Darren sat in the office of Master Fretun. The man was nasty, horrible, and manipulative. The problem was that he was the best alchemist in Asterfal and had agreed to take Darren on as his apprentice. Darren had no idea why he had decided to take him on. He had been drunk in the Bugbears when he had met him and started talking. The Bugbears was one of the less reputable Inns in Asterfal. It was privy to a particular type of clientele. Darren had stumbled into it one of his first nights there, after he had jumped in a wagon from the last town he had been staying at, the repetitive quests had gotten boring and he needed something new to do after reaching level 20. He had fallen in love with Asterfal since arriving. He rented a room above the bar and had been spending his coin recently frequenting downstairs too often.

Asterfal was an amazing city. Compared to the village he had started in and had been the closest city, acting as the unnamed capital of the southern region. He had spent the first few days walking the streets and discovering more about the city. On the surface, Asterfal was a beautiful city with pristine stone buildings that were beautifully sculpted. Most of the population had seemed friendly enough, but with any city, there was always an undertone that he had yet to work out entirely.

He had found the Bugbears by chance, and the lively music and singing had drawn him inside. Since he had been there, there was always something going on, and the clientele varied greatly. He had been in several of the Inns since his arrival to get food or drink, and although the Bugbears wasn't the best, its atmosphere had attracted him. They regularly had live music, whether a local Bard or they had occasional groups perform. It was a hive of activity and never a dull moment. One day to the next you never knew what might happen, the odd fight had broken out, but he had seen similar in all the Inns he had visited. It was a culture shock from the serenity of the starting village to be amongst such a packed and diverse population again.

He had originally hailed from Bristol, and the Bugbears reminded him of many student bars he frequented in his early drinking years. Darren had been on Amathera now for sixteen months, ever since he had been struck by lightning and had awoken in the white room naked. The strange voice that had spoken to him at the time had been robotic and monotone, and thankfully, it very rarely spoke. Only infrequently did it say anything related to the stages he had reached as he had developed his class and grown. He had chosen to be a half-elf when he had selected his race and had been pleased with his appearance. He had shoulder-length black hair, which he wore swept back into a ponytail. This revealed his slightly pointed ears which portrayed his half-elf heritage.

He had chosen Ranger as his class, and when he had started out, it had taken him weeks to learn how to fire his short bow properly, never having tried archery before arriving on Amathera, but having always played the class during his gaming days before arriving. He had pumped every point he had earned into his Dexterity, as he had levelled, and was now quite proficient. The Elven trainer he had worked under had been an expert, and his skills had improved quickly once he had grasped the basics well enough. He had spent the first few weeks hunting anything that would allow him to earn experience and grow more. Rabbits. Squirrels, Hoglings, Wolves, you name it, he had hunted it.

The quests he had managed to complete had become very dull, and he had repeated several just to earn the experience needed to level as quickly as possible. The village he started in had been quaint and picturesque. It was set in a forest, which had always reminded Darren of New Forest in the south of England, where his parents had always taken them on holiday. When he had reached level 10, he moved from the village to one of the close towns across the territory border, and that is when everything started to change. He was no longer considered something special but more a nuisance by many. He had tried to earn a reputation as best as possible, but struggled with many. Outside the village, everyone seemed to have their own agenda, and to many, he was just another being.

He had also realised that many outside of starter areas didn't trust Legionnaires, and they shunned him. Level 20 had been a grind to reach, struggling to gain the trust and reputation to earn the experience he now needed. Now he had reached level 20 it allowed him to pick his second profession. His primary profession had been as a Tanner, which aligned with his Ranger class, given the number of skins he had collected while levelling.

One thing he had struggled with since his arrival was the ability to heal well. His constitution was still low, and he usually stayed at a distance when fighting if he was able. He rarely used his short sword in combat, and his weapon proficiency in its use was much lower than that of his bow. The problem was recovering from any injuries took time. Yes, as a Legionnaire, he healed over time, but his constitution was now impacting him due to his total health, and he would soon have to sacrifice improving his Dexterity and start adding points to it. Now he had reached level 20 he was at least getting two attribute points per level to distribue as he wished. His low constitution had led him to choose his secondary profession, Alchemy.

With Alchemy as his choice, he would at least be able to start making healing potions. He had initially been buying them, but the prices were ridiculous and had become too costly. He wasn't short of coin, having had a couple of lucky drops. Although he had been spending his coin a little too freely since arriving in Asterfal and needed to pick up some work soon, having spent too many nights drinking in the Bugbears.

