Chapter 10

The Alchemy Shop

Once outside, I wondered the streets for a bit. I explored the town, creating a mental map of the place. I wondered until I came to the street with the bank and the Alchemy Shop advertisement. I checked out the Bank, but it had a sign on the door that read:

Caution:

Do not even think about it.

This bank is guarded

By the Realm's Militia

I looked around and saw a tower with a direct view of the bank, and so I thought it best not to take the chance that the guards had fallen into a stupor.

I then decided that I would check out the Alchemy Shop. So I headed down the street the sign said, and I came to the Alchemy Shop. I checked the door, it was unlocked. I opened it, and it was dark inside. I lit my torch which I still had from the Caves of Chaos. It was a dim light, but I lit the other torches around the room.

Once illuminated, I put out my torch, and turned around. Only to find the shelves empty of all substances, the counter was empty, there were shattered glass and dry substances, and powders all over the room. I checked to make sure the place wasn't ransacked. I had my suspicions that maybe the Alchemist had poisoned the town, but then, what would he gain from it?

It soon became obvious, by the lack of foot prints in the red powder covering areas all around the shop, that the Alchemist had left in a hurry, taking everything with him. I walked behind the counter, to a door. I checked the door to see if it was locked, and it was locked. I checked for traps, and there were none that I could find. I then, took out my tools, and tried to unlock the door, but I failed. So I looked through the keyhole to see what was on the other side, and saw darkness. I knocked on the wood to see how thick it was. It was instantly obvious that I needed someone heavier, and taller than to break down the door, because the door was two to three inches thick, and the hinges were sturdy.

So I left the door alone, and picked up an empty glass vile the Alchemist had left behind. I pocketed it, and left the store, taking note of it in my mind. I then headed back to the Red Dragon. In the square I noticed guards posted at the fountain. The one said, "Go away. You are not to drink here."

"I know that." I replied. "I am the one who told the Captain of the danger."

"Good job. You will probably get a metal for it."

When I got inside, I found Cynwyd and Thoros still sitting at the table. The merchants and the False King and the man in brown robes were all gone. I walked over to the two and explained to them all the facts.

Cynwyd said, "Why should we care? We have not ties to this place. I was thinking we coulod move on."

Thoros agreed and said, "The two can go crazy."

"You of all people!" I exclaimed to Cynwyd. "You of all people should care. I mean, as far as I can tell you aren't evil, and you aren't neutral. I think you are a good person who follows the law of the area. You really should care. I should be the one who doesn't care. Thoros and Adamis don't know that, but at least you do."

Thoros asked, "Why shouldn't you care and why would Cynwyd know?"

"We come from the same city, Osilon. But I do not wish to tell you, only know, that based on my past, I really shouldn't care. I should be apathetic and should have left a day ago." I explained.

Thoros was confused, and asked no further questions about my past.

Cynwyd thought a moment, then replied, "I am just tired. It is affecting my judgment. Perhaps I shall care in the morning."

So the three of us went to our separate rooms, and went to our various states of consciousness.

That night, I had a dream. I dreamed that I was back in Osilon, in the fire which started everything.

My brother was not present, my sister was attempting to use magic to escape, but to no avail. My father had just cast "Put out Fire" spell, but some magical barrier prevented the wood to cease burning completely. My mother had attempted to focus the fire upon the wood and burn her way out, but only smoke had made it through the barrier.

My sister screamed, "Thel nastar semway!" Roughly translating to "Spells show yourselves!" Green glyphs of Elfin and Arcane writing showed up on the walls. As the wood burned, another spell was added. This one prevented the smoke from escaping.

My father turned to me and said, "Irigorn, why weren't you here? Why did you have to leave?"

My mother turned and said, "You left us. You left us to die in this fire! You left us alone with that monster! You left before your magic training began! You could have helped us escape!"

My father screamed at me again and said, "He was only a child! DO you really think he would survive with us anyways? Could he? We cannot escape, why could he?"

