Drogramath’s abandoned realm was filled with weird plants. When Theo and Tresk first entered that world, it was difficult for him to determine which plant within those glass domes was useful for alchemy. The way those plants felt reminded him more of the potions he had created with his new skill. They were magically powerful, yet in his senses, it didn't immediately stand out as something supported by the system.

Inspecting those plants provided nothing more than a tingling sensation bordering on an error. In order to prevent his own death, Theo started with a plant from which he felt the least amount of deadly poison energy. It was a plain-looking green leaf that smelled like nothing more than a plant. It was the most innocuous of all the things he had gathered, something he figured wouldn't be deadly or damaging to the world.

Despite the plant's lack of a system message, the research expansion within the Herbalist’s Workshop still responded, providing a strange message.

[Unknown Plant]

The plant you’re attempting to research is not within the bounds of this workshop.

The text might have been simple, but Theo got the message. It further cemented his idea that the things they were dealing with weren't compatible with the current system, meaning it was all outside of it. His thought was that the system had been a jumbled mess since the first reset that created the sector. Only when the next reset happened would these weird errors go away. Whether that was a new system that supported multiple different paths of power or one unified, adaptable system, he didn’t know. But now wasn’t the time for that. Now was something the alchemist thought would never happen.

He had to rely on his own skill to make these reagents work.

The system had provided Theo with many crutches along his path, although he didn't know it. He had first leaned heavily on being a champion of Ascendant. After that, he shifted his focus, exploiting holes in the system to use his incredible willpower to create things that shouldn't exist. He stared at a single green leaf on his workbench, wondering how he would know what properties it held.

“Perhaps it doesn’t even have properties,” Theo said, poking the leaf with a copper knife. “Maybe distillation-based potion-making isn’t even possible…”

The first thing he tried was to cut a section of the leaf away with his alchemically treated knife and put it aside. Then he withdrew iron shavings from his inventory, setting them on the table and squeezing some of the juice from the leaf on top. It was barely a drop, but the moment it hit the iron, it sizzled, creating tendrils of smoke that rose into the air and had a deeply earthy scent.

“Smells like healing,” Theo said, nodding with approval. “I’ll call you: Healing Leaf.”

Theo turned, waiting for Tresk, Sarisa, or Rowan to burst onto the scene to tell him how stupid he was. But then he remembered how everyone feared his workshop. The deadly plants he kept here were enough to drive most away. Even if over-adventurous kids within the city would sometimes dare themselves into an expedition. With no one there to mock him, he pressed on.

Although he couldn't be sure exactly what the properties were to call, Theo placed the reagent in a flask and focused on it. He stared through the glass, squinting as he directed his will toward the leaf. Through his magical senses, he could feel something that reminded him of the healing property. With nowhere deeper to dig, he introduced some of his mana to the flask, decomposing the leaf into its essence form. It didn't resist as much as he had expected, turning into a bubbly pink essence after only a few moments. It felt as though it was between potion and essence form, as if shaking it the right way would push it over the edge.

“Much more volatile than normal,” Theo noted.

After finishing the reaction and ensuring it was now a potion, Theo set it aside. Testing it would require someone to drink it, and he wasn't eager to be the volunteer. However, he had tricked Rowan a few too many times and felt bad about it. Instead, he took time to once again push his senses into the potion to figure out what it was about. It reminded him of the healing potions he had made in the past, but it wasn't exactly the same. There was something in it that didn't match.

With a shrug, he brought the flash to his nose and took a sniff. Another shrug later, and the flash was pressed against his lips. The residue near the rim left a tingling sensation and when he took a tentative sip, he felt the same feeling rushing down his throat and spreading throughout his stomach. A feeling of power flooded through him, similar to the effects of a Stamina Potion, but much less pronounced. Theo studied all those feelings, putting the potion in a few categories.

“Healing with a minor Stamina boost,” Theo said, nodding to himself. He withdrew another sample of the broad, green leaf from his inventory and placed it on his tongue before chewing.

The same curious sensation flowed through the alchemist's body. Even the raw, reagent form of the plant was enough to provide a decent effect. He examined his feelings and sensations, determining that the leaf itself was about as powerful as a lesser healing potion. Once brewed with his new technique, it was likely the most powerful healing potion he had available. Of course, it was no surprise that Drogramath had created a plant that was this powerful. Not only was it outside the bounds of the mortal system, but he had many thousands of years to perfect his craft.

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Theo had to take a moment to appreciate how dedicated the man was to his craft. It was easy to only think of him as ‘the potions guy’, but Drogramath was much more than that. He was an amazing botanist.

Of the many plants Theo had taken from the potioneer's realm, many were analogs of ones he could find here on the mortal plane. There were those that restored health, stamina, and mana, as well as poisons and attribute enhancement reagents. These came in the form of mushrooms instead of flowers, but were all related to elements. Fire for Strength, Lightning for Intelligence, and so on.

