The Autocraft Alchemist

Nora sighed and pressed her fingers against her eyes. "That meeting should have been easier than it was," she said. The other presidents had already left the meeting room, leaving her there alone with Stonard.

After dealing with Chuck the agenda for the meeting had been going over the changes that he wanted to see made. He had managed to convince at least two of the other presidents to his side. So there was some merit to his plans. And it gave them ideas on some of the problems with the guild that needed to be addressed. They just wouldn't pick any of the extreme methods that the former vice president wanted to try.

Only instead of working with her for the betterment of the guild. Fernando and Sita had only been interested in discussing changes that would bring benefits to their own departments. And it almost seemed like Hertha was actively working against the first two all while smiling. While Blanc didn't appear to be interested in the discussion and didn't contribute much. All in all, aside from ejecting Chuck, the meeting accomplished little else.

"It seems like people are remembering the time before the break. Profits at all costs, even if that cost is the people working for you," Stonard said. He had taken up by the windows again and was looking out over the cityscape. "I'm glad that you thought to call me in today. It would have been a lot worse if Chuck had gotten his way."

Nora placed her hands onto the boardroom table. "Ignoring his ideas and the others. Are clans really that dangerous?"

Standard laughed. "I intentionally oversold that part. While once they might have been considered to be that dangerous. They are not so much anymore. But I'm sure it wouldn't have ended well if Richard sent them against us. While they wouldn't have outright attacked us or anything. They still have enough wealth in the economy to cause us problems here and there."

Nora sighed. "That's good at least. We should be able to make peace with them now, right?"

"I can't really say. My family and I owe them a great deal. To the point that some of my family even joined up with them. All we can hope is that they'll believe it was someone acting in bad faith, and that his actions weren't sanctioned by the guild. Which brings me to the next item that I think we should talk about."

Nora straightened her posture and looked at Standard then. "Should I get the others back?"

"No. I don't think so. And it's nothing that important or political, just that I'd like for you to invite Richard here for a meeting with you and I. To talk over what happened, how we addressed the problem, and how we are going to move forward. Though since he's working with the clan now I wonder how much we'll see of him."

"Okay. So just a meeting with the 3 of us?"

"Right. Though we need to prepare for more guests," he said and turned about with a grim expression on his face. "They probably won't be joining the meeting. I have no doubt that they would let their new Chief of Alchemy just wander around like that."

***

Richard found himself lounging around at home as he waited to hear more about the aftermath of the battle. The clan didn't really have anything set up yet to share information yet. And he wished that they had some sort of chat client or something to speak with others in the clan. Just about every job that he had in the past had something of that sort set up. Though the bosses usually used it to keep an eye on everyone and make sure that people were working hard.

His phone finally rang and Richard jumped up from his bed where he totally wasn't just laying down without doing anything. The incoming call was from Jackie and he quickly answered it.

"Jackie," Richard said.

"Richard, how was your seat at the guild building?"

"It was eye opening to say the least. I'm glad that I was able to witness what happened."

"Great, then it was worth setting it up for you." There was a brief pause before she continued speaking, "I have some good news and some bad news. I'll start with the good, what you've done for the clan isn't anything small. Without your efforts it would have been a lot tougher to battle against the orcs. And because of you we made it through, not whole, but not destroyed either."

"I… did what I could do to help. Watching the battle I wished that I could have done more. Even though I knew that I had already done everything that I was able to."

"Right. You don't need to feel like that. And you should feel proud of the help you did provide. You made all those potions for us and you didn't even bother to ask for any sort of compensation. I had planned to have a meeting with you to go over what to expect but that was kiboshed by the orcs showing up.

"When you were needed you didn't hesitate at all, and did everything we asked of you and more. I'm speaking for the clan, and its leadership, when I give you our most sincere thanks."

"That…" Hearing Jackie's thanks made his heart itch for some reason. There hadn't been that much effort on his part to create the potions. The Autocraft ability that he used was granted to him by a high ranking skill that he had lucked into. Which meant that all it had cost Richard was the time that it took to pull the potions from the crafting window. "Thank you." While he didn't feel like he had done that much, he kept it to himself and just accepted the thanks he was given.

"Right," Jackie said and then he could hear the phone being covered. She coughed for a moment or so and when he heard her voice again it sounded a little raw. "The bad news now. It seems like the orcs caught a bit of a nasty disease from the ratters they were chomping on. Which was why they didn't wait for the spring. Since it probably would have killed them all by then.

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"The disease also made them a little easier to put down, as well as thinned their numbers before they met with us. We had a bit of a laugh over how the ratters got back at their killers one last time from the grave.

"Though that is where the mirth ended. Many of those fighting on the lines have caught something. Probably the disease that the orcs had. It's quite the powerful one. Which means that we'll be needing something more than weak potions to fight it off."

"That's terrible," Richard said. "I… can't make anything stronger than weak right now. Are weak quality potions totally ineffective?"