Then, my younger sister spoke, her voice was the only real thing, she looked away from the glyphs on the walls and turned to me "I understand why you left Dragon-seer," with that one word I knew it was my sister speaking to me. "Only know, that we died, not because of your choice, but because of Foror. Understand, that you are not the only one attempting to stop him." She whispered something under her breath and she began to fade away, like she was a ghost. She turned to our parents and said, "I am sorry I could not save you. If were within my power to save you, I would have done it. I would even go back in time and save you, but the risks would be too great."

As if her very atoms were torn asunder, strings of multi-colored light and glory began to emanate from her ghost-like appearance. Her arms and legs were the first to go, then her abdomen, and head and then the middle of her naval was gone. The strings of light floated about the room, and seemed to be following an invisible wind. They traveled out of the walls and into the forest beyond.

Fire exploded from underneath, the tree began to sway, and for a second, the barrier held my parents from their death a hundred and ten feet down, on the forest floor, but then the barrier failed and my parents fell to their death. I was left standing on the only piece of floor left. The tree began to sway uncomfortably, and as the trunk groaned, pieces of wood broke off, and fifty feet down, the trunk gave way, falling onto other trees, destroying other homes. The house was held by the other pines, but then it felt, and once it hit the ground I fell through the hole in the floor and fell into darkness.

It was obvious I wasn't dead, so my fear alleviated. I was dumbstruck. Could my sister have been alive? Could she have even known of our parent's death before it happened, of our brother's plan? I never really asked whose bodies were found in the ashes. I only guessed that everyone was dead. I even visited their graves. I found it odd, that a sapling did not grow for Zephyr, my sister. I assumed that maybe it was there, but I just couldn't find it, or perhaps the plant had died, or perhaps her body was not found.

The dream changed, and I was standing in the middle of a field full of the greenest grass. The clearing was surrounded on all sides by pine forest and to the north were tall mountains at least four miles high. I saw my sister, standing near the center of the field with a half-elf.

My sister looked older, stronger, more powerful. Her hair was a darker shade of brown than when she was a child. Her once grey eyes were now sky blue. It seemed like she glowed in the sunlight just as our brother possessed an aura of darkness. She seemed to be teaching the half-elf magic. She then turned away from her student and said in elvish, her voice as fluent, beautiful and melodious as the harps played during the Spring celebration, "Thaan, you came."

"Now Thaan, I know you have gone beyond the age where you have changed names. What is your name now?"

"Irigorn." I replied. "Irigorn Dagel."

"Ahh yes," she began, "that always was your favorite story, wasn't it? How our grandfather fought off the evil dragon Hastil. Dagel Ravelst. Interesting choice. My name is no longer Zephyr either. Instead it is Aeris. Aeris Salora Ravelst. We work towards the same goal, and one day we shall meet, but for now, I must teach my student."

"Why? Why did you talk to me now? After all these years? You must have had so many chances!" I asked.

"Irigorn, I will tell you once you find me. I am, outside of the Realm. Out here there are elves as well, and I have lived among them for several years. When I escaped from the fire, I appeared outside of Osilon. So I quickly ran away with little more than a few gold coins and a rudimentary understanding of spells and magic. I would like to tell you more, but I cannot, as the energy I use doing this dwindles. Eventually we shall cross paths. At that time I will tell you my story. Until then, good bye Irigorn."

"Answer me! Can you hear me!" The dream began to fade away, like fallen leaves in an autumn breeze. "Wait! Come back! I have to ask you a question!" I yelled.

"Wake up," she whispered in the darkness. Everything dissolved and a face appeared in front of me.

"Wake up!" Adamis exclamed. I opened my eyes, and was met with the second last person I wanted to see right now. The first one would always be my brother.

"Go away." I ordered.

"I was just going to ask you if you would to come with me to the,"

"I said go away!" I yelled. I got up, stood up, and attempted to push the human out of the room.

"You talk in your sleep by the way." Adamis said. He walked out. Suddenly startled I ran after him and said, "What all did you hear?"

"You only said 'Wait.' As if you were begging a dream to not stop. How did you sleep anyways?"

"Elves don't sleep." With that, I went back in my room, closed and locked the door.

