Chapter 59: Sovereign Alchemist
The common room of The Dusty Cartographer had grown louder as the evening wore on. Travelers swapped stories over mugs of ale. A musician in the corner tuned a guitar with more enthusiasm than skill.
Damon sat with his back to the wall, holding a cup of something warm. Lena sat across from him, her notebook open as she transcribed the day’s notes into something more legible. Rook had retired early, citing the need to check in with her contacts.
Sera hadn’t stopped staring at him since he’d mentioned her meeting with the Stormchasers.
"You’re really not going to tell me how you knew," she said for the third time.
"Trade secret."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s the only one you’re getting."
She crossed her arms and slouched in her chair, the picture of wounded pride. But the corner of her mouth kept twitching upward.
"Fine. Keep your secrets."
She reached for her own drink.
"But for the record, I didn’t turn them down just for you. The contract terms were ridiculous. Five-year commitment, mandatory relocation, and a non-compete clause that would’ve kept me from partying with anyone outside the guild."
"Sounds like they wanted to own you," Lena said without looking up from her notes.
"Basically. The pay was good, but not ’sign away my freedom’ good." Sera took a long sip.
"Besides, I’ve got a good thing going here."
She flexed her fingers, letting a few arcs of golden lightning dance across her knuckles.
"Why would I give that up?"
Damon raised his cup. "To good things, I guess."
Sera clinked her mug against his. "To good things!"
Lena looked up at last, a small smile tugging at her mouth. "You two are ridiculous."
"You’re just jealous you don’t have lightning hands," Sera said.
"I have something better." Lena tapped her notebook. "I have a complete ingredient list for three different D-Rank stamina potions, and I know exactly where to buy the materials at a third of what they cost at the academy."
"That’s..." Sera paused. "Actually impressive, I’m betting you could be a millionaire in the future."
"Thank you."
Damon leaned back, letting their banter wash over him. The fire crackled. The bard finally found the right key. Outside the window, Thornhaven’s lanterns glittered against the darkening sky.
It felt almost peaceful.
A notification pulsed at the edge of his vision.
[DOMINION — PASSIVE INCOME]
[LENA HARTWELL — ALCHEMICAL RESEARCH: +5 TRIBUTE]
[TRIBUTE: 1,708]
Five tribute.
Just from sitting here while his subordinates did what they were good at. The Dominion passive was going to change everything.
"So," Sera said, setting down her mug. "What’s the plan for tomorrow?"
Damon considered the question. They’d come to Thornhaven for supplies, information, and experience. They’d already found two out of three.
"Lena, you wanted to look into renting workspace at the Verdant Circle. Are you still interested after today’s... incident?"
Lena’s expression flickered.
"The guild members seemed reasonable. And Leif isn’t the entire guild. I’m not going to let one awful person scare me away from the best alchemical facilities I’ve ever seen."
"Then that’s on the list. Sera, what about you? The Stormchasers didn’t work out, but there might be other options."
"Actually, I was thinking I’d check out the Forgewardens. My staff is still the backup I grabbed after the dire wolf incident. If I’m going to keep up with you, I need better gear."
"Good." Damon drained the last of his drink. "As for me, I’ll just look around for more farming spots, and probably buy some gear at the Forgewardens as well."
Sera stretched her arms overhead.
"Then we’ve got a plan! Lena hits the Verdant Circle. I hit the Forgewardens with the boss. And we meet back here tomorrow before lunch."
"One thing first." Damon pulled up his system screen. "I’ve got enough tribute for an upgrade. Might as well use it before we split up."
He navigated to the Hybridization tree.
[HYBRIDIZATION UPGRADE AVAILABLE]
[COST: 1,500 TRIBUTE]
[EFFECT: THE SOVEREIGN MAY HYBRIDIZE WITH TWO SUBORDINATES SIMULTANEOUSLY.]
[PURCHASE?]
He confirmed.
[PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL]
[TRIBUTE: 1,708 → 208]
[HYBRIDIZATION SLOT UNLOCKED]
[CHOOSE SECOND SUBORDINATE TO HYBRIDIZE]
[AVAILABLE SUBORDINATES:]
[LENA HARTWELL — ALCHEMIST]
The screen pulsed, waiting.
Damon turned to Lena. "I’ve got something to ask you."
She looked up from her notebook. "That sounds ominous."
"It’s not ominous. It’s an offer."
He angled the screen so she could see, making sure his voice was in a whisper only she could hear.
"Hybridization. It’s what made Sera and me far stronger than other people. If you accept, you’d hybridize with my class. You’d get stronger. And you’d get access to some of my abilities."
Lena stared at the screen. Her pen slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the table.
"You want to... fuse classes with me?"
"Only if you want to. It’s not permanent, I can change it every month. But it would make you safer. Especially if you’re going to be working in Thornhaven while we’re out fighting."
"I’m not a fighter, Damon. Save it for someone stronger."
"I know. But you’re the reason I have this class in the first place. You’ve been supporting me since the beginning. This is..."
He searched for the right word.
"This is me returning the favor."
Sera leaned forward. "Speaking from experience, it’s worth it. The stat sharing alone is incredible."
Lena was quiet for a long moment.
"If I do this," she said slowly, "will I still be me? Still an alchemist?"
"You’d be an alchemist with my abilities. Your core class doesn’t change. You just get... more."
She looked at him, those sharp eyes that had watched him grow from a desperate student into something else entirely.
"Then fine, do it. But under one condition."
"You’re seriously making a condition?"
"It benefits all three of us. Trust me."
"I’m listening."
"Let me join the hunting. Once we’re done with lunch tomorrow, I want to come with you. If what Sera said about the hybridization is true, I’d rather fight alongside you than stay stuck in a lab."
Sera’s eyebrows shot up. "Lena Hartwell, volunteering for combat?"
"I’ve been watching from the sidelines for a month. If this hybrid makes me stronger, I want to use it."
Damon studied her. The same woman who’d hidden behind a blast door during the Banshee breach now wanted to push past her limits.
"Deal."
Lena blinked. "Just like that?"
"You wouldn’t ask if you weren’t ready." He picked up his cup. "Besides, with the hybrid boost, it’d be a waste to keep you in the lab forever."
Damon selected her name.
[HYBRIDIZATION ACTIVE]
[TARGET: LENA HARTWELL]
[SOVEREIGN — ALCHEMIST]
[CLASS FUSION COMPLETE]
[SOVEREIGN ALCHEMIST — LENA HARTWELL]
[EFFECT: ALL CRAFTED POTIONS GAIN +50% POTENCY. POTION EFFICIENCY INCREASED FROM 30% TO 50%. ACCESS TO SOVEREIGN’S STRIKE.]
[SOVEREIGN — DAMON PERSIVAL]
[EFFECT: DUAL HYBRIDIZATION ACTIVE. STORM SOVEREIGN + SOVEREIGN ALCHEMIST. ALL POTION EFFECTS INCREASED BY 50%. ALL LIGHTNING DAMAGE INCREASED BY 50%.]
"As for your gear, don’t worry, I’ll handle it. Just tell me what you prefer, a sword, spear, axe, or whatever."
Damon said.
