Thank you for the patience. I've been writing a bunch of nonsense to pass the time, and I ended up wasting quite a few days doing nothing.
If you're interested in knowing what I usually write in my spare time, aside from joining the Discord, you can also check my profile and search for "Broken Stories".
https://www.webnovel.com/book/30805611308721505
I tend to leave all of my writing ideas there.
With that out of the way... 10K words
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Philip had leveled up three times, and with it, he got a total of three Perk points.
Perk points can be used on the skill trees to unlock unique abilities or simple effects. But not every ability can be unlocked at first as it needs the corresponding skill level and the previous nodes, climbing little by little up the tree.
Originally, there were over 200 Perk nodes available, but after he took over Eddy's body, he realized there were far more in each skill tree… He could only wonder how long it would take to get all of them.
And that's not considering the possibility he may unlock new skill trees never seen before…
Upon leveling, one could also enhance one of their three basic attributes once, Health, Stamina, and Magicka, raising their values by ten… Which wasn't much, but ten, fifty levels down the line...
In here, he couldn't exactly tell what those values meant. What exactly did it mean to have 100 Health? Was it a percentage of his physical condition? Some sort of compounding force upon his vitality? Would he permanently lose any points if he were to get a limb removed?
The same could go for Stamina, it seemed odd to have a direct value correspondent to such an abstract idea. It was the first time he had had such a thing, which was why it made him think those values weren't as they meant.
Gamerverse wouldn't leave such an aspect untouched… then again, it could just be a downside of an already pretty promising Class. Perhaps its weakness would be that if he were to receive a blow strong enough to drain all of his Health, then he would die right then and there without a chance to protest.
So he fell into a dilemma… How to proceed?
/Exhale.../
As he always did before he thought deeply, Philip took a deep breath of the chilly air as he muttered, "This is the hardest part..."
'What should I focus on? What sort of style should I go after? No… I'm not thinking this right. That doesn't matter much. It's not about that…'
'If I try to think about it from a technical standpoint, then I should just put everything I have into Magicka since no matter how much I try to raise the other stats, assuming they do what I think they do, they will never grow to matter when put with my Main Status anyway.'
'But given the situation, I think investing in them is more beneficial than in Magicka. I have no spells to use, nor would they be useful to me... Would I even be able to use them? Even a simple spell such as -Flames-, the first spell from the Destruction School of magic one has access to, has a thick book to describe it.'
'Do I have the time to sit down and study magic when my remaining time is ticking down? Even if I had the full might of my Trait, it would only take the time to learn magic to a proficient enough degree where I'm not useless from ten to twenty years to maybe a few months… weeks at best.'
'That is still too long for me… and I don't even have access to anything of the sort. If I were to make a B-Line to the College of Winterhold, the sole institution of magic in Skyrim of this era, I still wouldn't get there on time unless I stole a horse and I drove it through the lands with little rest in-between.'
'That said, magic could be a solution to my issues… Why be passive and fall into the schemes of a Daedra when I can just grow strong enough to twist the rules with power alone? If I could unravel the magic behind it all and push it onto the creature, then maybe whatever patron the Dedra has wouldn't be so upset about it. That is… if he were even to notice it.'
'I'm not staying here for long anyway, so who cares if they do notice it? Are they going to form an army of cultists or try to toy with me to do their bidding in the next few years? I'm not staying around to see it happen… though with that said… I can't leave before finding that girl.'
'She's causing me trouble even in the distant corners of the multiverse, give me a break…'
"Hum… I shouldn't grow too worried over it all anyway."
'There is no level cap. I can keep raising my skills as much as I want anyway by resetting their level once they reach their limit, so even if I spend the points now, I'll at least learn if they do something and that's never too bad.'
'Even if there is a cap, then that's that… a shame, but it doesn't matter much. There are far better things to worry about then a slight loss of magical potential.'
With those thoghts, Philip made his decision. He immediately invested two points in Health, and one in Stamina…
"Wh…?!"
/Thud!/
But the moment he raised his Health, his muscles tightened, paralyzing him. He fell on the ground like a hammer striking a nail, his muscles trembling as he sweated heavily… as if he had been suddenly jolted with a taser.
This process lasted half a minute before Philip slowly recovered control over his body…
"Huff… Huff…"
Short of breath, he slowly got back on the ground, lifting his head from the hard cold wood.
'Urg... What was it this time?... My forehead hurts… I think it's bleeding… Just what I needed to start my day.'
"At least now I can test these potions… Damn!… I'm all sweaty now…" He muttered as he looked at his clothes
He took his shirt and pants off and immediately realized something. He immediately walked to the mirror so he could take a better look at himself.
"Was Eddy this physically trained?"
'Previously, Eddy's body was above average, not flaccid, but not muscular either. After all, albeit he didn't train, he still walked a lot every day, and his work was mostly consistent on hauling things around the place.'
'He cut down firewood, helped set up camp, and did far more taxing activities… And as a Nord, his genes were inclined to make him big and hairy, so he was at least decently healthy.'
'In fact, it was rather unusual to find any fat person in his memories; the environment of the people simply does not allow for people to accumulate that much fat… The fat people were usually in large cities.'
'But now…'
"Hum… I increased my health, and this resulted in me becoming slightly stronger?" He asked as he rubbed his chin
'I need to confirm it… But first… I'll lay on the ground properly this time; my forehead still aches… I'll also clean it up since it stings to damn much.'
"Tsk… Ouch! It really hurts…"
He lay down on the bed with a towel wrapped around his head. Philip once again chose Health, and like before, the same happened. His body convulsed, and he sweated heavily, but in thirty seconds, he was fine, not tired, energetic even.
Once again, he went to the mirror, his eyes darting in surprise.
"It… I really became more muscular. It's scarily noticeable." He said in surprise as he checked his body
The muscle lines became more visible, and his body grew in size. He wondered if his mass changed and if he grew heavier, but without a balance, it was impossible to tell.
He removed the wraps around his forehead as he felt a strange sensation, "Wait… my forehead isn't hurting either, nor is it bleeding anymore."
