Brewing Bad Ch. 97-98

Ch. 97 - The Grind

For the next two days, Lucas did very little which didn’t involve cooking up blue. He went upstairs every few hours for more barrels or vials at first, but eventually, Hura’gh figured out the intervals and just brought them downstairs into the laboratory without being asked. That sped things up a little. After the first day, Lucas stopped eating upstairs with them, too. 

It wasn’t that he feared that he might not be able to make enough to cover his absence for the foreseeable future or anything, though. He’d already bottled enough blue in the first eighteen hours, and he’d already made sure that they’d had enough until summer started, thanks to the amount he could water the stuff down at this point. No, he was in the zone. 

Lucas might have been a junkie and a criminal for half his life. He was certainly still a piece of shit on some level, but now that he had a real lab and a little theory, he was somewhere between a perfectionist and an experimenter, too. Not in the stuffy way that Heisenburgle was, either. 

Every batch he made over the next two days was a little different. Sometimes, he heated up the reagents a little more before he mixed them together. Sometimes, he cooled them to near freezing instead, just to try to tweak the recipes a little further toward perfection. It was a process that was almost as addictive as the drug itself, to him at least. 

Most of the time, nine times out of ten, in fact, according to the journal he was keeping, his changes would do nothing, and half the time, the changes would be bad. They would introduce more poison, or decrease the euphoria at the expense of adding other attributes or effects that weren’t particularly desirable. 

This was usually in the form of intelligence or endurance, and none of them was so drastic that he wouldn’t be able to sell the stuff. It wasn’t like the crazy batches that the gnome had made that were downright lethal. Still, on his 24th batch, he succeeded in lowering the poison from 2 to 1, and on his 37th, he was finally able to get the euphoria up to 16. 

In the former case, he managed to isolate the portion of goblin bile that was paradoxically the most toxic and apparently reactive by leaving it outside for a couple of hours and letting frost distillation do its work. In the latter case, he drifted off to sleep for a few minutes and let the fire beneath the final solution burn down far lower than he meant to. This let the potion boil down longer without losing so many volatiles and gave him ideas about how he could further develop the recipe if only he had access to a vacuum chamber or pressurization. 

Through all of this was only a single distraction: the damn system. 

I don’t think this is what you meant to make. +10 exp.

This isn’t a recipe, you know. +10 exp.

One of your reagents might have gone bad. +10 exp.

It was the words in his head that mocked him every step of the way. He shouldn’t have let it get to him, but now and then, he did. Especially when he succeeded at making the recipe better, and all it did was mock him again. At this point, he was pretty sure that if he took the time to improve one of the potions from the gnome’s books, he’d get the same results, which made no sense in a sane world.

“This world isn’t necessarily sane, though,” he reminded himself regularly.    

Still, even if the little pop-ups didn’t care for what he was doing, the results spoke for themselves. The potion no longer practically glowed when he made it; now it actually did. If he extinguished all the lanterns in the room, it fluoresced brightly for several minutes before it slowly dimmed to something like the blue potion with cyan glints he’d made so many times before. 

He even brought Kar’gandin and Hura’gh down to take a look at one point just to show off the improvements he’d made. 

“Ye figure out how to add magic to your herbalism, laddie?” the dwarf asked with a little concern. 

“Nah,” Lucas said with a shrug, “the gnome just taught me a couple tricks to making this shit even purer.”

“So then we can dilute it a bit more now?” the dwarf asked, regaining the glint of greed in his eyes. 

“We have to; something this potent would kill someone if they tried to drink it,” Lucas answered. “This way though—”

“An orc would be strong enough,” Hura’gh chimed in, predictably. “Nothing is too poisonous for us.”

Lucas thought about refuting that statement but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Instead, he said, “Yeah, but orcs would be smart enough not to drink intensely addictive substances, now wouldn’t they?”

