"Potions…? That's right, you're a one-star alchemist…"
Hearing Erik's words, Zoe couldn't help but comment in a low voice, wanting to keep herself under control. At that moment, Elara, who was clenching her small fists tightly, quickly asked seriously—because if they managed to create potions, specifically mana recovery potions, their chances of survival would increase exponentially.
"What are the chances you'll be able to make potions in this situation, Erik…?"
"I wouldn't dare talk about probabilities, since even though SARI can be used as a substitute for a certain active ingredient in preparing the base for the most basic potions—also known as Enchanted Spring Water—that's just the base. We still need the active ingredients, the catalysts, and so on.
"Besides, there's something you can't forget: at the very least, I need a cauldron. And while I could create one if we find some scrap with the right properties, a cauldron is, ultimately, still an artifact. We don't know if those golden chains will show up again to destroy it, so the odds are against us—which is why I tried not to mention anything for now."
Erik explained in a calm and measured tone as he studied the two girls, especially their expressions, which shifted subtly but rapidly. After a few seconds, Zoe let out a heavy sigh, then took a deep breath, managing to compose her emotions completely. She then looked directly at the starry-haired boy and spoke in a serious tone.
"Thank you for telling us, Erik. And while I understand why you didn't want to mention it, from now on, keep us informed about things like this. You're a one-star alchemist and artificer, so you know many things that we don't, but we're still a team—and in a situation as delicate as this, our best option is to work together to survive. If we lack crucial information, we could end up making mistakes that could be fatal."
"I understand, and you're right. In the future, I'll make sure to share things clearly." Erik replied in a serious tone, acknowledging that Zoe was right. At that moment, Elara turned to look at him and spoke in an almost solemn voice.
"Speaking of which, I think it would be best for Erik to take on the role of leader. Your knowledge and skills will be crucial for our survival. Also, I remember you once mentioned you survived for years on a deserted island, so you have some experience. As leader, you'll be able to guide us better."
When they heard Elara, Zoe and Erik turned to look at her with a bit of surprise, but after a few seconds, Zoe nodded and then shared her opinion in a tone similar to her blonde friend's.
"…You're right, Elara. Erik is the most suitable to be our leader. Even though he's the youngest, his achievements and knowledge far surpass ours." Zoe quickly turned to look at Erik again and asked in a serious tone.
"What do you say, Erik? Will you be our leader?"
"Accept it—leadership is your natural place, hehe."
Before Erik could answer, Ebonique spoke up in a cheerful voice, somehow puffing out her chest in her dragon form. After all, the fact that other humans would willingly submit to her Erik without him having to force or threaten them was a pure show of skill that made her feel incredibly proud. In that regard, her Erik was even better than she was, as she knew that if it weren't for her power, there would hardly be anyone willing to follow and obey her.
"Haha, since when am I a natural leader?"
For his part, Erik couldn't help but laugh in amusement at Ebonique's words, then asked in a slightly playful tone, to which the imposing dragon spirit replied in a slightly arrogant tone.
"Since always. You were born a leader."
"If that's the case, what would be the point of being a leader? There wouldn't be any merit in it." Erik replied in a casual tone as he reached out to gently stroke the scales of his spoiled spirit, who couldn't help but let out a strange, bewildered sound.
"Eh?"
While the dragoness seemed to be reconsidering all her opinions and worldview, Erik turned to look at the girls and spoke in a serious tone.
"Well, if you really think I'm the right person for the job, I'll take it. Even though it was a long time ago, I actually do have some experience surviving in tough situations, and I believe that if we do things well enough, we'll make it out of here alive."
"Excellent! And since you're the leader now, what do you think we should do next?" Zoe nodded in satisfaction and quickly asked, sounding a bit more upbeat, to which Erik replied seriously.
"We should explore the surroundings a bit. I know a few spells to create drinking water, so we won't get dehydrated in the short term, and we can go a couple of days without food. Now that we've found SARI, we can prioritize finding two things: underground water with traces of Zaryonite, which will make creating the potion base much easier, and if we're lucky, Mycelis."
"Mycelis?" Elara asked, a bit confused, to which Erik nodded and explained.
"A mushroom that grows in dark, humid, hot environments with a high concentration of Myst. With it, you can make a minor mana recovery potion—not a great one, but in our situation, it'll be a big help."
"That's exactly what we need—more than food! Are you sure there's any of it around here?" Zoe asked, slightly excited, to which Erik nodded calmly and explained.
"It's possible. After all, Zaryonite forms spontaneously in places with high concentrations of Myst, enough heat to melt rock, and extreme pressure. If we find any place that still has some of those conditions, even if only in residual form, it's highly likely we'll find it.
"Also, the fact that the SARI is well-preserved on the surface indicates that the environment stabilized slowly, creating the perfect conditions. So, we need to look for a cavity with moisture, some lingering heat, and traces of porous material, like petrified roots or structures with a high silica content."