He experimented for the entire day, bringing both his Herbalist core and personal level to 38. By then, he had experimented with many of the herbs from Drogramath’s realm, although he could never go through them all in a single day. But he had established the ex-ascendant’s desire to cultivate powerful reagents, especially those that also existed on the mortal plane. Whether that was some nostalgia or something else, he couldn’t say.

But one thing was certain.

No matter how hard Theo tried, he could never match the skill of Drogramath. He simply had too much time to learn the art and had done so with such expert hands that the alchemist questioned his own ability in the craft. The sheer talent needed to cultivate those plants was beyond anything he could imagine. To Theo, it represented a stepping stone. If he was going to create potions that increased a person’s attributes permanently, he wouldn’t use the flowers he had cultivated himself. He’d use the ones he found in good old Drogy’s realm.

That added a layer of complication to his plan, but so be it. If his assessment of the potions he created were true, the raw reagents were significantly more powerful than the ones he was working with. Their magical potential was beyond anything he could create on the mortal plane. The last fact that drove him forward was that he was still standing there. Using the heavenly reagents on the mortal plane hadn’t exploded him.

“Not dying is always good,” Tresk said, entering the workshop after invading his thoughts. “What kind of boost are we looking at?”

Of course, Tresk was only interested in getting more attributes. At least she wasn’t weird about it like Fenian, but he was disappointed to see she wasn’t as afraid of the workshop as he had thought.

“A bigger boost,” Theo said, looking around the room. His table was filled with completed potions. All were analogues of the ones he could already create, but most had side-effects. They weren’t negative effects, just things like increasing Stamina, Mana, and so on. “Think of the new reagents as a beyond perfect version of the reagents we’ve been working with. Drogramath has refined these things past what we can do here on the mortal plane. He’s infused them with a kind of energy I don’t understand. And yet…”

“And yet, he’s Drogramath. And you’re the ex-champion of Drogramath. Which means…”

“I know what he would’ve done,” Theo said with a shrug. “I know why he would make a reagent work how it works. That’s how I cut my teeth in this world. By figuring out how he designed his alchemy and herbalism system, I’ve already figured out how he would design an herbalism system without restrictions.”

“You’re not still connected to him, are you?” Tresk asked.

There was a time when Theo would’ve said ‘yes.’ But he had pushed himself far away from that man, never wanting to be a reflection of him. The alchemist wanted to be his own person, refusing to bow to a pretender. Because no matter how brilliant Drogramath was, he had once been a mortal man. Perhaps an alien from some other sector that had been integrated into this one, but a man.

“The connection is long-since dead,” Theo said. “Killed and buried by the Tara’hek. I think that screwed with their plans.”

“Of course it did. We’re too awesome to be contained by some fake gods,” Tresk said. “Anyway, I got a bit of a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” Theo asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s never good.”

Tresk giggled, but Theo was happy to follow along behind her. He didn’t want to spoil the surprise by looking into her memories, and instead followed behind. They snaked their way through the city. Passing by Mudball Fundamental, she giggled again. But they pressed on, soon arriving in the sprawling neighborhood. This was a part of the city the alchemist spent little time in, but Tresk knew the way. They soon arrived at a stone house with a red door.

A hanging side on the doorframe read, in Bantari, Sledge.

“Seriously?” Theo asked, hesitating. “Is she still… You know… Biting?”

Tresk cracked the door open, a devious smile spreading across her face. “Come on. She’s fine.”

Trusting his companion, Theo entered the building and looked around. Danger sense didn’t spring up. Embers were in the fireplace to the left, while a gaggle of tiny marshlings scampered around a wooden enclosure in the room’s center. Sledge sat on the ground, staring at the creatures with dark circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted.

“Hi,” Sledge said, her voice thin. “These things have drained me of life.”

The baby marshlings all screamed in unison.

“Why are there so many?” Theo asked, wincing as one marshling gnawed on the wooden barrier.

“Yup. It was a big pod,” Tresk said. “We normally only have two or three. Sledge here got dealt the raw end of the deal.”

“Save me,” Sledge said.

“Oh, stop,” Tresk said, going over to kneel near Sledge. She patted the other marshling on the head, cooing. “You’re fine.”

Theo shook his head. He was pretty sure nothing was gonna be fine the way Sledge was looking. He was immediately concerned for her health. “Is she, though?”

“Kinda a long story,” Tresk said, shrugging. “Why don’t you crawl in there with those biters and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Theo looked at the ravenous marshlings inside the cage. One of them ripped a large chunk of wood from the enclosure, chewing it with a smile. “I think I’ll stand.”