Down in the damp chill of the Edger dungeon, Elsa and Verra sat close, chatting softly about old elven tales, their lost woods, sparkling streams, stuff to keep the other prisoners from paying attention. It was all fake, just noise to cover Eon while he worked his magic in the corner. But under their words, there was real excitement now, whispers about this "Goddess's Hand" thing Eon had started. A spark of hope in the dark.
Upstairs, two floors higher, things were different. Sunlight snuck through thick curtains in the fancy sitting room, lighting up a big wooden table. Two men from House Denares, big shots from a Marquess family, sipped tea with Countess Teressa. The air smelled like fancy spices, but it felt heavy and tense. House Denares had power, the kind that could crush folks like the Edgers' house instantly. And these visits? They certainly were not just friendly chats.
Teressa fidgeted in her chair, her dress hugging her curves a bit too tightly under their stares. Marquess Alaric, the older one with glasses, smiled politely, but his eyes wandered over her body from his glasses corner. His brother Darius? He didn't even hide it, grinning like he owned the place.
A maid came over to pour more tea. As she leaned in, Darius reached out and grabbed her ass, squeezing like it was nothing. The girl froze but kept pouring, her face blank. Seeing this, Teressa boiled inside, she wanted to slap that smirk off him. But she kept cool. Denare's family was stronger, richer. And her husband owed them big money, not to mention way past due.
Why so nice about it? It bugged her. Other nobles got ruined over debts, harassed, sued, and gone. But these guys? They showed up now and then, asked about the cash nicely and easily, talked a bit, then left. No court threats. No power harassment. It felt wrong to her. Like they wanted something else. The house? Or... her?
"So, Lady Teressa," Alaric said smoothly, adjusting his hat. "Count's not home again, huh? You might wanna nudge him on that contract. It's way overdue, from the date he signed himself."
'Here we go,' Teressa thought, forcing a smile.
"It's a hefty sum, even for you folks," he added, sipping casually.
"Yes, Marquess," she replied, her voice was steady. "I'll tell him. He said yesterday, he's closing a big deal today. Working hard to pay you back, with interest, you see. You can wait a tad longer, right?"
"Sure thing, if you say so..." Alaric started, but Darius cut in, hand still on the maid.
"And if he can't? Well, debts can be settled in other ways, you know." He licked his lips, eyes locked on her chest, bold as hell.
Alaric kicked him under the table, hard. "Ignore him, Lady Teressa. Capital jokes, crude ones, I'll say. Sorry from me." He dipped his head a little.
"Haha, no worries," she said, but her mind raced. 'Other ways? Does he mean me? No way a noble says that to a lady. Must've heard wrong.' But it stuck in her mind.
After seeing them out with fake smiles, Teressa headed to her room, wiped out. She flopped into her rocking chair, staring up at the fancy ceiling. "Carla," she called softly to her maid, "bring me Eon from down below. Need to unwind."
Back in the cell, Eon focused hard, ignoring the stink and gloom.
"Huh!," Eon muttered to himself. "Mana pool grows by a large amount every time I empty it out! It was definitely 3000 before, but now it is 3500. Plus, every magic costs less too now, down from 1500 to 1200 for the same stuff! Smart: drain it, get more storage, but also use less mana next time. At this rate, reaching Level 2 soon won't be too far, then finally the real magic comes, I guess. I am getting sick of water balls and clay toys. Gotta get some useful magic abilities for fighting fast, who knows when those nobles call me up?"
Thinking about fighting gave him an idea suddenly. "Damn, I forgot about Alchemy. I guess I can try unlocking that now. I can try making some poison or something with whatever I can find here."
Then he started looking around. All he saw were just rats, cockroaches, and the overly sickly elves around him. He started poking around for a bit, quietly. Trying not to look too suspicious. Elsa and Verra saw him looking for something and came over. "What are you looking for?" Elsa asked, with curious eyes.
"Small rat, maybe a roach or two. I will make some poison with those."
They stared, grossed out. "Ew, really? And how can you make poison with those things?" Verra wrinkled her nose.
"I'm dead serious. Find 'em quick," Eon snapped, hearing them complaining. He wasn't in the mood for explaining every detail to them.
They grumbled for a bit, but started to look. Verra grabbed a rat by the tail, and it squeaked wildly. Seeing her fiddling around with it, Eon shaped a clay hammer fast, and took it in his hand and smashed it flat on the ground.
Splat
"Eww, why did you smash it like that? Poor thing. You could have killed it gently, you know. No need to kill them like this."Verra complained about Eon's way of killing those poor creatures.
"Who cares. It's not like I have any knife or blade to do it, have I? And this is the safest method for not alerting the guards."Eon gave his reason.
