Seeds of Discordia

“God damn I’m so sore,” Liam complained as he opened the door to the Bubbling Potion.

For the past few hours, he trained with Nabal on trying to memorize the movements needed to land the two Dagger Weapon Arts.

Since he wasn’t able to learn the Weapon Arts as actual skills, he needed to learn how to land them through reflex and muscle memory alone. Since he didn’t have anyone to train these skills around his level on, he had to practice on Nabal himself. Even though it was Nabal’s idea, he still wasn’t going to allow any half-baked attempts.

Any mistakes or obvious attempts Liam made, Nabal responded with a punch to his gut or a chop to his head. The hits Liam took weren’t soft either. They hurt like crazy when he landed them.

The crazy training wasn’t all bad though. He was able to learn from his mistakes and landed some a small handful of times. Not only that, but some of his sub-stats leveled up a couple of times from the training.

He looked over the sub-stats that grew and smiled.

 

---

“Body Attribute Constitution Sub-stat Resilience level 12! Progression to Level 13: 32%.”

“Body Attribute Dexterity Sub-stat Agility level 14! Progression to Level 15: 42%.”

“Body Attribute Dexterity Sub-stat Fine Motor level 14! Progression to Level 15: 2%.”

“Body Attribute Dexterity Sub-stat Reflex level 15! Progression to Level 16: 0%.”

“Body Attribute Endurance Sub-stat Stamina Endurance level 12! Progression to Level 13: 92%.”

“Body Attribute Endurance Sub-stat Body Endurance level 12! Progression to Level 13: 12%.”

“Mind Attribute Wisdom Sub-stat Physical Practicality level 14! Progression to Level 15: 9%.”

“Spirit Attribute Luck Sub-stat Lucky Break level 13! Progression to Level 14: 0%.”

“Spirit Attribute Recovery Sub-stat HP Recovery level 10! Progression to Level 11: 40%.”

“Spirit Attribute Recovery Sub-stat Stamina Recovery level 13! Progression to Level 14: 0%.”

“Spirit Attribute Will Sub-stat Will Power level 13! Progression to Level 14: 0%.”

“Weapon Skills Dagger level 14! Progression to level 15: 9%.”

---

 

When Menara said he was a bit eccentric when he’s motivated, I wasn’t expecting that eccentric. Liam thought as he closed his character profile. Still though, that was very insightful. If I keep this up, then maybe I can master the arts. Maybe I can ask him next time if he knows any Throwing Weapon Arts.

Liam shook his head before muttering as he opened the door to the lab, “One thing at a time Liam.”

As he closed the door behind him Galin popped his head up from writing something down on and said, “Oh Liam. I didn’t know you were going to be coming by tonight.”

Liam gave Galin a wave as he stated, “Alicia is supposed to help me with some Poison Crafting tonight.”

“Ah,” Galin responded. “It might be a good minute then. I think she went to take on the fourth Floor in her Dungeon today.”

“Oh?” Liam replied with a raised brow.

He remembered Phorge mentioning that something special happens on that floor. With a curious mind he asked, “What’s so special about that floor?”

Galin looked back at him. “You haven’t attempted it yet?”

Liam shook his head.

“That would make sense since you haven’t asked yet,” Galin said with a furrowed brow.

“Ask what?” Liam questioned, confused and curious.

Galin waved his hand in the air. “I’m afraid I can’t say anything. Until you get through that floor, no one will tell you. A special kind of magic prevents anyone from saying anything.”

“That’s lame,” Liam frowned.

After saying that, memories of his conversation with Fia earlier surfaced in his mind. He looked down at the floor as he thought, How should I approach this? Should I even ask him? What if he’s friends with the guy?

The last thought was a possibility, but Liam didn’t feel like it was right.

Well, there’s only one way to find out. Liam thought. He went to say something but stopped as the door to the store swung open.

“I’m back!” Alicia announced loudly with a wide grin on her face.

“Oh?” Galin expressed with a look of interest as he stared at Alicia. “I see you managed to make it pass the fourth floor. Congratulations! Not only that but you….and you’re a….”

Liam’s body froze as he stared at Alicia and Galin. He rubbed a finger in both of his ears and tried to listen again.

Alicia spun around and was talking merrily with Galin, but some of their words were soundless. He tried to read their lips, but for some reason they were moving too fast for him to understand what they were saying.

Alicia turned to look at him and saw the confused expression on him.

“What’s wrong Liam?” Alicia asked.