"Right. Just like with something like cancer they can only delay or reduce the symptoms. Over time it comes back just as bad as it was before the Remove Disease Potion. We are doing our best using quarantines to try and figure out who is all sick. While also trying to buy up what normal quality Cure Disease Potions that we can find on the market. Only resellers have already sniffed out a chance for profit and they are getting bought up faster than we can find them."

Richard squeezed his fist tightly. If only he had more… power? Ability? Skill levels? If only he had some way to create higher quality potions. He could probably do so once he unlocked the next tool slot. But that was assuming the next tool would also increase the quality of the potions like the first one had.

"Is there anything that I can do?"

"Right now, no. We'll see about getting you another two skills though. As having higher stats would never be a bad thing."

"I've been having trouble making a decision and still haven't decided on what skills I would like to take. Though I have decided to aim for a damage role as opposed to a healing one. I figure that Alchemy already sort of counts as a support skill."

"Alright. Talk it over with the others. Your dad will be a good resource for that. Well. On second thought it might be better to find people with dps magical builds. As Hal is triple physical from what I can remember. He might know someone at the very least."

"Okay. I'll contact him after this and see what he thinks. Let me know if you need anything otherwise."

They said their goodbyes and Richard put down his phone. He didn't get a chance to ask about the orcs like he wanted. The ones that appeared after the battle was over. It also felt like it would have been the wrong time. Since so many people were fighting off a ratter disease they would be the priority for the moment. And his nosy questions could always wait.

While they were people out there suffering he didn't feel like sitting at home doing nothing. Not when he could be finding out the way to get his Alchemy to level 3. And so Richard started up a spreadsheet on his computer. And then worked through all of the potions that he had created so far.

In order to level up he had needed to reach a goal for the number of items made as well as a goal for unique items made. Churning out potions for the battle with the orcs had boosted his total number of items made. And given that catalysts could be combined with different vials he could beef out his unique items made fairly quickly.

Though it would also mean that he would have an assortment of random potions just sitting around. He laughed at the thought. There was already an easy solution in place. And that was to just leave them all at the workshop. Then he wouldn't need to deal with them taking up valuable real estate in his small apartment.

About halfway through his spreadsheet planning Richard remembered that he needed to send his father a message. He did so and while on his phone he found that a message had appeared sometime when he was engrossed.

It was from Nora who was requesting a meeting with him about the way that Chuck had been acting. While Richard wanted to try and keep a good relationship with the guild he had all but come to the decision to leave them.

Part of the reason that he had picked the Crafter's Union over other guilds was the freedom that they offered their members. And while he had benefited from that somewhat. He had also been pulled into whatever it was Chuck was trying to do. After needing to block the man Richard had decided that enough was enough.

The clan would probably provide him with the sense of community that he wanted. As well as a way to sell his potions and make a living. And between helping his clan or the place that reminded him too much of his last job, it was an easy choice. He accepted the meeting as it would give him a chance to let them know about his complaints as well as his decision to leave.

Richard sighed and looked at the spreadsheet in front of him. He wanted to continue with it, only it was already well past time for supper. While he had been busy he hadn't felt the hunger. And it was only since his focus was broken that it felt like his stomach was rioting. He had fallen into a flow state at some point and the day had just melted away.

So he stood. Stretched his back. And looked out the windows of his apartment. All that met his gaze was the dark windows of the apartment building across the street. A boring building that was all function and form. He laughed. While it was pretty ugly, Richard somewhat preferred the clan club house. It was far enough from anything that it felt somewhat isolated. But at the very least, when compared to the building in front of him, there was a small amount of charm and character to it.

Richard's thoughts went to how much his life had changed in the last few months. He had tried something dangerous in order to avoid dealing with being exploited for his labor. By owners and managers who oftentimes didn't bother to consider anything other than their own bottom line.

That led to him somehow gaining not only a rare and powerful skill, but also a target on his back for what that skill could do. It had been stressful enough at times that he might have been convinced to trade it away for the very type of job that sent him into the dungeons in the first place.

Richard had since found… well, something like his people. A group to grow with. A group to laugh with. To wade through the mire that was life together. He hoped that he would be able to meet with more and more clan members. While the old timers all seemed a little touched in the head, they were the remnants of a time long past. And each and every one of them had unique lives and experiences. People like them shouldn't appear again in the future. At least he hoped that was the case, as no one wanted to deal with another mass break.

Richard laughed as he looked at the anti-listening device that Windry had placed on his windows. He hadn't spoken with her much recently and would need to reach out. While before, when they were only playing games together, she could always be counted on. After they met he found someone to help him explore the world again. He had probably spent too much time in his small apartment after barely getting out alive from his last job. And he was grateful to her for that. As well as the people from the Crafter's Union that he had explored with.

While there was no way to know what tomorrow would bring to him. He found himself looking forward to the next day more and more of late. It was a new feeling for him. Since he had just been surviving for so long. Content to get through the current day and without the energy to consider the next day or about the future.

His stomach rumbled again. And as Richard looked around his kitchen he decided that he would like to go out instead of staying in. And so he tossed on a jacket, turned out the light, and exited his apartment. He'd figure out what he wanted to eat and drink as he walked down the street.