Chapter 2.05

“I was expecting to see you earlier,” Twylip said over her shoulder.

After finishing with Adam, Flint had taken a quick stroll through the kitchens before entering her workshop. It was the least crowded of all the rooms he had visited so far. Pira sat in a far corner surrounded by textbooks. Flint guessed Twylip had brought them over from the village for her to study. The fae had a couple of healers among them, and Flint had not long refreshed the totems around the fort. However, having multiple healers around would benefit everyone in the long run.

“Didn’t you have classes?” Flint asked. “I heard you’ve been teaching basic medicine and first aid to everyone interested.”

“In my opinion, it’s as important as cooking. An understanding of basic medicine and understanding of physiology is something everybody needs. So I’m trying to get the fae healers to join in and do some teaching on the matter too. They’ve been avoiding me, though.”

“Perhaps, Winona or Alais can help. They might be able to convince at least one of them. Having some of the fae children learn basic healing magic wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

“I think they’re hesitant because fae healing suffers from the same issues as strong regenerative potions,” Twylip said, finally facing Flint. Her face appeared pale, and she had bags under her eyes. Flint guessed she was burning the candle at both ends. As the fort’s only alchemist, she didn’t just need to bolster its arsenal but also create products for trade with Lea’s Slumber.

“What do you mean?” Flint asked, studying the many bubbling cauldrons and glass containers. “I’ve not had the luxury of consuming regenerative potions, but the fae healing has sped up my recovery a fair deal.”

“That’s because Seela and Sap have been practising their spells for decades. Apparently, healing magic requires a delicate touch. An uncontrolled infusion of essence might damage the heart or brain or even cause cancerous growths. It’s the same with alchemical potions. If you consume too much, too frequently, your body might exhibit unwanted reactions. If you’re lucky, it’ll stop at toxic overload.” Twylip sighed. “I wish I could share the images that came with the Heartstone’s ‘intermediate’ knowledge of Alchemy. It was downright horrifying.”

“Did the stone give you two starting spells the same as Adam’s [Tinkering]?”

Twylip nodded. “Initially, I just got [Transmute Essences] and [Essence Reaction]. The intermediate knowledge helped me climb to the skill’s second rank fairly quickly, and I got [Essence Refinement] for it. Either way, leave Winona and Alais out of this. I understand their hesitation, and strongarming won’t set a good president. So let me do it my way. Perhaps find good candidates first will help.”

“How’s production coming along?” Flint asked. “I hope you’re not burning the candle at both ends.”

“I don’t really have any options right now. If the Heartstone gives you another [Alchemy] stone, it would help if you snatched it up. Since Adam and Winona are focusing on arming and preparing the defensive force, my primary focus has been preparing tradeable products for the life quest. I’ve run into a major hiccup, though.”

“What is it?”

“I’m running out of useable containers.”

“I can have Ed, and the newcomers create stone containers—”

“That won’t do, Flint,” Twylip said, interrupting him. “The stones around here have too many substances that might react to my concoctions and affect the overall composition. Given the volatile nature of some of the products I’m working with, that’s not a smart decision.”

“What do you suggest then?”

“I’ve been talking to Winona, and we have fae who’re experienced with singing crystals into shapes they desire.” Twylip chuckled when Flint’s eyebrows rose. “I know. It sounds absurd, but apparently, it’s a thing. The magic follows the same rules as her moonlight shaping but is a slower and more gentle process. If they can do it with silica—the primary constituent of glass—it will make my life a lot easier.”

“I’ll see if there’s a node for it,” Flint told her. “I’ve been wondering how to utilise the essence collected from the last battle. I think it should be a good investment alongside another Aetherite node.”

“More Aether Crystals could transform how we live,” Twylip said, pushing a list of plants and mushrooms into Flint’s hands. “I’ve listed these by importance and have added diagrams, so you have an easy time recognising them. If you’ve got essence to spare, I’d love to add to the mushroom far or gardens with these. It could improve our safety and quality of life.”

Flint flipped through the pages, glancing at Twylip’s explanation for why she’d like each of them. “Some of these do look interesting. I’ll think about it. I left the essence along because after getting the waterways and sewage working, I plan on investing in our defences.”

He paused when he noticed Pira had edged closer and was leaning towards where they stood. He cleared his throat, making the woman scramble back to where she originally sat. “I don’t want enemies using either as vulnerabilities and sending spies or assassins into the fort. I’ve been worried about other builders, diggers, or any kind of earth manipulation spell. If we can use them to erect defences—”

“Others could use them to tunnel in,” Twylip mumbled, her brows furrowing.