That said, the blood was still there. He would have to wash it later... 'This changes things.' He thought as he moved to the side to grab a towel to clean his body
'First, I have confirmed that leveling up heals me. I thought that mechanic wouldn't carry on here. It's a wildcard to have for sure… although it remains to be seen how much it can actually heal.'
'At the same time, I will not be able to level up mid-combat, exposing myself for half a minute isn't ideal… Albeit, if I have enough time, healing after strategically retreating may work.'
'There's still a risk, but there's an option to stick to in dire scenarios. Having the power to heal like that is always appreciated.'
'Second, these stats do seem to reflect aspects beyond what I originally imagined. I expected a change aside from a numerical difference, but this goes way beyond that.'
'I'll have to pay attention to what they do as I level up to form a clearer understanding of what they are… although it still remains to be seen what exactly 110/110 means and how it'll change in the future.'
"I was planning on increasing one level of Stamina, but if I make my body stronger overall, I would get the same benefit."
'This is better too. If I raise my points all at once, minute changes become more noticeable which will help me identify its uniqueness better… Perhaps I should wait to raise each stat by five but since I'm in an unfamiliar situation, some strength is required to operate at a minimum level.'
'Although most of my combat proficiency won't do much here, it's not like I can't fight within the boundaries of common sense. If only I had my hands on a half-decent sword…'
Philip prepared himself before lying in bed again and raising his Health to 130 all at once by investing his remaining two points in it!
He had to be fast enough since immediately after…
/Convulse!/
Once again, his muscles spasmed, and he clenched his teeth as this horrible feeling coursed through his body. After a minute of agonizing pain, he stopped trembling as a feeling of intense thirst washed over his mouth.
"Huff… Huff… Note to myself, do not perform this… huff…. multiple times at once..."
'I thought I was going to lose consciousness from the lack of air… To think not only would the pain increase with time as well…'
Despite the pain, Philip always counted the time inside his head; such details were things he always tried to do whenever he was studying a new power. No matter how painful and incorrect, just the overall idea of such imprecise data could already tell a lot.
"There it is… the feeling of relaxation… my body is now…"
He got up from the bed and checked himself in the mirror, and miraculously, his body was now quite fit! Not extremely chiseled, but it was enough to make him proud; it was definitely on the level of a well-trained soldier or even a mercenary.
/Swoosh!/
He jumped around, made headstands, a few pushups even… but he didn't get tired at all. It was more than a simple strength gain. There was a certain quality to it. Many muscular guys might lose their breath after a few minutes of cardio, yet he didn't.
It was an overall increase in muscle performance! There might even be more hidden aspects waiting to be revealed… It even seemed as if he had grown a little taller.
Eddy wasn't tall to begin with, and that made Philip stumble down a few times since their height had a difference of over 15Cm, even if his previous appearance had somehow overlapped with Eddy's.
"Alright… If it goes like this, then likely at 150 Health, I'll have reached the physical apex of a Nord/Human?" Philip mumbled to himself as he stretched
'I can't see my muscles getting any bigger than a certain margin... at least not naturally... But if I were to go further would I end up massive like a bodybuilder?'
'Strong is good, but if I get too big, it'll become more of an inconvenience than anything else.'
"If only growing strong was this easy… Not even the System back home is this kind."
'But I could say it's a reward for developing myself another way… in that note the System wins and by quite a bit.'
"Anyhow… it makes me wonder what will happen if I raise the other stats…"
'Well… No point in thinking about it now.'
He looked outside and smiled, "I can just figure that out myself."
But before he left… 'Let's see… If I can, I should go to a nearby temple and reactivate the blessing of Dibella, or any of the Divines for that matter… Such continuous blessings will probably be key if I want to make it to the deadline.'
'There are also many other permanent powers and effects I can acquire. Some of them are quite useful… But can I even do that with the time I have left? Several are locked behind long quests, and it's hard to say if even one of them would be around given the time period I'm in.'
'Some characters in those quests are either too young or not even around yet… It's useless to even think about going after those.'
'I think the only ones I can reliably get right now are the Standing Stones! A Standing Stone can give me a permanent buff, one that'll hopefully carry on with me after I'm done with this place.'
'Hard to say though… I'm not up to date on the lore and history behind them. I think it has something to do with an ancient tribe of humans that worshiped the constellations and drew power directly from the stars or something… well… Magic related to the stars and constellation is literally everywhere in this world, so much so multiple tribes succeeded in doing it at some point in time.'
'The question is whether that ancient power would move on with me… I imagine it would have given the power within the Old Blood carried on with me even when I crossed over, but that can be ruled out as the alien biology of a higher dimension creature… This is more of an arcane wizard drawing power from… somewhere…'
"Well, some of my hunter tools did continue to work… so I guess Gamerverse will make them work even if I leave so there shouldn't be much to worry."
'Standing Stones aren't that hard to find. In fact, many are milestones for travelers. So, anyone with a decent knowledge of their surroundings should be able to guide me to one.'
Philip touched his head with some frustration, "If only I could remember more, there are so many powers, items, quests, effects that I could gather… even if not all of them are feasible…"
'Even if it's 25 years in the past, many things should be the same; a 1000-year-old tomb will not move places after all… Although I do know that the environment is ever moving. Some ruins are opened and closed multiple times throughout history. Artifacts are sealed, secrets are lost, and even if nothing happened in a tomb for 1000 years, something may just end up teleporting inside.'
"Let's see… of extremely dangerous items strong enough to end the world… I think there was some ancient source of dark magic sealed underneath an ancient Dwemmer ruin… there's the eye of magnus… that much is obvious… maybe the maze of that crazy ass wizard has something in it… there's that demonic sword sealed somewhere around here… what else?"
"Maybe the hundreds of Dragon Priests? Ancient Elven artifacts?… I do remember something about a magical ring being sealed inside the tomb of a death priest by a traveler… But why… ahh… I remember… the ring that was used to pierce into the Mechanical City."
'So many memories… so many things I don't want to touch at all… The last thing I want is to get involved with some of those superpowers.'
