Seeds of Discordia

Liam opened the door to the Bubbling Potion and saw no one in the front part of the building. Without waiting he walked towards the door that led to the laboratory. As he entered the room he scanned around and saw Galin focusing on an experiment he was working on.

Galin glanced at Liam before turning back to the distillation process happening in front of him. After a moment he quickly looked back at Liam and asked with a shocked expression, “What in Arcanus’ name happened to you?”

The door leading to the Toxic room opened as Alicia stepped out. She had goggles over her eyes and a damp handkerchief over her nose and mouth. As she pulled the cloth off her mouth and goggles up to her forehead, she raised her brows and questioned, “Dude, what happened to you? You look like you have a fight with massive predator and almost lost.”

Liam looked at his clothing and back at them saying, “Well, you’re not wrong, but that’s beside the point.”

“What do you mean she’s not wrong?” Galin inquired.

Ignoring Galin, Liam walked towards Alicia and stated, “I have a request.”

Confused, Alicia took a step back and replied, “Depending on your request I might decline.”

Galin turned back to his project after realizing he wasn’t getting any answers.

“You’ve been working on the Poison Craft of Alchemy, right? What level is it?” Liam asked, dismissing her comment.

“A bit personal, but I just hit level twelve with it,” Alicia answered, caution filling her face as she asked, “Why do you ask?”

“I want you to teach me how to craft poisons, how to make a solution of venom to coat on weapons, and antidotes for poisons and venoms,” Liam stated.

“I mean I should be able to, but what do I get in return?” Alicia questioned as she crossed her arms.

Liam grinned as he pulled out two bubble-bottom glass vials. One had a purplish dark green color while the other had a blackish green colored liquid.

Alicia’s eyes widened as she stared at the items. “What are these?” she asked as she started to assess the items.

A gasp escaped her lips as she muttered, “Black Widow Matriarch Venom? Spider Tailed Horned Viper Venom? And they’re both rare?!”

“What did you say?!” Galin shouted as he spun around and rushed over to them.

“Professor do you know about these items?” Alicia questioned as she took a step out of his way, allowing him to move a step stool between them so he could get a better look at the items.

Galin assessed the items. After reading the messages he got. He reread them again. Then again. Each time he did, his mouth slowly dropped further and further. He turned his head towards Liam, narrowed his eyes, and asked, “How did you get these?”

Liam took note of the expression etched on the man’s face.

The look on Galin’s face took Liam aback. He calmed down and thought over his response.

He decided to be cautious and said, “The same way anyone would come across items like these.”

“Bah, what kind of response is that boy!” Galin stated. “There’s no one in this city that would sell these here. They’re too rare and precious to be sold to beginners. The only way you could have come across these would be…” Galin shook his head dismissing the thought. “No, that would be impossible.”

“What would be impossible?” Alicia asked.

“He’d have to have come across the monsters and killed them,” Galin responded as he looked at her. “There’s no way he would have because monsters like these are rare to come across. Not to mention too high leveled for newbies like yourselves.”

“Too high leveled?” Liam questioned. He thought back to the fights.

They were indeed tough, and something didn’t seem right when he and his team took them on. It did feel like the creatures were holding back. Some of their EFM and Floor Boss fights didn’t use their mana.

A sudden thought came to mind. It was something that Phorge had said earlier that day.

“So, I ask you again,” Galin started, bringing Liam out from his thoughts. “How did you get these items?”

Liam eyed the man before repeating himself, “The same way anyone would come across items like these.” He waited for a moment before adding, “I…I mean, my team and I, killed them during our dungeon floor run.”

Galin stared at him. His face started to turn a light red shade as he argued, “I just told you that it is impossible for you to have come across, let alone kill these creatures. They would never come across a Tutorial Dungeo…”

“I really mean it. Here, I have items I harvested off of them to prove it,” Liam countered as he pulled out a Black Widow Matriarch fang, a Black Widow Matriarch’s clawed leg, and a Spider Tailed Horned Viper Fang.

Galin froze as he stared at the items. Speechless at the sight he stuttered, “Bu…how…why…” It took him a minute to recollect himself enough to say, “This doesn’t make sense. You should be dead after coming across monsters like these. Even if you can’t die in the Tutorial dungeon, these monsters should have killed your will to fight back.”