He made a clay vial with his magic, scooped the gooey mess into it. Same for the two roaches they found. Ground it all in a clay pot, mixed, and shook.
Just as he was done shaking the vial, a Window popped:
{SKILL UNLOCKED: Alchemy}
[-SKILL-]
Alchemy Lv1: 1/10
Potion gained: Low-grade poison
Description: The Host can refine any substance into its purer form. Recipes will be provided for each compound after he makes its prototype.
Eon grinned silently, not trying to look like a creep, he focused on the new info:
Low-grade Poison
Ingredients: Blight Rat, Blatar Roach.
Effects: Severe headaches, Vomiting blood, Diarrhea, Weakness.
Use the skill? Y/N
Eon chose 'Y' In his mind, and the vial in his hand glowed, the stuff inside shrank, got thicker into a pure, nasty liquid.
"This is gold," Eon said out loud. Elsa and Verra looked confused.
"Is it that precious? It doesn't look that good to me. Yes, drinking it might give people diarrhea or something, but calling it poison would be far-fetched, won't it?" Elsa shared her opinion.
"You don't understand. This is not just any normal poison. Normally it would be, but it is now concentrated by my magic into a more pure form. And not only that, this opens the possibility to many things now."
Elsa and Verra both scratch their hair, as they didn't understand how it could be. Sure, they saw it glowing and shrinking down. But calling it more pure and concentrated is total nonsense to them. But they didn't say it out loud. Surely if Eon is saying it, then it might be possible, who knows. After all, he is blessed by the goddess herself now. Anything is possible for him. They had developed a strange kind of faith in him after witnessing his magic abilities before.
After that, they caught more insects and rats for him, leaving not a single small one alive in the cell. Other elves were a little worried to see them collecting those small creatures and doing something on the corner, but they didn't say anything. Just observed without interfering.
Eon used his Alchemy skills many more times after that. Unlocking some more potion recipes. It seems he can make many types of potions with just the things he found in this cell. So he kept making them. Leveling up his skill.
All of a sudden, guards stomped down in the dungeon cell. Elsa and Verra whispered a warning to Eon to hide the vials. The gate creaked open, they scanned the room for a little while, then all of a sudden came toward Eon and grabbed him roughly. Pulling him up and dragging him out.
"Hey, easy! Where are you taking me? Can't you just say?" Eon griped, pushing back a bit.
"Listen to this mouthy brat," one guard laughed, surprised hearing Eon speak up to them.
"Haha, he needs a reminder. You've been too soft lately, that's why he's so lippy now."
"Yeah, these elves act right after a whacking, but it fades too soon. Pain in the ass to keep up." One guard raised a fist, but Eon's stare stopped him. It was cold, promising payback. But it just managed to Piss the guy off more, but they were in the hall now already, eyes everywhere around. So they refrained from hitting him here. "Get ready, kid. After Madam's done with you, it will be our turn. Or maybe not. Seeing you are still alive might just piss off young master Julius so much that he will kill you himself. Haha, not to mention if he sees you with Madam Teressa now, I can't imagine what would happen then. Whatever happens, it will be funny as hell. You might as well consider yourself dead now, Elf! Hahaha."
'Julius, the Count's son?' Just as he tried to question the name 'Julius', strange memories flashed inside Eon's mind: beatings after Teressa's "visits," scars from her son's jealousy, everything became clear to him now.
'So that's what they were talking about all this time. I thought of so many possibilities, but didn't think it would be this. That simple? Punk. You scared me unnecessarily.' After understanding why Teressa called him up, Eon suddenly got a strange confidence to face her. Thinking his plan might just work perfectly with the way things are going.
Up on the second floor, the place was huge, big palace-sized rooms wherever you looked. Big Halls, fancy stuff everywhere. They went to the bathroom, and Eon's body was washed by some maids. After that, they come in front of a big room.
Teressa's door was wide open, and she was in her chair, gazing up. Her eyes lit up when she saw Eon, like a treat had walked in for her. Her dress clung just right, hinting at soft skin beneath it, her breath quickening a touch.
"Carla?" she said, with a husky voice.
"Yes, ma'am. You lot, unchain his legs, wait out." Guards did it quickly, keys jingling as they unlocked Eon's legs and hands, leaving only a single collar on his neck.
"Now, Eon, come on over. Sit by me." She patted the spot; her tone was like calling a favorite pet, but her eyes said more than it; it was hungry, wanting something else.
Eon smirked inside. 'This'll be fun. Hehe.' He stepped close, feeling the heat from her, the way her gaze lingered on him, promising things unsaid.
Author note: Eon is going to use Alchemy with a great twist, which i am sure you have never seen anywhere. And of course, they are not mere aphrodisiacs or something close to it.
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