Solar Mage

Chapter 63: The Keeper's Concoction

"HUFFFF— HUFFFF—"

ALRIGHT, I'M ALMOST THERE! I CAN SEE THE SUNLIGHT COMING THROUGH THE GLASS CEILINGS OF THE TOP FLOOR!

Noticing, and using the majority of my remaining energy for thinking, I calculate the distance and angle between my next step and the door.

It's a perfect distance. I can make it!

As I bring my right foot down, seemingly taking my next step up the long stairway, I push all my mana, and concentrate it all onto my right leg, propelling myself off the step and speeding through the air, to the door at the top of the stairs.

Continuing to use my energy for thoughts and Heightened Senses, I am able to think at my usual pace. Examining the height of the stairs, I suddenly notice a fault.

Each stair is a bit higher than I expected, my leg will hit one of the stairs and make me faceplant into the floor at this rate. Were my calculations off? No, that's impossible, not with my normal calculations. I need to contract my legs, my knees up to my chest. But, I can't do that right now, not going at this speed, or in this condition. I need to try something else, I need to somehow use Swift Wind, but it won't be able to fully stop me at the speed I am going.

In my flaming flight up the stairs, fire from the high concentration of Body Enhancement mana still lingering, a curved shield made of green particles appears, only covering my legs, as I start to quickly slow down. At the same time as my launch starts to slow, my body starts to rotate downward, my legs going back and up, while my head rotating down and forward.

All according to plan, now I just need to control my arms and react fast enough, so that I don't accidentally faceplant into the floor.

My body eventually rotates 180 degrees, my head now faced at the stairs behind me, while I see the stairs passing me get closer and closer as my ascent up the stairs lose speed, and gravity starts to pull me down, my beautiful brown hair being brushed by the... somehow clean stairs, kept in good condition.

Ew– wait, how are all of these stairs clean? Not even the Grand Temple of Pyro had stairs as clean as this– stop thinking useless thoughts Arthur, you could get brain damage from this if you hit your head on these stairs!

I return back to focus, my eyes closed as I concentrate fully on how the stairs hit each of my hairs, and how far the symmetrical stairs got into my relatively long hair.

Not yet... not yet... Now!

Just before the next step that would have struck my head, I instantly open my eyes, and find the location of the step. I send the signal of action that travels from my brain, through all the nerves between, until it reaches both my arms, and they react. No longer flailing with the direction of the body, I take control of them and transfer all my mana into them, and push off the stairs, continuing my launch to the top of the stairs, and landing perfectly on my feet at the top.

Perfectly done.

I think to myself, while taking a short, second long break, pretending to fix up my suit, even though all I did was straighten my rags, before rushing through the door and taking out the Sagey.

Wait, didn't the shadow, I mean, oracle guy, say something about the Sage System? Ah, whatever, no time to think useless thoughts.

"I'm here!"

I shout, while I hold Sagey in front of me, who just turns on, it's empty, dark circle, lighting up blue.

I continue running, while scouring the room full of physicians in formerly white clothes, now drenched in an extremely dark red blood, for the man that knew my secrets.

At the far right side of Dustin, one of the shadows in black clothes stood at a desk, holding a Phoenix feather in a small vial of boiling water.

There he is! Looks like he already finished everything up, mixing the Phoenix Feather and Holy Water together. Damn, looks like I am the weak link right now, just hold on for a little longer Dustin!

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I change my direction, and sprint toward the shadow, while letting go of Sagey, and letting it fly next to me.

"TELL ME QUICKLY, HOW DO I MAKE THE ANTIDOTE– TREATMENT OR WHATEVER?!?!"

I shout out all at once, without breathing the entire time, my breathing getting louder and sounding more sickly after.

The Sage System immediately analyzes my instruction and responds, a screen quickly pops up next to me from Sagey's projection, though I cannot be bothered to read it at the moment, having total concentration on my breathing, and just staying conscious, until I arrive at the desk.

"Alright I'm here– HUFFFF—"

Arriving there, I take a short break, placing my hands on my knees to keep myself up and breathing heavily to catch my breath.

"Now it has been a long time since I made that recipe, so just in case, make sure you read those instructions carefully. Don't worry though, I completely remember how to prepare it, so give me the Red Dragon Feather."

Still catching my breath, I continue to breathe heavily, keeping one hand on my knee to support myself, while using the other, outstretching it to Sagey.

"Huff– give me the Red– Dragon Feather."

The Sage System says something, but I am not able to fully hear it, the noise coming from the loud work of the Physicians also quieting down, now being replaced by a loud, sharp ringing.

Damn that sound is loud, am I losing my hearing right now? Did Sagey say something important? Probably not, it probably just said command confirmed or something useless like that...

The Red Dragon Flower appears from blue light in my hands, before I immediately lift myself up, and hand it to the Keeper.

Looks like my vision still kind of works though... damn, I can't keep this up, I might be able to last until the treatment is finished being made, but I won't have enough mana or energy to burn the parasite out of him afterward!

When I lift up my eyes, hearing a sound other than the loud ringing, I see the shadow shouting at me with a not so calm face, his mouth opening wide each time he speaks.

Damn, I can't hear a single thing he's saying, it's starting to get a little blurry too. Did someone use fog magic in here or something?

My eyes slowly begin to close, but they immediately open once again, after something enters my mouth, going down my throat, as I start coughing uncontrollably, now able to hear the loud screaming of the Physicians, from behind, and the perplexed face of the shadow in front of me.

