The Way Ahead

“Wait, you were actually working on that?” Edwin found himself taken aback slightly by Cope’s declaration. He had mildly assumed that Cope wasn’t actually keeping up any part of his deal, but apparently he was?

To his credit, the man looked slightly taken aback, “But of course! You’ve done a remarkable amount of work, it is only fair that I uphold my side of our bargain. Did you truly think so little of me?”

Edwin shrugged, “I mean, it’s been some two months, and I still don’t know how much I’m being paid. I was hanging around because I like the chance to learn more about alchemy.”

Cope frowned, “You haven’t been paid? I’ll have to look into that.”

Edwin vaguely shrugged, “So... tomorrow morning, you said? Okay. I can do that. Where’s it at?”

“Medicinal Workshop. I’ll have Thoril show you where it is as you head out today.”

The corners of Edwin’s mouth twitched up slightly at Thoril’s groan, as yet another task shepherding him was assigned to the unfortunate guy.

“So explain to me why this matters again?” Inion asked, “Dontya already know how to heal people or whatever? Plus, it’s not like you’ll get any more First Aid levels.”

“I want to get licensed,” Edwin sighed, reclining against his pillow, “And yes, I don’t think I’ll learn much on the medical side, though I am curious about the alchemical aspects of medicine, but that’s not the main point anyway. I just want to be legally permitted to heal people.”

“What is that for, anyway? Seems stupid.”

Edwin shrugged, his eyes closed as he leaned back, “I thought so too, at first. But we had something similar back home. Of course, it was also way harder to heal people back there, without magic to use as a cheat, but I can mostly understand why a culture that controls the distribution of Skills would want to be careful with who gets Skills pertaining to life and death, and ensure they actually know the basics of what they’re doing.”

“Mmh. Well, I think it’s stupid. You can heal people just fine, but they won’t let you. What if you do it anyway?” she dropped onto the bed next to Edwin, causing the mattress to shift slightly.

“I’m… not sure, actually. Not that it really makes a difference. I wouldn’t just let someone die if I could help it.”

Shut up, brain. I don’t need counterexamples right now.

“The license just means I’m playing the game, and I don’t need to sneak around the law. Besides, Cope’s paying for it. All I need to do is show up to the classes and lessons. How hard could it be?”

They were both silent for a moment, then spoke at the same time.

“Shoot, I just screwed myself over, didn’t I?”

“You realize you just jinxed it, right?”

Edwin sighed and groaned, “Great. Well… I mean, how bad-”

“You probably don’t want to finish that, do you.”

“You’re… you’re probably right, yeah.”

The sights of Panastalis never truly got old. The utterly ridiculous size of the tree the town was built around made Edwin feel tiny no matter how many times he climbed it. If anything, the endless flights of stairs he’d had to climb oh so very many times had just further reinforced the scale of the titan in his mind. Meanwhile, the buildings built into its side did nothing to diminish the imposing scale, and really only served to remind him of the power of the alchemy guild locally.

From what he’d seen of Panastalis’ layout, non-alchemy related buildings were on the forest floor, away from the tree, then various offices and halls were built into the trunk of the tree, with more important individuals and subgroups of the guild near the base. Then, built into and atop the branches of the tree were all the workshops.

So, that the Medicinal Workshop, where Edwin’s lessons were to be held, was at the very base of the tree was unusual to say the very least. Upon further reflection, it made sense that they might not want to have to cart people to the top of the tree for treatment, though that did raise the question of how they got people down from the top, if they were injured in the workshop. Surely, that had to be a semi-common occurrence? There hadn’t been too many incidents in his work group, but they still had their fair share of cuts and burns that came alongside working with inadequate safety equipment.

Like everything else visible from the ground, the Medicinal Workshop was grandiose. Carved and stained wood elegantly framed the entry archway, and the door was covered with relief carvings, painted and glimmering. Even the animated, glowing, and colored depiction of a flickering flame only distracted him for a minute.

The interior was less grandiose yet no less impressive. There was a sizeable waiting room of sorts, with a desk set to the side. Behind the desk, an entire wall of bottles, all shapes and sizes and organized in a manner which belied Edwin’s momentary assessment, stood tall and imposing. You’d outright need a- ah, there was the ladder, set on rails to allow for easy access to the medicines on every shelf. Off to one side, an open archway covered by hanging curtains led further into the back, though there was nobody present.

“Hello?” Edwin asked the empty room, “I have an appointment?”

The walls didn’t respond, unsurprisingly. It didn’t take long for the curtains to part, though, and allow a new individual entry. A purple-haired, green-skinned gnome hopped onto some unseen ledge behind the counter, and greeted Edwin.

“Heya! Sorry about the wait. What can I do forya?”

Experienced Managerial Shopkeep

“I’m one of Cope’s assistants,” Edwin explained, “and I was told to come here to get a healer’s license?”

“Hm? Ah yeah, the Alchemist-Errant,” she pointed behind Edwin to one of the closed doors on the far wall, “Down that hall, first door on the right.”