I then took off my clothes, washed myself with wet cloths, and dressed. I put on my Elven tunic, then put on my leather armor, and put my wizard's robe above everything else. I took my staff with me, and unlocked the door, and left my room.

Why my sister hadn't contacted me sooner was a mystery to me, but perhaps it was only a dream.

I went down the stairs, ate some pancakes, and drank a little mead, and some juice. It seemed the place was busier than yesterday, especially for the morning.

I overheard a conversation saying, "I bet that paladin died in those caves."

"The paladin was an idiot for saying he would give you his weapons."

"I know!"

I stood up and walked over to them men and said, "What makes you think we didn't come back?"

The man said, "Well, its only two silver." He went back to his meal.

I sat back down at a table.

Thoros was the first to come down after me, then Adamis, then Cynwyd. We all sat at the same table. I asked how everyone's night was. Thoros and Cynwyd said that their night was fine.

Adamis, still ignorant of the facts, said to me, "I am still feeling ill. I want to go to the Alchemy shop for a health potion."

"Are we going to fill him in?" Cynwyd asked.

"Better sooner than later." Thoros said.

"I'm not telling him. He woke me up." I complained.

"I don't care." So Thoros explained to Adamis that the Alchemist had left town, and that the fountain as the source of the poison. He even told Adamis the part about the locked door in the back of the shop.

Adamis half listened, half ate his food, but after fifteen minutes of an endless stream of speculation, questions and answers. Adamis said, "Okay, so let's go."

So, after another few minutes of preparation, we set off for the Alchemy Shop. The way there was uneventful, there weren't as many insane people around.

When we got there, everyone surveyed the place thoroughly. Everything was still in it's place, there was still red dust on the floor, and the door was locked.

"Okay, so I'll just break it down." Adamis stepped back ten feet. He had not armor on, so he was able to run faster. He charged the door, his right shoulder ready to bash the door. The door cracked, the hinges creaked, and ripped off of the doorway. The wood splintered and cracked from the force of the ramming. The door fell down, and hit the ground, with Adamis laying on it.

We all walked into the dark room.

"We need a torch." Thoros said.

"I still have a torch from yesterday." Cynwyd said. She reached into her bag, and took out a torch. She handed it to Thoros, who said a word of prayer over it and the torch lit on fire.

We were in a medium sized room, with pine wood floor boards. We were still unable to tell anything else, besides there were lamps on the wall which could be lit. So Thoros opened the lanterns, lighting them on by one, until we could see the whole room. The flickering, orange aura of light the lanterns were giving off, danced on the objects, making their shadows dance on the floor, and walls. The room was fifteen feet by fifteen feet. It was also largely empty, with only a fire place, and empty book shelves. In the center of the room, was a podium with a book open. There was a rusty long sword hanging over the fireplace and a few shields and weapons on the walls.

I said, "Dibs on the book."

Adamis immediately went for the rusty long sword, and took it off. Thoros followed and said, "The sword is salvageable, but only if you clean it off."

No one seemed to care, but I walked over it, I read tried to close it. Cynwyd raced followed me towards the book. Knowing the Alchemist had lived here, I assumed that maybe the book was full of recipes for potions, and maybe I could take it and sell it to the Wizard's Academy a few leagues away, but once I investigated the condition of the book I realized it was worth nothing. The pages crumbled, as I tried to close, but there was one page which still seemed in okay condition a few pages away. So I turned to it, as best I could without ruining the old book.

On the page was the riddle,

Provider, devourer, a double-edged blade,

Man he has tamed her, accepting this trade.

Ravenously hungry, must all the time feed,

Yet drink she must not, this can kill her indeed.

Cynwyd said, "Come here guys, this looks important." Sp Thoros and Adamis came closer, and Cynwyd read the page aloud.

Once finished, Adamis said, "Double-edged blade obviously means the rusty sword."

I said, "No, its not that simple." I wondered what it meant. I looked around the room, then saw a smile on Thoros' face. He knew what it meant.

"What does it mean Thoros?" I asked.