That at least got a smug nod from the man, but Lucas continued before Hura’gh could pontificate about how smart orcs were for the hundredth time. “The point is, it’s basically twice as strong now as it was when we started. Which means every time I brew, I can make two kegs of the cheap stuff for the Knights of Brass or one of the good stuff for our more exclusive clientele.”

Lucas didn’t bother to explain that it was slightly less toxic now, too, because they wouldn’t care. He only cared for more esoteric reasons, really. If a junkie got sick, then as far as he was concerned, that was pretty much what they deserved. 

He appreciated it more for a sense of perfectionism in general and, more specifically, as a clue that he was on the right trail toward the “perfect” recipe. He didn’t know if such a thing existed, of course, but that didn’t stop him from trying. 

It was only after he’d completely exhausted their stores of goblin bile and they were running low on wizened gnome caps that he finally stopped his brewing rampage. He let Kar’gandin know exactly what they needed to prioritize once the weather improved, but on the plus side, they had close to two thousand doses of the good stuff, which was enough to get them through the summer at the current pace. It was a literal fortune, and he looked forward to turning it into cash.

If stocks held out, he might brew a few barrels in the summer and work with the Prince to sell them abroad. Lucas didn’t really like the idea of expanding his hold on the market any more than he had already, but if he was hooking people far away, then that wouldn’t be so bad. 

What Danaria doesn’t know won’t hurt her, he decided, and he finally took a real break and had dinner in the main house again with her. 

He’d been looking forward to seeing her, but Adin’s mere presence soured Lucas’s mood and, eventually, his stomach. Eventually, he excused himself and went to bed early, feigning exhaustion, but the truth was he couldn’t even look at the man anymore and could only barely tolerate his existence. Danaria looked worried by that, but he assured her, “There’s nothing wrong with me that sleep can’t fix.”

Even there, in a soft bed, though, sleep didn’t come. As a result, Lucas ended up staying awake for half the night studying his system interface. 

First, he looked at the achievements interface, desperately wishing he could drill down further into some of the options. Wishing didn’t make it a reality, though, and the thing stone-walled him. Still, he found himself returning to the same option again and again as he went through the thing: Practice makes perfect.

Practice makes perfect: 91% Different failed potions created will help you learn what you did wrong that much faster!

It, frustratingly, had not moved at all since he’d last looked at it at Blackgate, which didn’t make much sense, given how many times he’d failed to make a correct potion between now and then, according to his system. 

“Maybe I need to fail to make a bunch of different potions,” he whispered to himself as he stared up at the dark ceiling. 

It certainly seemed useful. Given how often the thing said he failed, he would love some insight into exactly why he failed or what he needed to do to not fail, even though he had no idea how exactly that would work. 

Eventually, he raised his intelligence by one point, just to see what that would do, but he regretted it almost immediately because it seemed pointless. Lucas certainly didn’t feel smarter with an intelligence of 15 than he had with 14. 

“What are these numbers even supposed to mean?” he sighed, wishing, not for the first time, that there was a help file. Eventually, he was able to pull up additional details on the intelligence attribute, but it did little to enlighten him.

Intelligence: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. The amount of mental ability you are able to bring to bear to solve problems. Current rating is above average, with a slight bonus to certain related skills. 

What was a related skill, on the other hand, was an open question. Lucas found a similar screen for each other attribute, and read them. Eventually, that was enough to figure out that the average was around 10 somewhere. They were about what he expected. Only the description on appearance made him laugh when it noted that he was ‘significantly below average, and likely to repulse strangers.’

“Yeah, like women haven’t been telling me that my whole life,” he chuckled to himself. 

Eventually, all other options explored, and sleep nowhere in sight, he turned his attention back to the perks and advantages, which were things he could actually buy. There was something he actually needed to buy before he went out with Danaria tomorrow, but he didn’t remember exactly what it was called. 

He wasn’t exactly in a hurry looking for it. So, he took his time looking through any option that sounded good to him. Tough as Nails, Superior Scavenger, Extraordinarily Perceptive All sounded interesting to him. Inured to Hardship seemed interesting at first, but he realized it would make good food and comfortable beds just as bland and endurable as starving. He didn’t see why anyone would want it. 

