I was sitting down, digging into a steaming bowl of lentils, which didn’t turn out half bad. My stomach had felt terrible after eating the Belladonna berries, and the warm meal was definitely helping! Cheerful was pecking at the gifted cherries, and I had opened another can of tuna for Aleister.

As we all finished up our food, I dug the first letter of the Parcel Service out of my pocket. I turned it around in my hands. I still wasn’t one hundred percent clear on exactly what I would find in this letter.

“Do you think I'm ready to open this?” I asked my guides.

“No, probably not.” Aleister drawled, “But I don't see a point in procrastinating any further.”

“Open! Open!” Was all Cheerful had to add.

I did just that, sliding my finger under the flap of the envelope, and ripping it open. Inside was a handwritten note.

Dear Sorcerer,

No one is sure of your name, so for now, we’ve all taken to just calling you ‘Sorcerer.’ Hope that’s okay?

I’ve heard that you’ve restarted your Parcel Service; congratulations! The timing is fortunate for me, for I am in dire need.

I believe that Mary Gallogee has finally noticed me, and I might summon up the courage to ask her myself to the February Festival. However, as you no doubt know, any couple might be singled out during the Festival, and be made to kiss, in the old tradition. As much as I may wish to kiss Miss Mary, I worry about the state of my breath. You see, I own the Fish Stall at the town market, and the stench gets into my clothes, and my hair, and I’m afraid, my breath must be particularly fishy. Do you have any way to help me?

I would be happy to sell you my fish at a reduced price if you could send me something for my problems. And I believe that 6 Bones would be ample for compensation, besides.

All The Best,

Bernard Caskard

As I read the letter, I felt with a pang that if I wanted to, I couldn’t tell this man my name. I didn’t have one.

“6 Bones? The man’s gone mad!” Aleister exclaimed. He had read the letter too, sitting next to me on the table. “Write back and tell him you won’t touch an alembic for less than 2 Castles.”

“You know I don’t know what that means, don’t you?” I said to the cat, “Besides, he’s offering 6 Bones, AND a reduction in prices. That’s a gift that keeps on giving.”

The cat rolled his eyes.

“Fine, if you wish to go through the effort for a measly 6 Bones, be my guest.” Aleister conceded.

“Great! Now, what do I do?” I stared at the cat. He blinked back at me.

“Right, for a moment I forgot that you know absolutely nothing,” the cat finally said, “Follow me.” He jumped off the table, and left the kitchen. I hurried to follow him.

As I got up, I saw my To Do list finally change:

EXP: 39

To Do:

  1. Solve The Riddle of Doors

  2. Unlock the Parcel Service

  3. Send the first Parcel (2 days remain)

---

Aleister led us into the Front Room, and to the counter. He hopped easily onto the shelves behind the counter, scaling each one with lazy feline grace. At the very top, a few inches short of the ceiling I now saw the thick spine of a book.

Aliester hooked a claw on the top of the binding, tipping it forward. It only took a moment, then the book fell off the shelf, and crashed on the floor with a loud thump.

I ran around the counter to collect it. I felt indignant at the treatment this hefty and ancient-looking tome received from the cat.

I placed it gingerly on the counter.

In a flowery gold-plated scroll, the title read: Old Toad’s Grimoire. Underneath the title, there was a picture of a toad with eyes looking left and right. The toad was topped with a floppy wizard hat.

I tried to pry the book open, but found that the cover was stuck!

“Don’t you remember the sign of Opening?” Aleister said.

“Oh right…” It was the symbol from the riddle of different colored doors. It looked like this:

I traced the symbol over the cover of the book. I felt that the book welcomed me, and I heard a little snap, like a lock opening.

I eased open the book to the first page being careful with the old and delicate binding.

But as soon as the page opened, and I first caught sight of the words inside, the book seemed to vanish into thin air! It would certainly be hard to read it now.

“What just happened?” I asked.

“Not to worry, no worries, it’s much more convenient this way! Much better!” Cheerful twittered.

Convenient?

