It turned out that I gained a significant boost of… something, because upon exiting the F-ranked spiritual room, I felt great. Only a couple of hours had passed and the others, including Chenzu, Ronica, Nuwa, Iris, Kelvin, and Milia were actually waiting for me. The apprentices still practiced, though instead of their secondary specialties, they were working on potions with ingredients gathered on their own. Seeing this felt humbling and even Opal watched with interest, though she seemed to have no advice to give the redhead, potions likely being far above her paygrade.
“Why’s everyone gathered here? Looking to give it a shot?” I said. Since I had no choice but to admit internally that the hero’s party were almost friends, I’d consider allowing them to meditate inside.
“We actually came over to play,” Ronica said.
“You were hoping to get invited to dinner after hearing the Red Star express how much she wanted another burger,” Kelvin said. “Whatever that is.”
“It sounds tasty,” Ronica said, folding her arms. “Didn’t you see the drooling in her eyes? Manthis said it was the best form of simple food he’d ever eaten.”
“Yeah, no, bring the ingredients and we’ll talk,” I said. “Maybe tomorrow or something. We just ate burgers, and they’re not something to eat every day, anyway.”
Milia nodded in agreement, no doubt the healthiest person among us by far. She’d probably get a kick out of my fast-food addiction from a few years ago.
Ronica pouted, only relenting when my expression grew serious.
“Everyone, gather, I need to explain what I saw,” I said. “You don’t want to miss this.”
After explaining the events of the spiritual room, I headed back into the lab, leaving them to ponder. There was no doubt the driver of the carriage had to be what one could describe as a monster. I had no plans to start a fight with anyone, not as a goddamn shop owner and potion maker, but the system seemed to imply that battle would occur.
I needed to prepare as best as I could and the only way I knew was through that of potions. Flavors may be the only way to get an advantage over an overwhelming opponent. That or simply allow a repeat of what happened with the Black Knight, learning basically nothing. I didn’t want to drink the summoning potion, not even as a last resort. Being out for six days might only be the surface damage of the price I’d pay for each time I consumed it. What if my spirit got damaged?
“Maybe the battle won’t be physical,” I said. Unfortunately, my mind and paranoia refused to let me be that optimistic. Abruptly, a prompt I hadn’t seen in a while popped into my mind’s eye.
[New listing added, Potion of Clarity.]
Kelvin turned to the others after Nate left them to think about the vision he witnessed while in the mysterious crystal red brick building. They really did come to spend time with him, though the man wondered if Nate actually considered them associates at the very least. Nate never wanted anything from them, but also didn’t appear to mind their company. Perhaps in due time.
The fact that he shared such an important insight with them strongly indicated a friendly view. Honestly, Kelvin and the others couldn’t help but be drawn to Nate. No one had ever treated them like people after the hero’s party titles. They were simply known as legends. Kelvin the Blizzard Sword, Ronica the Phoenix Magician, Nuwa the Goddess Healer, Maxus the Darkness, Iris the Heavenly Bow, and leading the party of elites, Ramon Thunderblade, the hero. From there, they were forced to actually be heroic, though Kelvin only felt as if the party was no more than the Lord Ruler’s second set of elites. In fact, he wanted to nurture them into his shadows. Maybe it would’ve worked if the hero’s party had subservient personalities. He chuckled at the thought of someone trying to get Ronica to go to bed early or Iris to stop complaining about everything. What about Maxus’s bizarre habit of flipping that damn copper every time he needed to calm his nerves? How would they deal with the individual secrets? Not even Kelvin knew what his party members carried inside, though whatever Ronica potentially kept bottled scared him. Then again, he knew Nuwa was likely carrying enough sealed darkness to turn day into night. Healers were extremely rare, and Kelvin could only shudder at her being leashed if the capital managed to catch them.
This ordeal was why the hero’s party never accepted new members, though they could only dream of Nate joining or allowing them to apprentice under him. Of course, they still learned as much as possible simply by being near the man. The party didn’t have any crazy affection for him or anything, just respect. While Ronica joked around a bit too much, it was simply her personality, not something like love or lust. Ramon aside, the rest of the hero’s party actually respected the value of someone’s courtship and following marriage. Then again, in another circumstance, if Nate were a single man, someone would try to become his cultivation partner. Anti-fraternization rules be damned.
“He truly has no idea,” Kelvin said softly. Even Nate’s apprentices were paying attention, for what they saw while Nate was in the red building would be engraved into their minds forever.
Kelvin recalled approaching with the others and the beastkin just a bit. The golden, no, the divine light that shined around the building, the halo that appeared, the feeling of hope and comfort to the point that it brought everyone in the area to tears. A woman’s voice whispered to them.
“Hope is not lost.”
If this couldn’t convince anyone to question the origins of the person who walked into the house, nothing could. They tried asking Milia, someone who was divine herself, but she only shook her head. Whether she knew anything or not didn’t matter if Wanda didn’t allow the dryad to speak the world’s truths.
“Wanda’s bottom nerves, just what kind of potion maker is he?” Chenzu asked. “Is it really a coincidence that we’re all here? The hero’s party, apprentices with boundless potential, Milia. I’m not sure why I’m here.”
