System Change

Derek and Braxton watch the dwarven king quietly as they waited for the effects of the brew to kick in. Darius was lucky that Braxton had made him slip into Greater Meditation before he took the drink, because when the poison surged through his system, it did so very quickly. Darius’s eyes widened as everything happened.

“Focus on your meditation,” Braxton guided his brother. The last thing he wanted was to be known as someone who poisoned his brother to death. The same was true for Derek. He’d rather not have rumors of him poisoning a king, who seemed to be at least halfway decent, to death.

After storing the King’s Brew that he’d been given, Derek also stepped closer to the king and took out a couple of his own potions, just in case. When he saw the etchings appear on the king’s arms, Derek went ahead and forced a regeneration potion down the man’s throat. It wasn’t an amazing potion or anything, he just thought that it would be enough to slow the spread and let the man experience the sensations of the brew a little better by giving him a bit more time.

“Good idea,” Braxton said as the etchings slowly, almost imperceptibly to the eyes, retreated bit by bit.

“He wanted to see what was so great about the brew, so we may as well let him,” Derek said. “You definitely have more vitality and willpower than your brother, you know?”

“I do,” Braxton replied. “You weren’t wrong about all the things you mentioned earlier. My time in the Assassin’s Guild has forged me into the perfect…” he side eyed Derek. “A pretty sharp weapon.”

“We should spar sometime,” Derek said. “When’s the last time you were able to go all out?”

“Decades,” Braxton said. “In fact, I don’t even know how strong I am, exactly. There were never any reasons to fight against the strongest like the Dawn Siren or the old earth elf, so I’ve had nobody to compare myself to for quite some time.”

“Well, I’ll be busy for a while, but when I get back, if you would like to see what you’re made of, I’ll be around,” Derek said. He made a mental note that it would be a good idea to exchange contact runes with the man before he left for Earth.

“That sounds like a plan,” Derek said with a chuckle. “I think he’s getting the hang of it.” Derek nodded toward the king and saw that the etchings had practically stopped moving in either way. That meant that the man had gained enough control to keep everything at its current level.

“He has always been a quick learner,” Braxton said. “It’s a shame he had to run a kingdom. He could have been one hell of a fighter—maybe even stronger than me—if he’d had the time and practice.”

“I’m sure there’s plenty of time left for that,” Derek said.

“Maybe,” Braxton shrugged. “There’s a reason that I want to start my real life with Gretchen sooner rather than later. We dwarves may have a long lifespan, but it isn’t even half of that of the elves. Our vitality really helps, but we all eventually die from old age if not from battle or a forging mishap.”

The thought of Brandi walking around without eyebrows quickly flashed through Derek’s mind. I hope she’s more careful in the future, he thought. Then, he asked, “Are deadly forging mishaps common here?”

“Forging mishaps are very common,” Braxton said. “But there are not many that end in the death of the smith. Though, they do happen. That’s why the majority of dwarves that you see will have very high vitality and endurance stats. It is also why you don’t see many mages running around. Sure, we have plenty, but the quantity is nowhere near the amount that other races have. Of course, the reverse is true for the elves and magic.”

“Every race seems to have a sort of natural path that is easier,” Derek said.

“Not really,” Braxton said. “It’s just every dwarf’s dream to become a great blacksmith when they are young. But the Great System does not always allow one to follow their dreams. We have some very, very talented earth mages down here. As for the elves… I’m sure they all want to sit atop one of their great trees and eat fruit all day or something like that.”

“Not a fan of elves?” Derek asked.

“I’ve had some run-ins,” Braxton replied. “Almost every one of them that I’ve killed has been a mage. I don’t actually know whether what I think is true for all. It all comes from my own experience, and I can’t be bothered to actually do any research into it.”

“I can understand that,” Derek said with a laugh. Then, he noticed that the etchings on the king started moving again. “I think he’s done,” he said to Braxton.