“What if they were limited on what they could do?” Liam suggested making Galin turn to him.

After hearing the words something clicked in his mind, “You’re right. I vaguely remember there being a magic placed over the portals placing a limiter to the monsters in them. That would bring their damage down some. But still…”

“Ok, I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know these are really good items,” Alicia butted in as she pointed to the vials of venom. “I want to know if you have enough to spare for me. You know, as payment for my help in teaching you the Poison Craft in Alchemy.”

Liam grinned at her as he replied, “I was going to offer you these vials in exchange for teaching me.”

Alicia snapped her head towards him with an excited look. “Are you sure? Does that mean…”

Liam nodded. “I have another vial of each for myself.”

Galin eyed Liam. He had a contemplating look on his face. He then asked cautiously, “If you harvested these items off of the two monsters, then…by chance…did you…,” he rolled his right hand, “harvest a venom gland?”

Liam stared at him. He could see a look of hope in his eyes. Almost like he was wishing that certain material would truly be in his hands.

“There was something else that dropped,” Liam slowly stated.

Galin’s expression grew a bit excited, but held back a bit not wanting to get his hopes up as he waited to hear what it was.

“What would you need a venom glad for? If you don’t mind me asking,” Liam questioned.

“It’s for a certain…experiment I am working on. Well, part of it. I need either a Black Widow venom gland or a Viper venom gland. Their potent venom is just one of the many items I need,” Galin explained.

Liam could tell he didn’t want to fully divulge the full details of it. After thinking it over he concluded that he would tell him about it. And if the man wanted it, then he would play by his mentor’s rules. “I may have harvested an item like that, however…” a grin slowly formed, “How much would you give for it?”

A confused look on Galin’s face appeared. He then caught on to what his student was asking. He shook his head as he smiled back, “I see what you are doing. It depends on the rarity and quality of the item.”

“Well, it’s your lucky day then. Let me pull,” Liam started as he went to pull the item out of his inventory.

“Wait! Are you crazy?! You were not just about to grab it with your fingers exposed, were you!” Alicia yelled out. “You need to change gloves first and find a box we can put it in. Venom glands are messy items that’ll get everywhere. Once second, I’ll grab the box, you put on those gloves!”

Alicia then walked to the other side of the room and started rummaging around.

Galin and Liam stared at each other.

Galin shrugged as he agreed with Alicia and said, “She’s right you know. You shouldn’t touch it unless you want to spend hours scrubbing your hands never fully knowing if its fully off your skin.”

Liam nodded his understanding. He then thought of how Alicia reacted and asked with a hint of teasing in his voice, “Alicia? Have you touched a venom gland barehanded before?”

Liam saw her slightly jump as she let out a squeak.

“I have no clue what you mean,” she responded. As she walked back with a container, Liam noticed her eyes averted his and her cheeks were a little flushed.

As she sat the box down on the table Liam unconsciously stated, “You have, haven’t you?”

“Fine, yes!” Alicia replied as she threw her hands up. “I spent half a day scrubbing. It’s not something you want to do. I was so paranoid I thought I wouldn’t get to eat again.”

Liam started laughing.

“I’m glad my struggle was so amusing to you,” Alicia pouted as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Oh, come on,” Liam said as he slowly stopped laughing. “You know you’d laugh at me if it was the other way around.”

Alicia thought about as she brought her hands down. With a nod, she agreed, “True.”

“Alright, enough playing around you two. Let’s see the venom gland now,” Galin stated as he stared at Liam. Eagerness growing on his face.

“Okay, okay, settle down before you hurt yourself,” Liam commented as he replaced his fingerless gloves with a pair of magically treated leather gloves. He then pulled the Spider Tailed Horned Viper venom gland out over the box and placed it inside.

As he pulled it out, he realized Alicia and Galin was not joking. It was a squishy pinkish-purple sac covered in some sort of mucus with a small tube dangling off the side. Translucent tannish liquid dripped out from a couple of holes and the tube-like part as he gripped it. The object slid out of his hands and fell into the container.

As the venom glad landed a loud splat echoed out while a few drops of the liquid bounced out of the box in the three’s direction.

