Chapter 19 - Alchemist

Chapter 19

Salran Mountains, Starnor Imperial Border Territories

Road to Kaisersgrenze

Airah looked at the chaos unfolding below her, and whistled softly.

"Well, I suppose this answers where the explosion came from."

Stellyra nodded, amazement clear on her face.

Below them sprawled what had clearly been an attempt at an ambush. A single wagon was on the side of the road, surrounded by forms darting in and out of the cover of the woods, taking pot shots at it with bows. And from time to time something flew out of the wagon, and...it was hard to describe. Sometimes the projectile exploded. Sometimes it unleashed a storm of lightning bolts. In one particular case everything within several meters had developed a coat of frost and several of the people caught in the radius had fallen over, screaming.

"Do you think this is some kind of magic ? Or maybe grenades ?" Asked Stellyra.

"Well, if you know any 'normal' projectile that can do that, feel free to tell me about it." Airah chuckled at Stellyra's dark look. It wasn't often she got to sass the AI and not the other way around. "But I think they're grenades. Maybe enchanted, or some other stuff. We still don't know what alchemy can do after all." Airah looked at the battlefield. "Should we intervene ? They seem to be doing pretty well."

"Well, it would probably be a good idea to get to meet someone who can do that kind of stuff. We might have read a lot, but there's still so little we know about magic. And besides, given how distracted they are, we can probably land at a nearby clearing, and no one will be the wiser."

"Fair enough. Alright, let's poke our nose in."

*****

Stellyra had been right. The bandits conducting the ambush were far too preoccupied to care about some shadow in the sky, or even an adventurer sneaking in behind them.

Not that they didn't have reasons to be distracted. A solid quarter of their number seemed to be down for the count, and the rest were wounded. Which was interesting, because at this point they should be falling back. The big reason why those Airah faced stood for this long against her was mainly because they didn't have the time to process just how screwed they were, and how many losses they'd taken. But the fight had been going on for a solid ten minutes that she knew of, and despite their losses the bandits were still trying to assault the wagon.

A bandit popped up, firing their bow at the cart, and went down screaming as a shape appeared behind the wagon and threw a flask at them, that shattered on impact and set the area on fire.

But two bandits jumped to aid their comrades, and a crossbow bolt hissed through the air, and the shape behind the wagon fell back, screaming in pain, and the bandits screamed in victory. So it looked like there was at least some organization on the bandits' side if nothing else. Simple tactics, but it seemed to have worked quite well, as the bandits exited the cover of the woods and began advancing on the wagon, covered by their archers and crossbowmen.

Airah drew her bow and smiled. How nice of them to leave cover for her. She would have to make sure to thank their leader once this was over.

The first archer dropped without a sound. And all of the bandits were too focused on the wagons to see him just fall to the ground, his skull pierced by an arrow. The second fell down, trashing in the underbrush for a few seconds before laying still, and the crossbowman looked away from the wagon, frowning.

The last thing he saw was a pair of golden eyes looking at him from the forest, and then oblivion took him as the arrow struck him between the eyes.

His fall wasn't quiet, as the crossbow went off, and the bolt went hissing through the main group of bandits. They jumped up, and whirled around, shouting insults at their teammate, thinking he had fired at them intentionally or by accident, only to freeze as they saw his body.

Airah drew her bow...and stopped as she saw a figure dart over the wagon, and the sunlight glance off of a vial flying straight for the group of bandits.

For a split second she felt Stellyra's will meld with her own as the AI forced her to close her eyes, and even through her closed eyelids she saw the flash. When she opened them again, there wasn't a single bandit still standing. The only thing that remained was a circle of incinerated, almost glassed ground, and piles of carbonized bones and bits of destroyed equipment.

Stellyra whistled softly as her avatar appeared.

Well, looks like whoever's in that wagon doesn't mess around.

Yeah. And hopefully they won't take us as hostiles. Sent Airah through the mindlink, before standing up.

"Hello ?" She called out. "I assume from the potion throw that you're still alive ? Do you need assistance ? I saw you get hit by the crossbow."

Airah waited for a second. She knew that sometimes the best solution in those situations wasn't to start off by 'I'm not with the bad guys !' which was about the single most suspicious thing you could say. Starting off on the assumption that you were an ally was more confident and far more likely to succeed. At least that's what her books had told her.