As more and more memories passed through his mind, the more he was reminded of how much in danger he was. But he knew that as long as he lived within the boundaries of civilization, he would most likely be safe during his stay in this world.
Although being safe wouldn't help him solve his pressing issue…
"It's not that bad. I can't remember much, anyway. I can not blame myself for not remembering something like the map, and I have other things to worry about..."
'I can only enjoy a little exploring if I'm alive, so I should take care of that first. Once I deal with the Daedra… I'll think about spending some time here.'
He went to the wardrobe nearby and grabbed an extra pair of clothes, throwing the other pair, Eddy's sweaty pajamas, on the ground.
"Now I look… decent." He said as he looked in the mirror
Not the scared boy with dark circles under his eyes, but a tall Nord with a sharp look, 'What do I say if someone asks?… I'll figure that out when the time comes.'
Philip grabbed his iron sword and placed it in the hilt that came with it.
"Can I take it out anytime?" He asked himself as he put it inside the inventory
'Hum… Yes, I can! The feature of equipping and unequipping things still works.'
'Okay, I would say that there's no need for me to carry it with me, but I'm in Skyrim and almost every Nord will walk around with some weapon, be it an axe or a simple steel dagger… at least in these foreign woods.'
'If I were in Solitude things would've been different.'
He did not take out his Iron armor though as he felt it might be too conspicuous… and it's quite ugly.
(Image)
"It seems I can still use the item menu to consume some items… I feel quite strange when it does so, but I can tell something was stuffed inside my stomach…"
'If I can, I should also stop at a weapon shop to buy a bow. A bow in my hand would probably be far more threatening than this old blade.'
'From now on I'm Eddy. Time to check out how the others are faring.'
'I'll have to decide here and quickly how to proceed. If they do not comply, I'll eliminate them on the spot… I don't enjoy being ruthless just for the sake of convenience, but with my soul on the line I don't have the room to be gentle with a bunch of barbarians.'
'I hope they are traditional Nords, because if they are… that makes things simpler. Nothing better than just punching each other to solve our issues.'
"This should be all, so enough talking…"
With a sword and a dagger in hand, he made his way out into Skyrim.
"Let's go!"
…
Philip left his room and went downstairs. The innkeeper looked at him weirdly, not recognizing him at first, but Philip ignored the old lady and carried on outside.
Leaving the inn, he took his first look at this iconic world… But he was left dumbfounded.
'I… I know I am in Falkreath, but this…'
A decently paved road of stones, wooden houses, and buildings with stone bases as far as the eye could see... Compared to the small place he faintly remembered, this was more like a well-developed small town...
(Image)
'This is how a proper hold should look like... Not that bunch of shacks in game.' He thought to himself as he looked around
"I should've expected it…"
'I've said this a few times already… What I know from the game cannot represent reality. Skyrim cannot have its biggest cities only having a dozen or two houses; they'll have hundreds at the very least, for tens of thousands of inhabitants.'
'Skirim is just like Europe's medieval era, with most of the population living in the countryside...'
/Sniff.../
"Yeah... A proper medieval Hold, with a proper medieval smell..."
'This is what a lack of plumbing gives you... Yuck… I imagine most of the hold has some degree of sewer disposal, but I doubt its modern at all. Much of Skyrim's infrastructure either comes from the ancient times or post Imperial conquest.'
Holds are the nine administrative divisions of Skyrim, different from each other both in climate and local government.
Each of the nine Holds is governed by a Jarl who resides in the Hold's capital city. The Jarls are largely independent, but swear fealty to Skyrim's High King, who in turn swears fealty to the Emperor upon joining the Septim Empire in the late Second Era.
Each Hold also employs its own guards, who can be identified by the color of their uniform and the Hold symbol they bear on their shields.
The last hold is Haafingar, where Solitude, its Capital, resides, hence, it isn't considered a division since it's directly under the High King.
(Wiki)
So, in a sense, each Hold is like an independent state.
(Image)
On the same note, that leads to each Hold having fairly unique cultures and rates of development… One Hold is the heart of Skyrim's connection with the Empire, having the most development of them all.
Another Hold has deep ties to Nordic ancestry, preserving much of what once was a great Nordic land of the ancient times.
Another has its capital built upon the ruins of an ancient civilization, which they use to support their existence even if they understand little of its inner workings.
Each Hold is fairly unique from each other…
"Hum…"
'I can already feel a few eyes on me… I expected things to be bad, but not like this.'
'According to his diary, Eddy and the caravan should've arrived a few days ago. But Eddy immediately holed himself up within the Inn, and so he stayed until I took over.'
'Such cowardly behavior is considered obnoxious for the courageous Nords, the people that compose 90% of the caravan, so it makes sense they would frown at me, as this wasn't the disposition of a leader.'
'But I do wonder how they think… Eddy did lose his father all of a sudden, and expecting much from a youth and being so cold is also not the Nordic way, which is built upon unity and family ties.'
'I don't like that some people are just staring though… Do they want something from me? Do they know me? I have no recollection of them at all.'
"How tedious." He proclaimed as he scratched the back of his head
Philip walked around, looking at the city first. It had a rustic feel to it, and he liked it… but at the same time, hated it.
At least the air was spotless to breathe, much cleaner than the air in the city of freedom if he could compare both...
"This place has potential… They should do a reform any of these days though."
'This place is simply... lacking… too unexplored.' He thought as he looked at the many wooden houses
'I know this one can be said to be one of the more traditional Holds, but how can Nords have decayed so much that they can't even build things like the ancestors once did? Nords were supposed to have built towering ancient fortresses that stood the test of time, yet now all they can do is build a damn shack by the woods.'
'It's not they can't do more… Teach a Nord how to do something and they'll do it… Nords are probably some of the most magic attuned and sharp humans out there… I just feel like they are so stuck up their ass with tradition that it may take centuries for them to figure out they could just shove a wheel from a windmill that has been around for 1000 years on a box and call it a cart.'