He nodded his thanks to the gnome and departed. ‘First door on the right’ wasn’t exactly tricky to find, so when he arrived, he knocked twice and waited for a “come in!” before entering.

Inside, Edwin found a relatively cozy office. In one corner, a blazing fire (thankfully burning wood, not arycal) raged, and all that defended the room from massively overheating was a massive yet solitary open window overlooking Panastalis’ native river where it flowed below.

Most of the office space was, reminiscent of Cope’s, lined with all manner of clutter. Unlike the arrogant alchemist, however, this room was filled predominantly with bottles, though bowls of herbs, berries, tree bark, and other natural-looking ingredients presented a strong front.

Presumably, Edwin thought, they were actually useful potions and potion ingredients, despite not having any particular basis for that hypothesis. That said, the stock wasn't unanimously medicinal. In one corner, a taxidermied raven perched, surveying its domain as though all who came in were but more shiny trinkets to collect. Despite its apparent nature, Edwin kept a wary eye on the bird as to ensure it wasn’t some unusually still familiar or something.

His teacher, imposing in authority if not build, filled the desk with the outfit and hair which belonged to some mighty wizard or scholar. Long white hair and a sizable beard stretched beyond what Edwin could properly see, obscured by the desk at its tip. The man assessed Edwin with bright eyes, and his arms moved with the easy grace of youth as he worked to clear some papers from his desk.

Alchemist Vital

Oh, cool! Did that mean he’d gotten and completed the Alchemy Vitae path? Had he created life of some sort? He might want to ask about that at the end of this. He finished entering the room and-

“Close the door! You’re disrupting the heat!” his teacher snapped, as Edwin was doing just that. While annoyed, he wasn’t petty enough to abort his action just to spite the man.

…Okay, Edwin might be that petty on occasion, but he wasn’t going to do so this time.

“And now who are… Ah, Alchemist-Errant? You would be Maxlin, then.” his voice wasn’t too scratchy, but it still rubbed Edwin the wrong way.

“That’s me,” Edwin agreed as he took a seat opposite the man, “Though you can call me Edwin. And you are?” he prompted.

“Alchemist Galen,” the man snapped, “And don’t you forget it, Maxlin!”

Edwin hadn’t done anything to warrant that sort of hostility, had he? He figured he was probably just being overly sensitive, and dialed back his threshold for ‘actively hostile’ from the elderly alchemist in front of him.

“Certainly, Alchemist Galen.”

“Hm. Well, you learn quick, if nothing else. Good!”

“So… you’re some fool who wants the First Aid skill when you’re at tier four already? Or didya get a medical Skill from an upgrade. Why didn’t your hometown medic get ya licensed, boy?”

“There were… extenuating circumstances. I didn’t get my medical Skill until after I had left home, and once I did, I tried to apply for the license when I was in Vinstead, but that didn’t go well. So, here I am.”

“Hmm. It’s a disgrace you were able to get the Skill prior to completion of the course. Though I must ask,” the man stood up, “What medical Skills do you possess?”

Edwin hesitated. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to share. But then again, it had been fine when he had talked with Rizzali. Though that was extenuating circumstances. Would it be safe if he told Galen?

“Well, come on! We don’t got all day for this!” the alchemist snapped, as he paced back and forth. Or was his hostility sensitivity too high still?

“Primarily First Aid and Anatomy.”

“Eh? You got First Aid? Howzat work for ya?”

“That’s a... long story, but one that I’d rather not go into at the moment.”

“Bah! You youth and your secrets. I swear, you better not go Adventurer on me now?” he waved a finger, “Far too lenient on those kids these days, I swear. Back in my day, I’ll have you know, we didn’t play into the ‘oh I’m so special’ mentality they allow these days. If you wanted to play with the Empire, you played by the Empire’s rules, you contributed to society properly. None of this nonsense.”

Edwin very carefully stayed silent.

“Buncha blind fools, who think they know better than centuries of Imperial crafting. Makes me sick! I barely even recognize some of the kids these days, with their new classes and all…”

He continued his rant for a while, and Edwin steadily grew more and more impatient until he finally broke. Unlike previous times, he did have something he wanted to get done today, and he was worried he might give away something about his status as an Adventurer if he wasn’t careful, “I don’t suppose we could actually stay on topic?”

He immediately stopped his rant, “I don’t suppose we could stay on topic, Alchemist Galen,” he corrected.

Edwin sighed, “I don’t suppose we could stay on topic, Alchemist Galen?”

“Much better. Now, where were we?”

“My medicine Skills?” he prompted.

“Right! You had First Aid and…”

“Anatomy,” Edwin sighed.

“Anatomy! Whazzat do?”

Edwin lamely shrugged, “So far as I can tell, it helps me figure out the internals of myself or of others. Mainly useful on humans, though I think that’s just because that’s where my primary experience with it is.”

“Hmmm. Doesn’t seem too useful.”

