The Way Ahead

Chapter 45: With a Nice Little Bow

Edwin had to admit that he was somewhat worried about what to do when they needed to stop for the night. He remembered that it would take about a day of walking to get from the Ruined Tower to the nearest town, but he also knew that was going at more or less full speed, traveling lightly and with just him and Lefi, both incentivized to walk at a decent pace. While his prisoners may have been fairly cooperative all things considered, he couldnt exactly imagine them being excited about being led to their execution.

Between that and their chains binding them together, Edwin figured that it would take them some two to three days of dedicated travel before hed be able to pass them along to the local authority figure and carry on his way, probably looking for more talsanenris berries. It did leave him in a bit of a conundrum, though, which was how he was supposed to ensure that they didnt stab him or escape in the night. Maybe hed be able to attach their chains to something? Hed need to keep an eye out for potential candidates.

The sooner he could be done with this whole mess, the better. He most certainly was looking forward to not needing to tune out Nialls endless complaints about how hed destroyed years of research by burning down the tower.

Edwin could sympathize, he really could. Losing massive amounts of research because of a misplaced notebook, or a computer issue? He could relate. Heck, had they been about anything else, Edwin would have probably stuffed all the notes into his pack alongside the Grimoire. But when paging through the notebooks, Edwin didnt see anything that was actually that useful to a normal, non-murderous researcher.

Sure, hed kept the final sheets, and some of the more critical workings, but everything, every formula, every potion, had all been mere trial and error for each specific recipe. Niall hadnt done anything except perfect the sorts of potions which Edwin wanted no part in spreading to the wider world.

It would have been one thing if, through his experiments, the crazed alchemist had discovered some underlying aspect of magical healing, which could be repurposed into creating potions which didnt require a steady stream of corpses to use. And while a potion which required endless fresh bodies might be useful to an institutional power like the Empire, if they could use condemned criminals- Edwin glanced back at his line of prisoners- as ingredients, he didnt trust them enough. After all, since when had literally any Empire been on the moral high ground? Nah, if he gave it to the Empire, it wouldnt turn out well. Where was he? Oh, right. Useful research.

What Niall had done was spend an ungodly amount of corpses perfecting the specific methodology needed for a single skin-regeneration, or bone-healing, or blindness-curing potion, each one at a time. And sure, he seemed to have pretty effective potions made that way, but Edwin couldnt apply that knowledge anywhere else.

It seemed like, not that he was surprised, Joriah hadnt undergone the Scientific Revolution yet. Pure trial and error on a specific task was what alchemists did, not scientists, which just made his heart ache. They were obsessed with results, rather than methods, so it never occurred to ask why something was the way it was, just how they could make something work. They might have a thousand different formulas to cure specific ailments, but there was no unifying theory explaining why the formulas worked, or why each of them worked differently.

Accordingly, they couldnt predict results with any more accuracy than mere guesswork. Unless they had tried it and marked down the results, they had no clue what switching out fireseed for sparkweed might do to a concoction, because they didnt investigate the underlying structure involving each ingredient.

Well, he supposed, he would just have to fix that. All of that combined to the vast majority of Nialls notes not being that useful, all told. Not when page upon page was just about how many grains of muscle tissue produced the most effective results in an enhancement potion. The final result? Hed kept that, shoving the page inside the matching Grimoire one. That was another thing, too! From what Edwin could tell, Niall hadnt done any original research, just did the legwork for a handful of formulae in the Grimoire to include the sorts of measurements and timings which should have been a part of the original book.

He nearly told Niall, many times, just how useless all of his work had been, and that was why he had burned it all, but decided each time that he was better off just staying silent. It wouldnt change anything, and Edwin just couldnt quite bring himself to face the man.

Far behind them, plumes of smoke billowed from the tower like it were a smokestack. Given how generally flat the terrain was around here, it was bound to be visible for miles. Thus, while he was surprised at how quickly he saw them, it wasnt all that surprising when, mid-afternoon, Edwin spotted a convoy of guards heading in that direction.

