Wastes and Wilds Kyo 1.3

Life isn’t fair, Death is.

-Silver Empire Legion Proverb.

Kyo’s sleep was untroubled by nightmares or dreams although the darkness of pleasant sleep eventually gave way to a small room. A tiny square table separated the chair she was sitting in from that occupied by a floating blue crystal.

Kyo blinked as she realized the crystal was familiar.

The crystal floated while spinning in slow manner of blinking facets.

“I’m pretty sure I can’t talk to you…” Kyo said looking nervous. She remembered the clauses of her agreement quite well. Now that her Mind numbers were unlocked, unlike humans, she had the perfect selective memory of a Cat.

“I’m just going to offer you a small deal on the side.” the floating crystal replied after a short wait.

“Not interested.” Kyo said firmly. She didn’t know if all those clauses with the shrub were possible to enact, and she didn’t want to find out!

“You can trust me. I’m solid.” the floating blue crystal said with a singsong tone.

“That’s what the butcher Talos told Mr. Jameson right before he betrayed him to the guards on account of not getting paid enough for his choice cuts of meat. I know how this type of situation ends.” Kyo said crossing her arms.

“Oh? How does it end?” the shiny blue gem asked curiously.

“Really, really, really badly.” Kyo said giving the gem a hard stare. “I’m not risking any of my nine lives.”

“You only have one life though…” the blue gem said in confusion.

“Mr. Gretchen said cats have nine lives. I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you. Also, he buys my prey at ten percent above the market rate, so his trust level is higher than a sparkling gem that sings nicely.” Kyo said launching a critical attack of logic.

Before the sparkling blue sapphire could respond Kyo suddenly felt the weight of another presence in the room.

Behind her.

“Something wrong, Felix?” the shrub’s voice sounded behind her. Kyo didn’t turn to look behind because the voice of her Patron was much, much, much deeper than normal. It also sounded like a thousand voices compressed into one.

Kyo had the feeling if she turned around to look it would be bad.

Many nights of screaming awake level bad.

She’d had the same feeling once before and failed to listen to it.

The memory of all those coins slipping through her fingers two years ago caused her to shudder briefly in throat clenching agony. Since she had no interest in nightmare fuel, as Mr. Gretchen called such things, she kept very still in her chair. It was clear the floating blue crystal Felix couldn’t take the hint because he kept singing.

“I was just going to offer a minor blessing, no need to get testy.” the sapphire said with a depressed tone.

“Sure you were. She’s my Warlock. She follows my rules. No poaching.” Kyo heard her Patron say in a very displeased tone.

Kyo nodded, because, nodding seemed the right thing to do.

“We just want Eve awake, what if my blessing helped speed the process up!” Felix said, his blue facets flashing as his voice rose to a crescendo.

“Time is meaningless to us, and even more to Eve. We are all immortal. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, success is merely a matter of time. Do you think she would want us fighting over something so pointless?” Kudzu asked in a pointed tone.

Kyo blinked realizing her Patron was immortal. She knew that word, it meant always-having-tasty-meat for dinner according to Mr. Gretchen. Which was totally understandable, he was short. Short people were naturally the best for immortality. Not because she was also short, but because it was a natural law of the universe. The logic was perfect.

Mrs. Eve was excused because she was an elf, even Kyo understood something like that. Everyone knew elves were older than the Wasting. The sapphire crystal flickered out of existence in a manner Kyo could only see as slumped sadness. Blue was the color of sadness, so it made sense. Replacing the shimmering blue entity was the shrub form of Kudzu. Kyo still didn’t turn around, because, she had good instincts as a kitten. Instinct kept her alive on the streets, along with the food donations from the Lion. Instincts were well worth listening too, and so Kyo focused intently on the shrub. She didn’t turn around.

“Sorry about that. Everyone is rather restless at this chance.” Kudzu said waving his tiny branch-vines. “If you get other offers like this, just refer them to me. None of them will push it. I doubt Hut cares enough, Nota is busy studying, and Felix was just trying to do his part even though it was completely not required at this moment in time. Ok?”

