It took just over a week but it finally happened. Haemish, who had completely blacked out during the chemical explosion, finally began to regain consciousness. It was a slow and arduous process. First, his eyelids fluttered. Then he groaned, and finally after about an hour of mumbling and grumbling to himself, he deigned to rouse himself and take stock of the disaster that was his home.

“Well, that was unexpected!” he exclaimed in what was likely the understatement of the century. “I suppose I better clean up.”

While most people would not have reacted like that, this was typical of the eccentric and frankly abnormal Haemish. It was the reason that he lived and worked in seclusion. It was not that he had not tried to work with the Alchemists in the capital, but they made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t one for conflict or disagreements and there seemed to be many of them when he got involved with others. He was a perfectly reasonable person, but for some reason, others just didn’t get along with him, so he much preferred working on his tinctures and potions without onlookers getting in his way.

The Royal Family had agreed with his style as they had set him up in this location, far from the capital at his request and insistence, and he had produced results. None could boast a more productive Alchemical Workshop; he had discovered solutions to problems that those cretins could only dream of!

Did he talk a little bit too much about his capabilities and achievements? No, certainly not! Not any more than they deserved. After all, he was the best, and people needed to understand that, lest they misunderstand his good advice for chatter from a lesser Potion Master.

He had received numerous messages from the Palace for updates while he had been knocked out. Of course, he hadn’t been able to give them any updates for two reasons. First, he had not made any progress of any kind, and second, of course, he had been out of it for the last week. He was back to full Health already but that was no surprise. Since he stopped adventuring, he had not needed to monitor his Health totals at all.

The last message was from the royal family's correspondent saying that if he didn't reply within 12 hrs they would be sending someone to "come and check on him." The trip would take them a day and a half, but they would make it for such an important cause. He would need to reply to them, or they might come out and see the devastation.

“Might not be the worst thing in the world. They might help me put it all together, on the other hand. I might need to go to the Palace to work from there. No….that will never do!”

Haemish’s worst possible nightmare was someone turning up without warning and telling him he needed to get his arse to the Palace and set up in one of the numerous inferior Alchemical labs there…

He was not happy about that, and the message had come in 24 hrs ago which meant that someone was already on their way…

He sighed deeply and set about sorting out the debris and materials to see if there was anything still salvageable among the wreckage. He would be working in the Palace.

Just give it 3 days he thought. He…just ….knew it.