“Yeah,” Braxton replied with a nod. “It’s probably for the best. That bliss is far too hard to keep at bay for most people. I’m sure that after a few more rounds, Darius will be able to withstand the brew just fine. But for now, I think it’s best that we end it.”

After saying that, Braxton walked up to the king and fed him the potion he had in his hand. Derek’s eyes went wide as he saw how quickly the etchings retreated on the man. His potions are a lot better than the ones that I have, Derek thought. Though… he is the king’s brother and the strongest member of the Assassin’s Guild. I think he would be considered second-in-charge, only behind Nyx, actually.

“Why did you do that!?” Darius roared once the brew completely left his system.

“Because I have a very busy day ahead of us and I can’t be having the king grinning like a fool in a brewery and dead to the world while I’m off negotiating with some of the greatest smiths in the world, now can I?” Braxton asked. “I can’t just spend my entire day babysitting my baby brother, making sure he doesn’t die.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“But…” Darius licked his lips and look greedily at Derek. “Can you get me some more of that?”

“Probably,” Derek said, and the king’s eyes lit up. “But I think I’ll let Braxi keep control of it. Somebody has to be around to supervise so you and whoever you share it with doesn’t kill themselves.”

“Are the two of you able to drink it without supervision?” Darius asked.

Braxton and Derek looked at each other and laughed.

“I have to urge it on to allow it to affect me any,” Derek said. “The woes of being too strong…”

“And I am more than capable of doing so. In fact, I’m able to keep track of my surrounds as needed and push the effects away at any time. Been doing it for weeks now, already. Best thing about this brew is that it doesn’t matter if you drink a sip or a swig, it will eventually spread to a degree where the bliss kicks in,” Braxton said.

“Really?” Darius licked his lips again. “And with just a small amount…” he muttered. “I must meet this brew master.

Again, Derek and Braxton looked at each other and cracked up.

“That giant of a man is currently under myself and the Assassin Guild’s protection, and I will not allow the identity of the man to spread,” Braxton said. “He is too important for any of that.”

“Please?” Darius asked.

“My brother… the King of Vallum… asking so kindly of something from his big brother?” Braxton looked taken aback, then snorted. “Nope… no chance in hell. Go get your own brewmaster.”

The king then looked at Derek with pleading eyes.

“It’s not up to me,” Derek said with a shrug. “That mountain of a man is under Braxton’s protection now, so I’m not going to go against that. You’ll have to make do with what little I’m able to get Braxton. And remember to be kind to your brother because he’s the one who will control the flow of the brew.”

“You must marry Gretchen at once!” the king declared. “I need not meet the woman. Any woman who can make my brother as happy as you is surely good enough. Yes! We shall have a wedding next month! No! Next week!”

“Woah, woah, woah, brother,” Braxton put his hands out to calm the king down. “I told you. I have a lot of things to take care of before any of that happens. We will marry on our own terms.”

“Very well,” Darius said. “But please let me know when you are ready and we will throw you a wedding for the ages. No expense shall be spared.”

“Whatever you say,” Braxton said with a chuckle.

Derek had a hard time believing that just a little bit of Roman’s Wyvern Brew was enough to have the king completely do a 180 and change his mind about Braxton and Gretchen. Then again, he thought. With the way Braxton acts around the stuff, I guess it’s no surprise that his brother would act the same.

“Hey, I have a question,” Derek said to the king.

“Yes?” Darius asked.

“Do you think a little of that brew would be enough to have the smiths create all the armor?” he asked.

“No.” Darius’s face turned serious. “I mean, yes. But no, I would rather you not give them any. Our smiths are vitally important to the kingdom, and there is too big of a risk with the brew. My brother is the strongest in the kingdom with the highest vitality, and I am the second, or at least close to it, and I know how I was reacting after one small cup. I would trust no one with it who is not at least as strong as me. And my brother is correct in ‘supervising’ me whenever I choose to drink. No matter how much I hate to admit it.”

“That is true…” Derek muttered.