“Ah you must be experiencing the effects of Info Block,” Galin started.

“Info Block?” Alicia and Liam questioned as they turned to face him.

“Yes,” Galin continued. “Remember when I said that I couldn’t say anything and until you get through the fourth floor no one will tell you?”

“Yeah,” Liam replied. “You said that a special kind of magic prevents anyone from saying anything.”

“Yes. That magic is a spell called Info Block.” Galin started to explain. “It’s a Divine spell that is placed on people to block their senses from hearing, reading, or seeing things that is designated.”

Liam nodded at the explanation. “That makes sense. That explains why I wasn’t able to hear anything you guys were saying. Also, when I tried to read your lips it looked like you were in an Asian drama that was never properly fixed after making it English dubbed.”

“Really?” Alicia asked as her eyes lit up. “I love those dramas. The story lines were always so attention grabbing.”

Liam let out a laugh. “I can agree that some were, but I prefer animes with English subtitles. English actors’ ad libs way too much in English dub shows.”

Alicia let out a laugh too as she said, “Ain’t that the truth. Sure, some worked out great, but most were just plain horrible.”

Galin stared at them with a confused look. “What are you guys talking about?”

Alicia and Liam looked at him. They forgot that not everyone came from their world and wouldn’t understand what they were talking about.

“Something from our world, never mind it,” Liam stated with a playful grin.

“You guys came from the same world?” Galin asked.

Alicia nodded as she said, “Yeah we found out not too long ago.”

“That must be nice,” Galin stated, deciding not to push it any further. “So, like I said earlier, if you want to know what we were talking about you’ll have to take on the fourth floor to get the spell placed upon you lifted.”

Liam frowned as a question popped in his head. “Why have the spell placed on us in the first place?”

“It’s so you don’t get overwhelmed with too much,” Galin responded. “The amount of things you still don’t know about this world is vast. So, in order to not lose track of things the spell is placed upon you so you can focus on the basics first and then focus on more later.”

Alicia and Liam nodded at Galin’s explanation.

Liam frowned. “I can understand it, but it still sucks.”

“Oh?” Alicia started with a playful tone. “Are you truly curious as to what we were talking about? So much so that you stared at my lips to try and understand?”

Liam eyed her. “If you put it like that, that just makes me sound like a creeper.”

Alicia laughed again. “Oh, you can be sometimes with the way you stared at things.”

“Well, that’s just rude,” Liam said with mock hurt.

“Putting that aside for now,” Alicia started. “Are you ready to learn how to craft poisons?”

Liam stared at her for a moment. He really wanted to know what they were talking about, but it didn’t seem like he was going to get any answers. He nodded and said, “Yeah, I am ready.”

“Ok,” Alicia said as she started for the door that read Poison Room. “Follow me and remember to put the proper equipment on.”

Liam nodded as he followed her.

“Since we’re going to be in a room full of poisonous air, we need to make sure that nothing harmful gets inside our airways,” Alicia started to explain as she handed him a pair of gloves. “The room filters the poison in the air through a magical filter that is way too hard for me to explain. However, we are still going to need to protect ourselves.”

When they approached the door Alicia grabbed two gas masks that were hanging next to it.

The design reminded Liam of a tactical gas mask with two circular filtration sections were the mouth would be, clear eye pieces and straps to make it tightly fit against the front part of the face.

After Liam grabbed it, he noticed two small holes on the back side of the circular filtration sections. They looked like you could place something in them, but he wasn’t sure what would be placed there.

“What are these holes for?” Liam questioned as he pointed to them.

“Those holes are there for us to put these vials into them,” Alicia answered as she pulled out two vials of transparent blue liquid. “This is a potion called Toxin Cleanse. This is to keep any poison that accidentally gets inside the mask cleansed and doesn’t enter our system. It also keeps the air we breathe within the mask is fresh.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Liam said as he grabbed the two vials from Alicia and inserted them into the holes. He then placed the mask on his face and felt how tight it was.

It was a bit nerve wracking at how tight it felt and almost made him start to feel claustrophobic at first, but after breathing in a couple of times the Toxin Cleanse started to flow through making him feel like he wasn’t wearing the mask at all.

“This potion is amazing,” Liam said sounding shocked.

“Right?” Alicia smiled through her mask. “Now that were prepared let’s go in.”

Liam nodded as they entered through the open door.

As they entered Liam noticed the difference from the lab they were in to the one they entered.

