Master Of None

”The snow bells should be able to stabilize the [potion. Every time they are the part that burns first. The temperature gets too high no matter how low we go! But if we go too low the crystals won’t form and start to dissolve when we add the pure water!” The old master alchemist was furious at the rash of failures. He had never had such problems with potions. 

”It has to be mana control. There is nothing to protect the snow bells before they begin to mix and stabilize the rest of the potion.” Remey had been thinking this for some time but they had no solutions to fix such a thing. 

”Where is that slimes’ acid? You have it here right? Try dissolving the snow bells in this before. If the plan is the issue then the flower petals and pollen can be dissolved first here then concentrated then added.” It was a possible solution but Remey argued it immediately. 

”You know that it will damage the other materials no matter what though. We will have an inferior potion.” There was nothing that would prevent her from giving the best possible result. 

”Do you want a potion or another failure? We can try with these blue koi bones. They should have concentrated water elemental mana in the bone marrow so they might prevent the snow bells from burning. The flower petals just need to survive but the pollen can stay too since we can mash them together in a paste.” There was already motion while Remey spoke. The master alchemist was adding the ingredients and waiting for Remey to slit the very small bones of the blue koi fish. 

The two didn’t need to speak the same way that the other alchemists and apprentices would. Normally there would be constant teaching and sharing of knowledge. For Remey and the old master alchemist, there was only arguing and solutions. Their strife bred new ideas and their tempers pushed them to solutions they would not normally have. It was pressure. 

Once Remey had the small amount of koi fish bone marrow, she added it to the mortar and pestle that the master alchemist was using. He quickly mixed it causing a slight frost to general. ”Gah, it’s too concentrated. Get me the sunflower oil over there so I can dilute it.” This was a sneaky trick that some alchemists had learned. The sunflower oils had slight traces of fire elemental mana from absorbing so much sunlight while inside the sunflower. It could balance the water elemental mana that could cause an entire potion to freeze solid. 

Just a drop of the sunflower oil was enough to prevent the freezing effect. ”Perfect. The consistency is the same as cake batter. This should work well. Where is the other cauldron?” There were already three dirty cauldrons on the side of the room that they had ignored due to their desire to keep experimenting. There was nothing that could make them stop and clean before they finished their inspiration. 

”I have the base made. You know you don’t need to micro manage me. I will have it done before you can-” Remey watched the old master alchemist add the paste and start to mix furiously. She was completely ignored. There was a fire in his eyes while he worked, Remey had a feeling that this was going to work even if it was the worst possible outcome. 

”Heat it, low flame and slow. I have the ingredients emulsified and they will start to separate if I stop. These old bones can get some work done today.” It was all too common for the old master alchemist to push himself. However, he had allowed Remey to take the heavy labor today so that he could keep working harder. His age was showing more and more lately and he was worried that he would not be able to complete his potion today. But he was determined and he would push himself to the brink if he needed to. 

The color of the potion went from a white and grey mix to a slowly growing blue. ”Ha! The koi marrow is bringing out the natural pigments on the other materials. A blue potion, no, a frosty blue potion!” The mixture was slightly bubbling even though it was still cold. The fire underneath the cauldron was just making it melt so the bubbles were the reactions of the different materials and manas. 

As if he was slapped, the old master alchemist stopped stirring with a jerk and grabbed at the bottle of pure water on the shelf nearby. He added it drop by drop watching the position become a deep dark blue color. The white lines in it constantly changed showing that the mana was becoming more pure inside the potion. ”Get the frosted vials. As long as they are covered in frost they should be able to hold this without being damaged.” 

The pair moved in furious speed to fill vial after vial. They had used some of the centennial ice to chill the vials they were using to store the potion. The frost would keep the glass from rapidly cooling when the potion was added. They had made the mistake once upon a time by adding potion that was too hot or cold and the vials shattered losing some potions. 

The dark blue potion reminds them of a frozen pond in the dead of winter. The frost over the glass hiding the deep cold ice underneath. The potion itself had not burned and was not separating as they watch carefully for any changes. 

”There are no lumps, burnt pieces, or signs of separation. I think…” Remey was about to grab the potion when it started to become lighter and showed the pure brilliant blue and white of centennial ice. ”It worked! It worked!” The two screamed their praises to the heavens while dancing around the lab like crazy people. 

”We need to appraise this!” The old master alchemist grabbed the vial and rushed out of the lab with Remey at his heels. 

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