'There are so many ruins with advancements far beyond this age to explore, and they can't even bear to take a step into them in fear of some "retribution from their ancestors"… I mean… they're right to some degree…'
'I guess all the daring Nords just die off… The few that survive are probably the ones who accomplish something yet even then… nothing fucking changes.'
'What's the point in one of the greatest damn mages to ever exist and the fact the Dragon Priests being the ones to essentially kick-start modern magic yet Skyrim is now known as the least magically attuned land of them all?'
'How does that even happen when you probably have thousands of Dragons buried beneath the ground with millions of undead controlled by thousands of Liches that have been around for thousands of years hauling some of the greatest magical artifacts of all time?'
'Some of those liches are legendary figures known to have started their studies at certain schools of magic before they were even categorized as such! Developing artifacts that people in modern times can't even understand before they even had a name for whatever they were doing!'
'What do you say when all Nords have the innate gift to manipulate the laws of nature through their voices? No matter how much the practice has died, in the ancient times that was a power that belonged to hundreds if not thousands of Nord Heroes!'
'Not to mention that 80% of the Dwemmer civilization and 100% of the White Elves ruins are located in this province alone… Much of Nordic magic succeeds the White Elves, one of the oldest species out there…
'How is it that the biggest technological advancement a Nord might ever see is a damn crossbow or maybe some plate armor? If they're lucky and live in Solitude, they might see something better if they gaze upon boats coming from afar, but come on, man…'
He rolled his eyes, knowing he was reading too much into things. Most people weren't even going to be heroes; they were going to stay on a farm field overseen by their family for generations and do the same thing until old age.
And there was nothing wrong with that.
That said, no matter how much he searched, the most advanced things he saw were a rough-looking chain pump and a wood mill by a river…
Everything else was even less than medieval... and this in itself brought him some great concerns…
'Will I have to shit in a bucket or in a bush? How will I even wipe my ass… Oh, God…'
"Wait, should I say?… By the Divines…?"
'Oh, Divines… Save me! How can I wipe my ass with leaves?… Wait… how does anyone wipe their… Don't tell me they don't even clean their hands??'
Philip realized a very scary thought about his surroundings…
…
After a few minutes of walking around, Philip had had enough. It was indeed an incredible place to be in, with his instincts telling him to go explore and talk with the people… But he had things to do; he wasn't here to play, especially since there seem to be some people going after him.
Some gazes on him seemed heavier than others, Philip wasn't going to let those people lurk around him for long.
So after visiting a smith and buying some decent yet costly gear to make up for his lacking equipment, he wandered around until he found what he was looking for.
"Here it is." He said as he looked at a wooden sign hanging next to a house
[Hygfar Potion Shop]
Without waiting any further, he got inside.
…
"Sniff..."
'Hum… There's a strong herby smell in the air…'
Inside the shop, he saw your standard arrangement. A small and relatively closed-off wooden room with a single table somewhat to the side.
There was a single balcony facing the door, and behind it was a series of shelves with many products on them. Some Philip recognize, others he didn't…
The shop was rather small, it seemed most of the area was off limits for the customers, with only a small area actually being used as the shop itself.
An old man behind the counter slowly turned to face him as he wrote something on an empty potion label, "Oh? A customer?… A healthy young man, come in."
He looked at least seventy years old, a miracle in itself in those lands, more than enough for him to be a great-grandfather…
"Is there anything you need? You won't find a bigger repertoire of ingredients than ours in all of Falkreath, even if you are to brave the woods." The old man said with a big smile as he put the potion and feather pen on the counter
Philip smiled in kind, "Oh? Is that so?"
'I was planning on buying more ingredients from other places... a bummer. This place will have to do.'
To his reply, the old man scratched his chin awkwardly… "Well… that also happens that there are only three decent alchemists that I can name, me being one…"
"The other being the Jarl's Cort Magician, and my apprentice that has now set up shop on the other side of town." He said with a slightly tired look
"Sigh, all that work, and now she's competing with me… At least she seems to specialize in making potions for the cattle, which I can't compete much…"
"You look proud though?"
"Heh… Is it that obvious?"
He scratched his long beard with a faint smile, moving the conversation along, "Anyhow, what brings you here, merchant?"
"Hm? You know me?"
"Not much, but I knew your father. He even brought you around when you were younger, but you don't seem to remember."
"What a small world."
"It's not that small when you stay in one place for long… If someone passes by, then they're bound to pass through again eventually… I just have a good memory."
"Then again, your father was more than just a passerby. He passed through our Hold several times in the past few years and always bought many materials from me and sometimes even some potions to resell somewhere else."
"He also sold me many ingredients from afar... rarities for a rather affordable price. Had it not been for those, my student might've not have succeeded in her research."
He looked at him up and down, "You resemble him quite a lot actually. Albeit less enthusiastic, it seems… Your father always went around the place with a look of urgency, as if he was always late to deliver something elsewhere…"
"I'd like to compare him with his father too… but these memories of mine are so muddled I fear I do not even remember how my own parents looked like, much less someone else's."
"… I'm sorry for your loss, son. I know what losing a father feels like. And mine was around for a long time… I had the time to enjoy his presence… Remain strong, his Soul is now at a better place with the Divines."
"Thank you. I've already cried what had to be shed; the rest can come at a better time, but now… I need to move on. There are others reliant on the things my father left behind; it is time for me to take them where they need to be."
"As you should. Responsibility is often easily to neglect when it is heavy and painful. Most prefer to throw it aside then inherit it."
"Uhum… but you mentioned my grandfather, did he came here before?"
"He did! Merchants are like that… There are only so many families that do such a business here in Skyrim, and I'm afraid it's not utterly by choice… It takes a lot to cross these woods. Much less in times like ours."
"And between crossing the vast expanse of our land to reach faraway places such as Winterhold, fewer are those able to make through the land between and reach even further lands such as Cyrodil… I myself have been here all my life and now am too old to move. The most I've done was climb the nearby mountains to see the land beyond."
He smiled as he closed his eyes, reminiscing about his youth, "Hum… Back in my days on a clear day without clouds, one could see the legendary White-Gold Tower from up there, sometimes even more distant mountains… Others say I was seeing things but what can I say to them? I guess my eyesight was just that good!"