Nod and smile. Kyo thought giving a nod and smile before she said, “No problem. I understand stressful deadlines. Like that time I had to supply twenty-seven four-legs for Mr. Gretchen in order to be allowed to do business with him.”

“Right…like that.”Kudzu said as the presence behind Kyo vanished.

“Am I losing sleep in this, place?” Kyo asked. It was important. If she was suffering in this place, it would mean a longer recovery time.

“No. This place is a spliced moment of time. Like the previous time you met us, Felix does that sort of stuff.” Kudzu said.

Kyo’s eyes bugged at the plant casually admitting his comrade messed with time. Messing with time meant someone could have lunch twice! Or three times! Maybe more!

“Can I switch Patrons?” Kyo asked with a sharp look at Kudzu.

“No, and don’t give me that look! Messing with time is impossible for non-immortal species. According to Felix the idea that a species exempt from time could travel back, adjust, manipulate, or alter it is laughable at best, and utter insane fantasy at worst.” Kudzu said defensively.

Kyo looked suspiciously at the shrub. She didn’t see a fault in the logic, but that didn’t mean anything. She still didn’t understand adults so knowing the truth of time manipulation rules was definitely out. It was probably designed by an adult, which was why incomprehensible stuff applied.

“Is there a reason my thoughts are all over the place in here?” Kyo asked. It didn’t take a genius to notice how she was all over the place right now in her mind.

“Oh, that’s the nature of the place. Nothing to worry about.” Kudzu said with a branchy-vine wave.

“Ok.” Kyo said before asking, “How do I learn Alchemy? I want to be rich. I want to have people grooming me. I want to have experts massaging me with scented oils. I also want food. Lots of food.”

“Do you really want those first two or just food?” Kudzu asked as space flickered around them until they were both in a new room.

“Food. The other two are comments I hear a lot from the old ladies in the market. They also say something about mating a lot, but I ignore that part since female cats aren’t supposed to mate before their second Awakening at twenty.” Kyo said truthfully as she looked at the enormous room with what could only be alchemic apparatus. There were plants everywhere among the glassware doing inscrutable things. The entire place looked like the workshop of a high end alchemist with a gardening hobby.

“Food we can do. All food is the application of Plant Manipulation no matter what anyone tells you.”Kudzu said with a distinct sniff.

“Really?” Kyo said her eyes widening in awe.

“Animals eat plants, without plants there is no meat!” Kudzu said proudly. “Sure someone will try to tell you predators don’t eat plants but they lie. They eat animals that eat plants, so again without plants there is no meat!”

That makes actual sense. Kyo thought with a gasp before she asked, “What about sea animals?”

“There’s a sea around?” Kudzu said with excitement floating closer to Kyo.

“Well, no but I heard Mr. Gretchen mention the word shrimp before and he explained it was a creature from the sea that was made of meat and eaten at super luxury prices. It sounded delicious and tasty.”

“Bah! Shrimp eat algae, that’s a plant.” Kudzu said dismissive. “Even worse, meat without Green Mana would taste absolutely vile. There’s no way for a creature to absorb the amount of mana required to taste good without plants. Plants reign supreme for tasty meat!”

“Plants reign supreme for tasty meat!” Kyo said drooling slightly. It was a mantra she could definitely get behind!

“Let’s start with something basic. What type of potions have you seen before?” Kudzu asked.

“I saw red ones in the story window once when I was on an errand for Talos the butcher.” Kyo said, “I think those type heal wounds faster than normal healing.” She stared curious at one of the bubbling glass apparatus as purple liquid flowed out through a spiral tube into another container.

“Healing potions are the basic of basics. Are you sure you want to start with those? We could always begin with the Elixir of Youth or the Elixir of Levels.” Kudzu said wiggling his shrubby arms in glee.

“No, um, the basics sounds fine. Wait, do you really have Elixirs of Youth and, Levels?” Kyo asked as she turned to face Kudzu’s small form directly.

“I am an Alchemist, of course I do.” Kudzu said without embellishment.