If he could compare the two, the room they left felt like a modern chemistry lab while this one felt like an archaic witch’s room.

Several cauldrons were spaced out on different tables with books next to them. Against one wall sat containers with dried out herbs and plants on shelves. A small box filled with weirdly colored looking mushrooms and plants growing in soil sat on tables pushed up against another wall.

There were familiar tools from the previous room that were also on tables. For example, there were cucurbits, but instead of them rounding down they pointed up.

I wonder if that is to catch smoke or vapor? Liam thought as he grew curious.

Alicia took them to an empty cauldron in the middle of the room. It was the size of a large cooking pot.

“Ok, let’s start with some of the basics,” Alicia started as she turned to Liam. “Poison Crafting, like magic, is vast and numerous. There are many different types made, produced, grown, etcetera. However, to best organize them, they are separated into three categories and three forms. The categories are Toxins, Nerve agents, and Chemical. The three forms are Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous.”

Liam pulled out his notebook and started writing.

“I won’t go into all of them today so I’ll only focus on the one you will learn to make. Toxins,” Alicia continued. “The Toxin category is broken down into types. They are Corrosive, Irritant, Neurotic, and Asphyxiate. Each type has different uses and has different forms.”

Liam nodded as he continued to write.

Alicia lifted her index finger. “Corrosive is a type of poison which if in contact with skin, or ingested, will start to erode whatever biological structure it touches.”

She lifted her middle finger. “Irritant is a type of poison that can cause irritation, pain, or even vomiting. These type of poisons are used to distract enemies.”

As her ring finger was raised, she added, “Neurotic is a type of poison that targets and affects different parts of a target’s central nervous system. They can be slow to affect an enemy but if left alone, the target will lose their ability to move or whatever the affect is meant to target.”

“The last one is Asphyxiate,” Alicia stated as her pinky lifted. “Asphyxiate is a type of poison that interferes with oxygen intake. It is usually a colorless and odorless gas-like poison.”

“Interesting,” Liam stated as he caught up with what she said. “So, which of the four toxins am I going to focus on first?”

“I’ll teach you the easiest one out of the four, Corrosive,” Alicia replied. “Now I want to get this cleared up before you go making any mistakes. Corrosive toxins are not, and I repeat, are not the same as corrosion chemicals.”

“What do you mean by that?” Liam asked with a confused expression.

“What I mean is, don’t go throwing a corrosive toxin against armor or architectural structs,” Alicia said with a straight face. “The corrosive toxins are meant for skin and internal organs. In the Chemical Category you will learn how to make a corrosive acid.”

Liam gave her a nod, but then noticed a slightly embarrassed look on Alicia’s face. With a playful smile on his face he asked, “Did you throw a corrosive toxin on someone’s armor?”

“No,” Alicia quickly squeaked. She then coughed to correct the volume of her voice as she repeated, “No.”

“Are you…,” Liam started to say.

“Moving on now,” Alicia interrupted, sounding a bit flustered. “To make any type of poison you’ll need knowledge.” She lifted up the book that was lying next to the cauldron. “This book is comprised of recipes, plants, and animals. It talks about what each ingredient has to offer and their uses and how they correspond when mixed with other ingredients.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Liam said as he stared at the book. He went to reach for it, but Alicia pulled it away from his grasp. He gave her an irritated and confused look as he asked, “What gives?”

“I won’t let you read it for your first attempt,” Alicia started to explain. “I want you to try this through my instructions only and watch the process happen.”

Liam frowned, but accepted what she was saying. He liked the hands on trial and error approach better. “Ok, so what do I need to do first?”

“Grab five empty small extract vials and five stems of Blister Hogweed,” Alicia explained. “Get the extraction process going for those.”

Liam nodded and did what he was told. He found the stems placed in a small container that was sitting on a shelf.

The stem of a Blister Hogweed was almost the length of the vial. It was a light green in color and had several small white hairs covering the stem.

After getting the stems in the vials and adding water to them, he corked the tops and let them sit. He then asked, “What else?”

“Next grab seven stems of Stinger Nettle and do the extraction process with them as well.” Alicia stated. She then added as she watched Liam reach out for the item, “Be careful when you grab it. The thorns are long and sharp enough to pierce through the gloves. And trust me you do not want to have that poke you.”

Liam retracted his hand after hearing what she said.

After looking at the material he noticed the curved thorn that resembled a bee or a wasp’s stinger.

