Trigger-Happy Potioneer

Wine?

My parents left early the next morning. I was awake, of course, packing their snack at four in the morning, and was experiencing mixed emotions about their departure still. The moment they left, however, I felt the full joy of having the house to yourself - I slept straight past noon.

I woke up to the buzz of my phone. I turned it on. "Hello?" I yawned.

"Have you just woken up?" Delia's voice was tinted with anger.

"I woke up at four, and then went back to sleep." My stomach grumbled, and my mind snapped towards the bento I made this morning. I trudged out of the room, then yelled to Cortana with a passable impersonation of my father.

"Cortana, halt all surveillance and shut down until further notice." A click and buzz sound notified me of my success.

"Is that why you weren't online? I thought you'd be studying." She ended her comment with a huff.

"Give... me... moment. Eating." I answered between bites of food.

"Did you fall asleep from an all-nighter?"

I finished the lunch and put the dishes away. "No. I'm going now, bye."

"What, wait, going where? Are you going to hang up on me ag-" I pressed the red circle on my Nexus.

"Well, time to go."

. . .

The first town setting entered my view as I stretched my arms over my head and did some basic stretches. Heavily-armored warriors towered over me as they chatted with their parties. I felt a few people give me a look, and with a quick glance, I saw people pointing at me and murmuring with other players.

I don't remember this happening the first day. I looked around some more and sighed. I must stick out like a sore thumb: a short, effeminate person in starter equipment with a quiver and bow over the shoulder and a small herb pack around the waist. I still had my mixing gloves on, surprisingly. I guess the obvious choice of traits is also a big issue. I walked off the altar and was immediately confronted by some random group.

"Hey, you."

I looked up at them. A tank, a mage, a healer, and a thief-looking dude. All guys. "Yes? What is it?"

"Why don't you join our party? You look competent." The mage said. He seemed nice, but his tone of voice said otherwise.

Also, straight to the point. He isn't mincing his words. "No thanks. I'm not interested." I tried to bypass him, but his party blocked my sides.

I looked around. People were watching, but no one looked like they wanted to help. Tsk. I covertly pulled a Venom Ivy from my inventory. I whispered in low tone, "Alchemy, Lower Matter Conversion." I felt powder sift through my hand. Good enough.

"Girl, you should really join us. We can protect you from the monsters outside." The tank's face was contorted into an evil grin.

"Join our party."

"No THANKS!" I slashed my hand out and threw the powder into their faces.

"ARGH!" they yelled and clutched their faces. Pepper spray success!

I dashed out of the circle as they broke formation and sprinted right out of town and into the forest without looking back once.

The forest, despite supposedly in an hostile area, felt strangely calming as I tread through fallen leaves, restocking my herb pile. I found my old mixing spot, still empty of monsters and brightly lit by the sunlight.

Ping. "Hey, Nio." Nic's voice echoed in my head.

"Hi, Azrael. I have a question. Is there a way to set a new spawn point?"

"Yeah, if you're in a safe zone. Just swipe your right hand down on your right side, then click 'Spawn here'."

I swiped, and the option appeared. I clicked it. This must be a safe zone then. "Thanks. I'm not liking the first town."

"Already hiding from people, huh?"

"Hmph, like you know anything."

"So where are you? Your location's still blocked."

"I'm somewhere in the forest."

A pause. "Why the forest?"

"It's safe."

"No, it's not. The forest has claimed hundreds of lives already. The monsters are well hidden and too strong for noobs."

I looked around. "I haven't been attacked, though."

"Maybe you're not in the forest."

"Nic, I'm surrounded by trees, I'm in a forest."

"Okay, okay. Just unblock your location for a moment."

"Sure." I set up camp and then opened my location.

I had started weighing some electrum herb for a new attempt by the time he answered.

"How are you so far deep?"

"I don't know. I'm closing the site, by the way."

"Don't, wait a - um. Well, if you die, you'll spawn at the altar, so see you then."

"You say it like I'll die soon."

"Night's coming."

I looked up, and noticed purplish hues splashed across the night sky. I quickly weighed out a few more herbs - venom ivy, citrona heart, and electrum - and started the potion. The fire under the pot grew brighter and brighter as night fell. I poured the result brew into two flasks, and then inspected one.

Loki's Wine: A potion that can only be made during twilight hours. Inflict [Stun 2] [Poison 3] upon contact with inner body. When mixed with Odin's Draught, varied changes will occur.

Oh. Time affects potion-making, too? This time was coincidence, but still... LUCKY CAT THANK YOU!

Phew. Now onto analysis. It seems to be a poison that acts when consumed or injected. Thus, dipped arrows are now possible! Accident success! It is also possible that Odin's Draught is dawn-specific, maybe same ingredients? Nah, the Draught sounds more like an HP pot. Oh well.

I looked at my traits. They looked like so:

Current Traits (+1)

[Alchemy 4] [Throw 2] [Eagle Eye 8] [Enchant 1] [Archery 1] [Crafting 2] [Mixing 5] [Mana Control 4] [Discovery 11] [Combining 2]

Wow, a lot went up. I don't really know what the (+1) is for, but I can ask Nic about it.

I looked at the two flasks in front of me. I'll keep one for now, and then dip the arrows in the other or something. I really want some poisoned arrows. Which reminds me.

I haven't put any practice into the archery skill. I have some archery experience, and I remember watching a video about a guy who shot on the right side of his bow...

I pulled the bow out. It looked like a simple recurve bow: a wood frame, sinew for a bowstring, with a cloth wrap in the middle of the frame. I pulled on the string, and a reassuring vibration caused the string to pulsate before my eyes. "Whoa, they even emulated this." I looked around. I guess I could use a tree as target practice.