The Infinite Bk. 05 Ch. 10

"Well I'm very proud of you, and I can tell you're on your way there. Keep up the good work."

They arrived at a small shop, routinely rented out to various merchants, and stepped out of the cold.

"Tom! Hello!" Cyrilo cheerfully exclaimed.

"Madam Cyrilo! My lovely lady!" the mustachioed dwarf behind the counter replied. He circled around to her, and they exchanged kisses on the cheek. "And you're wearing that perfume I love! Oh, you conniving wench, you do not play fair."

"Since when have I ever?"

"And who's this fellow escorting you?"

"This is Daniel, my prized musician. His music is nothing short of a gift from the gods."

"Hello," Daniel said with a nod.

"Very interesting. I'll have to come by and visit, we can share a bottle of wine."

"Unfortunately, the old place has burned down and we've changed locations. There have been a lot of changes since you were last here, most of them good. For one thing, I have a drink far better than simple wine for you to try."

"Oh, you sure know how to tease a dwarf, but we can catch up later. Come, come, I have all manner of wonderful things to show you."

He took her on a tour of the shelves and display cases, showing her jars, bottles, and sacks full of every substance and material a magic researcher would need. Looking through the endless collection of sediments, monster pieces, and medicinal plants, Cyrilo was like a kid in a candy store. She paid handsomely for whatever caught her eye, quickly filling Daniel's cart. She used diamonds, catching Tom's eye. Typically, she was careful in how she distributed them, not wanting to destabilize the market and draw unwanted attention, but Tom was a dwarf, and the two things a dwarf could not resist were jewels and liquor.

"Such exquisite gems! I've never seen diamonds so clear and pristine! They're like shards of starlight! I must know, where did you get these?"

"If I told you, Tom, I'd never be rid of you. You'd grab my leg like a humping dog and I'd have to pry you off with an iron bar."

"You know me well. These will do very well for me in Vandheim. So, is there anything else I can interest you with today?"

"You tell me. I know you've got something extra special hidden. Your mustache twitches when you're holding an exceptional product."

"Get out of my mind," he said as he retrieved a lockbox from behind the counter and opened it. He held up a small glass vial with a glittery green liquid inside. "You know what this is, don't you?"

"Is that Abernathy's Ichor?" Cyrilo gasped.

"Could it be anything else?"

"Mind if I ask?" Daniel piped.

"Abernathy's Ichor is a rare elixir distilled over the course of years from very rare ingredients," said Cyrilo. "It's one of the most valuable runecrafting substances in the world."

"And what does it do?"

"It is able to copy individual magical characteristics of other substances," said Tom. "Take, for instance, wyvern blood. For destructive spells, there is no more powerful ink ingredient. It can turn a regular fireball into a firestorm. However, it also degrades the user's control over the spell, making it very easy for the spell to blow up in their face. Abernathy's Ichor can copy the power-enhancing effects of wyvern blood, without the destabilizing side effects.

Or you could take the nectar from a foxtail flower, which enhances the efficiency of water spells so they require less mana, but accelerates the disintegration of the inscribed medium. This elixir can replicate the efficiency aspect of the nectar without damaging the medium."

"Sweet," said Daniel.

"Oh, the sweetest," replied Tom.

"How much do you want for it?" Cyrilo asked.

"You don't know what I had to do to get this. Its value is nigh incalculable. If I were to sell it for anything less than, say, a whole sack of diamonds, I would be a failure as a merchant."

"Fair enough. Bring the ichor with you when you visit the Knight's Sheath tonight and I'll have your payment ready. It's in the northern district, just ask for directions."

"My dear lady, I shall see you then."

Cyrilo and Daniel bid farewell and then returned to the Knight's Sheath, though pulling a full cart was much harder than pulling an empty one. That evening, Tom arrived and enjoyed Daniel's evening concert, and then he and Cyrilo shared a bottle of Knight's Ambrosia in her study while catching up.

"I've been hearing troubling news out of Vandheim lately," said Cyrilo, "talk of civil unrest and gratuitous means of suppressing it."

"The king's declining health is cause for great concern, and his steward has been taking on more and more responsibilities. He's been cracking down on rebellious activity from the Baum clan. And like Uther, there has been ongoing conflict with the beastman tribes."

