by Jamey Sultan
Meanwhile, James fumbled with his pouch in search of a specific item. When he was playing video games, he made a point to save his powerful items and never use them, but this was real life. He only had one chance. If he died, there wouldn’t be any coming back, so he needed to get over the video game mentality.
Step-by-step, the Eldritch Puppet closed in on them. James drew his dagger and rushed to meet it.
The creature let out a roar of challenge and ran toward James. Just as they were about to clash, James grabbed a bottle from his pouch threw it at the beast. He cast Arcane Teleport.
Time froze. James stepped out of the way of the monster and let time resume. The Flashfire bottle he’d taken from the dungeon where Ozure had been imprisoned smashed against the Eldritch Puppet’s body. There was a brief instant of surprise as the creature’s attack, which had been meant for James, connected with thin air.
Then it screamed.
Violet flames tinted with white burst to life all along its skin. These flames were nothing like Nidra’s. They greedily devoured the Eldritch Puppet in an instant before winking out of existence.
You have killed an Eldritch Puppet (Level 37).
+ 557 experience points
It was over. He’d won.
When James turned to check on Arik, he was relieved to see that the Dwarf was okay. Nidra had given him a Health Potion, and he was already back on his feet. Exhaling a sigh of relief, James pulled out some food to restore some of his Essence, then turned his attention to the garden. The strands of Eldritch energy were gone, but the malevolent feeling remained. All of the blue-green light had coalesced into a fog above a stalk of glowing green leaves.
James hesitantly stepped out into the garden, closely examined the cluster of plants that the druid had been working on, then yanked the center one out of the dirt. As soon as he’d pulled it out, a weight lifted from the air in the clearing. The ominous mist dispersed except for a small amount left hovering around the plant.
THE BEET:
Rank: Legendary
There are lots of Beets in this world, but this isn’t one of them. This is not ‘a Beet.’ This is THE BEET.
THE BEET had the same deep purple hue and shape as a typical beet from his world, except for the strange fog and evil energy it emanated. James dropped it into his pouch before he examined the rest of the plants. Although the garden was full of beets, none of the others were legendary. They were still useful, though.
Beet:
Rank: Unusual
You can feel a dark presence within this vegetable.
The ordinary beets looked just that, ordinary. They looked exactly like the beets from his world. The only difference was that when he touched them, he felt slightly uneasy. Still, he picked up all eighteen and dropped them in his pouch.
The beets had been planted together in three concentric rings that grew smaller with THE BEET in the center. A mess of crystals was set under the regular beets, with a larger crystal hidden in the earth underneath THE BEET.
James tried to pry up one of the crystals, but when he moved it, it cracked. He didn’t want to test his luck, especially with barely any Essence left, so James left the garden to examine the Druid’s corpse. Nidra took his place, examining the crystals curiously.
Whatever clothes the Druid had been wearing were in tatters and didn’t even generate a prompt when James picked them up. The only intact item he could find was something the Druid had been tinkering with at the workbench.
Infant Tamarael Staff (Broken):
Rank: Epic
A Tamarael Staff can never be crafted, only given. Each tree will only give away one staff over the millennia of its existence as a gift to the person who planted it. As the tree grows, so does the staff.
A jagged crack ran through the center of the staff, and James wondered if it had broken when they’d destroyed the Tamarael Sapling in the other clearing. James took the staff to store in his pouch in case it was valuable, even though it was broken. He hated to clutter his pouch with broken or useless objects, but he was willing to make an exception for potentially useful items.
As James touched the staff, a new notification appeared.
You have been offered a quest: Infernal Staff I
Infernal Staff I: Plant the Tamarael Seed.
Suggested level: n/a
Reward: The Tamarael Staff will be repaired
Penalty for failure or refusal: n/a.
James accepted the quest, but he wanted to do more research before deciding whether to follow through with it. Although the quest seemed harmless enough, something about the name Infernal Staff I set off warning bells in his head.
Once he’d finished scouring the clearing for useful plant items, James made his way over to the Druid’s body. This was the bit he’d been waiting for. He’d never seen anything like the Druid’s transformation, and he was interested in learning as much as he could.
Out of the corner of his eye, James could see Nidra and Arik retreating to the edge of the clearing when they realized that he was heading toward the corpse. They knew what was coming, and neither one of them wanted to be close to James when he started his butchering.
Up close, James could see that the transformation was most prominent from the neck up, so he started cutting at the shoulder, where the fur became flesh. Unlike the outside of the Druid’s body, the internal changes were much less dramatic. All of his internal organs were close enough to those of a Human, and James assumed they were typical for Elves. But as the blood vessels led away from the organs, they slowly took on an Eldritch hue. It was the same for the muscles. The deepest muscles were Human-like, while the more surface-level muscles were tainted with Eldritch energy.
