Rise of the Nightmare Crestmaster

The place was brimming with sea monsters moving about through strange buildings built in massive stalagmites. There were strange glowing blowfish stationed at various locations in the city, for as weirs as it may see that is what it was.

After a mind numbing trip through the city in which the saw Grindylows wielding strange looking spears. They had the upper body of a goblin vaguely, from the waist down their bodies split into a tangled web of suckered wriggling tentacles.

Some were riding on Derstrachan, it had a toothy, eyeless, tubular head. It had powerful hind legs and claws. It could be called a horrific sort of horse but that was not true.

That title was reserved for the Hippocampus, a mix between a horse and a shark.

They even glimpsed a look at the Grodair, huge whales that were said to have stored enough water to make a lake in their bellies. Some say that they possess a magical space within to be able to store so much water.

And of course one couldn't forget arguably the most fearsome in the depths, the very creature that kidnapped them. The giant twisted Shoggti.

Perhaps only the Nagas could compare to then in notoriety.

The Shoggti were known as the brains and deep see slavers to the surface dwellers. In age of dread they submitted to the Leviathan and were one of the main reasons that blocked sea travel.

After a while they were taken to place that looked like a temple, although they didn't get a good look at it because the bubble burst and the ship fell.

Only it was as light as a feather and no seawater rushed at them. Their captor suddenly was in front of them.

[You will serve the great purpose, shed your skin and return. Our slaves be born anew]

The captain head, no— he felt the otherworld voice in his head and found himself kneeling before he knew it with the rest of his crew.

****

Aldrich woke up with a gasp. He felt disoriented and confused for a long time before he came back to his senses.

'That wasn't so bad…'

This one was not as bad as the armored husk's memories. And not nearly as long. Then why was that one so bad?

Justo because it was the first time? No, it's probably because he wasn't a Crestmaster back then. His stats were trash and he had to use a skill while he was an ordinary human.

Obviously this must have contributed to the whole situation.

Moreover he only hot the memories of the last few days of the Captain's memories which was not a whole lot compared to the armored husk.

Anyway this was nicely done and he even got to see something very interesting. With a calm smile he checked up on his new skill.

Name: Aldrich

Age: 15.5

Strength: 8

Agility: 8

Endurance: 7+

Vitality: 8

Intelligence: 7+

Spirit (black): 7+

Green essence orbs: 19

Red essence orbs: 16

Ether : 9

Abilities: Eyes of Insight LV.2

Skills: 1) Light step LV.22) Psychic Lash Lv.1(locked)Condition: blood of ######

Crest of Aeon, Skills:

1) Aurora: Augment Lv.1

2) Invisible sword Lv.1

3)True strike Lv.1

Aldrich jumped in the air and flipped out of excitement, he got his hand on a very powerful and useful skill.

But wait a minute, it was locked? That a first. He did not see something like that before. Furthermore what did that mean?

Psychic Lash (locked): requires the intelligence attribute to be 8 at minimum to unlock the skill.

So he did acquire the skill but it was no possible for him to use it unless he upgraded his intelligence attribute to eight.

Well he did have enough green orbs to do that but he was also saving for the Bag of Holding and Mental Calming agents. Ugh, he was poor again!

Aldrich picked up his one of the impure health potion flasks and using the seal of Tindalor he teleported to the Underbridge area where he met Uldin again.

"Oho? Your visits are becoming more and more frequent. Are you finally growing up to be the consumer you were destined to be?"

Aldrich laughed warily, this guy had a special sense of humor, "soon, but not now. I wanted to ask you about this."

He showed his the potion flask.

"Oh, yes. I know what it is. I can tell you for—"

"I already know what it is." Aldrich cut him before he started his thing with an outrageous price, "this is an unrefined health potion. What I want to know is how to refine."

"You seem more knowledgeable that I gave you credit for. And yes, I know how to refine it. Let's see this should be arena ten flasks worth."

This was a big flask, the regular sized one he used to inject the Mind calming potion was a finger's width and just as long.

"I'm not asking you to refine it, I'm asking how can I refine it myself." Aldrich clarified since it seemed that Uldin misunderstood.

Obviously doing it himself and hiring Uldin to do were two different things. The cost being the major component.

"Sure, I can tell you but there is only one way for you, theoretically speaking. How about I just tell you the surface level information first and the rest later on if you want to hear more?"

"It's a deal."

"For one green orb."

"Sure."

"Well, if you want to be able to refine this potion or any potion really, you must become an Alchemist. How, I hear you ask. It's simple, just get one divine core of that profession."

"Divine core?" Aldrich knew that was impossible for him now. Sinve the fall of the moon and Castamerphia the priests no longer performed the ceremony that summoned divine cores to this realm.

No even before that the divine cores were not something that he could just grab, the cores themselves chose those suitable. That's why they were called chosen.

It was not a matter of connivence even back then, otherwise the armored husk wouldn't be driven nuts. It was impossible more so now than before since everything went to shit.

Even if he found a priest from that time he very much doubted that the priest would be willing to give him a hand like this.

So basically, Uldin was telling him that he was his only option. Aldrich could only curse, he payed for this and yet he was met with a dead end.

"I suppose you understand me now, my dear friend." Uldin chuckled with an evil grin, "no need to think badly of me. This is a win-win for both of us right?"

"Yes." Aldrich answered through gritted teeth. He had a lot of hunting to do. He just hoped there were enough husks in Voros.

"It should be like this. Lets see, for the refining of this amount lets say, fifty green orbs and for each flask, ten orbs so a hundred and fifty should suffice."

Obviously he meant green orbs. Aldrich closed his eyes and nodded, "so you're selling me back the potions I already gave you? How does that make sense?"

"I'm selling them back to you at half price since you provided the potion. Ten instead of twenty, this is an intermediate level health potion."

"Alright, why don't try a different way? I will give you half of the potions in exchange for the other half and to pay for the refining job. That seems fair to me."

"You seem to have forgotten what I trade for, essence! Not gold nor silver. And not potions either, I want essence."

"I understand that. But the truth is I'm your only customer right now." Aldrich said with a soft smile, "there are no more Lost Ones, only me. And I doubt you can trade with husks and whatnot. Besides you can't hunt for yourself, meaning I'm your little only source of essence."

"… what are you getting at?" Uldin asked looking like he swallowed a fly.

"You know what I mean to say. What is a merchant without customers? What are all these wares to you when there's no one to exchange them for essence? All that is valuable to you is essence, right? Then it's easy."

Aldrich knew more about the merchants of Leng than he did when he first met Uldin. He learned much from the jornal of the Lost Ones. He knew what Uldin desires the most was actually a transaction.

The merchants of Leng always traded in what was most valuable in the region they were in at the time. And trade was basically their whole existence, they lived and died to trade and sell goods.

Their race was not called merchants of Leng arbitrarily.

In the past Uldin could trade with many Lost Ones but now Aldrich was his only option. He saw his reaction before, he was like a drug addict.

"What do you say Uldin? As you said, it's a win-win."