Even with his enhanced vision, Edwins first vision of the newcomers was that of mere blurry silhouettes cresting over a distant hill, cutting a direct path to the tower. It took a few seconds of their race onward before those silhouettes resolved into a trio of mounted individuals. Shortly thereafter, presumably upon noticing Edwin and his followers, they swiftly banked, charging directly at Edwins little band at a near gallop until they came to a nigh-instantaneous halt mere feet from Edwins little group.

Halt in the name of the Liras Empire, and Magistrate Toklkoricthail! The first of the three armored individuals cried, unnecessarily, as Edwin and the others had already stopped, waiting for the cavalry to arrive. Running from someone on horseback seemed somewhat pointless, after all. Now that they were close enough, though, Edwin took the chance to Identify them.

Senior Lieutenant

Experienced Guardsman

Adult Satallan Horse

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Wait, no. Aim a bit up.

Veteran Guardsman

State your name and purpose, outlaw! Oh right, he should be paying more attention to the Avior lieutenant. Interestingly, the others were human. What was up with that?

Edwin stumbled over his words, Oh-ah. He straightened his back to appear more official, Adventurer Edwin, sir. I encountered a group of bandits kidnapping and murdering passers-by. I took it upon myself to ensure they werent able to continue. Im currently taking them to town to face justice.

The lieutenant peered down from atop his steed, presenting a very intimidating figure as he loomed over them all, Present me with material evidence establishing your claims! Produce your license forthwith.

Oh, right! Edwin fumbled around, trying to dig out the tiny stone medallion. By the time he had found it in one of his belt pouches, he looked up to see the end of some exchange between the guard and Niall, who looked as though he had just bit into an especially sour lemon. He wanted to ask what he had missed, but figured he probably shouldnt trouble the man holding a giant spear on a steed which could probably crush Edwin without a second thought, Here you are! he lifted the trinket, and after a moment, the lieutenant nodded faintly.

So be it. He sounded annoyed, somehow? Figured, I, Captain Laiare, do accept your story, ou-Adventurer Edwin.

Wait, just like that? Also, shoot, was he about to say Outsider? He wanted that to be a secret! Did Tara tell someone? Oh, wait, he probably cut off saying outlaw, didnt he? That would make more sense, if he was mandated to be at least somewhat courteous to Adventurers.

You have presented the requisite claims and produced your license when requested. Those whom you have apprehended are responsible for many crimes-

Huh, how could they tell? He sounded absolutely certain.

-and with the lack of protections, they are henceforth taken into custody to be judged for banditry, rejection of Citizen status- Niall made a choked noise, which seemed fair enough if what he had said about his childhood was true. There had been no rejection there, just being cast out for his differences, Murder, and assault. Do you wish to return to Valenasis to present your testimony as evidence?

Edwin blinked blankly, Wish? Do I not need to?

Not if you desire otherwise. There seems to be adequate evidence to convict these criminals in absence of your presence. I merely must confirm what the accused said, did you set the fire over yonder? he raised a wing, indicating the plume of smoke that was once the Tower.

Edwin nodded, I couldnt stand to allow a place with such a foul history to remain standing. Also, it wasnt about to be used for any beneficial purpose, so I burned it, along with all of his, he jerked his head back to indicate Niall, notes. Hes been complaining about it ever since.

Laiare scoffed, which sounded rather odd coming from a beak, As do all those who betray their land for personal power when they find such things are worthless in the face of cooperation. He motioned to his men, who dismounted and moved to apprehend the bandits.

Upon seeing the manacles, one of them- the Veteran- turned to Edwin, Key? he asked in a low, gravely voice.

Right, right. Edwin fumbled for a moment before finding it and handing it to the man, who accepted it with a nod.