“Don’t forget Alexander’s coming,” Iris said.
“Wait, but no one’s ever seen him take a step outside of his home,” Nuwa said. “At least according to the rumors. You know how famous people act.”
“That’s because his family requires him to come of age before he’s allowed to leave,” Ronica said. “A dumb rule, and I support him running away.”
Kelvin glanced back at the red building again. He doubted that strange phenomenon would happen if any of them went inside, including Ramon Thunderblade, the world’s hero himself.
“Do you think it’s possible to arrange a spar between Ramon and Nate?” Kelvin asked.
Iris’s eyes widened. “Absolutely not! This isn’t a thought I’d expect from you, of all people. What are you thinking?”
Kelvin blinked at being told off like that by the elf woman. She told him about their previous fight, but the man wasn’t around to witness a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. Apparently Ramon even went all out, activating his hero’s soul ability. Not that it helped him.
“It’s not to start trouble or anything,” he said, though most of that was directed at Milia, whose stare felt like giant swords. “Ramon’s the hero, right? Beyond the title, he possesses the hero’s soul, an ability only capable of being earned in Wanda’s trial, according to the bishop.”
“You really should be careful with the church,” Ronica said, shaking her head.
Not even Nuwa objected to the small woman’s words, knowing the organization was far more dangerous than the generous people they presented themselves as.
“You want to gauge the difference,” Milia said flatly, “but you do not need a fight for that. Do you naturally feel Ramon’s presence as an infinite tidal wave of energy so pure it may as well not belong to this world?”
Understanding dawned in Kelvin’s eyes and he bowed to the dryad in thanks. “I apologize for my rudeness.”
She smiled. “It’s okay. Just hold onto the feeling of comfort presented by that aberration. Maybe it’s right. Hope isn’t lost.”
Kelvin could tell Ronica didn’t seem all too convinced, not that he could blame her. They’ve seen the Peace Spawner with their own eyes. A man merged with the abyss itself.
I glanced at Cheetara, who meowed adorably as I examined the required ingredients to make the potion of clarity. Once again, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder and excitement at the challenge of successfully making a new potion. One that would be profitable, of course. I wasn’t under any kind of illusion when it came to the price of running a business, paying my staff, hiring new staff, going on dungeon dives, taking care of the family—which included the pets, of course—and progressing things forward.
The assassin and Black Knight’s money would easily keep operations going for a while, but not indefinitely.
[Potion of Clarity. Consuming a medium bottle of this will clear your mind and increase the chances of you gaining insight. Warning: this is a highly valuable potion. Magicians will likely do whatever it takes to extract this recipe from you.]
[To create this, you will need 5 Underwater Emblem herbs, 1 mix of Blood Lightning potion, 1 bottle of purified water, Underwater Emblem berries, and 10 pieces of random edible herbs. Mix it with pure water, then allow to sit for at least a day.]
“Underwater Emblem herbs and berries. Is this a coincidence? Well, I can’t do much until I make the water breathing potion.” I sighed, petting Cheetara. “Alright, fine, you can come join us for the walk.” Cheetara meowed again. “Sure, Beakwing can come too.”
Milia ended up joining us at my request. Despite being late afternoon, falling into the evening, I wasn’t the slightest bit worried. If the darkness of the night caught us, we’d simply drink a night vision potion.
Watching their excitement and even running with them from time to time felt like therapy. Who would’ve known not having TV for months was actually a good thing?
We took the western path, of course, which led toward the village a couple of days away. When I found a decent stopping point an hour and a half into the walk, I truly gazed at the vast grasslands, mixed with a few hills, and surrounded by forest. Holding Milia’s hand, we all watched the sunset.
The plan to catch such an amazing sight came as a last-minute thought. Gazing from our vantage point on a hill, we watched as the dark orange ball of life descended just like Earth’s own sun. The size was somewhat similar, but I’d never truly know without finding someone studying the stars. Perhaps there awaited magic and potions that relied on starlight?
I looked at Milia, who gazed back and she wordlessly beckoned me on. I pulled her in, never growing tired of kissing her. It didn’t take long for Cheetara to groan. Beakwing snorted and I felt the amusement in it. Wolverine panted, tail wagging, and when the two moons appeared in the darkening sky, he let out a howl of victory.
“He’s such a good boy,” I said, petting my wolf as he snuggled into my leg.
“Yes, he is,” Milia agreed. “Cutie.” She held out her arms and the kitten jumped into them, probably happy to no longer walk. Not that she walked the entire way.
Rather than walk back or drink night vision potions, we hopped onto Beakwing. Funny enough, it was at the griffin’s insistence. I wasn’t sure if he detected anything, but we had to humor him anyway.
Or not deny a gift horse. You take a guess.
The next morning before opening the shop, we had a group training session. Chenzu, experience with magic, helped teach. I took a second, harsher, private session from Milia for another hour.
After everyone cleaned up, we brewed the first batch. Gwendolyn and her husband Manthis stopped by to say their goodbyes and soon we found ourselves with a long line of customers.
