"Did the s-statues recognize us?!" The slave turned radiant toward Ryan. "That sounds like a prophecy! We have to find the demoness and carry out the test!" He moved closer and closer, getting more excited. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance! We have to go now!" He bounced in front of Ryan, nearly bumping into him.
"You're too small for that much excitement." He pushed his head down, holding back the growing enthusiasm.
Ryan sighed deeply, unmotivated, then frowned and brought a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "I doubt it's a prophecy, it sounds more like a speech to hype up naive children." The slave fell silent, his excitement quickly fading. "This test seems important. I don't doubt many would rush in headfirst… So why the hell hasn't it been conclude yet?"
Once again, he examined the gate and the ancient statues. "Something isn't right." The slave swallowed hard and took a step forward before speaking:
"Maybe it's because of the remote location, no one ventures out this way." Ryan shook his head.
"It may be remote, but the Glacial Wolves live here, and they'd certainly be interested," he said dryly. "Even so, the challenges haven't been completed. Which leads me to believe: either the challenge is ridiculously impossible… or it can only be carried out by a specific group of individuals."
The slave grew thoughtful and replied, "It has to be a Summer Wolf… it's an absurd requirement that would explain why it's never been solved. After all, our species abhors this place." Ryan nodded.
"Each of those titles, except the last, are generic for our kind. Our injured companion called me 'Lost Son of Summer' and 'Bastard of Winter' at first glance. The logic behind the names isn't complicated, if anything, it's simple." Ryan sighed. "I'm not willing to risk my life on a generic prophecy. So let's leave."
The slave hesitated as he watched him go, while the statues continued to glow, but in the end, he sighed and followed.
"What's left on the list?" he asked, drawing closer. Ryan grabbed the notebook and tore out a page.
"Here…" The slave took it suspiciously and slowly read the contents. "There's not much left, it shouldn't be hard for you to do alone." The slave slowly brightened and then looked at him.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a low, uncertain voice.
"No, I'm at my limit," Ryan said, bringing a hand to his forehead. "I'm more tired than I should be… in this state, if that woman betrays us or that bear gets up, I'll make mistakes and I'll die." Ryan turned to him. "I need you to finish the list without me while I rest."
The slave looked at him in silence, then nodded. "Leave it to me!" Ryan smiled, satisfied, and nodded.
"I'll be in the clearing. Remember where it is?" The slave nodded. "Good."
"Leave it to me! I'll be right back!" With that, the slave set off to gather the remaining materials.
Ryan chuckled softly watching him fade away. Sighing, he calmly walked through the tunnels. Alone and in silence. Until he reached an excessively bright area. He could barely see what was in front of him, it looked like a solid wall of light.
The sound of flowing water filled his ears as he passed through the barrier, coming face to face with what he called a clearing, a region of white stone, bright and reflective, rising toward the sky and piercing the clouds, with the moon visible far above the opening.
The place was warm and had a natural spring that gave rise to a small river cutting through it. Trees, plants, flowers, and mushrooms were abundant. Ryan immediately began gathering them.
After sometime, sitting on a rotten log at the river's edge, he opened the encyclopedia and began studying in silence. After skimming it, he chuckled softly and commented:
"Give a book to a fool, and he'll use it as a seat; give a book to a wise man, and watch him become a threat." He set the book aside, open to a specific page. Then he grabbed some mushrooms, powders, and vines. He ground, mixed, and added various liquids and oils.
Finally, Ryan placed a drop of the liquid in his mouth and swallowed.
[ Buff: Stimulant (Weak) is in effect; ]
Ryan suddenly felt powerful.
Within seconds, another message appeared:
[ Buff: Stimulant (Weak) has been neutralized; ]
Ryan wilted, feeling extremely weak.
However, this did not discourage him.
"Perfect." Ryan timed the effect, then prepared a few vials. Shortly after, he poured the liquid into his mouth and drank eagerly. His body bent as his face contorted, his vision folding and flickering in countless colors and shapes momentarily.
[ Buff: Stimulant (Weak) is in effect; ]
He took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling better than ever. His body felt unstoppable, and his mind sharper as never before. "First one's done." Once again, he grabbed his tools and ingredients.