“It’s like the corruption was slowly spreading into him,” James muttered. But that would only explain his outward appearance. After his transformation, the Druid had almost immediately gotten much stronger and faster. Curiously, James rifled through the Druid’s chest, careful not to destroy anything important. He found what he was looking for behind its heart.
Shattered Mana Core (Tevar):
Rank: Unique
A Mana core belonging to the Elf Tevar. This core is unique to him and can be used in a variety of ways. The core has been shattered by the Elf’s death and cannot be repaired. Any energy that it may have held is gone.
The Mana Core on its own wasn’t particularly interesting. He’d found a cracked Mana Core in every sentient that he’d dissected. What was interesting was that Tevar had transformed completely into a monster when he had died. Even the information above the Druid’s head had changed to reflect his transformation from Elf to monster.
So why did he still have a Mana Core?
Did that make him more than a monster?
What would it have done to him over time?
James wasn’t sure.
Just as he was about to start harvesting, James noticed a thin thread of Eldritch energy attached to the back of the core. Sending a puff of Mana into the core, it swirled around for a second before dispersing into thin air with each pulse. He followed the thread up Tevar’s body, cutting away anything in his way. The thread stretched from Tevar’s core up his spine and through the Foramen Magnum, the hole at the base of his skull. It disappeared there.
He didn’t usually crack open creatures’ skulls when he dissected them, but James wanted to see where the thread led.
Taking care not to be too rough, James used the pommel of his dagger to crack open the Elf’s skull. As soon as he opened it, he knew he’d found something interesting. The thread of energy wrapped its way up Tevar’s brainstem and disappeared into his brain.
Very carefully, James cut into the brain, following the thread. Then his knife hit something hard. James felt his excitement rising. His heart beat quicker in his chest, and it took work to keep his hands from shaking. Following the contours of the crystal with his dagger, James cut the brain around it. As he cut, he slipped into a state of meditative concentration.
Almost unbidden, his Essence stretched forward and surrounded the brain, guiding his hands through the delicate procedure.
Then, it was done.
You have gained the skill: Surgery.
Surgery (Skill Rank 1):
This Skill helps guide your hands as you cut into flesh. Or grapes.
Some might call what you do butchery, others art.
You have gained 3 Skill Ranks in Anatomy.
You are now Skill Rank 15.
Bits of brain were scattered all around James, but he held a small section about the size of a penny that had crystallized. It was like a petrified tree, but with a brain. Every detail was captured perfectly in clear crystal. Essence had stopped leaking from it when James cut the tendril that attached it to the core.
His hands trembled as he stared at the softly glowing crystal.
Incomplete Dungeon Core (Eldritch):
Rank: Unique
This Dungeon Core is incomplete and has lost access to the source of its energy.
There was a sharp crack, and a chip fell off of the Dungeon Core.
Would you like to consume the core and learn one of the host’s Skills, Spells, or Abilities?
More cracks spidered across the surface of the crystal. James didn’t know what to do. He wanted to study the core more, but it was breaking down in his hands. Then he remembered his pouch. The core wouldn’t break in there. He tried to shove the crystal into the pouch, but an error notification appeared.
Error: This item cannot be stored in an extraspatial environment.
Then the previous message repeated itself.
Would you like to consume the core and learn one of the host’s Skills, Spells, or Abilities?
James cursed, almost dropping the crystal. It was about to break. There was only one option. He pressed yes.
Chapter 36
The core exploded into a stream of multicolored light that surrounded James. It swirled around his head and then poured into his mind. It was over in an instant.
You have gained the skill: Herbalism.
Herbalism (Skill Rank 1):
This Skill improves your insight and understanding of how to Harvest and grow plants properly.
Any ape can pick flowers. It takes true understanding to pick them right.
You have gained 11 Skill Ranks in Herbalism (~10% of Core Host Knowledge).
You are now Skill Rank 12.
Is this cheating? This feels like cheating.
Pain lanced between James’ temples and suddenly, he knew. Visions of mistakes he’d made flashed through his head. He’d been so concerned with the final product that he’d never considered how he was treating the ingredients. He’d even read a section in Conceptual Alchemy Volume I; An Introduction to the History of System Mechanics Research that said ingredient handling was important, but he’d ignored it.
James mentally slapped himself. What was the point of reading all these books if he was just going to ignore their advice? As far as he could tell, Herbalism was to plants what Anatomy was to the body. The Skills didn’t give him specific percentage bonuses. Instead, they helped him use Harvest more intuitively.
The fact that the Druid’s Herbalism Skill had been around Rank 110 didn’t surprise James. Even though he’d leveled up an insane amount in his short time on Novis, he just hadn’t been around long enough to progress his Skills. The Druid had probably spent years raising his Herbalism Skill. This knowledge just affirmed James’ realization that he didn’t know nearly enough.
“You okay?” Nidra asked, placing her hand on James’ shoulder. Well… It was less a hand and more the tips of her fingers. He was, after all, covered with brain matter.