“His previous brew would go a long way,” Braxton said. “It may not be nearly as good as the King’s Brew, but it is better than the majority of brews already. Depending on the quantity of it, I can see the smiths going for it. Hell, with enough of it, I don’t think they’d even have a problem providing some of their more rare materials for the armors.”

“What kind of materials are you talking about?” Derek asked. He certainly had rare materials, but they basically boiled down to wyvern parts and stuff from a tree. Sure, he’d given Brandi plenty of other materials, but nothing that could really top those two materials.

“Well, one of the greatest perks of a good attuned armor is not only bolstering your own abilities but also defending against abilities that you may be weak against,” Darius said. “My smiths are very versed in the second. For example, if your class uses the fire element, then you know that someone who uses water is the counter, correct?”

“Of course,” Derek said.

“Well, what if you had an armor that would amplify your fire skills, but also has increased defense against water?” Darius asked rhetorically. “That is something that our smiths can provide, assuming the correct compensation is given, and assuming that one does not use some very rare class-type.”

“I see…” Derek said. “I… don’t think those of my friends will need that, really. Maybe Vanessa, but Avery… I don’t think really has any weaknesses.”

“The Dawn Siren’s second?” Darius asked.

“Yeah,” Derek replied.

“He would do well with general magic resistance,” Darius replied. “His stamina based attacks are rare, but he does not have much in the way of magic.”

“You know a lot about him,” Derek said.

“Of course I do,” Darius said. “The Dawn Siren’s armor was the last armor for an outsider that our father had created before his death. Even without her skills, my father wanted nothing more than to please that half-elf. She’s the one woman who never gave him the attention he wanted.”

“That sounds like here,” Derek laughed.

“It is a pity that she has gone wherever it is she’s gone to,” Darius said. “But yes, I have always kept tabs on the woman up until now. The same is true of Ms. Natalie Savannah and her god awful, ridiculous suit of armor I had created for her. But her offer for the armor was something we would have been fools to refuse. It is still Shaemus’s greatest shame.”

“Shaemus is considered our greatest smith,” Braxton clarified. “That armor is a very sore spot for him. Just stacking every defensive material one could think of on top of each other…” Braxton shook his head.

Derek had heard of Natalie’s armor, but he’d never seen it in action. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the man’s description of it, though. “I see,” Derek said. “Well… I have heard that people call it golem-like.”

“Apt description,” Darius said.

Derek laughed, then sighed. “Well, it has been nice meeting you, King Darius, but with time not being on our sides, I think it’s time I get a move on. And it would probably be for the best if Braxi did the same. I would rather everyone be geared up sooner rather than later.”

“It has been a very interesting meeting, Mr. Hunt,” Darius said. “You are welcome in Stonehelm whenever you wish. A friend of my brother’s is a friend of… not… that is not correct. He is friends with many individuals that I would rather not be acquainted with.”

“They’re not all bad,” Braxton said. “And most of them really are just acquaintances. You do not make many friends in the guild.” Braxton sighed. “But Derek is right. I should get to the smiths. They’re going to be very busy.” The dwarven assassin then turned and left the Throne Room, leaving Derek and Darius alone.

“Well… anyway,” Darius said. “You are welcome here. I will even help get you set up with a teleportation token.”

“There’s no need for that,” Derek said with a laugh, then, he ripped the space in front of him apart and covered his storage items and Silvi’s with a layer of void. “I have my own ways of getting to places,” he said and stepped inside.

“I see…” Darius said just before Derek closed the void.

Moments after Derek and his brother left, Darius called his guards and advisers into the room with him. “Reginald!” he half-shouted.

“Yes, sire!” his most trusted adviser replied.

“I need you to gather information on every relatively large brewmaster in Cydaria,” he commanded. “We must find the creator of the Wyvern Brew!”

“At once, sire!” His adviser bowed and left.

We’ll see if Braxus can really keep such an incredible asset from me… we will see…