Mixing herbs, juices, and plenty of black powder, Ryan quickly created a new substance. He poured it into a vial and swallowed it with a pained expression, the intense bitterness overwhelming his senses.
[ Debuff: Poisoning has been neutralized; ]
He chuckled softly, ablazing fury in his eyes. "Whoa! how did that end up there?"
He continued to chuckle.
Suddenly, he punched the log.
"It infuriates me! She thinks I'm a fool! But well... one problem less." He wiped the drool from his mouth and continued his experiments. Using his resources, he soon created a new black powder, which he handled carefully. Using a wooden container he crafted with his axe, he poured the contents inside.
Ryan handled it carefully for a few moments, then hurled it forcefully at the riverbank. A violent explosion sent rocks flying along with countless fragments, while water scattered everywhere.
Ryan laughed out loud, satisfied, and then he continued producing more until he had a belt full of them around his waist. In some of them, he even added a simple line connecting the inside to the outside, for a delayed explosion.
He laughed like a madman.
For the first time in days, Ryan felt truly powerful.
Now he had bombs! A real weapon!
Even that bear would be afraid!
No one could stop him!
"Ah! Finally found you!" The slave ran up to him. Ryan immediately tried to hide his almost insane laughter. "I managed to find everything… did you get some rest?" he asked, concerned.
"Of course! I feel like new!" Ryan patted his shoulder and immediately took the lead. "Time to deal with that ugly beast." he said with an energetic smile.
Once again, they passed between the bear and the wall, as the sun was about to rise on the horizon. Hearing the movement, the apothecary woke up and looked in their direction.
"Well, look who's back!" she said cheerfully, seeing Ryan approach. "Seems my worries were unnecessary, you really do keep your word." She chuckled softly.
"Of course, I promised to help you…" Ryan knelt in front of her, taking out the ingredients for the medicine. "As long as you don't hurt us. Right?" he said, glancing slowly at her, and she simply smiled.
"Of course, that was our deal. I help you, you help me. And no one kills the other." She laughed lightly. "Now, about the medicine, you need to—" Ryan gestured, signaling he didn't need help.
"I memorized the recipe. Don't worry."
Suddenly, the apothecary frowned as Ryan began preparing the medicine.
However, he wasn't using the same herbs, oils, or powders as before…
For the first time, she fell silent involuntarily.
She looked at him a second time.
It was a completely different recipe.
The apothecary grew tense, sweat pouring down her forehead.
She recognized it.
But she didn't want to.
"Hey… is my memory failing me? That's not the recipe I gave you… is it?" They exchanged silent glances. "You're making a mistake, don't you think?" She asked, her heart nearly stopping.
"I don't think so," he said calmly, continuing the preparation.
Her heart almost stopped right there.
Her eyes darkened instantly. Realizing what he was doing, her heart began to race faster than ever. She didn't know what to do: fight, flee, scream, talk. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, she was backed against the wall.
He knew the truth, she was sure of it.
But how should she react?!
As Ryan approached with the medicine, he knelt and began applying it to her wounds.
"I poisoned you earlier," she leaned and whispered into his ear, as the slave rested against the wall, she feared he might hear. Ryan, however, didn't react. "But the poison was weak, it wouldn't cause complications if treated in time. Unless, of course, you abandoned me. In that case, you'd die within a day and bitterly regret betraying me… It was a way to get revenge in case you were a bad person and not an aggression.… I didn't want to betray you… Now that you've proven you're a good person, I'll give you the antidote recipe, as planned… I-I swear! This was always the plan... Look, the recipe is—"
"I know," Ryan said, glancing at her. "I know everything, from beginning to end." He began to smile broadly, making the demoness recoil in fear. Then he glanced at his belt, a small knife was hidden there for a quick draw.
The demoness trembled, fully aware of what that meant.
"I was counting the seconds to kill you," Ryan said calmly. "If you hadn't confessed, you'd be dead by now." He returned to treating her wounds. "You're lucky. I am quit of merciful person. But I hope you understand that there won't be a second chance."
He fell silent, the medicine he was applying was the real one.
She let out a relieved sigh. "I really am… I'll make it up to you… I swear."