Trigger-Happy Potioneer

Nio used Sweet Scent!

"Oh?" He turned me again, eyes gleaming. "Really?"

"Yep. I'll just need some room and that plant in your hand." I pointed to the ruined herb.

"Well, then, by all means, come on back!" He turned and stepped down, disappearing for a moment, only to reappear on the left of the wooden counter. "Come on!" I followed him back behind the counter and towards an opening with a black curtain hanging over it. I slid the curtain out of my way.

"Whoa." The space behind the curtain was amazing; a central lounge room with a large table and some chairs opened up the once-cramped apothecary from up-front. Curtains hovered over other openings, which I assumed were other rooms. A glowing crystal floated in the middle of the room, illuminating the space. It was not what I expected to be behind an apothecary. Truthfully, I only expected a mixing room and the storage. Not a fully furnished flat.

"Did some of this meself. Ain't it amazing? Now, let's get to it. Another minute wasted will be another plant lost." He placed the plant on the large table and turned to me, patting the table. "This big enough for ya?"

"Yes sir." The table looked like it was meant to seat ten people rather than just one person. I set out my mixing set (because a good alchemist never leaves home without it) and pulled out a sample of black poison powder and sleeping dust from my inventory. I then took the ruined plant and inspected it.

Aroma Leaf quality: damaged

A grass located near the base of the Boghr Mountains. Its aromatic scent tends to attract creatures and monsters to its location.

So that's why the rats are obsessed with this stuff. It's like the smell of freshly baked cookies on Christmas night. I crushed the plant with the mortar into a poultice.

Winter was inspecting the two vials I had pulled out earlier. "What're these salts I see? I've never seen anything like them before."

"The black one is black poison powder, and the gray one is sleeping dust. Each of them inflict third-level debuffs."

"I see. A dried poultice, huh? I never thought of that." He gingerly put down the vials. "But a third-level poison'll be too strong for the plants."

"I'm going to mix these powders with some of the aroma leaf powder to dilute the effect of the poison." The poultice had dried by this time, thanks to the warm air blowing in from the front. I tapped it again, just to see its effects.

Aroma Sand quality: poor

Powder made from Aroma Leaf. Attracts creatures and monsters within a 1-ft radius of itself.

Nio used Sweet Scent! ... I'm sorry, that was awkward. I tied a cloth over my mouth and nose to avoid accidental inhalation. Winter followed suit. I then took the three powders and weighed out the portions. One part poison, two parts sleep, two parts sweet scent. "Boy, you're amazing. I've never seen someone so devoted to the art of alchemy before."

"How do you tell the difference between alchemy and herbalism?"

"Herbalism focuses on poultices and potions. Alchemy is a form of herbalism, yet less common. It is the discovery of new applications within herbalism and poisonwork, as well as being known for reckless experimentation - only truly passionate and possibly crazy herbalists follow that path."

"I see." He's not wrong about the reckless experimentation, I suppose. I poured the weighed-out portions into a new vial and swirled its contents a little bit as the bottle shifted. I tapped the new item.

Rat Poison quality: normal

Sleeping poison that has the additional effect of creature attraction. As long as the creature attracted is not intelligent enough to recognize the poison, it will inflict the statuses of [Sleep 3] and [Poison 2]. Especially effective in rat extermination. Will not damage plant matter while in powder form.

This is literally rat poison, huh. I feel like the developer behind this quest item couldn't think of a better name. Oh well. This discovery is useful, at the least. "Mr. Winter, your poison is finished!" I handed the vial to Winter, which he examined the moment he grabbed it.

"Oho, so this is rat poison, hmm? Seems easy when you watch, but it was probably a pain to get the original ingredients, err... What was your name?"

"Nio."

Winter chuckled. "Nio. What a simple yet telling name, the perfect match for a man as yourself. Back to the request, Nio, are you sure this won't hurt my stores? I'd be out of business if you destroy those plants."

"100% positive, sir. It'll be a quiet death, too, as the [Sleep] status is stronger than the [Poison]."

"Ha! If you're so sure, then let's test your powder right away." He strode over to one of the curtained openings.

"Wait a moment!" I was still mixing the leftovers! 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2. I whipped up two other samples in a flash and followed after him, pocketing the vials. I'll check what they are later.

Winter was whistling a strange tune to himself as he pushed the curtain back. Light filtered into the room but the crystal in the main room. The room, like the rest of the building, was built of wood, square, and nearly the size of a home bathroom. I saw shelves of dried herbs, large stems, curled leaves, and many other prepared samples of this world's diverse flora. Blackened jars lined the top shelves and large earthenware jars sealed by similar lids and thick rope. The room smelled both musty and fragrant at the same time, but other issues raised higher priority in my mind. Molded and ragged holes gathered in the darker corners of the room, only revealed temporarily by the flickering light. "Oh, goodness. Hey, Winter, once the rats are gone, send for me, please? We need to fix this room."

He looked back. "You see 'em too, eh? Those are the rat holes. If you could fix them, I would reallt 'preciate it."

"Sure. Let's get that poison down first."

"'Course." He leaned down.