Tim found Verdan in his workshop a few hours later, a small cloth sack in one hand and a leather case in the other.

“I’ve found everything I can, Boss,” Tim said, hoisting both his burdens onto the table next to the sword Verdan had been working on.

“One moment, let me tidy up,” Verdan said, holding a hand up for Tim to wait as he organised his work. “Right, show me what you have.”

“I didn’t find a sleeping draught, there aren’t any alchemists in the city anymore, and the herbalist I found doesn’t know the recipe to make them. They did have the ingredients that the Crea family used to order for them, though, which were these,” Tim said, pushing the small satchel over to Verdan.

Opening it up, Verdan found a bundle of purple leaves and a corked flask of clear liquid. Pulling out the leaves, he noticed that they had a gradient of colour, starting as a light lilac in the centre and ending at a deep violet at the edge.

“I don’t recognise these. What are they?” Verdan asked, carefully sniffing the leaves and noting their slightly sweet smell.

“Dusk Valarias, not that I know what that is, and the bottle is full of moonwater she made,” Tim said, somewhat nervously. “She didn’t know the potion's recipe or if anything else was needed, but this was what they bought from her.”

“Moonwater, of course it is,” Verdan muttered with a sigh, eyeing the clear liquid in the bottle with mixed feelings. Moonwater was made by leaving an open container out in the light of a full moon, which caused it to be purified and become a great medium for medicines.

Moonwater was a great example of Parada, the most primal and frustrating of the energy types. Just putting a bowl of water out in the moonlight did nothing, but if you did it with the intent to purify it, you got moonwater. It was maddening; it made no sense for the intent to come before the energy.

Exactly why it was being used for a sleeping potion mystified Verdan, and he was confident that they were missing at least one ingredient. If the moonwater replaced the distilled water he was used to; it was likely that the dusk valarias was the primary ingredient. That still left an adjuvant or something to draw the effect of the plant into the potion.

“She didn’t know any part of the recipe, or what else was used?” Verdan asked, just to be sure.

“No, sorry, Boss. She said that the Crea did it all themselves; she just provided herbs and things she gathered. She had a surgical kit; her husband was a doctor.” Tim patted the leather case as he spoke, reaching down to unlatch it and show Verdan the contents. Everything Verdan expected of a non-magical kit was there; he’d be able to at least make a good attempt at removing a lot of the collar with this.

Verdan paused as something Tim said registered with him, and he frowned. “The Crea? As in the family that owned this estate?”

“Yeah, they were the last alchemists in the city. The rest headed south where the money is,” Tim said with a shrug.

“Well, it looks like I know my next stop then. I’ll finish up here first, but come find me at the guest house in a few hours if you’ve not heard from me first, okay?” Verdan said absently as he clipped the kit closed and moved the two bundles off to one side.

“Sure thing, Boss, thanks again for this,” Tim said, his easy smile unphased by the missing ingredient or their lack of a recipe. Verdan wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve such faith, but he was damned if he was going to let Tim down on this.

“Don’t worry, we’ll sort something out,” Verdan said, putting on an assured front for Tim’s sake. He’d finish the last few weapons, and then he’d work out how he was going to make this happen.

-**-

The guest house of the estate was the old servants quarters at the rear of the workshop. It was a decent-sized house, designed to house a number of people, but was now solely occupied by Natalia Crea, the last surviving member of her family.

When Verdan first came to look at acquiring the estate, one of the conditions that Tobias had told him of was that the new owner be an alchemist. Verdan was hoping that this desire to see the alchemy carried on meant that Natalia still had some of her family’s knowledge stored away. It was a slim hope, but it was all Verdan had to go on.

Coming to a halt at the front door, Verdan gathered his thoughts for a moment before knocking. This was going to be a delicate conversation.

A few moments passed before Natalia opened the door, her reaction at his presence hidden by the same black lace veil that she had worn when he last saw her.

“Wizard Blacke, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Natalia asked, her husky voice sounding somewhat strained as she touched the tops of the elbow-length gloves she wore to seemingly reassure herself they were there.

“I need a favour. If you have a few moments?” Verdan asked, mentally crossing his fingers that she wouldn’t just reject the idea out of hand.

“I can listen, but I make no promises,” Natalia said, stepping to one side and gesturing to the hall behind her. “Please, come inside.”

“Thank you,” Verdan stepped inside and propped his staff against the wall before following Natalia through to a room not too dissimilar to the sitting room in the mansion.