"Then let's get going—the sooner, the better!" Elara quickly said with a visibly excited smile, a sign of just how worried she'd been before. Erik nodded calmly, then stepped forward.
"I'll guide you. You two haven't adapted to the surrounding Myst yet, and a high concentration of it will be the biggest indicator."
Seeing their master move, the pair of wolves, who had been looking around, quickly moved to his sides, each staying about a meter away from him. At that moment, Zoe spoke up in a serious tone.
"Then I'll take the lead. Let's stick to the formation and stay alert."
Following the same formation as before—with Zoe at the front with the wolves, Erik and Elara in the center, and the spirits in the back—the group advanced, following Erik's directions. He not only guided them toward the area with the highest concentration of Myst but also trusted his intuition, which had saved him countless times on that island. For some strange reason, it even helped him find what he needed, ever since his time on the island.
"Stop."
Just as he expected, after walking among the rocks for a while, Erik suddenly felt the urge to stop. He crouched down and placed two fingers on the ground, closing his eyes as several runes appeared around the earth. Elara and Zoe fell silent, holding their breath in anticipation, while Ebonique watched her beloved contractor with shining eyes.
After a few seconds, Erik suddenly opened his eyes and dispelled the runes on the ground. He then placed his whole palm on the earth and created a magic circle, which began to slowly move the rock as if it were some kind of liquid. Quickly, a sort of water vapor started to rise, at which point Erik announced seriously.
"Don't breathe in the vapor."
With Erik's warning, the girls and the wolves stepped back, as did the starry-haired boy. After a few seconds, the vapor cleared, revealing a rather deep well. Elara created a small sphere of fire to illuminate the bottom, revealing a small pool of stagnant water, dark as a mirror, which made her clench her small fists tightly.
"Bingo."
At Erik's cheerful comment, Elara and Zoe exchanged glances filled with restrained excitement, wanting to jump for joy but at the same time afraid to get their hopes up if things didn't work out in the end. At that moment, the starry-haired boy created a magic circle on the ground, causing the stone to start moving like a liquid with a mind of its own, quickly forming several large cup-like shapes.
Using his phantom hands—constructs of invisible Myst shaped like arms that he could control at will—Erik took one of the stone cups and lowered it into the well, carefully collecting the stagnant water. Then he brought the filled cup back up, used a spell to reshape the cup's outer rock into a sphere, and immediately cast another spell to create an extra-strong prismatic barrier of solidified Myst around it, linking its relative position to his belt so that it floated behind him.
After repeating the process several times, Erik managed to collect all the water from the well. With a quick motion, he took off his belt and handed it to Elara, causing all the floating prismatic barriers to move with it, as he spoke in a serious tone.
"I'm going down to look for Mycelis mushrooms. Places like this well are actually perfect for their growth."
"I understand. Be careful." Elara took the belt with a firm grip, then responded seriously, which made Erik smile a little in amusement as he replied calmly,
"Don't worry, it's just a well."
Right after speaking, Erik jumped into the well. At the same moment, Ebonique grew larger to surround the well completely, while the wolves positioned themselves in opposite directions, keeping a close watch on the surroundings. This prompted Elara and Zoe to prepare their weapons and stand guard, alert to any suspicious movement in the area.
…
Falling rapidly through the dark well, Erik quickly created a Myst platform that slowed his descent until he reached the hottest part of the well. There, he extended a hand, which was soon surrounded by conjured runes. Shortly after, these created a small sphere of light that illuminated the surroundings.
Following the mental image in his mind—a product of his Mystical Awareness, which allowed him to perceive mana above a certain concentration in the area—Erik quickly located a couple of cracks, where he found a small blue-gray mushroom with slight violet reflections. This made him smile happily; it was exactly the mushroom he'd been looking for: the Mycelis mushroom.
With great care, Erik quickly harvested the mushroom and sent it up using his phantom hand. He then began searching for more in the area, soon finding six more. But as he picked the last one, Erik noticed what looked like translucent threads of wet glass in the crack, which inevitably made him grin with delight. After all, he recognized those roots.
"Vidrena Roots… what luck! Now we have the stabilizing agent, hehe."
With fluid movements, Erik quickly detached the crystalline roots, then spread them out in one hand and continued searching, managing to find only three more mushrooms and another stretch of roots. At that point, he was forced to go back up, which allowed him to see that everyone outside was seriously guarding the hole, making him greet them with a smile.
"I'm back, and I have good news."
Hearing Erik's voice again, Elara and Zoe quickly jumped up to look at him, their eyes filled with hope. Zoe asked in a restrained voice.
"How did it go?"
"Pretty well, it was a good harvest—I even found a stabilizing agent."
Erik replied calmly as he had the phantom hands display the mushrooms and roots he had gathered, which made the girls' eyes shine brightly. Elara then asked, visibly excited as she held out her hand to Erik, the belt he'd given her still hanging from it.
"What's next—what should we look for now?"
***
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