thrown out black and blue. "It would only inflame them."

So Tercius was now on alert, his sword near his hand at all times. Four mercenaries his uncle hired were downstairs and gently sending everyone the other way.

As the night approached, they all knew that the time to go was nearing, as Lux told them to be prepared to move as soon as possible, and carry only what they can on themselves. Some of Seliana's most prized possessions, namely the potion making table, equipment, and other, more robust, personal effects were brought away by his uncle's mysterious organization members.

The room was mostly the same, with Seliana and Penelope choosing to leave most of it behind.

Tercius heard the wooden steps creak as one of the mercenaries came up and only his shaggy head, which reminded Tercius of Neiran's own, was visible above the floor level. "I don't think we can deal with this one by ourselves." the mercenary said.

Tercius inhaled and slowly exhaled through his nose. He knew that it was only a matter of time before someone high up came over, and all of them wanted to leave after the first incident, but the healer was adamant. Seliana had to stay in bed for at least four days.

"Coming," Tercius said to the man, who promptly nodded and went back down.

"If it's someone too important, send him up," Seliana said from the bed, as she sank back into the fold of the sheets, her face already set up for the act she played so much these days.

"Will do," he said.

Tercius now had two small daggers in holders under his new shirt, fastened to his belt. Still, he brought the sword and placed it at the bottom stair, right next to the door. One can never be too careful. he reasoned.

As Tercius opened the door, he saw that all four mercenaries were holding a hand on their own weapon of choice, and the guards who came in with the actual visitor did the same.

Their visitor this time had a light blue toga on, with a rather large symbol of some bird with its wings wide open on his breast, which declared him as a servant of that particular family. If he had been a member instead of wearing it embroiled on the cloth, it would have been a pendant or a brooch. The man had a slight smile on his fox-like face, a perpetual smirk, over which the man's eagle-like eyes observed Tercius as he stepped through the door.

"Good evening, how may I help you?" he asked.

"We came looking for The Alchemist, a woman by the name of Seliana. I am a personal manservant of the Governor of this city, his eminence Lord Canus. Is it possible to talk to the woman in question?" the man asked amicably, and Tercius immediately disliked the man. The amicable ones always turned out the most despicable, or at least the trend went that way so far.

Why couldn’t he be a straightforward blockhead? he lamented.

"Mistress is in but is currently resting. You see, the mistress had a most difficult week behind her, and is still weak from the events that happened," he explained slowly to the man, trying to look the part of the servant of Seliana. Maybe get some solidarity my way? Definitely worth a try.

"Oh I am ever so terribly sorry for inconveniencing your mistress, but I merely heed orders. My own Master has ordered me to invite the esteemed Alchemist to his own home as a personal guest." the man said, the toothless smile never wavering.

"I will pass the message to my mistress," Tercius said, making a small bow, indicating a formal farewell.

"No need to be hasty my boy. If we can have a word over by the door? I will make it worth your time." the man indicated the door with two fingers, a treta between them.

Tercius smirked inwardly.

"Of course, of course." he bobbed his head, keeping his eyes on the coin like a thirsty man finding water.

"I have long respected your mistress, her potions famous in the city and wider. Her skill unparalleled. Can I ask you something?" his fingers played with the coin, and Tercius followed it like a cat seeing her next meal. "But it has to stay between us. Is that…agreeable?"

Suddenly another coin joined the first one, and Tercius opened his eyes even wider and started nodding. "It is."

"Good boy." the man said and handed the two coins to Tercius while whispering: "There is more where those came from."

"I heard some rumors about your mistress some people are spreading around, and it unnerves my old heart to hear such lies." the man said while seeming both offended and angry at the same time while he shook his head this and that way, all of it for Seliana’s sake. "But to punish the wicked, I must first know the truth."

The man leaned in, his eyes looking this and that way, then whispered: "There are those who think your mistress was merely pretending with her illness, saying that she merely acted. That she lied so that she could use her recovery as a means to get people to buy her potions. I believe in your mistress, and I believe that she was truly ill. But you. You know. So tell me. Tell me and I will make those doubters eat their words. Don’t you want to punish those who doubt your mistress?"

"Who? Who is saying such foul lies?" Tercius demanded, raising his voice a little and the man immediately looked over Tercius’s shoulder and raised his hand where another coin found its place.

"All sorts of bad folks, so I need to know to clear her name, otherwise her fine reputation will be black and marred. She might even be forced to stop making potions and lose all of her money. You know what that means, don’t you? You might lose your job, she won’t be able to pay you." the man said shaking his head sadly. "So tell me, and I will stop them."

"What do you want to know, just ask. I will tell you what I know." Tercius said, his eyes no longer following the money but staring unblinking into the man’s eyes.

"Was she ill?"

"My poor mistress was ill for months, never getting off the bed. Mistress would cough and cough, scream in pain at times, she did. Rarely sleep, she did. That is why the mistress took me in, she needed someone to help around the house. My mistress has a daughter, but she is a small wee thing, not capable of doing some of the work required." Tercius said. Everyone agreed that a large part of the truth was the best way forward when it came to situations like now.

"And she made those potions?"

"That she did. But now those damn healers make up all kinds of stories. They say that mistress died. Ha, as if. I saw it with my own two eyes, I did. There were no such things as some of the stories I hear. Today at the market I heard someone said that mistress burned with a healing fire and got up with her chest open."

"So what happened? You were there when she was healed?" the man asked, wide-eyed and suddenly so close that Tercius could smell his breath.

"Nothing but what the healers told us that would happen. Everything went as it should. Where these rumors came from, I know not. But if I get my hands on the one who started them…" Tercius clenched his fist in front of the man's face, partially as an act, and partially as he tried to get the man's smelly mug away from his nose. "And now my poor mistress had to spend even more money to hire the mercenaries to guard her while she recovers."