Tough as Nails - This feat makes all pain feel half as strong as it otherwise would. This is a passive effect. Taken multiple times, it will assist in blood loss and recovery against illness. 

Superior Scavenger - This feat will reveal the closest source of a chosen reagent within one mile so you can find exactly what you are looking for. This feat uses mana for the duration you upkeep it. 

Extraordinarily Perceptive - With this perk, one can see what others miss. Details will stand out more than ever before. 

Inured to Hardship - With this ability, discomfort no longer bothers you. You may sleep on the floor or a feather bed, and you will be just as satisfied as you would be as if you’d experience the bare minimum for these requirements. Additionally, with food and water, one can…

Recalling the comment that Kar’gandin made about adding magic to the vials, Lucas eventually found one that would let him learn limited magic, but the price seemed much too high. Most of these cost one or two points, but the cost of using magic seemed to be five or ten points, depending on which version he chose. There were even some divine variants related to worshiping gods, but he wasn’t especially interested in those and skipped them. 

Lesser Elementalism - This feat will allow you to learn and use lower-tier spells of a single elemental sphere.

Low Magic - This feat allows you to learn and use lower-tier spells.

Eventually, shortly before he fell asleep, as false dawn was coloring the sky, he found and selected Superior Forager. Though Lucas already had a small collection of miscellaneous herbs collected for Heisenburgle, he was sure that there were more strange winter reagents he could collect to add to that collection before he headed back in a couple of days.

Superior Forager - This feat will let you detect all reagents within a quarter mile to make your task of finding them that much easier. This feat uses mana for the duration that you upkeep it.  

Ch. 98 - A Walk to Remember

When he sprung the idea of a wintry walk on Danaria over breakfast, she was just as excited as he hoped she would be. “Of course, I want to go on a walk with you. What’s the occasion?” she asked.

“I’ve just got herbs to gather,” he said vaguely, as he decided not to mention the new power he wanted to try. 

Lucas had turned it on briefly this morning to test it, and it had created a map in his head, for lack of a better word. It wasn’t visual so much as it was a feeling, but there had definitely been clusters of interest nearby. He’d selected several but quickly met with disappointment as he realized he was picking up the ingredients in his lab under the cider house and the spices in the cook’s spice rack in the kitchen. 

He should have expected that, of course, but there were other dots further away, indicating that there were things that might yet be found, even amidst the orchard. Flicking through them, he saw a number of weak reagents he already recognized, so there was no need to hunt them down. These included sharp burr seeds, poison holly berries, and aged owl pellets. He might yet find things of greater interest further abroad, though. 

“But there’s snow on the ground,” she laughed. “What is it you hope to find?”

“Maybe there are rare herbs that only grow in the winter,” he said with a wolfish grin, “Or maybe I need rare icicles to prepare my latest potion…”

“And what’s that?” she asked, more than a little amused. 

Lucas would have paid good money then for a great punchline, but he didn’t have one. Instead, he said, “I dunno. We’ll know when we find the right ingredients.”

This made her laugh anyway. It was clear to Lucas that she thought the whole affair was an excuse to get her alone, just as it was equally obvious that she was down for it. 

After that, the discussion devolved into what they should pack for the picnic lunch that Danaria insisted they have. Lucas was fine with some taking some food, but given the temperatures outside, he didn’t think that the atmosphere would be romantic enough for them to lounge around on a blanket even in the afternoon when it was a little warmer. 

He was still trying to find the right way to tell her this when Gerwin said, “And will the two of you be requiring a chaperone?”

“During the day, Gerwin?” Danaria asked while Lucas suppressed a laugh at the very idea. “I should think not.”

“But—” the man started to say. 

“Lighten up, Jeeves; the worst we might do is hold hands,” Lucas said, noting that even that scandalous activity was enough to make Danaria blush visibly for a moment. 