“So, what favour have you come to ask?” Natalia asked as she sat on one of the chairs. While she wasn’t dressed to match the veil and gloves, instead wearing a simple dress, Verdan couldn’t help but admire her elegance and poise. His arrival must have been a complete surprise, but she acted as if this was all expected.

“It’s a somewhat delicate situation, but I hope you’ll be able to help,” Verdan said, taking a seat opposite her as he gathered his thoughts. “You may have seen Tim and his wolf, Sylvie, around the estate. We rescued Sylvie from the darjee when we went north, but they put a horrific collar on her. I have some modest healing skills, but the corruption within the collar is actively working against my magic.”

“I see, but I’m not sure how I can help with this?” Natalia asked as Verdan paused.

“I aim to remove the worst of the collar from her surgically. Hopefully, that will weaken its resistance; I was hoping for your aid in creating a sleeping potion to keep her unconscious through the procedure. Tim acquired some ingredients from a herbalist that used to supply your family, but we’re missing something, and I need equipment and a recipe. Can you help us?”

“You’re asking for a lot. I’ve tried to put alchemy behind me,” Natalia said after a few moments of silence. “Why now, why this urgency? Can you not order the recipe and wait for your own equipment?”

“I want to help her today so that she can rest overnight before we hunt for the cyth that has attacked one of Tobias’s caravans. A caravan that was carrying my new equipment.”

"You’re taking her with you after an impromptu surgery the day before you leave?” Natalia asked incredulously.

“Well, my hope is that with the collar weakened, my healing abilities will be able to have a greater effect. I would leave her here if I could, but I don’t think she will take kindly to being separated from Tim. The two of them are inseparable.” Verdan explained with a shrug; some things were outside his control.

“You talk about the wolf like it’s intelligent,” Natalia remarked in a questioning tone.

“She’s no ordinary creature, that’s for certain,” Verdan said, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. “Yet another reason to resolve things now. She’s too intelligent to leave like this.”

“Very well,” Natalia said, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders before continuing. “I will help you prepare, but don’t expect me to aid in the creation of the potion. That will be entirely down to you.”

“Thank you,” Verdan said earnestly, “I will make the potion in one of the rooms I’ve set up in the workshop. I just need the recipe and some equipment.”

“Good. Now, what ingredients do you already have, and how strong does the potion need to be?”

“I have moonwater and dusk valarias, but I’m short one ingredient, I believe it would be something to draw out the properties of the plant, but I leave the specifics to you.”

“Hmm,” Natalia remained silent for a moment before nodding to herself. “I know the recipe you are looking for. The remaining ingredient is shadow Dryd, which needs to be mixed into the moonwater alongside the dusk valarias, but only once the leaves are ground. I have a small collection of Dryd in storage. Some shadow Dryd won’t be a problem.”

“What is ‘shadow Dryd’?” Verdan asked, eager to learn from someone with practical knowledge.

“You’re unfamiliar with Elemental Dryd?” Natalia said, cocking her head to one side with interest when Verdan shook his head. “I remember you saying you were a novice, but this is beyond what I expected.”

“The small amount I have done is likely very different to your own methods, though I’m willing to learn.”

“Very well, Elemental Dryd is the result of refining the organs of various magical creatures. The process is somewhat esoteric and varies from alchemist to alchemist, but my family were experts at harvesting fire and acid Dryd.” Natalia rose and gestured for Verdan to follow as she led him back out of the room. Her pride in her family was evident in her voice, but so was the underlying melancholy.

“Fascinating, so does the process change depending on the type of Dryd you’re trying to create?”

“Yes, and by the type of creature at that. There are a number of factors, including the strength of the Essence in the creature,” Natalia said, a hint of passion entering her voice as she explained.

“Would you be willing to teach me some of this process?” Verdan asked, regretting the question the moment he spoke. He could visibly see the tension flow through Natalia’s body, and she tugged anxiously on her gloves before shaking her head.

“I’ve left that behind me. It’s no longer who I am,” Natalia said quietly, stopping outside a hefty-looking door and pushing it open. “The Dryd is on one of the shelves, you’ll need only a small container, and even that will make several potions.”

“Thank you,” Verdan said, cursing himself as he stepped into the storage room and sought out the Dryd that she had mentioned. He’d known that she was scarred, both mentally and likely physically, by her past. Jumping straight to her teaching him had been a big mistake; he’d been too eager by far.

Looking around the room, Verdan saw that it contained a well-organised and precisely labelled selection of equipment and ingredients. As Natalia had said, there was a whole shelf dedicated to various containers of Dryd, showcasing a variety of aspects. Given her statement on their expertise, it wasn’t a surprise that the majority of the Dryd was fire or acid aspected, with one or two singular containers being more specific variants on those themes like lava or corrosion.