"I see." the man stepped away. "So a mere malicious rumor."

***

Tercius observed the Mana silhouettes leave, and only then did he return upstairs, finding out that his uncle was already back. It had long ago stopped surprising him when his uncle appeared out of nowhere.

"Did they leave?" Lux asked him.

Tercius merely nodded and went to get his backpack.

"Anyone lingering around?" his uncle asked.

"Two in that house that Penelope mentioned the other day. You know, the one where the owner was away." Tercius answered. "But other than that, no one stuck around for long."

"Seliana, you can cut the act. Go take your stuff, we leave now. Little Penelope, get yours too." Lux instructed, and Seliana got out of bed putting on her clothes as fast as she could. Penelope insisted on bringing the two caged animals with them, but Lux did not allow it. As a compromise, they were sent with the other belongings towards Lissea, where all of them were headed for.

Even now, a day later, Penelope still sent questioning glances at Tercius and Amber because of it.

"I would have liked to leave under the cover of night, but we need to move now. No time to wait." Lux said.

Two elders, a man, and a woman and two youngsters, a boy, and a girl were prepared in moments and descended to the ground floor. Accompanying them was a small river lioness, held tightly in the boys arms.

"You will stay in the house until the morning, then you are free. Your money awaits with Fierce Eyed Man. If someone attacks, escape, do not fight." Lux said.

"It was a pleasure, sir." the leader said, and his fellows followed in giving their own goodbye.

"You wait here." his uncle said addressing the three of them.

Lux dashed upstairs and after a few moments returned to the sound of a moving wagon made its way down the cobbled street.

"Get ready," Lux said, one hand holding the door handle.

As the wagon passed by their door, they heard the horses get restless, and the wagon stopped right in from of their door. Lux opened the door, voicelessly ushering them under the raised cover of the wagon, and they heard a door close behind them. Lux offered a hand to Penelope, as Tercius and Seliana just jumped in. As soon as they were all up and the cover placed back down, the wagon resumed its movement.

For anyone observing nearby, they would have seen a covered wagon pulled by two horses passing by. It moved far too close to the houses, and for a moment it had to stop, as the horses made a fuss, then resuming its journey.

They stayed on the wagon for close to twenty minutes of perpetual silence, where the only completely calm person in sight was Lux. Slowly, Tercius tried to relax, when he observed how his uncle handled the situation.

Better keep a cool head and think your way out of a problem, than panic. he affirmed internally.

Some 30 minutes later, the wagon dropped them off in front of an unfamiliar inn and all of them observed the outer walls of Tripatis looming behind it. Quickly going into the inn, while the wagon was still there to protect them from view, they descended into the basement where a woman was waiting for them.

"This way." she inclined her head and lead them to a stone wall. "I was told there would be no need for me to open it myself."

Pointing at an area, she made a quick exit, leaving them alone.

"I guess it's my turn," Tercius said as he handed Amber over to Penelope and then cracked his fingers.

His fingers diving into the stone with no obstruction, he made a hole by taking out parts of the wall and handing them over to Lux who deposited them near their feet. Seliana and Penelope watched as the boy revealed a narrow passage, its walls made of smooth cavern-like stone. As soon as he could, Tercius hopped over to the other side and continued his efforts from there. When the hole was enough for everyone to pass through, he returned the stone wall to the pristine-looking state in which he found it.

The passage inclined gently down, his uncle leading the way forward, in his hand a pocket edition of the street lamp providing light. No one spoke a word, as they moved through the tunnel, a singular purpose in their mind.

Go through the tunnel under the wall to the slums.

Three minutes in, Tercius had to stop because Lux himself had stopped moving, and he heard his uncle knock on something made of wood. Under the light of the orb, he saw a wooden ladder that had seen better times. And the ladder was their way up.

"Tercius you go first, I am not sure if this will endure my weight. If there is anyone up there, consider them hostile." his uncle said extending a rope his way. Tercius made sure his daggers were where they were supposed to be, then took off his backpack and received the rope his uncle gave him, attaching it to his belt.

"All right," Tercius said and took his first step. Everyone heard the wood groan under his weight, and Tercius inhaled the stale air of the tunnel and then took one more step. Going up the dark hole, at every few steps he would stop, to use Mana Sight and observe the space above him. There was no one directly above him, but there were Mana silhouettes nearby. The problem with that was that he had no way of knowing if it was someone who came after them, or more likely case, that the silhouettes were slum residents.

He estimated the ladder to be some 20 meters tall, with a wooden hatch at the top of it. He opened it slowly, making sure no sound was produced in the process, putting his arms at the sides of the hole, he extracted himself and tried to find something to tie the rope to. The basement in which Tercius exited was a mess, with earth, splintered furniture, and God knows what else littering every corner of the space.

Finding nothing to which to tie the rope, he had to improvise, so he went and reinforced the stone wall near the hatch. Both of his hands dove into the stone and met somewhere in the middle, making a hand-sized tunnel, through which he tied the rope and threw the other end down the black hole.

In a minute Penelope's head popped out and he gave her a hand to get out. "Pull the rope, the backpacks are next. Be careful, Amber is on them."

After the backpacks, Seliana came up, and then they only waited for his uncle. As they waited for Lux, they heard the sound of splintering wood, and the rope, which was previously free of any tension, suddenly had a weight on its lower end.

They heard a grunting sound for a moment and then a whisper assured them that Lux was doing fine. After a moment the rope returned to its previous state, allowing them to take a breath.

"Good job," Lux whispered as he came out of the hole. "Let me have a moment, I am not as young as I look."