"If the king's condition is so poor, then shouldn't he abdicate the throne to his successor?"

"Things aren't quite that simple, I'm afraid. The crown prince died in a hunting incident last year, and it's created a big mess. He was the only member of the royal family supported by all the clans."

"Do you think war could be on the horizon?"

"It always is. We're hoping that Princess Cynatas's marriage to Prince Lupin will provide some supporting pillars to the situation."

"I've heard that the prince is dealing with his own mess in Welindar. It may be some time before he can meet her at the altar."

Tom sighed and emptied his glass. "Can I just say that this is the nectar of the gods? I would suck a goblin dick if this came out of the end."

"The recipe is a gift from my favorite patron, Noah, the Wandering Spirit. He's revolutionized this place."

"I've heard rumors about him. Whenever someone asks 'what happened to Uther's princes?' someone will reply 'Noah happened.' If half the things they say about him are true, I really want to meet him. I want to shake his hand just for this drink."

"It was the princes who burned down the original Knight's Sheath, but Noah was my angel of vengeance, and made things better than ever. In fact, he blessed me with the gift of knowledge, which I was able to put to good use." Cyrilo got up from her chair and retrieved a codex from a nearby stack of copies. "Here, consider it a gift."

"My word," said Tom, flipping through the pages.

"That reminds me, here are your diamonds," said Cyrilo, laying a bag of gems on her desk.

"Wonderful! And here is the ichor, as pure as mother's milk," Tom replied, placing the small bottle beside the bag. "Now, before I go, I think need one more glass of that ambrosia."

"Are you sure? You're looking a little wobbly there."

"Please, I'm a dwarf. We don't just drink liquor, we practically breathe it. One more glass, if you please, then I'll be on my way."

And just like that, Tom ended up passed out on Cyrilo's couch. A spare room was prepared, and Lucius carried him away like a giant toddler.

The next day, no one saw or heard from Cyrilo other than being told she wasn't to be disturbed for anything. Even Sophia was barred from entering her study until midday, when she was finally summoned. Inside, she found the curtains drawn, ensuring no sunlight entered the room. The air was thick with anxious breath and the smell of various inks and potion ingredients. Cyrilo's desk was covered with runecrafting tools, parchment, and potion-brewing equipment.

"What's going on?" she asked Cyrilo, who was now the same age.

"I need your help with something, and I need you to keep a very big secret."

"Very well, I understand."

"No, you don't. No one can know about this, not even Alexis, and certainly not the knighthood or king. I need you to swear that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone. You're the only one I can trust with this."

Sophia paused and took a deep breath. "I swear I won't tell anyone, now tell what's got you all riled up."

"Yesterday, among the many resources I bought from Tom, I also received a vial of Abernathy's Ichor."

Sophia gasped in shock. "You mean it's real?"

"It's real, all right, but that's not the secret. I'm using it to try and copy a magical characteristic from another ingredient, one that is, well, the term 'illegal' doesn't even do it justice."

"What ingredient?"

Cyrilo turned to her desk and picked up a metal flask. "What do you know of the Profane?"

Sophia gasped again, this time in fear, and the look on her face answered Cyrilo's question. As a healer and former member of the church, Sophia was well-versed in the horrors the Profane wrought upon the world and what their powers were capable of. It was like asking a nun what she knew about Satan.

"What is that, and why do you have it?"

"I mentioned before about how I once blackmailed Noah, right? I found out he had taken part in the Red Revelry and threatened to give his name to the authorities before he could enroll in the academy. In exchange for my silence, I had him retrieve a potion brewed by a friend and bring it back to me, just a simple courier job. Unfortunately, my friend ended up sending me the wrong bottle. Instead, I got a bottle of Profane venom."

"And why in the world haven't you destroyed it yet?! What's in that bottle could kill everyone in the city!"

"Why do you think? Its use as runecrafting ink is limitless! Listen, since I got this, I've been experimenting on it, testing its capabilities. It corrupts and destroys the very laws of reality, destabilizing even the most powerful runic equations. Any kind of defense, any kind of spell, no matter how powerful or unbreakable, this venom slips in like a knife between the ribs and makes it as malleable as clay.

