Backlash and Reunion

Chapter 104: Backlash and Reunion

/Another guild which you'd find in most major cities is the Alchemists' Guild. This institution is very open in terms of membership, not having any restrictions, and more often than not, members are also part of other associations.

Just to give an example, many alchemists are also part of the Mages' Guild, or may be travelling physicians. Some take up delving into old ruins, and a few are seekers as well, since healers are well liked during rift exploration. Of course, many alchemists also pursue the craft more as a passion than their calling, and instead take on other jobs as well, many working as cobblers, carpenters, or even blacksmiths, oftentimes being part of those guilds as well.

Now, what makes an alchemist an alchemist? Well, of course the main part is potioncrafting, as many will know, but there is quite a bit more to it than that, as I found out during research. The task of alchemy begins with a very fundamental understanding of a different subject entirely: chemistry!

As an alchemist, knowing how substances will interact, and predicting such, is one of the main components. Knowledge of chemistry is invaluable to any potionmaker, since picking the right ingredients and processing methods comes first, and the magic aspect second.

With such knowledge, the task to make a potion or salve then becomes a different one. First is picking out ingredients, from whichever source. Many alchemists will forage for these themselves, though some who also practice magic might call upon familiars, sometimes demonic in nature, to carry out this task for them. Alchemists who practice magic are usually called witches, though when talking to a traveller, that word might carry a negative connotation, so use it carefully.

After obtaining the ingredients, knowing their properties is vital. As such, alchemists may have run tests on them, recording findings in tomes of knowledge that would dwarf many libraries. With said knowledge, they must be processed accordingly. Dissolved, burnt, distilled, dried, ground down, filtered, boiled, and distilled again. I've found their methods to be plenty, and sometimes even overwhelming, but such is with any craft once you look a little closer.

Finally, after the process has completed, using tools that are oftentimes enchanted and the proper process for each ingredient, the liquid may be magical. In order to help the effects, some alchemists may add additional catalysts, or magic essence gathered from cores, sometimes even their own mana. In terms of taste, most potions made this way turn out bitter or foul, and so oftentimes sweeteners may be added as well.

Finally, after a long and arduous process, a potion may be completed. Because of this, alchemists usually do their work in large batches, processing swathes of ingredients. Because even people as patient as the plants they work with wouldn't want to go through the process more often than need be./

"On the Alchemists' Guild" by Gilbert Gildfried.

- - - - - -

Mercury didn't take very long to have his mind see further. He had entered ihn'ar many times now, and the process was slowly becoming more natural. It probably helped quite a bit that he did it in high-stakes situations, learning how to keep a cool head when in danger. Still, he made sure to reinforce his state of mind more than he usually would, since seeing between the threads was much more intense than anything else he could do.

Then, when it felt like his thoughts had settled, he opened his eyes. His mind was clear, like a mountain lake on a sunny, windless day, a surface so smooth it worked almost as a mirror, with water so clean, it was more like glass. As Mercury looked at his dreamscape like this, he saw things covered again.

With his clarity of mind, it felt like he could see the veil obscuring his vision, the golden sheen that covered everything. He could almost look past it sometimes, seeing it writhe and curve, like a thin curtain in the wind. Sometimes it felt as though he could make out whispers, and sometimes the shimmer almost formed into words, but the structure soon fell apart before he could get a grip on it.

Until Mercury looked down. He saw the grass in this dreamscape, and he immediately felt familiar. There was no wind here, at least none he could feel, yet in the golden light, he could tell the grass was softly shaking, rolling in waves as it buckled and stood together. Each blade was family to the other, a friend one would do anything for, and as Mercury looked at it, the veil was thin.

It was because he understood the grass, understood its woes, its pleasures. It was this way, because just like every blade was a friend, he was accepted in their family too.