“Y-yes,” she agreed. “We’re adults, and we can behave ourselves.”

“Very good, mistress,” he answered stiffly after a moment. He clearly wasn’t happy about it, but ultimately, it wasn’t his decision. 

The two of them took their time, talking and eating, but about the time that Adin got out of bed, they both spontaneously decided it was time to get ready. So, Danaria changed out of her dress to something more weather-appropriate, and Lucas gathered the knives and baskets he thought he would need for the short expedition. 

“You want me to come with you, Boss?” Mort asked. 

Lucas was about to tell him not to bother, but the Hura’gh chimed in instead. “The man was going into the woods with his lady. Clearly, the last thing he wants is more company.”

Lucas would have phrased the same idea a little more delicately, but he still laughed along with them. The truth was that he was looking forward to spending time alone with Danaria. He just didn’t expect anything untoward to happen. This was just a cute little outing for the two of them to spend some time together without the chance that her brother would join the mix. 

Nevertheless, he still left the cider house under a withering barrage of good-natured jokes and lewd innuendo from the three of them. When he returned to the house, Danaria was in the kitchen cheerfully gathering the sandwiches they’d take with them from the chef. 

After that, it didn’t take them long to get started. Alone, Lucas would have just walked, but with Danaria, he opted to go on horseback at least part of the way. It wasn’t a long walk to the Greenwood, after all, but with the best part of a foot of snow on the ground, it would have been exhausting to walk through. 

For the first half hour, they rode across the orchard to the main road and then down it a ways as they headed toward the tower where Lucas had almost died last year. Along the way, she talked about the kind of home she’d like to have built. Apparently, She’d given it a lot of thought since they’d spoken of it the other day. 

Given her wardrobe, he would have expected that her requests would have been mostly frivolous, but other than a desire to have some stained glass put in her bedroom windows with a songbird motif, they were mostly reasonable and utilitarian. 

“I liked what you said about the storefront, but I was thinking, especially if I’m in the village, we’ll be receiving petitioners all the time, so I think we’ll need a dedicated parlor for just such I thing,” she argued. She spent more time stressing how she didn’t want the thing to stand out too much, though not in the way that Lucas had in mind when he was talking about making a surreptitious base of operations. 

“I just don’t want to feel like we’re lording over the other people of the village, you know?” she explained. “That would be incredibly rude, and subjects or not, I don’t think they’d take kindly to it.”

Lucas nodded and commented occasionally, but he was more focused on his ability now. It took some concentration to keep on, the same way that his ring did, and he found it difficult to do other things while he focused on the reagents it was detecting. 

As it turned out, the pickings were slim. There were plenty of roots and barks of various types and more than a few seeds. Amusingly, the nuts and acorns were in clusters that almost certainly marked the lairs of hibernating rodents. As funny as he thought that would be to check, the last thing he planned to do was wake up a squirrel to steal its dinner. 

They kept riding for a while after that while he figured out how to slowly filter the undesirable results from his list. He finally stopped when he finally found some lamspur moss. It almost certainly had nothing to do with blue, but it was an excellent healing compound. 

Lampsur Moss: Endurance 2, healing 2, strength -1. Can be used raw on an open wound if necessary. 50% more effective against bleeding damage and other blood diseases in potion form. 

“Did you finally find just the right icicle?” Danaria teased. 

She was only slightly more impressed when he cleared away the snow around a fallen log and came up with chunks of deep red moss. “The perfect icicle remains elusive,” he said with a smile. “But this will be pretty useful.”

“Really? What’s it for?” she asked. 

Lucas spent the next few minutes explaining the moss to her. Eventually, that led to other healing herbs. He spent at least an hour explaining all the different sorts of healing potions he knew of and how they were good for different things. 

“I had no idea you knew so much about this,” she said, brightening. “I thought you mostly just made… you know.”

“Well, I learned some stuff from Cassara,” he nodded, sidestepping the issue, “But the first potion I ever learned how to make was a healing potion. I’ve been doing it for a long time. There’s just not a lot of money in it. Well, not enough anyway.”