Are all alchemists that awesome? Kyo thought. Perhaps they are a secret society of ageless people steering the course of history?

Kyo shook her head, if they had steered history at all they wouldn’t have allowed the Wasting to occur. The loss of technology, living space, and other important things was huge. Anyone who steered history so badly should be fed to a gralex pit to reflect on their choices. The acid and sharp inward facing teeth on the desert’s premier pit trap dweller would be the perfect method of education in Kyo’s opinion.

“Bring up your Status.” Kudzu said.

Kyo dutifully brought up her Status to show her Patron, noting that the color had shifted from green to black.

Kyo Silverfur

Age: 10

Pacted Entity: Kudzu

Major Affinity: Plant

Mind: 4

Body: 3

Soul: 2

Spirit Talents (2/2): Green Mana, Green Sight

Physical Skills (3/3): Perfume, Coloration, Regeneration

Mental Spells (4/4): Plant Manipulation IV

Green Mana

Able to use Green Mana present in the World.

Green Sight

Able to see the Flora in the World.

Perfume

Generate scents like a flower lures insects.

Coloration

Generate colors like a plant entices insects.

Regeneration

Regenerate using Green Mana.

Plant Manipulation IV

Manipulate plants up to three meters away with Green Mana for a variety of effects.

Added effects due to Perfume.

Added effects due to Coloration.

Added effects due to Regeneration.

Cost reduced due to Green Mana.

Manipulation difficulty is reduced due to Green Sight.

Able to use Plants to assist in Alchemy.

Blessing (Food): Three times per day you may sacrifice a piece of Plant matter to Kudzu to gain three large meat buns of random deliciousness.

Kudzu looked over everything his branches wobbling before giving a satisfied nod. “Your weak, but that’s fine. Poison can take care of being weak in combat, and Alchemy can take care of being weak in wealth. Talent isn’t an issue with me as your Patron. Land is easy with the Lion providing.”

“What if I can’t wake up Eve between now and before my death?” Kyo asked nervously.

“Who said we would allow you to die before then?” Kudzu asked furiously.

Kyo blinked and said, “Wait, you can keep me alive longer than the normal lifespan of a Cat? With those Elixir things?”

“If you reach the appropriate level of power, yes. If you took an Elixir of Youth right now you would die. Body, Mind, and Soul are all too low to handle the influx of mana at that level. The alchemic toxicity would run rampant, and without anywhere to go the energy would take the easiest path out of your body.” Kudzu said with a shrubby shrug.

“I would explode like an inflated four legs.” Kyo said picturing the image from when she had experimented on making water pouches. For the record, freshly dead four leg corpses could not contain high amounts of water. That lesson had required a bath, and she still remembered the smell.

“Indeed.” Kudzu said after a short pause. “Same for the Elixir of Levels. Where we came from it could raise a Tier depending on the elixir’s grade. If I understand things, Tiers are similar to the boost you naturally receive as you age. It appears Nature itself attempts to keep her favored children ahead of other Races.”

Kyo nodded, “I don’t know much about it but before the Wasting the Beast Races were not treated well. We aren’t good with technology, and we don’t have many super smart people. Instead, most of the Beasts have strong bodies. The Lion is an example of what happens when taken to the extreme. I heard he can punch through steel walls, rip armored suits into shreds with his claws, and run for a thousand miles without rest.”

“How? Not to argue against you pointlessly, but with your Awakening those feats would never be possible. The numbers are too low.” Kudzu said confused.

“We double numbers every Awakening after the first. So, with a high enough starting Body…” Kyo said trailing off.

“Is there a limit on this exponential progression?” Kudzu asked in a musing tone.

“Well, yeah, death of course. Awaken at ten, Refine at twenty, Specialize at fifty, and Peak at eighty. Most cats die at or around between ninety to a hundred years of age. At that point we are equivalent just above the strongest of the other Races. At least, that’s what Talos told me when he was preaching the superiority of the Beast races. He does it a lot when I bring in bigger prey to get chopped up.” Kyo replied.

“I doubt a mere hundred years will suffice for our needs. We’ll take care of that issue when it arises in the future.” Kudzu said calmly with the tone of someone who considered age a number that only mattered when making wine.