James shook his head to clear it and stood up. “I’m good. I just keep on realizing how much I don’t know.”
Nidra laughed. “If it makes you feel better, nobody knows much. Sure, you’re missing some common knowledge that everybody knows about, but there’s a lot to the system that nobody—except maybe the Gnomes—understands.”
Strangely, that did make James feel better. “I’m almost done here,” he said, gesturing toward the Druid’s body. “I just have a few more things to harvest, and then I’ll be good to go.”
“That’s the spirit.” Nidra slapped him on the back. “Try not to take too much longer; we need to keep searching for Lucien. Besides, I think Arik is getting bored.” She gestured at the Dwarf, who was pacing around the edge of the clearing with an annoyed look on his face.
James chuckled and nodded. “Just give me another minute.”
He went back to harvest what he could from the Druid’s body, but something had happened while he’d been preoccupied with the Dungeon Core. The corpse was gone, in its place a hissing puddle of goo and a pile of bones.
Desecrated bones:
Rank: Rare
These bones have been steeped in Eldritch Energy for so long that their original Essence is gone.
The bones were bleached white without a speck of flesh remaining. The bones did not glow individually but piled together they let off a faint light.
James added the bones to his pouch and stretched. Even though he hadn’t had a chance to cut and categorize each of the Druid’s organs, this had still been the longest he’d spent dissecting a corpse.
While James had been busy dissecting the Druid, Nidra and Arik had stripped the clearing of anything of value. They each had a treasure trove of herbs to sell along with James’ promise of a favor to be determined. For Arik, he knew it would be a dungeon dive to look for his father, but James had no idea what Nidra would ask for. Still, he considered it a win.
With the Druid gone, the dungeon was withering at an alarming rate. They quickly followed the path back through half-dead plants until they reached the road to Cherryhall. They were all in high spirits by the time they made it back to the town.
***
Early the next morning, James went to visit Katherine. He arrived just as she was opening the shop.
She greeted him with a wave, and he introduced her to Arik and Nidra, both of whom had accompanied him to her shop. They exchanged pleasantries and then entered the shop. She flipped her sign back to closed and locked the door.
“So, what happened?” Katherine asked once they were all inside. “I take it you have my BEET?”
James told her the entire story. She frowned but didn’t comment when he told her about Tevar becoming the Eldritch Puppet. Personally, James thought that was a bit cold. When she had originally given him the quest, it had seemed like he was someone she’d worked with for years, and he’d expected a bit more emotion when he told her that the Elf died.
But that was how it was in Novis. Here people not only accepted death, they accepted that it could come at any time. In fact, they almost seemed to expect an early death. Most of the people he’d seen were either young, or old and in the extreme high or low levels. He hadn’t seen many older people with middling levels, which meant that adventurers either died or got stronger.
When James got to the part about THE BEET, she grew excited. “Show me,” she said, eyes alight.
James was about to pull out of his pouch when she stopped him. “Wait,” she said and ran to a back room. There was some banging and shuffling before she returned with a sealed glass box. It had a clear gemstone about the size of James’ fist attached to the bottom inside.
Nullification Box:
Rank: Epic
Used to temporarily suppress the aura of dangerous ingredients.
Once the box was on the table, she nodded. “Drop it inside and I’ll close the lid.”
Immediately when James pulled THE BEET out of his inventory, he could feel it spreading its Eldritch energy around the room. Before it could stretch its influence too far, he dropped it into the box and Katherine slid the lid shut. A thick ethereal fog built up inside the box. When it got so thick that James could barely see THE BEET, the gemstone started to glow and funnel the fog toward itself.
“Excellent.”
Katherine’s eyes were fixed on THE BEET. “Come back in a few hours for the potion,” she said distractedly.
You have completed the quest: Help Wanted II
+ 573 experience
A Special Potion
“Actually, I was wondering if I could stay?” James asked, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Remember… We talked about you showing me a few things.”
Katherine paused and looked at James, considering his request. For a few long moments she didn’t say anything, then she nodded. “Fine. Just don’t touch anything.” She gestured at Arik and Nidra. “Are they staying too? I don’t need a damn zoo in here.”
Arik shook his head. “We just wanted to sell some herbs.”
Katherine’s eyes flashed in annoyance. “Do I look like some second-rate Alchemist?” She stomped toward Arik with her eyes ablaze. “Like someone who buys herbs from an adventurer who can’t tell the difference between an Inkberry and their own asshole?” By the end of this tirade, she was breathing heavily with a finger against his chest. She gave him one last scorching glare. “I’ll only purchase ingredients Harvested by an Adept or above.” She sniffed disdainfully. “Maybe Erin at the Lilac Cauldron will buy your… herbs.”
With that, she turned to address James. “You. Stand there.” She pointed to an out-of-the-way corner of the room. Nidra and Arik slunk away while James sat in his corner to watch her brew.
