Follow him to the vault.

Though he does move slowly, given how old he may be, he's still rather spry. He needs no walking stick, and he presumably climbs many steps each and every day. Perhaps this spiral staircase is what keeps him fit. He leads you up another few floors until you feel as if you must be at the top, or at least near it. When you come to the next door, that's when the flight halts at a flat wall lit by a decorative sconce in the shape of some kind of demon's head. Instead of proceeding through the door, however, he reaches towards the flame. It flickers as his fingers near. Then, he takes a firm hold of the sculpture's left horn, and it twists down and then up again like a lever. Not only does it vanish, but the wall it's on does as well. Instead, there's a wavy passageway, as if you're staring into a room filled with water.

He steps through the portal, and you follow behind.

Shortly after, the strange doorway is replaced by a stone wall yet again with the exact same sconce. You're in a room now, however, and it's filled with tall shelves like a library. There are only a dozen or so tomes, and they're locked by chains. All else inside are what appear to be metal safes. The treasure room houses a number of smaller vaults, and there's no telling what sort of things he's gathered over his many years alive.

"Here," he says before making his way to one in particular--about halfway down a few shelves in. He places his hand against the metal box, and instead of a dial or keyhole, it seems to detect his touch, and that's enough for the door to swing open. First, he hands you a small piece of old parchment.

You take it and look it over. It's definitely a recipe for a potion, though you know little of how such things are made. It looks complicated.

He then removes a smaller, wooden box, which he turns open by the hinge and explains to you its contents. "The Elixir of No Finding is the most powerful invisibility potion ever brewed. They say it evokes an ancient spell, either one long forgotten, or the power of some kind of forgotten god. The first ingredient is a scale from a prismatic dragon bathed in moonlight. Next is a dried Skyreach Daisy, which only grows from the highest points of the Pecho Peaks. You'll see here, a goblin's tongue. Beside that is a vial of water, but not just any. It comes from the tear ducts of an angel. Finally, essence captured from a spirit of shadow within a flask."

"Well, you certainly sold it sounding rare and expensive, but what makes an invisibility potion so powerful? Can't people already turn invisible with magic and stuff?"

"Even the smallest sip from this potion will leave you completely undetectable, and that goes for all your equipment as well, so if brewed properly, you should have a vial that would last you almost a week. If you rationed it out and become visible for short moments of time, you could sneak through even the most secure fortress and remain there for weeks without detection. Not only that, but no part of you will make a noise. Not even your voice will be heard. Unlike with certain invisibility potions and spells, swift movement doesn't dampen its effects either. If this elixir fell into the wrong hands, it could lead to an unstoppable ****. But you must be careful still. It doesn't prevent effects on the environment, from footprints to clumsily knocking things over. There is one strange part of its effect, however. For some reason, when this potion is ingested by a woman, she doesn't turn invisible. Instead, all she wears does instead."

"I am no longer surprised by things like this. Just keep explaining. I'm not here to question it."

He clears his throat. "Perhaps it's the work of some sort of powerful trickster being of the past. I'm not certain what ingredient would lead to that effect, or how exactly it works. All I know is if you take this and continue to sip it when needed, you'll be able to slip into the tunnel that's been dug beneath Tivera and follow it where it may go."

"And if I really get stuck, I can teleport out."

"Exactly. Though if you ration it, you should be able to make it to the end, unless it's much farther than we thought."

"I know of an entrance in Avana. If I head south from there, I'll get to around where Muian had his lair before time runs out. I should have enough to spare if I need to keep going, if your numbers are right."

"This is quite the deadly quest, Kyle Warren. But I leave this in your hands." He shuts the box and places it into your grasp. "Do what you wish. All I ask is that you begin writing what I requested as soon as you're able. Be safe. And I hope your alchemist is as talented as you say."

"Thank you, Lord Barkis." You tuck it safely under your arm. "If you speak with the Circle, tell them they better help after what I'm about to put myself through. Let them know they're basically surrendering Abso to a maniac if they sit back and do their own thing. I don't really care if they think I'm being rude. Tell them this was my words, not yours."

He nods, accepting your words hesitantly. Then he escorts you back through the portal. Once free from his secret room, you stretch your legs and prepare for liftoff. You give him one final goodbye before you focus your mind entirely on home. As you warp away, he watches with interest. Surely you're an anomaly to anyone interested in the lore of the world. You're beyond normal.

Bunny Hop!