This group is out of this world. Kyo thought. I love it!

“Now that my curiosity has been sated, let’s get started.”Kudzu said waving her over to a small set of glass vials on a miniature workstation perfectly sized for Kyo. “All alchemy begins with the understanding of the Golden Rule.”

“Rule?” Kyo echoed.

“Equivalent Exchange. Normally this rule limits the infinite potential of alchemy, but only if you can’t learn how to break, bend, or outright ignore it.” Kudzu said with the attitude of a one who considered the rule no more than a line in the sand.

“I can learn to ignore it?!” Kyo said gleefully.

“All things are possible with Alchemy.” Kudzu said enigmatically.

Kyo’s eyes deadened as she said, “You mean it takes forever to learn don’t you, Kudzu?”

“Moving on, let us start with the basic of basics.” Kudzu said, levitating a small beaker filled with liquid. “Boiling water.”

Kyo scrunched her face realizing her Patron had deftly dodged the question. It was further evidence that the she was being taught by a very old plant. She bent her attention to the lesson with determination unwilling to remain ignorant. Even the oldest and nicest aunties in the Bazaar claimed education was the path out of poverty. If so many people said the same thing, it was reasonable to Kyo there might be some truth in it.

Her teacher was clearly a Grandmaster in Alchemy at the least. Kyo learned more about boiling water than she ever thought possible. Extraction, Refining, Synergizing, and Purification were the four pillars of her Patron’s alchemy. Purification was both the first and last step used in each demonstration. By using pure water, and then removing impurities at the end as well the grade of all potions would rise at least one rank.

Even better, impurities can be used for poisons.Kyo thought watching the gentle pink potion slowly darken to a deep red. Poisons made with impurities are even better than natural ones!

In the timeless dream she cycled through the making of a simple red health potion numerous times carving the lesson into her bones. After a few hundred potions were made, Kudzu inspected the final one with satisfaction.

“A grade F potion of impeccable purity.” Kudzu said. “However, the best money making method for a young alchemist isn’t potions, it’s refining one material into something more expensive.”

The vines in the alchemy lab came alive carrying small trays to Kyo’s miniature lab station while clearing the potions away.

“Salt?” Kyo said confused.

“Indeed. Salt is one of the easiest things for an Alchemist to turn into something of value through Refine. Tell me, does your world have Mana Crystals?” Kudzu asked.

“I don’t know what those are.” Kyo said. “They are probably something in the more luxurious shops that I’ve never entered. The guards are way stricter where rich people live. Wealthier shops have their own guards, and if they kill someone inside the shop I hear it is completely acceptable.”

“Understandable. Mana Crystals are like a portable battery for a magic user.” Kudzu said. It took several minutes of explaining after that for Kyo to understand what a battery was.

“So, because almost all higher levels of crafting require enormous amounts of mana people use batteries to make up the difference?” Kyo said finally grasping the idea. When she converted it to monetary ideas it made perfect sense.

A crafter is a rich man with deep pockets.Kyo thought. When crafting he spends from his own pouch, but when he reaches that limit he pulls from the treasure chest in his house filled with stored gold!

“Exactly. Even better the demand is constant. The normal method of gaining Mana Crystals is from dungeon creatures, overland monsters, or Alchemy.” Kudzu said as he separated the salt trays bringing water beakers next to each of them. “Here, take a bit of the Spores around me. They are duplicates of those produced by the moss you used recently in reality.”

Thankfully, Plant Manipulation IV gave a very high level of ‘instinctive’ use to Kyo. It was why she had been able to use it so easily after Awakening. Had she instead gained something like Plant Manipulation I the result of the night would have been much worse. With slow but increasing levels of skills, Kyo gradually took control of a fingernail’s worth of Spores from those appearing around Kudzu’s shrub form.

“Excellent. Now cover the salt trays in moss, and have the moss purify the salt, just like we’ve been purifying potions so far.” Kudzu said.