That was when I felt a sense of danger outside. Not the guests I expected, but something coming from the forest.
As Best Buddy sold what he called potions to his subjects, Wolverine patrolled the yard, his nose testing the winds of fate for any possible bad people. The distant sound of the shiny neighing giants faded from his powerful ears as Mandi’s kin disappeared.
A sense of strangeness muddled his senses before he leapt onto the roof and away from the weird bird below.
Wolverine didn’t so much as growl, knowing the scary elicrone would enjoy it. He looked for Sir Bright, deciding that having some shielding around would be nice. It took only moments to locate the plump bird. Suddenly, a kitten landed in front of the sunlight wolf.
“Dread it, run from it, destiny still arrives, Big Brother Woofy,” Cheetara said, snuggling into him.
Wolverine sighed, wondering if she managed to crack the code behind his master’s wisdom. Best Buddy was a cryptic powerful being with words that mere disciples like them could never understand, not with years of studying under him.
Suddenly, the winds of fate changed as the wolf sensed danger. Turning to the forest, he growled, his fur standing straight up, his aura emitting a pressure that weighed upon Best Buddy’s subjects below. Cheetara stood at Wolverine’s side, strands of power spiraling around her like swirls of the cosmos. Even Beakwing stood, and the elicrones turned to the forest as well.
A coyote emerged moments later, walking as if he was king of everything. If that was all, Wolverine would simply lie back down and zone it out, as a mortal beast could be dealt with by even the humans below.
It was roughly Wolverine’s size with silverish fur and strange glowing runes all over its body. Its eyes reminded him of fire as they glowed red.
“I’ll handle it,” Wolverine said as he leapt from the top of the house, landing in front of the intruder.
The coyote seemed surprised to see the sunlight wolf, its eyes wide.
“Ah, so traveling out this far from the holy grounds of the Axem brings me to this land of colors and pitiful humans. Well, there are a few scary ones inside that we were warned to avoid a month ago. I still don’t see why the holy grounds were created here in the first place.”
Wolverine tilted his head, confused, but he didn’t let down his guard in the slightest. “Who are you? Why are you here? Lady Milia’s forest has no coyotes.”
“Ah, so you know what I am, good, you’re young, but seem a bit wise,” the coyote said. “I am simply called Mudwater. Calm yourself, little one. A softie such as yourself couldn’t possibly touch me, and I certainly didn’t come here to waste my time fighting weaklings.” He shuddered when he looked at Disciple Beakwing Wingy. “Or big shot griffins. Wait a minute, what the rabbit meat is a griffin doing all the way out here?” He scanned the area, as if searching for more griffins. “And he’s gotten to enjoy my master’s generous protection, not hunted in the slightest.” His ears raised as he growled. “A correction must be made, that’s right. A correction. If the master finds out that a griffin, something not on his access list, has entered his forest or thrived on his lands, he may eradicate the entire area out of spite. It is up to me! Yes, me and I shall be guaranteed food for days.”
By this time, Wolverine had pulled a ludicrous amount of mana into his body and without hesitation, lurched at Mudwater with a mana-infused claw swipe, knocking the coyote several meters backward, through trees, until the coyote landed in the middle of a clearing.
“You dare insult Disciple Beakwing Wingy,” Wolverine snapped. “Know your place! This is Best Buddy’s land!”
Mudwater barked viciously as he stood up, powerful red aura surrounding him.
“An attack capable of breaking through my guard like it doesn’t exist. This… this should be impossible. Just what kind of mana does he possess?”
Wolverine moved toward his foe and both canines growled before the fight began in earnest. They exchanged bites, claws, and mana-infused attacks. The auras were strong enough to shake the forest, scaring some of its inhabitants into hiding.
“Not bad, not bad,” Mudwater said. “I was wrong about you being soft. What is your name, wolf?”
“Wolverine. Remember that name in the afterlife.”
Wolverine allowed the mana he accumulated within to escape from his mouth, unleashing a bright beam as bright as the sun. His Sunlight Flash.
But the coyote refused to simply go down. He also conjured up powerful magic from his mouth and, less than a breath later, released a red beam of energy which collided with Wolverine’s attack.
The powerful beams of mana battled each other through a bout of supremacy, neither backing down. Mudwater’s strength made it clear that he had broken through to the S-rank some time ago, allowing him to combat Wolverine as an equal.
However, not every S-ranked spirit, magical, or demon beast was the same. Mudwater was a demonic beast, but unlike his demonic monster brethren, he mostly held some of the benefits of a spirit beast as well as the intelligence and awareness.
Suddenly the beams exploded, amassing a shockwave that flung both Mudwater and Wolverine away like discarded, rotten fruit.
Both canines got to their feet, auras soaring like mountains of fire as they prepared to commence further battle.
Wolverine refused to lose to this arrogant mutt that dared insult his fellow disciple. Which also meant insulting the sunlight woof, Disciple Cheetara Cutie, Sir Bright and Lady Feathers, soul kin Chenzu, and even Lady Milia and his master.
Anyone daring to dishonor them was courting death!