Alicia, Galin, and Liam jumped back, trying not to get any on them.

“What the hell!?” Alicia shouted as she glared at Liam. “Are you trying to get that stuff on me?”

“If I was trying, it would have landed,” Liam shot back. “I have better aim than that.”

“Like I’ll take your word for that,” Alicia retorted.

Galin stepped back on his stool and assessed the item. After a moment of reading the message, he swiftly turned his head at Liam and shouted, “Is this really what it says?!”

Confused, Liam asked, “Has the assessment skill ever lied?”

“There have been times when powerful illusions placed on items have fooled Identification abilities,” Galin answered as he looked back at the object. “Now tell me. Is this really a Spider Tailed Horned Viper venom gland?”

“Yes. It is,” Liam replied feeling annoyed with having to reassure him.

“This…this is fantastic!” Galin shouted. “It may be poor in quality because of the low-level harvest used on it, but it’s a rare item. You can’t find these anywhere!”

“Yeah?” Liam asked.

Galin froze as a thought came to mind. “Who knows about these items?” Galin asked.

“Besides my team? You and Alicia,” Liam answered as a concern slowly grew.

Galin turned his body to face him. He brought a hand to his moustache and started playing with it as he started muttering something in a quiet and indistinguishable volume. After a quick nod he said, “If you or any of your teammates come across rare items do not let it be known.”

Liam stiffened as he questioned, “Why?”

“Rare items do not drop in Tutorial Dungeons. The highest rarity that ever drops is Uncommon,” Galin explained. “Now I do not know how you could get something like this,” he pointed his right index finger up to stop Liam from saying anything, “Nor will I press anymore into the matter. However, if anyone besides us comes to find out you are in possession of them it will create a hoopla.”

Liam thought back to Phorge and Adva’s reaction to Artem’s shield and Blair’s helmet. He remembered how confused they were when Artem mentioned the Treant.

“Crap!” Liam thought before he looked at Galin.

Galin had turned back to the item before them and was studying it.

Liam knew Galin didn’t have any obligation to give this kind of advice. What he did made Liam reassess the little man in an appreciative way.

“Thank you,” Liam finally responded.

“Huh?” Galin asked, brought out from his thoughts.

“Thank you for your advice,” Liam clarified. “I will let my team know as well.”

“Bah, no need to thank me,” Galin waved. “You are my student. It is only right that a mentor looks out for a promising prospect.” He then gave him a mischievous smile. “Especially one who helped further his experiments.”

“Speaking of which,” Liam returned the smile with one of his own. “I think I know what I’d like in return for giving you this item.”

“Oh,” Galin started with a brow raised. “You really are my student then.”

“Are we going to start the Poison Craft learning tonight?" Alicia interjected while frowning.

“Not right now,” Liam said as he looked at his internal clock. “Crap! I need to head out and get cleaned up. I’m meeting up with my team to go over some things.”

“Better get going then,” Galin stated. “We’ll go over what you’ll get later.”

“Sounds good,” Liam called out as he rushed out of the room.

After leaving the lab, Alicia turned to Galin and asked, “Why is it so bad that he came across items like these?”

Galin looked at her. “If I tell you, then you have to promise me you won’t tell a soul.”

“Is it that bad?” Alicia inquired as she grew concerned.

“Yes,” Galin started with a stern look upon his face. “In fact, I would like to ask you to keep an eye out in case certain…people,” Galin said that last word with emphasis. “Catch wind of this.”

“What do you mean?” Alicia asked again.

“I won’t go into more details than that, but I will say if it is what I fear, then he may have found a forbidden path in the dungeon,” Galin said.

“A forbidden path? Is that a bad thing?” Alicia questioned again confused by what he meant.

“You’ll learn this when you’re out of here, but I pray you never come across one,” Galin continued.

“Why do you say that? Is a forbidden path so bad that is scares you to the point of not explaining more?” Alicia pressed.

Galin turned to her. The look on his face caught her off guard. Not only did he look concerned, but sorrow grew on his face.

“My old colleague, the one I mentioned before,” Galin started as a look of longing and sadness filled his eyes. “She and most of her team died in one.”

Alicia’s eyes widened as realization hit her. “Oh.”