I scanned my overlay. There was a new icon. A little picture of a book. I focused on it.

The first message that came was this:

The Grimoire Is Not Complete!

The words felt familiar, but I wasn’t sure why.

The message went away, and another took its place:

THE

ALMANAC AND GRIMOIRE;

TO WHICH IS NOW ADDED, UPWARDS OF

TWENTY FIVE ADDITIONAL HERBS,

WITH A DISPLAY OF THEIR

Medicinal and Occult Qualities

PHYSICALLY APPLIED TO

THE CURE OF ALL DISORDERS INCIDENT TO MANKIND:

TO WHICH ARE NOW FIRST ANNEXED, THE

COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE NAMES,

AND

KEY TO SORCERY.

WITH

RULES FOR COMPOUNDING MEDICINE AND SPELLS ACCORDING TO THE TRUE SYSTEM OF NATURE.

FORMING A COMPLETE

SORCERER'S DISPENSATORY AND NATURAL SYSTEM OF MAGIC.

————————————

BY YOUR LONG, LOST FRIEND, OLD TOAD.

————————————

A NEW EDITION

That sure was a mouthful. I inwardly chuckled at the last line. The book I saw looked centuries old, and it was an odd reminder that at some point in history, it was the newest edition to hit the publishers’ house.

The page went away, and I was left with four tabs.

Almanac

Grimoire

Names

Cards

I had discovered the Almanac! Now I knew where all my plants’ information was being stored.

I opened the Almanac and saw the three familiar entries. They were my two potted plants, as well as the dried bundle of herbs I discovered above the fireplace! There was amplifying info for each herb:

Old Toad’s Almanac: 3 of 50 Unlocked!

Belladonna

Atropa belladonna

Planet: Pluto

Sign: Snake

Also known as Dwale, or Deadly Nightshade, this plant is a potent poison. The wise Alchemist steers clear of Belladonna, and the foolhardy may attempt to evince Visions and hallucinations from this plant. The roots contain the highest strength of poison, however, the leaves, flowers and berries are also potent. Use with discretion.

Common Balm

Melissa officinalis

Planet: Venus

Sign: Ladle

The sweet, minty smell of this wonderous herb purges and purifies even the foulest mouth. Chew on a sprig before kissing thy true love for the first time, and it will ensure a happy marriage.

Garden Sage

Salvia officinalis

Planet: Jupiter

Sign: Wheel

Our ordinary garden sage needs no introduction. Flavorful and beneficent, this lovely herb is an adornment and a boon to any gardener: amateur or master.

After reading the description for Common Balm, I had a bright idea.

“Aleister, could I send Mr. Caskard a branch of my Balm, and be done with it?” I asked. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy, but it was worth a shot.

“You could send Mr. Caskard anything you like back. Send him a can of tuna, if you want, and write to him to embrace the fishiness of his breath. But I imagine that would impact the pay you receive. Not to mention, your reputation among the residents of the town. People do talk, you know.” Aleister answered.

By Mr. Caskard’s letter, I gathered that the people of the town (whatever town this was) were excited and curious about my Parcel Service. I supposed that Aleister was right. There was no reason to tarnish my good name (or lack there-of) now, in the beginning of my venture. So, then, I should make Mr. Caskard a proper potion. The only problem was, I had no idea how to do that.

“Aleister…”

The cat sighed. “Open the Grimoire.”

I did just that.

Many names or potions scrolled by on my overlay. Stitch-Up Heart, Sebastian's Wound, Firefly's Secret, Winter's Kiss, Silly Gillygad, Drops of Night, Nestor's Bitters, it went on and on. They didn’t seem to be categorized in any particular order. The Grimoire gave no information unless I specifically selected one. I did just that, and picked Stitch-Up Heart.

Stitch-Up Heart

For a broken and bloody heart, sometimes the best thing is to stitch it back together.

Locked! Do you wish to Unlock? (Master Difficulty)

It didn’t sound like that’s what Mr. Caskard needed. But how could I find it? There were dozens of different potions.

