Monster Elixir A Tale of the Grand Skies chapter 4 by EnviTheFool

A disheveled man sighed in relief as he finally reached the door to his room. It had been a long day; what was meant to be a simple observational trip turned into a real scuffle as he had to pacify a whole slew of monsters. Will's initial excitement over the incident had worn off by now, leaving behind the bitter aftertaste of weariness.

He wasn't injured... not anymore, at least. Will was sure to treat combat wounds with magic as soon as humanly possible. The problem was the exhaustion, a chronic human ailment that conventional magic was unable to cure much to the preacher's dismay. As an independent scholar Will valued his free time about all else. Thankfully a more conventional method existed still.

Will reached into his bag and promptly chugged down one of the last energy elixirs on his person, making a mental note to restock soon. Its bitter taste was known to nearly all skyfarers nowadays thanks to Sierokarte's business empire, and its usage as medical aid alongside his own research drained his supply down at an accelerated rate, but it was more than worth the price the Harvin asked for it.

The effects were immediate. Will could practically feel his body jolting awake as he entered his humble abode. His personal room only fulfilled the bare minimum as a place to rest in, as its function as his study greatly outweighed such needs. All the books, papers, ingredients and reminders of monsters that were contained within brought Will much comfort, and in that sense it was the most ideal kind of room for him.

Will shuffled over to his desk. Its most prominent feature laid conspicuously covered by a veil right in the middle of it. Figuring that it was late enough for her to be awake, he lifted it to greet the current occupant of the cage.

"Good evening, lovely."

He was greeted by a small pair of clear, angry eyes. Will didn't know what she specifically was quite yet; its small physiology is that of a pixie, but its pale blue coloration resembles that of a windsprite. Psychologically it seemed meaner than either, but not by a large margin. As a temporary (and deeply personal) measure, he had come to call her Sapphy.

Will slowly reached into the cage without fear to try and pet her, fully aware what it entailed. As expected, the reaction wasn't instantaneous. It was only as soon as the finger got close that Sapphy went for the bite. Satisfied with the cute display, Will reached out for some alcohol and a bandage to deal with the very small wound.

"Still, she does seem slightly calmer today... that's good."

Next, Will reached out for one of the drawers, pulling out an elixir bottle that he had left earlier to settle down. He was saddened by having to subject such a cute monster to an unfinished version of the concoction, but it couldn't be helped. She was the most harmless "volunteer" available to him.

What he had there was an energy elixir designer for monsters, a recipe of his own design. Based on his previous findings, Will knew that the regular energy elixirs consumed by skyfarers across all skydoms did affect monsters too, but that would just not cut it. After all, the physiology of monsters was different from those of people. They were generally speaking hardier and more energetic, but should their strength start to fade they needed something strong to kickstart their being back to action. There was no way that Will could call himself a monster expert if he didn't cater to those differing needs, but in order to do so, It was vital to iterate it down to a version that didn't kick their aggression or reproductive instinct to overdrive. This was to be the fifth attempt.

Except...

Will stared at the bottle. He held it up against a light just for good measure, even if the conclusion was already slowly forming into words at the back of his mind.

"...hm."

This was a normal energy elixir. This was the wrong energy elixir.

Where was the real one?