Before this, he already knew this fact. He understood it instinctively after he understood the grass itself, he knew it because it stood up for him, and helped him when the need arose. Yet, knowing and seeing was different. The veil was thin, and it was not only his eyes that had been covered. As he listened now, there was a whisper coming from it.

The voices were so many he couldn't make out what they said, not quite, and he couldn't quite feel what it wanted from him either. Still, just like when he talked to old Dreamweaver, there was something he could feel, a very clear feeling he could read on its thoughts. There was companionship.

It was at the very forefront of the grass' mind, the first and most prevalent thing it thought of Mercury. Companionship, because he understood it, and that made it happy.

For a moment, the cat smiled, enjoying the feeling of closeness. But the moment passed, and soon, Mercury moved his mind elsewhere, letting the moment fade, and his thoughts focus on something else. The movement was slow and methodical, like walking with a cup of hot tea, careful not to spill anything. It reminded him of summer jobs as a waiter, though he didn't follow the thought. He couldn't really afford a lapse in concentration right now.

Instead, Mercury turned his mind inwards slowly, to his breath, watching as it course into his body and back out, seeing his other form sleep while this one waked. But he ignored it, chose not to feel the dissonance it caused, because he was himself, and nothing would change that.

Rather than questioning, Mercury continued to follow his breath, until it led into his core. He went from breath to breathing, from breathing to energy, and from energy to mana, every step done carefully. As he saw his mana, the veil was no longer golden bur silver instead. It was a mask of his own design, a strange feeling for sure, but one he chose not to pay any mind. He was himself, after all.

Mercury reached out with his mind, now that he was so close, and took his mana. He ran his hand through the silvery pool, knowing it was part of himself, and then reached out with it. His mind fused with the tendril of liquid starlight, and went to the outside. From energy to mana, making his mind one with it, before expanding the liquid that was part of him.

Slowly, it snaked out of his body, reaching into the air, and Mercury could once again feel all the triz. The veil was thinner now, slithering as he probed it. The cat kept looking more closely, using his newfound senses to look between the veil that made up his mind, through the very fabric that stopped his thoughts at reasonable places.

It was, once again, a limit of his own design, one that he never truly had. As Mercury thought that, and knew that the veil at least was his own making, there seemed to be a gap in it, and seizing the chance, Mercury dug underneath.

The veil wasn't the final obstacle, he then found out. Its fabric was one of his own design, his thoughts. It changed and molded to his thoughts, changing shape and colour, even texture. For some, the veil might be a thick curtain of black, letting them not see an inch beyond what they knew, and for some, the veil may be paper thin and elusive, always just a step out of reach.

Mercury had stepped slightly beyond the veil, yet it wasn't his first time. When he understood grass, he had gone past it, and when he had learned breath, it was shattered by old Uunrahzil, he now knew. But this first boundary only set him on the path to understanding, there was a second obstacle still in his way.

His tendril of sense was now very thin, still growing smaller as it sought what was not. He could feel the air abuzz with power, looked smaller than triz, and smaller again. Then, with more preparation now, he once again touched the nothingness in between. The gaps that were not.

Instinctively, his mind searched for comparisons, yet when it did, Mercury halted it. This was simply about understanding, not connecting quite yet, but he still could not stop his nature. Instead of trying, Mercury decided to do what he had before, and split his mind.

The lake was cur in half, making a silence of two parts in his head. One was tranquil and silent, the other stunned and overwhelmed as it sought to understand.

Tranquility kept grasping, as turbulence churned more. He saw that the nothingness was like molecules once again, like the vacuum of space, like the gaps between toes, like not knowing love, like loneliness. It was playing a game with no substance, reading a book with no words, staring at a blank page and being unable to create. It was the lull over the ocean, eyes of the storm where silence reigned, and it was like sucking the air out of a plastic bottle and watching it crumple.

But at the same time, tranquility knew that it was none of those things, because it wasn't.

Any examples Mercury could come up with were ones related to the world he used to live on, but the nothingness in between dreams simply didn't exist there. Any example his mind made was inherently flawed, one that could not come close to comprehending the weave between.