They unlocked the manacles and just nonchalantly picked up each of the bandits, one by one, ignoring Minfours cries of protest as his burns and broken arm were roughly manhandled with no regard for his comfort. Edwin couldnt help but wince slightly at the treatment in sympathy, though he also didnt let himself feel too bad for the serial killer bandits.

It was interesting, watching the guardsmen at work. Their Classes had clearly been designed with this sort of interaction in mind, and the ease at which they took the bandits, fastening them to the flanks of their horses like they were just slightly heavy sacks, completely ignoring what little struggling they put up, and binding them in silver cords which Edwin couldnt quite tell where they had been produced from. It didnt seem to be a pure Skill construct, though Edwin couldnt exactly articulate why he thought that. Something to do with how his Almanac tags interacted with them, most likely.

So whats going to happen to them? Edwin asked the avior as the bandits bindings were finished up- he intentionally avoided looking at Niall, not sure what he would see there, and not keen on finding out, either.

Laiare barely hesitated, They shall most likely find themselves facing the noose come the morrow. Such is the penalty for banditry in this shire. Polyglot could choose some strange words, it seemed. Never often, just enough to remind him that people didnt actually speak English.

Good, Edwin agreed after a moment of consideration, trying somewhat to convince himself as much as actually respond. He couldnt help but feel a bit guilty, no matter how much he told himself he shouldnt. It was all going so smoothly. He had expected more wrangling with the locals, trying to convince them of his story, getting them to actually carry out justice, and yet it was all so simple. Well, sometimes life just... went well. No looking in the mouths of gift horses and all. Honestly, being this close to a horse, he had to admit he wasnt particularly keen on looking any horse in the mouth, but the sentiment stayed.

Then, they were gone. It was all so sudden, less than ten minutes from them showing up to riding off, and Edwin found himself completely alone once more. It was a sudden change, and Edwin took a few minutes to adjust to his newfound freedom, seeing how it all just... wrapped up so suddenly and so cleanly. A tiny part of him whispered that he was bound to meet them in the future, but he squished that whisper. That wasn't how real life worked.

Edwin took a deep breath, watched the trio thunder down the road, tossing up massive clouds of dust in their wake, and set off. He had a whole world ahead of him, after all. It was time to get started seeing it all.

Name

Edwin Maxlin

Age

22 years

Race

Extraplanar Human

Class

Hedge Alchemist

Attributes

Mana 5

Skills

Magical

Basic Mana Sense: 32, Mana Infusion: 63 (Basic Mana Manipulation 9)

Physical

Athletics: 33, Breathing: 26, Flexibility: 25, Nutrition: 23, Packing 20, Seeing: 27, Sleeping: 27, Survival: 19, Walking: 39

Mental

Polyglot: 34 (Language 36), Mathematics: 39, Memory: 28 (Research 50), Visualization: 42

Combat

Bomb Throwing: 9 (Throwing Weapons 48)

Utility

Firestarting: 41, Alchemy: 46 (Improvisation 14), Outsider's Almanac: 78 (Status 22), Identify: 40, First Aid: 28

Paths

Skill Points: 420

Progress to Tier 2: 640/1590

Current Plan:

Adventurer 0/30, Warrior 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Scout 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Wanderer 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Scientist 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Blackstone Conqueror 0/60, Mage 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, World Traveler 0/60, Physical Arcanist 0/60, Field Medic 0/60, Unkillable 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90

Save for Tier 2

Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Alchemical Warrior 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Alchemical Medic 0/60, Titan Slayer 0/90, Explorer 0/60, Giant Slayer 0/60, Superior Alchemist 0/60

Maybe

Novice 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Trapper 0/60, System Scholar 0/60, Survivor 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Escapee 0/30, Lecturer 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Rebel 0/30, Arsonist 0/60

Probably Not

Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Pyromaniac 0/30, Exile 0/30, Master of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60

No

Slave 0/12, Assassin 0/60, Killer 0/30, Traitor 0/60, Burglar 0/60

Completed Paths

CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner