1 The Alchemist

Rain grinned upon seeing his first customer of the day push open the front door, a regular called Karl.

"Karl, what can I do for you today?"

Following Karl, he could see a few others, though they were mostly hidden by the larger man's bulky body. He even recognized one of them, an elf called Lyla who purchased a few items from his store the other week.

"Hey Rain. I promised a friend I'd help train some of his new recruits. We're planning on going to a new dungeon that just appeared. We wanted to stock up on some healing potions. Also, we heard it was a dullahan's lair, so we'll also need some goldblade potions."

Goldblade potions were normally quite useless. When poured over an item, it would instantly create a layer of gold around it with the same properties as the original item. It was mainly used for clothes or weapons as a fashion statement or to show off how rich you were.

The one species it was useful in battle against were dullahans.

Dullahans were a type of undead, usually a headless rider who used a human spine for a whip. They were more like spirits, as most physical attacks would not work against them. The only way to defeat a dullahan without using a high level purification spell was with blades coated in gold.

Karl waved towards Rain and set down a bag of coins on the shop counter before glancing around at the shop that was empty of all other people.

"Where's your new assistant? What's-his-name, Crow?"

Rain gathered up the potions quickly, barely needing even a glance to identify what they were. He had been doing this for several years now, he no longer made mistakes like messing up a customer's order and giving them a blood-draining potion instead of a healing potion.

To be fair, they all looked exactly the same, and even master alchemists could have trouble identifying them.

Besides, the customer did scam him by paying with fake coins. Fake coins for fake goods, it was a fair trade.

"His name is Cromwell, and I sent him out on a little errand. He should be back later this week."

Rain handed Karl the bag of potions, storing the coins in his dimensional bag that he used instead of an unreliable and easily broken into register.

"See you later, Rain!"

Karl headed out of the shop, his teammates following like little ducklings.

Slightly amused by this imagery, the corners of Rain's mouth curved slightly before quickly returning to an emotionless expression.

Not seeing any other potential customers nearby, he set out a bell on the countertop and headed over to the back of his shop where he brewed his potions.

Silently, he began to sort out the ingredients he would need for his next batch of potions.

The storage room for his raw ingredients was packed to the brim with all kinds of materials, from magical herbs and flowers to the fangs and scales of various magical beasts.

Each ingredient had their own uses, and he had memorized all of them.

For example, firepetal flowers could be used in healing potions to counteract burns, but they could also be used in potions that could create an explosion of flames.

The scales of a full-moon serpent that could only be gathered on a new moon could create invisibility potion, but they had to be paired with the talons of the night hawk that preyed on full-moon serpents. Otherwise, the potion effects would never end, and the user would have to forever remain invisible.

The leaves of the blood herb could be used in healing potions, but if the roots were added, it would create a blood-draining potion that would cause all of the user's blood to drain from their body out of every orifice.

It was a bloody and painful way to die. Rain would 10/10 recommend it for his enemies.

Just as he gathered his next batch of ingredients, a knock sounded against the wooden floor next to where he was standing.

His shadow suddenly warped and transformed into a vaguely humanoid shape, moving to salute in front of Rain.

"Boss, I've got a message from Crom here for ya."

This was a nightstalker, a type of spirit. They were called nightstalkers because of their abilities that made them excellent hunters. They could travel through shadows and were almost invincible in dark places or at night. Once a target was chosen, they slowly begin to appear near their target, each night getting closer and closer, eventually driving their target into madness from the fear. They could also temporarily enter the target's dreams, changing them into nightmares. They would not stop until the target was dead or the summoner called them off.

Rain liked to use them as messengers because of their speed. He had several, one kept with each of his subordinates. Whenever he was busy and wasn't able to visit, they would use a nightstalker to send a report.

He waved at the nightstalker in front of him, gesturing for it to go ahead and report.

"Message begins: Boss, We've been found. Do I make my move now, or temporarily abandon the old fortress? Message ends."

The nightstalker saluted again once the message was complete.

Rain thought for a second. The fortress was an important part of his big plan, he couldn't abandon it yet.

"Tell Cromwell to stay where he is. If they attack, he is allowed to kill them. If there is anyone important or powerful, try to capture them. I'll be there at the end of the week to wrap things up. If there's an emergency that compromises the fortress, he is allowed to break the seal."

The nightstalker nodded after a second, making sure it had the entire message, then disappeared into the darkness. Rain's shadow also returned to normal.

Just then, a bell rang, announcing the arrival of a new potential customer.