The wandering pharmacist [2]
"Nature's blessing!!!" A bundle of roots and vegetation alike came bursting from the ground and aimed for the abomination
Even though it was the beginning of their match, Ernest didn't even pull his punches because he never had enough time. Gwen's condition was getting worse by the minute and he pulls every stop and changed his tactics. But his opponent never once lied about his predicament, he could feel it, the gap between their strength
"Take this!!!" A simple swing and yet the sheer force was enough to send him flying through the woods. He blocked the attack by invoking nature's blessing and a pile of roots formed and guarded him against his attack. In the instance he had left, he pulls a few syringes from his bag and directly stab himself near his chest
The drugs quickly took effect and his body entered a frenzied state, he charged at the fiend and took their battle away from his patient. The rain created a space where even their punches weren't heard, he grabs his knife and aimed for its legs. Regardless of whether it was a vital part of his enemy, the durability of its skin seems to change
"You've got a lot of nerves thinking you're a match for me!!!" He soared through the skies upon having his abdomen directly struck by its thunderous kick
The damage he took and the after-effects of the drugs were gradually appearing and he couldn't do a single thing in the air. Before he could ever reach the surface of the woods he began chanting a spell. The demonic guardian notices this and jumps to deny him his move, but he only met was a menacing smile
"Gotcha," He bashed a vial of a paralysis potion and it soon took its effects, he grabbed his enemy from the back and switch their position
When they came back to the surface the demon was the one that took the full force of their fall. Ernest took his chance and chanted a spell before the demon could retaliate against his will. Soon after, a bunch of monsters surrounded him and he was caught in the middle of a perfectly plotted incursion. He dodges any vital attack and he was left unable to fend for himself whilst he continued his chant
"Manifest before me, Dirt control," The mud around them was now in his command and they covered the monster's eyes
He took this chance and ended their lives before his stimulants would lose their effect, but that was the moment it strike. The demonic guardian was missing from the crater and all he could've heard were the loud and catastrophic steps. The fiend laughs when he saw that his final attack manages to land and a sharp and pointy claw would end his life
"What is this!!!?" When the fiend took a closer look at his attack he notices a chunk of metal in the place of the mud. It shielded Ernest from his attack and it was revealed to be his ace in the whole
"Alchemical conversion, in the myths of the past, an alchemist was the term for medieval scientists. In those times they believed in things such as magic and it was the best thing for one to learn about the truth. One of the famous stories is the study of turning iron into silver or gold. But I've done something that goes beyond that, I've turned mud into iron," The claws of the fiend were stuck and he too will meet the fate of the monster he controlled
The rain made it easier for him to control mud and it covers the entirety of his enemy's body before it turn into his chosen material
"Apart from turning mud into iron, I could do so much more! I can change the property of everything I control. The iron will become platinum, the raindrops will become gas and lastly, I can increase the friction. With all of this combined, I can turn you into a burning mess!!!" And so that ends his battle with the demonic guardian and he took its head as a piece of evidence for his work
He quickly hurried to Gwen's location and he takes her back to the shack where his body crumbled from the effects of his drugs. A few days after that she was finally rid of her disease and the town folk were relieved by the news of the demon finally meeting its end. It sounds like a perfectly good way to end his story of this town and his tale will be added to the countless deed that became a myth
"Are you sure this is the reward you want? It's just a bunch of herbs and spices, you did so much for this town. Please, at the very least we should celebrate in honor of your triumphant return," The dwarf who's secretly the mayor begged him to stay so they could express their utmost respect. But Ernest wasn't someone who desires such trivialities and brushes off his request
"If you're really grateful for what I've done, then promise me one thing. Gwen... That orphan I met in the woods, take good care of her. Seeing that child smile is already a gift that I'll be happy of knowing she can finally live a normal life~ Hey! Stop that already, I told you that I already planned things out for you," Gwen clung to his clothes whilst she cries after hearing his departure
"Idiot, master you're such an idiot!! I don't want anything, im fine if I can't go back to how things were. Please don't leave me, Gwen is a good girl! Gwen won't bother you, please take me with you... Gwen doesn't want to separate from her master," This little elf never once cried in their entire time together and now she broke down in tears
He was the only chance she might have for a family and now hes about to leave, just like what her father did to protect her. She lived her entire life traumatized by the sight of her father brutally murdered behind the other side of the shack. She hugged her father's corpse and slept beside it until her body could no longer endure its stench. Ernest's departure would amount to the same emotional and psychological terror of her being left alone to fend for herself
"Sigh... I'm sorry, can you let me go?" He lowered himself so he could meet her tiny face that was filled to the brim with her tears and snot covering her nose
"No!!! If I let go I know you'll leave me behind. Gwen won't do as you say, stay I want you to stay... If you can't, then take me with you," From this point on he knew that he couldn't reason with her and so he could only do a single thing that came to his mind
"You can't come with me and that's final, you're too weak if you insist on following me around then grow up. Learn from these people, I saw it, you awakened when I met you. If you want to follow me then become a guardian, that's up to you, and take this, it's a book where I record my knowledge. You want to be my apprentice right? Then learn it, I don't want a snot-nosed brat, if you want to be my apprentice then prove your worth," When he said those words, Gwen knew it wasn't his way of saying goodbye
He was deeply curious whether or not she'll take his challenge if it meant she'll be permitted to pursue his side. That was the day when even if he didn't officially announce her as his apprentice he's been waiting for her arrival. Though that promise lasted so long ago and he met so many people who fill her spot and eventually might have forgotten her
But even so, she had never been one to surrender from a mere failure and she pushes through her frustrations. She's the only one apart from Ernest who shocked the world with her knowledge and her having his book proved her inheritance. Though she was the same as his teacher, she had no sense of greed and gains joy from helping those in need
[Gwendolyn Mystralath
Race: Elf
Age: 22
Title: The great alchemist's apprentice, Alchemical prodigy, Medicine god, Saintess
Background: A countryside elfling thats been saved by the great alchemist Ernest Quelt
Specialty: Grand Alchemical arts]
"Finally, I've finally learned about the formula my master used to create the antibodies! With this, we can enter the dark forest, I even volunteered for this voyage. But I was never one to be full of greed, at the very least I must find the remains of my master. It's late but I've deciphered the greatest project you've encoded in your book. However the means of creating artificial life? The homunculus project what does it mean?" She could only decipher the meaning of his project but she wasn't to understand its content