 “Thanks for the warning,” Liam called out as he carefully pulled out seven of the Stinger Nettle stems one at a time. He studied the items as they went through the extraction process.

Unlike how the extractions went when making health potions these ones came out different. The Weak Shallow Bell and Weak Minty Shallow Bell extract came out a solid color.

The Blister Hogweed extract was a sickly green with light purple swirling around in the middle as the stems dissolved. The Stinger Nettle turned the liquid into a darker green with spots of dark purple floating throughout the vial.

“While those are extracting, go ahead and fill about a third of this cauldron with water,” Alicia instructed. “After you do that grab ten vials of Weak Snake Venom.”

“Ten vials?” Liam repeated.

Alicia nodded as she said, “Yes, ten vials. It’ll make sense when we start mixing everything.”

“Ok,” Liam said sounding a little skeptical.

After he finished pouring in the water a chime echoed in his mind as notifications appeared.

 

---

“Congratulations! You have made Weak Blister Hogweed Extract!”

“Congratulations! You have made Weak Stinger Nettle Extract!”

“Congratulations! Alchemy skill Extract has reached level 12! Progression to level 13: 5%!”

“Congratulations! Production Craft Alchemy has reached level 12! Progression to level 13: 5%!”

---

 

Liam smiled as he looked at the Vial holder where the Extracts were standing. “Looks like they are ready,” Liam said as he grabbed the holder and brought them over to the cauldron.

“Okay so this is where things get a bit tricky,” Alicia started as she looked at Liam. “This isn’t like making Weak Health Potions.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked.

“Well, if I were to differentiate the process of making Weak Health Potions and Poisons,” Alicia started to explain. “Weak Health Potions is a hands off method and poisons are a more hands on method.”

Liam raised an eyebrow at her as he still wasn’t sure what she meant.

“What?” Alicia asked as she placed a hand on her hip. “Still confused?”

“Yeah,” Liam said.

“Ok, how about this,” Alicia attempted once more. “When you make a Weak Health Potion you basically make the extracts and then watch it distill afterwards, right?”

Liam nodded.

“When you make any type of poisons there are more steps involved,” Alicia continued. “You have to add each ingredient one at a time, stir them inside the cauldron while you do that and use mana channeling to slowly blend them together.”

“Oh?” Liam said as he started to understand what she meant about the hands off and hands on method.

“You have to make sure the ingredients are blended together, or it will become immiscible like oil and water,” Alicia warned. “And if that happens then the ingredients become useless, and you’ll have to try again.”

“So, this is one of those things you can’t learn until you have mana channeling?” Liam stated. “No wonder you were adamant about me learning that ability.”

“Exactly,” Alicia smiled. “Now, are you ready to try this out?”

Liam grinned as excitement grew within in. This is a challenge I’m ready to take on.

Alicia handed him a wooden spoon and instructed, “Now pour in two vials of Stinger Nettle Extract, two vials of Weak Snake Venom, and one vial of Blister Hogweed. After you pour the last of the vials channel your mana through the spoon and slowly stir.”

“Ok,” Liam said as he did as he was told.

After he poured in the vials, he activated his Mana Sight and started channeling mana through the wooden spoon.

He stared at the cauldron and noticed three different colors vibrate in the water. One was a sickly green. Liam recognized it as the Blister Hogweed extract.

The second color was a darker green that looked like it was trying to overpower the sickly green color. This had to be the Stinger Nettle Extract.

The last was a dark purple color. Compared to the other two colors, this one looked like it was a predator waiting for two of its prey to wear themselves down before striking.

As his mana began to pour into the water, he felt something he hadn’t when he used this method with the bone smelting. He felt the ingredients fight back against his mana like they were a living thing.

“What the…,” Liam said with surprise.

“You noticed, didn’t you?” Alicia stated.

“What do you mean?” Liam asked.

“Potions are willing to work with you, while poisons are willing to fight back,” Alicia said. “If you easy up at any moment or lower your guard they will overcome your mana and refuse to blend together.”

Liam looked at her wide eyed. “So, what you’re saying is…its like a battle for control? My mana versus their will to not blend together?”

Alicia nodded. “Now…are you one to let these ingredients overpower you?”

Liam felt excitement pulse through his veins. Fighting against ingredients? How absurd is that? I knew this was going to be a challenge, but God damn. This is going to be one hell of a fight.

He gave Alicia a wild grin as he replied, “No ingredients is going to get the best of me.”