That was when luck had fallen in his lap. Master Fretun had appeared in the Bugbears one evening and, by chance, ended up sitting at his table. They had spent the evening talking freely over ale, and Master Fretun eventually offered Darren the opportunity to become his apprentice. Darren had jumped at the chance. Master Fretun worked for the chancellor and was highly esteemed in Asterfal, although Darren had soon learned he was a task master with a very short temper. He had only been working for him for a short period of time in the cities main laboratory when Master Fretun called him to his office to see him.

Darren was unsure why he had been called to see him and his palms felt sweaty as he knocked on the masters door.

"Enter," the Master called.

"Master. You asked to see me," Darren said nervously.

"Ah. Darren, Good, Good. Take a seat."

Darren dropped into one of the plush, ostentatious chairs that sat by his desk. If he was being allowed to sit, it couldn't be a stripping down, his nervousness beginning to settle. He had already felt the Master's wrath when he had mixed a batch of alchemical components incorrectly. The Master saying that he would pay for the loss from his meager wage he now earned.

As an apprentice he was paid 25 copper per day. It was more than enough to support his cost for living at the Bugbears, but nothing that until he levelled his profession, would allow him to make enough money to consider his own place. He did still have some savings, but didn't want to break into them unless he really needed to. Money didn't come easily to many. He knew that those he now worked with were paid handsomely in comparison, as their expertise in the profession allowed them to earn more.

"What do you need?" Darren asked.

"I have a task for you. I have some components that must be transferred to one of the starter towns to a Master Rui."

"Could a courier not just deliver them?" Darren asked, frowning.

"No, unfortunately not. They are alchemical and rather time-sensitive, and they can't be mixed until you arrive at the destination, as the potion loses its strength very quickly. I was hoping you may be up for the task. I have written a set of instructions, and the small chest contains the components. You would need to mix them the night before you deliver them to Master Rui. Are you up for the challenge?"

Darren's display had triggered.

Quest – Alchemical Expression

Master Fretun has asked that you travel to Killic to deliver Master Rui a new alchemical mix to cure his ailments.

Rewards: 4000xp

"That's a nice reward for a courier quest," Darren said.

"We all know how hard it gets to level as we grow. We will help with quests when we can," Master Fretun smiled. His smile contained no warmth.

Darren accepted the quest. Picking the sheet of paper up from the desk, he read the instructions.

On arrival, the components are to be mixed together. Due to their nature and sensitivity, you must mix them at midnight. Their unique properties will not react and combine otherwise. Once mixed, the potion must be delivered for consumption within twelve hours.

The Santine (yellow liquid) must be mixed with the Plerus (brown liquid).

Pour the Santine into the Plerus and stir rapidly for 15 seconds to trigger the reaction.

Once triggered, you will see the colour change and may leave it to diffuse fully.

Once the liquid clears, you must apply the stopper, which may take several minutes.

"The instructions are precise?" Darren said.

"Yes. This is something very new that we have been working on recently. It has taken some of the best alchemists in Asterfal to confirm the process, allowing it to succeed."

"Why does the potion have such a restricted timescale on it?"

"Due to its mixture requirements, its consumption requirements are also limited. After it is mixed, if it is to work, it must be consumed within 12 hours. I have already forewarned Master Rui that someone will bring the delivery, so he expects it five days from now. The journey to Killic will take you four days by wagon. On arrival, as I say, you are booked into the Hogling Arms. You are to mix the contents at midnight and then deliver them the morning of the fifth day."

"It sounds easy enough. I am not sure why it needs to be me. I had been hoping to reach level 3 in Alchemy in the next few days, and this will knock me back, but I won’t turn down the easy experience."

Since reaching level 20, his experience needs had increased substantially, and the thought of 4000xp for doing nothing was too good an option to refuse.

"You will have plenty of time to catch up on your Alchemical studies on your return, and Master Rui is a dear old friend of mine," Master Fretun smiled again.

"No problem, Master. I will head off in the morning. You said he is expecting my arrival?"

"Not yours specifically, but I promised him he would receive it in 5 days. He has been very ill recently, and this will hopefully assist with his return to full health." Master Fretun picked up a small pouch from his desk drawer and handed it to Darren. “For expenses.”

Darren took the pouch and dropped it into his inventory before replying, "Thanks. I will get going then." He stood, collected the chest, added it to his inventory, and placed the instructions in his pocket.

"Good luck and I will see you on your return," Master Fretun said as he left his office.

Darren smiled as he headed out of the Asterfal council chambers. He had counted the pouch's contents as he had left, and it contained fifteen silver. That was a huge sum to pay expenses, but he wasn’t complaining. Nine days away, all expenses were paid, and he really had landed on his feet this time. He headed back to the Bugbears to grab his gear before setting off.