“Exactly. I’d like to see if the [City Planning Table] has options that can help prevent such an occurrence. The cliff walls bordering the slope and the village act as natural defences giving us a significant advantage. However, if someone were to tunnel through it to approach us from the sides or underneath, we wouldn’t see it coming.”

“That’s a valid concern,” Twylip said, furrowing her brow. “Tell me something, Flint. Have you ever used [Shape] on metal? Or used it to on the iron nodes to extract metal?”

“I haven’t.” Flint’s brows furrowed as he put together where Twylip was going with her train of thought.

“Try it. I imagine it takes physical effort or a [Mining] ability to retrieve ore quickly. It’s natural resistant to fae magic and should be a valid deterrent against the Wyld. If I’m right about [Shape] not working, place iron nodes in strategic locations around the slope’s walls. Talk to Alais about the rest. He’s been teaching Adam and the other artisans about runes. Perhaps he could teach you a few which makes materials resistant to abilities or magic.”

“Then we can mark vulnerable areas with runes!” Flint exclaimed. “That’s brilliant. It should also act as an excellent essence training tool for anyone learning essence manipulation. We can task them—especially children with going around and recharging runes.”

Flint’s respect for Twylip grew as the conversation continued. The Heartstone’s gift of intermediate alchemical knowledge had improved her understanding of more than just alchemy. It had helped shine a light on how essence worked too. Next, they discussed the products she was creating as luxury items for Lea’s Slumber. Twylip planned to capitalise on their vanity and provide skin rejuvenation, hair growth, weight loss, and hair removal products that her biological father failed to produce despite popular demand.

Her plan amused Flint and he failed to find a fault in it. After growing up in a human city, he’d seen the extents people went for vanity. Some people would go as far as to poison themselves or swallow parasites for the sake of appearances. Wearing iron helmets for hours on end sped up balding too, and wig makers made a killing selling to soldiers who couldn’t afford regular alchemical solutions. The Woodson council would need to meet soon and discuss what trade products to prioritise.

Twylip insisted on purchasing mountain pheasants along with lumber. A couple of families in Lea’s Slumber farmed them and sold eggs to the rest of the village. The meat carried more flavour than chicken and the feathers would benefit the fletchers too. Brownie magic and the totems would help them grow and reproduce quickly, solving the meat issue. Flint liked her idea as it would reduce the reliance on the dogs and hunting parties.

The residents of Woodson Fort were just starting to settle in and figure out what they needed—not just just for security but also to live comfortable lives. Lumber would cease to be an issue once the garden’s trees were a touch longer. The dryads had the ability to sing the branches into whatever shape they needed. The Wyldcasters could use magic to grow wood as well. On the other hand, the fort would continue to rely on Lea’s Slumber for grains. The Woodson territory didn’t have enough open land to grow them. Flint was sure there would be more problems or needs that the [City Planning Table] struggled to solve.

Since Twylip already had the recipe and equipment for the freezing concoction sorted. Flint urged her to increase its production. Lea’s Village already demanded a regular supply. It felt smart to set a fraction of each batch aside for the force. If not for it, Colonel Smith would’ve cut down Flint in an instant, and then made an attempt on Lea’s Slumber. He liked the idea of lobbing them over the walls at charging enemies. Twylip agreed to get on it as soon as Flint procured a source of crystal or glass. She highlighted the fact that the villagers would most likely.

After finishing with Twylip, Flint stopped by the mines. He had to return to Adam’s workshop and take stairs down from it into the underground level. It extended across the width of the fort and was twenty feet across. The wall on his left had a couple of pucks working on it with rune-covered pickaxes. A sizeable crystalline bump sat at the middle of it, with black veins radiating out of it. He recognised a clear luminescent growth as an Aether Core. It was half the size of the one in the gun.

A couple of men attacked the wall opposite it with red auras surrounding their arms and weapons. It had a similar protrusion of shiny iron surrounded by silvery-red veins. Flint walked up to the stone and channelled [Shape]. The rocks creaked and cracked but they didn’t react the same way as when he created blocks. It didn’t make sense, since all rocks contained some quantity of metals—or so he’d been taught. However, if the high iron concentration could stop fae attackers and hinder attacking builders, it was a bonus. At the same time, Flint worried it would harm his fae residents. There was a lot he still needed to figure out, but it was knowledge worth having.

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