Ichor Cell

Alex stepped out into the street with a very specific goal in mind.

A certain elf’s alchemy store.

Although the encounter had left him somewhat shaken, now that he had been assured that the law was on his side, he felt much more confident confronting the scary woman. Of course, the law didn’t remove her ability to fuck with his mind, but his healing had shown that it could counteract those effects, although with a slight delay.

About halfway there, he suddenly stopped.

“God fucking…” He swore to himself.

He’d asked about mind and soul magic. He’d asked about legality. He’d even found out that the guild employed mind mages. And yet he’d forgotten to actually ask how to invite one over and how much it would cost—because he did not think for a second that such a service would be cheap.

‘Should I go back and ask?’ He wondered. ‘But I just left. It’s gonna be so embarrassing.’

Although he thought that, he had already turned back towards the guild.

===

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Alex stepped out of the guild hall again. After a quick jog back and a question to an exasperated Polly, Alex learned that calling in a mind mage would cost somewhere in the ballpark of a gold. Alex didn’t let the fact that he’d earned that in one day fool him; that was the equivalent of 10 000 dollars!

It would be cheaper to learn the magic himself.

‘Or,’ Alex turned an evil grin to his target. ‘I could simply force a mind mage I know is already here to help me.’

Before long, he arrived at Darcy’s Demonic Discounts, the white and green sign fluttering ominously in the breeze.

The narrow building was sandwiched between a restaurant and a produce store not unlike Grenil’s. Alex briefly wondered what kind of idiot opened a restaurant next to a place that perpetually smelled of alchemy ingredients, then dismissed the thought.

Taking a few quick breaths, he pushed the door open.

Ding ding ding!

The bell chimed as he entered the store.

Just like last time, shelves stretched into the narrow space, though Alex could have sworn that everything was in a different spot. That pot of iridescent powder was on that shelf, the dried whatchamacallits were on that one, and the jar of eyeballs was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, two customers in a day! How wonderful!” Darcy’s voice came from the counter around the corner; she didn’t know it was Alex again.

“Nope, sorry, just me.” He said as he turned the corner and laid eyes on the pretty elf.

When she saw him, Darcy’s eyebrows jumped in surprise. “Oh, it’s you again.” Her lips curved into a knowing smirk. “Back so soon?”

“What can I say, I like this place.” Alex shrugged, then jiggled his coin pouch. “Also, I just got paid, so I might actually be able to afford something now.”

The smile on the elf’s face widened. “That’s wonderful! Ask me if you need anything, or feel free to just browse.”

Alex nodded and flashed her a quick smile. “I don’t really know much about herbs and stuff, but I think it’s kinda cool. Is it ok if I look around first and then come talk to you?”

“Of course! You know just where to find me.” Darcy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and winked.

Alex hurried into the shelves before she noticed his face, a tittering laugh following him around the corner.

Out of sight, Alex took a few deep breaths before turning his attention to his surroundings. He wandered the aisles slowly, letting the shelves pull his attention from one strange thing to the next.

There were rows of carefully stoppered vials filled with liquids that shimmered or smoked or pulsed faintly in time with some internal order. Bundles of dried plants hung from hooks along the beams, leaves curled and darkened, some radiating warmth and some cold. There was a whole crate of what looked like polished stones in the back, until he got closer and realised they were teeth. Big ones.

He picked up a jar at random, turned it to read the label, ‘Eye of newt’. Alex leaned back in surprise. ‘Do people genuinely use eye of newt to make potions here?’ Gor some reason, he found that funny.

The tension he’d carried in with him ebbed without him quite noticing. His shoulders loosened. His breathing slowed. The shop felt… safe. Like he could relax here, surrounded by neat shelves and a smiling shopkeeper.

Darcy drifted in and out of his awareness as she worked behind the counter, humming softly. Every so often she called out a comment about some ingredient or another, explaining its use or complaining about how hard it was to source. Alex responded automatically, amused, engaged, asking questions.

Eventually, he forced himself to turn back toward the counter.

Darcy straightened, setting aside whatever she’d been grinding, and smiled at him. Alex took a moment to collect his thoughts, leaning his forearms against the wood and focusing on the cool, solid feel of it beneath his skin.

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“Last time I was here,” he said, keeping his tone casual, “you mentioned a soul restoration tonic. I wanted to ask you about that.”

“What about it?” She tilted her head curiously. “I know you said you’d gotten paid, but I didn’t think new adventurers could make a lot of money in short order.”

“I’m stronger than most,” he boasted, then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “And I got lucky.”

“Good for you.” She nodded approvingly. “But I still doubt you have enough to afford the tonic.”

“How much could a single potion possibly cost?” He asked, then immediately regretted it. He’d read plenty of books where a single consumable was worth more than entire planets, much less some gold.

“Ten gold.” Darcy quickly confirmed his fears.

“Te- How much?!” Alex stared at her in disbelief anyway.

It was one thing to know that things could cost a ridiculous amount, it was a whole other to encounter a drink that cost a hundred thousand dollars.

“Ten,” Darcy repeated gently. “Anything that actually touches the soul tends to be… expensive. The ingredients are rare, and the process isn’t forgiving.”

Alex leaned back, running a hand through his hair. Ten gold might as well have been ten thousand for all the difference it made to him. Even with the money he’d just earned, all the money he’d ever had, he still couldn’t put together even half that amount.

“Right,” he said after a moment. “Of course it is.”

She watched him with something like sympathy. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not what most people want to hear.”