Everything was a serial list: do this, then this, then that, then the neighboring kingdom won't blow up yours with fireballs, or your potion won't poison the drinker. But no one ever asks why. Why does everything need to be followed in such exacting order?

For a brief moment, I was tempted to use this Thursday_Prompt as an excuse to do a sequel to one of my other short stories. ...It felt a little too meta for me. So, instead, here's a similar story to last week's ;3
...I promise, I didn't intend it to be that way, it just happened XD

Glossary:


emberthistle: This fire-aspected plant holds its ether for a very long time after being harvested, making it a reliable firestarter for any traveler. It is a volatile spell ingredient, best utilized in bomb spells.

ether: Sometimes called lifeforce or mana, this is a mysterious energy that suffuses the world, allowing mages to cast spells and giving rise to many strange, magical plants and animals.

spells: Every spell in Alka requires ingredients of some kind, and many of these spells come in the form of potions. The art of spellcraft involves careful measurements, specific techniques, and also a touch of etherial manipulation. Without a mage's inborn talent, not even a person following a spell's recipe to the letter can hope to create one for themselves.

Belbatoria: The proud goddess of order, light, and knowledge. Of all of the gods and their followers, hers are the most numerous, with devotees across the entire world.

Verdania: With its numerous trade routes, wealth of magical resources, and status as the seat of Belbatoria's worship, it is not uncommon to hear people say that Verdania is the center of the world. Even those living in the most remote areas of Alka know at least a few words of Verdish.

ornithorhynkus: On Earth, this is (part of) the scientific name for a platypus. They are also known as ornikuses among the lower classes. Due to their royal bloodline, they are a mix of traits from many different races of alks.

alk: The anthropomorphic residents of the world of Alka call themselves alks to differentiate themselves from the animals that they resemble.

alkemy: While spellcraft is the art of creating already discovered spells, alkemy is the pursuit of discovering new ones.

Toria: The city of Toria was founded on the Bay of Anat, and it is this bay that shaped the capital of Verdania into what it is today. Once a place of orthodox order as the supreme seat of Belbatoria's worship, the constant flux of trade in and out of the harbor brought alks from all over Alka, each one changing the city bit by bit. Now, it is known as the most diverse and free city in the world.

amorshroom: This water-aspected fungus can be used for spells that require a flexible nature, but its most common use is for love spells, leading to its nickname: mage's accomplice.

Sarqquni: The fickle god of wanderers, merchants, artists, smiths, laborers, ingenuity, impulsiveness, and whatever else they might be interested in at the time. Most importantly, she, or they, or he, is the god of the Sarkuuli.

Sarkuul: A vast, mostly flat land consisting of windblasted grasslands, scorching deserts, shifting swamps, murky thickets, and more. The nomadic people of this region, the Sarkuuli, are as diverse as the landscape and its climates.