The backlash he had experienced last time was natural. Understanding something was almost like climbing a building, once you're at the top, falling was hard, though the building might still shift and change beneath you. Trying to understand, was like scaling the side. There were no stairs, no doors, no easy access, just ones own grit to get up.

And the last time, Mercury had reached out and actually gotten close to understanding, somewhat. Until, at the final moment, he allowed in a thought that was contrary to what he was trying to understand. A thought that was akin not to stopping his climb, but more like deciding to do a backflip 360 no-scope down the side of the building.

Of course, something like that carries sufficient impact with it, and that's what Mercury got to experience first hand, his mind injured from the fall. Honestly, he could count his lucky stars he didn't get knocked unconscious for a couple days, turbulence now realised.

At the same time, tranquility was silent. Still probing, still searching. It was a part of his mind made from the experiences of this world, with little of Earth in it. That was why it was perfect to understand something that could never be on Earth.

It took its time. Tranquility always did, always would perhaps, but as it got closer, the picture seemed to become more clear. There was nothingness, of course there was. Nothingness so thick one couldn't break it, one so empty it would never be filled, a gap so certain it was like a constant. And above that nothingness, there was something thin, and tiny.

A piece of thread, so small one could break it at the slightest touch, so miniscule there was no way to feel it, and so tough it would restore the moment it was broken. That thing Mercury found, a tiny line of... where did it go?

And the moment he thought that, once again, his mind did a backflip of a building, crashing so hard, the dream shattered and Mercury was knocked into deep, dreamless sleep.

- - - - - -

"What in tartarus is this cat doing?"

"He's a mopaaw, grandpa," Marsh chided. "Now let him sleep."

- - - - -

Avery was busy looking over the reports. Marcel had summarized most of what had happened, any gaps were filled in with documentations from Nira, who'd volunteered to help, letting Foss take over more management in the Merchants' Guild. She'd been a big help, and very surprisingly, not even charged them.

At that, Avery smirked. Usually he'd assume she wanted to be owed a favour, but that wasn't like Nira at all. He already considered the old lady a friend, and she probably thought the same, helping out simply because it was the right thing to do or something like that. Of course, if anything went wrong, he'd also be ready to help her, not because they were trading favours, but as a friend.

In a little bit, he got to some of the more dicey parts. The city had been attacked, but all had gone well in fending them off. Somehow, Marcel had kept up with Kaga's rampage, and supplied her with healing. Again, Avery smirked. It almost looked like one of his receptionists had been babysitting one of count I'htar's guards. A good look for them, and imagining the old man fuming was more than enough to lift his spirits.

He'd also have to thank Lucia and Iris again for their help. The Church of Order wasn't very widely spread in Evlenor, but closing off their chances for expansion like this was a loss not many people would take. Well, given what he was hearing, he might not need to wait for long...

A couple seconds later, the door to Avery's office slammed open, revealing a couple faces. Lucia entered first, with Iris right on her heels. Behind them, Kaga was almost pushing the other women aside, and through the gaps, Avery was sure he could see a somewhat despairing Marcel.

"Avery!" Lucia said loudly, stepping into the middle of his office.

"Yup, that's me. Would you like to sit down? I'm sure we have something to drink," the guild master said, throwing half a glance at Marcel, leading the young man's eyes to darken even more.

""Gladly,"" Kaga and Lucia answered almost immediately, plopping themselves down of the couch, as Iris and Marcel let out sighs. Belrose soon sat down next to her lady, and not long after, Lucia had hooked her arm in with that of her confidant. Kaga, on the other hand, leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Coffee," the private guard said.

"Iced tea," Lucia demanded.

"Just water will do," Iris gave a soft smile.

"One Coffee, one cold tea, one glass of water, and one glass of something alcoholic please!" Marcel yelled downstairs.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Avery asked, giving the receptionist a smug grin, only for Marcel to furrow his brows in confusion.