Seeing those more specific aspects made Verdan think of how Tom’s earth magic was very stone focused; perhaps it carried over to sorcerers as well. If so, that presented a whole range of interesting ideas, as there were countless sub-sections to an element. After all, a sub-section was all about intent and specific circumstances, so what lava meant for one person wasn’t going to be exactly the same as someone else. Close enough for grouping, yes, but not exactly the same.

Grabbing the Dryd container and an empty box, Verdan loaded up with a few empty vials, a mortar and pestle and a few odds and ends he might need. Satisfied he had everything, he headed back into the corridor, closing the door behind him.

Her veil hid Natalia’s expression, but Verdan could tell from the way she held herself that she was still uncomfortable.

“Thank you for this. Is there anything I can do to repay you?” Verdan asked, gesturing to the box he held with his chin.

“Perhaps, I will need to think about it,” Natalia said hesitantly, her voice soft and uncertain.

“When you have decided, please seek me out. I am at your service,” Verdan straightened and gave her a half-bow. He owed her for this, and it was a good excuse to spend more time with her.

Since waking up in this new world, Natalia was the first person he’d met who seemed to share his passion for learning and knowledge. When she had been explaining about Dryd, it had almost been like he was speaking with a different woman altogether. He wouldn’t pester her, but if she came to him for something, it would be a good chance to talk through some more questions he had about alchemy.

“Thank you, Wizard Blacke,” Natalia said somewhat stiffly. “I wish you success with your operation.”

“Thank you,” Verdan said, inclining his head once more before heading back toward the front of the building. He didn’t want to overstay his welcome, and he could sense his presence was becoming a bit too much for her.

Verdan got the last few instructions on amounts and the process as they walked to the door. He was confident he could replicate the fairly straightforward recipe now. Satisfied with what he had learned, Verdan left the guest house and started back toward the workshop. There was a lot to do and little time to do it in.

-**-

“Moonwater here, ground dusk valarias here, and shadow Dryd to one side,” Verdan muttered to himself as he arranged the ingredients on the workbench in front of him. He’d already ground half of the leaves of the dusk valarias, the sweet smell that the leaves had become far more prevalent as he worked.

Moving the moonwater to a larger container, Verdan added the ground leaves and a few pinches of shadow Dry. The Dryd was a grey, coarse, sand-like substance with an odd texture to it. As he added it to the mixture, the Dryd dissolved almost instantly into the moonwater.

Natalia’s instructions were to add the Dryd until the dissolving process slowed, which would indicate that there was enough for the number of dusk valarias that he had used.

Watching carefully with his Aether senses, Verdan added more Dryd to the mixture. Interestingly, Verdan was able to watch as Aether spread out from the crushed leaves to infuse the surrounding moonwater. There was insufficient strength in just the leaves to infuse the whole flask, but the shadow Essence from the Dryd was changing when it encountered the Aether from the leaves, propagating it across the whole flask.

Fascinating. This was an extremely interesting interaction between Aether and Essence. The Aether from the leaves had an inherent intent, a property of the plant itself, whereas the Essence coming from the Dryd was aspected but had no accompanying intent that Verdan could sense. The two then combined to provide both intent and aspect for the new potion.

Verdan’s eyes went wide as he realised why there were so many forms of Dryd in Natalia’s storage room. Not all aspects would suit the intent of the potion; it would make no sense for a fire aspect to work to put a creature to sleep, for instance.

Adding a last pinch of Dryd, Verdan watched as the last part of the moonwater became infused with the intent of the dusk valarias. Now he knew that the Dryd was providing the raw power for the potion. He didn’t need to judge the amount by the rate at which it dissolved; he could do it by eye.

Verdan smiled happily as he considered how much Dryd he would save compared to the average alchemist. From what Natalia had said about the amount to use, he was only using two-thirds of the recommended amount. Anything further would add more Essence to the mix, but it wouldn’t improve the actual effect of the potion.

Corking the flask he’d mixed everything into, Verdan looked at the mixture with pride. His first foray into alchemy was a success and had yielded quite a few interesting results, not the least of which was the use of moonwater. Previously, Verdan would have used Aether-purified water as the base for a potion, but the ease with which the Essence and Aether spread through the moonwater was impressive.

Drumming his fingers on the table, Verdan considered what to do next. There were a few things he could set his hand to, but perhaps the most pressing was the last few weapons that needed temporary enchantments.

Yes, he would finish those while he waited for Tim and Sylvie, and then it was time to go forward with the surgery.