"Its fire. It's a reference to fire. Fire provides warmth and heat to cook our food. Devourer because it feeds off of our time, and eats away at flammable materials. Man has tamed fire as best he can, but it can be used for good as well as evil, so the double edged blade. Ravenously hungry because it must feed all the time to stay alive."

"And," Cynwyd continued, "it must not drink water, as it will put the fire out."

My attention was drawn to the fire place. I suggested, "Let's light the fire place."

"Okay." Everyone else followed Thoros, but I tore the page out of the book and pocketed it. I made one more attempt to close the book, but eh pages crumbled, it was futile to attempt further. So I walked to the fire place with everyone else.

Thoros prayed to his god to light the fire, and it did. The dry, half ashen logs lit on fire. In the back of the fire place an arrow glowed. It seemed to be imprinted on the bricks. It glowed, until it burst into flames. The arrow pointed to an area of bricks to the upper right hand side of the fire place. Not wanting to burst into flames because the fire place was three feet deep, I asked "Could someone please put it out so I may investigate?"

Thoros prayed and the fire was reduced to hot embers which glowed red hot. Partially satisfied, I stepped into the fireplace, and investigated the bricks of the upper right corner with my hand. As my hand pushed, pulled, knocked and tapped the bricks, it seemed nothing would happen. Until I pushed one brick in, and with my keen ears I could hear something move several feet up the chimney.

I said, "Did you hear that?"

Cynwyd said, "Yes." The others said they couldn't hear it.

I decided to climb up the chimney. I stood inside it, placed my hands and feet against the walls of the chimney, and using my upper and lower body, I lifted myself upward, until at about eight feet up. There was a stone drawer which had moved. I pulled it out of the chimney, and tried to see what was inside it, but it was too dark to see what was inside it. I climbed back down, and exited the fire place. I looked down and saw I was covered in ash and soot. Behind me Thoros prayed and the fire relit.

I set the drawer down on the floor, and sat cross legged. Everyone else sat on the floor as well. In the box was a four inch long, black stick, a small, rectangular slab of black stone which was neither coal or obsidian as Thoros observed, a scroll, and bag. I grabbed the black bag, Cynwyd the scroll, Adamis the stick and Thoros the slab.

Cynwyd whispered something in elvish under her breath and a second later said, "All the items are magical."

I opened the black bag, put on my leather glove, and put my hand inside. In it was an ash like substance, similar in feeling and look. I licked it, and it did not taste like ash. So it was not ash. I passed the bag onto the Cynwyd who gave me the scroll.

The scroll was a map, detailing a poorly drawn map of the area. In the upper left corner was a square, which I assumed to be the castle. Coming from the square was a path which flowed south, then turned abruptly east, and continued along what appeared to be lines in the south. I guessed that was marsh, and to the north was a crude drawing of what seemed to be mushrooms, but I guessed they were trees. In the middle of the forest was scribbled half circle with a word beside it. The writing was terrible, and my guess was that it read 'fire', but I was half certain it didn't say that. From the scribble, was a dotted line which ended at a circle with the number 823 beside it on the left. Then, on the right side of the circle were the words, 'New Laboratory'. The writing there was definite, and was not as sloppy as the word 'fire'.

I showed it to everyone and said, "My guess is our Alchemist friend has left the city and gone to a new laboratory in the forest."

"Understandable. But where?" Thoros asked.

"Those look like mushrooms," Cynwyd said. "But I am guessing those are trees."

"And those lines look like the marsh."

Adamis took the paper, and said, "We can go to the marsh."

"I'm not." I said. Everyone else agreed with me. "The path doesn't even lead into the marsh. But you certainly can go into the marsh."

"I guess, but what it is actually telling us to go into the marsh."

"You'll be killed by lizardman, then eaten." Thoros explained.

"Like the elves." I said. Then I whispered "Delia voth rakona." An Elven saying which can be roughly be translated to "May they rest in peace." It could also be translated to, "May they find their way" or "They will remembered" as well as several other possibilities.

"Before we go exploring," Thoros began, "we should get some provisions."

"Agreed. I want a map of the realm and the surrounding regions." I said.

"And I need a shield." Adamis said.

"Not to mention provisions." Cynwyd said.