Warsinger James Baldwin (read this if TXT) 📖

herbs as finely as possible. Cat's Eye Mushrooms, King's Grass, and Holy Basil. They are macerated, meaning that they are mashed, in the order I just spoke. Then you add this.”

She took out a jar, which looked to be full of mashed rotten meat.

“That being…?” I grimaced as she uncorked it, and asmell not unlike decomposing beef wafted into the room.

“Troll flesh paste, which is the regeneration component,” she said. “Believe it or not, this is how it smells when it’s fresh. So, herbs first, then this. After the flesh, immediately add the Stingcrab Blood, and then - quickly - add five drams of colloidal silver. You stir them until the mixture is blended, then add one single drop of mana. It is very important you add the Stingcrab Blood before introducing the silver and mana, eh?”

“Why?”

“Stingcrabs have a unique ability: their blood allows mana to mix with the living flesh of monsters and humans, even those that are guaranteed to Strange,” she said. “Mana can cause plants to mutate, but only if they are alive. Inert, dead flesh can Strange, but it is relatively rare in alchemy. However, some ingredients, like fresh blood or creatures that can regenerate, like trolls, are very likely to mutate into some nasty beastie, and the last thing you want to do is have to chase a dangerous homunculus around your laboratory.”

I nodded, watching as she corked the bottle and finished preparing her ingredients. Masha measured out the silver, set a corked bottle of frothy light-blue crab blood near the crucible, readied a clean dropper near the mana, then began to expertly chop the herbs into tiny pieces. Every time she finished with one ingredient, she wiped the cutting board down, and started on the next, neatly separating them into different small pottery bowls.

“Now, watch me.” She dumped the mushrooms in her mortar and pestle and pounded them into a mash, and kept grinding as she reached for the grass and added it. The mortar rasped as she ground it into a dull teal-green paste, then added the basil and continued without pause.

“It must be constantly agitated,” she said. “You must not stop moving once!”

“Yes Ma'am,” I said reflexively. The A.R appeared over her hands, showing how she perfectly emulated the holographic directions to mash and stir. A meter quickly filled up as she did, and when it was full, it pinged and vanished. Masha grunted with satisfaction and uncorked the troll bottle again, spooning out about a quarter teaspoon into the mix. The Troll Flesh Paste immediately began to crawl around in the herbs. Then came the Stingcrab blood: she poured in the entire two-ounce vial, and an acrid, sweet smell billowed from the bowl. The herb mash began to hiss and pop, turning a darker blue color as the monster blood reacted with the plants. Masha poured the liquid silver suspension in, and the potion began to bubble like molten metal.

“The mana transmutes the ingredients and neutralizes them,” she muttered, delicately uncapping the flask. As soon as she did, the billowing burned-plastic stench of ozone filled the room, so intense I was pretty sure the inside of my nose singed. The blue liquid began to reach up the curved sides, climbing against gravity to escape, but Masha deftly caught a drop of it and resealed the bottle before any of it floated away. There was an audible hiss of pressure from the cap as the mana churned in the bottle, consuming the air inside and creating a vacuum. The substance settled down then, seething gently.

“And now... hup!” Masha held the dropper over the bowl, then squeezed it with a small, careful flick of her wrist. The mana fell like a tiny star into the boiling silver surface, which bucked, rippled, and then swirled like a small galaxy before settling into beautiful silvery-blue liquid with a faint turquoise glow.

[You have learned a new recipe: Bloodscour Potion]

Bloodscour (Alchemical)

A vital but expensive medicine for managing severe internal infections, Bloodscour potion is highly unstable and has a shelf-life of barely twenty minutes. When freshly prepared, it is one of the safest alchemical infusions available, though there is always a slight risk of Stranging. However, the solution decomposes rapidly. Spoiled Bloodscour is highly toxic and guaranteed to mutate or kill a human.

Side-Effects: Bloodscour is administered intravenously. It is fast-acting, but causes severe nausea that must be managed to prevent the patient from continuously vomiting. The Severe Nausea penalty timer is random, lasting between 1-24 hours.

Toxicity: 1/10 (10/10 when spoiled)

Ingredients: Cat's Eye Mushrooms, King's Grass, Holy Basil, Troll Flesh (paste or chunk), Stingcrab Blood, Colloidal Silver, Blue-Grade Mana or higher (liquid form), 1x Sealed Flask. Sale Price: 100 olbia.

“Wow. It looks neat.” I marveled at the stuff as it shifted and swirled. “Smells like fourth-day music festival ass, though.”

“Yes. It rapidly decomposes into an awful black tarry thing.” Masha worked quickly, taking a clean glass and rubber transfuser from her kit. She drew the solution into the chamber, capped it off, and attached the needle. “Alright. I hope your Baru has a strong stomach.”

We returned to find Lazar still working. Vash’s skin had turned a nasty blueish color, but he was hanging in there. The doctor nodded to us, and moved aside. He'd been hard at work, removing the dead skin and cauterizing the healthy tissue.

“Burna's breath. I've already had this lamp-eyed fool jabbing hot irons into my arm. What awful thing are you going to put in me, woman?” Vash gave Masha a wink, eyes dancing despite the pain he endured.

Masha clicked her tongue, but she was also smiling. “Quit your whining, you rogue. And brace yourself. This will make you very nauseous.”

“Oh! Hang on! I have something to help with that!” Lazar said, scuffing his chair back before bustling off.

I hung over Masha’s shoulder while she felt around Vash's good arm, the left, and pinched the inside of his elbow. “Tuun! Come here and insert this needle, then administer the Bloodscour over precisely five minutes. You