“Is it?”

“Well, it’s not Vivification, Medicine, Vital Rebalance, or even Elixir Infusion! Now those are proper Skills for a medic-alchemist. Not that Anatomy nonsense. Did they really change up the Alchemy set so soon?”

“What is it with people not liking my Skills?” Edwin muttered, “They work just fine for me.”

“Bah. Take it up with your Registrar. They clearly failed by not telling you what you coulda gotten. That’s not what we’re here for today though, is it?”

Edwin sat up straight. He idly wondered what sorts of development they’d managed to accomplish with magical assistance, and what kinds of alchemical medicine they had. He still remembered how his healing potions Cope had only called ‘elixirs of rapid recovery,’ which were apparently different from normal healing potions. How did that work?

He realized his teacher was waiting for him with an expectant look on his face, “Uh, yes, Alchemist Galen. I want to get my healer’s license.”

He nodded, “Good. So, tell me. What are the Essential Attributes?”

“Wait, in a medical sense?” Edwin cast his mind back. Where had he… Ah! Right, the Zosiman Grimoire. He tapped his knee and quickly used a series of Identify to get to his ‘index’ page, then jumped to the relevant part of his ‘digitized’ tome, “The three Essential Attributes are Health, Stamina, and Mana. Health is-”

“Wrong.”

“What? Wait, is that not what you wanted?”

“I want you to tell me reality! Not that archaic model!”

“But you asked… Okay. So, the body works through a complex interaction of internal organs. It’s organized by nerve clusters primarily originating from the brain, though the heart and intestines also have some nerve nets. The brain operates most bodily functions autonomously, feeding signals to the heart and lungs for-”

“What the ruddy stone are you prattling on about?”

“How the body works?” Edwin hazarded, “I was getting to the way Attributes interact, but I needed to establish some baseline.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong. I ought to track down whoever your teacher was and give them a firm scolding. You even had a Skill which helps you determine bodily function?”

Edwin hesitantly nodded.

“Bah! That you could be so led astray that even your own Skill tells you falsehoods!”

“That’s… possible? I’d never heard of such a thing.”

Then again, Edwin realized with a bit of consideration, Given I know my knowledge is right, they must have that sort of thing happen with their knowledge Skills. Huh. Can the System be outright wrong?

“Neither had I, yet your Skill is worse than useless! What’s your First Aid level, boy? If it’s not at least fifty, this isn’t worth my time.”

“It’s, ah… eighty two.”

“Eh?” Edwin felt a bit of satisfaction as the information caught the crotchety old man off-guard, “It’s what?”

“Eighty two.”

“How’d you go about managing that? Ah, no. You must have had it for years trying to get it to compensate for such utter nonsense you fed it, didn’t you?”

“Well… not exactly, but…”

“Exactly! Put it through the wringer, you did, boy. You’d best apologize to it!”

“…Apologize? Also, aren’t we getting off-track, Alchemist Galen?”

“Fine! Apologize on your own time then. Since you’re clearly so lost, allow me to enlighten you on the proper methods of wound treatment.The body is made of three Attributes- Health, Stamina, and Perception.

“Health is the dominant Attribute, as it provides life and blood to the rest of the body. Blood, naturally, is heat and composed primarily of fire. It is how we digest and burn food, and gives us our body temperature. It, and the heart, are naturally responsible for intelligence, understanding and courage. This is why the heart is the most important organ in the body, as it is through it that blood is controlled and direction is given to the creature.

“Stamina is the supporting Attribute, and it is what grants motion to the heart itself. Thanks to it, we may move, blood reaches its destination, we breathe, and may utilize our limbs for the multitude of tasks we depend upon it. It is, naturally, made of the wind. This is why we must breathe, to restore our Stamina. It is released in the form of sweat when used, and subsequently returns to the world around us. However, it is treacherous and is similarly responsible for nervousness, stress, pain, and fear, among others.

“Lastly, there is Perception. Perception is the Attribute associated with water and which connects us to the world around us, lets us see and lets us hear. It is in the subordinate brain, and why those without heads cannot sense, though they may still act and may yet live.”

Edwin raised an eyebrow at the assertion that someone might ‘still live’ while headless, but he’d held his tongue this far, he could keep quiet a bit longer.

“As it is the gateway between the self and the outside, it is thanks to it that we have compassion, grow tired, feel anger, and more besides. It likewise is responsible for digestion and speech.”

“That’s… how did you come to any of those conclusions?” Edwin couldn’t help but ask.

“Indeed,” Galen agreed, misunderstanding Edwin’s reaction, “It required a true genius to determine such massive revelations. It was, in fact, a Panastalis native from nigh a thousand years ago, who made the Alchemedical Manuscripts. His name has been mostly lost to time, and is now known only as ‘the Healer.’ Truly inspiring, no?”

Edwin was speechless for a minute, though not for the reasons the alchemist seemed to think. This... might be harder than he'd anticipated.