"Unfortunately, my sight isn't the same as before. Even if the very heavens were to open themselves to me, I'm afraid the most I'd be able to see would be Falkreath…"
"There was also the Red Mountain. On a clear day and with the right mountain angle, you can see its trail of ash hurling into the distant seas… albeit that is only because of how immense its power is. Despite the distance, it's far easier to witness than the White-Gold Tower."
"Now… Given you're here, I imagine you're here to do the same your father used to do? Has the time come for your cavaran to cycle to the province once more? I'm indeed lacking some materials…"
"If you have any unique ingredients from beyond Skyrim, I'd be more than happy to buy them."
Philip thought for a moment before replying, "Kind of, I'm here to buy some things, not quite sell yet. Give me some time to sort things and then we can discuss that."
'In Eddy's diary, they should've brought some items from their previous destination, so there may be some ingredients to sell. I doubt Eddy's father would've missed the chance to do so.'
"These materials are for personal use, so I'm not representing the caravan right now… Still, you mentioned needing some materials? You can make a small list if you wish. I'll check and see what we have and bring it to you later."
'This almost seems like a small quest…'
{Persuasion successful}
A notification window appeared before him. It was different from the others, but just as quickly as it appeared; it vanished.
'Huh? The what?'
Philip wasn't given the time to think about it as soon enough, the old shopkeeper continued:
"Hm… Fine by me; it will not take long." The old man said as he turned around
"Wait."
"Oh?"
"It may seem like a strange request… but can I use your alchemy table? I'll pay for it, of course."
The old man frowned. He looked at Philip up and down and asked, "Do you know Alchemy?"
"Enough not to blow your alchemy set if that's what you're worried about."
'I can't guarantee that...'
"I don't…"
But before the old man could reject, Philip added, "One hundred septims plus a few sets of materials I'll be needing."
{Persuasion successful}
'This again? Was there actually such a thing?… Why does it come and go so quickly? I barely have the time to read a letter…'
"Hum… Sigh…"
He shook his head before saying, "You can have it for today since movement is quite slow and my granddaughter isnt' here. Tell me the ingredients you need, and I'll set them aside for you."
Philip nodded… He started pointing out several materials randomly, making the old man frown once more.
Despite only being in this world for a few hours, Philip indeed knew a little of alchemy; not only did he have Eddy's memories, but he also got a few bits of knowledge from leveling up Alchemy from 1 to 15.
His experience in the game also helped. It was just a shame though that… He did not remember the recipes… like, at all… He could remember the names of the materials though, perhaps because of his Trait or his memories simply being that good...
It was rather unreliable… Some things he did; other things he didn't.
After he was done, Philip took a step inside the room on the side with a water bucket and closed the door lightly.
/Clack…/
The old man looked at him, shaking his head.
"Young people and their rash actions."
'Hopefully, no vials will break... Well, that money was enough for me to replace those at least five times over… But still… I can replace the glass, but not the memories.'
'The glass would take some time to be made too. These things need to be imported from outside.'
As he thought of that, he looked at the door, "Hum… I wonder if she's okay. It has been some time since she left to collect some herbs…"
/Creak…/
But his thoughts were put to a stop as a new customer got inside.
"Another custumer? Welcome to the Hygfar Potion Shop…"
…
/Meanwhile…/
"Well! I did not expect to come this far…" Philip said with a small smile as he looked at the alchemy table in front of him
'Out of all the options available to me, the fastest way for me to confirm my doubts is through this method. The Alchemy Skill tree... It can level up by making potions... Duh…'
'To make a potion, you normally need a recipe, but since I have none, I'll have to go by random combination.'
'In game, that would've resulted in a potion with unknown effects… In reality, it's like a child in the bath mixing ten different brands of shampoo to make the ultimate mess…'
'Perhaps through the System I can somewhat offset this issue, but I see no crafting menu so far, so I guess I'll have to try until something sticks. As long as I can level up even if only once, it'll have been worth it.'
'In the game, each ingredient only had four effects. But I doubt that's an accurate depiction of reality. Anyhow, by combining the ingredients and having at least two with the same effect, that effect will be added to the resulting potion.'
"There is one thing that was retained… It seems the discovered effects of the ingredients can still be displayed through the Menu." He muttered out loud as he opened his inventory
'I don't know if there's a limit to how many effects I can figure out or if the System will just keep listing infinite effects… Truth is, I think that an ingredient's effects are highly situational to what you want to make. Certain labels can be tied to certain items, like how we do to plants, but even a poisonous mushroom can be made into a healing palm if properly prepared.'
'You can say a certain plant has poisonous properties… but then what? You could mix it with one thing and make a healing potion and with another to make a venom… In-game it wasn't like that exactly but this is reality… my memory could be wrong too.'
'If this labeling is listed here in the item menu, then I assume the System will record my experiments even if I just stay here and play around… Then again, that's not what I'll be doing. With my 15 levels of alchemy, which are already far above that of the common folk, I am more than apt enough to perform alchemy in a scholarly way even if I'm uncertain of what will happen.'
'This means that I'm not a child mixing soap in the sink… I'm more akin to a trainee researcher mixing in reagents in a lab trying to see if I can make a new compound that smells good.'
'But that is slightly wasteful, and it could go wrong pretty easily… In the game, the only thing that could go wrong was a status screen, but here, things could actually go boom.;
'I'd rather not risk having this place burn or explode, so I'll go with the other method…'
He opened a small bag full of mushrooms… "Eating the ingredients to learn their effects is the shortest route to success…"
'It's not even that wasteful since it also increases my Skill Level slightly.'
'In game, this could only be done once per ingredient to unravel one of its properties. The rest had to be found through trial and error by combining different materials… It's not going to do much, but it's better than blindly mixing them together to figure things out.'
'But what I said before still stands. I'm uncertain how meaningful these effects will be once I do figure them out… How do I even figure them out? I can tell a pepper is spicy and salt is… salty… But what if I eat an egg? What kind of effect can I figure out from that?'