The problem is that it's impossible to use without lingering effects. Use it to write a water spell, and the water becomes flesh-eating poison. Use it to open a magically-sealed lockbox, and the box grows teeth, becomes sentient, and tries to kill you. I'm sure it can help me to rewrite my aging hex, but it would undoubtedly turn me into a corrupted being of pure wickedness."

"So you want to use the ichor to harness its destabilization ability without carrying over the corruption."

"Exactly. Unfortunately, the venom is... stubborn, like it has a mind of its own. It's more than eager to share its power, but you either get all of it or none of it. Despite my best efforts, every time I try to transfer the destabilizing ability to the ichor, the corruption slips through and turns the ichor into more venom. I need your holy magic to act as the filter that will keep the ichor from becoming corrupted." Sophia turned away, looking everywhere but at Cyrilo as she pondered her decision. "Sophia, I've been waiting a long time for this, longer than you've been alive."

"Do you know what you're asking me to do? This isn't just risking your health, it's risking your soul. For your sake and the sake of the world, I should destroy that venom right now and burn your research."

"If it was Noah asking for your help, would still say that?"

"Don't. You have no right to lay that on me," Sophia shot back.

"Think of what could be done with this ichor if the destabilizing ability can be transferred. It could be used to create the most powerful ink in the world. I believe Noah will return someday, and when he does, do you have it in you to look him in the eye and say you won't help him? After everything I've done for you and Alexis, can you look me in the eye and say you won't help me?"

"Do you have any idea what you're asking of me? Making me a part of this? I am a servant of Lumendori, and being involved with that bottle in any way, other than destroying it, is an affront to my faith. You're asking me to dirty my soul in the eyes of my god. You are inviting calamity upon us all for your own endeavors, and when something does happen, the blood will be on my hands."

"Sophia, what is the first rule of alchemy and runecraft?"

"You cannot take more than you give. The object or goal a person will trade for must have an equal value to what the person trades with."

"Exactly. I once was a shriveled old woman, nothing you hadn't seen before, but I was trying to fight off the inevitability of time, and I decided to alter a curse I found to give me eternal life. As you well know, the results were not what I wanted, and my age has been in constant, rapid transition since then, but that was forty years ago. Despite the unpleasantness of my aging condition, I succeeded in warding off death and have enjoyed a life longer than any human, aside from Noah. I took a risk, I suffered for my choices, and I got my reward.

For every advancement, a price must be paid. You have the same thirst for knowledge I do, the insatiable need to learn, to understand, to grow. We are researchers; knowledge is our nourishment, our passion, and passion demands sacrifice. Sometimes, you have to lessen yourself to become greater. Sometimes, you must swallow your ideals and beliefs to see beyond them. I'm willing to take a risk to make my dream come true, and someday, you'll be in the same position. That is the curse people like us are born with. We always have to know what is over the next horizon, and there will be times when our ambitions cost us, when a gamble doesn't pay off, but that doesn't mean we can stop.

Listen, you are not responsible for anything going on. Whatever happens, the responsibility is mine and mine alone. If you don't want to do this, I'll find someone who will. I asked you here because I trust you and want you to trust me. So please, I'm begging you, help me."

Sophia turned around and cursed, something very out of character for her. "Fine, I'll help you. However, I'm only doing it once. Whether this succeeds or fails, I'm walking out that door."

"Thank you. Now, please, come over here. I have everything set up." On her desk, two glass beakers had been arranged, one with a small amount of ichor and the other with an equal amount of venom. Both beakers were set on a scroll covered in runic formulas for the ability transfer. "Once the process begins, power will flow from the venom to the ichor. I need you to create a wall of holy energy that will filter out the corruption. Are you ready?"

"No, but you might as well go ahead."

Both women stood on opposite sides of the desk. Sophia set her hands on the side of the scroll, the space between them perpendicular to the channel the power would travel along. A field of holy energy stretched between her palms like a gold curtain.

"Ok, here goes nothing." Cyrilo activated the spell, causing the ichor and the venom to glow. A line of black energy extended from the beaker with the venom, moving towards the ichor. However, it met Sophia's power and began to crackle, with the venom in the beaker frothing as though angry.

"It's not going to work. The parchment will just disintegrate," said Sophia.

"It'll work, just keep the energy steady."