"Alchemical cocktail, not potion !" Answered a gruffy male voice. "A potion is what you drink ! And yes, my assistant is quite alright. I have a lot of healing implements, a bit of rest and she'll be right as rain ! I assume I have you to thank for the, ah, disposal of the bandits' archers ?"

"Yes ! I'm Airah Starfire. I'm an adventurer."

"Starfire ?" A head popped up above the wagon's rim, and Airah had to do a double take. It looked like someone had decided to take the fantasy image of a bearded mad scientist and pushed it to eleven. Did that man even have a face under that much facial hair ? "The savior I head so much about in the villages ? Ah ! That explains a lot ! Your reputation precedes you !" The man scrambled over the wagon, and Airah's eyebrow rose, before she willed it back down. He looked....original to say the least. "I am Karl Von Kolbing, master alchemist, at your service."

Airah looked him over as he bowed. His head was a mess of grey, spiky and seemingly half burnt hair going in all directions. He looked like he'd been electrocuted and in the middle of a cartoon explosion at the same time, and the big welder googles on top of what looked like a rebreather where his mouth should have been didn't help. He was also wearing what looked like a low tech grey hazmat suit, which covered every square centimeter of his body, accompanied with some seriously heavy duty boots and gloves to go with it.

But most striking was the bandolier he was wearing. It was decorated with a myriad of potions, and looked like a psychedelic rainbow, with some potions shifting colors constantly, other outright glowing, and one sticking to the top of the vial instead of the bottom, like if it had inverted gravity.

"You're Karl from Kaisersgrenze ? I've heard about you, from Martin."

"Ah, I see that my reputation precedes me as well ! Yes, I am the town alchemist. I hope that young hooligan of a mage didn't disparage me too much, eh ? Oh well, nevermind. I highly appreciate your intervention miss, I was in something of a tight spot."

Airah looked at the pile of charred bones that had once been bandits, and then at the wrecked landscape.

"I somehow doubt that."

"Oh you shouldn't. I only had one of those vaporization cocktails, and if the archers hadn't been taken care of I doubt I would have made it back down."

"Fair enough. How did you know they were ?"

"I didn't, but if the others had come any closer I wouldn't have made it out alive anyway. So might as well take most of them with me." Karl hopped off the wagon. "Still, I very much prefer living, hence my thanks." He looked her up and down. "And you look every bit as impressive as the village folk made you out to be. Well, to some extent, to hear them it sounds like you're three meters tall and can breath fire sometimes !" Airah froze, but the alchemist carried on without noticing. "Nevertheless, you do seem to have a knack for arriving in the nick of time !"

"Well, to be fair, I was escorting a group of engineers, when I heard an explosion, and decided to check it out."

"Ah. Well, I suppose being loud has its advantages, no matter what my neighbours say. So, as an adventurer, I assume you expect rewards for your service, eh ?"

Airah shrugged.

"Yes, but usually I take a part of the loot. I'm not there to rob people out of their possessions anymore than the bandits, and taking what those thieving bastards have seems to be right course of action."

Not that there would be much of that here, given what had happened to most of the bandits, but that would be hardly polite to bring up to the man who had annihilated them.

"I suppose so. But in my case it would hardly be polite to let you leave without at least a token of my appreciation, now would it ? Tell me young lady, have you ever used potions before ?"

"No, I can't say I have, why ?"

"Well then, time for that to change." He hopped back onto his wagon, and gestured for her to follow him. "Come, come ! I should have some things that you will find useful !"

Airah's eyebrow rose, and she briefly looked at Stellyra when the old man's back was turned, and the AI simply shrugged.

The dragon shook her head, and climbed after the alchemist, to find him digging through a chest. It was only when he bent over and put half of his body inside of it that she realized it must have had the same spatial enchantments as her bag.

"Where did I put it now...Ah ah ! There !" He emerged with an armful of potions, and holding triumphally a bandolier similar to his own up. "My spare potion bandolier. And some potions that should interest you." He carefully deposited the potions onto the ground, sitting down next to them, before throwing the bandolier at Airah, who caught it with one hand, and looked at it curiously.