'Will the knowledge about it just magically pop up into my head or do I have to interpret it by using some senses I'm unaware of?'
He tried thinking about it all again, pulling the memories of alchemy he had ignored so far… soon enough, he formed a simple answer:
Potion brewing is rather simple. Alchemy is the act of mixing, boiling, and distilling various substances to obtain their chemo-magical properties and create potions and poisons, among other things.
That is why many raw foods can be considered alchemical ingredients. They have magical properties, but those can only be extracted via a proper process.
Alchemical ingredients include extracts from plants, animals, undead, and even the Daedra.
Furthermore, certain ingredients are extra valuable to alchemists due to their rarity and use, many of which tend to be extracted from Daedric creatures, one of the reasons why Eddy's father was so famous, as such a rule normally extends to other fields.
For a Daedra, getting Daedric materials is rather simple, so their value is low... So he could buy it at a low price, and sell it for a high price.
Prospective alchemists often need to experiment with ingredients to gauge what effects can be created, usually by eating samples of ingredients.
This practice is referred to as Wortcraft, which is what Philip intended to do.
'There's still a lot missing… ahh! Fuck it then… I'll just keep leveling Alchemy until the knowledge that explains this shit to me in detail appears.'
'As they say, if it works don't change it. It doesn't need fixing…'
'There's only one way to find out... A fast way at least.'
Without further ado, Philip started with the ones he knew and, being honest, the simplest… A series of small fish and other things that could pass as food like, as he mentioned before, chicken eggs!
/Chop!/
/Gulp.../
"Urg... Perhaps I shouldn't have started with the damn raw fish... Yuck… I've grown weak. I used to eat far worse and not even flinch at the sight of it, but now here I am having a gag reflex at a damn salted sardine… or whatever this is I can't bother going through my memories."
'Should I just eat raw salt at this point? Might as well…'
{Weakness to frost has been discovered from Abecean Longfin}
{Weakness to Magic has been discovered from Salt Pile}
At that moment, a small wave of information was imprinted onto his mind, short and concise, but with it, the questions that plagued him had now been answered.
'I finally understand what these effects mean. They are a bit more than just purely alchemical in nature. It has something to do with their innate magical properties.'
'It ties in with the little I know as well… But this is good. Even if little, the size of a grain of sand, with enough of them, I can fill up a pothole.'
"Also, I don't think I needed to eat the whole damn fish at once… although it's easy enough given its size."
'It's not like I'm eating a biscuit here… I can't just eat a fraction of the materials and be done with it… Although there certainly is a gap where it does matter.'
'Honey has its own unique properties when compared to beewax and the same goes for the bee itself… And I don't need to eat a whole jar of honey to figure that out… although I wouldn't "bee" against it… haha…'
'If Falpurgiana was here she would've pinched me by now… I wonder if this is good or bad? The fact I've grown used to her bickering in the time we stood together in that world?'
'Although she wasn't directly beside me, her messages were quite frequent, and in just a day we spent in that hellish world, her presence was quite striking.'
'I'll find her… eventually.'
"It also makes me wonder if the same material has more than just a single property… like, yeah, but not as a whole…"
'A bee can have multiple alchemical properties, but are those contained within the bee as a whole or individual body parts? Does its sting carry a certain energy that differs from its legs? Does a fish brain have a unique property that is not shared by its scales? Is that something or am I…'
'I'm thinking too much, there's a simple way of answering this.'
"I just need to keep eating."
He moved on with determination… and a bit of hunger…
{Restore stamina has been discovered from Honeycomb}
{Restore stamina has been discovered from Pine Thrush Egg}
{Restore health has been discovered from Wheat}
…
/A few minutes later…/
Little by little, Philip learned the effects of each of the ingredients on his inventory, and several combinations of potions began to appear inside his mind. Full recipes he didn't know, and some he recorded from the past.
It was like having ideas. Being enlightened all of a sudden with the full method to something you're passionate about. The feeling of having endless ideas and the motivation to pursue them!
He tried to partition his "tasting spree" for his stomach only had so much space. He was also very careful not to eat anything suspicious, such as unknown fungi… Some of those could kill with a mere touch, what to say of eating it?
Of course, it seemed the elderly alchemist had paid attention to that and avoided giving him dangerous things exactly with this in mind, which he appreciated… although he'd be needing them soon enough.
It was also important to mention that in the future, he would be very careful not to eat anything sketchy, such as a Human heart, or a Giant's thumb... He knew when to say no and that was already a step too far.
He might have a long journey ahead of him, and he didn't need an upset stomach coupled with a distraught mind, no thank you.
…
/Growl…/
'Urg…'
/... Growl.../
"Alright…. I wonder if this a sign?" Philip questioned as he clenched his stomach
'I may have gone too far…'
[You have ingested a severe amount of food]
{You have contracted the affliction: Indigestion}
"Shit... I screwed myself..."
Philip rested his head on the wall, trying to rest...
…
/Two minutes of agonizing later.../
When it seemed he would have to leave and dash to a nearby bush...
[Your strong body is metabolizing all the alchemical ingredients inside of you]
[You have developed the Skill, Fast Metabolism Lv0]
/Growl…/
"S-Shit!"
/Fart!/
/Sniff…/
"Holy!... This one is… d-damn." Philip said as he sniffed the air
'Strong like a true Nord? Urg… For once, I'm thankfull she isn't around…'
"At least I'm not feeling bad anymore… it doesn't look like this one went too far…" He mumbled as he checked his pants
'But this is enough for me… I'll take a small rest for now...'
"It's the perfect time to actually try to brew something, right?" He said out loud eagerly as he turned his focus to the alchemy table
He prepared the table, litting up a tiny furnace atop it, "Shall I try it out?"
(Image)
"I'll start with this!"
He took a small yellow flower and put it on the table.
'Showtime.'
…
/A few minutes later…/
"… and, uh… I just add this here… Let it burn… not for too long? I guess so and… I pour it here?"