Purification is the same for everything! Kyo thought as the enlightenment flashed through her mind. With careful steps at first, and faster ones as she gained confidence, each tray was covered in green growth. In only a short time, the trays of newly created purified salt were finished.

“Now, this part is the easiest in theory, but hardest in reality. We will use the moss to build mana crystals. Because the mana crystals are purified, even though they are merely salt, they will perform at a very high grade. Think industrial strength processed fake sapphires, rubies, or the like.” Kudzu said with a proud tone.

“Indu-what?” Kyo asked confused at the terminology.

“Industrial strength is where the grade of a mana crystal has reached one of the publicly accepted levels of purity, strength, and so forth.” Kudzu said.

“I don’t think we have anything like that.” Kyo said.

There was a pause as both cat and shrub stared at each other.

“Let’s have the Lion test them for value then. It wouldn’t be good if we accidentally revolutionized your world’s crystal purity technology. That would probably end badly for you, my Warlock.” Kudzu said after a short pause.

Kyo nodded and then looked at the moss covered trays before asking, “What do we do to make the crystals with moss?”

“Teach the moss the structure, and then let them work.”Kudzu said enigmatically.

Staring at the trays Kyo considered for a long moment before inspiration struck.

Bricks! Kyo thought with glee. Just build like making a house!

Focusing on single tray, Kyo reached out with Plant Manipulation IV teaching the moss what she wanted. In a surprising twist, the moss returned her images with another set claiming they would be easier to build. The moss had shown the image of a luxury diamond, while Kyo’s own image had been a flat rectangular brick. Since she had nothing to lose, she decided to go with the moss’s suggestion.

Over slow minutes Kyo watched the moss clump together into a ball leaving no trace of salt on the metallic tray. It took almost ten full minutes before the moss receded from the ball-clump revealing a sparkling multi-cut ruby with pointed ends on the top and bottom, and duller points on the sides.

Kyo stared as her mind tried to process the change from a bunch of purified red salt to the current luxury mana gem in front of her. She had flashes of wealth flicker through her mind before cold logic took over.

In the stories, people valued the golden goose, but it always ended up on the dinner table in one manner or another. Kyo thought with a chill. Turning salt into things more valuable than gold feels like much the same as that golden goose in the stories.

“Relax.” Kudzu said from his new position of sitting atop her right shoulder. “If it turns bad, I’ll just kill the entire city off and we start somewhere else.”

Kyo was once again reminded that her Patron’s view of solving a problem had rather permanent implications.

He probably doesn’t even consider how that would likely result in me being hunted to extinction by all the other cities.Kyo thought as she rolled her eyes. Even though it was a ludicrous offer, it still made her body warm up. There had never been anyone in her life willing to go to such great lengths without extensive payment up front.

“I plan on letting the Lion deal with this problem. He’s a big boss. Big bosses get all the girls, gold, and food. In exchange, they take care of their people.” Kyo said speaking the words of the world she knew.

“So we’ll let the old guy take his cut, and keep you safe?”Kudzu said with a shrubby nod.

“Right. That’s what old people are for, giving good advice, and paying to make my world a better place.” Kyo said as she felt the world around her ripple like a humming thrum of a dying power generator.

“Well, don’t worry. You can’t forget lessons taught in this place. It does however, appear time for you to be going. The structure of this place is starting to collapse.” Kudzu said looking at a wall nearby that was rippling as if it was under watter.

“Will I be able to return?” Kyo asked, slightly unwilling to leave such a place of learning. It had been a fun process, and she wasn’t averse to doing it again.

“Once a quarter at best. It takes a great deal of power to do, and I have to borrow from the others to make it happen. The interest rate isn’t pleasant, even for me.” Kudzu said with a grumbling tone.

“No free lunches.” Kyo said nodding earnestly.

“Indeed.” Kudzu said before pushing Kyo in a manner that felt out but yet also felt in.

The world blurred and twisted before Kyo snapped awake once more to see the Lion seated beside her bed.

The big boss of the Cat Tribe gang faction stared at her eyes before he said, “Ready to talk business, shorty?”

Kyo nodded before sitting up slowly.