All in Charisma (A LitRPG/Isekai Adventure)

As they reentered Zogmar's workshop, Justin sensed that they were wearing on the Potions Master's nerves. Zogmar scowled when Justin informed him that the Queen had ordered him to provide some basic potions.

Eventually, Zogmar relented. He reached under his workbench and pulled out a weathered leather satchel filled with vials. Inside were about a dozen potions—half tinted a faint green and the rest glowing a soft pink.

"Good luck," Zogmar muttered as he handed over the satchel. "The pink ones are for general healing, while the green ones are antidotes. They should work on the basic poisons Glamshara likes to use, but if she has anything more complicated, they might not be effective. Remember, she's a Level 12 Alchemist, which gives her an advantage over me."

Justin picked up one vial and inspected it. Etched into the bottom of each vial was a small "Z," Zogmar's mark of ownership, Justin supposed.

"I want those back when you're done," Zogmar insisted. "Good glassware is scarce down here."

"Thanks," Justin replied, nodding in appreciation.

"Be careful," Zogmar added, leaning forward and locking eyes with Justin, his dark orbs gleaming with intensity. "Glamshara's wily, especially with her words. You've seen that by now. The more time you give her to talk, the more likely she'll sway things in her favor. Don't let her get in your head."

Justin studied Zogmar, noting the Potions Master's serious tone. "I'll keep that in mind."

Zogmar smiled, though it was more of a tight-lipped smirk. "Good luck. You'll need it."

Then, as if remembering something, Zogmar turned back to his workbench and retrieved a small blowgun, offering it to the group. "I know you weren't keen on using this before, but if you can get the antidote into Grashuk, it'll help level the playing field. He may even switch sides when he realizes how Glamshara has been manipulating him."

"I'll take that," Kargan said, swiping the blowgun from Zogmar's hands. "We used these sometimes in the clan halls back home. Shouldn't be too hard."

Zogmar nodded. "Very well." His expression softened as he added, "Go find justice."

With that, Zogmar returned to his alchemy work, dismissing them.

"Come on," Borgruk said. "We've got our work cut out for us."

As they left Zogmar's workshop, Justin couldn't shake the sense of incompleteness that lingered within him. He had hoped that solving the mystery would bring him some form of satisfaction, but instead, it left him feeling hollow. There were still too many missing pieces nagging at him.

They had yet to confirm the love potion theory, and a few of the Queen's words had sown seeds of doubt in his mind. What if the love potion wasn't even involved? What if Grashuk had been behind it all, orchestrating events for his own gain? Or worse, what if they had misjudged Zildur and dismissed her role too quickly?

Perhaps they had overlooked someone else entirely—Halkra or another member of the tribe they hadn't met.

Most concerning of all, if Glamshara wasn't making the antidote for the Shadow's Kiss, what was she doing with that Heart of the Moonflower?

It felt as if they had missed a crucial, obvious piece of evidence.

The greatest deceptions are found in the smallest details.

All Justin could think was that they had better be getting an epic piece of loot for solving this one.

The walk through the dark stone passage seemed quicker this time, perhaps due to the growing tension that made the time pass unnoticed.

About halfway through, a strange clicking sound echoed down the corridor, reverberating off the ancient walls.

Justin signaled for the group to halt and listened. The sound grew louder and more distinct. It was coming toward them.

That was when a strange piece of machinery skittered into view from the shadows—a dwarven construct. It was a mechanical contraption shaped like a spider, about as tall as Justin's head. Its long, razor-sharp legs clanged against the stone floor as it moved closer. Its round body gleamed like dull metal, almost resembling a tin can with a metallic head. The construct's eight legs stabbed downward in swift, deadly strikes, and a pair of glowing red eyes fixed on the party.

"Go for the legs!" Borgruk called out.

As if in response to the goblin's voice, the construct sprang into action. Bohemond charged forward, shield raised, using his bashing skill to drive it back. The clang of metal on metal echoed through the hallway as the construct's legs scraped across the surface, sparks flying.

"Surround it!" Justin shouted, stepping aside.

Kargan rushed forward, casting Sacrificial Armor on Bohemond, while Borgruk came in from the left. He swung his scimitar, aiming for the construct's vulnerable joints. The blade connected with a loud crunch, severing one of the metallic legs. The construct staggered but quickly adjusted, stabbing downward with another leg.

Justin approached from the opposite side. Like Borgruk, he focused on the exposed joint, finding his Cane of Valoria quite effective for the task. The creature hissed hot steam, turning its red-eyed gaze toward him.

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"No, you don't!" Bohemond charged, ramming into the side of the construct with his shield and throwing it off balance.

The creature scuttled back, its legs scrambling for purchase, but Justin seized the moment. He darted forward, jabbing his cane into the vulnerable seam between the body and one of the remaining legs. With a sharp twist, he wrenched the leg free, sparks flying as the construct let out a metallic screech.

Borgruk moved in for the kill, his scimitar raised high above his head. He brought it down with a brutal strike, cleaving the "head" of the construct clean off. The red lights in its eyes flickered and dimmed. The metallic spider collapsed to the ground in a heap of shattered gears and twisted metal.

Panting, Kargan stepped back. "That thing was fast."

"Too fast for comfort," Bohemond grunted, wiping sweat from his brow.

Justin studied the ruined construct for a moment. This dwarven creation didn't seem too difficult for their party to handle alone, but if they ever gathered in large numbers, they could be deadly. He hoped that wouldn't happen.

"Let's keep moving," Justin said. "We're almost there."

The party regrouped and continued down the corridor. Within five minutes, they reached the collapsed doorway, where rubble blocked part of the entrance. Bohemond paused, examining his right hand with a curious expression.