/Flow.../
A greenish liquid slowly poured onto the table. Suddenly, the table glowed in a faint mystical light, and the now even greener liquid slowly flowed down…
"Oh, I can not let it go to waste." Philip said as he grabbed a small glass bottle, letting the substance drip inside
He closed the lid on the potion bottle, and with it…
{Created potion of Restore Stamina, Fortify Health}
{Discovered effects…}
{Potion of Restore Stamina, Fortify Health has been added to your inventory}
The potion bottle magically disappeared from Philip's hand, but he wasn't focused on that…
"No change?"
'I expected this to be enough for me to level it up…'
"I just have to do it again."
And so Philip restarted the process, albeit it was still slightly dirty. But since the ingredients were the same, it should be okay…
Right?
…
/About half an hour later…/
With the sixth bottle in a row, Philip cleaned the sweat from his face with a frown as he looked at the empty air…
{Alchemy 15 -> 16}
Just as this message appeared in front of him, a considerable amount of knowledge poured into his mind, clearing up his confusion about this process.
"Huff… I see what I did wrong now… kind of... but I'm on the right trail."
'I'm lucky I didn't fail once, not that it was easy to fail, these potions were simple in nature, but if I had tried another one... The situation may not have been the same.'
'Proper maintenance between each experiment should be exercised… It worked in the end, but I could've caused less of a mess… My methods were… brutish to say the least.'
He looke at the table and his surroundings, several of the bottles were dirty with burn marks, and the smell in the room wasn't pleasant…
'Now I'll need to clean these before repeating this.'
"Overall, potion making is not nearly as fast, but neither is it as slow as I expected."
'With the right proficiency, I can make this same potion in less than five minutes, and start the next one right away.'
"Most importantly, I found out that skill growth is indeed slower, considerably so."
'Either that or I have severely misremembered the difficulty of raising these… This will make the plan lengthier… just what I needed when my time was already short.'
"Regardless, I have a lot of gold and a lot of ingredients, so I might as well raise this skill as much as possible."
'I can then sell the potions if even for a fraction of the price I spent on the ingredients... It should be a bit higher, I presume? The value of a few flowers bundled together into a potion shouldn't even be comparable. No matter how simple this potion is.'
'Selling it might be a problem though… I can't think about that now, I must think of the future.'
"Each time I'll fail less and less and my progress will become more and more evident… All I need is to develop one high-profile potion I can sell for its weight in gold and if I can find a few buyers here and there… no… if I can sell it to the merchant himself…"
'Yes… if I can sell something the merchant considers valuable. I might clear this debt in no time… But what would an immortal, otherworldly demonic creature even consider valuable?…'
'Sigh… I'll just think about that later… I should try raising my alchemy a bit further to flesh out my alchemy proficiency before anything.'
Philip returned to his potion making, determined to raise his overall level to at least 7 or 8 before the day ended.
…
/At the same time, outside of the shop…/
Inside a pub in the middle of a street, a series of strong-armed men drank to their hearts' content under the faint song of a bard. There were five such men drinking in the corner of the shop.
They seemed a bit sketchy, but that wasn't the case as many others drank or ate in similar attire.
For they were all warriors!
/~Music~…/
It was a busy place, much to the pub owner's delight.
/Gulp!/
"Haaa!… Have you heard? The little boy has finally left his room." One of the rough men said, someone with a scar on his neck
"Eddy did? I thought he was going to stay inside that room forever since his da died... at least another week for him to calm down... Didn't that old gloves bet that he would stay there for a few more days?" Another one replied, disinterested
He then continued, "I thought he was too scared and paranoid of the people that were eyeing the fortune ol' Jum left behind, I guess I went too bad on the boy, anyone would be distressed upon the sudden death of a close one, much less the blood that raised em."
"I agree." Another added amidst a few chugging sessions of their ale
"He did alright leading us here after all, not that it was hard, but you get what I mean, right?"
The others also nodded.
"Don't you think this is a good time?" The man with the scar asked as his eyes sharpened
"Time for what?... You've drunk too much, stop talking." The first one said as he shook his head
"Aren't you curious though? It's the entire wealth of this caravan, in the hands of a little boy that can barely defend himself…"
"It's not just us that are interested in him." He whispered in a low tone
"Stop it Luric, lets get this over it and receive our pay, no need to make things complicated." His colleague replied as he shook his head
"Heh, this is where you are wrong." Luric continued as he whispered, "Think, someone is going to act, be "him" from the caravan or not."
"And if they do act, then who will pay us? Don't tell me you're going to convince 'him' to do it?" He asked the other four
""...""
They stayed there, pensive.
"Such things aren't uncommon, and while I don't expect it to happen here, it may as well happen outside when we hit the road… after all, I doubt anyone would act inside a Hold with all the Imperials around."
"People are still on edge from the war after all, any movement and I bet half of the Hold will be on them in no time… but outside? That's no-man's-land… Half of Skyrim was already cast in shadows after that disaster, and we haven't recovered since… everywhere you go, its old bastions taken over by bandits ever since the Empire fell from grace."
"Mind your words. You're not talking about just any Empire. I don't want to be dragged to the block with you so keep that out of your mouth."
"Alright alright… but you got my deal, don't you?" He asked as his eyes darted around, "I don't know you all, but I certainly don't want to risk my neck like that…"
But one of the five, one of the two that remained silent so far, retorted, "Are you afraid, Luric? To the point you'd up resorting to such cowardly acts?"
"What?" Luric asked with a frown
"We are paid to fight, 50% in advance, 50% once things are over. That was the deal we made… And so we do, that's what we are; we are sellswords. In Skyrim, there's honor to that… which you seem to have forgotten."
"It's not like this is the first time we've fended off bandits; the injury on your neck should still sting, doesn't it? That is why you fear… We've been doing it for years. If our foes are bandits or traitors, they'll all meet our blades."
"But we could be overwhelmed! Not everyone shares this sentiment. How can you continue knowing you're walking to certain death?"
"The face off your death with some pride. We fight to the end, and in Sovngarde we will fight eternally. Have you forgotten what you are?… Or is it your blood talking again?"
