I arrived at Alchemist Alexander’s shop two minutes after his typical closing at 7 pm and caught him moving to the doorway with the obvious intention of locking up for the day.
“Well, Journeyman Gwydion, I am surprised to see you here. I was just closing up. It was quite a harrowing day!” He exclaimed more merrily than I would have expected given the circumstances.
“I am here to purchase a couple of potions, and for our class as agreed,” I responded, trying to rise to a cheerfulness he seemed to exude, but I did not feel it inside. I was very excited to learn how to make the three minor potions, but given the tragedy in the city and my loss with Sundance, cheerfulness was not an easy emotion.
He stepped back to let me enter. “I assumed that we would choose a different day, all things considered.” He responded.
“If you are unable to meet tonight-” I began.
“No, no. I appreciate the enthusiasm, and my word is my bond.” He replied.
I smiled, relieved that I would be able to complete this training tonight before the city got far more crowded tomorrow.
“Just which potions did you have in mind to purchase?” He asked as he shut and locked the door behind me.
“Magical Restoration potions,” I answered.
“Hmm. I suspected as much.” He said as he drew the blinds. “I have had quite a run on those, as you can imagine, today. Let’s see how things go this evening, and then you can make a decision.” He offered.
“I’ll defer to your judgment, master,” I replied.
After he ensured that the front store was secure, Alexander showed me into a back hallway and dismissed his two bodyguards for the night. “I won’t need you any longer, and I’m sure you will want to get back home and check on your families.” He said.
They both looked like they did not like leaving him alone, but they nodded and exited through a back door since Alexander had already drawn the blinds and bolted the front door.
He pointed out a bathroom with an extra-large sink, “In case things go horribly amiss during our lessons.”
I was sure he was just having a little sport with me, but he kept a straight face. Alchemists were usually not known for their social skills, and that was why Alexander seemed to do such good business. He was not typical of his guild.
We slowly walked through his lab, and he pointed out features and equipment of importance. I followed him well for the first few minutes, but then things started to get jumbled. There were just too many details to keep hold of in my mind, and I was no mental slouch.
“Forgive me,” he stated as we were halfway through the room, and he noticed the look of confusion on my face. “I am bombarding you with several years' worth of apprentice lessons. But I wanted to lay as thorough a foundation as possible for you.”
He paused and put his right index finger to his chin, a habit that I had noticed before in many mages when deep in contemplation. “I think the best way to continue is to start at the beginning, and we will move forward quickly into the specific lessons.”
I had thought that was what we were already doing, but I responded in a similar manner, “I trust your judgment, master.”
He smiled.
We walked over to a small lab station that I presumed would be assigned to an apprentice if he had one. He removed a dark blue leather-bound book that was a little more than twelve inches tall, seven or eight inches wide, and maybe three-quarters of an inch thick. The cover color matched the indigo robes of alchemists, and the book looked like a textbook to me.
He handed it to me and explained, “It is rare that students learn these first potion recipes by heart, and so I have written a book of 7 minor potions that I use to teach them. In this book are the three minor potions that we are working on today (healing, skill recovery, and magical restoration). Additionally, there are four common recipes that I feel are within the skill range of most middle-stage apprentices. They include potions of growth, reduction, climbing, and water breathing. All seven potion recipes are first orbital recipes and require some magic, as do nearly all potions, but their ingredients and steps are not overly taxing. Their spell effects are immediate and in the case of the latter potions, last about four hours before wearing off.”
He paused and looked meaningfully into my eyes. “If they are prepared correctly, of course. Incorrect potions might not work at all, lead to unanticipated side effects, or poison the target who drinks them.”
It looked like he expected a response, and so I replied, “I understand, master.”
“Hmmm. Well, we’ll see. Most mages fail to grasp the complexities, wonders, and dangers of alchemy. Most fail to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making.” He stared hard at me.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“I am eager to learn, master.” He did not blink. “And unlearn any bad habits or attitudes that may have been unknowingly shared with me during my own apprenticeships.”
I included the plural form of apprentice, reminding him that I was both a mage and a crafter.”
He nodded, accepting my response. “Yes, I think that your discipline and artistry as a jeweler will probably prepare you better for this evening than all your years in spellcraft.”
Having said that, his body language changed, and he became both more relaxed with me and more terse. It was as if until that moment, he had still not accepted me as a student. Whatever had made him reluctant had passed, and I recognized immediately the classroom professor in how he spoke and moved. There was a confidence and expectation of discipline and unquestioning obedience from me.
He continued. “Alchemists can create magical potions with some pretty spectacular effects, but use very few casting points to make it happen.” He began taking glassware off shelves and sorting ingredients. His movement back and forth was rapid but long practiced.
The lab itself was far larger than his front showroom and, other than a bathroom, storage room, and a wider-than-typical staircase that went up to a second level and down into a basement, the lab took up the entirety of what was remaining on this level.