"Strange," he muttered. "I was burned by that steam, but now it's mostly healed." He glanced at Kargan. "Was this your doing? I don't remember you healing me."

The orc was quiet for a moment before finally answering, "In a way."

"Explain," Bohemond said, raising an eyebrow.

Kargan sighed. "It's my party tactic, Blood Pact. It allows all my party members to heal at a rate based on my Endurance attribute. Since my Endurance is currently 18, including my gear bonuses, everyone heals at 18% of the rate I do through my Forge of Life class boon."

Bohemond looked at Kargan. "Well, it's useful. I'll give you that much."

That was the closest thing to a compliment they could hope for from Bohemond, but it was progress. It seemed the Knight was finally respecting Kargan's abilities.

Justin opened the satchel of potions. "Speaking of healing, it looks like there are enough potions here for each of us to have one healing potion and one antidote, with a few in reserve."

He divided the supplies among the group.

"So, what's the plan?" Bohemond asked, hefting his shield. "Are we going to arrest them, or are we going in for the kill?"

"The most important thing is securing the Heart of the Moonflower," Justin said. "Glamshara will have it. We saw her working with it, after all. Let me do the talking."

"Remember what Zogmar said," Bohemond warned. "If you let her talk too long, she'll twist your brain into knots."

"I can manage," Justin replied. "If it comes to blows, Bohemond's our tank, and Kargan will handle healing. That leaves Borgruk and me to go straight for Grashuk. He'll be defending Glamshara while she fires those darts of hers. If we bring him down quickly, she'll be defenseless. Kargan can try to land a dart as well. It seems he's a victim of this as much as everyone else."

Borgruk shook his head. "I can't believe I may be attacking the Warlord, but Queen Grizshara gave her orders."

"Let's try to talk first, but if they attack, don't hold back," Justin said.

"We'd better get moving," Bohemond said, already climbing the rubble. "The more we talk, the more time they have to prepare."

"What if they've set traps?" Kargan asked. "They've had plenty of time."

"We'll have to keep our eyes peeled," Borgruk replied. "If I see anything, I'll shout it out. Goblins see well in the dark. Even better than orcs."

With that, they climbed over the rubble, allowing Borgruk to take the lead. On the other side, it was quiet, but the light from Glamshara's lab flickered ahead, casting a glow around the corner of the large chamber before them. Unlike last time, there were no ghosts waiting for them.

They crept forward, but when they reached the lab, they found it completely empty. Justin immediately sensed a trap, as Kargan had suggested. If she tried to ambush them, his Gentleman's Rebuff would activate.

"Search for anything that might serve as further evidence," Justin said.

They had only been searching for a couple of minutes when Borgruk paused at what seemed to be Glamshara's primary workstation. "What's this?"

Justin turned to look and saw Borgruk's hand brushing against a thick, dusty tome sitting on the alchemy table. The book's cover was adorned with dwarven runes and a small illustration of a vial. It was clearly an alchemical text.

"Can you read Dwarven?" Justin asked.

"No," Borgruk replied. "But I remember seeing this book. When we first got to the excavation, I picked it up. Zogmar scolded me for touching it."

"Scolded you?" Bohemond asked.

"Yeah," Borgruk said. "He's like that, as you've seen. He told me not to touch priceless artifacts. He took the book and put it in his satchel. So, it's strange to see it here."

"Maybe there was a second copy?" Kargan suggested.

Justin felt a chill run down his spine. "Let me see that."

Borgruk handed over the tome. Justin flipped through the worn pages. Most of it was written in Dwarven runes, but there were illustrations of ingredients and potions. One potion, in particular, stood out. Scrawled around its margins were many notes written in Goblinese, in a clear, neat script.

"That's Glamshara's handwriting," Borgruk said.

Justin read the notes. "The Everlasting Draught," he said. "A potion meant to grant eternal life." He glanced at Borgruk. "You mentioned Glamshara said the dwarves were messing with things beyond their understanding, trying to achieve eternal life with alchemy."

"Yeah," Borgruk nodded. "Zogmar actually came up with the theory, but Glamshara latched onto it. She's always had an interest in the so-called Legendary Draughts. The Everlasting Draught was supposed to be one of them."

"Legendary Draughts?"

"Extremely powerful potions that confer amazing, permanent benefits," Borgruk clarified. "That's what I gathered from their conversation, anyway."

Justin's suspicion deepened. "So, this book has a recipe for the Everlasting Draught. Did Zogmar get the idea from this book? If he put it in his satchel, then what's it doing down here?"

"Maybe she stole it from him," Bohemond suggested. "It fits her character."

Justin wasn't so sure. It presented a wrinkle and he couldn't yet figure out how it fit in. He examined the recipe for the Everlasting Draught more closely. "It seems there are six ingredients: Sunstone Dust, Abyssal Essence, Thandoran Moss, Veldorian Firebloom, Shard of Zephyron…and Heart of the Moonflower."

Kargan grunted. "Well, we at least know what she was using the Heart of the Moonflower for. Definitely not the antidote for Shadow's Kiss."

"These ingredients must be incredibly rare," Borgruk said. "Thandoran Moss, Veldorian Firebloom, and Shard of Zephyron are things I've never even heard of before."

"They're from other worlds," Kargan said. "Veldoria. Thandora. Solanis. Zephyron…"

Justin blinked as he processed this news. "All these rare ingredients… were they all in this lab?"

"Maybe," Borgruk shrugged. "It seems to me that Glamshara was trying to make this Everlasting Draught instead of saving Nyrissa."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when Kargan's Blood Aegis flared, then sizzled with the impact of a hostile attack. The group turned to see Grashuk and Glamshara standing in the doorway, ready for battle.

"Step away from my table," Glamshara warned. "Or the next dart goes between your eyes."