"Fuck no, that's for me to deal with three literal psychos in this room," he said, already pulling out a charr and lighting it.

"No charring in here," Avery said.

"nO cHaRrInG iN HeRe," Marcel parroted, lighting it anyways.

Lucia chuckled a little at Avery's annoyed face, but the guild master stayed quiet. Marcel probably had a long enough week.

"I oughta switch employment at this rate," Kaga said into the silence with a grin. "That little arch you went into looked like fun!"

"It's not," Avery shook his head, "not even for the combat junkies. Most of the time you spend battling the elements, being hot, sweating, and walking across landscapes that are incredibly hostile. The battles are short and grueling, there are no taunts and no parries."

Almost immediately, the woman's smile disappeared into a frown. "That's no fun," she said, leaving Avery to only shrug his shoulders.

"Anyway, what brought you all into my office today?" he asked, looking over the round.

"The nutcases," Marcel said, but the moment Avery's lips began to contort into a laugh, he spoke up again. "Including you, guild master. I wish there were more sane people in my line of work."

Iris gave him a sympathetic look for a moment before speaking up. "We're really just here to check on you, guild master Beckham. Actually, Lucia began her march through the city as soon as we had gotten news of your return- Oof!" As she was being told on, Lucia had decided to politely insert her elbow into Iris' side to quickly put an end to her snitching.

"I did not. We've come here to ensure that the city is enjoying proper methods of protection again, and to ascertain as to whether or not guild master Beckham is in proper shape to execute his duties after an expedition," she said, taking a sip.

"I missed you too," Avery said with a grin.

"Fuck off," Lucia countered.

"I see you guys get along great," Kaga said with a grin. "Trashcan, why didn't you introduce me to your guild master sooner?"

"Really because I can only stomach one of you, if I had to see your and his mug every day I think I might develop more unhealthy habits," Marcel said, taking another swig from his glass.

"Sure, sure, you tell yourself it's our fault," Kaga said, before turning her attention back to Avery. "Now, guild master Beckham, I've been sent here by my employer to make sure that the trip left you severely injured."

"Ah, no, really, I'm quite fine-"

"This wasn't a question," she said, leaning forwards and putting her fingertips together. "I was sent to make sure, I'm not leaving until I at least break one arm."

For a moment, silence laid down in the room, heavy and thick like a vampire was pushing a road roller onto them.

"Nutcase, could you just fucking no- OH SHIT!" Marcel started, but was soon interrupted, by the fact that the table in front of him had started to burn.

"As a priestess of a religion which advocates for peace, I must admit that your current intention quite conflicts with my morals on who may be hurt," Lucia said, the air around her distorting from the heat.

Rather quickly, Avery took a lungful of air, and blew the fire out, almost knocking over the table, as Kaga quickly snatched up the coffee and took a sip.

"What do you have to say for yourself, wench?" Lucia ground out between clenched teeth, her rage barely contained, when the target of her fury... began to laugh.

"Gihgihgihgihgih! I can't believe you guys, gih! You should've seen your faces! No, but seriously, count I'htar wanted me to threaten you. I consider this a job well done. Obviously, I'm not doing anything, what am I, stupid?"

"Yes, absolutely," Marcel interrupted without hesitation, receiving an elbow into his side, much like Iris before, except that he felt the air knocked out of him much more. "Ugh, fucking nutcase I swear..."

"Silence, trashcan. Now, Avery, I've protected your city and paid back my debt, which means that we are now partners, surely?" she asked.

"Hm," Avery scratched his goatee for a moment. "I suppose we are."

"Good, good. Then how about I register at your guild for some part time work. I'm sure the count would be immensely annoyed by it."

The offer made Avery grin. "Now we're talking," he said with a wide grin.

And thus, the Stormbraver anti-noble faction was slowly beginning to form.