Sophia didn't take her eyes off the venom for one second, feeling like it was staring back at her, furious for her involvement. She felt like, at any second, the beaker would shatter, and the black glob would lunge for her like a striking snake. She could feel the unholy energy clawing at her barrier, trying to break through and spread its influence. Just being so close to it was making her sick with fear. Finally, a line of gray energy leaked through her barrier, flowing to the beaker of ichor and causing it to change color.

"Ok, I think it's done. Here, run a current through the ichor, just to make absolutely sure that none of the corruption got through."

Sophia poured her energy into the beaker, hoping that the ichor would burn away, leaving no trace of the power it had received. However, there was no reaction. "It's clean; there is no corruption," Sophia sighed with relief.

"Perfect. Now I can start making ink and get to work on my curse. Thank you so much, Sophia."

Sophia didn't even look at her. "Don't ever ask me to do anything like that again," she said before storming out.

The next day, after countless hours of preparation, Cyrilo compiled all the work she had gathered to fix her curse, including the stone slab that originally bore it. Over the decades, she had tinkered with the curse, trying to rewrite it using runic formulas written with powerful inks and mediums. Now, she was the closest she had ever been.

Using the newest ink she developed and the most potent medium she could get her hands on, she once again attempted to rework the curse, keeping its benefits while overwriting its detriments. Sophia wasn't there to help, not ready to forgive Cyrilo for possessing the venom, but she waited with everyone in the parlor for her to step out of her study.

Finally, she emerged, and everyone was shocked. She had set her age to 25, the peak of her vitality and beauty, but unlike all the other times she had experienced this age, she had combined it with shamanism. Her human ears had been replaced with feline ears growing out of the top of her head, and she had a long swishing tail.

"So? What do you think?" she asked.

"Yowza!" said Daniel.

"You look gorgeous!" Alexis exclaimed.

"Very nice, but will it stick?" Lucius inquired.

"What did you do?" Sophia asked,

"Until now, if I didn't want my age to be in constant flux, I've had to stay as a cat. However, thanks to the new ink I made with your help, I pushed that ability even farther. Now, as long as I remain in this semi-transformed state, my age will never change. Do you know what this means? After decades of work and struggle, I have finally achieved eternal youth!"

Everyone gave her a round of applause, and even Sophia, angry over the venom, could not contain her joy and rushed to hug her mentor. This was a monumental day, with Cyrilo having achieved her dream. How could she not be happy for her?

Weeks passed, and Cyrilo's age didn't change. She had succeeded in retaining her youth and decided to enjoy it. One frosty spring evening, moans could be heard coming from her bedroom. She was with Daniel, bouncing on his cock while her tail flicked and curled behind her. Her tits jiggled as she rose and fell, and she bit her lip with a smile as he massaged them. Daniel was doing everything he could not to ejaculate, from clenching specific muscles to controlling his breathing, all directions he had read in the open Sex Codex beside them.

"Come on, you're not going to make me do all the work, are you? Man up a little!" she teased.

"Ok, ok, just hold on a second," Daniel said, flipping through the book to the page with the various sex positions. Following one diagram, he pushed Cyrilo down onto her side while he got on his knees with their legs intertwined. Locked in Pretzel Dip, he thrust deep into Cyrilo with one hand secured on one of her tits, playing with the nipple.

"There you go! Now just keep up the pace."

"Whew, I need to start jogging in the morning or something," Daniel panted. He remembered Noah's demonstrations and how he could fuck like a machine without getting tired.

"I'm almost there, just a little more!" she exclaimed, arching her back.

"I'm not going to make it! I'm not going to make it!" Daniel grunted, feeling his own fuse lit.

"So close! So close!"

"Argh, I'm sorry!" he groaned, suddenly stopping with his hips shaking.

Cyrilo dropped her head and sighed. "It's ok, I understand." With semen running down her inner thighs, she pulled away from Daniel and crawled over to the bedside table, grasping an hourglass and turning it on its side. "And look, you lasted even longer than last night! Every day, you get a little bit better."

"Hold on, let me make it up to you."

"What do you mean by-- oh!" Daniel slipped his fingers inside her, stirring his semen as he stroked her front wall. While one hand probed her g-spot, his other hand massaged her feline ears, deeply massaging the cartilage. "Oh God, don't stop!" Cyrilo moaned as Daniel fingered her. She was extremely sensitive, so it didn't take long for her to climax. He was still far from Noah's level, but he made her moan in bliss.