Chapter 176: To the Cave! (1/2)
As soon as he walked in, Mike was subjected a coarse round of cursing from the store's proprietor. ”Can't ya read the sign? I'm closed! Do I need to nail the door shut…..ah, it's the miser. Well, don't just stand there. Come in and tell me what ya want. I'm sure ya didn't stop by just to visit.”
Chuckling slightly, Mike closed the door and walked up to the sales counter where Gail was practicing her craft. In front of her was a small cauldron, bubbling with a thick green fluid, which she was stirring with a large wooden spoon. Occasionally, unidentifiable chunks of something swirled to the surface before submerging once more. While this was going on, the alchemist would periodically grab a handful of dull, grey metal shavings and dump them into the pot, causing the concoction to hiss and spit for a few moments.
Mike spent a few moments simple observing a scene that could have been torn from popular culture representations of a witch, before using Appraise on the mysterious product.
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{Fortifying Brew}
Alchemical Item (Tier 2, Rank 3)
An alchemical product used to enhance the body and improve the overall health of the consumer over a long period of time. Provides a minor enhancement to Endurance for 3-5 months per dose consumed, depending on the state of the user at the time of consumption. Can be used to treat the negative side-effects of aging. Usage over a long period of time can lead to the users developing a resistance to the brew's effects.
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[Interesting. I wonder if she's making it for herself or for a customer. Now that I think about it, it would make sense if a large portion of her income came from custom or special orders. She lacks the personality to make money through walk-in sales alone.]
”Did ya just come to stare at an old woman?” She grumbled distractedly, obviously too focused on her task to really harass him.
”No, I'm actually here to buy a few things, and ask your advice regarding a couple of issues.” Mike replied quickly, while redirecting his gaze to the ill-kept shelves.
”Tch.” She clicked her tongue. ”Well, look around then. If ya find something that sparks your fancy, I might even sell it to ya.”
”For a discount, right?” He couldn't help prodding her a little.
Gail scowled, and gave him a baleful glare, ”I remember, ya jumped-up amateur.”
Chuckling again, Mike took a few minutes to gather up a small pile of materials he thought would be useful for all of his various crafting skills and deposited them on the counter. By this point Gail had finished her project, and was watching him. She eyed the pile with a suspicious look.
”These aren't for Alchemy, are they?” She asked in a serious tone.
Slightly surprised, Mike nodded. ”That's correct, how did you know?”
Grimacing, she leveled another hard glare in his direction. ”These are materials that can be used with multiple kinds of crafting. Are ya trying to master multiple skills at once? Ya think Alchemy is a game? It demands focus and discipline. If ya can't be bothered to devote yourself wholeheartedly to it, then I can't be bothered to teach ya.”
”You're going back on our agreement?” He asked, frowning.
”Screw the agreement. No disciple of mine will get away with underestimating Alchemy like this. So, get ya gone!” She growled at him. Unlike her usual unpleasantness, this tirade had the air of finality to it, as if she was really determined to push him away.
[Looks like I'm going to have to persuade her.]
He raised his hand and summoned a sphere of light and a sphere of pure shadow and set them spinning in a slow orbit. ”You question my dedication to your chosen craft. Well, let me tell you. I am not so limited that I need to focus on one thing to succeed. I am capable of more than you can imagine.”
He snuffed his display replacing it with a similar one, this time using magma and ice. ”I don't need your approval, I merely need you to continue to live up to your end of the bargain.”
Gail stared at him with an open mouth for a good dozen heartbeats, before a look of calculation displaced her shock. ”Ya have a rare or unique class. One that gives ya several slots Primary Skill and reduces the difficulties of improving them. Am I right?”
Releasing his spells, Mike didn't reply.
Apparently taking his silence as affirmation, Gail cackled. ”This changes everything, my boy. If ya can use six elemental magic skills and still have time to worry about multiple forms of crafting, then I underestimated ya. Knowing that, there are no problems continuing as we are. Now, what were yar questions?”