"Don't worry if it seems a bit unprotected. It's enchanted. Every potion you put in it won't get agitated or risk cracking their glass as long as they're on it. Just make sure to avoid taking too many hits on them, the enchantments to protect the potions takes  a while to recharge."

"I...see." Airah quickly put on the bandolier, and barely jumped up as she felt it change size to fit her. "Well enchanted indeed."

"I only buy the best. Now now now....Tell me young lady, how do you fight ?" He said as he idly tapped the potions he had assembled before him.

"Me ? I'm a close quarter combatant most of the time. I'm not that good with a sword though. I've also learned some magic from Martin."

"Ah, someone who puts their trust in their fists and spells rather than steel ?"

"More that I'm still learning. Same for my bow, I am good at it mind you." Airah ignored Stellyra's smug look. "But it can only do so much when I am being swarmed by blood thirsty bandits, or hell, wolves for that matter."

"Mmmhhh...I see I see I see...." He stopped, and quickly picked up a handful of vials, then hesitated, and added a few more. "Alright, here's what I have for you. This." He tapped a green vial. "Is a potion of dexterity. It will enhance your reflexes, reaction speed, and just agility in general. That." He tapped a crimson vial. "Is a potion of strength. You won't be able to juggle carts with it, but it will enhance you enough for your blows to become much more powerful. Just be careful to put down anything extremely heavy you were carrying when the effects begin to wear off. The next one-" He nudged a yellow potion. "Is a potion of toughness. Your skin and your bones will harden, and even sword strikes will only give you shallow cuts when they hit you. It does not, however, make you invincible, and although you will be harder to hurt, your injuries will be very much real and require as much attention as any other. Next up is that one." He tapped a glowing blue potion, one he had hesitated to include. "A potion of magic affinity. Use that one with caution. Your spells will be casted faster, and more safely, and can be made more powerful, but you will burn through your mana reserves much faster, and the backlash if you try to push yourself beyond your limit can be horrifying. Is that understood ?"

He looked up at Airah, who nodded.

"Good. Lastly, there are these two." He tapped a green bubbly potion, and a golden one that looked like it had tiny sequins suspended in it. "A potion of regeneration, which does exactly what it says, although don't expect it to regenerate lost limbs, and a potion of static field, which will deliver a hearty zap of electricity to anyone who touches you." He looked up at her. "You know what electricity is, right ?" Airah nodded. "Good. It might prove especially useful if you, how did you put it ? Ah yes, 'get swarmed'. Here, take them, they're yours !"

Airah took the potions, and carefully slotted them into her bandolier.

"So...I get one of each ?"

"Yes." Even through his facial hair she could tell the alchemist was smiling at her. "I wouldn't be much of a merchant if I offered you many of the same potions now, would I ? I might like my trade, but I still need to make a living ! Consider this a broad sample that might interest you !"

Airah looked at the vials speculatively.

"Say, how much would these potion cost normally ? How long do the effects last ? And when do the potions expire and become dangerous to drink ?"

"They'll last indefinitely, as long as you don't open them. They are, what do some of the city folk call it ? 'Shelf stable', that's it. As for the effects, they usually last for an hour, but it varies from people to people. The cost ? Depends on the demand, and what ingredients I managed to get. Fortunately for you I diverted my journey back to Kaisergrenze by passing through the villages, so my reserves are back at full. Plus of course, some potions are far harder to make than others. Say...a hundred gold for most of them. Several hundred for the static one. And of course, platinum for the magic affinity potion !"

"Hundreds of platinum coins that potion ?"

"What ? No, no, a handful, but still, platinum."

"Right. Well, I thank you deeply for your gifts master Karl. Do you need some assistance with getting back on track and to Kaisersgrenze ?"

"Not really, but thank you ! I'll have to wake up my assistant to help -the downside of some potions of instant healing are fatigue, unfortunately-, but we'll be able to handle it. Please, get your looting and back to your charges, they must be waiting anxiously for you. We're close enough to the city that we should be able to make it without further issues."

"If you're sure." Airah shrugged, and hopped off the cart, and went to loot the bandits, touching her new bandolier in the process. Potions and alchemy...this might get very interesting indeed.