"This has nothing to do with heredity! I've been fighting all my life ever since I was ten!"
"Then stop being so skittish like a petty thief. Even a Mudcrab has more courage than you." He said as he took a big sip of his ale, "Our contract is soon to end anyway. Once we reach the next Hold, I'll be off."
"This caravan has no future with a wimp like him… but that will never justify me taking the life of a young lad for profit. A true Nord sticks to his promises, especially to those that passed away." He said as he crossed his arms
He then looked at Luric's silence and said with a taunting smile, "If you're that scared, why don't you back off? You can take your money and go back home to see your old mother. Perhaps she'll cuddle with you and soothe your scaredy heart… Imperial."
/Laughs!/
The other men beside him laughed, it seemed this talk was over.
"Tsk, you four simply have no ambition." Luric said as he got off the table
"Oi…" One of them said deeply
"What is it?"
"Pay up, don't think you can just leave the tab to us like last time."
"Shit, I forgot." Luric said as he turned around after dropping a few coins on the table
'Bunch of brute Nords, they live to fight yet are considering this?'
'Cowardly? Honor? Humph, living is what matters.'
'Riches enough for me to live a good life, gold that is useless in a brat's hands. With such gold, I could make my own caravan, one just as good as this one…'
'And on the way… why not figure out Jum's secret? He was always very secretive, and it was clear foul sorcery was involved… I've seen enough back in the capital to understand how this kind of thing works.'
'Even if it's cursed, no one will care if I learn it… Back then, no one ever complained. Some tried to investigate others, but nothing came of their attempts... Be it sorcery or anything, it made Jum rich, and I'm going to be the next one.'
'With the Empire weakened, so are its laws. Rules be damned if I can make it rain gold. Once that is in my hands, nothing will matter as it has always been.'
'Wait for me… Eddy.'
…
/Around five hours later…/
{Created a potion of Waterbreathing}
{Discovered effects…}
{Potion of Waterbreathing has been added to your inventory}
{Alchemy 28 -> 29}
{Uh... HA!}
{Level Up}
"Phew…" Philip said as he shook his head
'I've spent all of my Garlic, guess this is it. The most expensive potion I had made so far and the one that helped me level up so fast… Well… I imagine it is the most expensive one.'
'The System does not give an estimate of an item's value but I can tell it does take into consideration the value of the materials used during alchemical transmutation. I've checked this more than once with multiple potions by using different combinations of materials to achieve the same goal.'
'Some potions leveled me up faster then others even when taken into account the increase in difficulty between each level. So that's that.'
"For this recipe, I remembered it because I brewed one without knowing…"
'Salmon Roe, Nordic Barnacle, and… a single Garlic for some reason for a potion of Waterbreathing.'
"I must say though, it wasn't without some hiccups…"
'Once, I tried to mix several materials at once to unlock as many effects as possible, and a small fire burst out from the table, almost destroying some items… I doused it pretty easily, but I need to be careful as to not break these tools…'
He shook his shoulders, 'My arms are also hurting a little, so I think it's fine for me to end it here for now since I have already leveled up twice and I used most of the empty bottles lying around.'
After thinking a little, Philip left his room with several potion bottles in his hands.
"Cough! Kid! Just what have you done there?!" The old man complained as the smoke trapped in the room spread in the shop
'It smells... What are these burning and fetid smells?!'
"Nothing much, here, check it out." Philip said with a small smile as he placed a few potions of Waterbreathing on top of the counter
"He, kid, don't play with me, you want to sell those to me?" He asked as he inspected the bottles
"Well, yes?"
"Tche, you sure have some courage, borrowing my workplace, using my flasks, using my ingredients, and now you're trying to sell me a potion?" The old man said as he raised an eyebrow
"What? I paid to use your workplace, more than enough to cover the price of the bottles, and I bought all the ingredients at market price, so your argument doesn't make any sense." Philip retorted as he looked away awkwardly
"It was a joke, you're so inflexible… and shameless…"
He moved the bottle around, even shaking it.
"Can I test it? I will not die, right?"
"No you wont, unless you have some allergies, I didn't use anything over the top here. You know best what you gave me."
"Yes, and I also know several combinations which would leave me stuck to a bucket in the woods for a few days. Your point?"
Philip rolled his eyes, "Old man, this is a Waterbreathing potion."
"Wh..? Waterbreathing? Are you sure this is a Waterbreathing potion?" The old man asked in surprise
"Not only one but multiple?"
'I've never brewed such a potion before. Far too complicated, and I don't have the recipe. I've heard about one being sold once long ago somewhere in the capital through my father. Never thought I'd meet one like this…'
'And this kid is daring enough to tell me its one? Not just one but so many?'
"Instead of asking, there's only one way to find out. I can even call some guards for you if that makes you feel better." Philip replied calmly with a shrugg and a yawn
"No… That will not be necessary… but wait here." He said as he turned around
"What are you looking for?" Philip asked as he saw the old man crouch behind the counter
"My strongest antidote… and maybe some other things too…"
"..."
'This old fart...'
…
.
.
.
Notes
A simple chapter, one I like to call "transition" chapter.
Next few chapters Philip will be doing some things in the world. And as I planned, I'll be expanding what he does exactly.
What do you think he should do given his time period?
And what do you think happened to Falpurgiana of all people?
I was also thinking of maybe spending a day or two to write a novel idea I had in my head... they pop up every once in a while so I just go and write them until I lose interest. This time I was thinking about maybe writing something about Frieren perhaps?
Maybe something about a man that takes over a demon's body, so he'd be the only demon with non-demonic tendencies but you know... everyone hates demons so he's kind of fucked.
It would be interesting to see how a human from earth would fare in the world of Frieren as well since personality, consciousness, and the like tend to influence the outcome of one's magical proficiency. So I wonder how a computer engineer would fare.
Would he make something like a perceptual magic that calculates and simulates the world like an artificial intelligence? Or something else? I had some ideas for many beginnings.
Not my priority though. I was thinking about writing a bit more on some of my older ideas too... well... enough of that, I'll be taking my leave here.
Goodbye.