There was a very long and complicated setup on a lab table that took up the entire north wall of the room. There was a small lab center that I had noted earlier, and six identical lab stations that took up the open space of the room. Apart from doorways, all the remaining wall space was made up of shelves and cupboards. There were hundreds and hundreds of jars and boxes of ingredients that came in all sizes, from tiny to quite large. Each was meticulously labeled with what had to be a wax pencil, itself coming in a variety of colors. Most also had dates printed on them as well as ingredients.
While he prepared for the first lesson, he continued talking as if part of his brain handled the teaching while the remainder focused on his craft. “Alchemists are secretive by nature because any smart and meticulous person can reproduce most alchemical recipes to similar effects. Granted,” he paused to look at me before turning and continuing, “there are some techniques that allow alchemists to do it faster, more reliably, and in larger quantities, but that is merely tradition and experience, not magical prowess. It is how alchemy differs from other guilds and where your skills with metal and gem work may do you some good.”
I could see that he was preparing three lab tables, presumably one for each lesson.
“Ordinarily, I would insist that you prepare your own space.” He stated firmly. “You would gather your own fresh ingredients and prepare for the ordeal which is patient potion making.”
He waved a hand in the air, “But under the circumstances, I ask that you watch me carefully, and if this goes beyond today’s lesson, you can expect to spend many tedious hours chopping, slicing, grinding, and gathering ingredients.”
He had just hinted at a slight chance that I might return to learn more from him. I redoubled my focus and watched him carefully.
He pointed to the book in my hands. “Turn to the back of the book and you will discover a table I created that lists every ingredient you will need for the potions listed in the book, as well as references to page numbers where their specific preparations are explained in more detail.”
I did as he asked and noted that his handwriting was as immaculate and orderly as his lab. Every stroke was in its place. And the tables he referred to were organized and cross-referenced with page numbers in his textbook, as well as noting additional texts that an apprentice would normally have access to either in the guild library or that he would have in his own possession from previous lessons.
He completed his preparations and looked over each table, scanning the space item-by-item to ensure that all was in order. Alexander had the most orderly mind of anyone I had ever encountered. He had a plan for every move, and I would be surprised if he didn’t have an exact morning and bedtime routine down to the very second of completion.
I looked up from the textbook and my wandering mind to find him silently examining me. Seeing that I was now paying attention to him once more, he continued.
“Simple potions can be made in under an hour, while the most difficult potions could take as long as a month or more to complete.”
That caused me to raise my eyebrows. A month is a crazy long time to make a potion.
“You may speak freely. In fact, I insist on it. You may interrupt me, ask questions, make observations, or ask about anything that comes to your mind. Hesitation in an alchemist could lead to damage or death.”
I nodded. “Thank you, master. I was surprised that potions could take as long as a month to create.”
“Indeed. I just finished such a potion a few days ago. In general, the more powerful the potion, the longer it takes to create, but this is not always the case. But if the time is shortened, it is usually because the magical casting point demand is far higher. In some cases, a master can choose either the use of casting points or extended time. But that is beyond the nature of this lesson.”
“Are ingredients hard to come by, master?” I asked.
“You don’t need to begin or end sentences with ‘master’. We both know our roles. Such pleasantries are expected in public and among other mages with thin egos, but they merely get in the way during potion making when, at times, a single second could be the difference between success and failure. And as a mage, I am sure you are aware of some of the more spectacular failures of alchemists.”
Indeed, I was. The explosions, deaths, and odd effects, such as the melting wall across the Round from us, are ample examples of alchemical failures. It was why the alchemist guild hall was finally ordered out of the city and resides in the marshy grounds beyond the city walls to the south, not too far from the sea.
“Well, I make this point far more directly with my assigned apprentices. Consider yourself lucky, but impress deeply upon your mind the critical necessity of order, process, and focus.”
“Yes-” I was going to say ‘master’ again, but I caught myself.
He observed me catching myself. “Good. You can learn. Well, let’s see how much and how quickly, shall we? It’s time we began the deeper lessons.”
He motioned for us both to move over to the first table he had prepared. “Turn in your book to the table of contents. You will read the first chapters on your own. But for now, open to the chapter titled ‘Minor Healing Potion’.”
I did as directed. The chapter looked like part narrative and part technical manual with drawings, labels, and tables. It was unlike any mage textbook I had ever seen and would probably have been something a university student in the sciences or engineering would recognize.
In fact, the university did have a thriving chemistry program with an offshoot of alchemy that competed with the Alchemy guild for students. Although my understanding was that the university program tended to gather students who had been denied entry into the guild. My father once noted that the university students had no magical talent, even if they had sharp minds.
Alexander had indicated that an alchemist did not need much magic for potion making, but apparently, some magical talent was still a requirement for magecraft of any level. I wondered if, given the magical storage capacity of diamonds, non-magical alchemists could use it to good effect or if they were denied access to the gem’s magical casting points. I would have to explore that later.
He pointed to the lab table where boxes and glass containers were spread out.
“Here are the ingredients that you will need for your work today. Please order them from first to last, according to the recipe you now hold before you.” And he stared at me intently.
I looked back and forth between the recipe and the ingredients. It looked like he had already placed them in the correct order. But my instinct told me it was a test.
I had one shot at getting this correct.