Truthfully, there was a lot of money in it. That was the reason they functioned as such an effective bribe to the population as a whole. Even more than gold, his bootleg red potions were doing a good job of cementing his control of the region. Medicine was expensive, but he could make it cheap, and everyone knew someone with a condition or ailment. 

Sometime after that, they had their lunch. “I’m sorry it’s so meager,” Danaria said several times since it was only rolls with cold meat and cheese, but Lucas had no problem with that. It was more than he would have brought if he’d come out here by himself. They even had some wine to go with it, which was almost enough to make him laugh out loud. 

“Any meal that’s served with wine isn’t something you can complain about,” he assured her. “I think that’s a rule.”

“A rule, is it?” she asked, looking at him sternly. 

“Yeah, a rule,” he insisted. “I’m pretty sure it’s written down somewhere, and if it isn’t, I’ll do it when I get back.”

He almost kissed her when she laughed then, but a gust of wind came through, making her pull away as she sought protection from it behind a tree. Had he been smoother, he would have…

But I’m not, Lucas thought to himself. Smooth isn’t on my list of skills. 

After they’d packed up lunch, they continued looking for new ingredients. He found some verdant pond scum but decided that he didn’t want to carry around melting ice with him, so he left it behind. He did take arrow root with him, which was a common enough anti-poison and a couple rarer components he’d only seen a few times before. The only one that was actually new to him, though, was the Moonflower. 

Arrow Root: poison - 3, makes any potion containing it twice as bitter. 

Fae Toadstools: mana 3, poison 2, 10% chance of vivid hallucinations. Side effects are more likely to occur on the night of a full moon. 

Motes of True Ice: +3 endurance, -2 agility, strongly water aspected. Strongly air-aspected. Dissipates in above-freezing conditions. 

Lucas had been forced to walk out onto thin ice to grab that one. It was a lilly in a pond, and though the cold should have long since withered it to nothing, it hadn’t. He didn’t know how to explain that. He didn’t even try. Instead, when Danaria asked about it, he just said, “And you didn’t think that flowers bloomed in the winter,” in a sarcastic tone. 

Moonflower: -1 poison, catalyst. Damaged by direct sunlight. 

Truthfully, he didn’t know when it bloomed, but he was tempted to look for more. That was doubly true when he noticed that it was a catalyst. It wasn’t the only catalyst he’d ever found the Greenwood, but that was a pretty short list. 

He was almost so completely distracted by the engrossed in studying it that he only vaguely registered a new reagent popping up not so far from him on his mental map. Lucas should have checked it immediately because it was strange for something to just appear like that now that he’d eliminated so much from his map, but the sunlight had come out through the clouds in the leaden sky just then, and the rays of the setting sun framed Danaria so perfectly while she spoke that he almost interrupted her with a kiss. 

It was only an afterthought that he saw that the new component was listed as horse blood. That took him a moment to parse, but as soon as he realized there was only one nearby source of horses, that he and Danaria had tethered to a tree not so far away a few hours ago, he instantly understood. Something was hungry, and it was coming for them. 

Lucas whirled and interposed himself between his woman and danger just as the first of the goblins crept out from behind the tree they’d been hiding behind as it prepared to ambush them. No, not goblins, he realized. Hobgoblins. He swallowed at that. Hobs were the bigger, uglier cousins of gobs, and while they weren’t the size of men or orcs, they were more than worth their weight in gobs.  

“Fuck…” Lucas growled, drawing his sword, even as the thing drew up to its full height and one of its friends started to appear behind it. “Danaria. We got company. Keep a lookout for more of them.”

“Wha… what should I…” she started to stammer as he took up a defensive stance and sized up his opponents as they started to spread out. “No! We should run. We should make our way to the horses.”

Lucas didn’t have the heart to tell her that the horses were already dead. No, the only way they were getting out of this was a fight.