“Try searching by thinking of what you need.” Aleister said, somehow guessing my quandary from the expression on my face.

I tried visualizing fresh breath, as I looked at my overlay. Amazingly, it worked! The entries erased themselves until I was left with two:

Winter’s Kiss

Nestor’s Bitters

I selected the first one.

Winter’s Kiss

The pureness of the first snow of winter shall be your lips. The kiss of true love will ring through the frosted air like church bells.

Locked! Do you wish to Unlock? (Novice Difficulty)

It was a bit cryptic, but I thought that was pretty close to what I wanted.

I decided to unlock it.

As I suspected, when I mentally prodded the page to unlock, a page, torn on one side, appeared in my hands.

The Winter Lady is gathering Holly berries. She will put them in her hair, along with frost and robin feathers. She wishes to have enough berries, but not too many:

Seven is too many, three is not enough.

If she had two sets of three, it wouldn’t be right.

If she were to have nine, she would have more than double what she needs.

How many berries shall she gather?

I read it twice over. I began working out my answer below.

Riddle: Winter’s Gifts (Novice Difficulty)

Complete!

• 0 EXP

Right, I remembered my bad luck picking Hole in the Ground this morning, so I got no EXP. And, I guessed, as a result, I got no SKPs either, although the debuff didn't specifically mention that.

I stashed the riddle page into my pocket and re-opened the Grimoire, to the Winter’s Kiss page.

Winter’s Kiss (Difficulty: Easy)

The pureness of the first snow of winter shall be your lips. The kiss of true love will ring through the frosted air like church bells.

Ingredients

Common Balm

Sage

Method of Preparation

Winter’s Kiss may be made in any manner, which suits the Reader’s purpose. Old Toad’s suggestion is to make a Simple, with preferably fresh quantities of each herb. Otherwise, a common tea brew will do the trick, but lose much effectiveness.

Simple: Pour enough fresh herb into the belly of an alembic. Fill with distilled water, and bring to a simmer.

After the preparation is complete, it is wise to speak the Winter Lady’s true Name over the decoction and then one should Open the properties of the mixture.

The good news was that I had both ingredients needed. I only had dried sage, but it would have to do.

The bad news was that I was somewhat lost on the method of preparation.

I discounted simply making tea with the herbs, because it sounded like Mr. Caskard really needed all the help he could get, and I wanted to create a potion with maximum effectiveness. But I did keep it as an option for later.

I didn’t know what an alembic was, nor did I know the Winter Lady’s true name. I had an inkling that to “Open” the properties of the mixture I would trace the Open symbol over the mixture.

“What does an alembic even look like?” I asked aloud.

“Tube sticking out! Funny shape, like an onion, like an onion with a tube!” I didn’t expect the help to come from Cheerful. I thought about his answer. It sounded familiar…

I rushed to the store room. I had seen a copper pot, with a pinched top and tube, sitting there on the shelf. I picked it up and hauled it into the kitchen.

“That’s it.” Was all Aleister had to say. Nice, I thought, one step closer to having my potion. I opened the alembic. I discovered that there were multiple chambers. Aleister was gracious enough to point out where the herbs would go, and where the water.

I decided to prepare the ‘Simple’ and worry about the Winter Lady later. I cut off as much Balm as I could from the little plant, without damaging it, and pinched off a hefty portion of my Sage bundle. I stuffed those all into the belly of the copper pot, and filled another chamber with tap water. I would figure out how to make distilled water at some point, but now was not the time! I had a customer to satisfy!

Next I had to bring it to a simmer. I put the alembic on the hearth, and used my long iron poker to gather some glowing coals around its base.

I felt very satisfied, looking at my work. In no time at all, I would have a magical potion!

“You might want to put something under the catch tube.” Aleister said.

Right. The tube coming off the top would probably start making magic juice any second now. I rushed to get a clean jar, and put it underneath the tube.

“How long does this take?” I asked Aleister.

“Oh, it should be about twelve hours, give or take.” The cat chuckled.