Damn it, did he feed me another one of those energy pills? This is going to hurt like a bitch when the effects go away, but let's just finish the job for now!

"CAN YOU HEAR ME, ARTHUR?"

The shadow screams loudly from my front, surprising me as I focused on the disgusting taste on my tongue.

Ouch, my eardrums.

"Yes!"

I scream out, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible.

"READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!!"

Right– I forgot about that!

Both me and Sagey start moving to each other's line of sight, meeting in the center of us both, the screen it projects, longer than it has ever been.

"FIRST PLACE THE PHOENIX FEATHER INTO THE HOLY WATER, DO NOT HEAT IT UP WITH FIRE, THE PHOENIX FEATHER ITSELF IS HOT ENOUGH TO DO THE JOB–"

Yeah yeah, the shadow has already prepared all of that for me, tell me something that I don't know, after the preparation is complete!

I scroll down, scanning through all the words regardless of the fact that it had been prepared.

Looks like my brain is working well again, even if it's temporary, this pill's effectiveness is unmatched! That is, unless its drawbacks are terrible... Let's see, after the Holy Water boils from the Phoenix Feather's heat, rip off the petals of the Red Dragon Flower?

I slightly glance over at the shadow, who looks at me impatiently, and down at his concoction.

Yep, he's done that already, removing only the petals, still leaving the stem and the anther untouched, those are important, because that's how we'll make more Red Dragon Flowers. But, how does he know this?

I look up at him for a second, with a curious and confused face, before quickly turning back to the Sage System instruction screen, making a face as serious as his.

Now's not the time, Arthur! Focus!

I continue scanning through the instructions until I reach the step after the preparation steps come to an end, and give me steps about things I hadn't seen the shadow do yet.

Alright, this is it! Step 7: mix the concoction until the Holy Water turns red, and the petals have dissolved. Got it!

"It says to mix it until the petals dissolve and turn the water red!"

"Alright!"

He responds quickly, reaching into his cloak to grab something.

Wait, isn't this concoction heated by a phoenix feather that could bring the highest level of Holy Water to boil in just a few seconds? What is there in this place that could withstand such a heat without melting and ruining the concoction? I don't think Black Iron would even be able to last long enough before melting. That's right! I have a sword made of Divinum! Surely that would be tough enough to withstand the heat of the Phoenix Feather without melting!

I open my mouth to instruct Sagey to give me Dustin's sword, but no voice comes out, before I close it, my face filled with dread.

No! The sword is too big to fit inside the small vial! Only the tip would be able to fit through that tiny opening! Plus, it's covered in dirt and monster blood! I need to find something else to use!

I stop worrying once I see the shadow take out his hand from his cloak, and in it, he holds a small, thin white rod about a fifth, the width of a Manapen.

What... is that? You can't just mix it with any rod made of just any material, it needs to be made of Divinum—

Once the rod touches the concoction, my body instinctively reacts, moving my hand to cover my eyes to protect it from the rod that now glows in a bright white light.

That rod is made of Divinum?!?! How is that possible? Who would waste such a precious material for something as petty as that?!?!?!

The shadow mixes the concoction well, but noticing the way I look at him, he frowns.

"What? It served a purpose didn't it? Now tell me the next step."

Uh, let's see:

I read out the steps from Sagey's projection to him, without giving myself the chance to process the information first.

"Step 8, Throw the anthers of the Red Dragon Flower into the concoction and wait for the Phoenix Feather and the anther to react, both dissolving into the mixture."

When I look up from the screen, and back at the shadow, I see him already finished, and waiting for the next step.

Damn he's fast, seriously, how the hell does he know all this?

I spin my head back, afraid of his anger and continue reading.

Oh, there's only two more steps left!

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!"

I hear a scream, sounding like Dustin's voice, come from behind, where all the Physicians shuffle around, their footsteps frightening me.

I immediately turn around and see Dustin outstretching his arms stiffly, as if he was possessed, while almost all of the Physicians try to keep him down, the other four shadows joining in to help, only barely able to hold him even with all their combined strength.

No, Dustin!

An angry voice from behind draws me back to finish the job, stressing me out immensely under the terrible and suffocating pressure.

"ARTHUR, DON'T GET DISTRACTED!!"

"Uuuh– Right! Step 9..."

I struggle, stressed and unable to focus while trying to find where I left off.

"FASTER!!!"

Damn it, I'm trying!

I continue to scour the screen, until my eyes light up.

There it is!

"Cut the Red Dragon Flower Stem and only throw in the inner stem to the concoction!"

The shadow quickly unsheathes his sword, and throws the stem up into the air, before perfectly peeling it and throwing in the inner stem.

Don't get distracted.

"Next–"

"Forget it, we need to go now!"

I try to speak, but the shadow interrupts me and grabs the vial by the hand and disappears, seemingly teleporting, and appearing beside Dustin. With only one free hand, he pushes all the physicians away, leaving just the shadows as he pours the vial in his mouth.

What? But I haven't read the last step yet!

I quickly look back from Dustin to the Sage System's last step.

"Step 10, pour the concoction into one of the patient's openings, or let the patient inhale the gaseous concoction through the nose, then wait for the parasite to crawl out, and kill it before it gets to anyone else."

What?!?! How did he know all of this? Even if I did tell him the steps, he already performed every step up until step 7, and even the steps after that, he already finished doing the step before I finished saying it! It was more like I was just reigniting a memory that was just forgotten in his head, rather than giving him new information!